=================
It was only natural for the Saintess Party to face hatred while sweeping away the wicked like smallpox across the continent.
The disappearance of the Saintess Party.
As a result, the suppressed evils came back to life.
Clearly, arrows of hatred would target the Saintess Party or those related to them. This could be inferred from the series of terrorist attacks.
‘The Mercenary King and the Sword Saint. And next up, it’s the Hero.’
It would be absurd for Maximilian, who had slaughtered countless enemies to protect Saintess Beatrice, not to be a target for vengeful spirits. Many enemies would be aiming at him. This was proven when unidentified thugs invaded Count Hohenberc’s stronghold.
There was no sign.
In other words, the unidentified thugs must have snuck inside without being detected by the guards at the borders of the county.
Bang—! Bang—! Bang—! Bang—!
Only then did the bell start ringing.
It was the alarm bell announcing the crisis.
The bell, located at the very top of the castle, rang incessantly.
The soldiers of the family finally caught wind of the secret assassins attacking the castle.
The dimly lit place that relied solely on weak torches suddenly brightened like broad daylight. As soon as the unexpected attack was realized, someone from the Hohenberc family activated the flicker connected to all the magical lights.
“Ugh!”
“Damn, the lights…!”
The assassins, who had hidden like sewer rats, began to reveal themselves one by one.
The bewilderment at the Hohenberc family’s swift response was evident.
Clumsy.
Their movements were extremely unrefined.
The power of the infiltrating thugs was on par with elite soldiers. However, since this was their first experience as assassins, they appeared flustered. With this realization, a sigh of relief escaped.
‘Even if Hohenberc Castle is in a remote area… how did they manage to invade without being detected by the watchmen? They can’t possibly have such skills. They must have used some trick. Did the black magicians, who opposed the Saintess Party, help them?’
It was possible that the black magicians had stealthily infiltrated the assassins.
I gripped the firearm tightly.
I had to be prepared for a confrontation with the figures behind this.
Since the Saintess Party had garnered numerous enemies equal to their great reputation, I had to consider various variables. If the forces lurking in the abyss launched a total attack, the Hohenberc family would surely face a crisis akin to a candle in the wind.
“Edanant!”
“It’s Maximilian’s little brother! Kill him!!”
Upon spotting a fallen comrade on the ground, the revealed assassins screamed sharply.
Brandishing mana-infused blades, they charged straight ahead.
Bang! Taang—!
They raised their firearms and fired.
But the boldly fired bullets were shredded by the Mana Blade. Red sparks flickered for a brief moment, followed by a shower of bullet fragments.
‘What a pain this is at night.’
I pulled out the new pistol that had been holstered at my side.
A silver-glinted handgun.
I aimed at the raised blade of the assassin, as if I could cleave through the target in one strike.
The Descending Strike!!
I fired precisely, ricocheting the blade away.
Simultaneously, I targeted the disoriented assassin, whose center of balance had been disrupted.
“Gah!!”
Crimson blood spouted like a fountain as the assassin fell. Ignoring his scream, I aimed my gun at the assassin charging from behind.
Reloading wasn’t necessary.
It was a weapon designed to compensate for the limitations of firearms that required considerable delay.
The pistols in my hands ravenously consumed my mana, creating new bullets. It was this absurd method of reloading that enabled rapid fire and close combat.
‘But still, it’s a tough situation… fighting against swordsmen wielding Mana Blades in close quarters…’
Engaging in close combat against knights, known as the flowers of melee, was essentially akin to a death wish. Especially since I was armed only with firearms, with no other bladed weapons.
If the bullets missed, I would die.
If I allowed the blades to touch me, I would also die.
Continuing close combat while bearing such penalties felt like a perilous circus act.
“Using such inferior weapons…!”
“I’ll cleave you in one stroke with my Mana Blade!”
Although they had fallen as members of a criminal organization, the assassins were originally knights serving the family. Thus, they displayed strong hostility toward the firearms attempting to replace their combat strength.
Gunpowder was merely a weapon that worked against commoners unable to wield mana.
Did they wish to prove that?
The assassins drew their Mana Blades dramatically.
“Strike together!”
“With just guns like those…! I’ll cut off your arms!”
As the echoes of gunfire resounded through the corridor, masked assassins poured in.
They surrounded me from the front and back.
The tips of their raised blades exceeded a dozen.
I let my pistols hang as I waited for the enemies to charge in. Gripping the firearms tightly, the assassins shouted and launched their attack.
───!!!
Footsteps pounding against the ground.
The boiling killing intent directed at the enemy’s bloodline.
A sharp Mana Blade capable of slicing through any metal.
And countless bullets raining down upon me.
“Huuh, huuh!”
