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Chapter 4: The Shifty Shadow Rat

I somehow succeeded in fooling Lynokis in order to escape her surveillance. Though an excuse like “I want to go see some naughty underwear on my own” working on her honestly made me more suspicious than anything...but she otherwise carried out her work well, so I chose to let it go. However unreliable she may have seemed, she was my apprentice. I could overlook the small stuff. Now that she was under me, I wanted to do what I could to humor her.

“I see your renovations are complete.”

Over my year of nonstop recording, I had managed to find the time to slip off to the old bar whenever we visited the capital. The bar used to be in absolute shambles, but each time I visited, there was always something new or some part that had been repaired.

Over time, those ruins had transformed into a bar again.

The first time I had visited was roughly a year ago. Renovations had been carried out over that time, and now both the exterior and interior looked much more professional. There had already been customers last time I came, but there had been no sign up outside. Now there was, so I assumed that meant they had finished fixing the place up.

Ẁе̇ b̌n о̀ v̂ė l̊ Ĕn ù m а̇

Perhaps it was time for me to stop calling it the bar of the dogs and call it Shifty Shadow Rat as the sign said.

The bar was down a dark alley off the main street. It was also where the rough types gathered, but they seemed to accept the refurbished establishment. In front of the bar were those who had gotten completely smashed first thing in the morning and ended up passed out on the ground, as well as others who were swinging their bottles around as if they had forgotten the way home. It was the kind of chaotic sight I had expected from such a place, filled with those who had been dealt a rougher hand by the world.

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I was glad they appeared to be getting business at least.

“Oi, the hell’s that kid—”

“Shhh! Don’t look at her, and don’t even speak a word to her. If she catches your eye, your ass is getting pummeled!”

“The hell you on ab— GWAH?!”

Ẃěbṅ оv̆ ė l Еň um ӑ

“What did I just tell you, dude?! You’re gonna get me in trouble for your stupidity! Don’t stand out!”

Some flashy guy was lecturing a new face who didn’t know who I was. Good, good. I was perfectly happy to take on any strong foes, but I would much prefer if the weaker ones knew their place. Beating up weaklings wasn’t exactly a hobby of mine. If they really wanted to be beat up, though, they could ask. I wouldn’t refuse just because they were weak, no matter my personal preferences.

I’d shut up anyone who’d dare approach me with my fists almost every time I came here, so it seemed word had finally gotten around about me. I imagined there were those who recognized me from magivision, but no one had started up any rumors or made a fuss about that just yet.

No matter how similar they may have appeared, no matter how rare that striking white hair was, the Nia Liston that appeared on magivision and the Nia Liston that visited the bar just didn’t match up in their heads, so they couldn’t believe it was really me.

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Or it was simply a case of not wanting to risk getting involved with me. I was still an aristocrat’s daughter after all.

Walking past the residents of the back alleys who knew well enough to avoid my gaze even while drunk, I entered the bar.

W̊e b n̄ о̂ v е ĺ Е ń ůmа̂

The booming voices boasting of their victories instantly quieted and then silenced altogether. Whispering voices no doubt discussing nefarious deeds came to a stop. Unrefined laughter quickly hushed. The lone wolves partaking in solitary drinks by the bar counter freed up their seats.

“Hey there, Lily.”

The moment I entered, the hustle and bustle of the dimly lit interior had immediately stilled, but the first to break that quiet was a plump lady whose body was eighty percent sex appeal.

Her name was Fressa, and she was an acquaintance of Anzel’s whom he had hired to work at his bar. Sure, she was a voluptuous woman, but that wasn’t all she was. The way she had trained her body was remarkable. It was the body of someone trained not in martial arts but in assassination. That was a good enough reason to stop trying to dig into her history.

Everyone here had their own story to tell, including myself.

“Yo, Lily. Been a hot minute, huh?”

Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.

I walked up to the bar counter without hesitation and sat myself down in front of the laid-back bartender.

“Pleasure to see you again, Anzel. Congratulations on your official opening.”

Incidentally, Lily was my nickname here. I wasn’t sure who had started it, but someone had started calling me Snow Lily because of my white hair, and since then, everyone here had taken to using the pseudonym. People using my real name here could cause issues, so I didn’t bother correcting them.

“Thanks. Took long enough, I’ll say. Technically I opened up shop last month, though.”

Wow, it had already been over a month since I’d last found the time to stop by? When I really thought about it, perhaps that last visit had been about two months ago. It certainly was quite a long time—not that the frequency of my visits was within my control. Given I hadn’t been living in the capital, the time I could actually swing by had always been limited.

“I’ll be able to come a bit more frequently than before,” I told him. I had started living in the capital now after all—even if I was just in the school dorms.

Ӗñ ům̌ а

“’Cause of school?”

I chose not to respond and instead ordered some strong alcohol... Or at least, I thought about it, but even if this was some shady pub down a similarly shady alley, that didn’t mean it was a good idea for a six-year-old to be drinking alcohol.

Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.

The longer I continued casual chatter with Anzel, the more those around us returned to what they had been doing before I entered. Though, the seats to the immediate left and right of me remained vacant for my entire stay.

Anzel was the suited man I had fought way back when this place was still just a regular old abandoned building. I hadn’t heard the specifics from him, but apparently, he wasn’t ex-mafia as I had originally thought. In fact, he was a little like a bodyguard they put in charge of any of the dirtier work. He’d certainly protect the mafia if he was hired to.

I could tell it wasn’t a topic he really wanted to think about, so I hadn’t pushed for details. And quite frankly, I didn’t care about his history, so I didn’t ask.

Anzel had bought out this bar specifically so he could stay in contact with me. He had gathered up all the money he had ever saved and used it all to buy the rights to the land. Hiring some thugs living in the area, he repaired and refurbished the building, and he’d finally managed to officially open it as a bar.

Ẁ еb_n ǒ vе̂ l̆ Е̇nù m_ӓ

At first, he really had just bought this land because he wanted to find me again. When he learned how cheap it was, he had wasted no time in buying it, thinking that with a bit of elbow grease, he could turn it into a good place to live, as well. If he was buying it as a new house, then he couldn’t really call it a waste.

However, the investment had left him practically penniless, so he had decided he may as well try to start up a new bar given the foundation was already there. He’d intended to leave the business of it all to someone else, but after all of the work he’d put into it, he’d ended up forming an attachment to the place and decided he may as well become the bartender.

The last time I came here, Anzel had muttered away to me while cleaning a glass: “What good’s a bodyguard that can’t even win his own fights? People ain’t gonna hire me if I don’t live up to my reputation. I swore that I would absolutely get revenge on you one day. I did, but...”

In order to meet me, the target of his revenge, Anzel had acquired this place. I had promised to come back here, and so I did, though somewhat irregularly.

Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.

Anzel had been burning with the fires of revenge, and so he had continued challenging me to fights—and had kept losing in the process. As a result, his spirit had broken. He had realized that I wasn’t someone that could be beaten with an ordinary level of training.

And now, here he was as the master of the Shifty Shadow Rat. Well, it wasn’t so rare for people’s goals to change somewhere down the road.

Enum̆ ä .іd̆

Honestly, despite what we’d been through, I’d ended up chatting with Anzel a good bit. I had never intended to deepen our friendship nor had I intended to become a regular at his bar, but before I knew it, I was doing just that.

There were very few people I could chat with not as Nia Liston but as a martial artist. Perhaps it was for that reason that I had developed a liking for this place.

“Here. Drink up.”

“Thank you. You’re very thoughtful.”

“Really, I wanna just tell you to head back home.”

And that was the correct way for him to feel. This was not a place for a six-year-old. If I had been in his shoes and it were anyone other than me, I would absolutely be telling them to leave. It would be better for both of us if I quickly said what I needed to say and left. It wouldn’t be good for me to be away so long that Lynokis would start worrying either. Even if I felt slight distrust of her, that didn’t mean it was good to make her worry.

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“You...really are thoughtful,” I muttered, realizing what was in the glass that Anzel had given me.

It wasn’t alcohol.

Naturally, I couldn’t order anything alcoholic at this age, but I’d secretly been hoping that he would still serve some. If it was put in front of me, then what choice would I have? But no, he had given me some of the fruit juice he would use for cocktails.

Tch, you’re meant to be part of the underworld, aren’t you? Why do you have common sense? Gimme alcohol, goddammit... What is this place, a kid’s playground?

It was pointless to get mad at him for it, though, so I let him be...for now. I seriously wanted a drink, though...

“And? Has there been anyone wanting to challenge me?”

Еn ŭ m̆ а́ . і d

That was the question I asked every time I came here. The first two times, there had been challengers waiting, including Anzel himself, but since then, there was nothing. It appeared rumors of my strength had made the rounds in this area.

I shouldn’t have been surprised. I was the one who had completely crushed those whatever-Dogs. At least, I could only assume that was who that gang of almost a hundred thugs I had beat up here a year ago was.

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It wasn’t as if I had been paying attention to who was who in a circumstance like that, and I wouldn’t check either. Before I knew it, they were all down. I didn’t know what happened to them after that, but I had made sure to hold back so I was sure none of them had died. For all I knew, there may have been a few who were only made stronger by such an encounter and had made their return.

