Chapter 19

“Wh-what is that?!!”

The moment they faced the enormous shadow that appeared in the mansion’s front yard, the members of the Black Bundle organization collectively froze in terror, their bodies trembling.

What on earth is that?

Too large to be a beast, and not a monster they’ve ever heard of in rumors or seen in any records.

The crimson eyes flickering in the darkness were enough to send shivers down their spines just by looking at them.

In front of such a creature, their presence felt like toy soldiers facing a giant.

“Why is this monster in the middle of the city…?”

“D-damn it. Whatever it is, drive it away!!”

Despite their fear, the members braced themselves and prepared to use their weapons.

No matter how ferocious the beast, with this many weapons aimed at it, it couldn’t possibly escape unscathed.

-Whizz! Boom!

Arrows and magical equipment spewing flames struck the monster’s body.

The monster, enduring all of it, shook off the smoke and flames, quickly closing the distance between them.

“Uwaaah! Save me…!”

-Crunch!

The arm of the screaming member was torn off by the monster’s mouth.

As the screams were cut off, the monster slashed through his legs with its claws, then turned its gaze to the remaining members.

“H-hiiik…!”

“Don’t falter! It’s just one beast…!”

-Thud!!

The moment its front paw struck the ground, a powerful shockwave erupted.

The members who were trying to rally their spirits were silenced, their eyes fixed on the monster.

There was no way to underestimate it. Its mouth alone was large enough to swallow a person whole.

-Kwaaaaah!!

As if to prove it, the monster closed the distance, tearing off and devouring the limbs of more members.

As the dismembered members were thrown to the ground one by one, the organization’s executives stepped forward, shouting orders to the remaining subordinates.

“Hold the line!! If we scatter, we’ll be easy targets! Gather in one place and focus your firepower!!!”

-Boom! Bang!

Crossbows loaded with gunpowder fired, and blades infused with magical energy shot out, aiming to shear through the monster’s fur.

The concentrated barrage seemed to have an effect, as the monster began to stagger.

Feeling the tide turning, the members’ faces gradually lit up with hope.

“That’s it. No matter how big, it’s still just a beast!”

“Keep pushing! Show that monster where it belongs!”

Amidst the shouts, a fierce battle unfolded in the garden.

Watching through the windows, the members inside the mansion began to exchange uneasy glances.

“Shouldn’t we go out too?”

A monster appearing in the middle of the city and attacking them.

Though its identity was unknown, given that Yozak had summoned troops immediately, it was likely related to the intruders who would soon arrive.

Perhaps the monster itself was summoned by the intruder.

Considering that, they debated whether to reinforce the mansion’s defenses, but ultimately decided to hold their positions.

“No, they don’t seem to be losing yet. Let’s stay put for now.”

“That seems wise. If we leave our posts and the intruder gets inside, it’ll be a disaster.”

Leaving their positions could lead to chaos if the intruder broke in.

So, they decided to stay at their posts and maintain vigilance. As they were about to return to their positions, one member recalled a voice they had heard earlier and voiced a question.

“Wait, who just spoke?”

Speaking politely to a fellow member, not a superior, was unusual for back-alley thugs.

As they grew suspicious, one member collapsed to the ground with a thud.

In his place stood a black-haired man dressed in a butler’s uniform.

“Wh-what the! Who are you…? Ugh!”

The member was knocked out by a swift punch.

The intruder, brushing off his gloved hands, calmly stepped into the mansion’s hall.

“Pardon me. I didn’t mean to cause such a commotion during my infiltration.”

-Bang!!

“…Well, it seems I’ve already made too much noise.”

Indeed, the quiet was short-lived.

Soon, the members who had gathered in the central hall aimed their weapons at him from the passages and upper railings.

“The man in the butler’s uniform! He’s the one the boss mentioned!”

“How dare you sneak in here!”

“Kill him now!!”

The Black Bundle members shouted viciously, ready to slaughter him on the spot.

Despite facing such hostility, the butler remained composed, adjusting his collar.

“This is quite troublesome. I’d prefer to resolve this through conversation… but it seems you back-alley folks prefer fists over words.”

His tone was gentle.

Yet, his eyes were sharp.

“I suppose there’s no choice. I’m not particularly fond of fighting, but…”

“Kill him!!!”

-Whizz! Bang!

Magical equipment and crossbows fired beams of light and flames, raining down on him.

If he stayed in that spot, he’d be turned into a pincushion.

But by then, his body had already melted into the shadows, reappearing amidst the members.

“Kehek!”

“This bastard… Ugh!”

His precise martial arts took down the members one by one.

Amidst the chaos, a hammer swung towards his head.

“Die, you bastard…!”

-Swish!

The hammer’s trajectory was effortlessly redirected, striking a fellow member instead.

“Wh-what was that? Did he just deflect a hammer with his bare hand…!?”

“Just the hammer?”

Weapons came at him from all directions.

He deflected them with his hands, twisting his body to evade every attack with precision.

His movements were like a dance on stage, flawlessly avoiding every strike.

In the gaps, he threw knives and forks at the members.

“Gah! My arm…!!”

“This crazy bastard, what kind of ability is this!?”

Their attacks were all dodged, while his strikes precisely severed tendons, rendering them unable to fight back.

The overwhelming skill gap made it clear this wasn’t a fair fight.

Some members began to retreat.

“Where the hell did this lunatic come from!?”

