n

n

nJill’s hands froze as she was cutting the pie with a knife.

n「…Where’d you hear that?」

n「Some people were talking about it.」

n「No, no, no, that’s impossible! Like I said before, Morgstad’s murder is highly classified information!」

n「Apparently the culprit is a young girl.」

n「………」

nThis time Jill was speechless, her mouth agape.

n「…Well?」

n「I can’t say.」

n「Here’s the menu. What do you want to eat?」

n「There are just some things that you can and cannot say. I can’t say any more as it would be a violation of confidentiality.」

n「What, you think I’m going to misuse the information?」

n「I’m sorry…」

n「…No, I should be the one apologizing. That wasn’t fair. You’re answering my questions out of goodwill. It would be awful if you were punished because of it.」

nAll right, now what? Hikaru thought as he leaned back on his chair.

n(If she’s not going to tell me any more, I just have to sneak into the mansion…)

n「Why do you want to know? This is indeed big news, but you wouldn’t normally care about a Count being killed, right?」

n「Because…」

n「Hikaru-kun. I’m guessing you’re a son of a wealthy family who ran away from home on a whim and decided to become an adventurer so he could survive. Am I right?」

n「…I suppose. Yeah, something like that. I don’t have any other means to survive.」

nThat, and he didn’t really have a home to return to.

n「Does your family have connections with Count Morgstad?」

n「No. None at all.」

n「Then why do you care so much?」

nI screwed up, Hikaru thought deep inside. Morgstad’s death was much more confidential than he imagined.

n「My friend… went through a lot.」

n「…Your friend?」

n「Yeah. You could say he was oppressed by Count Morgstad. So I want to know whether he’s alive or not.」

n「………」

nJill stared at Hikaru, studying him. He thought about staring back, then stopped. If I remember correctly, a person who lies does either of two things: First, they don’t look at the one they’re lying to – they can’t. Second is they try too hard to convince the other person that they’re not lying by staring back intently.

nHikaru looked her in the eyes for just a moment and gave a small nod. He then downed some water.

n「 …I don’t feel any malice in your words.」

nOh, right. Jill did mention being sensitive to the emotions that people hide. There was probably no need for him to pretend.

n「It’s going to be public anyway so I guess I can tell you this… Three days from now, a certain someone will be transported to the royal capital. That’s all I can say about the matter.」Jill said, exasperation in her voice.

nA certain someone… the culprit. It’s that girl, all right. Three days from now… The fact that the Adventurers Guild know about that means…

n「Don’t tell me… adventurers will be the convoy ? Why—」

nJill’s kept her attention on the food as if to say “I’m not telling you anything else”. She deftly cut the pie in bite-sized pieces and stuffed herself — each movement extremely smooth and precise like some professional craftsman.

nThere were knights in the Count’s mansion who are much higher-ranked than the common soldier. So why would they hire adventurers to be the convoy? There’s gotta be more to this…

nIn the meantime, the Twin Tornado Juice arrived, its container shaped like a round melon and made of metal, with two straws sticking out of it. Two straws.

n「Here you go.」

n「…Hmm?」

n「Come on.」

n「Wait, what? There’s two straws on this thing!」

n「Yes. It’s called “twin” for a reason.」

n「No, no, no, no, no.」

nIt’s a drink four couples! Stuff that cheesy lovebirds drink! Jill seemed to be embarrassed too as her cheeks turned red.

n「I told you I’ve been wanting to try it, but I didn’t have anyone to drink it with!」

n「You’ve got all those men after you. Just choose from any of them!」

n「Like. I. Said. I can see their motives clearly!」

n「Ah, makes sense.」

nHikaru finally understood.

nShe sees me as someone completely harmless.

n「All right. Let’s have a drink, then. But you go first. Once you’ve had enough, I’ll finish the rest.」

n「………」

n「Don’t tell me you actually want us to drink it at the same time—」

n「O-Of course not! Don’t be so full of yourself!」

nJill started sipping the drink, pulling it closer to her as if to take it all for herself.

n「So good. Ugh, darn it!」

nIn the end, she finished it all on her own.

nMoney left: 1,430 gilans ( 7,500 α)

nLater that day – almost midnight.

nA boy in a black outfit appeared in front of Count Morgstad’s residence. Hikaru. He left his cloak as it would only be a hindrance if it got caught in something. On his face was something he’d never worn before.

nA mask.

nMade out of thin, metallic plate, they were sold at the temple. Each mask was modelled after different famous gods – the Sun God, War God, Commerce God – and cost only ten gilans.