All I remembered about that night was that my rampage had been a fun one. Being able to beat people up without guilt was a good feeling indeed.

“You realize no one wants to fight you, right?”

I shrugged. “Hey, I’m fine with fighting you.”

Ẁe b̆n̆ö v́ е.ĺ Е̂ṅ ŭm а

“I don’t want to fight you anymore either. Ain’t no way in hell I’m winning, and I’ve got my job here now anyway.”

Now hold your damn horses. Why was he acting like he’d completely become a bartender? What happened to that Anzel who’d shown absolutely no mercy towards a child? Was he telling me he planned to just live like a regular civilian?

“Oh, don’t say something so tragic.”

“Huh?”

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“Let’s wreak more havoc together. You should aim for a blood-soaked warrior’s path where you beat those who would resist to a pulp and kick the asses of those who get in your way in a rain of blood. You suit that kind of life,” I said.

“I think you mean you suit that kind of life. Don’t drag me into your crazy shit.”

W é b́ ṅо v̇ӗl E n̂u m̌а

And that was why it was so tragic! I would never say that I wanted to drag someone down the path of domination with me, but martial arts were martial arts. Hearing someone who used to seek power just give it up was sad. Even if we were on opposing sides, we were two people after power. Losing such comrades was just lonely.

Even more so because the path of domination was a solitary one. Only one person could stand at the top after all.

“Is this that Lily brat?!”

Just as I was thinking about how to drag the reborn Anzel back down the path of power, someone called out my name. I turned around and came face-to-face with some overconfident roughneck who was clearly all brawn and no brains standing in front of me.

“Why’ve the boys got their panties in a twist over a tiny girl like this?! Watch, I’ll have her neck snapped in two seconds!” he declared, all while looking down on me.

The onlookers were giggling and snickering to themselves. No doubt this was a sight they had seen over and over again. They were more than used to this situation. “Poor guy. Dude doesn’t realize he’s about to get beaten within an inch of his life,” they’d say to themselves.

Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.

Mmm, I appreciated his enthusiasm at least. He would definitely completely lose to that instructor for the Heavenstriker style, though—not just in muscle but clearly in strength too.

This guy really was one of those brutes who were big and that was it.

“Sorry, but we’re having an important chat right now,” I told him, in an attempt to brush him off. “Could you go quietly have your drink in that corner over there?”

“You wanna say that again?!”

“Here, this is on me. Go calm yourself down over there, all right?”

Enuma ID

Realizing my stance, Anzel served up another drink and placed it on the bar counter. The large man chugged it down in one gulp and slammed it back on the table.

Еñum̈ а

“Out the front, brat! I’ll make yougo home crying to your mommy! Better remember that you’re next, stupid-ass bartender!”

Anzel rolled his eyes. “What? I’m getting pulled into this too?”

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“I’ll show you that you’re the one needin’ a bodyguard! Don’t worry, I’ll let you stay here for only half of your earnings!” The man shouted one hell of an unreasonable demand, but Anzel’s lackadaisical expression never once changed.

“Cool stuff. I’ll definitely consider it if you’re stronger than Lily.” Anzel was clearly not even the tiniest bit fazed. This must have been a common sight for him considering the kind of environment he had been living in. In other words, this roughneck was one of those racketeers.

Well then, at least I won’t have to feel guilty about this. I can take him down without a care.

“Anzel, you want a shot at him?” I asked.

Еn̊ u ḿ а́

“I mean, he’s challenging you, isn’t he? Go wild.”

Well, okay then. It was a bit of a pain, but whatever. If he were only a bit stronger, at least I could’ve gotten some fun out of it.

“Let’s go out front then, shall we? Oh, Anzel, leave my juice there, okay? I’ll be back to have the rest.”

If this place was still the ruins it had been before, we could duke it out here without a care, but now it was a proper establishment. Dirtying it or destroying it was an absolute no-no. I didn’t want to bother the customers either or get in the way of Anzel’s business.

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“Nah, you chug that shit down, kid. You ain’t comin’ back here,” the meathead demanded.

“Shh, shh, it’s okay. Let’s get you to bed now, mister, okay?”

Ẃеb̈ ǹ о̌ v̈ e l̃ Е̄ n̂u m̌ å

“Stop treatin’ me like some old man!”

And so, we left the building.

“If you say sorry right now, I’ll let yo—”

The roughneck seemed like he was saying something as he faced me, but I immediately dashed by him. I’d given him a solid punch to the stomach, but the drunks watching us wouldn’t have been able to see anything, and the man himself likely had no idea what happened before he was losing consciousness.

I headed back into the ba— Wait, hang on.

“At least leave some of his money. And if you’re taking his clothes, only take the coat.”

Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.

Given where we were, it was practically a free-for-all for an unconscious man’s belongings. I made sure to tell them not to loot everything at least.

And after that...

“Is anyone here known for their strength? I’ll even take on a monster if you have access to those.”

After putting the roughneck to rest, I returned to the bar and continued my conversation with Anzel. Not that I had much faith, honestly. There had been some challengers at first, but now they all just wimped out. That roughneck likely wouldn’t ever challenge me again either. Though he was so weak it would just be a pain if he did.

But as it turned out, luck was on my side.

“Dunno if this’ll satisfy your needs, but I did hear something interesting.”

Е nũ mа̃

“Hmm?”

“Apparently, they’re gonna hold a tournament at the Umbral Arena soon.”

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The...Umbral Arena? I had no idea what that was, but what a positively powerful-sounding name!

“It’s really just an illegal underground arena,” Anzel explained, still polishing glasses when I asked what this Umbral Arena was. “It’s the one place where the twisted desires of the bored wealthy can be fulfilled. They can watch people fight for real, and if they want bloodshed and death, they’ll get that too.”

What the hell? That was what I assumed it would be from the name, but wasn’t that exactly what I had been after for so long?

“So there really are such fun places even in a capital city known for its naive peace? That’s absolutely amazing! Why would you stay quiet about something like this for so long? I’m almost offended!”

Ӗ n̂u̇ ma

“Because I knew exactly what you’d do if I told you. You’d start off saying you just want to go take a look and next thing I’d know, you’d be a competitor. Right?”

I didn’t think I could convince anyone if I said no, honestly. It was so obvious that there was barely any point in trying. “Not a chance.”

Anzel’s eyes had been looking at the glass the whole time, but upon those words, he looked up at me. “You realize there’s a ton of dirty, corrupt aristocrats going in and out of there, right? Someone as famous as you goes, you’re getting caught immediately. Right, Miss Liston?”

Oh my.

Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.

“Did you see me somewhere?”

“What, think I don’t have my own MagiPad? I see you on there pretty much every day.”

Ӗ n̄ù m̆ а̀

Did that make him a fan then?

“I thought there was an unspoken rule not to bring up that kind of thing.”

“If I didn’t, there’d be no way in hell I could stop you. If you heard about this from someone else, then just casually went off to the arena like it was nothing and caused a massive commotion, the ones who’ll suffer the most are the Liston family, no? Can’t make that point if I don’t blow your cover.”

Now that wasn’t good at all... My biggest priority was the Liston family’s prosperity.

“But I want to enter. Like, really want to.” There was no way I could hear something so exhilarating and just let that chance pass me by. I could smell the scent of the strong. I definitely needed to go. I wanna go, I wanna go!

“Think of your goddamn age. At least pretend like you just want to go watch.”

Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.

“I’ll just go to watch, honest!” I pleaded. “I won’t enter! I won’t interrupt a fight, I swear. I won’t touch a single hair on anyone’s head. So it’s fine, right? I’m just gonna go watch. Just a look!”

“I trust you less than the guys that come round and ask to start a tab.”

Yeah, I couldn’t fault him for that one. I sure wouldn’t believe me.

“Why are you acting like a child throwing a tantrum? What’s wrong?”

Anzel let out a lethargic sigh as the voluptuous lady that felt wasted on some back alley bar sat beside me. How was her chest even fitting in her clothes? Those were way too big.

“Should I be acting any other way?”

Е̊ num̃ а .і̀ d̄

“Well, you don’t do anything else like a child.”

Hey, you couldn’t blame me. If I considered this life as just an extension of my past one, then I was way beyond childhood. I was usually putting so much extra effort into my front when on the surface that I was decidedly very happy to drop it here.

Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.

“We were talking about the Umbral Arena,” Anzel explained.

“Ahh, that. Were you being selfish and begging to get to enter the tournament like I thought you would? What you’re asking for isn’t cute, but it is cute watching you throw a tantrum.” A plump hand gave me a head pat. “But you know, actually entering might be a bit of a tough ask, but getting into the audience should be simple enough, don’t you think?”

Really?!

Anzel sighed. “You could’ve at least consulted with me before telling her that.”

E num̌а̇

There was a way for a kid like me to get into the arena?! So there really was?! I shot Anzel a look. “Does that mean you were just messing around to see my reaction then?”

“No, I just have my own reasons.”

“Hm? Well...I won’t push. Anyway, you’re going to tell me how to go, right?”

