Shane couldn’t suppress a sneer as he looked down at the banquet hall on the first floor which was descending further into chaos.
All of this was happening because of a single ledger, because of one person’s death. How much more damage would there be?
The newly arrived wild dogs were showing the level of skill expected of those personally trained by Samuel.
White Flame was the most selfish ability in modern human society.
It scattered the opponent’s magical power on contact, while the user wielded one of humanity’s most formidable weapons, aura.
It was the epitome of unfairness, and there was a reason it was known as the reaper to mages.
Shane looked at them and made his own assessment.
Wild dogs had existed in his previous life too, but the reason the Crown Prince had fallen back then was because of the iron-blooded justice Anais. Not because of the organization.
So, for Shane who hadn’t known the wild dogs’ exact fighting power, this battle was a good opportunity to gauge their strength.
The overall fighting power is inferior to that of the Knights of Judgement.
The wild dogs’ fighting style was like that of beasts.
Whether these creatures possessed self-awareness was unknown, but each of them had eyes filled with thick killing intent.
Perhaps in time, things might change, but at the present moment, they were definitely lacking when compared to the Knights of Judgment.
Still, considering the deceptive power of the White Flame aura and the fact that they could be relatively mass-produced, Samuel had undoubtedly assigned them a high value.
In Shane’s view, they were certainly worth using.
However, the pure combat strength of the Knights of Judgment didn’t impress Shane in the first place, so these creatures were only on that level at best.
As Shane continued to observe the unfolding battlefield, he couldn’t help but let out a mocking laugh.
Did those creatures even realize?
The battlefield they were in was no different from a spider’s web they could never escape from.
The more they struggled, the tighter the web would strangle their necks.
How could he not laugh?
Shane’s sneer only deepened.
Meanwhile, there was someone who couldn’t find anything funny in this situation.
It was Elliot of the Goldmine Family.
***
How did things end up like this?
Elliot, who had won the bid, was supposed to take the transaction ledger back to his master but he couldn’t find an opportunity to do so.
The ledger he was after was right in the middle of the battlefield, and it was secured inside a special case that the dog butcher had prepared. This made it nearly impossible to steal without anyone noticing.
Are those really the Crown Prince’s wild dogs?’
The sudden involvement of the wild dogs only made Elliot’s situation more complicated.
Anti-magic waves.
That power, which disrupted the flow of magical power just by existing, was supposed to be a unique privilege of the Knights of Judgment, so why were these creatures using it?
Things were unfolding in ways that defied common sense.
Boom—!
At that moment, another explosion erupted.
It was the same noise that had been echoing from the direction of the corridor earlier, but now the entire castle began to shake, causing some nobles to scream.
The chandelier hanging from the ceiling swayed before crashing to the floor and sending shards flying in all directions. This was followed by another explosion.
“What are the guards outside doing?!”
Even though intruders had infiltrated the interior, there should have been forces guarding the exterior. Yet the sound of explosions continued without stopping.
The Four Families were guarding it together, so the lack of manpower didn’t make sense.
It was unbelievable.
Not to mention, such a large-scale attack was coming in.
There was no reason that explosives or magic powerful enough to cause such explosions wouldn’t have been detected by the intelligence network, and yet, in this situation…
No way.
Just before such unpleasant thoughts came to mind, Elliot’s vision was blocked by another huge explosion and the ceiling began to collapse.
***
“Cough!”
Elliot, who survived in the dust-filled pit, quickly regained his senses.
It was fortunate if it could be called that.
The explosion focused only on bringing down the banquet hall, and its lethality wasn’t particularly high.
“Ugh…”
“Shit, what the hell is going on…?”
Furthermore, wasn’t this place full of VIPs who could reach the fourth floor of the underground city?
Of course, to say it was as crowded as sand would be an exaggeration, but at least everyone here had enough wealth to protect themselves.
Each of them had either defensive magic enchantment scrolls to protect themselves or the skills to escape the explosion safely.
The auctioneer is going to have a rough time.
Of course, that didn’t mean the guests wouldn’t be furious.
After all, they had been treated as VIPs, only for this to happen.
It was clear that the auctioneer would be struggling for a while.
This isn’t the time for this.
Elliot quickly regained his composure and remembered his original goal.
Count Salier’s transaction ledger.
He instinctively turned his gaze to where the ledger had been, and combat was still raging in that area.
“Those monster-like bastards…”
The guards, thanks to the pill effects and equipment provided by the Four Families, didn’t seem to have suffered major damage.
Those who had been injured earlier couldn’t escape death, but those still standing were continuing to fight, even in this situation.
The rabbit gentleman also appeared unharmed.
Not only was he unharmed, but his clean suit was spotless. There wasn’t a speck of dust on him.
In contrast, the wild dogs seemed to have sustained quite a few injuries.
White Flame was nearly invincible against opponents using magical power, but against other physical forces, it was rather ordinary.
It seemed they couldn’t completely avoid the falling debris from the collapsing ceiling as there were several dead wild dogs crushed under the rubble.