nHikaru bought a Sun God mask, dull silver in color with a sharp jawline, and thin eyebrows that stretched to the sides. The carving wasn’t deep so it was perfect for his face. It had holes on the eyes and nose, though Hikaru added another one on the mouth for him to breathe out of.

n「All righty, then. I guess I just have to go through the front again.」

nHikaru intended to save the girl. She showed him an escape route after he finished killing Morgstad. He had no idea why she did that.

n「…I don’t like the idea of her being accused for the murder instead of me.」

nHe had no idea what was going on behind the scenes. Even if he wanted to investigate the matter, he had no connections. Asking the guards directly would only bring suspicion on him. As a matter of fact, Hikaru sneaked into the guards’ station in town to eavesdrop but he came up empty. Most of their conversations were about alcohol, gambling, and women. They complained about their superiors as well.

n「My legs feel like lead…」

nHe was exhausted. Hikaru wasn’t used to walking around for a whole day. While he wanted to add more points to his Stamina or Strength, he had none at the moment. But he did gain something. The girl wasn’t in the Public Safety Investigation Agency’s custody – an organization similar to the Japan police. She wasn’t in the guard’s station either. There was a high chance of her being kept inside the Count’s residence.

nThe front gate was locked, but the side entrance wasn’t. A guard stationed at the entrance didn’t notice Hikaru at all as he passed by. The last time he came here, it was raining. Today, the pale – a lot paler than on Earth – light of the moon shone on the mansion.

n「Hm.」

nThe front door, which he used last time to enter, was locked.

n「…Of course. Someone was assassinated recently. Security will be a lot tighter.」

nHikaru’s mouth curved into a grin.

n「But my Stealth’s level has gotten higher as well.」

nHe’s already set the class on his guild card to Stealth God: Darkness Wanderer. Hikaru circled the building. Wooden boards covered the windows. He would have to remove them if necessary and break the glass windows inside as they had bolts, albeit simple ones. As much as possible, though, he didn’t want to leave traces behind.

n「…Wait, what’s that?」

nHikaru caught sight of a slightly-opened back door. The stream of light coming from within revealed a man and woman standing by it.

n「Are you leaving already?」

n「I need to go back to the capital once my mission is over.」

n「I’ll be lonely.」

n「I’m sorry. I’ll make sure to send you letters.」

nThe man’s face wasn’t familiar to Hikaru, but judging by the uniform and the sword hanging from his waist, he was a knight. And the woman was a maid.

n…Right. The knights in this place were hired by the Count against their will. As such, they really don’t have much motivation. But still you shouldn’t hit on the maids. That’s why the mansion’s owner got assassinated. You’re not doing your jobs properly.

nHikaru slowly walked past them and slipped inside through the open back door. As soon as he opened it, the sudden brightness from within caused the two of them to jump and run to the darkness. They probably thought someone was coming from inside. Hikaru was standing there, though, but they couldn’t see him.

nMan, this Stealth God class really is incredible.

nInside he spotted a storage room with a kitchen beside it. Only a dim lamp was lit, with no one around. Hikaru steadily advanced forward. He didn’t need to worry about minor stuff with his Stealth on. His first stop was Count Morgstad’s room on the second floor.

nThe door was locked shut.

nNo good. I could make easy progress if I had Skills like Unlock or Trap Deactivate. Unfortunately, I didn’t see any of those in my Soul Board.

nEither way he had no points to spend.

nHe pressed his ears on the wall but heard nothing. After checking to see no one was on the corridor besides him, he knocked on the door.

n「…Guess no one’s inside.」

nThere was no response. He then checked the next room. Empty. There was, however, someone in the next room.

nA woman.Hikaru caught the smell of perfume the moment he entered the room. A woman lay on a gorgeous canopy bed. She seemed gaudy, with clear, distinct features. She was fast asleep.

nThe Count’s wife… Nah, she’s too young.

nRings and necklaces were scattered on the dresser.

nA mistress? Or perhaps a second wife?

nHe took one of the rings. It had a gem on it, though it was too dark to ascertain its color.

nI can easily steal this, but it’ll probably get traced back if I sell it. All the more so if it’s expensive.

nWhen Hikaru decided to make money, he considered stealing from wicked people like Robin Hood. But there were three reasons as to why he couldn’t:

n1. He couldn’t unlock vaults.

n2. He couldn’t sell precious jewelry as it could be traced back to him.

