Chapter 27: If It Cannot Be Resolved Publicly (3)

“It’s been a while, Flang. Today, we’ll head to the annex.”

“B-but, Count… Wouldn’t it be best to refrain from going out for a while…?”

The butler, Flang, who was sitting on the driver’s seat, looked extremely uneasy.

“Isn’t it raining? There’s a scent that must be savored only in the rain. So, hurry up and go.”

“Ah, understood.”

Flang snapped the reins sharply, and the carriage began to move.

Meanwhile, the rain was pouring down harder and harder.

Flash—! Rumble…!

Thunder roared through the clouds with flashes of lightning.

Then the sky turned completely dark, and in a flash of lightning, a black shadow appeared reflected upon the roof of a nearby mansion.

‘It always rained on the nights the prostitutes died. And tonight too…’

The shadow’s identity was Raion—clad head to toe in black. His hood and mask concealed every trace of his identity.

Raion ran after the moving carriage.

The speed was something no ordinary human could possibly keep up with.

He was currently using True Martial Art’s “Absolute Step” infused with mana.

It had been a technique he hadn’t known how to use at first, but through training his body, he had quickly learned to control it.

Sasasasasak! Sasasak!

Raion’s figure cut through the rain like an arrow.

Before long, the carriage he was chasing stopped in front of the Oulad Count Family’s annex.

Diang Oulad stepped down alone and walked through the sheets of rain into the annex.

The building’s lights were not lit.

When silence lingered, Raion raised his crouched body and moved swiftly toward the back of the annex.

There, a man in a black robe emerged.

Though the rain fell in torrents, the man’s stride did not falter.

Watching him, Raion followed silently.

Shwaaaaaa—!

The man wrapped in a black robe was indeed Diang Oulad.

He walked for quite a while until he turned into a grimy back alley.

Because of the heavy rain, most shops had already closed—but not all.

Some places still had their doors open—those of women who sold their bodies to survive another day.

Lanterns hung outside those establishments, dimly glowing.

Hiding in the alleyway, Diang Oulad waited quietly, like a wolf stalking its prey.

Moments later, a woman came running out, shielding her head with her hands.

She seemed to be in a hurry.

Unfortunately for her, it was the same alley where Diang was hiding.

Whip—! Thud!

In an instant, the woman’s mouth was covered, and her arms were restrained by Diang.

His movements made it clear—this was far from his first time.

The woman couldn’t even scream. Her eyes filled with tears of terror.

From within Diang’s robe, a bluish dagger flashed as it was drawn.

Shrrng…!

“Mmhh! Mmm!”

Seeing the blade approach her, the woman struggled even harder, but his grip on her arms was too tight.

Feeling her trembling, Diang smirked beneath his hood.

“Isn’t the sound of the rain… truly sorrowful?”

“Mmhh! Mmm! Mmmhh!”

“I’m not expecting you to answer. Your blood mingling with the rain—that will be answer enough.”

As Diang’s voice trembled with excitement, the blade inched closer toward the woman.

And at that moment—

Shwaaaak!

A shadow dropped from above, descending with the rain.

Sensing the murderous intent, Diang shoved the woman forward and leapt back.

Shwaaaash—!

A strangely shaped sword sliced between them and stopped just short of the ground.

The man holding the blade slowly stood up and stared at Diang Oulad.

It was Raion, his face concealed by a mask.

He had stepped in, knowing the woman’s life was in danger.

‘So he’s a noble who at least learned the basics of swordsmanship?’

Diang’s movements weren’t those of a mere scholar confined to books.

“To interrupt my little hobby… I don’t usually kill men, you know.”

Diang raised his sword, clearly ready to strike Raion at any moment.

In response, Raion sheathed his own weapon.

He had only drawn it to separate the woman—and swinging a sword in such a narrow alley would be troublesome.

“You mean to face me bare-handed?”

“……”

Raion didn’t reply to Diang’s taunting words. He simply strode forward.

Meanwhile, the woman who had been freed from Diang’s grasp turned and fled in a panic.

Watching her retreating back, Diang swiftly traced a 2nd-circle magic formula in the air and shouted—

“Where do you think you’re going! Restriction!”

It was a restraining spell.

The moment the incantation was uttered, ropes shot out from Diang’s robes, binding the woman’s body and covering her mouth.

“Kyah— mmph!”

Among 2nd-circle spells, it was one of the lowest grade—yet perfect for securing a target.

“Magic?”

That was not something recorded in the information Raion had gathered about Diang.

Naturally, Raion stared at him with a look of surprise.

“Haa… It’s unpleasant when I don’t catch them myself. Since you’ve ruined my fun, you’d better prepare yourself.”

Diang began to trace another magic formula with his fingers.

“Water Arrow!”