At least that’s some relief…
Moreover, the rabbits still trapped under the rubble seemed to need time to recover their bodies. They couldn’t free themselves yet.
The rabbit gentleman who was left alone was also not as wild as before, as his footing was unstable.
In contrast, the guards were still conserving their strength, making it an ideal moment to retrieve the item.
First, the ledger…
Recalling his past as an assassin, Elliot suppressed his presence and moved stealthily towards the direction of the ledger.
Just a little closer… right now!
The moment he darted toward the ledger, a hand shot out from the rubble beneath his path to block his advance.
“What —!”
“You’ll cause trouble if you skip the line.”
“You!”
The figure emerging from the debris was someone Elliot knew well.
“Number One, how dare you stand in my way?”
“What’s daring about it? We’re both after the same target, after all. Hmph.”
Number One. Miss Sue’s subordinate.
Before the rabbit gentleman barged in, Miss Sue’s subordinate was the one who had competed with Elliot until the very end at the auction house.
“Are you planning to betray the dog butcher?”
“What’s there to call betrayal in this business? It’s a world where people would sell their own children at the market.”
“You bastards…”
“Save that talk for the wild dogs over there. Anyway, I’ll be taking this.”
With that, Number One casually walked towards the ledger.
“Over my dead body!”
The enraged Elliot charged forward. He was gripping a portable lighter in each hand.
Though it looked like an ordinary lighter on the outside, it was, in fact, a magical tool. As soon as Elliot infused it with magical power, it quickly transformed into gauntlets that wrapped around his fists.
But Elliot couldn’t get close to Number One.
“Captain of the Guards! Don’t tell me you too?”
“Well, it’s come to this.”
Some of the guards rushed at Elliot.
Among them, the Captain of the Guards was not an opponent Elliot could easily defeat, so he took a few steps back.
“You bastard … do you really think you’ll survive after pulling this?”
“What can we do? We’re in a two-against-one situation here.”
“…Two?”
Only then did Elliot grasp the situation.
“So the rat and the whore have teamed up.”
“As expected, your sense is sharp as ever.”
Number One who was casually flipping through the ledger behind him smirked and continued.
“Well, even so, our side’s got the upper hand, don’t you think? Isn’t it better to be the head of a snake than the tail of a dragon? Better than losers huddling together like on your side.”
Losers. Lesser than even the tail of a dragon.
This was referring to the goldmine, Eldorat.
But if they’re the tail of a snake… then this explosion must also be their doing.
Considering how they managed to evade the extensive search by the guards and partially collapse both the banquet hall and the dog butcher’s castle, it was entirely possible.
“Anyway, since things turned out this way, I’ll be taking this. More pests will be swarming in soon.”
“Do you think I’ll let you just take it?”
Even though Elliot couldn’t handle both of them alone, he could still buy some time.
Besides, didn’t they have something to protect?
The fact that they hadn’t destroyed it yet meant they needed it too.
“What a nuisance, really.”
At that moment, Number One raised his long knife, and the captain of the guards also gripped his weapon before he raised his aura.
Something shadowy and black fell from the sky.
“Roses…?”
They were petals of a black rose.
Hundreds of those petals were falling from the sky.
“What is this…?”
One of the guards under the captain touched one of the petals out of curiosity.
In that moment—
“Huh.”
Could it have been more than just a simple petal?
The guard who cut his finger on the petal’s edge quickly withdrew his hand from the sharp sting.
“What…?”
The guard’s legs gave out as if he was suddenly drained of strength, and he collapsed, then started convulsing violently.
“Argh, ughhh!”
With a scream, a black flower began to bloom from the tips of the fallen guard’s fingers.
“What is happening…?”
Before he could finish mumbling, a voice echoed in Elliot’s mind.
[If you don’t want to die, protect yourself.]
“…….?!”
Elliot was startled and instinctively raised his magic to shield himself.
However, the others were slow to notice the danger of the petals, and their delayed reaction came at a terrible cost.
“Aah, aaahhh!!”
“What the hell is this… ughhh!”
“…?! …!!”
“Kkieeeek!”
Screams erupted from all directions.
Guards, wild dogs, even the grotesque rabbits.
The moment they touched the petals, they were cut, and black flowers began to bloom all over their bodies.
Thanks to reacting quickly to Elliot’s protective move, Number One and the captain of the guards managed to brace themselves and avoid the disaster, but most were not so fortunate.
And then—
“Who are you!!”
Number One shouted at the figures emerging from between the collapsed buildings.
Step, step—
The sound of leisurely footsteps echoed as if they were out for a stroll.
Rustle—
Soundless footsteps echoed from all directions, surrounding them.
Figures dressed in black clothing, with their faces hidden behind plain black masks.
However, the pointed ears of dark skin peeking out from beneath the masks hinted at their race.
“Dark Elves…?”
Following the appearance of the Dark Elves—
“At least your eyes are sharp.”
Shane who was wearing a plain white mask emerged from behind a building.
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