Midnight, where darkness reigned supreme. The sound of a creaking door echoed in a small, empty room.
The pungent smell of sewers and the terrifying air felt oppressive, but that did not apply to the people inside the room.
They wore all-black, tight clothing, layered with hidden weapons all over their bodies.
"How is the search going?"
Their leader, Gena, sat alone in a chair. Her face, covered in a hood illuminated by the moonlight, cascaded from a hole in the wooden window.
One of her subordinates had a feminine voice. She spoke and handed Gena a piece of paper.
"It's going well. We have narrowed the search, and as a result, the target is living with a merchant who is quite influential in the Empire."
"And you?"
The other, a man of medium build, stepped closed as he scratched the back of his head.
"My intel is limited, but I discovered the boy registered as an adventurer and left a rather positive impression on them."
"I see."
Gena nodded silently, trying to digest the information she received.
As a person operating in the shadows, she knew something about the rumors circulating in the Kingdom where her master was.
Elias, the youngest son of Duke Falcon. Once hailed as a genius with great talent, but fell from grace in just one night.
The boy was also exiled from his home by his own father.
That news made her master grief.
However, all of that changed to shock when her master received news.
A squad of knights was eliminated at the border checkpoint between the Kingdom and the Empire, leaving a name: Elias.
The useless child who could not fight.
Gena bit her lips under the mask, unable to determine the cause.
Was someone impersonating him?
Or was it him, and he was hiding his potential all this time?
'That's impossible!'
Gena whispered in her heart.
She knew very well that the doctrine from the gods above was absolute.
Just like her, who once only wanted a talent to help her parents in the fields, but instead, she awakened a talent for an assassin.
"Hm!?"
Her brow furrowed, feeling the presence of someone among them. She glared at her two subordinates.
"I told you, no witnesses!"
"Huh?"
"Tch, damn rat!"
Hearing the warning from their leader. The subordinate woman's expression tightened.
A stark contrast to the man who grumbled and grinned with pleasure.
"Take care of them!"
One sentence from Gena made her two subordinates vanish like ghosts.
They merged with the shadows, sneaking up behind their prey. Then showered the dirty grey wall with fresh blood, followed by a scream.
Gena abruptly stood up from her seat. She snapped her fingers, and the paper lit up, consumed by fire as it turned to ash.
She stepped out of the small room and saw her two shadows looking at her. Their purpose was clear.
"Tomorrow, we will face the target!"
***
On Gonzo's spacious yard, a black sword with crimson patterns danced fluidly, full of sharpness enough to cut through space itself.
The blade sliced through the air with a sharp whistle.
A blood-red aura coated the sword, inciting an intimidating presence and terror in others.
Yet in Yuto's hand, it moved with precision, following his fluid footwork. Each slash carried enough force to distort the space.
Yuto inhaled deeply, circulating his two powers throughout his body. Sweat drenched his figure after hours of training, but his expression remained dark.
'Still not enough?!'
He stopped when he felt the gaze of others.
His eyes darted around. He clicked his tongue for missing the chance to pinpoint the enemy locations.
'They're gone!'
Yuto had been staying at Gonzo's place for a week, and a mysterious watcher had marked him in the past few days.
Initially, he thought it was just his imagination, but when the same thing happened two or even three times more.
Someone was watching him.
"Hm!?"
A sudden crash at the front gate startled. Yuto saw Gonzo's assistant, Thomas, barging in with a gasping breath.
"Boosss! Oh, good morning, Yuto!"
"Good morning, Thomas."
The short man even took the time to greet the boy standing in the yard. Then he rushed to the front door.
It was not the first time Yuto had met Thomas.
The man often drove Gonzo home every afternoon. So, the two of them had met frequently for the past few days.
Even on their second day of meeting. Thomas assumed that Yuto was Gonzo's illegitimate child, which incited Gonzo's wrath.
"Boss, it's an emergency!".
Thud! Thud! Thud!
He kept banging the door, which attracted the owner's anger.
"Shut up! I hear you for the first time!"
Gonzo kicked open the door, tearing it from its hinges. Bam! The frame hit the poor man standing in front of him.
"Ouch!"
Thomas frowned, blood dripping from his nose.
"What in the bloody hell are you making such a racket for, Thomas?"
Gonzo stood in the door. He was clad in a towel covering his waist to his knees, and his hair was still covered in foam.
"Boss, we've been summoned by Margrave Coldsteel."
Thomas reached into his coat pocket and showed a white envelope bearing a Sword insignia.
The anger in his heart plummeted drastically. Gonzo broke the seal and looked at its contents.
He was silent for a few seconds. His eyes widened with every sentence.
"Have you prepared everything?"
"Yes, boss. We just need your approval."
"Good."
Gonzo folded the paper neatly and brought it inside. The old man was very grateful for his competent subordinate.
"Good, Thomas. Fix this door. I'll go there myself."
Thomas stared, forcing his frozen lips to open.
"B-But, boss..."
"Don't worry! I'll get ready."
Gonzo turned, leaving his assistant in front of the door, still pinching his nose.
Thinking this was the right time, Yuto lifted his feet from the grassy yard as he stood beside Thomas.
"Did something happen, Thomas?"
"Aah, Yuto. Well, from what I've heard..."
Yuto grabbed the poor man's arm and pulled him to his feet while listening to his story.
To the west of this frontier city. A Margrave led a large territory.
A place that bordered the Kingdom to the east and Verdant Hollow to the north.
Then, a crisis occurred as the population increased due to the constant threat of monsters, which even destroyed several villages there, forcing them to evacuate to the city and causing a food shortage.
Not only Gonzo was summoned, but several merchants with strong influence were also asked for their cooperation.
'This might be my chance.'
Yuto lowered his gaze, thinking this might be the right time to progress in his cultivation.
After a week, the adventurer's guild had not lifted its ban on quests in Verdant Hollow.
His heart felt heavy as he accepted Gonzo's and his family's kindness every day without giving anything in return.
Another reason was that he wanted to advance his demonic cultivation quickly, which required the evil aura from mana stones inside monsters or to absorb the essence of evil from corrupted people.
However, of the two options, Yuto preferred the monster essence because it was easy to obtain and had fewer side effects later.
Lastly, he wanted to bait the mysterious gazes to determine if it was after him or the family.
"Alright, I'm ready. Yuto, my wife is calling you, breakfast is ready..."
"Gonzo, let me come as your guard."
"!?"
Gonzo froze, his mouth agape like a goldfish gasping for air. A few seconds later, he shook his head.
"No, this is too dangerous."
"Oh, come on, I've been staying at your house for a week. Let me help!"
His face wrinkled, finding it difficult to refuse or even accept it.
Yuto realized that his presence in the house added a new color to him and Gonzo's family.
That's why he didn't want to back down from this; it wasn't just for his own interests.
Since Yuto was allowed to live in this house, he swore to protect them with his strength, even if he had to stain his hands with blood.
Perhaps seeing the burning determination in his eyes. The man's shoulders slumped, exhaling a long breath.
"Fine, but ask my wife's permission first!"
"Alright!"
Gonzo vanished toward the inner house, leaving Thomas smiling at Yuto's filial boldness.
Yuto clenched his fist, following the old man's back as he was ready to face whatever lurked in the shadows ahead.