Shameless Sneak Attack

At the same time, on the second floor of the Dissolute Dragon tavern, inside the room of Sage.

Gray Crow Finn sank into the soft armchair, several ledgers of the territory spread out before him, but he could not take in a single word.

The thin wooden walls could not block the commotion from next door.

Grumman's beast-like, lecherous laughter and the girl's shrill, desperate pleas kept drilling into his brain.

"...This donkey who only knows how to rut." Finn slammed his quill onto the table with hatred and rubbed his bloodshot eyes. "He certainly has plenty of stamina."

Barker, the bodyguard standing behind the door, shifted his numb legs and gave a lewd chuckle. "Boss, you'll get used to it. That guy has been pent up in the woods for three days; now that he's finally finished the mission, do you expect him to read poetry like a gentleman from Suzar? It's a miracle he didn't find ten barmaids at once."

"What I find strange is, why didn't this bastard come straight here to collect the final payment when he entered town this afternoon?" Gray Crow frowned, tapping the table. "He had to go to the main hall to throw money around, treat everyone, and get dead drunk before coming upstairs."

"Heh, that's simple, isn't it?" Barker sneered. "Don't you know Grumman's nature? He must have looted plenty of good things from that bastard's carriage. A man like him is eager to squander his wealth the moment he gets his hands on it. Of course, more importantly, he couldn't bear to part with that half-elf girl."

"You have a point," Gray Crow nodded in agreement. "If it were me, I'd have to lock the door and enjoy myself to the fullest too; who would have the heart to talk business?"

"That bastard was lucky to pick such a beautiful personal maid—half-elves are rare in our eastern borderlands. It's a pity she's being wasted on that barbarian." At this, Barker licked his cracked lips, a glint of greed appearing in his eyes.

Finally, the madness next door ceased, replaced by the man's heavy snoring and the girl's intermittent sobbing.

"Phew... it's finally stopped." Gray Crow let out a long breath and leaned back in his chair. "The beast is finally asleep."

"Boss, you say Grumman hits so hard, will that girl even be able to leave with us tomorrow?" Barker sheathed his longsword and asked with a gossipy tone. "The last time he raided a caravan near Messner Bridge, the woman he brought back didn't have any breath left by the next day. I heard she was covered in blood from his playing... tsk tsk... in the end, she could only be thrown into the woods to feed the dogs."

"It won't come to that this time." Gray Crow's face was gloomy. "Grumman is crazy, but he isn't stupid. That half-elf slave is the evidence that he killed that bastard, the 'trophy' the mistress wants to inspect personally. If he kills her, where is he going to collect the remaining fourteen hundred gold coins? At most, she'll suffer a bit, but she'll keep her life."

"True, that girl is quite cute, those pointed ears..." Barker chuckled, his tone becoming lewd. "After Grumman hands her over and collects the reward, if the mistress doesn't say she needs to be executed, can we apply to the higher-ups to take her off their hands?"

"Keep dreaming, a piece of goods like that is worth a lot even if she's depreciated." Gray Crow Finn punctured his bodyguard's fantasy.

The two chatted idly, and another half hour passed.

"Damn it, didn't Cress say he was going to find his lover? It's been nearly an hour, hasn't it? Why hasn't he returned?" Finn glanced at the hourglass, his brow furrowing.

"You know his nature; he can't move his feet once he sees a woman." Barker said with disdain. "It's normal for him to be unable to stand it after listening to that wall-banging for so long. Let's wait a bit longer; only he would do something so embarrassing."

Another long half hour passed.

"This won't do, it's almost the middle of the night. Even if he went to the back street to find that female halfling, he should have been back by now," Gray Crow muttered curses under his breath. "The time-blind piece of trash, once we return to the territory, I'll be sure to report him to the mistress!"

"That seems unlikely..." Barker was also hesitant. "I know Rex's stamina; he doesn't have the strength to go for many more rounds. Even if he finished and took a nap, he should be awake by now. Firefall Town is only this big; he couldn't have fallen into a cesspit, could he?"

Although Gray Crow was annoyed, he still didn't think about an "ambush."