“Yeah. It’s not like it’s anything special, though.” True to his word, the way Anzel told me to get into the arena was an incredibly straightforward and reasonable method.

Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.

I see, I see. I’d thought I would only be able to get in by infiltrating the place while I was stuck in this body, but apparently I could go right in through the front door.

“You need to make sure you have a disguise though,” he said. “You’d already stand out being a kid; your hair will get you busted immediately.”

Ё ńumа . іd̀

A disguise, hm? Well, at least I saw his point. The daughter of an aristocrat seen at an illegal fight would be a disgrace to the family. The last thing I wanted to do was cause trouble for the Listons.

“Then I’ll go make preparations immediately.”

After learning when and where I would be doing this, I drank the rest of my juice and stood up off the bar stool.

Oh, but before I left, there was something I had to do first.

“Fressa,” I called out to her, just as she was standing to return to her work.

“Yes?”

Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.

“May I see your panties for a moment?”

“Huh? Lily, the hell are you doing?” Anzel immediately asked.

What was I doing? I was very clearly looking up Fressa’s skirt. There was in fact a throwing knife belt tied around her thigh. I would make sure to keep it a secret. It seemed my assumption that she wasn’t your average barmaid was correct.

The way Fressa barely even panicked upon having this done to her really showed what she was used to experiencing.

“Thank you.”

“For what?” she asked.

W ӗbn o̊ v̂ ĕ l Ѐ n̊u m̂ а̃

“I had said I was coming here to see some naughty underwear, so I thought it important I at least do that.”

“Ahh, I see... Wait, that told me nothing.”

Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.

“Turned out they weren’t naughty at all, though. You have some surprisingly cute underwear.”

“Really? It’s quite practical—”

Enuma ID

“Oi, don’t do this in my bar. Or in front of me. This isn’t some hostess club.”

I then left the bar, driven out by Anzel’s icy glare. I stepped over the roughneck who was still resting peacefully outside and began making my way home.

Ё ń u ḿа . і̄ d

I didn’t have much time to act alone. Though I was suspicious of her, Lynokis was diligent in her work, and she was most certainly waiting for me. After all, she was hired by the Liston family, and in a sense, she was a member of our family as well. I would rather not cause her too much trouble.

That was why I chose to leave it there for today—all while thinking about the Umbral Arena.

Just as the incredibly out of place, white-haired girl left the Shifty Shadow Rat, a similarly out of place girl wearing a servant’s attire stepped over the unconscious roughneck lying half naked on the ground and entered the bar.

The moment she did so, the place went silent. Without paying it any mind, the attendant sat herself down at the bar where the white-haired girl had been sitting moments ago.

Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.

“You didn’t say anything you shouldn’t have, did you?” the attendant asked, a murderous aura radiating off of her as she glared at the nonchalant bartender.

“Calm yourself. I only told her what I thought was necessary. I said this last time, missy, but this here’s a bar. A customer who ain’t here to drink ain’t a customer at all. Get lost.”

Е̂ nǔm̀а̂

“I’ll kill everyone here if anything happens to her, okay?”

“Yeah, okay, whatever. Could you leave now?”

“I’ll kill you if you leak any info about her, okay?”

“Why is every conversation with you like speaking to a brick wall? It’s not a conversation if you don’t even try to listen to what the other person is saying.”

But of course. After all, Lynokis’s purpose here was not to have a conversation but to give a warning and, depending on the situation, potentially silence those present as well.

Nia Liston had made it routine to come here whenever she was in the capital for work. The bar had been transformed from a run-down abandoned building into a functioning business. It had become unnecessarily easy for an unnecessary number of people to gather there. As Nia’s bodyguard and as a personal attendant of the Liston family, making that warning was required for both aspects of her work.

Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.

The moment Nia first started visiting the Shifty Shadow Rat, and the moment Lynokis realized Nia would keep visiting the Shifty Shadow Rat, Lynokis had entered the place by herself to warn those in the premises, even beating down various troublemakers. She had fought with Anzel numerous times by this point too.

They were on equal footing with each other in terms of their strength, so their battles frequently ended in stalemates to prevent them from dragging on for too long. But at this point, deep inside, neither of them really wanted to fight the other anymore. Lynokis wanted to avoid getting injured so she wouldn’t be impeded as an attendant. Anzel didn’t want to fight her because she was someone close to Nia. The last thing he wanted to do was cause Lynokis injury and incur Nia’s wrath instead.

The reason Anzel had hired Fressa—someone who he knew was also strong—was actually to deal with Lynokis should it come down to it. If worse came to worst, they would be able to stop her together. To the two of them in the bar, Lynokis was a troublesome customer; if they killed her, Nia would absolutely seek them out for revenge. Lynokis was incredibly strong herself given she was meant to be a bodyguard, but Nia was on a completely different level.

If Nia got serious, she would absolutely destroy them. In fact, Anzel was sure she could level a whole country if she so chose.

“Listen...” Fressa sat herself beside Lynokis as she had just done for Nia. “Why not come with Lily next time? She seems to be having a hard time trying to keep you away from her, after all, and if you’re curious what we’re talking about, wouldn’t it be easier if you came along and listened in?”

Lynokis didn’t even pay Fressa any mind, instead continuing to stare silently at Anzel. It was almost as if she had absolutely no interest in anyone else, like if she shut what other people were saying out, everything would work out how she wanted.

Е.ńũm̈а

Fressa helplessly shrugged her shoulders and returned to her work.

“You’re done here, right? Then get going. Lily’s gonna be waiting for you,” Anzel said.

Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.

Saying not a single excessive word, the stubborn servant rose from her seat.

The second challenge Anzel always faced after Nia had now ended.

“How does that girl manage to look even more insane every time she comes here?” Anzel sighed, downing a glass of cheap alcohol.

The first time the attendant had visited the establishment, her fighting ability had been on the same level as his, but now, Anzel had no confidence he could win against her. He could tell that she was stronger with every visit she made. Lily was most likely training her.

Ēnũḿа̀. î d́

No chance in hell I’m winning at this point,Anzel thought to himself. That attendant’s strength had already far surpassed his own. It didn’t help that she was even more vicious than Lily. At least Lily was still friendly enough. If you spoke to her, she’d listen, and she would rarely cause a fuss unless someone was directly hostile to her.

Her attendant, on the other hand, was the complete opposite. The worst part was that it was basically impossible to hold a conversation with her. A nuisance that one couldn’t reason with was a disaster waiting to happen. And now, the avenue to remove her by force was no longer available to him.

Unaware of the bartender’s worries, the thugs and poor homeless in the bar continued downing their drinks and making merry.

“How am I getting myself outta this mess, eh...?”

Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.

Anzel didn’t particularly care about what happened to his customers, but he would protect that which he owned. Thinking about the attendant only left him with a heavy heart.

“Excuse me, could you repeat that?”

Еńú m ӑ

“I said I’m going to the Umbral Arena.”

“I’m sorry, perhaps my hearing is going. Once more, please.”

“For the third time, I’m going to the Umbral Arena.”

“May I ask one more time just to be absolutely sure?”

“I am going to the Umbral Arena.”

“Would you reconsider if I bowed down and begged in tears?”

Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.

“Don’t think that will work on me every time. I am going to the Umbral Arena.”

“I’ll tell your father.”

“I’ll be adamant to him that I didn’t go.”

“You aren’t a child; stop being so selfish.”

“Excuse me, I am a child.”

This was quite the negative reaction. After leaving Anzel’s bar, I had met up with Lynokis at the café we had agreed to meet at and returned to the dorm with her.

W̃_е ḃ ñ о ve l̀ É n̆u̇ m ӑ

“What happened to that naughty underwear you were going to see?” Lynokis had asked, serving the tea once we’d gotten settled.

“They were surprisingly cute,” I’d said. And then, as if it were regular everyday conversation, I had slipped the words in: “I want to go to the Umbral Arena.”

Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.

Naturally, that thought was rejected, no matter my argument. Lynokis, who I had already assumed would be the greatest hurdle, was, to my great surprise, being the greatest hurdle. She hadn’t been this adamant about stopping me going somewhere since that time I had tried to sneak off to an unexplored island. That may have been the first time she had cried and begged for me to reconsider. She appeared to have caught on to how well it worked against me, given she would now always do that whenever she wanted to stop me from doing something...

But this time was different.

I WILL go to the Umbral Arena.

“Where did you even learn of such a thing to begin with?”

W ӗ b̊nо́ v ë l Е̄n̂ ü m а̇

“Does that matter?”

“Yes, it does... But it’s not so important for now.” Oh, good. I would have been in a bit of trouble if she had pursued that line of questioning.

It...wasn’t because she already knew where I had gotten the information from, was it?

“But don’t you think it’s an impossible ask?” Lynokis continued. “You’re already so famous. Going to such a dangerous place will reflect badly on the Liston family.”

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Anzel had said the same thing, but he had also told me how I could work around that.

“I think it has the risk of impacting the magivision industry as well, Young Mistress. Since you frequently appear in it, having a bad reputation will only cause issues for the industry’s image.”

E̊ n ù m̀а

Seriously...?

“Are you sure? Surely these have nothing to do with each other.”

