Late at night, Adan and Jonas returned to their hideaway from a secret meeting with Night Python's liaison.

"d*mn it, you guys, you're making excuses. ......

　An exasperated Adan closed the door roughly in frustration.

　I reported on how the mission had gone wrong and accused him of bringing up the talisman, but he just shrugged it off, saying that it couldn't be true.
　Adan and the others couldn't stand the thought that they were at fault, so they pleaded their case, but the matter was eventually dropped. The liaison seemed to have wanted to take the matter back to the office for further discussion, so the matter may have been brought up again later.

More importantly, let's talk about the next job.
"I know. I'll be ready first thing tomorrow.

　That's when. They heard footsteps coming down the hallway.
　Then there's a knock at the door.

"...... what?　Who is it?　At a time like this?

　Adan asks Jonas in a quizzical whisper. Of course Jonas doesn't know.

"You live in the neighborhood, don't you?　You close your door too loudly at this hour.
"What a pain. ...... Hey, get out of here. You'd better cover it up.
"Tsk.

　Jonas modestly clucked his tongue and quickly took off his traveling clothes to put on his normal clothes.
　He then stood in front of the door and called out to someone who knocked.

"What can I do for you, ......?
"Curse bind.
Geez!
...... "Lockpick.

　Jonas fell down and the door unlocked itself almost simultaneously.

"......?

　Adan shouted in astonishment.
　Something impossible had happened.

　Jonas, who was answering the door, was lying motionless. Behind him. He opened the door to reveal a small, black figure with all but his eyes covered, like an Eastern ninja.
　But it's hard to mistake him for the person who just gave me a bad time just a few hours ago. The blonde girl sorceress. "Iris of the Dragon's Throat. She's the one you two should've run from after your failed assault.

What are you doing here ......?

　During their escape, the two of them hurriedly disappeared from sight and returned here through a more complicated path. Only a quicker and more skilled thief than the two of them could have caught up with them.

This is just a frontline ...... base, or at best a tchotchke.
"You!
"Curse bind.
Agh!

　The moment he tried to draw his sword, Jonas was also rolled over. As soon as the girl used her magic, his limbs suddenly stiffened and he stopped listening to her.
　Both Adan and Jonas had been adventurers at one time. However, they had never heard of a spell called "Curse Binding".

　Their wisteria-colored eyes looked down at them without any emotion.

I've tracked you to their lair. We've had our fill. I don't expect much from you, but you're going to tell me what you know before you die.
　You have no right to remain silent. You can choose to suffer and die, or you can vomit it all out and die without suffering.
　...... <>

　It's a good idea.

　The silence of death filled the area.

　You can find a hidden room at the back door of the exclusive "Golden Bird" club in downtown El Talef.
　The room is illuminated by moody lights, with pompous sofas, rich tables, and countless liquor cabinets.

　The room is littered with dead bodies.
　Minions. The bouncer. The prostitute I was just calling for. The merchant who had come to talk about his business. Everyone present was decapitated and killed by wind magic.
　Everyone there was decapitated and killed by wind magic, except for Jaison, the middleman in charge of the city of El Talef in Night Python.

"Who are you ...... and why is this place ......?

　Jaison groaned as a small hand tightened around his throat. His pierced face contorted in pain.
　A muscular skinhead with tattoos all over his body, Jaison is a man who has made a name for himself as one of Night Python's most fearsome fighters.
　But now he is on the verge of death, reaped by a lone girl, along with her minions.

　Jaison's arms and legs were strapped together with restraints that he had brought with him for "that kind of play" (they were women's sizes, but they had been forced on him, so they were digging into his flesh).
　Even in this state, he should have no problem punching out a girl, but the handcuffs were too heavy and he couldn't lift his arms.
　Jaison didn't know what he had done, but he knew that he had been weakened by a powerful debuffing spell.

I'm the one asking the questions. All you have to do is answer the questions.
"Aah!



　The girl said coldly, and without hesitation, with the knife in her hand, she gouged out one of Jaison's eyes.

　Jaison was terrified. Of all people, a girl a third of his age.
　She was a sorceress, though her face was hidden by a black-robed thief-like figure. She sat coldly, her wisteria eyes glowing with madness as she looked down at Jaison.

　--What the hell is this monster ......!

　It's so strong it doesn't make sense, and it has no soul. It feels no mental restraint in harming others.
　Even those who live in the underworld have to go through a few rough patches before they finally reach that point. This girl, however, has already reached that point.
　There was no word other than "monster" to describe such a twisted existence.