With the chant, the raindrops falling to the ground gathered into Diang’s palm, taking the form of arrows.

Like the magical restraint from before, it was also a 2nd-circle spell—but one optimized for attack.

Of course, it wasn’t a spell that could be learned without considerable talent.

“Die for meddling in what you shouldn’t have!”

At Diang’s shout, the Water Arrow shot toward Raion at high speed.

The distance was extremely close.

In that instant, Raion drew his sword once more and slashed through the Water Arrow.

“How could you—?!”

Magic was the manifestation of elemental forces through mana.

Unless one used an object like a rope, there was no way to block it without a solid barrier such as a shield.

Especially an arrow of condensed water—something like that couldn’t simply be cut.

Yet Raion had not only split the Water Arrow in a single strike but dispersed it completely.

‘As I thought—it works.’

In truth, when Raion had recently forged his new sword, he had added a particular mechanism to it.

He had engraved his ability—Decomposition—into the blade as a magical inscription.

He had discovered the idea while experimenting with Emission magic together with Caldein.

From that, he had developed the method into its current form.

“It’s not a mithril sword… Don’t tell me—it’s an enchanted blade?”

Now it was Diang Oulad’s turn to be shocked as he prepared another spell.

Because of the rain, he couldn’t use fire, wind, or lightning-based magic.

The only spell he could immediately employ was Water Arrow, which he formed and hurled once again.

Shwaak! Shwaaaak!

But this time as well, the magic scattered uselessly into the air when struck by Raion’s sword.

Following his counterattack, Raion activated True Martial Art’s Absolute Step and charged swiftly at Diang.

Tatata-tak—!

He weaved left and right through the narrow alley, darting in at incredible speed.

During that time, Diang created and fired several more Water Arrows, but not one found its mark.

“If you think magic is all I’ve got, you’re gravely mistaken!”

Shrrng—!

From beneath his robe, Diang drew not a dagger but a longsword and swung it.

Perhaps due to the knightly training befitting a noble, the strength behind the strike was considerable.

When Raion closed the remaining distance, he used True Martial Art’s Hand-to-Hand Combat Art to grab the arm holding the sword.

Whoosh! Thud—!

Yanked forward, Diang’s body toppled.

In that position, Raion clenched his fist and struck Diang’s abdomen with a White Strike.

Puhk!

“Guh—!”

The impact reverberated through Diang’s entire body, and he lost consciousness.

No matter how much knightly training or magic one had mastered, enduring a mana-charged blow was no simple feat.

Indeed, Raion’s punch had been heavily infused with mana.

It was an application of ability he had discovered by chance, much like the Decomposition Engraving carved onto his sword.

“He wasn’t much, after all. Anyway, they should be arriving soon… Surely, they’ve found something?”

Raion climbed back onto the rooftops.

Then, he noticed a shadow swiftly approaching from a distance.

Whik! Whik!

Raion waved his hand.

The shadow adjusted its course and sped toward him.

“Did you take care of it?”

The shadow was none other than Patrick.

Worry written all over his face, Patrick urgently asked while checking Raion’s condition.

“I’m fine. More importantly, did you find any proof?”

“We discovered a collection of women’s little fingers and a diary.”

Raion took them and checked.

He didn’t need to look closely—those fingers were undeniable evidence.

And the diary, written in Diang’s own hand, contained records of all his past crimes.

“This is more than enough. Wait here.”

Raion went down and placed the evidence inside Diang’s robes before approaching the woman who was still bound by the magical ropes.

Because of his black mask, the woman—exhausted but conscious—struggled violently again when she saw him.

“Mmhh! Mmph! Mmmhh!”

Anyone could tell she was begging for her life.

“Shh— Decomposition!”

With the command, the ropes binding her crumbled into dust and vanished.

At once, the woman staggered backward, then screamed and ran out of the alley.

“S-somebody! Please, help me!”

At her terrified cries, several people rushed out from nearby establishments.

Seeing that, Raion climbed back onto the roof, joined Patrick, and quietly observed.

Thugs who guarded the brothels entered the alley and found Diang Oulad.

As they lifted him, the dagger, fingers, and diary he had been hiding tumbled to the ground.

Naturally, the men panicked and immediately bound Diang’s arms and legs.

Of course, they had no idea he was a noble—they only saw dangerous items and tied him up on the spot.

“He’ll face some trouble at first, but in the end, Diang Oulad’s finished.”

As Raion murmured quietly in the rain, Patrick replied calmly.

“Given how serious this case has been, the royal palace won’t overlook it. Sir Trine and Lady Sophia will surely be deeply shocked.”

“Jade will be, too. Let’s head back.”

“Understood, Your Highness.”

The two of them ran straight toward Taron’s Palace.

Of course, since they had snuck out unnoticed, they had to return just as quietly.

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