Chapter 836

“Ugh! Ughhh!”

Surveillance Target No. 2, Belnesia, was being violated without even putting up a proper resistance against the assault.

Her outing clothes were torn to shreds by the rough hands of the thugs, and the torn, crumpled fabric pieces stuffed into her mouth as she tried to scream and curse.

The foul-smelling tongue of a vagabond crawled over her pale skin like a slug, leaving faint saliva marks, while the ruthless hands mercilessly ravaged the exposed chest of the girl, showing no care whatsoever.

Tsk, not a pleasant sight.

To anyone watching, it was clear that back-alley thugs had caught a defenseless girl and were assaulting her.

“Did I misjudge…?”

Hidden in the shadows, I clicked my tongue as I observed the surveillance target on the verge of being violated.

“My instincts must be dead.”

Unlike Eleonora, I always felt an ominous vibe whenever I watched Belnesia, a maid by name, so I thought she must be hiding her strength… but it seems I was mistaken.

The girl, clearly unable to resist the assault. Even if there was a reason to hide her strength while being violated…

“Ughhh-!”

Even so, her panicked trembling and tears seemed too natural to be an act.

‘No choice.’

Though my doubts weren’t completely dispelled, I couldn’t just let her be violated.

If, by any chance, Hersh and I were overly suspicious and this girl was truly just an innocent maid, leaving her like this would be too cruel even by my standards.

So, from the start of this plan, I had drawn my own line.

If Belnesia couldn’t resist even when her lower garments were being stripped, I would save her before things went further.

“Ughhh!”

“Hey, smooth, huh? Rich girls really take care of everything, huh?”

Yeah, just like now.

The thugs grabbed Belnesia’s legs, tore off her underwear, and exposed her groin.

Realizing it was time to end this, I rummaged through my pouch and pulled out five or six needles.

Needles coated with a toxin that would induce convulsions. A fast-acting poison, so the moment the needles pierced them, they would vomit blood, convulse, and melt.

Just as I raised my right hand, needles between my fingers—

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing?!”

A familiar voice echoed through the back alley.

‘A knight? In this back alley?’

This wasn’t a usual patrol route. Maybe she just happened to pass by and witnessed the crime.

I turned my head to see a knight rushing into the alley. Off-duty, perhaps, as she wore casual clothes instead of a uniform or armor. A female knight. A face I knew well.

A rookie female knight who joined the Rose Cross Knight Order through Hersh’s recommendation. Her name was… Minea, I think?

A bit naive, but her cheerful attitude and usefulness in dungeon exploration missions earned her favorable reviews despite being a parachute recruit.

“Tsk, what’s this bitch?”

The sudden appearance of an uninvited guest made the thugs grimace and draw their daggers with shaky hands.

Ignorance breeds courage, as they say. Seeing Minea with just a longsword and no proper equipment, they probably thought she was just some nosy rookie.

Even soldiers or adventurers would at least wear minimal armor.

“Hey, lady. If you don’t want to get hurt, just stay quiet—”

“No questions asked!”

Of course, the price of ignorance is usually paid in blood. With a swift motion, her longsword sliced through the arm and neck of the thug reaching out to her.

“Guh, gahhh-!”

The thug, having lost an arm in an instant, clutched his gaping throat, spurting blood as he collapsed. Though her skill was average for a knight, a knight was still a knight. Back-alley thugs were no match.

“R-Rick’s down?!”

“What the hell! A knight? Is she a knight?!”

The thugs, shocked by their comrade’s fatal injury, finally realized who they were dealing with, fear flashing in their widened eyes.

“Pests of Hestela! I, Minea Rose of the Rose Cross Knight Order, will punish you in Her Majesty’s name!”

Minea, her face half-covered in blood, declared a death sentence on the remaining three men and charged at them. Her movements were as swift as a rabbit.

“For the justice of Hestela!”

‘Was she always like this…?’

I stifled a laugh as I watched the sudden back-alley murderer.

Her exaggerated tone, flushed cheeks as if intoxicated by herself, and the smile creeping onto her face.

Even the trajectory of her sword reeked of self-awareness, typical of a rookie knight fresh from the countryside. Hilarious.

