Chapter 7 - Drops of Blood on the Sword (2)

A dark night.

Beneath the walls of the city of Soara.

There were two figures moving through the shadows of the wall.

"Here."

"... Can I even get through that?"

Instead of looking at Stanga, Vlad answered while keeping watch on their surroundings.

"It might work if you take off your armor..."

"Why the hell do I have to go this far just to sneak in?"

After lamenting his circumstances for a moment, Stanga took off his armor as if he had no other choice and shoved himself toward the small tunnel.

"Are you sure this place is all right?"

"It's a tunnel I used until two years ago."

"Two years ago?"

Soara was a commercial city where countless merchants and goods came and went, and its inspections were just as strict.

Because they had to levy tariffs on those without proper permits.

That was not the case for merchants approved by Count Bayezid, but ordinary peddlers had no choice but to pay the tariff.

In the process, getting fleeced by the guards every which way had become something of a custom by now.

So some peddlers sought ways to enter Soara without getting shaken down, and one of those ways was to use the children of the back alleys.

And until just a few years ago, Vlad had been one of those children.

"At least when I used it, I was never caught, so you can relax."

"That makes me feel so damn reassured."

Unlike Vlad's calm words, Stanga's expression hardened as he looked at the tunnel, where the dirt crumbled away at the slightest touch.

"I came out of the city through here too. You're more of a coward than you look."

"... Fine."

After hearing Vlad say he had already used it once, Stanga mustered his courage and disappeared into the tunnel.

Then he poked his head back out.

"If you take my armor, I'll kill you, kid."

"It's unfortunate that our journey so far seems to have failed to earn your trust."

As Vlad shrugged with an expression that was not unfortunate at all, Stanga scowled and went into the tunnel.

"..."

Once Stanga had gone into the tunnel, Vlad quickly crouched down and pressed his ear to the ground.

With senses sharper than most, Vlad could tell whether anyone was nearby from the sound of footsteps vibrating through the earth.

This was also why, back when he had been a mere kid, he had never once failed at smuggling.

'Good.'

After confirming that the only thing he could hear was Stanga's low swearing, Vlad put the armor Stanga had taken off into a leather sack and moved into the tunnel.

'It's been a while since I was here too.'

Thinking that it ought to be safe since it had not collapsed even after Stanga, who was bigger than he was, went in, Vlad crawled into the tunnel.

When Vlad came out of the tunnel, Stanga, who had been waiting, began grumbling.

"I feel filthy. Like shit."

"We're almost there now."

"It's just... something. It feels wrong."

"Here's your armor."

After handing Stanga the armor, Vlad quickly checked the road and confirmed the direction he had to go.

Outside the city, deceiving One-Armed Jack's eyes had been easy.

Because no matter how much he was one of the bosses who ruled the back alleys, in terms of the entire city of Soara, he was not that large a presence.

But from now on, when they had to head toward Rose's Smiles, the story was different.

"It's better if you're somewhat dirty. Looking like a beggar is more convincing than looking like a knight."

"I said my mood feels like shit, not my appearance."

Whether Stanga grumbled behind him or not, Vlad answered without even looking back.

"Let's move."

"Yeah."

Stanga followed behind Vlad without saying anything more.

The dark back alleys of Soara.

To avoid the storm created by two bosses, the entire alley had fallen silent and held its breath.

"Follow me."

Though it was a dark alley without a single speck of light, Vlad led Stanga forward with unhesitating steps, as if he could see everything clearly.

"Something is strange."

But the alley Vlad was walking through seemed a little different from the way he remembered it.

The alley of the downtown area was oddly disordered, unlike usual.

Broken walls here and there, and bloodstains scattered across them.

"Was this place always like this?"

"No."

Ominous traces.

The moment Vlad saw them, his steps began to quicken without him realizing it.

The farther he went, the more traces turned into certainty, and certainty drew closer as reality.

"Looks like there has already been one big clash."

Just as Stanga said, the road grew more of a mess the closer they got to Rose's Smiles, showing anyone who looked that there had just been a large collision.

"... Damn it."

Vlad had been born and raised in the rough back alleys, and he was used to most unexpected situations, but for all that, he was still only a sixteen-year-old kid.

