The screen disappeared, but neither Trail nor I made a single sound of pain.

To lighten the heavy atmosphere, I stretched deliberately.

Crack — my entire body screamed.

Come to think of it, I’d been staring at the screen without changing posture once for a full 33 hours.

[Your trashy tenacity never fails to amaze me.]

‘Thanks.’

[There you go again, only hearing what you want to hear.]

Trail let out a sigh.

[Anyway, that technique… no, can you even call that a technique?]

‘No. Assassins skills are called sorcery. For mercenaries, it’s technique; for paladins, it’s divine arts; for mages, it’s magic. It’s the same idea.’

[Hmm. Still, I didn’t expect that kind of sorcery to exist.]

‘That’s not the real surprise.’

[Huh?]

‘Before regression, Offense never once used that sorcery in front of us.’

It might seem like a small thing, but it’s actually huge.

It means he kept that trump card hidden even during the battle with the Demon King.

[Maybe he thought he could win without using shadow sorcery? I mean, you guys did push the Demon King of Lies to the brink of death. Even if it turned out to be a misconception.]

‘Why hide your ace in the final battle? That was the last fight anyway.’

[Mmm.]

‘Maybe Offense never truly trusted Kaeld.’

Trail quietly drew in a sharp breath.

I mean, look at the situation — doesn’t it seem that way?

If Kaeld hadn’t kept his promise, maybe Offense planned to use that trump card to pressure him into honoring it.

[But he told you he genuinely believed in Kaeld, didn’t he?]

‘He lied. Truthfully, it was always hard to read emotions from that guy’s face. His expressions gave nothing away.’

[Huh. If that theory’s true, then Offense wasn’t just some ordinary guy either.]

‘None of our party members were ordinary. Every last one of them was a weirdo.’

……

Maybe.

Just maybe — but still maybe — the other heroes in the party had their own doubts about Kaeld, deep in their hearts.

Whether they realized it or not.

‘If that’s true… there might be a lot of openings to exploit.’

I set that idea aside for the time being.

‘Anyway, shall we head down? We need to talk with Neril and Xenia.’

I went downstairs.

The two of them were just walking into the inn, arms full of shopping bags like they’d come back from a market run.

“You some kind of black tea maniac, Neril? How many bundles did you buy?”

“Better than you buying beef, lamb, chicken, and pork like you’re stocking a butcher shop.”

“What? Why? If our trip drags on, of course we’ll need meat.”

“We’ll need tea too. And could you take a step back?”

“I’m not that close to you.”

“About a hundred meters should do.”

Huh.

Did those two just go shopping together?

Before the regression, Kaeld explained the backstory involving those two, but it only barely justified them being in the same party — not that they ever got along.

They’re still bickering now, but it’s better from the pre-regression vibe of “Once we kill the Demon King, you’re next.”

“You two seem to be getting along.”

“Shut up.”

“Please shut up.”

Yes, ma’am.

“Anyway, take a seat. I’ve got a rough plan.”

“Wait. Before that, we need to address something.”

“Let’s hear it.”

Neril looked unusually serious, so I straightened up too.

“This idiot bought so much meat it won’t all fit in the carriage.”

“Who are you calling an idiot?”

“We either separate from Xenia or reduce her appetite. The former seems more realistic.”

“My stuff is bulky and heavy, but Neril’s stuff costs a fortune. If we think about our financial situation, I’d say it’s better if you sit this one out.”

…Seriously?

I quickly sorted out the situation.

I pulled a money pouch from deep in my always-carried bag and scattered a handful on the table.

Clink.

“…? Huh? Gold coins?”

“It’s money I saved up from my days as a top-tier mercenary. We won’t have financial issues for the duration of this trip, so don’t worry.”

“Ah, got it.”

“And if carrying meat’s the issue, let’s just buy our own wagon. A big, sturdy one with a cargo hold. I was planning to get one eventually, since our party keeps growing. That sound good to you, Neril?”

“Uh, y-yeah.”