“Half of us are already down. Damn it, we can’t win this!”

“We need to retreat…”

“Don’t talk nonsense! If we retreat now, we’re all dead! Don’t you know who our client is!?”

The stern reminder turned the members pale.

The client was one of the Seven Deadly Sins, the worst criminals in the vast city. Facing such a figure was terrifying even for the seasoned brokers of the underworld.

Retreating wasn’t an option. But…

“Aaaaah!!”

A horrific scream made the members hesitate.

In the direction of the scream, they saw a comrade with half his hand skinned, writhing in agony.

The precise, almost surgical cuts made with mere utensils were beyond comprehension.

Facing such brutality, their minds began to fill with confusion.

“It seems that using ‘gentle means’ makes me seem too easy to handle…”

The worst criminal they would face in the future, and the demon-like man before them.

They couldn’t tell which was more dangerous.

“Do I really have to resort to violence for you to realize your situation?”

Yes, it was only a matter of time.

Realizing this, the members lost their will to fight, dropping their weapons and fleeing.

****

After repeated battles, threats, and interrogations, I finally reached the deepest room in the mansion.

Before entering, I took a moment to tidy up my weapons and appearance.

“This is too much blood. The young lady will be startled if she sees me.”

It wasn’t a big deal.

Facing countless enemies and getting covered in blood was common in hell.

What bothered me was that I had accepted being summoned to the human world to avoid such things.

All I wanted was a peaceful life, but this kidnapping had to be resolved quickly.

“I need to get the young lady back soon.”

Fortunately, she was treated as a “product,” so no harm had come to her.

Hoping that was true, I opened the door to the room where she was believed to be and looked inside.

A well-maintained guest room within the abandoned mansion.

Inside, I saw Jeremiah lying in a wooden box.

Good. She seemed unharmed.

“…Not a member of the organization.”

The unwelcome sight was the one person guarding her.

He assessed me the moment I entered, and I did the same.

“Not the client either…”

A man in a black hood was guarding her alone.

Middle-aged, his gaze carried the weight of experience, whether from years of life or mastery of his craft.

“I am Sebastian, the butler serving the young lady.”

At least he wasn’t some lowly criminal.

And certainly not an easy opponent.

Realizing this, he spoke to me in a familiar tone.

“…So, you’re the butler I’ve heard about.”

He knew of my existence.

That alone told me a lot.

Those who knew of me were either from the Fixer Association, the client, security bureau personnel, or city residents…

“Are you the one who ordered the young lady’s kidnapping?”

And, with very low probability, an outsider from beyond the city.

-Swish!

As I pondered this, he drew his sword, and a quiet aura began to emanate from the blade.

The rough heat haze subsided, and a glass-like sheen appeared on the sword’s surface.

I’d seen this technique in games but never in person.

That was a true Aura Blade. A skill only a Sword Master, one who had transcended human limits, could wield.

“Judging by that, you are…”

As I guessed his identity, his body became a blur, disappearing from my sight.

He reappeared in my blind spot.

-Clang!

I blocked the sword strike with a knife, feeling a numbing shock run through my arm.

He was strong. Perhaps stronger than most demons I’d faced in hell.

-Clang! Clang!!

As I parried his strikes, my joints ached, and a sense of crisis gripped my heart.

So this was the level of a Sword Master, something I’d only seen in games.

It was clear I had to take this seriously, but I couldn’t help feeling cautious.

After all, I had lost my original body when summoned to the human world.

My current body was merely solidified magical energy in human form.

If I used my true power, my body’s balance would collapse, destabilizing my summoning in the human world.

And if that went too far, causing issues with the summoning itself?

What if it harmed Jeremiah?

-Clang!!!

Holding back my power and only parrying, I took advantage of a brief lull to probe him.

“…That swordsmanship, I’ve seen it before.”

Sword Masters were exceedingly rare among humans.

Their affiliations were limited, so deducing his identity wasn’t difficult.

Especially since Jeremiah belonged to the foremost swordsmanship family in the empire.

“Why is a knight of Andersen here?”

A knight of Andersen.

One who held a rank equivalent to a knight captain.

A figure who would only involve himself in major family affairs. Why was he here, connected to an underworld crime syndicate, ordering the kidnapping of an Andersen family member?

“….”

His identity exposed, he sighed softly and lowered his sword.

After a moment’s pause, he spoke.

“The one you so thoroughly defeated was the knight serving the first heir of Andersen.”

The first heir. Essentially, the next head of the Andersen family.

Certainly, someone of that stature could command a knight captain.

But that was all I could accept for now.

“He insulted the young lady.”

“That’s not what matters to him. What matters is that the young lady broke one of his swords.”

“The head of the Andersen family gave her a chance. Isn’t this act going against his wishes?”

“That chance was given without expectation. Once everything is over, it’ll be quietly forgotten.”

“You plan to hand her over to a criminal organization just because it can be quietly forgotten? Simply because his sister offended him…? As a member of the family, are you trying to reduce her to something worse than death?”

“….”

The Andersen knight captain averted his gaze, guilt evident.

But even that guilt felt repulsive considering what he was willing to do.

“Ah, this is quite something.”

All I wanted was to live a quiet, human life.

To live peacefully with the young lady I had met.

“How far must this world push her to be satisfied?”

I began to regret it.

Regretted how thoughtlessly I had urged her to give up on revenge in the past.

---