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As the sun sets and the sky darkens, it’s time for all creatures to return to their shelters.

But this was not the case here.

With each passing moment, more and more people continued to flock together, many showing signs of having money in their pockets.

They gathered as if making some kind of appointment, one after another, and entered the building in front of them.

“Even though it’s the first purification operation, you don’t seem particularly tense, do you?”

The leader asked, smiling at my perpetually calm demeanor.

“Well, it’s just how it is. Where’s the point in sending a top-level operative for the first task?”

I replied.

“I don’t know… I think it’s an excellent stage to test your skills. After all, I’m the leader of the Mist. I’m not foolish enough to send members on missions with no chance of success.”

The leader raised her thumb, indicating that everything was fine.

This place was Brenu, a southern city in the Ushif Empire.

We were here to assassinate Zikermann Albas, an unscrupulous merchant operating a slave market for the empire.

There were five of us dispatched for the mission, including me and the leader, Silica.

It was a smaller team than expected for a task of this caliber.

Naturally, assassinations should proceed quietly.

They should be carried out in the most inconspicuous and discreet manner possible, ensuring no one knows.

But what was this?

Assassinating someone who was the center of attention in such a bustling place?

We weren’t a terrorist organization, nor had we officially declared our name yet.

Honestly, it was an unusual mission, not quite in line with what the Mist usually did.

As if reading my thoughts, the leader smiled and said.

“In fact, besides Zikermann Albas’ assassination, there’s something else we need to investigate during today’s cleansing operation.”

“What is it?”

“According to the operatives’ information, there’s supposed to be an auction here today, under Zikermann’s leadership. Given his history with the slave market, it’s likely related to human trafficking.”

I nodded, understanding.

“However, this auction seems different from the usual. Rumor has it that the information hasn’t leaked to the empire officials to ensure secrecy.”

Was it something brought from another world like a hero or something?

“So, is the goal to steal the item?”

“Not exactly. But we need to find out what the item is. At least, it’s worth checking out if Aeru mentioned it specifically. If Aeru said it’s special, then there’s likely something extraordinary about it.”

Hmm, if that wretched Aeru mentioned it, it must be significant indeed.

If Aeru, with his enigmatic nature, specifically mentioned it, then the target must be hiding something very peculiar.

[……]

Unusually, Kaeram seemed very quiet.

She gazed intensely at the building’s interior, as if drawn by something.

“Why? Do you sense something?”

[Hmm… it’s hard to describe, but there’s a very complex energy. It’s like two familiar energies merging to create a completely new one. Anyway, it’s a very alien energy. Whether you know it or not, the target seems to be hiding something very strange.]

I could see her perplexed thoughts in her furrowed brow.

At this point, I felt like I should muster some interest in what was happening.

Was there something wrong with me for feeling nothing?

Following the leader’s instructions, we swiftly infiltrated the building.

* * *

The lavish party venue reminiscent of a noble’s gathering was decked out as a formal social gathering hosted by the Imperial Merchant Guild.

However, it was merely a facade for a covert event.

Probably not everyone in that crowd was there for the auction.

If even the empire’s officials overseeing the affair weren’t informed, then the information was likely circulated among top-tier clients.

The four operatives, including Lady Silica, disguised themselves as party attendees and infiltrated the gathering.

With my petite frame, I couldn’t pull off being an adult, so I stayed by the railing, observing the situation.

Currently, Zikermann Albas, our target, was nowhere to be seen.

We’d reveal ourselves once the auction started, but so far, there were no signs of activity.

Suddenly, I locked eyes with the leader across the party hall.

In that brief moment, her eyes conveyed a message: I was to explore beneath the venue.

She sensed something down there.

Assassinating Zikermann wasn’t particularly difficult.

We hadn’t officially announced our intention to kill him, nor had he taken any special precautions.

But without locating him, our mission was meaningless.

Leaving the party hall, I found the building smaller than expected.

Beyond the crowded reception area, there was little space.

It seemed rather crude for a slave auction to be held here.

There were two possibilities: either the auction was elsewhere, or there were hidden spaces.

If the latter, those hidden spaces were likely right under my feet.

I had no visible stairs to descend, so I resorted to using my abilities.

“Shadow Shift: Spatial Transference.”

As mist enveloped me, I effortlessly descended into the darkness below. Landing softly, the mist dissipated, leaving me in utter darkness.

Activating my mana, I invoked “Shadow Adaption.”