“Get down! The bullets are pouring in!!”
Pellets raining down like a storm,
How else could one describe the barrage of bullets continuously falling?
Thick smoke filled with gunpowder.
And bullets showering like rain.
A wild flurry of fire erupted, like a performance of a seasoned acrobat.
Even the assassins charging in with indiscriminate gunfire, as well as the ceramics and artworks adorning the corridor, were swept away. The scene collapsed rapidly, like a landscape viewed from a speeding carriage.
“I was told they were powerless criminals…!”
“Right. Compared to those monsters, that’s true.”
One of the assassins, clutching his abdomen and coughing up blood, shouted while wringing out his words.
In response to his desperate inquiry, I pointed my gun at the forehead of the last survivor.
Then, I pulled the trigger.
*
The thugs invading Count Hohenberc’s territory were remnants of a militant group dismantled by the Saintess Party.
The Wolves of the Blade.
A band of thieves assembled from wandering knights and mercenaries.
They wreaked havoc, destroying numerous farmhouses and plundering freely, gaining an infamous reputation.
However, within the narrative, they were utterly incapable of demonstrating any influence and experienced the humiliation of being treated as mere combat power measuring tools by the original Saintess Party. To the Saintess Party, composed entirely of superhumans, an armed criminal organization was hardly more than extras.
“Capture them all!”
“Beware! They use Mana Blades!”
As soon as the alarm bells rang, the knight order of the Hohenberc family was deployed.
The assassins who had invaded the castle swung their swords in response but were captured one by one. True to expectations of the eastern representative Hohenberc family’s prowess, they overwhelmed the intruders with sheer strength.
“Damn! How can these rural ruffians…!”
They ambushed the Hohenberc Count’s domain for revenge against Maximilian, who had mercilessly slaughtered their brothers.
But the outcome was despairing.
Most were either killed or captured.
If this continued, even their leader would be caught.
Dongrang Zebes.
The leader, who had gathered the remnants dismantled by the Saintess Party and plotted his vengeance, swallowed his breath as he sought any possible escape route. He burned with the hatred that he must resurrect and take revenge on the Hero.
“Damn it, I thought these rural folks in the east would be easy to deal with…!”
Thinking that annihilating the guards of the domain would allow him to smoothly destroy the Hohenberc family was a foolish complacency. It was deadly that the second son of the Hohenberc family, known only as a commoner, turned out to be a monster skilled in combat.
The gunfire ceased.
They were surely chasing after him.
He had barely shaken them off moments ago, but they could catch up any time.
Feeling a chill of terror, Zebes ran down the corridor without stopping.
‘All escape routes are blocked! Even if I drop out of the window, the soldiers would be waiting below! At this point, I have no choice but to take a hostage and barricade myself…!’
It was truly a cowardly and petty method.
He had already lost.
To propose taking hostages in a situation of utter defeat.
Yet, unlike his subordinates, who were wandering knights, Zebes was a mercenary. Thus, survival was his top priority, using any means necessary.
“This way!”
Zebes, who was sprinting down the corridor, discovered the office located in the heart of the main building. Thinking it was the office used by the head of the Hohenberc family, he kicked the door open.
Boom—!
He barged in roughly with his sword drawn.
However, there was no one in the office illuminated by soft candlelight. Just a girl with green hair, peacefully snoring as she lay on the desk.
In this loud situation, filled with metallic sounds and shouts, Zebes let out a helpless smile in disbelief at the sight of the girl still asleep. Displaying his disappointment, Zebes slowly approached to take the girl hostage.
“Get up, kid! Wake up right now!! Damn it, can’t you hear me!!”
Seeing her delicate features, she seemed to belong to a rather noble lineage.
This was quite fortunate.
Capturing someone of noble blood would give him the upper hand in the hostage situation.
It was one of the pieces of knowledge he had gained from indulging in a life of crime.
He reached out.
To knock out the delicate kid first.
“Gah—!!”
While Zebes was shouting as he envisioned his petty hostage situation, he was swiftly held by someone who approached from behind. At the same time, a searing hot metal object was forced into his mouth.
Chiiing…!!
He felt a horrific pain as he sensed his flesh scorching.
But there was no way to struggle. He couldn’t even scream.
Desperately trying to break free, the lethal muzzle aimed at him and the grip holding his throat were simply too firm.
“Shut up. You’ll wake her up.”
The blood-soaked man showed his teeth as he warned.
Don’t make a sound.
If you make even the slightest noise, I will pull the trigger immediately.
If the trigger was pulled, the muzzle jammed in his mouth would surely spit fire. The bullets that had turned the assassins attacking the castle into mush needed no further explanation. Without exception, the skulls had been shattered, and the brains splattered.
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