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At the lord's manor in Giant Stone City, Viscount Macbeth had just smashed his third favorite crystal goblet.
At first, he hadn't paid much attention to the news about Donald Melina. He was only a lowly Apprentice Mage. Even if he had just advanced to Black Iron Mage, he was still a little insect Macbeth could crush with ease.
He had thought that sending assassins trained by his underworld forces would be enough to deal with this minor problem. He hadn't expected the insect to rise again, much less suddenly become a young dragon. Donald had grown to this extent—and even gotten involved with that old stubborn man from the Mage Association.
"I have to snuff him out before he grows any stronger!"
That was now the only thought in Macbeth's mind. He would spare no effort to eliminate this future threat.
Although his motives differed, he shared the same concerns as the other factions. Since his assassins couldn't deal with Donald, he would have to use Bronze-level or greater force. Even if the attempt succeeded, there was no guarantee that the trail wouldn't lead back to him.
He couldn't stand against the royal family, the Mage Association, or the many mages led by Messer on his own. He would have to plan this carefully. Ideally, he would use none of his own forces, stay out of everyone else's sight, and make sure no one could trace the deed back to him afterward.
"Looks like I'll have to call in some outside help!"
Rubbing his beard, Macbeth tugged the bell cord beside his chair and summoned a servant dressed in gray.
The man looked ordinary, without a single distinguishing feature. But the calluses on his palms and knuckles, along with his gait, showed that he was at least a high-ranking Black Iron Warrior who had undergone rigorous training.
"Grey Hawk! Is the man who submitted a calling card a few days ago still in town?"
"Yes, my lord. He's been staying at a tavern. Aside from sleeping with quite a few women, he hasn't done anything else."
Macbeth tapped the table. "Good. Go and deliver this letter to Black in secret. Tell him the leader of the Black Knight Brotherhood has agreed to meet with that man!"
If some nosy bard had been hiding nearby and overheard this, he would surely have been astonished. Who would have guessed that the secret leader of the Black Knight Brotherhood—a band of thieves responsible for numerous major crimes around the border between southern North Shire and the Kingdom's other territories—was none other than the governor of North Shire himself?
Macbeth continued:
"Also, invite two more people over while you're at it. I think they're after the same thing we are!"
Half an hour later, an ordinary-looking Adventurer entered a tavern in the western district of Giant Stone City.
This part of the western district was known as the city's red-light quarter. It was a regular haunt for Adventurers, and plenty of wealthy merchants and nobles enjoyed indulging in the occasional night of pleasure there.
If Donald knew about this place, he would probably have sighed, No world is free of prostitution!
The tavern the Adventurer entered ranked near the bottom of the second tier on this street. Most of the women there were fallen women who were no longer young but still retained some charm. They were a little better than the streetwalkers outside.
Taxes in North Shire weren't especially high, but some nobles were exceptionally harsh on the people living in their lands. Some women had once come from decent families, but after misfortune ruined them, they were left without anyone to rely on. Most couldn't resist the temptations of this glittering world, so they left their hometowns to sell their bodies in a trade they were ashamed of.
The tavern thrived because women like these charged little, making them affordable for Adventurers who lived by the sword. The high-class women at luxury inns, with their fine clothes and airs of noble ladies, were far beyond their means. Those men couldn't afford them even if they sold the clothes off their backs!
When the Adventurer entered the tavern and found the man he was looking for, the man was sitting between two maids with their breasts spilling out. They swayed their hips and whispered sweet nothings to him as he groped them with both hands, thoroughly enjoying himself.
The man looked to be about thirty. He was fairly handsome, with a tall, muscular build. His lips were pale, but his complexion was ruddy; he was a robust man indeed. But his expression was lascivious, and his dark eyes glinted with a sinister light. He was obviously no good.
His boisterous laughter with the two women was the loudest sound in the tavern, and several nearby Adventurers were clearly displeased. But the black mage's robe he wore kept them from saying anything. Everyone who made a living in Giant Stone City knew that the chaos caused by the recent mage assassination had only just subsided. Picking a fight with a mage who seemed like a devil was obviously unwise.
The tavern regulars had all seen two unlucky men who'd crossed this fellow vanish without a trace the very next day. That had made them even more wary of the sinister mage.
The Adventurer looked around once he entered, then strode straight toward the table of the "mage" everyone avoided. He sat quietly beside him, made a hand signal, and appeared to say a few words under his breath. Then, under the curious and fearful gazes of those around him, he went to the counter, ordered a mug of ale, and downed it. After that, he pushed through the door and left. The nervous bartender even forgot to collect the coins he'd left on the counter!
As everyone wondered what sort of connection this mysterious yet ordinary young man had to the mage, they saw the black-robed mage suddenly shove the two women away, laugh twice, and swagger out by himself.
The two men left the tavern. The one in front looked hurried, and after taking several turns, he entered a narrow alley. A black carriage was waiting there, its windows and doors tightly covered with black curtains that let no light through.
"Sir, you know the rules. Our leader is ready to meet you. Please get in."
"Black Knight Jack is awfully cautious. That assassination attempt on the mage a while back wasn't your doing, was it?"
The black-robed mage gave a disdainful sneer and climbed into the carriage. He didn't notice that the Adventurer, with his back turned, had paused ever so slightly at his words before recovering and taking the driver's seat. The man drove the carriage out of the alley.
After circling through the city's streets and alleys several times, the carriage stopped in the backyard of a horse dealer's shop in the commoners' district.
This was meant to keep outsiders from discovering the organization's secret hideout. It worked well against Warriors and other such Professionals, but it was useless against spellcasters skilled in manipulating mental energy. Mages could easily extend their mental power through the carriage and see every place they passed.
Any faction familiar with mages knew this. It was why the Black Knight Brotherhood kept its origins secret, rarely appeared before outsiders, and had never dealt with spellcasters.
But the black-robed mage had no intention of kindly explaining this to them. He might hate mages, but he was a spellcaster himself. Naturally, he took pride in his superiority over ordinary people who couldn't command mysterious powers.
After getting out of the carriage and passing through a concealed door, they entered an underground passage.
Soon, the two arrived in a dim underground chamber.
The chamber was small, and only seven people dressed in black stood inside. The one at the head of the group had his face covered, but his smooth forehead and bright eyes made it clear that he was a young man, no older than thirty.
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