When I reopened my eyes, the darkness receded, and my surroundings became clear.

Silent, deserted underground chambers greeted me.

Rusty iron bars and large canvas tents sporadically dotted the space, resembling cages for animals.

I lifted a tent flap nearby.

Inside lay loosely scattered shackles, emitting faint warmth, indicating recent occupancy.

Perhaps just a few hours ago, someone was here.

I checked another area cautiously.

As I lifted the tent flap, a pungent odor assailed my senses—corpses, decaying for quite some time.

The nauseating stench hit me hard, and I immediately shifted my focus elsewhere.

There’s nothing more to see here.

This place is a prison for holding slaves.

They’ve probably been moved elsewhere for the auction.

As for the corpses, it seems they were left there, their value diminished in the eyes of their captors.

Perhaps it’s been so long since I’ve felt this way, but… these emotions, I thought I’d grown numb to them.

[Your face betrays a myriad of emotions.]

Kaeram remarked, sensing my turmoil.

“I still have a long way to go,” I replied, intent on focusing on the task at hand.

Clang!

Just as I was about to move, the sudden sound of metal opening made me hastily conceal myself.

Creak…

A slender woman with long hair laboriously crawled out from the darkness, one foot restrained by heavy shackles.

Somehow, she managed to unlock the prison and escape.

“Oh… Oh…”

Even at first glance, it was evident she was in dire straits.

She couldn’t even muster a voice, only whimpering in agony.

If she remained in this condition, she wouldn’t last long.

“My… my child…”

Child?

The whimper was barely audible, but it was unmistakable.

A mother’s desperate plea to reach out to her child.

Like a whispering ghost in a eerie space, it echoed.

-Thunk!

In an instant, along with a fierce sound, a beam of light seeped from one side of the space.

The woman, struggling to stand, as if she had found a path to salvation, moved towards it.

Certainly, the beings appearing within that beam of light wouldn’t be the ones to save her.

“What… What’s happening?”

“Get her!”

Without hesitation, a group of men emerged from the light, running madly to seize her.

“Argh!”

Those men mercilessly twisted her arm, which already had no strength left.

Tears of pain streamed from her eyes.

“How the hell did she escape?”

“Does it matter now? Zikermann is about to arrive!”

“After all, we’re not going to put this woman up for sale as merchandise. Just dispose of her now!”

They threw her back into the cell and, without a word, grabbed the club tucked at their waist.

Dispose of her…

Anyone listening would think they were disposing of trash. Indeed, there was no shortage of derogatory words for people.

Perhaps what I’m doing now is just disposing of those who can’t be of use like you humans.

-Swish

As I steeled my heart, I pulled out Kaeram.

With each step I took, the distance shrank,

With two strides, I was at the bars,

With three, I was close enough to hear their heartbeats.

Three steps taken within a second.

As they sensed something was amiss and turned back,

-Crack

I severed the leader’s throat.

“Heii…!”

Not even a chance for a scream.

In the frenzy within the bars, five severed heads thudded to the ground.

“W-Who…?”

As she slowly lifted her head and our eyes met, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Ridiculous…

Swollen eyes, crushed nose, shattered teeth.

It was ironic… swollen eyes, a battered nose, shattered teeth — such a pitiful sight, yet it was all too familiar to me.

Every piece of trash that had passed through my hands ended up like this.

“My child… My child…”

Even in the midst of this, her call to find her child continued.

Well, I had prolonged her life for now, but even that seemed unlikely to last long.

With her external appearance like this, one could only imagine the internal state.

She must have contracted several incurable diseases by now.

Even if she were to breathe her last breath right now, it wouldn’t be surprising.

-Thud, thud

As I met her eyes, a wry smile involuntarily crossed my lips.

Amidst the light beam, footsteps were heard once again, this time, not a crowd but a single person.

Judging by the simple steps, he didn’t seem particularly threatening.

“Oh…”

Sensing another presence, the woman rose again.

[Did you leave a gold nugget with the child?]

It was such an overwhelming obsession that even Kaeram stuck her tongue out.

However, before she could even reach the bars, the owner of the footsteps reached them first.

“W-What’s this?”

Stunned by the gruesome scene before him, the man sat down.

-Thud

“…!”

Simultaneously, the golden box the man was holding clattered to the ground with a loud noise.

“Aaargh!”

At that moment, the woman, who had been lying like a corpse, screamed inexplicably.

With a crazed look in her eyes, unseen before, she dashed forward as if possessed.

————