Silence Spell

Over the next few days, with no commissions to take during the day and wanting to keep a low profile, Renato had no choice but to study Draconic alone at the inn. Occasionally, Lailas would bring over some food and take a break, teaching him a few more practical Ranger tricks while she was there.

Long hours of language study left his head spinning. There was still no news of the Harpers in the city. With that being the case, it was time to put down the books and find something to do.

Sitting at the bar in the Iron Wheat, he waited for Malik to speak.

Though Malik still looked confident, Renato could see the exhaustion in his bloodshot eyes.

"My friend, I'm afraid I have to trouble you again."

Malik had approached him again. Renato knew there was work to be had.

"Let me guess. It's about the Wolf Gang, right?"

"Exactly. I'd like you to kill someone."

"Don't worry, I'm not asking you to go after Benjamin." Malik grinned. "It's a fugitive the Wolf Gang recently recruited. A vicious bastard. Kill him, and you can collect a bounty at City Hall, too."

"His name is Grisel. Seven years ago, he was a notorious serial killer here in Fried City, known as the Harlot Hangman. He caused quite a stir. Anyone who's lived here long enough should have heard of him."

Malik added:

"Apparently, he used to be an ordinary Adventurer, but he accidentally strangled a prostitute during a visit, and after that, he just couldn't stop..."

[Quest]

Kill Grisel. Payment: 100 silver coins.

[Quest description]

The Harlot Hangman, who once delighted in hunting prostitutes, now wore the shackles bestowed upon him by the gangs as he continued indulging his endless, perverse obsession. His escape from prison had emboldened him to act without restraint, and the marks left by his victims' fingers had once again appeared on the walls of dark alleys. The difference was that his noose now also closed around informants, debtors, and anyone who stood in the Wolf Gang's way.

Quest reward: 1,000 experience points.

Looking at the sleazy face in the portrait, Renato asked:

"Shouldn't this be a job for the City Guard? He's an escaped prisoner, after all..."

"The guards won't do a damn thing. Those hyenas only know how to extort people and collect protection money." Resentment crept into Malik's voice. "They definitely had a hand in letting an animal like Grisel escape from prison. The Wolf Gang must have paid them off."

"Doesn't the City Council care? They can just let a vicious criminal like him go? Aren't they afraid the councilors will hold them accountable?"

Malik scoffed.

"Because this pervert is a coward. He only dares to prey on prostitutes in the slums. He wouldn't dare touch the 'sweethearts' in the inner city. Unless things get so bad that the people at the top can't ignore them, the noble lords can't be bothered to care whether the people beneath them live or die."

A hundred silver coins, a thousand experience points, and all he had to do was kill someone. He didn't even have to worry about breaking the law.

A perfect job, Renato thought. With dozens of lives already on his hands, Grisel, who had strangled a dozen or so prostitutes, seemed like a child to him.

"I'll take it, but I need detailed information on him. Fighting style, places he frequents, height, build..."

Malik slid a rolled parchment toward him and smiled.

"Already prepared. Don't worry, we both know how things work. I can advance you twenty silver coins." He spread out the parchment. "Everything's on here. When are you planning to do it? I'd suggest sooner rather than later. He could change addresses at any time..."

"Hmm, Shantytown won't be easy to sneak into. There are too many people." Perly tapped her forehead. "I went there once before. There were beggars everywhere."

Shantytown was a slum within the slums. True to its name, makeshift shacks stood everywhere, with decent houses few and far between.

There was no law to speak of. The only reason the City Guard ever entered the area was to demolish illegal structures-the shacks had multiplied until they encroached on other streets.

It was also the Wolf Gang's core territory, the place where Benjamin had first made his name.

Wolf Gang thugs were everywhere, so brute force was out of the question. Yet Renato's armor could be heard from over a dozen meters away. There was no way he could hide in a place like Shantytown.

Do I have to take off my armor? Renato dismissed the thought as soon as it surfaced.

What a joke. Fighting a bunch of paupers with no armor? I might as well kill myself.

"Renato, I know I probably can't help much with a job like this, but I have a little incantation that might help you sneak in."

Perly scratched her cheek, sounding uncertain.

"It isn't a complete spell, just a small section I isolated from a general spell model used by the School of Illusion. Judging by how it works, it might..."

"Why not try it and find out? It shouldn't hurt me, right?"

"Of course not!" Perly shook her head. "It might just take a little while to cast. Stand still while I check my spellbook."

While the little Mage leafed through her book, Renato opened the parchment again.

Grisel had been a third-tier Adventurer seven years ago and had quite a few famous exploits to his name in his earlier years. Rumor had it that he had once protected a young noblewoman single-handedly, cutting a bloody path through a bandit encirclement. City Hall had even commended him for it.

The information said nothing about why he had later become so twisted and depraved, and Renato didn't care.

He was an ugly man, standing just four feet eight inches tall, less than 1.6 meters, yet he specialized in the Greatsword, just like Renato. Three capable fighters from the Iron Fist Gang had already died by his blade.

Though Renato considered the Iron Fist Gang's better fighters mere novices in swordsmanship, killing three men in a gang battle and escaping unscathed still demonstrated a certain degree of skill.

His opponent might be a very good swordsman. That didn't worry Renato. Instead, it made him look forward to the job even more.

Renato was supremely confident when it came to swordsmanship. His Silent Lady would lose to no opponent.

"Renato, if you feel any pain while I'm casting, make sure you tell me."

Perly reached out with both hands and lightly touched Renato's body, brushing over the interlocking rings of his mail.

White magical light flowed from her arms into his armor. Renato felt a force moving between his clothes, as though someone were shamelessly groping him.

This probably doesn't count as pain. Renato didn't ask her to stop. He endured the strange sensation and waited quietly for Perly to finish casting.

Only after nearly ten minutes of being felt up from head to toe did the light fade from the little Mage's hands. She stepped back and nodded to him.

Renato instinctively tried to ask, "That's it?" Only then did he realize that no sound came out. Not only that, but the familiar sounds around him-the crackle of candle flames, the shouts of drunks in the streets, even his own breathing-had all vanished.

He checked his body. Even the rasp of his mail against his plate vambraces was gone. Renato could feel the contact, but he couldn't hear a thing.

Watching Renato gesture all around himself, Perly froze for a moment. Her little mouth moved as though she were speaking. Then she abruptly remembered something, slapped her forehead, and blushed.

She hurried over to the desk, picked up a sheet of parchment and a pen, and bent her head to scribble furiously.

Once she finished, Perly walked briskly over to Renato and held the parchment up before his eyes.

"Don't panic! You temporarily can't hear or make any sound, including the noise from your armor. The effect will wear off in thirty minutes. Sorry, I forgot to tell you first!"

At the end of the message, she had clumsily drawn a little smiling face.

Looks like it worked. Honestly, this girl... Renato raised a hand, about to complain out of habit, only to remember that he couldn't speak. He had to close his mouth.

Renato sighed soundlessly, then reached out and patted Perly's head, his expression helpless but faintly doting.