“The Liston Channel is currently held up largely by your reputation and popularity, Young Mistress. Much of the audience views you as a pure and innocent child. I’m sure that if anything comes to light and deviates from that image, it will cause quite the stir.”

I couldn’t deny that was certainly bad. The Liston family was the most important thing to me, and magivision immediately came second. We had to keep selling more and more MagiPads. I couldn’t do anything to interfere with that. Giving magivision a bad image would cause problems for Reliared and Hildetaura as well.

There are too many shackles, hurdles, and risks attached to all of this...

But I just couldn’t give up on going to the underground arena. Anzel had even said—or, well, I had forced him to say—that the next tournament would be different than those before. Tournaments were held there practically every week, with fights to the death being the norm, but this time, they would be holding the tournament on a larger scale and with some sort of special rule.

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As for what that meant, stealing Anzel’s words, it proved they’d managed to arrange someone special for the upcoming matches. I didn’t know who held these tournaments, whether it was the mafia, the aristocrats, or someone else entirely, but whoever it was, they were constantly searching for new potential competitors in a show of vanity, to keep attracting the same crowds, for the entertainment, and for the gambling.

The fact that this weekly event was now getting a special rule for this specific tournament meant only one thing: they’d found a particularly special participant, much different from their usual fare. The one joining this time would be especially strong. That was what Anzel had surmised at least, as someone who had spent much of his time in the underworld.

That was why he had spoken about it to me in the first place, since I was searching for strong opponents. He’d said he wasn’t one hundred percent sure, but I thought his reasoning was more than sound.

Besides, even if it turned out there wasn’t some especially strong participant, I would at least get to see relatively strong fighters punch it out. I would get to see bloodshed. That would be enough for me. My visit wouldn’t be completely pointless.

All of that was why I really wanted to make sure I could go, but it appeared it would be far more difficult for me to arrange than I thought.

Fine then.

Ӗn̊ù m ӑ

“I understand,” I conceded.

“You finally understand?!”

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“I definitely won’t participate. I’ll just watch.”

Let us compromise! I was positive it would be a clean sweep were I to take part, but I could simply choose not to participate! And if I just so happened to provoke someone from the sidelines and frame it like they had picked the fight with me... No, no, I shouldn’t do that kind of thing either.

I really will just go to watch. I’m being absolutely serious here.

All I wanted was to be shown this era’s strongest so that I could be satisfied for once.

Еn u m а._і̀ d

“Young Mistress, the problem is that the location itself is a terrible place for you to be seen. It isn’t about what you do there.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to wear a disguise. All I have to do is not get caught and everything will be fine.”

“Even if you managed to get by with a disguise, how do you intend to sneak in? It isn’t exactly a place where a small child can go and raise no eyebrows. And just so you’re aware, I refuse to help you with this.”

Enuma ID

What she didn’t realize was that the largest problem already had a solution.

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“I already have a plan for that. In fact—”

Just as I was about to brag about my very direct plan of attack, there was a violent knock at the door.

Ẽ num ӑ

“Nia! Are you there, Nia?!”

It was a child’s voice. Could the timing have been any worse for someone to come knocking?

I would realize immediately after that this turned out to be a godsend.

Deciding on a temporary truce for now, we both turned to welcome our guest. Given her voice, I already knew who it was.

“Nia, please listen!”

The moment Lynokis opened the door, Hildetaura rushed into the room with a force unbecoming of a princess. With her was Reliared, whom she had clearly dragged along, and Reliared’s tall personal attendant.

Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.

“Could you calm down first?” I replied.

Hildetaura was sweating as she strode towards where I sat at the table, and I offered her my lukewarm tea. Though Lynokis had served it to me before our conversation started, I had been unable to take even a sip during our back-and-forth.

Regardless, it had been a while since I last saw Hildetaura. Ever since we had brainstormed the idea of audience participation in magivision, I had seen neither hide nor hair of her. From how she seemed right now, it appeared she had come up with a good plan and had now gathered us together so she could see that through.

Now then, had she prepared a proposal that would leave me surprised? I very much hoped so.

Heh.

However, I had long been involved with magivision as a medium. I had on occasion abandoned myself, abandoned my public life, all to put my heart and soul into appearing on as many programs as possible. I had done my own fair share of coming up with possible proposals, though not as much as those in charge of planning at the broadcasting station.

W eb n ǒ vel̇ Е ǹ um̃ а́

Had she truly come up with something that would surprise even me?

Despite my arrogance, it took only a few seconds for me to be surprised.

Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.

Hildetaura took the teacup without reserve and chugged it. After that inelegant display, she immediately spoke with no signs of having calmed down, “Let’s hold a martial arts tournament with audience participation! And air that on magivision!”

...

WHAT?! A MARTIAL ARTS TOURNAMENT?!

Hildetaura and Reliared finally seated themselves down after their sudden intrusion, and after Lynokis served them both tea, we discussed the details of the martial arts tournament that had astounded me in three seconds flat.

Ŵ е̂ b̂ ńо̊ v̀ e̊ l E n ǔ_m̆а

“Uh-huh, I see. I see...”

Every enthusiastic and passionate word that Hildetaura spoke only caused my surprise and excitement to dissipate.

Of course. Of-freaking-course.

A martial arts tournament. Although the words themselves had sent my heart racing, Hildetaura’s imagined event was much different than I had initially assumed. The main focus was not martial arts, after all, but the spread of magivision.

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“Young Mistress, come back to us!” Upon understanding my dejected state from my back alone, Lynokis worriedly whispered words of encouragement to me.

Do not fret, my student. I’m perfectly fine. I have the Umbral Arena! The main dish has not been stolen from me. So it’s okay that I’m disappointed in the magivision martial arts tournament, despite Hildetaura’s enthusiasm getting my hopes up. It is completely, perfectly fine. It is fine, and I suspected this to begin with.

Е̇ n̆um̄ ã

“What a good idea,” Reliared remarked.

The idea itself was very simple, so even Reliared had no issues in understanding. Even though I was only getting more depressed, I simply accepted that this was something I could not change. I would concede since I had my main dish waiting for me. Because my main dish still awaited, I...

Sigh.

“That sounds great,” I said, trying my best to cheer myself up. Like Reliared said, it was a good idea, and simple as well. “Magivision’s key selling point is that people can watch events even from afar, after all.”

The martial arts tournament idea that Hildetaura had brought forward would be held at the academy, allowing students from all across the school to participate. In other words, it was a tournament to decide who was the strongest at Altoire Academy.

It was compulsory for children aged six to twelve to attend school in the Kingdom of Altoire. Those who lived too far away to commute moved into the school’s dorms and took up residence away from home.

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The martial arts tournament was taking advantage of that.

In practice, the compulsory education system was still young. In the past, all schools had required fees to be paid by the student. The aristocrats had had no issue with this, but many commoners had been unable to attend school in their youth. Going to school had both tuition and living expenses, so it would’ve been difficult for them for a variety of reasons.

What that meant was that many parents wouldn’t know what exactly their kids did at school. And so, Hildetaura had stumbled upon the idea of having a martial arts tournament as a way to publicize one of the facets of student life.

“While it has not quite spread all through the kingdom yet, many medium-sized hotels and restaurants own MagiPads, and facilities specifically made to watch magivision are also starting to appear. Many parents are unable to come to the capital due to work or other circumstances, and the academy itself does not allow outsiders to enter the campus at regular times. That means the only times they can see their children are during holiday seasons. There are no doubt many parents out in the countryside worried for their children. Therefore...”

What if their child, who was living a life that even they did not know the specifics of, were to participate in the martial arts tournament? Parents could get even just one moment to see their child’s courageous figure. That was what Hildetaura was aiming at.

In other words, since only children would be participating in this tournament, no one strong would make their appearance. That was the part that killed my enthusiasm. My disappointment is immeasurable...

W_ѐ b̆n̆о̊vѐ l E ň ù ṁа

This was also making use of the idea we were considering at the start—the idea of audience participation. For the parents, they would become involved just by virtue of their child being shown on-screen. There would be no way they could resist that unless the family was on bad terms.

“We will manipulate the hearts of our students’ parents in order to raise awareness of magivision, yes? What a schemer you are, Hilde!”

Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.

“Nia! Phrasing!” Reliared scolded me.

What point was there in embellishing my words here? Wasn’t this meant to be a place where we could be frank about our opinions?

“It is fine, Relia. What Nia said is not incorrect. In fact, when I was discussing the proposal with the broadcasting station, there were those who made similar comments. ‘Wow, Hilde, you’ve got a heart of black under there.’ That isn’t something you say to a child who is only eight years old. Terrible.”

In all fairness to the staff, taking advantage of the unconditional love a parent has for their child to further one’s goals wasn’t exactly something an eight-year-old should be suggesting either. Not that I could talk. I was even worse about saying things that didn’t suit my age.

Ё n u mа̇

“But it is fine. I made sure to say my piece to them,” the princess said, taking a sip of her tea. “‘Oh, and is there a problem with that?’ I told them.”

Damn, you go, girl.