“Alright, now you two shake hands.”

The last line was a joke, but for some reason, they actually clasped hands like they were under a spell.

Should I push it a little further?

“Now play pat-a-cake.”

“…”

“…”

They finally came to their senses and glared daggers at me.

Pity.

We decided to look for the coachman first.

More precisely, the coachman who was actually a member of the assassin’s guild in disguise.

He was the one Offense had mentioned during the conversation with Ariena.

Sure, “coachman” was probably just a cover for gathering information, but officially, he’d be registered with some transportation guild.

After scouring the area for about a full day, we finally found a promising suspect.

Above his head, glowing in blood-red script, was:

-Settlia Rice.

That was Ariena’s nanny’s name.

‘Alright. Tell me the secret between that coachman and Settlia.’

[Have you lost your touch? You need the coachman’s name too.]

‘Not falling for it, huh.’

[The fact that you thought I would is what’s ridiculous.]

No choice.

We casually picked a destination — a neighboring territory — and selected a wagon and coachman.

The man flinched slightly when he saw us.

But maybe he didn’t think his identity had been compromised, because he quickly smiled and let us aboard.

Just before closing the wagon door, he said:

“Well then. Have a pleasant journey. We’ll be off shortly.”

“Ah, before that, sir.”

“Yes?”

“Why don’t you ride with us for a bit?”

“…?”

“I said get in.”

I grabbed him by the collar and shoved him into the wagon.

Thud.

As Xenia shut the door, the coachman — realizing the situation — had already pulled a dagger from his coat.

“Click. So, I’ve been found out.”

“How’s Offense doing?”

“You bastards. I figured you’d barge in looking for the lady any day now, and here you are wasting time chatting.”

“We are looking for her — through you.”

“Ha. You think I’m gonna talk? What a joke. I’m a top-tier assassin of the guild.”

Neril looked at me.

She seemed to be asking, Can I?

I nodded lightly.

“You should just give up and leave. You can’t stop this war. Trying to rescue the girl is utterly pointl— buuuuhhhhhh…”

His voice slowed, slurred, and finally stopped as his whole body froze stiff.

I saw Neril release her spell gestures.

“I cast two spells. Paintra and Bind. The second one freezes the body to prevent resistance. The first amplifies pain fivefold.”

“Perfect. I’m terrible at torture, so I was wondering how to get him talking.”

“Hah.”

Neril let out a short laugh in agreement.

I scratched my head and glanced at Xenia.

“This might be unpleasant for a paladin to see. You okay?”

“I gave up on that kind of thing the moment I decided to travel with you.”

“Oh. Thanks.”

“Still, I’ll do my job. If the torture ends up damaging him too much, I’ll heal him. You can go back to torturing him afterward, but you won’t stop me from healing him, okay?”

…

You do realize that’s even more brutal, right?

I slowly drew the dagger he had been holding.

Then, waving it back and forth in front of his eyes, I said:

“Alright. Follow this dagger with your eyes. Move them left if you don’t intend to answer. Move them right if you’re ready to talk. Keep them still in the center, and I’ll just start torturing you right away.”

“…”

“First question. What’s your name?”

His eyes moved to the right.

Clink.

I stabbed a dagger into his right knee.

Twisting it left and right, I asked,

“What’s your name?”

His eyes flicked to the right again.

This time, I stabbed the dagger into his left knee.

“……!”

“What’s your name?”

“……”

His eyes moved to the right once more.

“You’re pretty stubborn.”

“Mide. Wait a second.”

“Huh?”

I turned around. Neril and Xenia were giving me awkward smiles.

“Didn’t you say to look right if he intend to answer?”

“……”

Ah.

My bad. Newest update provided by ɴovelfire.net

The coachman’s name was Hans Duck.

Using the Eye of Omniscience, I confirmed the secret between Hans and Settlia.

And thanks to that, I was able to find out where Settlia was being held.

Of course, I couldn’t reveal the Eye of Omniscience, so I had to threaten the coachman to convince Neril and Xenia.

