In the mansion that was where the governor of Jadistro lived, everyone was buzzing about at the arrival of several prominent individuals.

  “Welcome Earl Tenneb. It is good to see you in fine health.” [Isacke]

  One of them was Earl Tenneb, the man in charge of the territory that Jadistro was a part of. Isecke was smiling nervously as he greeted and welcomed him. His lord was, in one glance, a fat, jolly, middle-aged man that had grey hair and a trimmed moustache. He somehow managed to cover his body, belly and all, in fine clothes that made him look like an extravagant ball.

  “Thank you, Isecke. You, on the other hand, seemed to have lost more weight again.” [Tenneb]

  Tenneb directed a friendly gaze at Isecke and a smile that always graced his lips. As the two slowly walked down the mansion’s hallway while followed by several men in blue uniforms, the earl’s guests that travelled to Jadistro with him were being attended by the servants and guided to their rooms.

  “It is the work. It is quite draining, if I were to be honest.” [Isecke]

  “How is the work going then? Are there any problems?” [Tenneb]

  “W-well, several of your subjects tried to leave the town again.” [Isecke]

  “Is that it?” [Tenneb]

  The round earl looked at Isecke as if he was dealing with a troubling pupil and sighed.

  “I’ve told you before. Just threaten them with the soldiers from my personal army. If they really don’t learn their lesson, then kill them to make an example for others.” [Tenneb]

  “Y-yes, my lord. I’m sorry for troubling you with my inadequacies.” [Isecke]

  “No, no, I appointed you as governor of this town and you are doing good work. Speaking of which, how is the new product?” [Tenneb]

  “She’s behaving and, like always, no one has harmed or touched her.” [Isecke]

  “Good, good, good! If what you said about her beauty is true, then she’ll make a fine addition for my collection.” [Tenneb]

  Tenneb clapped his hand together and smiled brightly.

  “I trust that preparations for the auction are going well? I don’t want to keep my guests waiting.” [Tenneb]

  “Yes, but, Earl Tenneb, we have this slight problem that needs to be dealt with.” [Isecke]

  “A problem?” [Tenneb]

  “Yes, well…” [Isecke]

  Isecke, who was sweating, leaned in and whispered in his ear. The earl’s smile didn’t fade from his plump face, but his eyes slowly narrowed and a cruel glint surfaced in them.

  “I see. That is a problem.” [Tenneb]

  The earl nodded his head before clapping his hands twice.

  “No matter, even if Bern is gone, I’ve brought people that can replace him.” [Tenneb]

  Upon hearing his confident words, the thin, nervous governor looked behind him. Following them were three uniformed men in their late twenties that all had the same appearance. They were triplets that had blue hair, blue eyes and a grim face.

  “Although three B ranks can’t exactly replace an A rank, I’ve got something quite useful from my ‘new friends’.” [Tenneb]

  The one in the middle was bearded and had in his hands a long object that was wrapped in white cloth.

  “Anyway, for tonight, we dine, drink and forget about our troubles! Then, tomorrow… Bring me that useless assassin that only has his looks going for him.” [Tenneb]

  “It’s good to see you again, Edwin.” [Tenneb]

  “… It is an honor to be in your presence, Earl Tenneb.” [Edwin]

  When Edwin was summoned to the mansion, he was confronted by the earl of all people. It wasn’t exactly a hot day, but inside the office, his back was covered in cold sweat as he stood before his employer’s desk. Besides the two, there were also Governor Isecke and another soldier who stood behind the earl.

  “How’s your sister doing?” [Tenneb]

  “She’s doing fine, my lord.” [Edwin]

  “That’s good to hear.” [Tenneb]

  Tenneb’s smile deepened and he nodded his head.

  “You seem to be doing fine too. When I hired you, you were sixteen. Had just become a man. But, now, you’ve grown splendidly and make me proud. No matter the mission, you always fulfilled it perfectly.” [Tenneb]

  “Thank you for your kind words. I’m hono-.” [Edwin]

  “But…” [Tenneb]

  The fat noble’s voice lowered an octet and his eyes narrowed into slits. He held his chubby hands in front of his mouth.

