Episode 90
* * *
Three knocks, then two, then three more, after a pause. This was proof that someone had come to the hideout of the Sheep Guild’s ‘Collaiderscope’.
Perhaps he came to ask for a favor.
A competent criminal guild requires a high commission fee to match, and petty guilds like them exist for those who cannot afford to pay the price.
With that in mind, the junior shepherd baker came out to greet the customer. Outside was a man in a black robe.
“What brings you here?”
“I have come to make a request.”
I couldn’t see his face because it was covered by the hood, but I could hear his somewhat affectionate voice.
“Oh, you’ve come to the right place!”
The junior shepherd baker continues with a smile.
“Our ‘Collaiderscope’ is like a fairy that makes our customers’ wishes come true!”
“… …Can you kill a person?”
“That’s right!”
The baker continued speaking loudly.
“From things you want to steal, to people you want to kill, to strangling them to get the information you want!”
Assuming that they can afford it and pay the price accordingly, the robed man nodded as Baker kindly finished explaining.
“There is no one who can get away with writing their name on our guild’s death list.”
“It’s really trustworthy.”
After nodding, the man opened his mouth.
“All members of Colliderscope.”
In that place where not even a breath of wind blew, his black robes fluttered.
“That is the ‘death note’ I desire.”
“… … ?”
“Because I owe you guys something.”
Dale blurted out without even a shred of emotion. And before Junior Sheep Baker could even begin to comprehend what he was saying… … .
Phew!
Something was thrust into his throat.
“Ugh, ugh ugh!”
It was a blade of shadow that was as dark and thin as pitch black, and shone with a cold frost. The shadow did not stop there. After tearing his neck, it began to move towards his body as if it were a living creature.
Shadow parasite.
“Key, keyeeeek!”
A scream that could not be said to be of this world rang out.
* * *
The hideout of the Sheep Guild. A robed man appeared in the place where several Sheep were drinking alcohol along the path.
“Hey, what’s that guy? How did he get here… … .”
The customer cannot step in here. Immediately afterwards, the thief’s intuition screamed at the sight of blood on the man’s robe.
“It’s the enemy, it’s the enemy!”
The name thief was not a vain one, as the baptism of secrets was scattered all at once. It was an absurdly fast process.
Kaang!
But none of them could reach the man. The black robes fluttered, forming a pitch-black shield that repelled all the dark energy. Not in the form of blades, but in the form of a thorough shield.
It wasn’t just Dale himself who had grown to the level of the Fourth Circle. His artifact, the Shadow Cloak, was no exception.
“This is my territory.”
Dale muttered coldly, and the lake of darkness spread out, flooding the hideout.
“Huh, it’s black magic!”
Above the shadows, those in the colliderscope held their breath in bewilderment.
“Kill them, close the distance now and kill those wizards!”
A few mid-level sifs made a quick decision and rushed out from the dark lake. Immediately afterwards, the ‘things’ lurking in the lake broke the silence.
《Shadow Lurker》.
Phew!
As the Sifs were rushing forward, kicking the ground, a spiked tentacle rose, aimed precisely at their feet. Starting from the groin, the spiked tentacle plunged down to the brain and skull. Just like Vlad Tepes’ stake.
The bodies of the sifs were frozen in midair.
“Ugh, keuk… …! Keuk!”
The ‘Shadow Lurker’ lurking in the shadows was never just one. It was also reborn as an even larger ‘adult’ along with the growth of the 4th Circle.
Thorn Hell.
The lurkers in the shadows began to spew out their thorny tentacles all at once. From the lake of darkness that enveloped the entire hideout of the Sif Guild.
“Hey, hey, save me!”
“Ahhhhh!”
The slaughter of the Shadow Lurkers. Nothing could be an exception. The flesh was torn to pieces beyond recognition. The severed limbs, heads, and intestines were strewn about in a mess.
Dale turned his head in a bloodbath that felt like watching a third-rate splatter movie.
“Hee, heeeek… … !”
Towards the last surviving high-ranking thief, who is called the ‘Guild Master’.
“Wow, why are you doing this to us!”
Dale walked calmly. The Master of the Sheep Guild asked back, sobbing like a child. He had no more will left to fight.
The class was different. He was an overwhelmingly strong person that even a mere slacker like him could not even look up to.
In the dark lake that dominated the area, all he could do was tremble and beg for his life, not even knowing what was going on.
“A few years ago, your guild’s shepherds came to Saxony’s frozen lands.”
“… … .!”
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Dale opened his mouth.
It was an unforgettable request for ‘Collaiderscope’, and he understood it as soon as he heard it.
“Sir, surely not, the House of Saxony… … .”
Dale tilted his head and asked back.
“Does the name Saxony strike you as so funny?”
The notoriety of the Saxon Dukes.
“Do you think our family name is so ridiculous that it can be justified in front of a thousand gold coins?”
Despite his notoriety, he blindly accepted the offer from the Holy Swordsman. Now, he is finally paying the price.
“ha ha ha…….”
The master of the Sheep Guild ‘Colriderscope’ trembled and burst into laughter.