　The monster looks around as if to confirm something.

I'm sure the Count will be able to find the information needed to track down the higher-ups from the letters and records left here. ...... So there are two things I'm interested in.
　One, how did you know that the Dragon's Throat was hired?
"What?　How did you know that?
"Answer the question and don't say anything else.

　The other remaining eye was also gouged out, and Jaison finally couldn't see anything.

　He still wondered why he was asking such a question in this situation, but he knew he had to answer it anyway, so he instinctively raised his voice.

I'm Wayne, a staff member of the Adventurer's Guild, and this is Danton, the Count's servant!
　I've heard that there are other informants in the Count's household, but I don't know much about them!
"...... I see. I don't know the details. So, the Countess has two separate insiders, one for the city's Night Python and one for the head of the territory.
　So number two, was it your decision to go for the dragon's whistle?　Or was it an order from above?
"Oh, it was me!　It was my decision!　I was ordered to interfere with the Count, but it was my decision!
"I see.

　Jaison couldn't see it, but he thought he saw a monster laughing.

"So, if I kill you, no one else will know that the Dragon's Throat was targeted.
　I don't want to worry the members and have them stop working. So please die.

　I don't know.

　The next morning, I slipped out of bed and became a ninja. Iris (Rene) was in the room assigned to the party.
　She had already accepted a request through the guild. Her short training period is over, and as of noon today, she will begin to work in earnest as Katherine's shadow warrior. Before that, we'll have a brief family reunion.

"Huh. "The Rose of Hell. That's an ostentatious name for a ten year old girl.

　Hugh looked at the wanted list that Deanna had brought him, and his face was grim. Benedict's ears are down and he's bared his fangs.

The first princess, abandoned because of her abhorrence,.......
He didn't know anything about it, did he?
That's the rumor. That's some f*cked-up shit right there.
This is just a show and a distraction. Why can't you see that it's tarnishing the cause and justice of the coupists?

　"The Dragon's Throat's friends were sympathetic to René. Perhaps the presence of Iris, a friend of the same age, made them more sympathetic to Rene.

　Iris (Rene) is able to read their feelings.
　I felt pity and compassion sweetly seeping into my loins. I wanted to taste their pity forever.
　But it was as if I was thirsty and no amount of water would quench my thirst.
　Even if you poured water into a broken glass, nothing would accumulate in it. Everything is already too late. Sympathy and pity are useless sentiments for the avenger.

...... So, what's Iris doing?
"Oh, this?

　I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I'm sure you've seen it.
　The crystal ball is one of the personal belongings that Iris (Rene) keeps in this room while she works. This crystal ball is a magical tool taken out from one of them.

"Reconnaissance.
Oh, the crystal eye.
Yes. They say they're going to protect the whole castle with the detection and inhibition technique for a while, so I thought I'd take a look at the guards while I can.

　In my crystal ball, I could see the castle walls illuminated by the morning sun. In the crystal ball, there was a reflection of the castle wall illuminated by the morning sun. A sentry who seemed to have just finished his night shift was standing there with sleepy eyes.
　≪As the name suggests, the "crystal eye" is a magic that allows you to look into the distance through a crystal ball. However, you can't usually see that far. It is said that most spells consume magic power in proportion to the square of the distance when the range is extended. ≪The main purpose of the Crystal Eye was to scout a short distance safely.

I don't think it's that interesting to look at.
I'm sure you'll be able to find something that will help you out.


The moment I took my eyes off the crystal ball in response to Deanna.

　The moment he took his eyes off the crystal ball in response to Deanna, Iris (Rene) pretended to operate it incorrectly and shifted her perspective at once.
　It was in a dimly lit room with little sunlight. It seemed to be a room in a housing complex, but it was too bleak. There was almost no furniture in the room, and two men were lying on the floor.

Hurry up and show me something else. Voyeurism is a hobby of ...... evil .......

　Hugh was about to say something when he stopped talking.

　The men in the crystal ball were clearly dead.
　Their skin had turned black and purple, and they were dying in horrible agony, as if they were statues of demons made by a sculptor with bad taste.

What the ...... hell is this?
"What, did you see them mating?
It's not that. ...... Hey, look at this.

　All three, except Iris (Rene), look into the crystal.
　Deanna gulped.

"It's dead, ......!
Iris, where are we?
"I'm going to move it around a bit now and take a look around. I think we're near the castle.
Hey, tell this to the Count. ......

　Benedict left the room in a panic.