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Chapter 81 – Worshippers of the Abomination (2)

As always, Ketal was heading home after finishing his alchemy.

It was a late night, and apart from the dim streetlights, the road was pitch dark.

Amidst the familiar silence, Ketal leisurely walked.

And then, as Ketal proceeded, a figure obscured by the darkness blocked his path.

“Hmm?”

Ketal stared at the figure.

Despite the road not being narrow, the figure stood directly in front of him, clearly indicating they had business with him.

“Who are you?”

Ketal asked.

The figure drew a sword in response.

Srring.

The sound of the blade being unsheathed echoed.

Ketal, staring at the figure for a moment, spoke.

“Are you perhaps a Sword Master?”

There had been a similar situation before.

Sword Master Cain had blocked Ketal’s path late at night.

Because of that experience, Ketal wondered if this was a similar case.

“…Nonsense.”

The figure spoke with an incredulous tone.

A Sword Master?

Why would such a person draw their sword in the middle of the night?

He hadn’t intended to converse, but the absurd question made him involuntarily respond.

Ketal nodded.

“So you’re not a Sword Master. Then, are you a robber?”

‘…What is with this guy?’

The figure in the darkness, a warrior from the Haibolka family named Rockbird, was dumbfounded.

A suspicious person appeared in the darkness and drew a sword.

This clearly signaled malicious intent.

Normally, one would back away in fear or show caution by drawing their own weapon.

But Ketal did neither.

He simply looked at Rockbird with curiosity.

Rockbird frowned slightly as he stared at Ketal.

His instincts warned him something was off.

But he ignored the warning.

He only needed to follow the will of the great one.

Rockbird spoke, laden with murderous intent.

“Come with me, barbarian, or I’ll kill you.”

“Hmm?”

Confusion spread across Ketal’s face.

“So you’re not a robber?”

The figure hadn’t demanded any valuables, meaning he wasn’t a robber.

Rockbird decided to use force instead of answering.

His order was to bring the barbarian.

There was no stipulation to bring him uninjured.

‘I’ll cripple one of his limbs to make him compliant.’

With that thought, his body moved stealthily in the darkness.

Like a shadow, he swiftly approached Ketal to cut the tendons in his arm.

Grab.

At that moment, Ketal caught Rockbird’s sword.

“……!”

Rockbird’s eyes widened.

He tried to pull the sword away, but it didn’t budge, as if it were embedded in stone.

This was dangerous.

Rockbird quickly decided.

He let go of the sword and retreated.

Ketal applied pressure with his hand.

The sword shattered into pieces that fell to the ground, clattering loudly in the quiet night.

‘…What?’

Rockbird was aghast.

The barbarian had broken the sword barehanded without using any aura?

Meanwhile, Ketal pondered.

‘He aimed for my tendons.’

The attack clearly carried lethal intent and hostility.

This wasn’t a simple robbery.

As Ketal thought quietly, he nodded.

“You’re connected to the Haibolka family.”

Rockbird’s body momentarily flinched—a tiny, barely perceptible movement in the dark night that Ketal clearly saw.

‘They’re really after me.’

The Haibolka family was attacking the Akasha family.

The Haibolka family must have known their scheme was exposed.

In modern stories, one common response would be to target the associates of their enemy.

Taking hostages to threaten their opponent was a common tactic.

Given what Milena had said, they had used similar methods before without hesitation.

So who was the person before him?

The answer came quickly.

Ketal muttered quietly,

“An assassin.”

The Haibolka family had hired an assassin to target him.

‘An assassin in a fantasy world!’

A familiar presence appeared before him.

Ketal was excited, and even Rockbird could see it.

‘Mad Barbarian!’

Despite his life being threatened, he seemed delighted!

Rockbird gritted his teeth and squinted.

His opponent had noticed his presence.

He had to be subdued.

Even if it meant killing him.

Rockbird gripped the two swords in his cloak.

Aura slowly began to envelop his body.

“Oh?”

Ketal was surprised.

Rockbird’s presence was disappearing in an instant.

So much so that even Ketal had difficulty sensing him.

‘Is that possible with magic?’

Rockbird darted through the darkness.

Completely hiding his presence, he moved behind Ketal.

Until then, Ketal showed no reaction.

Got him.

As Rockbird was about to thrust his sword with certainty.

Ketal turned around.

Their gazes locked.

Rockbird was startled by Ketal’s sudden movement.

“You!”

He hastily swung his sword.

Ketal twisted his neck to dodge and grabbed Rockbird’s arm.

He pulled and slammed him down.

“Ugh!”

“Oh dear.”

‘Can’t go around ruining a perfectly good road.’

Ketal minimized his strength.

Thanks to that, Rockbird barely withstood the impact.

“Damn!”

Rockbird dislocated the joint of his captured arm.

