Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint

༺ Purging Day ༻

The Fourth Penumbra was in a dilemma.

She had initially planned to lead the delinquents who held grudges against the Military State to attack the largest military academy in District 12. While the delinquents blamed and punished the innocent school for their miserable lives that they themselves ruined, the Fourth had planned to release the poison.

The Taboo of the Military State, that incident of Hamelin.

The clue to the incident where 162 graduates of a military academy died. What better place than a school to scatter it?

It was an ideal place to release the poison, so it was an area that even the Shadow paid attention to.

However, the delinquents, deceived by someone, attacked first, and the Fourth, who had returned from the Assembly of Shadow, hurriedly followed them.

‘There’s no way those rash, hot-headed hoodlums have already finished their business and returned, right?’

Until she arrived, the Fourth was not worried about the delinquents but rather, the endurance of the school.

Unlike other facilities, the security of a military academy was extremely weak; almost incomparably so. A few military academy students standing guard and the dormitory supervisor were all that was present.

Maybe, just maybe, the angry delinquents had already destroyed everything and moved onto another place. That was what she was worried about.

However…

“You little punks! Lie down flat!”

“A military academy is also a military facility! Do you even begin to understand what you have done?!”

The scene that unfolded on the school’s training grounds shocked the Fourth.

The delinquents who had filled the streets were all lying flat on the ground like squids, having been thoroughly beaten. Next to them, retired soldiers in instructor uniforms were walking around with batons.

They were the retired soldiers of Shelter.

And with them was Former Major General Frontaine, the veteran who became the Head of Shelter after his retirement.

The old veteran spun his cane over his head and shouted.

“You young fools, still wet behind their ears! If you couldn’t become general officers, you should have joined the engineering corps and learned some skills! If you have the time and courage to attack a school, use that strength to make an effort! An effort, I say!”

“Keugh…! How did these old men know…!”

“Quiet!”

Frontaine swiftly approached like lightning and swung his cane towards the buttocks of the muttering delinquent. The perfectly controlled force transformed the impact into pure pain without breaking skin or bone.

While the delinquent groaned in pain, Frontaine shouted with his wrinkled face crumpled.

“Be thankful that you were caught by us! If you had truly caused a serious incident, it wouldn’t have ended with just probation!”

Even if they were called a gang of sorts, in the end, they were merely a group of delinquents led by students who had just graduated. The instructors of Shelter, composed of retired soldiers, were too experienced, systematic, and powerful for them.

They knocked down the leader with a single blow and intimidated the rest with a chilling aura. When they did so, the delinquents just looked at each other, before following in single file. They didn’t put up any substantial resistance and were subdued.

The Fourth clicked her tongue.

‘…Tch. If I had been hiding among them, I could have at least ambushed those old fools.’

A Shadow was an assassin, after all. They could take lives with a sudden, unexpected blow but had no chance in a head-on confrontation.

Moreover, the opponents included a person who had once reached the ranks of general officers, not to mention the capable retired soldiers that filled the surroundings. If she just went in without any preparation nor advantage, it would only result in her getting cornered.

‘It’s over. To complete the mission, I have to sneak into the school and release the poison….’

Right as the Fourth was about to take advantage of a blind spot and move secretly…

She heard someone mumbling with her sensitive hearing.

“The Magician’s words really were true. It would have been a disaster if we hadn’t moved.”

‘Magician?’

The Fourth listened intently.

Even the Shadow had heard rumors about this legendary petty criminal whose entire existence was unclear.

The Magician was a mysterious being that even the Shadow couldn’t identify.

Despite trying to investigate based on rumors, they could only fumble around, tracing his vicinity, but never realizing his identity. It felt like chasing a ghost story without any substance or content.

But it was hard to call it just a ghost story considering how clear his trail was and the sheer number of people who claimed to have seen him. Even children had said they had seen the Magician’s performance while walking down the street. In essence, the only one who hadn’t seen the Magician was the Shadow.

Doubt, and at the same time, a slight bruising of pride. That was exactly how a member of the Shadow felt when thinking of the Magician.

‘Does that mean the Magician is hindering us?’

Just as the Fourth was about to take another step forward out of curiosity…

Her keen senses pulled her foot back. After instinctively feeling a gaze, the Fourth flinched and looked around.

She felt an odd disharmony from the one-armed instructor standing over there. Unlike the others, the one-armed instructor never once glanced this way.

That essentially meant their attention was focused here. It was practically a definitive confirmation that the Fourth had been detected.

‘The story about the Magician was bait! It seems even a retired soldier is not to be underestimated!’

