The List

Deep in the forest, sunlight is cut into dappled patches by the dense canopy of trees, scattering sparsely across the ground covered with decaying leaves.

Several figures were scattered around the clearing in the woods.

Lutine leaned against the rough trunk of a beech tree, holding a folded piece of paper in her hand. Her eyes were lowered, her gaze slowly moving across the paper, her long bangs almost completely obscuring her eyes. After a while, she raised her head, her voice low and flat:

"The list of targets for this mission has been released."

Clematis stood in the center of the open space, in a slightly brighter spot, his black priest's robes neatly draped to his ankles. He held a thin folder in his hand and nodded upon hearing this.

"Yes, I've prepared them for everyone." His voice was steady, with the clarity often found in a priest's sermon. "Here, one sheet for each person. As before, it's written simply and clearly, even children can understand it."

He pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Iris, who was closest to him.

Iris took the paper, unfolded it, and looked at it. Names were listed in clear handwriting, with brief descriptions and characteristics next to them. A familiar, sweet, and harmless smile bloomed on her face as she handed the paper to Gazella beside her.

He said our comprehension skills are like a child's.

Gazella sat cross-legged on the ground, fiddling with a few low-quality magic crystals in the small leather pouch at his waist. When a piece of paper was handed to him, he glanced at it and casually picked it up with his fingers.

Let me see...

He unfolded the paper and glanced at the names at the top.

His movements stopped.

The casual expression on his face gradually froze, and the usual slightly sly smile on his lips disappeared. He stared at the paper for several seconds, as if he didn't understand it, then rubbed his eyes carefully, as if to confirm that he hadn't seen it wrong. Then, he slowly raised his head and looked at Clematis.

"... ah?"

He uttered a short, choked sound, as if stuck in his throat, filled with disbelief and bewilderment.

He handed the paper towards Clematis, his fingers gripping the edge of the paper with a slight pressure.

"Um," he forced a smile, but it only twitched unnaturally, failing to materialize, "I took the wrong one. This should be... a list of the continent's top powerhouses, or something like a 'list of people not to be trifled with in this era,' right? It's not the list for this mission."

Schritt leaned against another tree not far away, holding a flat metal flask in her hand. She unscrewed the cap, tilted her head back, took a swig, wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, walked over, took the paper from Gazella's hand, glanced at it, and then stuffed it back into his hand as it was.

"I didn't take the wrong one," she said, her voice slightly relaxed from the alcohol, "This is it."

Gazella didn't take it. He kept the hand outstretched hand, his fingers gripping the paper, his knuckles turning slightly white.

"Schritt, what's written here—" he read it out slowly, his voice hoarse, "Great Mage Serie. Great Mage Ruby. Hero Himmel. Great Mage Frieren. Former Demon King Lowell."

He paused, then took a deep breath.

"You're telling me this is an assassination list? This is clearly a list telling us to commit suicide!"

Iris sat on a fallen log, swinging her legs. Hearing Gazella's words, she covered her mouth and made a cute, animalistic "hee-hee" sound.

"Haha," her eyes crinkled into crescents, "This guy's scared. Pathetic, such a weakling!"

Wolf leaned against the trunk of another tree next to Gazella, clutching a longbow wrapped in gray cloth. Hearing this, he turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the paper in Gazella's hand. After a few seconds of silence, he nodded, his voice steady:

"This is indeed... a little difficult."

Gazella jerked his head around to look at Wolf. He seemed to have grasped something, his eyes filled with a last glimmer of absurd hope and an anxious need for confirmation.

"A little? Wolf, you call this 'a little' difficult?" His voice rose involuntarily, tinged with obvious anxiety and disbelief. "These five people, any one of them could single-handedly destroy a country! And all five of them together, along with their equally formidable apprentices, teammates, and partners—"

"Wolf," he interrupted himself, his tone suddenly becoming urgent, "Do you remember my hometown address? Let me write a will first. Just a few words, very quickly."

