# chapter 67
—
Jeannie thought to herself.
*‘Am I still half-asleep?’*
Since being captured and brought here, there had been very few days where she was truly awake.
She was always clouded by some drug, and today was no different.
And in that state, under the dazzling lights—
A man with a faint, indistinct impression was smiling.
A man whose face, though it had been only a small connection, had left an impression stronger than anyone else.
That was why Jeannie could not believe it.
*‘Why is that man here? No… this must be a dream.’*
Just as she was about to close her eyes, thinking so—
The collar around her neck was cut apart.
The iron bars that had bound her freedom split in half.
Her eyes, which had been about to shut, opened wide at that anomaly.
“You said you were off chasing dreams, so why are you here like this? Did you buy the house yet?”
At the question, her fading mind returned.
“Really now, you should’ve been more careful. You know how many scams there are these days.”
Jeannie trembled at her lips as she asked,
“Donn… is that you?”
The man smiled and replied,
“Yes, it’s me. Long time no see, Jeannie.”
“….”
“But wait, you’re an elf? Your ears are pointed… huh? They’re even pointier than before?”
Jeannie could not say anything in return.
Arthur, watching her, stroked his chin.
*‘So she was drugged.’*
Unfocused pupils, a slackened mouth.
And above all, tears streaming endlessly from her eyes—she was clearly not in her right state.
Having realized this much, Arthur called upon Undine.
“…!”
With a gasp, the faint traces of drugs lingering inside Jeannie vanished.
Arthur draped the cloak from his shoulder around her and said,
“Wait here for a moment.”
With those words, he turned his gaze toward the audience seats.
“Hm….”
Trailing off, Arthur lifted the corner of his lips ever so slightly.
*‘Dangerous. Five swordsmen at the level of 5th Circle knights. There are mages, and even snipers like Jeannie aiming at me….’*
But he didn’t particularly regret it.
After all, he had accomplished his goal of killing Hamburg.
It was a shame he couldn’t make him die more painfully, but even if he had more time, Arthur wasn’t the type to enjoy torture anyway, so it hardly mattered.
Having thought this far, Arthur drew his blade and muttered,
“Well then… shall we make our escape?”
—
—
A heavy silence fell over the auction hall.
Shock and fear.
And amidst the storm of emotions, someone muttered,
“Hamburg… is dead?”
At those words, screams erupted.
“Wh-what the hell is that lunatic?!”
“Who is he?! Who the hell is that bastard?!”
“Don’t tell me he’s Imperial police?! Who the hell kills Hamburg like that?!”
In the rising chaos, the audience scrambled to flee the auction house.
Even the guards who were supposed to protect them retreated as well, and Arthur, watching this, nodded.
*‘Not bad. If they clear out, things get easier.’*
At that moment, gunfire rang out.
Arthur, as if waiting for it, invoked the gnome’s ability.
Kukukuku—!
Walls surged upward, blocking the torrent of bullets.
Glancing over, Arthur saw dozens of clown-masked men aiming guns at him.
*‘So those are Hamburg’s loyal combat gang members….’*
At the same time, Arthur loaded the *Beast*.
He cleverly left a gap in the wall, slipped his gun through the slit, and—
Kwaaang—!
The thunderous roar echoed through the hall like a cannon blast.
In that instant, the bodies of the clown-masked men compressed and collapsed.
“…!”
Just like Hamburg, they turned into black beads and rolled onto the floor.
Arthur let out an exclamation as he watched.
“Wow… what’s with this gun?”
Not only was its ability astonishing, but the firing range in his mind could be adjusted freely.
It was far beyond what the gun shop owner had explained.
“Well, you pass. With that in mind, I’d like us to be together for a while….”
As if responding to his words, the *Beast* gave off a faint vibration.
“Huh? You can understand me?”
“….”
“No? Just my imagination?”
Arthur tilted his head and shook the *Beast*, but this time it gave no response.
He chuckled faintly, stroking his chin.
“Come on. A gun understanding human speech? Ridiculous.”
“….”
“Right, Beast?”
To the question, the *Beast* remained silent.
Clicking his tongue, Arthur wrapped an arm around Jeannie’s waist.
“Eh?”
With Jeannie’s startled gasp, Arthur leapt.
In a single bound, he landed in front of Leon, flashing a cheerful smile.
“Now then, let’s escape, Leon.”
“….”
“We’ve killed the target, and it looks too dangerous to stay.”
Leon, who had been dumbfounded, finally came to his senses.
“Y-you?”
“Yes?”
“Did you… think this through before acting?”
“Think?”
“You mean… you *planned* Hamburg’s death?”
Arthur nodded proudly.
“Of course. I killed him with full intent.”
“….”
“But explaining here isn’t the best idea. Why don’t we escape first?”
Leon blinked.
“Why are you telling me about escaping?”
“You have that ability, don’t you? The one like teleportation.”
“…You planned to get out using *that*?”
“Huh? You mean it won’t work?”
Leon muttered in shock,
“My god… why burden me with such trials….”
He sighed, then closed his eyes.
Fwaaash—!
A burst of light enveloped Arthur and Jeannie, and when they opened their eyes again, they were back in the room they’d stayed in before heading to the auction.