Next door, Grumman was still snoring like thunder, and there were no sounds of fighting anywhere else.

He waved his hand impatiently. "Enough, stop guessing blindly. Barker, go out and take a turn, drag him back from that slut's bed."

"Fine, I'll be back in a flash." Barker shrugged and pushed the door open into the dim corridor.

Ten minutes passed.

Twenty minutes passed.

Gray Crow Finn stood in the center of the room, his initial annoyance gradually replaced by a bone-chilling cold.

The corridor was terrifyingly quiet; forget about the sound of Barker's footsteps, even the snoring that had been coming from next door had vanished.

As a manservant to the Baroness, he himself was powerless, his only reliance being the two professionals sent by the mistress as his backing.

Now, those two had gone out and there was no movement, as if they had fallen into a bottomless abyss without even a ripple.

"Something happened..." He realized the problem.

Run! He had to run immediately!

He didn't dare use the front door, scrambling toward the window, trying to climb down the eaves to save his life.

He had just reached the window and hadn't even touched the latch...

Bang!

The door was smashed in by brute force!

Gray Crow turned back in terror, only to see a tower-like figure walking in against the faint light of the corridor.

It was none other than Grumman, who should have been fast asleep next door.

Behind him, the half-elf "slave" Ailian, who should have been ravaged beyond recognition, was looking at him with cold indifference, holding a bundle of blood-stained hemp rope in her hand—where was there any sign of fragility?

And behind them, Cain and the other two "bandits" filed in.

Two people, stripped of their armor, mouths gagged, and tied up like silkworms, were tossed onto the floor.

Who else could they be but his two bodyguards?

The two were bruised and swollen, their eyes filled with terror, clearly subdued before they could even react.

"Gru... Grumman? What are you doing!" Gray Crow Finn leaned against the windowsill, his voice trembling out of tune. "The bounty... I'll give you the bounty right now, why are you attacking them, have you gone mad?"

In Gray Crow's stunned gaze, "Grumman" widened his mouth, revealing a sinister smile.

Immediately after, his sturdy body began to shrink, his wild, messy hair turned into neat black hair, and the ugly face with a thick beard transformed into a handsome visage in the blink of an eye.

"It's been four years, Gray Crow."

Although he was far more handsome than the intelligence reports suggested, Gray Crow Finn recognized that face at a single glance.

"You are... Ye Wei'an? This is impossible!"

For Ye Wei'an, who should have been assassinated, to appear here wearing Grumman's gear could only mean one thing: Grumman had failed, been killed by his target, and the man had followed the trail straight back to them.

But... how could this be?

According to their intelligence, this illegitimate son was supposed to be nothing more than a mage apprentice wasting his days in Suzar.

How could he possibly have killed Grumman? And how could he have mastered such disguise magic?

The two bodyguards, trussed up like zongzi, were even more incredulous.

When they were attacked earlier, they had assumed Grumman was double-crossing them.

They never imagined that the rumored cowardly, incompetent bastard had actually become an unfathomable spellcaster—one who had shamelessly ambushed them while disguised as Grumman!

The two of them, a Lv.2 Warrior and a Lv.2 Rogue, had been captured without even a chance to resist.

Realizing the mission was a total failure, Gray Crow pushed aside his shock and spun around, desperate to vault out the window.

He had to find a way to send word back to Firefall Fortress; Lady Selina had to be informed of this.

But someone was faster than him.

"Stay put!"

Ailian, the seemingly frail half-elf slave, moved like a young leopard in the woods; with a fluid sidestep, she blocked Gray Crow's retreat, her right hand forming a claw that precisely locked onto his shoulder before wrenching it backward.

Snap!

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow—"

With a practiced joint-lock, Ailian pinned Gray Crow firmly against the cold floor.

"Young Master, I've caught him." Ailian trussed Gray Crow into a twisted ball in a few quick motions, then looked toward Ye Wei'an as if presenting a prize.

"Well done."

Ye Wei'an gave Ailian a rewarding pat.

Now, the most crucial witness was in his hands.