Episode 38
Chapter 14: Mammit’s Lawless Zone (3)
“Looks like one of the guests at Moonlight Well has earned the grudge of a high-ranking mage, miss,” one of the two men standing beside the girl said.
“I’ll locate the mage. You protect the lady,” the other added.
The girl scoffed, clearly unimpressed.
“Do you think I’m some fool who can’t even protect herself? There are six of our operatives inside this inn. This could be a targeted attack on the Hidden Bow. Ryu, find the mage. Hiten, come with me to check on the others.”
Ryu and Hiten bowed sharply in acknowledgment.
The girl giving orders was Siris Endorma, daughter of Talaris Endorma, the Hidden Bow’s leader.
“Alcaro can be killed anytime. But our priority is to confirm the safety of our operatives.”
“Understood, miss.”
Ryu dashed off to find the mage. Just as Siris and Hiten stepped into the inn—
Krrrrr!
A third lightning bolt struck Moonlight Well. This time, an entire floor was blasted away, and the kings of Mammit erupted in furious shouts.
Siris and Hiten hesitated for a moment before entering. Up close, the lightning’s power was far greater than expected.
“Damn it! Who the hell is behind this?”
“Menka, wasn’t it you who killed Ziphl’s mages last time? Could this be their revenge?”
“That was just a bluff!”
Guests scrambled out of the inn in a panic.
But not all of them fled. As the strongest in Mammit, some readied themselves for battle, trying to track the source of the magic.
Then the final lightning bolt struck.
The fourth was far more powerful than the previous ones, charged with all the spiritual energy Jin had gathered in his room.
Krrk!
The bolt hit the inn’s center, splitting the building in two. The halves looked like they could collapse at any moment.
“Ugh!”
“Argh!”
From the wreckage, guests covered in ash stumbled into the lobby.
It took less than thirty seconds for this chaos to unfold. No one could tell who had attacked Moonlight Well with magic.
“…Looks like the attack’s over?”
“Yes, miss.”
As Siris and Hiten entered the building, Jin tumbled down from the second floor.
Thud!
“Ugh…!”
The fall from the second floor wasn’t too harsh, but Jin had caused the last lightning bolt to strike near his room.
‘That last one must’ve been close to seventh-tier power, charged with all that spiritual energy.’
Without Orgal’s pendant, he would have been fatally injured. Instead, his robe was burned and tiny blood vessels burst across his body, but he survived.
Jin instinctively scanned his surroundings.
He needed to check if Alcaro was alive. Though Alcaro was nowhere to be seen, Jin spotted Hidden Bow operatives rushing about, guarding him.
Thick smoke still hung in the air. If Alcaro had miraculously survived the magic, Jin had to find and kill him immediately.
Just as Jin reached for his dagger, he froze and looked up. A girl and a man were staring down at him.
“What’s this? Mammit, but there’s someone your age here? Hey, are you okay? You should get outside first.”
“Miss, there are six operatives over there. They all seem unharmed.”
“That’s a relief. Gather them. If they’re still guarding Alcaro, tell them to kill him immediately.”
“Understood.”
“And if Ryu finds the mage, have the operatives capture him at once. The magic’s similar, so it’s definitely the work of one person.”
“Yes.”
Lying prone, Jin realized from their conversation—
‘She’s the Hidden Bow’s daughter! Judging by what they’re saying, they came here to deal with Alcaro.’
A sudden encounter.
But Jin immediately saw this as a stroke of luck.
‘From what they’re saying, even if Alcaro’s alive, he’s as good as dead. No need for me to confirm. And the Hidden Bow’s daughter is certain it was the mage’s doing.’
That meant control of the inn would soon fall to her.
Even the so-called kings of Mammit, revered as the strongest in this city, had to yield to the Hidden Bow’s daughter.
‘From her perspective, this looks like a terrorist attack targeting the Hidden Bow. I’ll just play scared and slip away.’
Not only her, but the other guests could only assume it was a mage’s attack.
So the chance of Jin being blamed was almost zero.
But there was one problem.
‘If the Hidden Bow’s daughter recognizes me, it could cause trouble later.’
It didn’t matter if the leaders of this lawless city or other small fry saw his face. They’d never cross paths again, and if problems arose, he could handle them.
But the Hidden Bow’s daughter was different.
She was someone Jin was bound to meet while staying in the Garden of Blades.
“Miss!”
“Is everyone okay? What about Alcaro?”
“Ah… I’m sorry. Alcaro was killed by the last lightning strike. We failed to protect him.”
“Is that so? Good. No need to apologize. You must’ve had a hard time dealing with that idiot. I came here to relieve you of that burden myself.”