  “Why haven’t you dealt with our recent problem yet?” [Tenneb]

  Edwin cursed in his mind, but didn’t show his real emotions on his smiling face. It was normal for the earl to know about him not having killed Ryner yet. His loyal dog, Governor Isecke, always reported everything to him.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  “I apologize for taking so much time, but I’m currently working on i-.” [Edwin]

  “We know that you’ve been talking to him outside of Jadistro for the past couple of days.” [Tenneb]

  The handsome, blonde-haired assassin didn’t even have time to give his excuse before Tenneb dropped a bombshell.

  “We’ve had our men keep an eye on that place, so we know that the ‘problem’ always shows up there.” [Tenneb]

  Edwin wondered how they found out. Maybe, after searching around Jadistro and finding nothing, they expanded their net to outside of town and found Ryner? Or, it might be that couple that he had scared off and they reported him at some point.

  “It’s not how much time you need that worries me, but how you’ve been approaching him. Even though he often shows his back to you, you just talk and leave. Edwin, you’re not going to betray us, are you?” [Tenneb]

  Still, it didn’t matter anymore since Edwin was currently in a predicament.

  “No, my lord. It’s just that I need to get close to the problem to-.” [Edwin]

  “Ah, yes, yes. You’re F rank, so you need to carefully resort to sneak attacks to win. We know. That’s why you’ve been left alone. It’s just that this problem managed to beat my captain, you see. He’s really strong, stronger than any problems we’ve had so far. So, I’m worried that you might get weird ideas. Do you understand?” [Tenneb]

  “Yes, Earl Tenneb, but, that, that will never happen. I am eternally grateful to you and will always be at your service.” [Edwin]

  “Ahhh, I guess you’re right. I should trust you more. Just…” [Tenneb]

  Earl Tenneb pulled out a bottle of medicine from his desk’s drawer and lightly shook it as he showed it to Edwin.

  “Don’t take too long or you won’t get paid.” [Tenneb]

  “… Understood. I am sorry for worrying you, and thank you for your generosity.” [Edwin]

  “Nonsense. You’re an important employee. Now, go out there and make me proud, young man. Here, because I’m worried, I’ll give you some help.” [Tenneb]

  Tenneb sent Edwin off with a wide smile and the triplets that accompanied him when he travelled to Jadistro.

  “I do not doubt your decision, my lord, but will it be fine?” [Isecke]

  Isecke asked as he pulled out a silver case of cigars from his breast pocket and offered one to the fat noble.

  “In the five years since we enlisted him, he hasn’t been the most… Loyal dog.” [Isecke]

  “It’s fine. If a dog bites the hand that feeds him, then you simply need to train him. Honestly, it’s entertaining how he keeps struggling for his sister. Besides, we need said sister to keep helping us.” [Tenneb]

  Tenneb showed him the bottle of pills in his hand while holding the cigar in the other.

  “You see, my ‘new friends’ gave me wonderful gifts, and they expect wonderful gifts in return. They want my support, my money, my resources, even my collection! It’s a hard bargain!” [Tenneb]

  Even though complaints left his mouth, he was chuckling as if he was having fun.

  “They wish to have some products of their own?” [Isecke]

  “Correct. Moreover, you just can’t go against them. It’ll shorten your own life. But, if you stay on their good side, you’ll get to see many interesting things. Take this for example.” [Tenneb]

  Tenneb shook the bottle of medicine while smiling joyfully.

  “A drug so powerful that it’ll turn anyone into a mindless puppet, or at least, that’s what they want to create. How’s his sister doing? Moneille, was it?” [Tenneb]

  “Mireille, my lord. And she’s, um, according to reports, bedridden, but otherwise still healthy, except for the seizures that the drug is causing.” [Isecke]

  “Now that’s a darn shame. Five years of ingestion and still not a puppet despite her dependency. We’ll need to send those reports to my ‘new friends’ so they can improve the drug’s effects. It’d go faster if we could test it on a large scale instead of going at it subtly.” [Tenneb]

  The earl lit his cigar and took a deep puff.

