The guards rushed to the wealthy merchant’s residence after nearby residents reported an attack.
“…What is this.”
“Horrible.”
The residents of the mansion, the thugs hired as guards.
Their carotid arteries were nearly severed. They lay dead, bleeding profusely, unable to breathe, their corpses scattered across the garden and pathways.
The attackers were skilled.
“I’ve been gathering information.”
A guard reported back after investigating the number and characteristics of the attackers based on witness accounts.
“Two people, and they did this…”
“Wait!? Those characteristics… are you sure you’re not mistaken… Is there a possibility of that?”
“What’s wrong? Did you find out who the attackers were?”
“Ah, no… well…”
The captain couldn’t pinpoint anything from the description, but the vice-captain seemed to recall something.
“It could be a lead in the investigation. Even a possibility is better than nothing. Who did you think the culprit was?”
“Ah… uh, ah…”
Pressured by the captain, the vice-captain desperately tried to think of an answer.
It seemed the vice-captain had some connection with the “Saintess of Clairvoyance.”
*Fwooosh.*
*BOOM♪*
“？ A fireworks display?”
“♪ …!”
“Oh? Where did they go? I’ll definitely ask later.”
The moment their attention was diverted by the fireworks illuminating the night sky, the vice-captain fled the scene at full speed.
“Haa, haa, if I get this far… I should be safe for now…”
Tourists were heading to the main street to watch the fireworks.
Subordinates were guarding the surroundings.
“Vice-captain? Why are you here? Weren’t you at the site of the attack?”
The chief of security approached, questioning.
“Leave the (incident scene) to the captain, it’ll be fine.”
“Hmm… I see.”
In the guardhouse, he recalled the moment he left.
“An attack incident? I’ll make it my achievement ♪ Alright, let’s solve this case quickly ♪!”
The vice-captain had indeed prioritized the incident scene. Yet, he went there and came here.
“Just go back to your post already!?”
He had no choice but to obey his superior’s order.
If the security was not problematic, then it was fine.
The chief of security replied, “Understood,” and returned to his post.
Meanwhile, the captain had made further progress.
“The ‘King of Pirates,’ you say?”
“Yes, we found a room with a skull flag displayed. We also found a cargo manifest from a merchant ship. Interrogating the survivor, they claimed to be subordinates of the ‘King of Pirates’.”
A moniker.
One of the world’s strongest.
“We need reinforcements from all guard posts. This incident is big.”
“Yes.”
With a sense of justice, the captain knew that if the world’s strongest were involved, the current number of personnel was dangerous. He ordered his subordinates to request all guard posts in the port town to send reinforcements, including those off-duty or on leave, and proceeded to the room that had been discovered in the basement.
“What’s beyond the underground passage?”
“Yes, it led to the docks.”
They had their own ship.
This wasn’t someone posing as one of the world’s strongest. They were the real deal… unlike how much better it would have been if they were fake…
Looking at the size of the docks and the pile of wooden crates, the captain realized the ‘King of Pirates’ was genuine, or at least, their dangerousness was equivalent to someone of a very strong bloodline. He instructed his subordinates to strictly guard the surroundings, tightening their resolve.
*BOOM♪*
*Ooooo♪♪*
Above ground, the joyful cheers of the fireworks spectators.
Down below, in the basement, they were conducting a raid.
“Why did the culprits attack?”
Was it because the merchant ship’s cargo was sunk?
Or did they know someone among the crew?
From one of the basement rooms, a cargo manifest emerged, showing a list of pirate-victimized goods that they hadn’t accounted for. Documents detailing the sale of the stolen cargo on the black market were also found.
“This is a big one.”
They had to resolve this to ensure the peace of this port town, capturing the ‘King of Pirates’ and their attackers who had escaped by sea.
Even if the damage was more than they could handle, they would absolutely see it through.
The captain’s sense of mission burned brightly.
A rocky area far from the port town.
The “Saintess of Clairvoyance” and her escort had come to xác nhận the true identity of Rayos, who possessed a large amount of magic power.
“…Do you notice? At this distance.”
Perhaps it was his large magic power.
The “Saintess of Clairvoyance,” also known as the “Memory of Despair”… as “World’s Eye,” a high-ranking executive of an evil organization, she made her affiliation clear.
If they were subordinates of other executives, she would hold them responsible for kidnapping her escort.
If they belonged to no one, she would subdue them and make them her subordinates.
“Nun ♪♪”
“Everyone: ‘Another woman.'”
“Grrr”
Rayos and his group appeared.