While she spoke with her operatives, Jin rubbed ash all over his face, trying to hide it. It seemed best to cover his face somehow.
Siris drew her gleaming white sword and raised it high.
“From now on, this inn is under the control of the Hidden Bow! I am Siris Endorma, daughter of Talaris Endorma, leader of the Hidden Bow and captain of the Seven Blades. Anyone who opposes this will be considered an enemy of the Hidden Bow.”
“Hiten, have the operatives restrict movement within a 500-meter radius. No one moves until Ryu finds the mage. Understood?”
“Yes, miss.”
“Oh, so you’re the Hidden Bow’s daughter? Still, this is Mammit. The kings of this city are right here. Trying to take control like this is annoying. Maybe we were attacked because of the Hidden Bow?”
One of Mammit’s kings, who had lectured Jin about ‘manners’ earlier that day, spoke up. The others nodded in quiet agreement.
“Hiten.”
“Yes?”
“Bring me that guy’s head.”
Before the words were out, Hiten vanished in a blur.
Screech!
Suddenly, Hiten’s blade gleamed behind the man. With eyes wide open, Hiten respectfully laid the severed head before Siris.
“I warned you—oppose me, and you’re my enemy. King of Mammit? You think you’re a king in this cesspool and can look down on the Hidden Bow?”
The kings coughed awkwardly and avoided her gaze.
They weren’t weak. If all the kings united, they could fight Siris’s operatives. But none wanted to make the Hidden Bow their enemy.
“Hmph. We don’t want to be your enemies either. But a little respect would be nice. The man you just killed wasn’t entirely wrong, was he?”
“If it’s proven this was a terrorist attack targeting the Hidden Bow, we’ll compensate you fully. But what if the mage’s target was one of you, and the Hidden Bow was attacked incidentally?”
Siris’s sharp words forced the kings to back down.
“Fine. Do as you wish. We didn’t know those guarding that junkie were Hidden Bow operatives. We’ll leave control to you. We agree on finding and killing the mage.”
“Good. Survivors, gather here. One of the Seven Blades is searching for the mage who attacked the inn. But there could be a culprit among you.”
“There’s no one like that among us. Not a single mage.”
“No mages, sure. But anyone recently on a mage’s bad side? Scumbags like you always cause trouble. Anyway, gather up.”
As the kings sighed heavily and descended the stairs, Siris’s gaze fell on Jin.
“Why are you so slow? I told you three minutes ago to get outside.”
Unlike when she spoke to the kings, Siris’s tone softened toward Jin. He curled up as much as possible, trying to hide his face, and replied,
“I-I’m just a little scared. I hurt my leg earlier, too. Sorry…”
“Hahaha, a scared little guy, huh? Cute, with a sword and all. Now scram. And forget everything you saw today. Before you go, put this on your leg.”
“Thank you.”
Siris pulled a resin made with healing magic from her pocket and held it out. As Jin reached for it with his soot-covered hand, she smiled and shook her head.
“Your hands are filthy. Just roll up your pants—I’ll apply it for you. You’re lucky in so many ways. Survived a terrorist attack, and now Siris herself is treating your wounds. Consider it an honor.”
Hesitant, Jin rolled up his pants. Siris crouched down and began applying the resin to his shin. A deep, long gash ran through the skin there.
“Why is this guy being so nice? In my past life, the daughter of the Bow Sect was pretty infamous for having a terrible attitude. Was that just a rumor?”
After finishing applying the ointment, Siris met Jin’s gaze.
She didn’t even suspect him. More than that, meeting someone her age in such a rough place somehow made her feel unexpectedly warm and protective.
“All done. Hiten! Why is Ryu so late? Don’t tell me he can’t find the mage? That Ryu?”
“He is a bit late. Should I help look for him?”
“No, it’s fine. Looks like he’s got some stealth skills. But he’s still inside the city, so it’s only a matter of time. There’s no way Ryu can’t find him—he is a mage, after all.”
“Exactly.”
Jin adjusted his pants, stood up, and bowed slightly.
“How can I ever repay you for this kindness?”
As he asked, Jin barely held back a smile. After the terror attack, he’d expected to be harassed by the Mamite kings and have a tough time, but things had turned out far easier than he’d imagined.
Besides, Siris hadn’t even properly looked at his face. She was just doing him a favor and letting him go.
“How could someone like you ever repay a great person like me? Just think of it as a good memory. If you ever think of me, drop by the Bow Sect and say hello once in a while. That’s all. Goodbye!”
After leaving the inn, Jin immediately slipped out of Mamite territory.
Though it looked like he’d been helped by Siris, he had no qualms about reporting the mission as a success—after all, Alcaro had died by his own magic. There was nothing to feel uneasy about.