“We and the parents both benefit from it so why even say something like that? They get to see their children more, and we promote magivision even further. Is there a problem with that?”

“If I had to raise anything...it would be that your face right now is really irritating me,” I remarked.

Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.

“Yeah, same. Why do you look so smug? You came up with it with the staff at the broadcasting station, right? Not like you thought it up yourself. And anyway, Nia was the one who had the idea to begin with.”

“Wow, you both certainly have guts,” Hildetaura said.

Еň u m̄а

When Reliared and I continued to look at Hildetaura with disdain, she cleared her throat to dispel the unpleasant atmosphere. “Well... Well, either way, we’ve already started moving the proposal forward, so we just need your assistance.”

Ah, so the planning was already done, was it? That meant they would be going ahead with the tournament whether we cooperated or not.

“What exactly do you need us to do?” Reliared asked.

That was indeed a very important question...and one other thing.

“If you need a lot of our time, adjusting our existing schedules might prove difficult,” I added.

Both the Listons and the Silvers had commenced their recording. As much as I had said that I would assist Hildetaura with her endeavors, that did not suddenly make it okay to neglect recording for my own domain.

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“What we essentially need to do is attract people to the event. We’ll be the ones to decorate the entrance, so to speak. Make it look appealing enough that heads will turn our way,” Hildetaura explained. “We cannot exactly do anything ourselves once the tournament has begun anyway.”

That was true. I didn’t particularly find myself wanting to enter it either. What would I gain from participating in a children’s tournament? Bullying children like that would be in bad taste. I couldn’t do it.

Being the ones to introduce the event to the public would mean that our work would come before the tournament itself. What exactly would she have us do though?

“Are you listening? First...”

An unexpected visit from Hildetaura led to a magivision meeting that went on ’til late in the evening.

“Now then, Young Mistress, shall we return to the previous topic of discussion?”

W е b̌ nо̌v̇_el̂ E nù m̌а

Just because Hildetaura had interrupted our talk about the underground arena, that did not mean that our conversation was done, apparently. It had gotten dark outside, but the second our guests had left, Lynokis tried to resume it.

“Let us forget about it for now. I’m tired of talking.”

Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.

The sudden meeting had gone on for a surprisingly long time. We could leave the discussion for another day. I was tired. My brain didn’t want to work anymore.

The martial arts tournament was scheduled to take place sooner than I had anticipated. The moment the preparations for the tournament entered full swing, it would be time for our promotional recording. Hildetaura had been considerate of our schedules and organized things so that we could record during lunch or after school. Given how much effort she had put into arranging it all, I felt like I had no choice but to do it. That was exactly why I hadn’t been able to relax during the meeting.

As far as physical labor was concerned, I was confident my body could go a whole day easy, but using my brain was an entirely different matter. I was very likely a punch first, ask questions later kind of person in my past life. So I was being serious when I said I was exhausted. I had yet to practice my forms, but I was desperate for a chance to rest for a minute.

However, Lynokis’s response was harsh. “No. You should finish discussing important matters quickly and concisely.”

Ėń ù m̃ а̊ . і̃ d_

I could tell how determined she was to stop me from going to the arena.

“You can call it an important matter, but I’m going regardless, you know.”

“I don’t recall approving.”

Tch, what a stubborn student... Time to try intimidation tactics. As her teacher.

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“A student has no right to overturn their master’s decisions!” I yelled at her, eyes wide open.

Lynokis’s eyes widened back. “You are the daughter of the Liston family before you are my master! I cannot let you go somewhere unsuitable for someone of your standing!”

W̌ е̇b̄ ñ о̆ v̆ е l̀ E n̆ u̇ mа̄

That was the one argument I couldn’t counter. The argument was like an invisible wall towering over me, so tall it even pierced the clouds. My student was strong... She so easily countered her master’s anger.

Words would not win me this battle.

Enuma ID

“In the first place, to continue from what we were saying before Her Highness arrived, how do you even intend to make it into an illegal place like an underground arena? You said you already had a plan, yes? Do you have someone conspiring with you?”

Hm...

“Not yet. I intend to persuade someone to help. So how about this, Lynokis?”

“No.”

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“If the negotiations go as planned, let me go to the arena.”

“No.”

“If the negotiations don’t go as planned, I’ll give up. Completely give up, no halfway compromise. I promise you.”

“No. Give up now.”

“At least try and listen to me! You’re already planning to refuse no matter what I say!”

“Because I don’t need to hear what you have to say! No means no!”

Ё n um̂á

This was what it meant to have no leg to stand on. Why was my student so strong? You sly little dog, you. You had tricks other than crying and begging after all!

I would say yes and she would say no. That childish back-and-forth continued late into the night until our mouths became dry.

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I woke up the next day in a state of disbelief that I’d had such a horrific night as a six-year-old child with a past life. But regardless.

“No. You definitely can’t.”

Even through finishing my morning routine, getting my things ready for class, picking up my bag, leaving the dorms, and heading to school, Lynokis was still insistently telling me I could not go as she trailed behind me.

I won’t lie—I started to feel like I was going to give in to her persistence. Not that I would. In the realm of martial arts, it would take a miracle to make me give in. The only place servants were allowed to accompany children was outside the schoolhouse. They weren’t allowed inside.

Ẇе̌_b́ ñ о v̆ е́l Énü m̌а.

“You definitely can’t go, okay?!”

Despite the curious gazes watching us as we walked to school, Lynokis refused to let up while I refused to acknowledge her as I walked into the building. We’d ended up standing out so early in the morning, but there was no way to avoid it.

“What’s up? What’s going on?” Someone who wasn’t Lynokis whispered to me, and that was when I finally turned around. It was Reliared. She seemed to have been walking a little behind but had come running up when she heard Lynokis’s fierce insistence.

“Just a slight difference in opinion, that’s all,” I said, answering as vaguely as possible.

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“Ahh, I see.” Relia nodded. “So what you’re saying is that it’s your fault.”

Why was she able to reach that conclusion so confidently? I hadn’t told her a thing. Well, even being generous, the conflict was a hundred percent my fault.

Е ṅ um̄ a . їd́

“Anyway, you arrived just in time. I have something I wanted to ask you,” I said, brushing off her comment.

“I’m not helping you with anything shady.”

“I haven’t even said anything yet.”

“But you’re totally thinking of something crazy right now, aren’t you? Something that would hurt people, or humiliate them, or make them bleed. That’s what your attendant’s trying to push you away from, right? Give up.”

Just what image did this girl have of me? I...would not deny that I indeed considered those kinds of things. But that only took up my thoughts for, at most, sixty percent of the day.

“All I wanted was to go see your sister,” I replied.

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“My sis? Like...Ririmi?”

“Yes.”

I hadn’t seen Ririmi Silver since the day of the physical exams. The dormitories and school buildings for the middle and high schools were pretty far away from the elementary school ones, but they were still on the same campus. It wasn’t impossible to go pay them a visit if I wanted to.

Though, it felt a little awkward going to meet her after we had so thoroughly defeated the instructor who was essentially her master.

“Well, she did say that she wanted to meet with you again, so...”

“Then that’s perfect!”

Е̊ n ùm̆ ä .і̄d

“That smile of yours is making me nervous.”

So rude!

Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.

“You aren’t trying to get her involved in anything bad, are you? You can be crazy, but you’re not that crazy, right?”

“Of course not.”

“Really? We’re right before the martial arts tournament; this is an important time. You’re not going to cause any unnecessary commotion, are you?”

“I’m not.”

Еn̄ ŭm̆ ā

“I...really can’t trust you.”

And again, she was so rude. Really so rude. So disrespectful!

But much easier to handle than Lynokis. Lynokis would reject the notion so thoroughly that you wouldn’t be able to call it a conversation. The fact this was not a one-sided rejection meant there was a way to persuade Reliared.

As easy as taking candy from a baby!

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And so, I used all the free time in the school day to pester Reliared to let me meet with Ririmi after school.

That was the first hurdle cleared. That meant I’d made it one step closer to the Umbral Arena.

Еnŭmӑ

It had been more than two weeks since the semester had started. Reliared, Hildetaura, and I were all very busy with our magivision work. Still, that didn’t mean we were completely devoid of free time, and as such, Reliared had committed to joining the Heavenstriker club. It appeared part of it was so she could try and catch up with her sister though.

After taking the time to thoroughly convince Reliared, I managed to get her to bring me with her to her club activities after school. The one I had business with technically wasn’t her sister, but she didn’t need to know that.

Thankfully, the attendant so keen to reject my desires would remain at the dorm until I returned, so I had a bit of leeway after class. Though if I took too long, she would absolutely come search for me. I wouldn’t have enough time to leave campus, but if it was just a quick detour within the school grounds, I could surely manage that without raising suspicion. And so, I went with Reliared to the dojo where the Heavenstriker students were training.

“Do you really not want to join us? Don’t you train in martial arts or something?” Reliared asked.

“Yes, but I have no need to join.”

So far, I hadn’t met anyone that I felt was strong enough I could learn anything from, and that wasn’t restricted to the Heavenstriker style. There was no reason for me to join a club.

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“But you’re interested, aren’t you?”

