Chapter 11
**
Multiple buildings surrounded by a manor.
The size was close to that of a small village. Black Heaven Sect. They called it a small faction, but seeing it in reality, the scale was quite substantial.
Twenty-Nine spoke.
“About thirty people are always on guard. It seems like they’re patrolling in groups of three. Four for the gatekeeper…”
“The walls are quite high.”
“Can you get over them?”
“…I can.”
“If you can’t, just say so.”
“I can get over them.”
“…Hmph.”
Twenty-Nine sketched out a rough route.
“We can’t take down the entire guard. The main goal is to leave no trace. We can’t let the enemy discover we’re Blood Demons. We need to silently take out the target in one go.”
“…….”
“But the opponent is a Master. A peak Master. Unless we ambush him, the battle will drag on. If it drags on…”
“That would be the end.”
“The entire guard must have whistles. Their alertness is considerable. If we’re going to ambush, we’ll have to run with multiple restrictions. We need to quietly bypass numerous guards, ambush the Black Heaven Sect leader, and then break through the guards again with his head in hand.”
I caught on to what she was trying to say and thought it over.
“Assassination seems impossible. I think we need to be prepared to die to even have a chance of getting in.”
“Exactly. And I don’t want to die. Do you have any good ideas?”
“Hmm…”
I thought for a moment. I didn’t want to die either.
“…Isn’t there about fifteen days left until the assassination attempt?”
“That’s right.”
“Just give me one day.”
If there’s no method, let’s try to come up with one.
“I’ll devise a plan.”
“…Got it. Do you need my help?”
“I’ll act separately.”
“Okay.”
…
Black Heaven Sect.
A faction too large to be simply called small.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say this area was firmly under control by that faction. I started by examining the market alleys.
The quality of the food being sold was rather low. There were many starving people. I saw a gaunt dog leaning against a wall.
Had even beasts starved to death? It was strange to be so emaciated—there seemed to be almost no flesh at all.
It had to be tough since this area was near the Demon Cult. The surroundings of the Demon Cult were barren, making it extremely hard to cultivate crops.
But even so, the state of things was too severe. Most items on the stalls were merely low-quality goods.
Finding decent fruits was nearly impossible. How about the merchants’ faces?
I bought a withered apricot. I glanced at the merchant’s plump cheeks.
He didn’t seem hungry.
Was the stall empty because everything had sold out?
“How’s business?”
“Huh? A stranger? Well, I don’t recognize your face. Did you come from afar?”
“Yes, I came from a distance. To be honest…”
I scanned the stall.
I conjured up a non-overlapping item in my mind.
“I came to sell some meat.”
“Meat?”
“I hunted beyond that mountain, then came here crossing over due to some circumstances.”
“Oh, I see. Looking at your build, you seem to have been hunting for quite some time. Do you have some skill?”
“I’m still not good enough to be called a hunter.”
I sheepishly scratched my chin.
“…Actually… my father always said I was a bit clumsy, so I kind of ran away in a huff…”
The merchant chuckled.
“You’re naive. Very naive. Hurry back! No matter how cold your home is, it’s not colder than the market floor!”
I wracked my brain.
I spun a tale.
“I can’t do that. I came out with my beloved. I’m planning to try for some independence. Since I thought I wouldn’t run into my father in this mountain area, I came over. But even if I catch beasts, I don’t really know how to sell them…”
“Eloping with your lover… how young. I do have some connections in this market. But even so, don’t you think you need something before you can talk?”
I bought a few more withered fruits. The merchant laughed heartily.
“It seems you’ve come with quite a bit of cash. Such a foolish thing.”
“I plan to return what I brought once I earn a good amount of money later.”
“But aren’t you a bit naive to think I’d let you keep eating off my back?”
“Well, I do have something else to tell you about that…”
I proposed to him while acting desperate, hoping to squeeze out just a bit more. When I offered to transport the meat directly to the Black Heaven Sect’s manor, his expression changed subtly.
“That’s not a problem… but I can’t pay too much. You know that, right?”
“I’m content with whatever I can earn. Just a little bit more is good enough for me.”
“What a modest fellow. Well, I appreciate easy work. Carrying meat around is smelly and tiring. Plus, thieves have been all over lately. If you do that for me, I’d be thankful. I’ll throw in a little extra.”
I secured both money and processed meat. The butcher cautioned me.
“Don’t get any funny ideas about running off. If you do, that horn and leather behind me will be mine.”
“I will come back after delivering it.”
“Got it.”
I left the butcher’s shop. Getting into the Black Heaven Sect didn’t prove too difficult.
“You came from the butcher shop? Did you get hired recently?”
“I’m just a simple delivery guy.”
“Oh?”
A warrior with an unremarkable face swiftly scanned us before opening the back door.
“Drop it off and leave.”
I whispered to Twenty-Nine softly.
“Did it work?”
“Next time, let me know and raise your hand. You startled me.”
“I couldn’t help it.”
“…Hmph.”
As prickly as a cat.
We stepped into the Black Heaven Sect’s manor.
