Volume 3 - CH 3.3

While the Guildmaster meeting was reaching stormy waters, Reito was at the Guild’s bar with Gonzo and Dain.

Dain was complaining, letting off steam.

“Aah… How did we get into this mess?”

“A legendary Zombie Dragon… This might be a little off-color, but I’m itching to fight”

“You’re really carefree, huh? What if we all die?”

“Do you know anything about the Zombie Dragon?”

“Yeah, I’m not really well-versed, but… I’ve heard the legends about them being controlled by Necromancers. I looked it up as a child.”

Airis’s voice rang through Reito’s ears, 『Or, so he says. Dain’s actually quite versed in it. He’s the pride of his Adventurer’s Guild in terms of monster knowledge』

Reito asked about the guild master meeting.

『What is the meeting like?』

『 It’s really dragging out as they put forward resistance plans. At the current rate, it’s likely to go on for a while. It appears Bal is planning to have you go to the Kingdom as a messenger』

『Huh? Why!?』

『Because of your pets Ullr and the cyclops. She thinks you have a way with animals and will be able to ward off monsters, even at night』

Reito had managed to cruise through the grasslands at night in the wolf cart. He wasn’t attacked by any magical monsters. He had put a Decay Stone on his cart, but regardless, if Ullr were to make himself into a giant wolf, no monster would dare approach.

But, it would be bad news if he were sent. Just four years ago, there was a search warrant issued for him as the illegitimate child of the royal family. There’s a chance they would recognize his true identity.

『What should I do?』

『How about you run away? No one would blame you.』

『And just leave everyone behind?』

『I figured you’d say that』

Airis didn’t want Reito to get involved with the rotten dragon.

But, she knew his personality, and she knew he wouldn’t leave his friends behind, so she gave him some advice.

『If you really want to fight the rotten dragon, you’ll need a holy sword.』

『Are we going to gather the Servants from Fate Grand Order?』

『No, there are no Gacha games in this world.』

『Are there really that many holy swords just lying around?』

『There are a decent number of them. There’s even one in adventure city. It hasn’t been used for a while, and it’s rusty, but it’s currently owned by a weapons maniac. We could steal it』

『 Don’t just suggest robbery so casually.』

『Is there anything else we can do? This guy’s a real bad guy. He’s not just going to just give his things to other people so easily.』

『Are you serious?』

『You can either commit a crime to save everyone, or you can run away. Those are the only two options. What will you do?』

『Okay, okay. I will just give it back when I’m done.』

『 You’re a real righteous person. I don’t think there’s any need to give it back.』

『Help me to not get caught.』

『Understood. In that case, shall we use Suramin’s powers?』

『I forgot to give it back to Kotomin.』

Reito looked at the Suramin in his breast pocket.

It was a split-off body, but it had the same will and camouflage capability as the main body. That being said, in this split state, it didn’t have a lot of disguise capabilities.

Reito got to work, following Airis’s instructions. He reported to Dain and Gonzo, “I’m heading out for a little while.”

“What happened, all of a sudden…”

“Are you worried about Kotomin?”

“Something like that. I’ll be out for five or six hours.”

“That’s not a little while at all!? That’ll be the next day!!”

“I was joking.”

He said goodbye to them before leaving the Guild.

He immediately used “Muscle Reinforcement” and “Leap” to move from rooftop to rooftop. Before he knew it, he was at his destination.

~

“… Is this the Monster Emporium?”

『 That’s right. The holy sword is hidden in this place. Brace yourself.』

Reito had come to a ginormous building in the northern part of the city.

It had the same atmosphere as a castle. According to Airis, the building had been remodeled from a Baltros Empire castle before Adventure City was even founded.

A few decades ago, it was purchased by the owner of Monster Emporium and, at present, is used as a facility to store monsters. At present, there are countless monsters gathered for the Hunting Festival inside.

It was known as the Magical Beast Castle by the people in the area.

Reito used his Storage Magic to change into clothes that wouldn’t stand out so he could sneak in. He wrapped his arms up in the chains that he used to detain the Cyclops earlier. He was making full use of the skills of an assassin as he moved along.

“Leap sure comes in handy in times like these.”

『 It’s your best skill, Reito!』

He disappeared into the darkness, seeming to enjoy bouncing from rooftop to rooftop.

“There seem to be more people now… Perhaps I should get on the ground?”

『 That’s true. Just because you are using your assassin’s skills doesn’t mean you can be negligent. Other assassins will be able to see right through you.』

He moved to the front of the castle before dropping to the ground.