“Tell me where you’ve hidden Ms. Settlia.”

Neril tilted her head.

“Who’s Settlia?”

“Ariena’s nanny.”

“You know her personally?”

“Of course not.”

“Then how do you know her name? Don’t say it’s a secret.”

“It’s a se—…”

Too slow.

I just shrugged.

Neril and Xenia let out a synchronized sigh.

“Then let me change the question. Why are you trying to find a nanny who has absolutely nothing to do with this situation?”

“To make Lady Ariena owe me. She seems to care a lot about her nanny. If I save the nanny too, she’ll be even more grateful than if I just saved her alone.”

“Aha. So you’re trying to boost your reputation that way?”

“That too.”

I trailed off.

From what I recalled of Ariena’s conversation with Offense, she seemed pretty determined to overthrow her father.

If she ends up becoming the lord, and I’ve done her an enormous favour she can never repay, it’ll definitely come in handy someday.

I said to Hans,

“So? Where is Ms. Settlia?”

Hans, drenched in cold sweat, told us where the nanny was being kept.

Neril wasn’t particularly interested, while Xenia let out a relieved sigh.

Even in these small moments, the difference in their personalities was amusing.

I spoke again.

“Alright, next—”

“Wait! I don’t know either!”

“Huh?”

“I don’t know where or how Offense hid Ariena! He kicked everyone out saying he wanted to speak with her alone. And when the conversation ended, she was just… gone!”

I knew from the Eye of Omniscience that Hans was telling the truth, but obviously, Neril and Xenia weren’t convinced.

Neril clasped her hands together.

“Maybe we should’ve multiplied the pain tenfold.”

“Gyaaah! P-please, I’m telling the truth! Please believe me!”

I nodded calmly.

“I believe you.”

“Believe… huh? You believe me?”

“You’re the one who asked us to believe you. Why are you so surprised? Anyway, get some rest.”

Thud.

I lightly struck the back of his neck.

And the first-class assassin collapsed without any resistance.

Xenia looked half-dumbfounded as she asked,

“You seriously believe what he said?”

“Faith is the most important virtue for a paladin.”

“Hey! That’s supposed to be my line!”

“Offense hid Ariena inside a shadow.”

Freeze.

Both Neril and Xenia stopped in their tracks.

I explained roughly what I had seen through the Eye of Omniscience.

At first, they seemed more curious about how I knew this, but by the time I was finished, they didn’t have the luxury to care about ‘something so trivial.’

Neril clicked her tongue.

“Hiding someone in a shadow… I don’t know any magic like that.”

“Assassin sorcery tends to be creepy. And shadow sorcery is one of the worst.”

“Anyway, if it’s not magic, I probably can’t detect it. So what do we do now?”

I fell into thought.

A plausible theory came to mind.

“He didn’t hide her in ‘darkness’—he hid her in a ‘shadow.’ What if Offense sees darkness and shadows as two separate things?”

“Huh?”

“Think about it. Offense is called the Bright Death. He always kills in broad daylight.”

“Uh-huh.”

“That wasn’t just for show. It was easier for him to operate in the bright midday when shadows are long and distinct. In other words, he’s less effective at night. Quite the contradiction for an assassin.”

“……”

“That means tonight is our opportunity.”

Xenia folded her arms and muttered,

“Just because it’s night doesn’t mean there are no shadows.”

“Tonight’s a new moon.”

“Moonlight isn’t the only thing that casts shadows. The lord’s manor and the walls are full of torches. And the townsfolk will have lamps or candles in their homes. Shadows can appear anywhere.”

I looked to Neril as if to say your turn to respond.

She frowned and muttered,

“What. What now.”

“Can you cast darkness over the entire territory? A perfect darkness without a single shadow.”

“There’s no magic that convenient.”

Hmm. Not so sure.

I’ve seen too much before my regression to just nod and accept that.

“I think that magic could do it.”

Neril tilted her head.

Then her eyes widened.

“That magic? …Ah!”

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