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Failure!
It was an utter, complete failure!
Not only did they let Übel and Land escape their clutches, but even the assassination attempt on Frieren ended in failure, with Lanson severely injured!
Löwe sat at the table, looking over the latest intelligence. His expression couldn't help but darken.
As members of the elite Shadow Special Forces, the very first action of this plan had failed like this!
Demons!
Damned demons!
Where on earth did these demons spring from!
Löwe clenched his fists. He simply closed his eyes, and the scene of the battle between Lanson's group and Yulian began to play out in detail within his mind.
Unparalleled close-combat skills. Great strength. And even unknown magic that hadn't been fully unleashed!
How could such a dangerous individual, comparable to himself, appear in the Imperial Capital at this critical juncture!
Löwe narrowed his eyes, suppressing the anger in his heart.
What on earth were those people at the Kino Pass Fortress doing!
Hadn't he instructed them to hold off the demons first? They were supposed to wait until the matter with Serie was handled before providing backup!
"Stabilize the interior before resisting the exterior"—did they not understand such a simple principle!
"Phew—"
Löwe took a deep breath. He glanced toward the center of the basement at the giant golden sword being nourished by his mana. Ultimately, he kept his composure.
"Lore..." he commanded the sister standing beside him.
"Old man Lanson still has the strength to fight. I cannot approve your suggestion to let him return to the border to live out his retirement. Besides, I doubt he would agree to it himself."
"Cease all other activities for now and focus on assisting the old man with his recovery. If it comes to a point where there is no other choice..."
Löwe paused for a moment before speaking slowly.
"If it comes to a point where there is no other choice... death is the destiny of a Shadow Warrior. Even if the price is his life, we can only trouble the old man to strike once more..."
Sister Lore pursed her lips. With a slight nod, she opened the basement door and walked out.
What destiny!
It is true that death is a predestined end!
But who doesn't hope that death arrives a little later?! Who can remain indifferent when death truly arrives!
"Clang!"
The sound of a glass slamming hard against the bar counter rang out.
It was Gazelle, the street vendor, who had smashed his glass down. He glared at Sister Lore, who was haggling over a bottle of wine, and at Wolf, the tavern owner, who held his ground and refused to lower the price by even a cent.
He grumbled, "Are you two finished yet? Maybe tomorrow, or maybe today, we're all going to die. You still have the leisure to discuss this now?!"
"Look at you, getting worked up again."
Wolf, the tavern owner, curled his lips slightly. Shaking his head, he walked out from behind the bar with a smile. He carefully wiped away the wine stains Gazelle had left on the counter and spoke.
"Gazelle, one drunkard at the door is enough. Even if we are facing such a high-risk mission, life must go on."
Under Gazelle's confused gaze, Wolf pulled out several silver coins and added, "After all, if we happen to survive, the days ahead will be quite troublesome. I have enough bad memories; I don't want to add any more to the pile. And if you're only paying off your debts because you think you're about to die, I can't accept this money."
Gazelle stared silently at the silver coins in Wolf's hand. For a moment, he fell silent.
He felt that these people were far too calm. So calm that he, who was trembling with nerves in the face of death, seemed like the strange one.
"So, can it really not be any cheaper? Old man Wehrlos loves this stuff, and I don't have any spare money left."
Sister Lore looked at Wolf with a weary expression.
"For old man Wehrlos? Why didn't you say so earlier?"
Wolf was slightly taken aback. He then pulled an expensive-looking bottle of fine wine from a drawer and handed it to Lore.
"Here. The old man loves my private collection. What took you so long?"
Sister Lore rolled her eyes at the suddenly generous Wolf.
"I thought you were buying it for that guy Clematis."
Wolf scratched his head and said sheepishly, "That guy is a priest; he's naturally not short on cash."
Sister Lore shook her head bitterly. Taking the bottle, she prepared to leave. As she headed out, her gaze swept over a dead-drunk Schritt and then at the waitress, Iris, who had just returned from her mission. Then, Lore disappeared around the corner.
"What a pathetic sight."
Iris frowned slightly, shaking her head as she looked at Schritt, who was slumped like a pile of mud by the door. Without even thinking, she knew this person must have spent another night hungover. And the soft-hearted tavern owner, Wolf, had surely let her drink her fill, only to throw her out halfway through his fit of kindness.
"Get up."
Iris helped Schritt up and walked into the tavern. After laying Schritt down on a table, Iris finally looked toward the two men at the bar.
"Is it really okay to leave it like this?"
She walked over to a coat rack, put on her black-and-white apron, and asked Wolf in confusion.
"Are you talking about her, or us?"
Wolf raised his glass and lightly clinked it against the glass of the tense Gazelle.
"Both."
Iris finished changing. She tucked her hair behind her ears, picked up a bucket and a rag, and began cleaning the shop.
"There's no need to worry about Schritt. Her reputation as a drunkard is probably known for miles around. As for Gazelle? I'd like to kick him out, but as you can see, he seems a bit over-tense."
Wolf shrugged helplessly and refilled the glass of the silent, head-bowed Gazelle.
"I meant that you left Schritt out in the cold wind all night. Aren't you being a bit too heartless? At least let her in."
Iris stopped what she was doing and rolled her eyes at Wolf.
At the same time, Schritt, who was still dreaming, couldn't help but curl her lips into a beautiful, sweet smile.
"I did tell her to come in, but she said something about how as long as a person like her has wine, nothing is a problem. I figured I'd just leave her outside; otherwise, the other customers wouldn't be able to stand her."
As he spoke, Wolf took several gold coins from a drawer and called out to Iris.
"How about you stop working for a bit and go buy some things to help that girl sober up?"
"Sober up?"
Iris blinked, not quite understanding. In Iris's memory, there was no such thing as "sobering up" for Schritt. She was always tipsy.
"Sober up. This girl stole quite a bit of my good wine yesterday. We move out around noon; we have to get her head clear."
As Wolf spoke, he suddenly froze while staring at the gold coins in his hand.
"What's wrong?"
Gazelle clearly noticed something was off with the gold coins and asked immediately.
"Someone is coming. Mana tracking magic."
As Wolf looked outside, he quickly took down the longbow hanging on the cabinet behind him and moved into a defensive stance.
The person coming... is very strong.
join p atreon.com/KeyofStars for advance chapters | Every 100 powerstones=1 extra chapter | Report issues @discord.com/GVBdncd9Wr | 16 novels being updated, I can't read all comments