He put his “Night Vision,” “Stealth,” “Soundless Walk,” “Seal Presence,” and “Detect Presence” skills into action.

Using multiple skills at once would rapidly burn through a lot of physical stamina. Still, he had been training his body since he was a child, so the effort was no problem for him.

Reito scoped out his surroundings, looking for an opening to sneak into the castle.

Looking up at the protective wall that was surrounding the castle, he found soldiers on patrol. He moved along the wall, paying attention to them.

He could use “Leap” and the chains wrapped around his arms to get over the protective barrier if he wanted to. But, Reito decided to follow Airis’s advice and move very cautiously.

『Do you understand? We’re just trying to not get caught and steal the holy sword. If you get caught by even one person, retreat immediately.』

『Understood, Colonel!』

『Who the hell are you calling Colonel… Oh! When you turn the corner, you’ll bump heads with a soldier, so watch out.』

Reito took Airis’s advice and immediately departed from the spot.

Before long, a soldier clad in leather armor strolled by. Watching him from a distance, he asked Airis for a good trespassing method.

『What should I do from here? Should I camouflage myself as one of them and sneak in?』

『Right… you could use Suramin to change your face, but your outfit is the problem. You could steal one of their uniforms』

『 Isn’t stealing sort of… conspicuous?』

『 It’s okay. Another soldier will pass by in three minutes. Knock him out. He always has a poor attitude at work and is famous for drinking on the job. Even if someone notices that he’s gone, they’ll just think he’s skipping out on his duties. It’ll be no problem.』

『Okay. But, how do I do that?』

『Just knock him out somehow. You can place a bottle of alcohol next to him. They were planning to fire him anyway, so don’t worry about it. Even if someone happens to see him, they’ll just think he got drunk and passed out.』

『 He’s a very poor employee.』

Reito hid in the shadow of the castle. Just as he was informed, a middle-aged soldier appeared, carrying a bottle of alcohol on the job.

He might have already been drunk. His legs were wobbling from side to side.

“Ah, shit, my alcohol ran out… Someone bring me some more.”

『He has some nerve to say that while on the job… Reito, go! It’s your chance!』

“Got you!”

“Gahh!?”

Reito sneaked up from behind. He grabbed onto him from the back and choked him with both his arms.

The soldier struggled a little before losing consciousness shortly after that. The bottle dropped from his side.

“Phew… He’s not dead, right?”

『 He’s just passed out. Take him somewhere, and quickly! Don’t forget the alcohol bottle!!』

Reito grabbed the bottle the man had dropped on the floor and moved him.

He found a place that no one would notice and took the armor off the soldier. He also took the lance the soldier was holding for good measure.

After that, he took the empty alcohol bottle from him and laid him down on the floor. He covered him in a blanket to be sure the man wouldn’t catch a cold.

“This should be all right… Black snake, sneaking in!”

『What makes you think you’re some kind of black snake?』

He took Suramin out from his chest as he mumbled the dialogue of the protagonist of an assassin game.

“Suramin, I need you to change into this man’s face.”

“Pururun.”

He pulled Suramin over his own face, having him change it into the face of the man. After disguising himself as the man, he attempted sneaking into the castle from the front.

~

“These guards are pretty thick. They let me in without noticing the difference in height.”

『Lucky for us.』

Reito moved through the castle brazenly.

He ran into a few patrol guards along the way, but they didn’t suspect anything. Following Airis’s advice, he headed toward the basement storage room where the holy sword was kept.

“Gururu!!”

“Hm? What’s wrong with this guy…”

『The monster controllers’ contracted beasts are also stationed in the castle at the current time. They’ve been ordered not to attack humans, but they have also been told to report on any suspicious characters.』

He listened to Airis’s explanation as he passed through untouched. The monsters had noticed something and tried to bark at him.

“Woof!!”

“Tsk.”

Reito glared at the monster.

It whimpered.

“Who’s a good boy!”

『 You’ve really learned a lot training Ullr… Just one glance and you got it to be quiet.』

Using his skills from scolding Ullr, he got the monster to shut up. It appeared the monster realized it was outmatched and cleared the way in the hallway for him.

“It’s this way”

『Go right there. It’s a bit complicated, so I’ll explain as we go along』

“Got it. You’re a very convenient woman, Airis.”

『 Don’t say, “convenient!” Do you want me to cut off communication?』

Reito continued passing through the labyrinth-like complex corridors of the castle, never letting his guard down. He had encountered a few locked doors along the way, but he used the alchemy skill, “Shape Change,” to make a key and get through.