You and Its Name (1)
The red mark (√) holds memories. Anyone who has completed the Shadow Mercenary's initiation rite can read the memories contained within the mark. It means they can witness how that particular request led to success, observing the entire process.
“……”
Kichi scratched her head.
……When was it?
The last time she'd read a mark's memory.
The hidden request ledger could only be perused by one person. There couldn't be two leaders in the Shadow Mercenary. Not as long as the Rank Wars existed, anyway.
Just like the mercenaries' ranks.
The leader's position was determined solely by skill.
Want to claim the leader's seat? It meant severing the previous leader's neck.
Kichi was no exception.
“Always a shitty feeling.”
Regardless of the reason.
The request ledger recorded the previous leader she'd beheaded. Even his requests.
……What was it like?
Like flipping through the diary of the person she'd killed.
No, even worse—peeking into their memories. It was never a welcome experience.
But.
“Hoo.”
It was a burden the leader had to endure.
The reason memories were etched into the request ledger tied into that perfectly. By preserving them, the next leader could inherit experience and knowledge.
That was why the Shadow Mercenary had maintained its lineage through the brutal system of Rank Wars.
Kichi moved her finger.
────── Claudy Assassination √ ──────
The demon king manifested in the adventurers' world.
The name that demon had cried out.
Claudy.
To read the request's memory, Kichi placed her finger on the mark.
Squish—
The red mark melted away.
Turning into blood-like crimson liquid that seeped into her skin.
At the same moment, a hallucination appeared before Kichi's eyes.
. . .
—“A demon's request, huh. We've gone all the way.”
A sneering tone.
Kichi remembered that voice. Back when she'd just joined the Shadow Mercenary. It was Verami, who held the third seat at the time.
Judging by his youthful face instead of the elderly one she knew, the request's success must have been quite some time ago.
—“This ain't your average demon.”
—“Huh? Aren't all demons the same? Parasites clinging to weak humans to survive. No matter how infamous, they tremble at the sight of Akkshan, right?”
—“I agree with Verami. All that talk of great evils or demon kings—only Akkshan blabs about it. Even the old folks don't buy it. Obvious why they yap: it's all about the paycheck!”
The seniors' instincts were way off.
If they're watching Arcana from hell……>
They'd probably shudder in shame?
Well, their lack of insight was why they ended up dead.
But the leader was different.
—“Demon, great evil, demon king. Does it matter?”
—“……Leader?”
—“We got paid. Get it done.”
The one who etched the mark.
The memory flowed from the leader's perspective.
Thanks to that, Verami's changing expression was crystal clear. How strictly had he maintained discipline? Just one sentence, and Verami's face went pale.
—“That's the only reason scum like you and me can survive on this continent. Purpose? Don't you dare pry. We stay alive because we're trash moved solely by coin.”
The reason the Shadow Mercenary had endured so long?
Some pointed to their skill.
But that was wrong.
Arcana was vast, full of the skilled.
They took any request without discrimination, amassing endless grudges.
Yet the Shadow Mercenary survived.
Just as the late leader had said: because they were trash swayed only by pay.
The Claudy assassination was no different.
—“Remember this. This ain't an everyday chance.”
The leader lowered his voice.
Kichi focused more on the unfolding scene.
Soon, they encountered the request's target.
At that moment, Kichi flinched.
What entered her vision.
Was something shining brilliantly.
Silver hair.
Or, put differently…….
……Identical.
Yes, the same as the Holy War Alliance's supreme commander.
And at the same time.
Their employer's, Hoyeol's, hair color.
Suddenly, rumors from the adventurers' world resurfaced.
If it's Hoyeol.
Doesn't he know something about Claudy too?
All sorts of speculations poured from the crowd.
Kichi shook her head.
……He didn't just 'know something.'
The supreme commander was deeply connected to Claudy.
Enough to share the target's hair color.
Perhaps even Claudy's bloodline…….
As Kichi's speculation continued.
Pause—
—“!”
The silver-haired woman noticed the Shadow Mercenary's approach.
Her ornate noble attire, no weapon in sight—she didn't seem versed in martial arts.
—“She saw through our stealth?”
—“Great bloodlines do have their perks.”
—“Chase her.”
She'd sensed their stealth purely through innate senses.
To reiterate…….
Reading a mark's memory was a dogshit experience.
Kichi bit her lower lip.
That's why I killed you.
After Kichi became the new leader.
The Shadow Mercenary's activities dwindled compared to before.
With Rank Wars and the ledger in place.
The longer time passed, the stronger their forces grew inevitably.
The simple reason their activity slowed: the leader, Kichi, didn't want it.
If it were me, I wouldn't touch a request like this…….
But Kichi didn't look away.
Having joined the Shadow Mercenary.
This was another burden for the leader to bear.
So Kichi didn't avert her eyes even from the target's final moments.
—“Tempest!”
The target called a name.
Then, a hunting dog appeared from somewhere.
Its noble appearance, grandiose name for a dog—it was obvious it received special treatment.
Did it know that itself?
—“Damn mutt……!!”
As if repaying a favor.
The dog charged the Shadow Mercenary to protect its master, even as its body tore apart.
It inflicted a fatal wound on the lowest ranker, scarred Verami's forearm.
So that's when he got that scar.
A wound large enough for Kichi to recognize later.
But that was it.
—“Lady of a great house. Don't expect aid or miracles.”
The great evil's request.