n3. Even if he could steal money, large amounts of coins would be too heavy for him to carry.

nIf it was only small amounts, he could just earn them from the Adventurers Guild and he wouldn’t have to risk himself by stealing.

nHe asked Jill while she was busy sipping her Twin Tornado Juice about Item Boxes or Dimension Storages which could help him carry lots of coins, but her answer was:

n「I think those are natural treasures from some other country.」

nApparently they were not things one could buy in the market. If stuff like that were circulated, there would’ve been a huge revolution similar to the IT Revolution on Earth. This world could then develop into an advanced society that he’d only seen and read in science fiction. But clearly that wasn’t the case. Merchants transported goods by wagons and hired people to carry heavier packages.

nThe technology behind the soul card system that the man with the Wisdom God class created was clearly a special case – something beyond current capabilities.

nStealing was not an option. Hikaru returned the ring and stepped back out into the corridor. After checking the other rooms, there was only one that was unusual.

nBooks…

nBy the wall was a bookshelf filled with books, most of which were adventure stories. Judging from the size of the bed and the fanciness of the interior design, Hikaru guessed it belonged to a teenager.

nMaybe it’s that girls’ room.

nHe opened the wardrobe and found familiar pajamas.

nI knew it… Holy…!

nUnderneath were striped underwears. There was a loud bang as he quickly closed the wardrobe.

nOh, **!

nHe trotted to the shadows behind the bed to hide.

n「Is someone here?」

nInstantly the door opened. A man with a magic lamp, which seemed to work like a flashlight, entered. He pointed the light through the entire room, barely inches away from touching Hikaru’s toes.

n「…Oh, a book just fell.」he muttered to himself and left.

nIt’s that knight. The one who was displeased about the girl being charged for murder.

n「He sure is hardworking.」

nHikaru left the girl’s room.

nThere wasn’t anything noteworthy on the second floor so he went back down to the first. As soon as he did, he heard the sound of people arguing.

n「Now’s not the time for this. It’s simply improper.」

n「You’re just too serious, East.」

nThe voices came from the direction of the back door. The knight who entered the girl’s room caught the other knight with the maid as they came back from outside.

n「Our mission is still not over.」

n「We’ll be heading back after our job. I was just saying my goodbyes now.」

n「Do that when we’re off-duty.」

n「All right, fine. You can have all the credit for this bodyguard mission.」

n「What does that have to do with anything? Besides, what I’m saying is…」

nNot caring less about their arguing, Hikaru explored the first floor. Several servants seemed to have been woken up by the ruckus as they were headed in his direction. He hid himself in a room. After letting them pass, Hikaru himself made his way deeper into the mansion.

nNot this one. This looks like a servants’ room… Hmm?

nHikaru spotted a set of stairs that led down to the basement at the end of the hall. Beside it was knight – the one at the temple with East – sitting still, asleep.

nThis is a great opportunity.

nA bunch of keys dangled from the knight’s waist. A leather strap was tied to a metal ring that held five keys together. Hikaru drew closer and tried to untied the strap.

nWhat the… it’s too tight. I can’t untie it. Where’s it even connected to?

nHe checked to see that the strap went through the knight’s pants. He felt hopeless.

nDo I have to shove my hand in there? No, wait. Maybe the door is not actually locked.

nClinging to a slim chance, Hikaru went down the stairs and found an iron door. It was locked, of course.

nSaw that coming…

nHe climbed back up.

nHow do I take it out? Pull it by force? Nah, that’ll wake him up. Cut the strap, then? Sounds like a good idea. Although, if I failed to save the girl tonight, security would be tightened even more the next day. I could copy the shape of the keys with some clay. How long would it take to make a duplicate? There’s five keys too. If I asked someone to duplicate them all at once, would they suspect me and think something’s up?

n「Hey, wake up. What are you doing, sleeping on the job?」

nThe knight arguing with East woke up the sleeping knight. Hikaru quickly hid himself behind the stairs, in the shadows.

n「Hmm? Oh, I fell asleep, huh? 」

n「Hehehe. You’re gonna get it from East.」

n「Don’t tell him. Please!」

n「All right, all right. So, how’s the girl doing?」

n「Oh, I actually haven’t checked on her tonight.」

n「Hey, now. That doesn’t sound good. We have to check on her.」

n「Let’s go, then.」

nSluggishly, the knight stood up and started walking towards Hikaru.

