Shackler’s choice of hiding spots, the slums of Bergen, were as complex as an ant cave. A stranger would be swallowed by the shadows of the slums if they ever casually wandered through it.
Theo could feel the air weighing on his shoulders as he slipped through the alleys. He saw wine bottles lazily rolling over stains that looked like blood. Whatever it was, Theo ignored it and focused on the situation calmly.
Twenty-five meters, three on the right.
He wasn’t just depending on his senses. He was also relying on Mitra’s earth sensing ability, which she was sharing with him after assimilating with the ground. He could now perceive things that were beyond just Hawkeye’s abilities.
Indeed, there were three thieves whispering just on the other side of the wall. Theo silently stepped closer until he heard harsh whispers.
“I saw it! It was definitely an elf!”
“You’re crazy, Hans. Did you get high again?”
“You’re probably hallucinating. When was the last time you saw a whore? Do you need money? I can lend you some. It’s only two percent interest per day.” 𝙚𝙤𝙫𝙚𝒍.𝒐𝙧𝙜
“Hey, this son of a bitch!”
It seems one of them had seen an elf held captive, but his colleagues didn’t believe him. The thief stormed off angrily. When he rounded the corner, he came face to face with Theo. The thief opened his mouth in surprise, but Theo was quicker.
Piing—
The Magic Bullet came from beneath, piercing through his jaw, tongue, and brain before he could even breathe a word. Even Veronica wouldn’t be able to dodge at that range. The thief’s fate was sealed the moment he saw Theo.
Just two left. This should be enough.?
Theo hooked his fingers over the wall and fired at the two remaining thieves. They were still bantering as the light of death pierced through their skulls.
Theo quietly moved past them.
“Gah…”
“Kuh…”
Theo killed everyone in his way. He killed and hid the bodies of the dozen thieves until he met a second patrol. He killed them too, but one of the warriors had managed to leave a shallow scratch on Theo’s forearm.
Che, I’m still inexperienced. It was an attack I could’ve avoided if I had fully digested Lee Yoonsung’s experience.
He closed the wound with a quick spell. It didn’t hurt to be careful. Theo moved softly through the shadows until he reached the barracks. Canis had told him that there were two elves being held inside. Theo started to consider which one to attack first.
Shouts rang out from the barrack on the right. “No? Why not?!”
Theo decided to move toward the right barrack. His eyes turned golden as he peeked through a knothole in the fence. A large group of thieves were arguing with four warriors who were standing in front of the barrack with grim expressions.
Theo tensed as he analyzed them.
That’s five aura users. Did the White Tower agent miss something? I should watch for a bit.
Theo was ready to move at any time, but he decided to listen to their argument first.
“This is against the agreement! Didn’t you agree to turn over two elves to me? You don’t know what kind of risky position our guild is in because of you!”
“Wait a little longer, Boss Rakon.”
“It’s already been over a week! We don’t know when those bastards will come!”
Theo eyed the one they called Boss Rakon. He was the boss of the guild Canis belonged to. It seemed he had bargained for a few elves in exchange for mediating this slave deal. That was why Rakon had agreed to a deal he normally wouldn’t have accepted even for a few hundred gold coins. The thought of possessing an elf beauty had allayed his fear of execution. Yet as time passed, he had begun to feel uneasy. Rakon had wanted to get the elves out of the city as soon as possible. But it had been a few days, and he was starting to get worried about an executioner.
However, the members of Shackler shook their heads resolutely. They seemed to think the thieves would stab them in the back if they handed over the elves, but they were also annoyed that the thieves were coming over several times a day.
“Dammit, just let me see them once!” Rakon tried to shake their cold attitude, but there was nothing he could do. Unlike his subordinates, Shackler’s people couldn’t even be bribed.
Wuuong~?
A cool breeze cooled his red face. Rakon drew in a sharp breath as he detected the faint scent of blood from the wind. It didn’t seem anyone around him was bleeding either. The extraordinary senses of the thief boss had detected an enemy.
Clink.
Rakon flicked his wrist, and six daggers appeared almost simultaneously between his fingers. Shackler’s warriors flinched in surprise, but Rakon spun to hurl the daggers away from them. Surprisingly, he threw them straight at the fence where Theo was hidden.
How?!
Theo was startled. He had completely erased his presence, but Rakon had attacked him accurately. He rolled to the side as the daggers pierced through the fence.