Minea probably thought she looked incredibly cool.

‘Well, it’s that age of overflowing confidence.’

Though her demeanor was laughable, her skill was enough to handle the situation, so I figured I could just watch without intervening.

“Haaah!”

The trembling thug swung his dagger, but his arm was sliced off like cheese, soaring into the air. The following slash split his belly, spilling his guts.

“Gaaaah!”

The thug, clutching his torn belly with his remaining hand, screamed like a pig and collapsed. Minea kicked him, breaking his neck, then swung her sword at the remaining two.

“Guh…!”

The sword tip pierced the back of the fleeing thug’s neck, severing it, and with a half-turn, the diagonal slash shattered the collarbone of the thug trying to take Belnesia hostage, embedding deep into his torso.

“Grrrugh…!”

The thug spat blood foam and slumped down. It didn’t take long for his twitching body to go limp.

“Hmm, that’s about it.”

Minea, having slaughtered four men in an instant, let out a satisfied, boastful remark as she shook the blood off her sword and sheathed it smoothly.

Then, she wiped her bloodied face with her left hand and brushed her hair back.

‘She’s a serious case.’

I barely held back a burst of laughter as I watched Belnesia’s reaction.

She seemed to have lost strength in her legs, sitting down and staring blankly at Minea, not even trying to cover her exposed chest.

Her face showed deep shock.

Whether it was from nearly being violated, witnessing bodies being sliced apart, or being stunned by Minea’s over-the-top demeanor, I couldn’t tell.

“Are you alright, my lady? You can rest easy now. Minea Rose of the Rose Cross Knight Order is here.”

“Pfft.”

I couldn’t hold back my laughter.

The way she dramatically removed her coat, knelt on one knee, and draped it over Belnesia was like something out of a teenage boy’s fantasy.

But coming from a woman who looked to be in her twenties, it was just too much.

If not for the blessing of Shadow Stealth, my presence here would’ve been discovered.

—

Minea covered Belnesia with her coat, patted her back to comfort her, and then helped her up to return to the castle.

Upon arriving at the castle, she proudly told the knights, shocked by Belnesia’s state, that she had saved the regent’s maid.

Like a child showing off a drawing to their parents, she shrugged her shoulders, eager for praise.

The senior knights, after hearing the story, patted Minea’s head or shoulders in praise, then went to find Chief Administrator Lambert, saying they needed to clean up the back-alley criminals.

Well, half of them would probably be dead by tomorrow anyway.

The thugs I poisoned wouldn’t see the morning. I hadn’t given them the antidote they needed by today.

Though I poisoned twenty and only used four before discarding them, there were plenty more where they came from. Using four was enough.

“—That’s all.”

Afterward, I reported the day’s events to Hersh.

“Hmm… Good work. A bit excessive, but useful information.”

Hersh, using official duties as an excuse to shake off the ‘little sister’ who usually clung to him like a leech, chewed on a meat skewer he’d grabbed as a snack.

The spicy aroma wafting over to me made it seem more like a torture device than food.

‘Can he not taste spiciness? No, if that were the case, he wouldn’t seek out spicy food.’

Seeing him eat what others wouldn’t even try without batting an eye, I wondered if superhumans had superhuman tastes too.

“This confirms it. Keep a closer eye on Belnesia. If she’s willing to endure being violated to hide her strength, there must be a reason.”

“But… what if she doesn’t have any strength to hide…?”

“Impossible.”

Hersh chuckled and burned the wooden skewer to ashes.

“Even if you hide your aura, you can’t erase ingrained habits. Perfectly refined breathing. Steady gait. The reflexive glance to the left waist when facing others. The habit of maintaining a stance ready to react instantly. That girl has definitely trained with a sword. At the very least, she wouldn’t be taken down by four thugs.”

Hersh counted off Belnesia’s habits, things I hadn’t noticed as someone raised as an assassin, not a swordsman.

“A girl like that, even if ambushed, couldn’t resist at all? Impossible. She should’ve killed at least two of them. So… she has a reason to grit her teeth and endure, even if it means defiling her body.”

Now, do you see why we need to intensify surveillance?

Hersh smiled with a dangerous glint in his eye.