Using his aura like oil, he slipped free.

Barely escaping, Rockbird hastily threw a dagger.

Ketal casually waved his fingers.

The dagger flying through the darkness was caught in his hand.

Crack.

Ketal clenched his hand.

What was once a dagger crumbled like sand in Ketal’s hand.

“…How.”

“Even if you hide your presence, the intent to kill doesn’t disappear.”

Ketal spoke calmly.

“…….”

Rockbird was a top-tier assassin.

He could hide his intent to kill at will.

And yet, this barbarian noticed even a fragment of it?

Rockbird swallowed hard.

He’s strong.

This barbarian is a monster.

‘I must deal with him.’

He had noticed something about them.

He had to be dealt with, no matter the cost.

But he couldn’t handle it alone.

He needed to request support.

Making a quick decision, Rockbird hid his body in the darkness.

Watching Rockbird disappear swiftly, Ketal began to walk.

* * *

A figure moved through the capital in the darkness.

The buildings of the capital bathed in moonlight.

A shadow crossed over the rooftops.

And from a distance, Ketal followed.

He could subdue him at any time.

But Ketal did not subdue Rockbird.

His face was filled with anticipation.

‘The assassin’s stronghold.’

Assassins always appear in fantasy stories.

But there was rarely a proper description of their stronghold.

It was usually described as being somewhere in the back alleys or hidden in the darkness. Ketal was always curious about what a real fantasy assassin’s stronghold would look like.

He couldn’t miss the chance to see it for himself.

Ketal followed Rockbird.

Before long, Rockbird entered a building.

‘Is it there?’

Ketal looked at the building with curiosity.

The building Rockbird entered was unexpectedly located in the center of the capital.

It wasn’t flashy, but it was quite luxurious.

‘That’s the assassin’s stronghold?’

Ketal was surprised.

For an assassin’s stronghold, it was rather conspicuous.

He had expected it to be in a dark, gloomy place like in other stories.

After thinking for a moment, he nodded.

‘Isn’t that strange?’

If you think about it, the people who hire assassins are probably nobles or wealthy individuals.

If their servants or subordinates entered a shabby alley, they would definitely stand out.

Even if they dressed plainly to avoid detection, moving through the center of the capital would look suspicious.

It would be better to have the stronghold in the center of the capital, appearing as an ordinary building to anyone who saw it.

So it wasn’t strange for an assassin family to be located in the center of the capital.

Ketal concluded this.

‘This is true fantasy.’

Ketal smiled in satisfaction. I

t was actually because of the Haibolka family that it was located in the center, but Ketal, not knowing this, was satisfied with his deduction.

“Shall we go in?”

Ketal began to walk lightly.

* * *

Rockbird, drenched in sweat, barely made it inside the building.

He finally popped his dislocated shoulder back into place.

The head of the family, who had been waiting, asked in a leisurely voice.

“Did you bring the barbarian?”

“I-I failed.”

“What?”

The head, who had been reclining in his chair, stood up.

“Failed? What do you mean?”

“…The barbarian is strong. It’s impossible for me alone.”

Rockbird spoke with trembling eyes.

The head of the family frowned.

Rockbird was strong.

Apart from himself, Rockbird was the strongest among those here.

His strength was at least mid-tier among the elite.

And First rates were exceedingly rare in the world.

The commander of the Blue-Green Knights was a First rate.

In other words, reaching that level of strength meant one could be the commander of a knight order in a small country.

And yet, Rockbird had been defeated.

“…So, she didn’t keep him around just out of mere interest. How strong do you think he is?”

“…….”

After hesitating for a moment, Rockbird spoke.

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“I know he’s stronger than me… but beyond that, I don’t know. He’s just strong.”

The head clicked his tongue.

“Got it. This is a problem.”

The head’s face grew serious.

The fact that Rockbird had fled meant that the barbarian knew he was being targeted.

After contemplating briefly, the head made a decision.

“…We need to prepare a response. Gather everyone here. I’ll move personally if necessary.”

“There’s no need for that.”

A sudden voice echoed.

The head of the family leaped to his feet.

Rockbird, too, was startled and stepped back.

“H-How!”

“I just followed you.”

“That’s impossible!”

Rockbird denied it vehemently.

He had moved with his presence completely hidden.

He hadn’t come here in a straight line either; he had used various places as decoys.

Moreover, he hadn’t felt any sign of being followed.

It was impossible for anyone to have followed him!

Rockbird denied it with all his might, and Ketal spoke as if it were obvious.

“Well, I moved without being noticed.”

“…What do you mean by that!”

Rockbird’s face contorted.

The curtains of the large window in the room were swaying.

At some point, a massive barbarian had appeared there.

Ketal smiled broadly.

“Nice to meet you. Assassins.”