“Where is my escort? ♪?”
“…………”
“World’s Eye” did not draw her weapon and casually questioned Rayos and his group. The escort, though not voicing it, had a fierce look in their eyes, wondering if their colleagues were safe.
“Escort, you say? Ah, you mean the one who was tailing them, right? ♪”
Rayos’s retort was feigned. He explained that she was sleeping, wrapped in a blanket, deep within the cave ahead.
“Grrr” “Hmph”
“Gaze”
Shifuru, Tarune, and the Rock Lizard faced “World’s Eye” and her group with hostility. They wanted to monopolize their beloved person. They didn’t want their own place to be taken away, or the amount of attention they received to decrease. This hostility was to prevent that.
“Are they okay? Little nun? ♪”
“Heh, I’m not that young enough to be called ‘little,’ you know? ♪”
Rayos and “World’s Eye.”
They conversed in a friendly atmosphere, but both carefully observed each other’s movements.
Rayos, upon bringing the tailer back, saw two beautiful women in nun cosplay. He thought, “I won’t let them escape.” His eyes were predatory.
“World’s Eye” could perceive every action of his, but combat against an opponent with such a large amount of magic power was rare. If he resorted to brute force, she wouldn’t have time to evade. She wanted to break his spirit decisively with as few moves as possible. If she could make him her pawn, she could use him to expand her sphere of influence.
*Crackling.*
Each of them tried to gauge when the other would make a move.
In the port town, continuous fireworks painted the night sky.
“…Glance.”
“…!”
Rayos moved first. He leaped, kicked off the rocky ground, and continuously moved at high speed around “World’s Eye” and her group.
“Not only magic power, but their physical abilities are also high.”
“This means I’ll have to take some hits,” she muttered, preparing to face Rayos’s attack. The escort guarded their rear.
Shifuru and the others remained stationary. It seemed they were preventing Rayos from reaching the captured escort.
*Tap! Tap-tap!*
*Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap!!!*
Rayos moved like a rubber ball bouncing on the rocky terrain. He accelerated. It was so fast that it was difficult to catch with the naked eye, creating an illusion that he was even leaving sound behind.
“”,””
“I’m… going… now…”
He announced his attack, deliberately warning them. Was it a trap?
“”,”” “〈Future Sight〉” “Sharrrrr ♪”
They activated the “Future Sight” skill, predicting Rayos’s attack location and preparing a counter.
“Guh?!?”
“”,”” “!!”
Rayos was hit by the counter and knelt on the ground. Shifuru and the others tried to rush to his side, but Rayos stopped them with a gesture.
“You’re… strong ♪ Guh.”
He was severely injured. If he didn’t receive treatment, he would die.
“Become my subordinate.”
“…………”
“World’s Eye” saw things going well and offered to treat Rayos’s wounds if he became her subordinate. When she attempted to use healing magic, she signaled to the escort with her eyes to attack. “World’s Eye” and her group were not careless. They simply didn’t know the man named Rayos.
“Possession”
*Grrrrooaar.*
“!!”
Suddenly, a nearby boulder moved. Moreover, it was about to crush them.
“We’re withdrawing.”
“Yes.”
*CRASH!*
They retreated.
“Possession”
Rayos used all the boulders in the area to corner “World’s Eye” and her group.
“Damn it!”
“Guh—Kyah!”
“World’s Eye” was separated from her escort.
“With a sword… it’s no use. I couldn’t sense any magic activation, yet…”
“Little nun ♪”
As “World’s Eye” tried to sort out the situation, Rayos called out to her from atop a boulder. His injuries were completely healed. Only his clothes were painfully torn, and blood seeped through.
“What did you do!?”
“Fwoooh ♪ You’re raising your voice… ♪ My older brother is kind. If you become my woman, I can be even kinder to you ♪”
The tables had turned.
Seeing that Rayos wasn’t approaching, she realized close-quarters combat was not an option.
She couldn’t fire magic spells either, as she had used them to create barriers when being crushed by the boulders.
Even with future sight, she was trapped here. “World’s Eye,” her voice loud enough for the escort, who were still trying to break out of the boulder enclosure, to hear, declared that she would become Rayos’s woman.
“N-No—”
The escort fell to their knees, disbelieving. They covered their heads with both hands, chanting dispelling magic, believing this was some kind of illusionary magic.
“〈Dispel〉〈Dispel〉〈Dispel〉——! This is an illusion… absolutely fabricated… 〈Dispel〉〈Dispel〉——.”
