Orario.
Jumping down from the rooftop of a two-story building, I exited the alley I was in and started walking towards southern gate of Orario.
The wheels of a carriage creaked over stone. A few adventurers loitered along a nearby street, their armor faintly clinking beneath the glow of the magic stone lamps.
None of them noticed me. The mask and black clothes I wore made it easier for me to slip through the shadows at the corner of the streets without gathering much attention.
My destination was not far from there.
Soon, I was standing behind a small tree some distance away from the Soma Familia's brewery, the same place Lili had shown me earlier.
Surveying the building in detail, I found a few more details I had missed during the day.
Aside from the main gate, I found two other entrances. One was located at the back of the building. The other was a smaller side door on the right, half-hidden by stacked crates and empty barrels.
And it seemed like the number of guards had decreased from earlier in the day. There was only a lone guard at the main gate, sitting on a chair. His head kept dipping forward, only for him to jerk awake a few seconds later.
Looking at the shadows covering the entire place, I cast an advanced Shadow Veil over myself, slipped into the shadows.
The lone guard at the entrance did not react as I passed him. He only yawned, rubbed his eyes, and muttered something under his breath.
A moment later, I slipped through a window behind him and entered the building. The window led into an empty room on the ground floor.
The room was sparsely furnished, two sofa opposite each other and a table in one corner. Stepping out of the shadows, my shoes made no noise on the floor as I walked towards the door.
Slowly, I approached the door and pushed it open just enough to see outside.
A glimpse outside showed me a dimly lit corridor. Several doors lined both sides, and at the far end, the corridor opened into the brewery's main lobby. Most of the lamps had been extinguished, leaving only patches of weak light and long strips of darkness.
I pressed my ears to the door, straining to hear any voices, but except for the lobby everything else was silent.
Recasting my spell, I once again slipped into the shadows and entered the lobby.
The lobby was illuminated by a single magic stone lamp hanging on the opposite wall. Its light was weak and uneven, casting large pools of shadow across the floor.
There were only two adventurers inside. Both were seated near a table, speaking in low voices. One of them had a bottle in his hand. The other leaned back in his chair, laughing quietly at something the first one said.
Going up the stairs was easy, the two adventures in the lobby busy chatting with each other did not notice a shadow near the stairs.
It was easy to locate Zanis Lustra, the Soma Familia captain's room, there was only a single room on the second floor's left wing, a door at the end of the corridor.
I remembered information about Zanis from Lili.
An adventurer with a strong swordsmanship, no known magic. A man who enjoyed toying with those weaker than himself.
His alias, Gandharva, was solely due to being a 'confidant' of the God Soma and the captain of the familia.
Looking at the light spilling through the door and the sound of a quill scratching, it seemed that the captain was still in the room.
I had come with the idea of scouting, but it was even better that I found him.
Knocking on the door, I walked in straight without waiting and cast a spell to stop any sounds from leaving the room.
["Darkness: Silent room"]
A thin transparent film of darkness spread across the walls, floor, ceiling, and door. It was not visible to ordinary eyes. From this moment on, no sound would leave the room.
Now inside the room, I saw a man with a thin face, with gray-hair and a lanky build.
He was Zanis Lustra, the captain of the Soma Familia. His eyes narrowed as he stared at me.
"Stop. Who are you, I've never seen you before?"
His expression darkened as he took in my appearance. A masked figure dressed completely in black had entered his office in the middle of the night.
He was not stupid. His hand immediately reached out to grab his sword.
But too bad, the moment his fingers touched the hilt of his sword, I raised my gun and fired at his heart.
Bang!
The bullet tore through the air.
And our Level 2 captain, feeling mortal danger, jumped to the side avoiding the bullet.
His face had gone pale staring at the hole the bullet had left on the wall behind him. Zanis was a mess, he was sweating heavily feeling glad that the had avoided it.
"Tch. An assassin, who paid you? Guards."
"No one can hear you."
As I said those words quietly, my eyes which were visible from the mask were completely blank. I loosely fired a few more bullets to test him, which he evaded with much difficulty.
Having gotten a reading on a Level 2, a dagger appeared in my hand, in the next milli-second, a silver blur flew straight at Zanis and the dagger was already stuck in Zanis' body, stabbing straight through his heart.
"Ah. Y-You..." Sputtering a few mouthfuls of blood, Zanis' face went through a myriad of expressions, finally settling on confusion.
He then looked at the handle of the dagger sticking out from his chest and then stared at me. His hands rose slowly, trembling as they closed around it.
'Hmm. Not that strong.' Looking at Zanis' body on the ground, I walked over and crouched beside him. After confirming that he was dead, I pulled the dagger out of his chest.
'Don't blame me, Zanis, you didn't do anything wrong, it's just that you would have become my enemy if those there adventurers spoke about Lili to you. Just think of it as bad luck.'
"And when I get a chance I would rather kill someone who might become my enemy than wait until they actually do."
I erased what few traces I had left, and then I reiterated back in the same way I had entered the brewery.
Once I was far enough from the brewery, I entered another alley and removed the mask and black robe. A small black flame appeared in my palm.
I watched the black flame burn down the robe until nothing remained but ash.