Jeannie gaped in surprise at the sudden change, while Arthur muttered,
*‘So it can’t move directly to any place he wants. Looks like the distance is limited.’*
As he thought this and turned, he was startled—
Leon’s complexion was ghastly pale.
“You all right, Leon?”
“…Feels like death, but I’ll live.”
Arthur tilted his head.
“Blood’s running from your eyes, and you call that fine?”
“It’s just side effects. With time, it’ll pass.”
Arthur stroked his chin.
*‘So he has an incredible power, but it carries side effects….’*
As he tucked away this new discovery, Leon wiped the blood from his eyes and asked,
“Now then… explain. Why kill Hamburg, and what’s with this elf girl?”
Arthur snapped his fingers.
“Which do you want first?”
“…Let’s start with the elf girl.”
“She was a comrade. Back when I worked as a mercenary.”
Leon frowned.
“You had ties? From mercenary work?”
“Yes. Though back then, I didn’t know she was an elf.”
“…So you killed Hamburg to save your old comrade?”
“No?”
“…?”
“Why would I do something so foolish?”
Leon blinked.
Jeannie too was stunned silent.
“Th-then?”
“Rescuing Miss Jeannie was incidental since she happened to be here. Hamburg’s death was for another reason.”
“…And that reason?”
Arthur’s lips curled into a sly grin.
“Because if I didn’t kill him now, I might never get another chance.”
“….”
“The troops stationed here, the size of the district—if I only focused on escaping, the assassination could’ve failed. So I thought, why not strike first?”
Leon muttered with a bitter face,
“So that’s why you opened fire right in the middle of enemy territory?”
“In the end, yes.”
“Wasn’t it just you losing patience?”
“No. It was striking when a clear chance appeared.”
Arthur’s confident reply left Leon racking his brain.
*‘…Doesn’t make sense, but in a way, it kind of does.’*
Even Leon had thought assassinating Hamburg would be no easy task, given his guards and the absurdly strong bodyguards protecting the mysterious auction attendees.
*‘Even if we succeeded, if they joined the chase, escape would’ve been impossible.’*
But Arthur, killing Hamburg openly, had thrown everything into chaos.
If even his own ally was shocked, others would have been utterly rattled.
And in that chaos, escape was far more likely.
*‘Could it be… he killed Hamburg suddenly with that in mind?’*
Leon’s brow furrowed.
“…No, impossible. He just killed him.”
“What was that?”
Leon didn’t answer.
Instead, he pulled out a map and spread it across the desk.
“What’s this?”
“A map of inside District D-52.”
“Oh…? Where’d you get this?”
“Stole it, of course. Marshal passed it to me.”
Pointing at the front gate, Leon explained,
“Escape would mean passing through this gate. But it’s probably blocked.”
“….”
“So realistically, it’s either the sewers or a small passageway.”
Arthur asked,
“Can’t you use your ability again?”
“If it’s not marked, I can’t. The only place marked right now is this room.”
“Hm… so we’ll have to walk or break through.”
“Exactly. But realistically, that won’t be easy.”
Leon tapped his fingers.
“They’ll know we’d head that way. Troops will already be waiting. So we need a distraction.”
“A distraction?”
“Time to secure a route of retreat. In other words… we need a feint.”
Arthur let out an impressed sound.
“So one side causes a ruckus to draw attention, while the other finds the escape route?”
“Right. If we’re caught front and back while in some sewer, it’s over.”
Arthur stroked his chin.
*‘Couldn’t he just use hypnosis?’*
The illusions Leon had shown before were top-class.
With that, no matter how many came, escaping would be easy.
*‘So if he’s not using it now… must mean there are special conditions.’*
Arthur nodded to himself.
It was only natural such a powerful skill couldn’t be used freely.
Meanwhile, Leon closed his eyes.
“…Marshal’s found a decent escape path. But troops are already heading there.”
“So we don’t have time.”
“Exactly. We need to move now. Hamburg’s men will soon be here too.”
Arthur stood.
“I’ll handle the distraction.”
“Confident?”
“Anyone else volunteering?”
Leon shook his head.
“You’re better suited than me, true. But you’ll need a way out.”
“Don’t worry about that. Let’s meet at this passage.”
Arthur then turned toward Jeannie.
Jeannie, who had been silently watching the prince and Arthur talk, flinched under his gaze.
“Miss Jeannie, go with him.”
“….”
“See you later, then.”
Her lips parted, but no words came.
Instead, Leon spoke.
“…Make a ruckus and then regroup.”
Arthur didn’t reply.
He simply leapt onto the window sill and invoked the gnome’s ability.
Tap, tap, tap—!
Using invisible footholds in the air, he scaled to the rooftops and surveyed District D-52.
“An intruder—!!! An intruder!!!”
“Some lunatic murdered the auction master!”
“Don’t let him escape! Catch him alive!”
The streets were filled with screams and panic.
Arthur, calmly watching, twirled the *Beast* in his hand and muttered,
“Hm… what would draw enough attention?”
The best way was to cause an accident impossible to ignore.
But nothing fitting came to mind.
Simply blasting buildings with the *Beast* would only give them an excuse to surround him.
*‘Something like a boom… an explosion that shakes the whole district would be perfect.’*
As he thought and looked around, Arthur froze slightly.
“Oh…?”
The mana power plant that ran on magic stones.
An energy device containing nearly a ton of magic stones was releasing enticing plumes of smoke.
—