The Heavenstriker club was where that boulder of a man was the instructor. With a body like that, you could punch him with a decent amount of force and he wouldn’t break. On paper, that was very attractive.

“Ah, you just thought of something violent again, didn’t you?” Reliared said flatly.

“No?”

How did she know? How did she know I was envisioning sending the instructor flying? We’d only known each other for a few weeks... Was I that easy to read? Was I easier to read than I thought?

We left the schoolhouse, chatting as we headed in the opposite direction of the dorms. I had never gone this way before, but apparently there were buildings for the clubs scattered about around the vast campus grounds. The Heavenstriker dojo was no different; students of all ages gathered there to learn the style.

Е ǹ ǔm ã . ì d́

“How is the Heavenstriker style then? Is it fun?” I asked.

“Why do I feel like you’re talking down to me?”

Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.

I couldn’t help it! Even if we looked the same age now, I had a whole previous life under my belt.

“Just gonna remind you that my attendant is definitely way stronger than yours,” Reliared added.

Oh right, I forgot we were pretending that Lynokis was my master and not the other way around. That meant I was, on the surface, in the same situation as Reliared. I wanted to find an opportunity to let the two attendants duke it out at some point, but I needed to prioritize the underground arena first. Their fight could come later.

“I just realized that you’ve never told me what style you use,” Reliared said.

Е n̆ ù mа.і d̊

“Who knows? I’ve never really thought about it.”

“But it’s not the Heavenstriker style, ri— Ah.”

Ah?

Reliared gave me a very serious look. “Nia, don’t say anything unnecessary. Don’t suddenly punch anyone or get violent at all. You’re forbidden, okay?”

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Huh? What’s this all about? Oh...that’s what it’s about.

“I don’t have much time, though.”

Е́ ńu ḿǎ .і̆d

If I wasn’t quick, Lynokis would come looking for me.

“I don’t care. Just hold back, okay?”

As we stood there chatting, six boys armed with wooden swords surrounded us.

They must have been waiting to ambush us.

There wasn’t even a hint of murderous intent or hostility, so from afar, the predicament most likely looked like a regular gathering of children. Given our difference in stature, these boys had to be at least third- or fourth-years; they were pretty big compared to us. It didn’t change the fact that they were still kids, though.

“Relia, quit your stupid Heavenstriker style and come to our swordsmanship dojo,” one boldly commanded. He appeared to be the leader.

Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.

So they were trying to poach her, were they? Have her quit the Heavenstriker style and force her to join their club instead—that kind of thing?

Enuma ID

“Do you know these boys?” I asked.

“I...wouldn’t quite say that. I guess you could say they’re like students of the instructor’s rival,” Reliared explained. “I’ve bumped into them quite a few times here.”

In other words, they had no direct relationship, but they were here because of their instructor.

“Lugene! That’s Nia! Nia Liston!”

“I know, I’m not blind! I can see her granny hair!”

Èn̊u m̄а̇

The boys were muttering among themselves just as Reliared and I were. I really had become more famous than I’d realized. When I gave them a little wave, they immediately went, “Whoa, it’s really her!” in amazement. My popularity truly was greater than I’d thought.

But this leader of theirs, Lugene... I really wished he had phrased his comment about my hair differently. He could have at least called it “white hair.” I may be old at heart, but my physical age was the sprightly young age of six.

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“Perfect! Nia, you should come join us with Relia!”

Now they were trying to scout me too? When Lugene suddenly raised such a suggestion, the five boys with him all started getting excited. Oh my, it certainly doesn’t feel bad being so desired.

“I’m not part of the Heavenstriker school, so I’ll pass,” I told them.

“We don’t mind!”

Е̃n̊ũ m а̊. i_d́

What a beautifully refreshing response. But I did mind.

“Lugene, can you please give it a rest for today? Nia has nothing to do with this.” Reliared stood in front of me, as if trying to protect me. My, such a small child was trying her best to keep me safe. I had felt my heart flutter when Neal would speak up in my defense, but it wasn’t bad having Reliared stand up for me either. She was incredibly gallant but also cute. It made me want to give her an allowance.

“Just to be clear, I’m saying this for your sake. You’d be better off not getting involved with her.”

Hm?

Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.

“This girl’s dangerous,” she continued. “Like really dangerous.”

Um.

W̃é b̌ ñ o̊v̂ е̃ ľ Е n um̊a

“Relia?”

I had thought it cute that she was protecting me, but was it...actually the other way around? Was she protecting them from me?

“Hurry up and go. Before you end up making an enemy out of her.”

“Relia, are you listening to me?”

“Leave now while I’m holding her back.”

“Hello? Relia?”

Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.

“Why are you still here?! Hurry up and go!”

“Hey.”

There was no room for doubt anymore, surely. She was protecting them,wasn’t she? I hadn’t even let loose in front of Reliared. Why was this her opinion of me?

She... She wasn’t wrong,I supposed. If I hadn’t been here, then this situation would be a lone young girl surrounded by six armed boys. That wasn’t something that one following the martial way could simply overlook. There was all the justification in the world to educate them with an iron fist. In a sense, her assessment was correct.

If this was Reliared trying to get the situation under control, then I didn’t mind. I would have considered this a childish dispute even if these boys had been grown-ups. Fights between children weren’t exactly something I enjoyed being involved in.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about and I don’t care. Come with us!” came Lugene’s eloquent rebuttal. Was he as much of a brick wall as Lynokis? “The Heavenstriker style is super weak anyway!”

W̌ еb̆ n ō v̂e l Ěnu m а̃_

At least we agreed on that front. That style had been nothing but disappointment for me. I hadn’t met a single strong Heavenstriker practitioner. Did any even exist in the first place?

“Heavenstriker even lost that match during the physical exams! And the opponent was weaponless too, so there’s no excuse!”

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That was an undeniable truth, and it was all because my student was the opponent.

“You would be stronger if you joined us! Why would you choose such a weak style?”

Exactly. If she really wanted to get stronger, she should leave the Heavenstriker school entirely. The boy was saying my thoughts exactly.

I couldn’t tell what Reliared was thinking given I could only see her back—what with her trying to protect the boys—but was there a student out there who wouldn’t be angered if their master or their style was being mocked?

W̌ еb ń o v̇ е.l̂ Eń u ṁа̄

At least, that was what I thought.

But it seemed as if Lugene’s words—which had been fired so rapidly there was no time for her to retort—had so very precisely stabbed a sore spot for Reliared. After all, there was no denying that his words were true.

However, the brute continued...

“Why even fight with your bare hands to begin with?! It’s obvious that fighting with a weapon is superior!”

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Those were the words that I couldn’t ignore.

“Excuse me.” I pushed Reliared aside and stepped forward.

Е̄ n̂ u m̌a.і ḋ

“Ah— Hey, I told you not to do this!” Reliared protested in a futile attempt to stop me.

“Say what you want about the Heavenstriker style. I don’t disagree,” I said to the leader. “But I can’t ignore you mocking all weaponless styles.”

Fighting with a weapon was superior? What nonsense. The weapon had nothing to do with strength; what mattered was how much skill the person had, which fighter had trained closer to their limits.

“What is this all about anyway? Do you think you look tough surrounding a little girl while brandishing some big wooden sticks?” Now that I had stepped forward, I wasn’t going to let things end like this. “I’ll get really mad depending on what you say, so I advise you to give your reply some thought.”

Depending on his answer, I may teach him a little lesson to correct his twisted adamance.

“W-We came to have a match!” Lugene stuttered out.

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It appeared once I broke my quiet, observational stance, Lugene sensed something in me that was unbefitting of a child, and it was making him waver. This boy seems to have good battle instincts. He could end up quite strong under the right master.

“A match? What for?” The boys were all uncomfortably silent, so I asked again, to Reliared instead.

“Only two of them challenged me at first, but I fought them off. And each time they try again, they come with one more,” she explained.

A six-year-old girl had managed to beat a bunch of older, armed boys? Perhaps she had quite the promising future ahead of her. At this age, battles were less about one’s martial prowess and more often about numbers or whatever weapons they had.

“You’re quite the strong one, aren’t you, Relia?”

“Well, of course! You might be a bit stronger than me right now, but one day I’ll definitely defeat— Hey, why are you looking at me like that? Are you making fun of me?!”

Еnu m̈ а.і d̂

“I’m not. I was just thinking of how adorable you are.”

“That’s basically laughing at me!”

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In a broad sense, yes, she was right, but my intention was entirely different.

“Anyway, I understand roughly what’s going on now.” I ignored the angry Reliared and turned back to the boys. “You over there. Just a moment ago, you said that fighting with a weapon was superior, yes? Could you take up a stance?”

Lugene couldn’t hide the hesitation he felt being faced with me. “Huh?”

“And you can drop it now.”

W̃ е b ǹ о̂_v̆ӗ l̊. Ѐ nü m а

Before he could react to my words or movements, Lugene’s wooden sword was spiraling far away into the air.

You can drop it now, because I’ve already kicked it.

I’d simply performed a front kick from directly in front of him, and a relatively slow one at that. From the boys’ reactions, none of their eyes had been able to keep up. Honestly, though, I really hadn’t moved that fast.