Going through the entire thing in my mind once again, I confirmed that I hadn't left any loopholes anywhere and retired for the day.
Whatever happened next was none of my concern.
...
...
The Guild.
"Uh, with those status scores, I have to grant you access to the seventh floor."
In a corner of the guild, a half-elf advisor was speaking with a white-haired boy discussing about his adventuring in the dungeon.
Bell Cranel.
A new adventurer, still inexperienced, but growing at a speed that made her astonished.
Before she could continue lecturing him, a familiar voice called out from across the hall.
"Eina, Eina."
Eina turned her head to see a pink-haired girl rushing toward her, waving both hands wildly in the air.
"Misha?"
Misha Flott practically skidded to a stop in front of her. Her face was flushed, not from exhaustion, but excitement.
"Did you know? The captain of the Soma Familia's been killed, and that it was an assassination."
Eina's expression stiffened. Bell blinked.
For a brief moment, the both of them did not know how to react.
Not caring about the dumbfounded looks, Misha lowered her voice,
"Zanis Lustra. The captain of the Soma Familia, they found him dead in his office at one of the their breweries."
The pink-haired girl, Misha, walking up to the half-elf, started speaking non-stop about what she had seen during the day in a low voice.
"Also, when the Ganesha Familia started investigating, for some reason, the Loki Familia also seemed to be interested and joined in the investigation."
"I was with the Loki Familia at that time and also joined in."
Misha was taking some documents from the guild to the Loki Familia, and coincidentally, the Loki Familia seemed to have received news about a Level 2 adventurer being killed and joined the investigation.
Misha, feeling curious about the Loki Familia's actions, tagged along.
Eina stared at her friend.
"Misha."
"What?"
"You tagged along to the scene of an assassination?"
Misha's gaze shifted to the side.
"Well… not directly into danger."
Eina sighed and asked, "Is it really confirmed that a Level 2 was assassinated? And that it was the captain of the Soma Familia?"
Misha nodded, more seriously this time. "Yes. Zanis Lustra is dead."
Eina's expression grew heavier. The death of a Familia captain was not a small matter.
Even if the Soma Familia's reputation was poor, they were still an official Familia of Orario. If a Familia's Captain was killed, the Guild could not ignore it.
"I'll inform the Guild head," Eina said. "Take care of my desk for a while."
Misha immediately took out a small stack of papers. "Here. I wrote down the main points from the investigation. You can hand this over too."
Eina took the documents, then paused. She looked at Misha.
Misha smiled innocently.
"Did you write this yourself?" Eina asked.
"Of course."
Eina continued staring. Misha's smile twitched.
After a few seconds, the pink-haired girl adorably puffed out her cheeks.
"Hmph. Fine. I got a copy from the Ganesha Familia's captain." Saying that Misha let out a cute snort, rolled her eyes and walked towards the reception desks.
Seeing Misha leave, Eina shook her head, and then turned towards Bell who had been ignored till now with a sigh,
"Bell, it seems I'll be busy for a while. So tomorrow, please go to this shop in the Tower of Babel and you can buy some low priced but good quality armor there. It'll help you in the dungeon."
"And one more thing," Eina added. "If possible, I'd like you to form a party. Or at least hire a supporter."
After quickly saying goodbye to the young boy, Eina walked towards a set of stairs leading to the second floor.
The white haired boy, stood their for a while, lost in his thoughts and then left the guild.
...
"Chief, the Soma Familia captain, a Level 2 has been killed."
Eina was on the second floor of the Guild, inside the Guild head's office.
When people imagined the head of the Guild, they usually pictured a tall, muscular person with a commanding presence. Someone so intimidating that even adventurers would hesitate to cause trouble in front of them.
Royman Mardeel was the complete opposite.
The Guild head of Orario was a short, fat elf with a weak-looking body and a face that inspired very little confidence but looked quite punchable at first glance.
He was so drunk on money and power that came with being the Guild's head, his own kind, the elves, had come up with a nickname for him, "The Guild's Pig."
"And that's about it. Here are the investigation reports from the Ganesha Familia." Eina handed over the documents which Misha has given her. She had also gone through the documents to get an idea of the incident.
While it was true that Royman Mardeel was greedy, arrogant, and deeply fond of the authority that came with his position. However, no one incapable could remain the head of Orario's Guild for long. If he was not smart enough, he would have long lost his position.
"Hm. Thank you for bringing these, Eina. The Ganesha Familia had already sent someone to inform me of the incident, but I was still waiting for the written report."
"I've already asked the Ganesha Familia to tighten security and investigate the matter thoroughly. The assassin must be caught at all costs."
"If an adventurer can kill a Familia captain and disappear without consequence, the balance inside Orario may be disturbed. Other Familias will become restless. Some may try to take advantage of this incident."
Eina understood. The death itself was not the only problem, but the consequences of such actions were. If the assassin was not caught, the Guild's authority and the Ganesha Familia's security force could come under scrutiny.
"If possible, please head to the investigation site and join with the Ganesha Familia and help them if they need anything. If needed, you can also take a few other employees with you."
"Okay then, chief, I'll meet up with the Ganesha Familia, if they need any help I'll bring some guild members to help me out."
Eina left the office and closed the door behind her.