The Fourth Penumbra cleanly gave up on any idea to infiltrate further and immediately retreated. As a shadow slipped into the shaded crevice of the building….

The one-armed instructor, feeling the presence disappear, lowered his head with a complex mixture of emotions.

“I apologize, Major General. I ended up showing my vigilance.”

“Mehhhh, tsk. Your wit and senses must have dulled a lot since you haven’t been in real combat for a while….”

Such a remark wasn’t only aimed at the one-armed instructor. They were called soldiers, but all they were capable of was fighting. Although they could beat up and seize delinquents that charged face-on, they lacked the the ability to find shadows hidden in darkness.

Moreover, they were retired soldiers who had been away from real combat for several years. It was difficult for them to chase the presence of an excellent assassin in a dark school.

“Lately, my vision at night is getting worse and worse…Basically, I can’t see something that blurry. And also, there’s that note from the Magician….”

Frontaine leaned on his cane and let out a tired sigh.

The Magician had sent a note to Shelter along with a card.

The note said that the Shadow was leading the delinquents to attack the school and the group included children that were still students.

Frontaine, shocked as if burned, immediately gathered all the retired soldiers he could contact. There were only about ten available that night, but each was a seasoned soldier skilled in Qi Arts; more than enough to beat a ragtag band of hoodlums.

“Tsk tsk. In the past, I would have run to the ends of the earth to catch them. Nowadays, I don’t have the stamina for that…. I really don’t like it, but maybe we should just leave it to the Magician.”

It was impossible to catch the Shadow hidden in the darkness, but that wasn’t their role in the first place.

Shelter’s role was to protect the children. It was up to the Military State to defeat its enemies.

Though it would have been nice if they only got rid of enemies.

Frontaine looked into the darkness, far in the distance.

“Magician… I don’t like being swayed for your own purposes, but…For the sake of the children, I shall become your puppet.”

Hamelin.

Initially, the Military State suspected the work of Black Mages, but… At some point in time, they burned all information regarding the incident and labeled it as confidential.

It was classified information that even general officers could not dare to access.

Yet, the Magician’s note subtly mentioned that story. That was why Frontaine moved so quickly despite his old age.

If the story of Hamelin got out, this disturbance would not end with just a bit of commotion.

“A purge might happen….”

The now troubled Frontaine turned around.

“You don’t see any of our kids, right? Yeah, our kids are all well-behaved, so….”

“Major General, our kids are gathered over there.”

“Hey, you punks! I dressed you well, fed you well, taught you well, and this is how you repay me?! You’re all going into solitary confinement for a week!”

***

When the Third Penumbra arrived at Market, its members had already subdued the Transportation Union. The union members, who were gleefully raiding the warehouse for loot, were ambushed by Market and thoroughly beaten, thus rendered powerless.

The warehouse was Market’s castle.

Whether it was the space itself or the tools held, it was all made for the merchants and market vendors. The Transportation Union were no match for them, who used such materials unsparingly.

Though it wouldn’t have been strange for them to be at ease, Market didn’t let its guard down even after tying up the union members and shoving them into a corner of the warehouse. The merchants lit up all the lamps and searchlights, vigilantly guarding every corner and direction.

Store Manager Klin shouted.

“Light it up more! Make sure there aren’t any shadows created!”

This put the Third in an awkward situation.

He needed to create chaos and release the poison. However, just scattering it was not enough.

Snakes had venomous fangs that tore the skin and poisonous plants needed to be ingested to take effect. Poison was harmless, nothing more than a docile beast unless it entered the body.

Naturally, it would be most effective to enter the warehouse and hide its traces there. However…

“Don’t let anyone in! We’re pulling an all-nighter today! Tomorrow’s business will be conducted in our sleep!”

‘The security is tight. It would have been best to sneak in during the commotion….’

Even if the Shadow’s Stealth Techniques were remarkable, it was impossible to hide their form in bright light. After all, even if he used the Black Shadow Qi Arts to conceal himself, a dark mass floating around would be suspicious.

The Third habitually grabbed the handle of his dagger and stroked his chin. What was reflected on his vision was the inside of the massive warehouse, cluttered with all sorts of items.

‘Hmm. Somehow, I feel like I could hunt them down one by one if I just infiltrate that side.’

Was it because all the lights were turned off? The insides of the warehouse were not very bright and the shadows cast disorderly by various items provided plenty of cover.

‘Even if it’s Market, they’re merely a gathering of merchants and warehouse keepers, after all. Hmm. Should I force my way through?’