nWhat the…

nHe turned pale as a sheet. This is bad. The stairwell — wide enough for one person at a time — turned left halfway, but it was a direct path with only a door at the end and no places to hide. In other words, he’d get busted.

nCrap. What do I do?

nFor the time being, Hikaru headed down the stairs, turned left and held his breath.

n「Haa… my body gets dull when I’m doing nothing.」

n「You should’ve come with me. Late night work-out with maids is fun, you know?」

n「Please. I have a wife and a kid.」

nSlowly, they went down the stairs.

nI screwed up. I shouldn’t have checked this dead-end place. Now I’m cornered. Damn it… No, now’s not the time to regret my actions. I have to think of a way out of this.

nA certain word sprang up in the back of Hikaru’s mind.

n【Assassination】When the user attacks without the target noticing, the attack will have a lethal effect. Max: 3.

nAnyone going down can’t see me here. I can therefore “attack without the target noticing”.

nHe grasped his Dagger of Strength tightly.

nI’ll kill the one in front first. Fortunately they’re wearing plain clothes, not armor. He shouldn’t make much of a noise either. Then I’m gonna hide behind his body and pull it this way. The knight behind him will have no idea what happened and when he checks…

nI’ll kill him as well.

nHis heart pounded in his chest. These were innocent men. But now he had to kill them because of his blunder.

n「Man, when I think about how our work in Pond will soon be over…」

n「What, you find it hard to leave?」

nDoubt. Could he really do it?

nUncertainty. Would it go well?

nGuilt. Could he really kill innocent people?

n「No, you idiot. I feel relieved.」

n「You can say that again.」

nWith sweaty palms, he gripped his dagger tight. Three more steps.

n「Let’s drink all night at a bar once we get back—」

nNow.

n「Sir Knight!」

nThe moment Hikaru jumped out, a woman’s voice rang out.

n「What’s the meaning of this?! Sir East told me you sometimes hit on girls at bars and stay with them overnight!」

n「What? Ah, I, uhh… what are you talking about?」

n「Was he lying?! Or you?!」

n「Wait, wait. Hold on. Calm down. Just put the knife down, okay?」

nIt was the maid from earlier. One knight climbed back up the stairs.

n「Whoa, whoa… She found out about your two-timing?」

nThe other knight followed.

n…They’re gone…

nFeeling every bit of strength leave his body, Hikaru flopped down on the spot. He was drenched in sweat, breathing heavily.

n「I can’t afford to rest now. I’ll just end up in the same situation.」

nWhipping back his limping body into life, Hikaru climbed back up the stairs.

n「I can’t believe it!」

n「You’re the only one I love! It’s true!」

nThe knight and maid the knife were arguing. The other guy with the keys followed them, leaving one key on his chair before approaching the maid. He probably removed it from the bunch to open the door below.

nNow’s my chance.

nHikaru jumped out from the stairwell and took the key. No one noticed him as he did. He went back down the stairs, used the key, and pushed the iron door open. After checking to see it could be locked from inside, he stuck a towel under it so it would stay open. He then went back up and left the key on the chair.

n「Stop swinging that knife around. It’s dangerous.」

n「Hey, this is getting serious.」

n「Waaaaaahhhh!」

nIt sounded like the commotion would not be dying down anytime soon. Hikaru went back down and entered the room with the iron door. He heaved a deep sigh of relief. That was so close. He reflected on his carelessness and his lack of resolve.

nThere’s a chance I’ll have to kill innocent people in the future… What do I do then? Should I prepare myself to kill?

n…No. If I started killing people for superficial reasons, I don’t think I’ll be able to stop. If someone annoyed me, I’d probably think “I can just kill this guy”. I’ll have to put in every bit of effort so that I won’t kill unnecessarily. Every bit of effort. I would have to take every possibility into consideration beforehand and be as attentive as possible when I’m on the job.

nAll right. Here we go.

nHe quickly switched gears.

nI can reflect on things properly later. Right now, I’m in the middle of something.

nIt was a storage room. Sacks and wooden crates – their contents Hikaru had no idea – were cluttered about. From where he stood, Hikaru could see iron bars farther inside the room. Ancient letters were carved into them, emitting pale light. A magic seal.

nA prison. An extremely solid one. The inside was well-ordered, however. A painting hung by the wall. The cell was furnished with a chair with a cushion seat, a bed that looked to be of better quality than what Hikaru had in his hotel room, and a table with piles of books on top. Adventure novels.

n「…Is someone there?」

nBehind the bars was a girl with silver hair and blue eyes.

n