He was trying to stay calm, but he could not stop his vision from narrowing.

At that moment, as Vlad was about to hurry forward, Stanga's words pierced into his ear.

"Before you charge blindly ahead, check where you're standing first."

It was a heavy yet sharp voice.

That voice widened Vlad's narrowed vision and illuminated the judgment that had been buried in a hazy fog.

"Phew."

Following Stanga's advice, Vlad leaned his back against a street corner and caught his breath.

And then he saw.

'There are men watching.'

There were things newly visible to Vlad's eyes now that he had regained his composure.

Men wandering about while hiding in the darkness.

Some among them were familiar faces.

"There are men watching Rose's Smiles."

They were One-Armed Jack's subordinates.

The alley was a mess.

Rose's Smiles was tightly shut.

And Jack's subordinates were glaring at it from across a single road.

The pieces he had been given began to fit together inside the boy's head.

"There was an attack, but it doesn't look like it has fallen yet."

"Good."

Hearing Vlad's words, Stanga quietly nodded.

No matter how much talent for the sword one had, and no matter how clever one's mind, if one could not make use of it in real battle, it was no different from an ornament hanging on a wall.

But the kid in front of him had calmly gathered himself even though Stanga had merely said one thing to draw his attention back.

'He's a kid with potential.'

The knight felt the desire to properly raise the boy, but he could only regret that the mission he had now meant he could not take him along.

"Let's move separately. I'll tell you the back door only our people know."

"What about you?"

"I'll go through the front door. Right now, drawing their attention apart should be the right move."

Vlad calmly decided on his next action.

Stanga, who had once been a knight, was likely better than him in every way, but bringing him to Rose's Smiles was entirely Vlad's role.

"Then I'll see you in a bit."

"... Yeah."

After explaining the location of the back door to Stanga, Vlad carefully rose.

"This is another first."

Thinking of Jack's subordinates on the other side of the road, Vlad shrugged.

His life had always been one accustomed to hiding, but at this moment alone, he had to reveal himself.

To step proudly before someone and show himself.

The boy, who had never once had such an experience, did not know.

That from the moment he was born, he had been someone talented at such things.

At shining on his own.

With his breath puffing out into the air, Vlad turned the corner.

When he took off his hood, the brilliant blond hair that had been hidden fluttered among the faint lights of the back alley.

'Look over there!'

'It's Jorge's kid.'

'Where has he been?'

Gold was eternal, and also noble.

A color unsuited to the back alleys was walking toward Rose's Smiles.

One step, then another.

With a gait neither slow nor fast.

To someone who did not know the situation, it would look confident, and to someone who did, it was a stride they would call bold.

The gazes of those watching Rose's Smiles were sucked toward Vlad in an instant.

That was why no one noticed.

The movement of someone heading toward the rear of Rose's Smiles under cover of darkness.

"Phew..."

Taking advantage of the moment when One-Armed Jack's subordinates standing in the darkness briefly grew restless, Vlad safely came to a stop in front of Rose's Smiles.

Before the door, scorched and broken here and there, but tightly shut.

A situation he was certain of, but had not confirmed.

Vlad's hand trembled slightly as it gripped the doorknob, but he did not hesitate.

CREEEAK!

An unpleasant sound came from the misaligned hinges, and Rose's Smiles opened its door.

And the first thing to greet Vlad inside was...

"Hey there, junior. What took you so long?"

The sight of Burleigh with bandages wrapped all around his head.

* * *

Broken tables, a floor soaked with blood.

And corpses sprawled here and there.

Though it was a brothel, Rose's Smiles had even carried an air of old-fashioned elegance, but now it was in a state of disarray, as if it had become a battlefield.

'Marcella is going to faint.'

Leaving the dreadful scene behind, Vlad quickly turned his head.

To look for someone.

"Don't worry, your lady is safe."

"I was looking for the boss."

"The boss is always on the fourth floor, isn't he?"

Seeing Burleigh grin as if he knew everything, Vlad frowned.

As he climbed the stairs, which creaked as though something had been knocked loose in the chaos, the thick stench of blood wafted from ahead.

It was the smell of death.