But that didn’t mean he could just kill them all with a blade. The body must be alive for the poison to spread and take effect. Killing everyone here would just be like cutting out a festering wound.

The best option was to pierce in furtively.

What should he do? He was pondering this when…

A luxurious carriage approached Market. It was hard to see because of the darkness, but the fact that a horse was pulling the carriage was already unusual.

‘A horse-drawn carriage? Must be a luxury item. Is it from the Transportation Union?’

In the Military State, there were only two kinds of people who could afford their own horses; either they were that rich or their very livelihood depended on them.

A good idea came to mind. Unlike automaton carriages, if one hit a horse on the hindquarters, it would run wild. Market would have no choice but to show a gap in their guard to stop the rampaging horse and carriage.

‘Should I try using that then?’

The Third leaped into action.

Perhaps because it was on its way to Market, the carriage turned into an alley leading in such a direction.

The horse sensed something before the people did and abruptly dug its hooves in the ground. Screech. The large carriage came to an abrupt stop, almost as if hitting an emergency brake.

“What a quick-witted horse.”

Srrr.

A street lamp, diagonally cut, fell onto the road. The lamp, which had been emitting light, hit the ground, scattering glowing debris in all directions. Soon after, the fragments lost their mana, their light fading.

The Third, hiding in that very shadow, slowly walked out.

“Leave the carriage and get lost. Then, at the very least, your life will be spared.”

The coachman turned around with a troubled face. As he did so, a young woman’s voice came from inside.

“Peto. We could have just passed by. It’s not a carriage that would be damaged by something like a street lamp.”

The coachman replied, facing towards the inside.

“Oh no, Lady. But that would startle the hose.”

“That’s not my problem. That’s your job, isn’t it?”

“Being a coachman wasn’t part of the plan, though….”

“Oh, really? Do you want to quit then?”

“No, no. I must repay the kindness of the Lady who took me in after I became unemployed, no matter what.”

Peto shook his head and untied the rope from the carriage. The Lion Horse neighed happily as the rope that had been restraining its neck was released.

“Yeah. I guess it’s better to be a secretary for President than a knight’s squire. What could be worse than that?”

Saying so, Peto mounted the horse. Even though there was no saddle, Peto skillfully controlled the animal and stood in front of the Third.

The Third muttered.

“A squire, you say. Judging by your ridiculous horse riding, that doesn’t seem like a falsehood.”

“Ah, don’t talk about that crap. It brings back bad memories.”

Some knights, fond of their squires, taught them how to use weapons or ride horses. Peto, favored by such a knight, had been receiving personal lessons since he was young.

Not that Peto wanted it.

‘Regardless, he is just a squire. He’s not even a knight, so there’s no need to worry. There is no armor nor weapon in sight either.’

Having finished his calculations, the Third Penumbra warned Peto.

“Consider this a warning, Squire. Take your Lady on that horse and run away. Then you shall be safe.”

‘A luxurious horse and carriage, hard to see in the Military State. Whoever they are, they’re definitely from a significant member of the upper class. If I let them go, the upper echelons of the State will pay attention to this incident.’

After making his calculations, he exuded killing intent, but Peto scratched his head so nonchalantly that it was indeterminable whether he felt it or not.

“A head of a household bears the weight of the entire family. If I fall out of favor with the President, my whole family will be on the streets. Even if I get beaten to death, I have to fight you.”

“To think you would voluntarily drink poison….”

‘It can’t be helped then. I’ll have to clean up everything here.’

The Third slid into the darkness. With the street lamps broken. He covered himself with Black Shadow Qi Arts, moving like a ghost.

In preparation for the possibility of a fight, he had already destroyed the street lamps. In this darkness, unless one had senses as sharp as a beast’s, no trace of him would be noticed.

“Oh, by the way, be careful. This horse is called a Lion Horse.”

That’s right. Unless it was a beast.

The Lion Horse’s mane bristled. After fluttering in the wind, it suddenly stopped, then pointed precisely in the direction of the Third.

Immediately after, the angry horse snorted and changed at the Third.

‘What the?’

Black Shadow Qi Arts concealed not only form but also sound and temperature within a shadow. If this Qi Arts was properly utilized, the form became blurred as if submerged in darkness.

Moreover, horses were animals notorious for their poor eyesight. So how could it have recognized him straight away?

No, in the first place, why would a normally skittish horse charge like a crazed bull?

“It looks and acts like a lion, you see. And that’s why it was such a struggle to tame it.”

Neighhhh!

As if responding to Peto’s murmur, the Lion Horse neighed wildly and charged. In just two strides, the horse closed the distance, before rearing up its front legs.