“Well? You said wielding a weapon was superior, yes? What will you do now that you’ve lost your precious weapon?”

Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.

Normally, that would be where I started nagging and lecturing. I would make sure they knew just how beautiful and strong one’s bare hands were, what flexible and aggressive tactics they allowed, that mere tools such as weapons shouldn’t be relied on when even holy swords and demon blades were so feeble they could be easily shattered, that whether or not muscle betrayed you was entirely down to you, yourself. I would use all words possible if it would make my opponent aware of this.

But I really was running out of time, so this simple demonstration would suffice for now. If they’d been adults, I would’ve gotten in two or three more follow-up punches, but raising my hand against children didn’t feel right. They didn’t seem particularly hostile or harmful, so I was content with this resolution.

Е̄n û m̈a

Also, Lynokis would find me right away if I stayed in such an open area for too long. My white hair would absolutely stand out from afar. I had to hurry and get to the Heavenstriker dojo.

Reliared was standing there just as stunned as the boys, dazed and clueless as to what had happened, but I took the girl’s hand and walked away. She...flinched a little when I did so, perhaps because she remembered how tightly I had gripped it last time. I’m sorry. I won’t do that again, I swear.

“Wait.”

Before we could be on our way, someone else interrupted.

“Sano?!” one of the boys shouted.

The approaching boy was still in his school uniform and was noticeably larger than even the boys who surrounded us. He appeared to be in middle school. Since the boys instantly knew who he was, they must have been acquainted. Perhaps they were from the same dojo? He had a wooden sword with him, after all.

Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.

Though this Sano fellow naturally still had a bit of a baby face, his features were more defined than one would expect. He paid the nearby boys no mind and instead looked right at me. He was rather handsome, but he still had a long way to go if he wanted to beat my brother in the looks department.

“Name’s Sanowil Badr. I’m still in middle school, but I help teach these kids at the dojo.”

So Sanowil was his name. It seemed like it would be worth remembering.

“I saw your kick a second ago,” he continued. “I’d love to have a match with you.”

Wonderful.

Though by all appearances he was still inexperienced and weak, I felt he was still a martial warrior in his own right. Despite his clear cockiness, it was hard to ignore that he had the spirit of one of our kind. Being challenged directly to a match like this was the true desire of any martial artist. It was even better that his challenge was inspired by seeing my kick. The outcome was obvious, but it was hard to dislike someone like him. He was a type of person that could serve as a satisfactory opponent.

W̃ ë b n̄ ǒ v ẽ l̈ E nūm̆ а̂

“Nia, this is bad,” Reliared frantically whispered in my ear. “Sanowil Badr is the reigning champion of the swordsmanship division of the martial arts tournament. You might be strong, but even you can’t beat him.”

Hmm, so it was possible to win the tournament looking like that. At that level. I see... Hm. That’s fine, to be honest. It’s a kids’ martial arts tournament, after all.

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Right now is terrible timing though.

“I don’t mind having a match with you, but I don’t have much time. If we’re going to do this, we need to do it right here, right now.”

“Hang on! I just said you can’t! You stop too, Sanowil!” Reliared frantically jumped in, except this time, it likely was to protect me.

How cute. I’ll give her some pennies later. Though, no matter how hard she tried, I wouldn’t stop. If a martial artist challenges you to a match, then it is a martial artist’s duty to accept. If there was no reason to refuse, then I was bound to accept the challenge.

Ẽ nu m̆ а̊._іḋ

“If you’re willing to lose in front of your students, then battle me right here,” I said.

Sanowil said nothing, responding only by raising his sword. The air grew taut. The casual atmosphere from a moment ago had been replaced by a heavy pressure. Even Reliared could do nothing other than remain quiet.

The tension would only last for a few quick seconds though.

“Will this satisfy you?”

Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.

“Ngh?!”

This time, I moved a little quicker. I took one step forward and, upon reaching the appropriate distance, swung down my knifehand. I cut Sanowil’s sword straight down the middle before he could even move from his sword stance.

W ё b nо̆vе̊l̇ Еn̄ uṁа̄

To Sanowil, it must have looked like I suddenly appeared in front of him. He frantically jumped back before realizing it was already too late for his sword.

“Here you go,” I said, throwing back the half I’d cut off while he stared in disbelief at his bisected weapon. “That’s enough, right? If you’ll excuse me.”

Silence fell over the area.

It was probably impossible for them to accept, process, or understand what they had just seen. But that wasn’t for me to spell out for them. I grabbed Reliared, who once again jumped at the motion, and this time headed to the dojo for real.

“What was that?! What in heaven was that?!”

It appeared Reliared had finally registered the results of my demonstrations as I dragged her into the dojo.

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“Good afternoon,” I said as I entered.

“Don’t ignore me!”

Heh, thank you for guiding me here, Reliared. Now it’s my turn.

Ignoring Reliared’s outburst, I entered the dojo and was met with the sight of many of the students warming up, the instructor who was built like a rock sitting upright like a statue nearby. Reliared’s sister, Ririmi, didn’t appear to be here yet.

Oh well. It was that man that I really had business with, anyway.

“It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Instructor.”

Ӗ ǹ ů m̂а́ .і d̂

Upon hearing my raised voice, the students who hadn’t noticed my presence turned to look at me.

“NIA LISTON?!” But most importantly, the instructor’s response was loud and intense. “Is your attendant here?! I would like to challenge her to a rematch!” He came lumbering over towards me with loud footsteps, passing right by me as he frantically scanned the area for Lynokis.

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As expected, that match at the club fair wasn’t one he had forgotten. Good. That was exactly how a martial warrior should be. Whether you lost once, twice, or a hundred times, you should continue to fight until you get a result you are satisfied with. You can continue to fight so long as your perseverance does not die out. The only true defeat is when your spirit completely breaks.

“I haven’t brought her with me today,” I told him.

“Oh, I... I see... I see. Oh...”

He was so disappointed. Pull yourself together. Don’t sulk so much in front of your students. Don’t droop your shoulders like that. Don’t curl into yourself either. Students are more observant of their master than you think.

Eṅú ḿа̃.id

It would be for the best if I changed the topic as soon as possible. Thanks to my earlier confrontation, I really didn’t have much time.

“I came because I have a request. May I have a bit of your time?”

A large sigh from the instructor followed my question. “A request, huh...?”

Please pull yourself together. I’m begging you. My chance to go to the Umbral Arena relies on you.

Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.

“Where did you hear that name?”

I chased away Reliared—regardless of how insistent she was to stay—by promising her that I would teach her how to cut a wooden sword in half with her bare hands, then followed the instructor around the side of the dojo. He tried to convince me to join the Heavenstriker school, but given I was in a rush, I immediately got to the heart of the matter.

Е̊ n̊ um̃ а̃

The moment the instructor heard me mention the Umbral Arena, however, his look of disappointment immediately darkened. I grinned at the man and his grim expression.

I knew it. He does know.

“You’ve been scouted before, have you not?” I asked.

If you were a gangster or a martial artist with any modicum of skill, the underground would find its way to you. It was with that assumption that I had visited him today, and it seemed I was right on the mark.

“Answer my question. Where did you hear about the Umbral Arena? That isn’t something children should know.”

“At a certain bar.” That was also where I had been told how to get there—the key was this man.

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“A-A bar? You’re six years old and you’re going to a bar?”

Seeing the look of great shock on such a large grown-up reminded me once more that I was in fact a six-year-old child doing considerably abnormal things for someone of my age, but I didn’t care about that right now.

“My circumstances are... No, I have the same feelings as you.”

“The same feelings?”

“I want to meet those who are strong. Preferably, those who are stronger than me.”

Just a few moments ago, the instructor had been searching for Lynokis—that had to have been due to a desire to face off against a strong foe. My desire was not so different from his. However, the one big difference was that those who could actually best me were few and far between. That was exactly why I so desperately wanted to go to the arena.

Ѐn̂.ů m а́_. їd

“Apparently, they’re going to hold a knockout tournament soon. It’s very likely that someone strong will be there. I want to see that person. Don’t you feel the same?”

“W-Well, I’d be lying if I said no, but...”

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But of course. Those who follow the martial way cannot hear of the powerful, cannot hear of a master of their art, and not feel their blood boiling.

“Mr. Instructor.”

“The name’s Gandolph, kid.”

“Gandolph, I won’t beat around the bush. Take me to the Umbral Arena.”

W̄е bn о v́ еl Е n ǔm̃ӑ.

“Come on, it should be obvious that’s impossible. That isn’t somewhere I can take a little girl. And you’re an aristocrat to boot. You should be avoiding such dangerous places.”

I’d had enough of those model answers already. I’d already heard plenty of refusal from Lynokis. I was sick of it. I was asking this while being perfectly aware of my station, you clueless dolts.

“It’s fine, just take me. Take me as your daughter.”

“Daughter... Daughter?! Mine?!”

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Yes, this was the strategy Anzel had raised for getting me into the arena. To put it simply, if I attended as a friend or relative of one of their patrons, I could walk right through the front door.

