Chapter 112
Chapter 112
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: The Lawless City of Ilec
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A sudden shout from somewhere threw the west gate into chaos.
Another faction, besides Felton and Wolf Fang, had joined the fray.
"It's those Liberta bastards!"
"Damn it, of all times!"
White composite armor adorned with red and blue triangular crests.
It seemed the faction that had just burst in was called Liberta.
In any case, they showed little interest in me.
They simply attacked the people swarming the west gate.
"Staying here will only lead to more losses. Retreat!"
"Break out to the north!"
"We're heading for the south gate!"
The Felton and Wolf Fang groups split to the left and right, then began to flee in a hurry.
It appeared that with more than half their forces crushed, they had chosen to run instead of fight.
Soon, the leader of Liberta approached me.
His face was obscured by his helmet.
He spoke in a deliberately solemn voice.
"You seem to be a traveler, but no matter how weary you are, you shouldn't enter Ilec. Unless you have powerful connections in the city."
"Oh? And if I do have connections?"
"Then you should have sought their protection, not entered alone like this."
"I see. I didn't know."
"Just because we saved you, don't trust us too much. If we weren't in a situation where we had to chase those bastards, we would have robbed you blind."
The man then returned to his group.
With a dumbfounded expression, I stared blankly at the Liberta members.
Soon, they turned north and began to move.
*'Who's robbing whom? Maybe I should just clean out this entire city myself.'*
The situation in Ilec seemed more complicated than I had thought.
It seemed better to get help from experts rather than investigate alone.
"It's so chaotic, I wonder if I can even find it."
I immediately began to search the city for the family's insignia.
All while feigning the leisurely air of a tourist, of course.
After wandering for several hours, I finally found the branch's insignia.
*'The scale seems quite small.'*
With the war for the throne of Reilhash intensifying, it seemed they couldn't afford to invest much of their strength here.
Still, it was likely enough manpower for intelligence gathering.
Finding the hidden entrance deep in an alleyway, I immediately presented my blue plaque.
Once I proved I was a special agent, permission was granted swiftly.
Soon, I was able to see the western continental branch for what it truly was.
With a look of utter bewilderment.
*'Wait, is this really an assassination guild branch?'*
The first thing I saw upon entering the building was a burly man lifting and dropping a heavy iron bar.
"Hmph!"
*Clang!*
There was also a man doing pull-ups with large iron plates strapped to his body.
So, it was a scene of a muscleman next to another muscleman, with yet another muscular man next to him, all engaged in strength training.
At this rate, it felt less like an assassination guild branch and more like a knight order's training hall.
"Ha! What is this?"
As I muttered this to myself, a bald man, dripping with sweat, suddenly approached me.
"I heard the gist of it. Blue plaque? Code name Crow? You're from the main family."
His eyes widened the moment he saw me.
He had recognized my identity instantly.
To be precise, he must have received a voice transmission from the agent who checked my credentials.
There's no way he could know my code name without having seen my real face.
I, too, could quickly deduce his identity.
Among the transcendent-level agents, there was only one with such an appearance.
"This is the first time we've been formally introduced, Branch Manager."
"What brings you here?"
"I had some business in Foven and decided to stop by. I was curious what the western branch looked like."
The identity of this sweaty, bald man was none other than the western continental branch manager, code name Rain Maker.
*'Surely his nickname isn't just because he sweats a lot... right?'*
I looked at the muscular skinhead with rational suspicion.
Just then, Rain Maker gave a meaningful smile, as if this was perfect timing.
"We were just in need of a new face. Do you happen to have some time?"
*Ah, this feels like it's going to be a pain.*
Though I thought so inwardly, I readily nodded and replied.
After all, I needed an excuse to stay at the branch anyway.
"I always welcome a reasonable transaction."
Even if we belong to the same guild, I can't work for free.
"Oh? Good to hear you have time. Then follow me."
It was quite a provocative statement, but Rain Maker didn't seem to mind.
His simple acceptance as he turned away seemed far from authoritative.
Then again, he was the type to fill his branch with training equipment, so it made sense.
Following Rain Maker, I found a small room tucked away in a corner of the building.
"This is our branch's intelligence room."
I looked back at Rain Maker, incredulous.
*'Wait, is this for real?'*
How could a branch's intelligence room be just a single, palm-sized room?
Looking around, I saw it lacked even the most basic equipment needed for an Owl Strike Division agent's work.