Yes. The opponent was the ‘Duke of Saxony’. The dark clan that ruled the northern frozen lands, the leader of those monsters.
“You should have thought about the meaning a little more carefully.”
“You damn monster… … .”
The guild master of the colliderscope swore in resignation.
“Shadow Bullet.”
Dale also muttered briefly. Shadow bullets poured endlessly along the seven black barrels.
“Black Barrel”, “Gatling”.
When it comes to projecting images of the other world, it seems like there is no need for any more cumbersome formulas.
* * *
Some time after that.
The tragedy that occurred at the hideout of the Sheep Guild ‘Callidoscope’ was made known to the outside world. People were speechless in front of that hellish scene.
Also, in the midst of the tragedy, there was a piece of black cloth.
The coat of arms of the Duke of Saxony… …a piece of cloth with an embroidered night raven.
* * *
The town hall of Arte di Calimala.
When Dale showed up again in the office of the official residence, the Master of the Kalimala Guild welcomed Dale with the largest number of guards he could muster.
Remembering the tragedy that occurred at the Sheep Guild in the back alley not long ago, he could not help but know the meaning of the black piece of cloth lying there.
Night Raven. The emblem of the Duke of Saxony.
“You don’t have to be so cautious.”
Dale smiled as if to say there was nothing to worry about.
“Because they had a debt to pay long ago.”
“Honey, is this a debt that needs to be paid?”
The Master of the Kalimala Guild asked cautiously.
“As I said, I believe I have given you ample time to consider my proposal.”
Dale said.
“But for an outsider here, it might sound a bit harsh.”
“… … .”
The guild master’s expression was momentarily shaken. However, the value he holds as the master of the Kalimala Guild cannot be the same as that of a mere Sif Guild.
“Everyone, step back.”
After thinking about it, the guild master spoke. The guards guarding him all bowed their heads and gave way.
That day, Dale offered to represent the House of Saxony.
Help him become the City Master in the name of Saxony, but in return, he would be allowed to look into the City Master’s ‘ledgers’. He had already calculated the pros and cons incalculably.
And the decision made by the Master of the Kalimala Guild was one.
“Before I accept your offer, I have something to ask you.”
“Please speak.”
“That account book… … At least His Royal Highness the Prince of Saxony will know what it means.”
City Master’s Ledger.
The flow of legal and illegal business funds spread across the continent. Furthermore, the list of nobles who are in debt to the Guild City. Furthermore, how many swords have been sold to where, where they are going to be sold, and where the debts for how many swords have been incurred.
It would be a breeze to predict where a war will break out just by glancing at the pages of the ledger.
The real power of Guild City comes from holding that information, and it was that information and the heart of trust that Dale demanded.
“There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world.”
Dale answered as if it were someone else’s business.
“What exactly is the purpose of the House of Saxony?”
For a moment, Dale remained silent at that question.
“Make Black Great Again.”
After a silence, Dale answered.
“There is only one thing I wish for.”
Again there was silence. But it was not a silence of conflict or hesitation.
“I will accept the offer of the House of Saxony.”
After much thought, the Master of the Kalimala Guild spoke.
“You won’t regret it.”
Dale bowed his head politely with a smile. In Guild City, Dale’s journey had only just begun.
* * *
To become a City Master, you must obtain the consent of four of the seven Guild Masters, and you can never vote for yourself. Therefore, the Guild Master must ‘mandatorily’ vote for one of the other seven, excluding himself.
That is why deciding on a city master is so closely tied to the ‘black market’…
It was also a place where the representatives of the great nobles gathered there would exert their power to make the guild master who suited their taste the ‘next city master’. An invisible secret struggle.
‘I’m probably not the only one.’
However, there are not many who can dare to compare with the name of the House of Saxony.
The great lords of the empire, their number can be counted on one hand at most. And among them, the one who must be guarded the most is the empire itself.
Because the Empire and the Emperor, and even the Red Tower’s ‘agents’ will also be making contact with them.
At least it wasn’t something to think about right now. Leaving the ‘City of Kalimala’, Dale was already heading towards the ‘City of Lana’.
‘Arte della Rana’.
One of the seven great guilds, and one of the seven cities of Guild City. Towards the symbol of the underworld located right there.
Fight Club. An underground arena where life and death are at stake.
There was only one reason why the noble prince of the world wanted to appear there.
Just as he once demonstrated his notoriety to the Kalimala Guild through the ‘Callidoscope’, demonstrating the power of the Deputy is an essential task in deciding the next City Master.
For that matter, there is no better place than an underground arena with no rules.
Dale won’t be the only one thinking that way, and the matches that will take place at Fight Club won’t just be a brawl between mere punks.
This is a place where representatives of the great nobles from all over the continent gather after receiving an invitation from the Black Market, and it is also a testing ground where the capabilities of the Four Circles can be fully demonstrated. Defeating them will be the opportunity to prove the name of the Saxon Dukes more clearly than anything else.
The Empire and the Emperor… …by defeating the representative of the Red Tower.