A long-standing one in the Shadow Mercenary.
The reason it was fulfilled in Verami's generation: the timing was right.
—“You're not the only ones after you.”
She must have known.
Not a clan wipeout—just one assassination.
Of a mere noble lady. A target as easy as breathing for the Shadow Mercenary.
Yet why had it lingered unfinished for so long?
Undoubtedly because of the Claudy name's weight—even the indiscriminate Shadow Mercenary knew better than to trifle with it.
……Hold on.
Kichi prided herself on knowing the continent's underworld better than anyone.
But she couldn't even guess.
If the Shadow Mercenary was tasked with just one lady.
At the same time.
Who was targeting the family head or heir……?
Naturally.
Kichi had no answer to that.
Whoosh—
The hallucination faded.
Thanks to mercilessly eliminating the target.
The Shadow Mercenary's request ended there.
. . .
“……”
Her vision returned to the ledger.
The red success mark (√).
The pitch-black darkness of the hideout.
Silent for a while, Kichi finally spoke.
“Really.”
Suddenly, Harkon's voice came to mind.
—“Do you regret your past?”
“Really now.”
And with it, Hoyeol.
……Didn't expect to get this tangled up.
She'd forgotten, but it hit her anew.
That they were trash.
Living like trash meant paying the price eventually.
But, but…….
“……If I bear it alone, it's fine, right?”
Kichi intended to shoulder that sin entirely by herself.
Fleeting glimpses of daily life in Yusra.
Boozing all day at the tavern, blending in with ordinary folk.
The others hadn't shown it, but they'd all been enjoying it.
“All by myself, intact.”
The Shadow Mercenary's original sin.
Bearing it was the leader's—her—role.
Of course, how Hoyeol would take it was unknown.
But Kichi had words too.
A bitter smile escaped.
“……Just like you've done all this time.”
No intention of grandly calling it 'pride.'
Such a noble word didn't suit trash like her.
She knew it didn't fit.
So, what then…….
Pondering, Kichi spoke.
“……Voluntary action for the employer?”
And atonement for Claudy.
With her thoughts settled, Kichi closed the ledger and left the hideout.
What came next was simple.
“I'm a pro at this, y'know.”
Claudy.
The great house.
To uncover why they'd vanished so cleanly from history.
Specifically, on the day the request began.
Which forces had joined in Claudy's extermination.
And report everything she found to Hoyeol.
“……Already cold in here.”
Just thinking of facing that icy expression.
Kichi's tongue already felt twisted.
So…….
“Looks like I can't keep that promise to meet in Antonium.”
*
An RPG game's promise and common sense: later-acquired skills are always superior.
From that perspective, Akshan's Guardian hadn't betrayed me.
Swoosh!
I'd even ridden the dragon, Yunak Seus.
Yet Akshan's wolf was just as fast—no, the standard for 'fast' was different here.
Like metaphorically racing through space?
Why, its appearance wasn't a mere summon.
It had truly heeded my call.
Answered with a howl.
Then raced all the way to Sisli.
Definitely extraordinary.
Akshan's poster child.
One might praise its abilities.
But shamelessly, I said:
“You have much left to learn.”
Damn, strict by Claudy standards.
Its mobility alone should leave nothing to want.
Yet this guy's personality never satisfied.
The wolf might feel slighted hearing that.
But.
“Awoo—”
……It's delighted instead?
Not wagging its tail teasingly like the cat Tower Master.
It's practically bouncing its hips in uncontainable joy.
Watching it, I felt a bit sorry.
That lonely for people?
First encounter since Akshan's annihilation.
Anything would feel welcoming.
Of course, my sentimental thought didn't last.
I soon realized.
It was Akshan's guardian, after all.
Like Akshan's demon hunters.
A grind-quest fanatic obsessed with training……!
I learned the truth thanks to Agentress.
The elf.
A being who communes with nature.
She understood the wolf's words and told me:
“It's eagerly anticipating something.”
Instantly, Akshan seniors' faces overlapped with the wolf.
Yeah, I get the itchy body and soul.
But how about we postpone training?
Why, we've got that weighty quest: Tracking the Primordial Evil?
You have entered the Arcana Continent where legends stir.
Thanks to the Black Dark Dragon Legend stirring, the demons' presence remained faint.
But Natural Enemy activated without fail.
And right now, I wasn't alone.
When it came to hatred for demons.
None could rival it.
Akshan's wolf was with me.
“Awooooo—!!”
Its howl echoed across the continent.
At the same moment.
A message appeared before my eyes.
The guardian, Akshan wolf, activates Natural Enemy.
You…… truly Akshan to the bone!
Natural Enemy's effect: massive combat power boost against demons.
As if proving it, I felt the Akshan wolf's aura surge ferociously.
No wonder Agentress swallowed dryly and spoke.
“May I ask one thing?”
A polite question.
No reason not to answer.
And above all, I was immensely satisfied now.
Why, obviously?
With Legend, Black Dark Dragon not enough.
Now acquiring Guardian, Akshan Wolf.
My heart couldn't feel more secure.
But I'd overlooked something.
“Your name.”
Look at my head.
I'd even forgotten my own introduction.
And.
“The name of the wolf you ride.”
That I hadn't named the Akshan wolf.
……Oh no.
Before I could react, Grandfell spoke first.
Naming the wolf.
“Tempest over the Horizon.”
No, seriously.
Don't name my kids without consulting me!