*'No matter what I say about the Owl Strike kids I know, this is just wrong.'*
As if sensing my slightly reproachful gaze, Rain Maker cleared his throat loudly and looked away.
"Ahem! There's a reason for all this."
"Yes, I'm sure there is."
"Didn't you notice anything different when you entered Ilec?"
"It seemed like there were a lot of conflicts. But this place is famous for being a lawless city, isn't that to be expected?"
"True. But... what if those conflicts also apply to us?"
"To the assassination guild?"
How many groups would dare to attack the Rantzverger Assassination Guild?
No one in their right mind would attempt such a reckless act.
But from what Rain Maker said, the situation in Ilec seemed to be a bit different.
"Take a look at the report on the top shelf over there."
*Swish.*
As Rain Maker instructed, I picked up the document and casually opened it.
"It's just a list of dates."
"That's the number of times we've been attacked this month."
"You've fought fifteen times in one month?"
"The number's even higher if you count the times we attacked them."
Only then did I begin to understand why the branch building was filled with so much physical training equipment.
*'Wow! These people... they're lifting to live.'*
Rain Maker let out a slightly self-deprecating laugh and pulled out a sheet of paper.
*Swish.*
"There's someone who's devilishly good at finding our branch and selling that information to other factions."
"So you want me to catch this information broker?"
"Heh heh! You catch on quick. Since you're an outsider, you should have an easier time approaching them."
"Understood. What's the payment?"
"Hmm... How about that?"
Rain Maker gestured with his chin toward a multi-gym machine in the middle of the branch.
*Seriously, what am I supposed to do with a hunk of iron like that?*
Letting out a dry laugh, I replied with a firm expression.
"Cash on the barrelhead, or I'm not doing it."
At that, Rain Maker's face fell, and he hung his head.
"Ah... but that's the best thing our branch has to offer."
*That might be a great offer to you workout addicts.*
* * *
I was immediately assigned a safe house by the western continental branch.
Since the branch had a poor revenue structure, the facilities were abysmally bad.
The fact that even Rain Maker was living here said it all.
*'So the key is the strange movements of Felton and Wolf Fang.'*
According to the western branch's investigation, the two factions had been acting strangely lately.
Engaging in skirmishes with each other was business as usual.
However, they had started frequently joining forces to attack other factions.
Their targets were usually Liberta, the established power in Ilec, and the bothersome Rantzverger branch.
Once or twice could be dismissed as coincidence, but the problem was that this situation kept repeating.
*'When they first saw me, they stopped fighting and immediately joined hands, didn't they?'*
They launched a pincer attack from the front and back as if they had been waiting for the opportunity.
The western continental branch manager believed this information broker was the one acting as a bridge between them.
The mastermind who exposes the Rantzverger branch's location and incites attacks.
Honestly, if you found out the enemy's base, could you resist attacking?
Especially for the hot-tempered Felton Knight Order and the thuggish Wolf Fang.
"The answer is simple. I just need to check the places where these guys are swarming."
This was a method that agents whose identities and locations were largely exposed couldn't even attempt.
After all, there were few skilled enough to use the Seven-Joint Face-Changing Technique at will.
I immediately disguised myself as a traveler and roamed throughout the city.
*'The fighting really never stops here.'*
As I had seen earlier, a fistfight was breaking out in every alley I peeked into.
From petty squabbles between criminals to power struggles between major factions.
It was simply a massive brawl of madmen.
I walked the streets, shaking my head.
Then, I finally discovered the scene of a suspicious gang fight.
*'Felton and Wolf Fang and... Liberta.'*
At first, Liberta and Wolf Fang were fighting over a single shop.
It seemed one faction had launched a surprise attack to seize control of the business.
Soon, the passing Felton Knight Order joined in, turning it into a chaotic melee.
But, just as I'd expected, the fight shifted into one where Liberta was being targeted by a concentrated attack.
"In that case? This means that information broker bastard is somewhere around here."
He must be the one who sold out the location of Liberta's armed forces.
He would surely want to confirm that things were proceeding as planned.
Even if he didn't come himself, he would have at least sent a subordinate.
With eyes full of conviction, I began to scan the surroundings.
*Clang! Clang!*
"You blue bastards, stabbing us in the back like this!"
"And you call yourselves knights?"
The curses of the besieged Liberta members could be heard clearly.
But I ignored them, focusing only on tracking the information broker.
But in the very moment I casually shifted my gaze.
Something caught my eye.
*'That sword technique... is that the Single-Star Flowing Fire Sword?'*