21 – Episode 21. Runaway Ninja vs Yakuza (3)
A plain far away from Goldon.
The light pouring out from dozens of tents was pushing away the darkness of the night.
“This is Smith. Can I come in?”
Smith stood in front of a tent covered in the skins of various beasts.
The grand and flashy tent, as if showcasing the center of this group, emitted a strange and ominous energy.
“…”
Feeling overwhelmed by the atmosphere, Smith, fidgeting with his round glasses a few times, relaxed. Then, a confident woman’s voice could be heard from inside the tent.
“Come in.”
Upon the order, Smith entered the tent.
In the center of the tent, Delbanas sat with one eye open, using his noble legs as support.
“Report.”
“First, the woman who joined three days ago is an adventurer named ‘Avenger’ Celine.”
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“Avenger?”
Delbanas twisted the corner of his mouth as if it was trivial.
“It seems she lost her parents to bandits and vowed revenge. She joined a mercenary group and spent five years there, and now she travels around various regions only taking quests to hunt down criminals. Her skills are just average, but she has a lot of experience, so they say she’s a headache.”
“It sounds annoying. Kill her first if possible.”
“The new bandits who joined also seem to recognize her. It would be wise to be cautious.”
“What about the old man who joined two days ago?”
“He is a freelance knight named Leonard. Among the knights, he is called ‘Lucky Leonard’.”
Smith paused for a moment.
“He served in the Silver Fox Knights for 30 years. They were wiped out in the Battle of Telas. He survived alone in a cowardly manner, so he was given that nickname. He’s also rumored to be a coward who was kicked out of his family.”
“The old fool has come to make trouble. Well, do as you please then. What about the ones who came yesterday?”
“We have no information. I think it might be a group of rookie adventurers overflowing with a sense of justice. But just in case, I’ll investigate again.”
“They said they are rebuilding the city gate with wood, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“Idiotic bastards.”
Delbanas chuckled.
“What should we do with the villagers we captured this time?”
“Half of them, let them go on their own, and the rest, feed them.”
“Understood.”
“Go now. If it’s not important, come back tomorrow.”
“Understood. Goodbye.”
Smith bowed his head and left the tent.
“Hmm.”
Delbanas, who was left alone, confirmed that all signs of Smith had completely disappeared and removed her blindfold.
Oooong-
In the place where her right eye should have been, there was a green glowing bead embedded.
“It seems like nothing out of the ordinary is happening.”
Oooong-
As the bead vibrated and emitted light, she nodded slightly.
“Alright. I’ll do it that way.”
Delbanas’ murmuring came to an end.
– Wah! aaah!
– Kyaaah!
“Hmm…”
Delbanas closed her only eye while savoring the screams coming from outside.
The bead on the right lost its light and fell silent.
***
The truly cool ones always come out at night.
When they talk about the “Knights of the Sun,” they may seem like pathetic losers who bow their heads at night, but when it comes to the “Dark Knights,” even if I don’t exactly know what they are, they always look cool.
“Nin-nin.”
An escaped ninja in all black.
This is true coolness.
The only one who can refute is Ayasyo.
Kiki.
I opened the window and crawled up to the roof.
Today’s task is to assess the enemy’s camp.
Even if you act confidently in front of others, plotting behind their backs is what humans do.
In this type of war, the traitor who stabs a knife in the back is more deadly than the enemy in front of you.
There’s talk of spies, so I need to confirm it once.
Ssssh-
Wearing a shadow disguise, I ran across the rooftop.
Boing!
Unlike Martoran, there weren’t many buildings, so I had to make a big jump while going.
Should I learn how to do a double jump?
This Super Maruo kid is good at it, but he still doesn’t understand the principle.
Anyway, I arrived at the first target, the lord’s mansion.
Only a few lights were on, and there weren’t many guards.
This is a true nouveau riche lord. Marutoran the viscount was a gentleman.
“Hoo.”
He took a moment to catch his breath using the Ninja Breathing Technique, then entered through the window.
Portraits of previous lords lined the corridor, but they all seemed devoid of energy.
Perhaps what they needed was not power, but nutritional supplements?
After further inspection, he made his way to the only room with a faint light seeping out.
“Don’t worry. The adventurers are taking good care of everything. They are all united to fight for Goldon.”
“But do they really have a chance of winning? I want to protect the territory until the end, but it’s hard to see others suffer because of my stubbornness.”
“They are all staying because they love Goldon.”
The door was firmly shut, so he leaned in from the outside to listen. It was Trent and Joanna.
With a shortage of personnel, Trent seemed to be personally providing close protection.
Even if he was a rookie knight, he was still a knight. As long as dozens of people didn’t come rushing in or a skilled assassin didn’t attempt an assassination, it should be fine.
“Trent, thank you for staying with Goldon. You’re the only one for me.”
“The feeling is mutual, Miss.”
It was a fact he didn’t particularly want to know, but the two were in that kind of relationship.
Tsk tsk tsk tsk.
Isn’t this an interesting part?
He took a moment to listen and rest before continuing on with his duties.
First, the residence was clear. The next target was Leonard.
He had gathered information about their lodging by eavesdropping on their conversation yesterday.