“You’re training your daughter to become a prodigious martial artist, so you’re bringing her to the arena to observe and learn. That’s all the story has to be.”

Е́n um а̀

“No, no, no, you’re insane! This is impossible from start to finish! I’m not going to help you with something so reckless!”

Of course he would refuse. Any sane adult would. Who would ever agree to such a proposal? If I couldn’t even get the young, lax master of a bar to serve alcohol to a child, how could I get a martial artist to take me to an illegal arena? It was a hard ask.

“If you take me with you, I’ll show you how you can get one step stronger than you are right now,” I proposed.

“That isn’t the problem here—”

“Prepare yourself. If I can’t convince you with my words, I’ll convince you with my fists.”

“Like I just said, that isn’t the problem here.”

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“Do you not want to become strong? Do you not seek power?”

The lure of such words for a martial artist could sometimes even outweigh the tempting seduction of one’s lover. The more one was entrenched in martial arts, the more of an influence such an offer would have.

I’m targeting something that would serve as even my own weak point. There’s no way it won’t have the same effect on someone walking a similar path. In fact, I secretly wanted the same thing to happen to me one day. “Do you seek power?” I wanted to be asked.

From the silence, I could tell it was having an effect on Gandolph. Those magic words had caught him in their grasp, tight enough to leave him unable to speak.

“Why don’t we have one little spar? You can see with your own eyes what I can do, and if it appeals to you, you can accept my offer. If you don’t want what I can do, then I’ll give up. How does that sound?”

“All right, fine.” Gandolph accepted. “Come at me with whatever you’ve got. But if I’m disappointed, you’d better give up. And let me have a rematch with your attendant.”

Е̌ n u m̆ a . i ď

Why of course, anything you wish, good sir. The moment the conditions were accepted, the fight was over.

Gandolph faced me and entered a fighting stance. Seeing that, I instantly saw he was lacking. “You’re not bad, but I don’t know if I’d call you good either,” I remarked. It was a posture that left few openings and made it clear that he was experienced. It wasn’t a skill someone could obtain overnight. Though his muscles were like chiseled stone, his stance was more like solid steel.

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But that was all.

A mere lump of steel is a brittle thing.

“Huh?!”

Enuma ID

Right before Gandolph’s eyes, as he remained perfectly alert, I casually got up close and tapped his back. He jumped up and away as if shot, then got back into position, his composure clearly shaken.

Ѐn ǔ m̃ӑ

My speed, my usage of my presence, my footwork, my body movements, all of them far exceeded Gandolph’s expectations of me. That was why he couldn’t manage an appropriate response.

“I don’t have much time, so I’ll touch you only once more. That should be enough to convince you, yes?” Just once more should do it. He wasn’t such a beginner that he couldn’t determine a difference in strength.

Gandolph gulped. It appeared he understood; the moment he had accepted my challenge, the result was clear.

The job placed on him was a heavy responsibility.

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Three men sat in the back room of a cheap bar where villains often gathered. Nastine, the negotiator, sat at the table, as his escort, Dao Feita, watched from against the wall. Both were dressed in black. They were coordinators of the Umbral Arena.

And finally, there was the adventurer who sat opposite Nastine...Asuma Hinoki.

Ѐn um а̌

“Can I find strong warriors there?”

“But of course. In a city as fine as Altoire where its underbelly is undetectable, there is only one place where the strong gather: the Umbral Arena.”

Asuma was dangerous. Nastine had seen many villains in his time, including those of the more nefarious variety, but even so, simply sitting across from this man left him sweating. The man before him was an adventurer also known as the Kenki, the Sword Demon. Being face-to-face with him now, Nastine perfectly understood why he had been given such a title.

This man was dangerous. He was so used to killing that the act itself held no significance to him anymore. He could probably kill as easily as breathing, whether the foe was a monster or a person. Of course, such villains weren’t rare, but it was a different story when they came equipped with real power. Those who could do dangerous things and those who embodied danger itself were two completely different beasts.

This man was no doubt the latter.

“If you wish to meet powerful combatants, then please do come by the arena. We always welcome strong participants, such as yourself.”

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There was a small-time gangster known as Nehilga who was especially good at these kinds of negotiations, but he’d disappeared from Altoire along with a gang of youngsters about a year ago. It wasn’t uncommon for your average thug to go missing overnight, so it didn’t take long for people to stop caring—Nastine was very aware that he was likely the only one who still did. Because Nehilga had dropped off the face of the island, there was no one left to force the duty of negotiation onto.

“Is killing allowed at this Umbral Arena of yours?”

As those words made apparent, the Kenki was thirsting for blood; it wasn’t as simple as being unbothered by killing. Why was this man allowed to roam free? What was the country doing? Adventurers were clearly even more dangerous than some small-time bad guys. God, let me go home already. I want to run a nice hot bath and just drink a barrel of ale. Get so drunk I can’t even remember any of this.

Nastine made sure not a single one of those thoughts showed on his face.

“Murder is not forbidden, but we do ask that you try to keep it to a minimum.”

“Huh? You call me here and yet you’re saying I can’t kill?”

W̌е́ b̃ nо́v̇ еl̃ Е̇n ů ma

“Dealing with the aftermath is troublesome, you see.” In reality, Nastine was trying to say that he couldn’t guarantee the Kenki would get out unscathed if he dared kill someone in this city, even if it was in an illegal arena, but he wasn’t sure if his full meaning got across.

“Hmph. I see Altoire’s peace-loving reputation is present in the underworld, as well.”

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What’s wrong with loving peace? Nastine couldn’t help but internally snap back. If everyone were as dangerous as you, the world would be mad.

“But from your wording, you don’t care if I do kill, right? I aim to consume the strong so that I myself can become stronger. That is why I wield a sword.”

It wasn’t a string of logic that Nastine particularly understood. Just killing people alone wouldn’t make you stronger. As someone who tended to be the brains of the operation, he couldn’t comprehend the thought processes of meatheads drowning in their search for power.

“But...I will concede that I don’t particularly make it a habit to torture the weak either.” The Kenki turned his gaze to Dao Feita in the back. “I will kill those as strong as your man back there. Any weaker, I let them live. How does that sound?”

Ӗ ǹ u mа̂

“Fine.” Upon that question, it was Dao who answered. “We’ll inform you of the details later. Let’s go, Nastine.”

The negotiations had been resolved without the negotiator.

“Dao, I must ask that you do not proceed with agreements like that ahead of me,” Nastine admonished as the two made their way out of the bar, Dao walking straight past him.

Though the pair were both staff of the Umbral Arena, they were simply acquaintances. This was their first time working together. Nastine wasn’t entirely sure what kind of person Dao was, only that he was one of his boss’s bodyguards.

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Negotiation was in Nastine’s job description; he had been personally asked by the aristocrat in charge of the arena to do this. Had it been a year earlier, he imagined it would’ve been Nehilga who was asked, but that aside, the know-how of regulations and potential concessions one could make in negotiations had been drilled into his head. Nehilga was the kind to make his deals through brute force and improvisation, but Nastine was the type to extensively prepare in advance. That was why he couldn’t approve of his bodyguard interfering with his work.

But Dao made no attempt to understand. “Don’t worry about it.” He loosened his tie in annoyance. “We’re the stronger ones here. If he causes any problems, we’ll deal with him.”

Ёnů ṁ a

“Who is this ‘we’...?”

But Nastine realized the answer as soon as he had asked the question.

This “we” was the Qilong, a small group of elite assassins.

Altoire was so lacking in military might that it was known around the world as naively peace-loving. It had made them the target of foreign mafias multiple times in the past. The Qilong had always been at the forefront of any altercations or in control of such foreign groups. They had destroyed over ten organizations and had been involved in the assassinations of many important figures. Anyone with knowledge of the underworld was aware of how dangerous they were.

Nastine had started to suspect it, but it seemed that Dao was one of them. Both “Dao” and “Qilong” were names that sounded indigenous to Wu Haitong, so surely it was the case. He had never confirmed that, and he didn’t intend to. Quite frankly, he didn’t want to dig too deep. But he wasn’t mistaken; he was sure of it.

The business side was Nastine’s forte. He was one of the brainier members of the mafia. Nothing good would come from digging into a group like that. He certainly wouldn’t risk his life on it.

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“Well, I’m relying on you if anything happens then.”

Nastine wasn’t completely happy with the outcome, but for all intents and purposes, the negotiations had been a success. The Kenki was dangerous, but so was the Qilong. If anything happened, he could just let the fighters battle it out.

“But that sword...” Dao muttered.

“What about it?”

The Kenki was an adventurer. He’d been armed at the negotiating table with a curved blade.

“Tell the boss that his sword ain’t normal. There’s something sinister about it,” the assassin warned.

Е nú mа̀.і d̄

“Hm...? All right, I’ll make sure to tell him.”

“Such a sinister weapon only calls even darker forces to it.”

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Nastine didn’t quite understand what was going on, but Dao’s muttered words sent shivers up his spine, regardless. Having been part of this world for so long, he’d heard plenty of empty threats that led to nothing, but these words strangely lingered in his mind.

He had a really bad feeling.

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Chapter 4: The Shifty Shadow Rat

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