The first ones to notice the anomaly were the lookouts outside the inn.
“Fog?”
The fog began to spread in the darkness where not even an inch could be seen.
In an instant, a dense mist emerged that lanterns couldn’t disperse, filling the surroundings.
Anyone could tell it was an unnatural phenomenon, and they readied their weapons.
But then, at that moment…
–저벅, 저벅 (sound of footsteps)*
Footsteps echoed from within the fog, and they raised their weapons with tense expressions.
Soon after, someone revealed themselves from the mist.
“…”
A boy, wearing a dark hood and a mask that concealed his face.
His sparkling green eyes glittered dimly beneath the hood.
“What kind of guy are you?”
One of the lookouts asked the boy.
It wasn’t hard to figure out that this strange fog was somehow related to him.
However, instead of answering, the boy lightly raised a finger toward the air.
And at that moment…
–파바바박! (sound of attack)*
“Cough!?”
The ground around them was swallowed by a thick shadow, and pitch-black thorns shot up, piercing their bodies.
Literally full of holes, they couldn’t even scream as they lost their lives.
The boy, who had been watching the scene, waved his hand toward the air, and just like that, the thorns silently disappeared back into the shadows.
As he looked at the cold corpses, the boy passed them and headed into the inn.
The doorbell jingled, and everyone in the inn turned their attention toward the boy.
Then, upon seeing the fallen bodies behind him, they all drew their weapons.
“I generally dislike violence, you see.”
The boy smiled faintly at the scene.
In reality, he preferred peaceful and gentlemanly solutions whenever possible.
As a modern man from the 21st century, he instinctively had a rejection toward taking other lives.
But, of course, that was only applicable to those who could communicate.
If someone was a monster…
No, if they were an even more wicked existence, there was no room for conversation.
What kind of negotiations could there be with someone who viewed human lives as less than a passing bug?
“But, you see, that doesn’t apply to the enemies of Weinstein County.”
The boy’s declaration, close to a death sentence, made Kyle, who was sitting at the counter, stand up as well.
At that moment, thick fog began to seep in behind the boy, and the lights that illuminated the inn flickered one by one.
The next moment, the inn was shrouded in silence.
*
The situation was so overwhelming that calling it a battle was an embarrassment.
“Cough!?”
“W-what is this!?”
Pitch-black thorns poured out from all directions.
Those pierced by thorns that seemed forged from pure darkness lost their lives without even a decent scream.
“You bastard!!”
Among them, those with good skills avoided Rudell’s attacks and charged at him, but…
“You can’t lay a finger on the young master.”
A dagger appeared behind them, thrusting into their vitals without them being able to resist, spilling them into puddles of blood on the floor.
In just a few minutes, only Rudell and Kyle remained moving in the inn.
“It seems everything is taken care of.”
“Looks that way.”
The inn was enveloped in silence.
After a brief look around, Rudell nodded at Kyle’s words and wiped the blood splatter off his cheek.
“You’re right, young master.”
Despite still being on guard, Kyle shuddered slightly, his expression turning to one of horror.
No wonder, the number of troops in Weinstein County didn’t even total a hundred.
When you factored in those on stand-by, guard duty, and patrol duty, the actual troops defending this central area, Baisle, were about thirty at most.
It was easy for anyone to realize that if they caused a sabotage, Weinstein County would fall into unprecedented chaos.
“Indeed, no one can match the young master’s insight.”
“W-well… that’s true.”
Truthfully, he had a memory of this event being briefly mentioned in the novel, so he had prepared for it, but…
Thinking it was better to keep that a secret until death, Rudell nodded awkwardly.
“Kyle, could you step back for a moment? I need to clean up.”
“Yes, young master.”
After Kyle nodded and stepped back, Rudell took a short sigh and concentrated his mind.
Soon, with a light fatigue, Rudell’s shadow spread out, filling the inn with darkness.
Then, at that moment…
The still warm corpses, shattered tables, and broken items…
Everything that bore the traces of battle started to sink into Rudell’s shadow.
In no time at all, everything in the hall was gone except for the inn building itself, and Rudell retracted his extended shadow, exhaling a long breath.
“Looks like you’ve gotten used to that magic.”
Kyle clapped lightly, seemingly in admiration, at the sight.
“Well, yeah…”
As he looked at the darkness swirling like smoke at his fingertips, Rudell clenched his fist, disturbing the smoke.
Shadow Magic.
In the original novel, it was a magic that appeared only in the final chapter, and at that point, the protagonist was already incredibly strong without the help of magic, so it hadn’t been emphasized.
However, it was a perfect technique for Rudell to use.
It allowed him to give substance to the incorporeal shadows, used for both attack and defense, and he could move swiftly between connected shadows.
Though short, it was possible to hide in the shadows, and it was a spell with endless versatility.
The only downside was that its power was severely diminished under sunlight.
In other words, it was essentially non-existent during the day.
Of course, aside from that limitation, it was undoubtedly an impressive magic.
‘There shouldn’t be a need to use magic during the day.’
To be honest, even if he could use it, he wouldn’t want to.
If anyone found out he could use this magic, he’d certainly be mistaken for a dark sorcerer or a vampire.
Getting involved with the temple or the insane inquisition was something Rudell absolutely wanted to avoid.
“Well then. I’ll call Janice.”
“Okay. Please do.”
Nodding at Kyle’s words, Rudell lightly knocked on the securely closed basement door.
“Janice! You can come out now.”
Simultaneously, the basement door creaked open…
“Is it all over?”
“Yes. It’s all done.”
At Janice’s careful inquiry, peeking her head out, Rudell responded with a faint smile.
“Ugh… I’m really scared to death. I need to make money fast and quit this job.”
“That would be difficult. If you’re not here, those coming to Weinstein County would be left homeless.”
Still, whether there was an inn in the territory or not was a significant difference.
Even disregarding the customers seeking the territory, the presence of the inn affected the trades of merchants.
In that sense, Janice’s inn was an indispensable asset to the territory.
“Would you like another apple soda tonight?”
To that, Janice asked Rudell with a dissatisfied expression.
After finishing his night patrol, Rudell always came to Janice’s inn.
He ended his day by drinking apple soda there.
“No, I’m good today. I’ll head out first.”
It was already late at night.
Between patrols and dealing with the church guys, it was much later than usual.
If someone were to find him, it would pose a problem, so Rudell shook his head and headed outside.
“Take care, young master.”
Janice waved her hand at him, and Kyle followed Rudell out.
“Ugh…”
Stepping outside the inn, Rudell stretched, feeling light fatigue.
Combining his territory patrol with the battle against the church had used up more magic power than usual.
“Are you going back right away?”
“Yeah. I’m starting to feel anxious.”
If his parents found out he was sneaking out at night, he would be met with immediate wrath.
What parent would be pleased with their only son sneaking out after dark?
There was a chance he could be grounded for life, so Rudell hurried his steps toward the mansion.
And then, at that moment…
–슈욱! (sound of wind)*
“Uh…?”
He heard the sound of wind slicing through the air, followed by a strong impact enveloping his body.
A dazed voice escaped his lips as he felt an intense heat in his chest.
Slowly shifting his gaze down toward his chest, he saw an arrow lodged there.
To be precise, it wasn’t an arrow but a much shorter projectile…
It was a bolt used by a crossbow.
[…!!]
Kyle’s voice yelling something.
But Rudell couldn’t comprehend what he was saying.
All he felt at that moment was one thing.
Drowsiness.
That was all.