  “Now then, let’s get to that auction. I can’t wait to see that latest product.” [Tenneb]

  He said joyfully as he got up to leave, but he then noticed, by pure luck, something stuck on the side of his desk.

  “Is something the matter, Earl Tenneb?” [Isecke]

  It was a small, black disk, barely a centimeter long and one side was adhesive.

  “No, I just found some junk stuck on my desk.” [Tenneb]

  Earl Tenneb threw it away, believing that it was trash.

  Edwin looked behind him. Three blue-haired soldiers with the same face and expression followed him. The one in the middle had a beard and a long object wrapped in cloth. Edwin cursed internally, but it was to be expected since he didn’t report that he found Ryner and didn’t make any attempt to take his life. In short, they were even more suspicious of his loyalty and the triplets were most likely ordered to keep an eye on him.

  As they walked down the streets, they came across the old man manning the fruit stand next to Bertra’s. When he made eye contact with Edwin, he lightly nodded his head. This wasn’t missed by the triplets and they went into action.

  The bearded one unwrapped what he was holding, revealing a silver spear of great craftsmanship. Those who saw it knew that it wasn’t an ordinary weapon. They never looked like ordinary weapons.

  It was an Artifact.

  “Huh?” [Edwin]

  Suddenly, the bearded soldier sprinted towards the old man and stabbed him from the other side of the stand. Screams of terror rose from the townspeople around them as they ran away in panic.

  “NO!” [Edwin]

  Edwin’s mind went blank when he saw the blade pierce the white-haired stand owner’s chest. Without thinking, he ran towards the assailant, but was easily stopped by one of the other soldiers that didn’t move. The punch bore into his stomach and made him fall to the ground, coughing and groaning in pain.

  “Agh… Ah…” [Old man]

  As for the old man, his eyes were wide open and his whole body was trembling. Moreover, no blood flowed from his chest. Instead, a cold air wafted around him as his skin went from pale, to blue and to purple. In seconds, a thin layer of frost covered his skin and soon, he stopped breathing.

  “So this is this Artifact’s power.” [Spear triplet]

  The killer, who was mesmerized for a moment, roughly pulled his spear out, causing the victim’s body to crumble into frozen pieces.

  “You appeared to have known him.” [Spear triplet]

  The bearded soldier emotionlessly said to Edwin who was picking himself off the ground while breathing hard.

  “This was an order from Earl Tenneb. Consider it a warning. Carry out your mission faithfully and we will not hurt anyone you know, such as your little sister.” [Spear triplet]

  When Edwin heard his threat, he felt something break. He saw the old man every time he met Bertra, but rarely spoke to him. They were barely acquaintances. Yet, just by knowing him, he died an unreasonable death.

  He thought he could control the guilt and the anger. After all, for five years, he had assassinated many for his own sake.

  However, the lid on his bottled emotions just popped off.

  Before he knew it, he had a knife in his hand and lunged at the soldier that punched him and was standing right next to him. The sharp blade went straight for the heart, but didn’t pierce the body. In fact, it didn’t even pierce through the clothes.

  Edwin quickly jumped back, but was hit by the blue-haired man who swung his arm down at him.

  “Agh!” [Edwin]

  He crashed into the ground again.

  “We know how you fight, Edwin Tall.” [Spear triplet]

  The spear-wielding man walked up to him.

  “Since you’re E rank, you attack your foes before they can react or use magic. As such…” [Spear triplet]

  He grabbed him by the throat and effortlessly lifted him up in the air with one hand.

  “You can’t win against us magic users in a direct fight.” [Spear triplet]

  As if he was a toy, the soldier easily threw him away. Edwin crashed into the old man’s stand and utterly obliterated it. Fruits and pieces of wood flew everywhere upon the crash.

  “Obediently carry out your mission and no harm will befall Mireille Tall.” [Spear triplet]

  “… Fine.” [Edwin]

  Edwin somehow managed to groan a reply as he lied on the ground. He was reminded why he couldn’t go against the earl, the governor or any soldiers.