Pyupok!PyokPyupok!
The rickety fence collapsed under this sudden assault, revealing a crouched Theo. The guards unsheathed their shamshirs as they found him. The eyes of the aura users started to glow crimson as they readied themselves.
Theo rose to his feet, brushing his clothes free of debris. “Hoo, then it can’t be helped.”
There were five aura users in front of him, but he stepped forward. It wasn’t difficult to escape, but he would only be burdening Vince, who was infiltrating from the opposite side. But even more than that, the experience of two lifetimes was clamoring inside him. He could win this battle.
.
“It’s a guy. Hey, kid! Did you get lost from your mommy?”
Theodore’s eyelid twitched when he heard Rakon’s taunt. He hadn’t expected to feel anything from that strange provocation.
But… it feels worse than I thought?
But a single word had touched on his nerves. Veronica and the bearded robber had both called him “kid”, but the difference was like night and day. However, as that thought occurred to him, his focus returned. This was markedly different from facing Veronica. There were five people here, and another four in the nearby barracks, making a total of nine people. At the same time, they weren’t stronger than her.
Theodore’s right hand calmly moved.
Open Inventory. Equipment (3).
Meanwhile, his left hand pulled out a red robe that contained the emblem of the Red Tower and five circles. Veronica had given it to him personally. The robe was a symbol of honor and power in the Meltor Kingdom.
As the red cloth fluttered over Theo’s upper body, Rakon’s eyes widened as he realized the identity of the person in front of him. “Damnit, the executors are already here!”
Meltor’s underworld was very familiar with this attire. It was embroidered with defensive and support magic, and were the exclusive possessions of the envoys of the battlefield. It wasn’t an artifact which an ordinary kid could obtain.
Finally, Theodore checked his Memorize slots before raising both hands.
Battle Song. Sonata of Speed. Allegretto.
He shot through the darkness like an unstoppable crimson comet.
***
On the other side of the encampment, Vince Haidel was leaping between buildings. Vince’s physical abilities had increased After reaching the 6th Circle. His movements were on par with Theo’s once he used Battle Song.
Paak!
Vince cast Battle Song in midair and protected his body with magic. The numerous warriors on the ground didn’t discover Vince as he flew through the sky. A magician’s versatility was one of the reasons they played such an active role in war. A veteran war magician could act as a scout, heavy artillery, rearguard, and combatant according to the situation.
And Vince was one of the best Superior ranked magicians in Meltor.
Here.?
He landed at the spot Canis had marked without a sound. He cast Detect Enemies silently as he examined the gray tent in front of him. He couldn’t feel a thing. The quarters here felt like the warriors had been living here for several years. Vince frowned as he went over Canis’ information in his head.
It wasn’t easy to avoid the blow.
Kiiing!
It was faster than sound. The blade tore through the air so quickly that the sound of its passage only came a beat later. The aura-tipped point of the shamshir cut through Vince’s neck, coming dangerously close to hitting the artery. However, Battle Song had enhanced Vince’s reflexes. He leaned away just enough to turn the fatal wound into a simple laceration.
As Vince sprang away, he looked like he realized something. “… So that’s what’s going on.”
A man walked out of the shadow cast by the tent. Vince recognized the distinctive black turban decorated in gold that men from the northern continent’s Austen Kingdom wore. Crimson aura flared around his shamshirs in a haze.
The man looked Vince up and down. “Meltor, war magician.”
Vince’s red robe settled around his shoulders as he replied, “That’s right. Janissary of Austen.”
The man’s face remained neutral, but he was shaken by the utter certainty in Vince’s voice.
While the Janissary protecting his identity closed his mouth, Vince raised a finger to wipe his neck clean of blood. “What criminal organization would try something like this so fearlessly? Even if they succeeded in selling the elves, they would only lose money. There aren’t many idiots who would try to buy slaves in this country. It only makes sense if you aren’t using Meltor as an intermediary. Instead, you’re just passing through.”
“… Why do you think that?”
The man’s command of Meltor’s language was rough, but the meaning was clear.
Vince had no intention of letting this man walk away alive. As the man stepped backward, Vince stepped forward, nodding toward the tent.
He was already convinced that his guess was the right answer. “Just the elf in that tent. Or rather… the high elf.”
The Janissary’s eyes contracted to pinpoints.