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I should have died too… I should have…”
Ssss…
When I entered the house, Leonard was lying on the bed, clutching dozens of bottles of alcohol.
He seems so drunk that he can’t even see straight.
“Why… why did it turn out like this… We fought for justice… but not even once… not even once…”
The smell of alcohol mixed with the scent of sweat is no joke.
I didn’t want to stay long, so I quickly searched through a few things.
Damn, this is a real gas chamber.
“…Is that why? Have I been living my whole life chasing after empty things?”
Leonard, who is constantly asking and answering questions, seems fine.
He really came here to die, even leaving a will.
It’s a bit bittersweet, thinking about my grandfather spending his last days in Silvertown.
He was someone who never laughed at my dreams.
Was it all because of dementia?
I headed straight to the house of the Yakusa Slayer.
Due to an unexpected variable at the lord’s residence, I wasted some time.
Ah.
This woman is the real deal.
Whether it was the courtyard, the roof, or the corridor, there were iron bars scattered everywhere.
It was almost like a small fortress, and when I climbed in through the window, there were sharp blades hidden under the floor, almost stepping on them.
If I hadn’t avoided them one by one with my keen senses, I would have been in big trouble.
“…Cool.”
Celine leaned against the wall of the largest room, still fully armed and without removing her helmet. Even while sleeping, she tightly held onto her sword.
I’ve never seen someone so obsessed.
Is this what it takes to be called a Yakuzaslayer?
Without any investigation, she exuded an aura of being on the “righteous side.”
Just looking at her gives me a sense of security.
– …~! …~! …~!
“Nin?!”
As she was about to return after a quick trip around the neighborhood, she heard a strange noise near a well, a little away from the residential area.
It seemed like an evil spell from a yokai summoner, so she immediately headed in that direction.
A girl with long pink hair was screaming while raising her hands high in the sky.
– Black carriage, red carriage, golden carriage~!
Muka, it’s you again?
– Carriage, carriage, carriage~! Carriage~! Carriage~! Carriage, carriage, carriage~!
If you want to be a carriage driver, shouldn’t you learn how to handle a carriage instead of becoming a poet?
Though it was irritating, I held back.
Under no circumstances should violence be exercised against ordinary people.
I guess it’s time to go in soon.
Swoosh-
“…?”
The scenery in front of her began to move.
A figure moving while leaving behind faint traces.
This is the effect that appears when using a phantom shadow.
Is it a candidate? Or a tail organization member who wasn’t present that day?
Whatever it is, I must pursue.
Unfolding a more skilled phantom shadow than that guy, I followed along.
Swoosh – swoosh –
It wasn’t just one person.
The one who moved first joined the others coming from a different direction.
They communicated with sign language that only they could understand, then moved again.
Seeing them recognize each other, it seems like their levels are all similar.
Thud.
They descended into the underground sewer.
These idiots who crawl like snails for a distance I could reach in a matter of seconds.
I really want to give them a lesson.
Should I say something as a gift for the afterlife path once it’s revealed that I’m a fallen ninja?
“All 5 have safely gathered.”
“Internal map complete.”
“One knight confirmed. Assassination impossible.”
“Confirmation of client’s requirements. More people needed.”
“Message to be delivered after reaching the location.”
Like kids playing soldier, these guys use abbreviations.
They took off their masks and wiped away the sweat, revealing the faces of middle-aged men in their 30s and 40s who looked like members of an adulterous mountaineering club.
They’re not candidates for now.
“Let’s go.”
Step. Step.
The middle-aged men put on their masks again and started moving.
The sound of their footsteps was completely drowned out by the sound of the mud they stepped on.
Did they go outside to make contact with someone?
The reason Sagal’s tail is here is because someone gave them a job and they moved.
Judging from the conversation, the client is not on Goldon’s side.
From the situation, it was clear that these corrupted ninja bastards had joined hands with Yakuza.
“We’ve arrived.”
The guys who came out of the underground sewer and moved to a place a little away from Goldon stripped off their clothes.
No one noticed that I, who had been chasing after them as the invisible 6th member, was there.
At this point, it’s almost an omniscient observer’s point of view.
“Good job.”
A shadow hiding behind a tree approached them.
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“You did well?”
“Mostly. The assassination failed. There was a knight accompanying him. Lord Yeoju is cautious, so it was difficult to put anything in the food. Looks like you’ll have to go yourself.”
“I didn’t even hope for an assassination.”
The shadow chuckled, running his gloved fingers over the hilt of his sword.
This bastard is something else.
That’s the problem.
The victim can’t sleep, haunted by the perpetrator in their dreams, while the perpetrator laughs and frolics with their friends.
Whether on Earth or in another world, the darkness of society remains unchanged.
“Now leave it to me and go back first, okay?”
It seems there’s no one else to meet. I released the illusion and stared at the guy.
“You damn thief. Did you dare to take my things?”
Thunk!
“Huh?”
I twisted the neck of the woman next to him, still lost in thought.
Thud.
Silence followed.
Six people? I can take down even 12 knights.
Even if they run, I can chase them and kill them one by one.
“5, 567?!?!?!”
Especially you, you’re really dead.