  It wasn’t just to get more money and medicine. It would spell his and Mireille’s death if he opposed them.

  He wasn’t strong enough to survive a noble’s wrath and his private army.

  That’s why…

  “*Cough cough* … I’ll eliminate the problem.” [Edwin]

  He made his choice.

  Spoiler: Memory from fragment Demon

  Ryner looked at the little girl that was shaking in front of him. Her eyes were full of tears and she was understandably scared since he was a menacing-looking demon covered in a black scale-like shell. Whimpers escaped her lips and she called for her mother. Although she appeared pitiful, he didn’t have the time to soothe her. That was why, ignoring her pleas and cries, he wrapped his long tail around her waist and lifted her up.

  Walking through the sea of trees, he took her with him as he made his way towards the city. The forest was crawling with demons. Already, a couple of them were peeking from a distance. If he didn’t get to her before they did, she would have turned into their snack. Caught by his tail, the wailing little girl was considered his prey and none of them tried to snatch her from him.

  However, one of the demons, a bipedal with a tall stature and wide frame, hesitated before launching itself towards the child in Ryner's tail with it jaws wide open. Perhaps it did not fear Ryner, or it was merely driven to desperation by hunger. The girl's eyes went wide before she closed them and covered her head with her small arms. But, the blow never arrived. Instead, what she heard was a short sharp cry of pain or alarm.

  Opening her eyes in confusion, she noticed that now she was held by the back of her shirt like a cat. As she dared to peek at her surroundings, she noticed that most of the demons around her were now much further away, trembling as they distanced themselves from Ryner. She did not notice the black mess of flesh behind her that was the unrecognizable corpse of the demon that attacked earlier.

  After a while of walking, when the girl finally stopped crying, Ryner heard multiple voices coming closer. Then, from behind the trees, several armed humans emerged. They saw him, they saw the girl and they got ready for a fight. Ryner, in response to their hostility, moved the girl in front of him like a hostage. As a result, they hesitated to attack and glared at him in frustration and anger.

  From among them, a woman with red hair stepped forward. Carrying a sword in her hand, she cautiously approached the black demon. They stared at each other for a few seconds in silence. The tension was palpable. Then, without warning, Ryner slowly passed the hostage over. His tail stretched out towards the woman with the girl wrapped up in it. For a moment, she stared at him with wide eyes. Still, although she was suspicious, she held out her one free hand and grabbed the girl.

  The moment she was safely passed over, the demon dashed away. Most of the other humans chased after him, leaving behind the red-haired woman who was holding the frightened and whimpering girl.

  Spoiler: Memory from fragment Zombie

  Ryner was negotiating with the leader of a group of survivors. They were an all-female group that took refuge in a hotel and didn’t exactly like men. Still, they allowed him to enter their hideout and were offering him a reward for helping them out.

  Although the hotel was barricaded to keep unwanted guests out, human and infected alike, it wasn’t completely safe. Undead roamed several floors and all they could do was blocked the passages. The noises they made at night, coupled with the monsters that hunted in the dark, terrified the children and the adults.

  Their leader asked Ryner to clear out those areas for them in exchange for supplies. He accepted, but asked not for supplies, but for her to sleep with him.

  She snapped, pulled out a gun and threatened to kill him. The other women in the room glared daggers at him and were also ready to shoot him dead.

  Ryner shrugged his shoulders, aloof even with several guns pointed at him. He told them that he didn’t mean it, that it was a test. Then, he picked up his bag and headed for the door. The leader asked him if he would accept their request for supplies, but he refused. He didn’t want to work with people that would kill him in a heartbeat because of his gender, regardless of their circumstances.

  The leader clicked her tongue and apologized. So, Ryner accepted to help them, but said that she really had to sleep with him now.

  His demand stirred up a commotion, but she grudgingly accepted in the end.

  Afterwards, they gave him an electronic watch and an earpiece before he went off to kill all of their vermin.