Wolf looked at him without speaking. After a few seconds, he shook his head, his voice calm:

"We have no family left, Gazella."

Gazella opened his mouth as if to refute, but ultimately said nothing. His shoulders slumped completely, and he lowered his head, looking at the paper in his hand that seemed to weigh a ton. The ink on the paper was particularly glaring in the dappled light.

"Fine," he said in a low voice, his earlier excitement gone, replaced by a resigned, deep weariness. "You're right. It's all gone."

But he quickly raised his head again, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the open space before finally settling on Clematis's face. There was no anger in his eyes, only the deepest confusion and a hint of absurdity.

"But isn't this just sending us to our deaths?" He said, emphasizing each word. "Did the people who planned this even see this list? Or do they think we Shadow Warriors... are actually battle angels sent down from heaven, who just like to cosplay as waiters, drunkards, and swindlers?"

Clematis stood with his hands in the wide pockets of his priest's robe, his face calm. He met Gazella's gaze and spoke slowly, his voice still steady, carrying a strange, soothing power:

"Don't worry, Gazella. This mission isn't just our responsibility."

"Those from 'other organizations' will handle the main part. Our role Shadow Warriors is to assist from the sidelines, deal with the outer guards, create chaos, and, if necessary... provide distraction."

Lutine was still leaning against the beech tree. Her head was down, her gaze returning to the list in her hand, her fingers unconsciously tracing the surface, stopping at the middle. She stared at it for a long time, then raised her head, her gloomy eyes peering through the strands of hair falling across her forehead, looking towards the center of the open space.

Even if... we don't consider the top five.

"Continue with the list... the Demon King's disciples, Lupa and Ubel, the Great Demons Linié who is inseparable from Lupa and has recently risen to fame, the First-Class Mage Sense, the First-Class Mage Falsh, the First-Class Mage Brugge..."

She read out the names one by one, speaking slowly and deliberately, as if she were taking inventory of books.

"Each of them is a renowned and accomplished warrior. Among them, Sense, Falsh, Brugge, although slightly weaker than the others, are First-Class Mages specializing in fighting warriors and excelling in close combat and defense. Such a guard lineup..."

She paused for a moment, seemingly considering her words.

"Even if the goal is to defeat Demon King... no, I misspoke. There was already a Demon King among the targets. What I mean is, I believe that this level of security force... is even sufficient to deal with two Demon King -level threats simultaneously."

She looked up at Clematis.

"Clematis, this 'other organization' you mentioned... do they really possess the capability to successfully carry out an assassination under these circumstances?"

Lore, who had been standing silently half a step behind Clematis with her eyes closed, stirred slightly. Her eyes remained closed, her hands clasped in front of her, but her lips parted almost imperceptibly, emitting a sound as faint as a mosquito's buzz:

"Everything... is guided by the Goddess."

Kleis had somehow reached the edge of the clearing, his back to the others, gazing into the depths of the forest. He heard Lutine's words, but without turning around, he spoke softly, his voice low yet carrying a steely coldness:

It doesn't matter.

"Now that the target of the Shadow Warriors has been identified," he said, each syllable like a stone striking the ground, "All that's needed is to carry out the mission. Analyzing strengths and weaknesses, calculating gains and losses—that's the job of commanders and planners. Our duty has always been only one thing."

Iris leaped down from the fallen log, landing lightly. She brushed off non-existent dust from her skirt, her smile unchanged, even brighter than before.

"Yes, yes~" she said cheerfully, "That's exactly right. Why think so much? It's exhausting. If there's work to do, do it; if there's a fight, fight it. It's a simple thing~"

Clematis waited until they finished speaking before speaking again. His gaze calmly swept over everyone, finally landing on the crumpled piece of paper in Gazella's hand.

"Well then, now that everyone has finished reading—"

He reached out his hand.

"Please follow the usual procedure and burn it."

Gazella lowered his head, taking one last look at the names on the paper. The ink was clear, the names neatly arranged, like some kind of unalterable verdict. He tried to smile again, but failed.