"Jorge. I'm here."

"Yeah. Good. You did well."

And also something like proof of victory.

When he reached the fourth floor, Vlad saw Jorge among countless corpses, stripped to the waist.

His blood-red back looked like a massive mountain.

Seeing Jorge wounded but seemingly fine, Vlad let out a sigh of relief.

"... I'm sorry I couldn't help."

"No. Each of us just did what we had to do."

Though he spoke good-naturedly, the bandages wrapped around Jorge's upper body had already turned bright red.

The fierce battle that must have happened was clear before Vlad's eyes.

"Are you all right?"

"Trying to handle someone knight-class after so long left me like this. Well, I still did what I had to do."

Beyond Jorge's back, there was a corpse pinned to the wall by a sword.

It was a corpse wearing a fine breastplate like Jorge's, but its head had gone somewhere, and blood was still ceaselessly gurgling out from its neck.

The toes of the corpse, still twitching even now, showed that not much time had passed since this chaos had broken out.

"... The Money Bug made the first move. As expected, people who make money are on a whole different level when it comes to taking action."

As Jorge clicked his tongue while looking at the corpses, Marcella approached and carefully wiped the blood from him with a towel.

For the lion who had defended his territory, this much treatment was only natural.

"Did you bring him?"

Eyes from which the killing intent had not yet faded pinned Vlad down.

Fortunately, Vlad had the right to answer that terrifying question proudly.

"Yes. I brought him. He should be at the back door by now."

"Good!"

Jorge, who always wore an easygoing expression, was different at this moment.

"We strike the Money Bug bastard tomorrow. This time, we settle it for good."

The eyes of Jorge, still holding excitement that had not faded and rage that had to be poured out on someone, were the most ferocious Vlad had ever seen.

"But how did he look? Think he can use a sword well? He didn't lose anything, did he?"

Jorge was worried about any possible variables.

As expected, someone who had been a knight was different.

Seeing Jorge rein in his burning self while worrying about tomorrow, Vlad thought so.

"He's fine. It was only two days, but he seemed like a decent man."

"Stanga does have a hearty side to him."

"His body looked nimble too."

"Did he lose weight? Well, to live long, you have to take care of yourself."

"Yes, and..."

Recalling the sight he had seen beneath the moonlight, the boy answered with a smile.

"He's a knight who can even use aura. Tomorrow will definitely be our day."

One-Armed Jack had made his decisive move, and it had failed.

Flow was like a wave, and if you could not seize it when it came rushing in, you would be swept away again.

On top of that, while Jorge had been wounded, he was still strong, and he had even brought in a former knight and swordsman who had been an old connection, so anyone would say victory belonged to Jorge.

If they went by what was visible, that was.

"Looks like he's coming up."

"What?"

CREEEAK!

As soon as Vlad's words ended, the sound of someone coming up from below could be heard.

An unpleasant sound rang out from the misaligned boards of the staircase.

"... What did you just say, Vlad?"

"Yes?"

Vlad had been about to go down the stairs and guide Stanga, but he had no choice but to stop at Jorge's question.

No, it was Jorge's twisted expression that kept Vlad there.

"What did you just say?"

"That he's coming up."

"No, before that."

Jorge's expression stiffened as he asked the question.

"That because he's a knight who uses aura... tomorrow will be our day..."

Ruin settled over Jorge's expression when he heard Vlad's words.

CREEEEAK!

And at the same time, the ominous creaking drew closer.

"... Get behind me, Vlad."

Jorge said this as he pulled out the sword that had been embedded together with the corpse.

At Jorge's feet, the corpse of the man who had been a knight collapsed down.

"But I have to guide him..."

"Was it really aura?"

Instead of answering Jorge's words, Vlad looked back.

A man no one knew was coming up the only staircase to the fourth floor.

He was someone who had entered through the back door only the members of the organization knew.

And he was a man from whose sword, held in his hand, drops of blood that had not yet dried were falling.

"Then the bastard you brought isn't Stanga."

At the end of Jorge's gaze.

At the end of Vlad's trust.

Someone he could not recognize came up.

"Because Stanga doesn't know how to use aura."

He was smiling.