Deep in the night, the mansion district of the royal capital lay wrapped in silence.
Darkness blanketed the streets, and every window’s light had gone out.
Amid that stillness, a single crow drifted leisurely through the sky.
With not even moonlight in the night sky, the crow’s form melted into the darkness like a shadow.
The crow circled above a mansion steeped in silence, never ceasing the beat of its wings.
It looked down at the estate as though observing something.
Caw—
There, armed mercenaries stood packed close together.
All of them were covered from head to toe in armor and helmets, making it impossible to identify them.
With curious eyes, the crow approached the mercenaries and pecked at them with its beak.
But there was no response.
The crow shifted from place to place, prodding the mercenaries, but not a single one reacted.
Caw—
At the sight of the mercenaries standing utterly motionless, as if dead, the crow lost interest and vanished into the darkness, leaving only its cry behind.
A short while later, in an alley slightly removed from the mansion district.
The crow appeared once more.
The moment it landed on the ground, the crow’s shape twisted and changed into a petite woman.
She swept back her black hair and spoke to someone in the darkness.
“Captain, I’m back.”
At that, three figures emerged from the shadows.
Including the one who had just been a crow, there were four in total.
All of them were adventurers.
“All right, Shay. What’s the situation at the mansion?”
The one standing at the front asked first.
She was the leader of this team, Ibis.
A platinum-ranked adventurer, no less.
Despite her leader’s question, Shay said nothing and twisted her body.
Perhaps because she had flown for so long after transforming into a crow, her back and shoulders were stiff.
Shay rolled her shoulders briefly, then opened her mouth.
“Nothing’s changed from when I saw it earlier during the day. So this time, I went up to the mercenaries.”
Shay had watched the mansion all day in the form of a crow.
Since the atmosphere around the mansion was the same this time as well, she had made a slight change.
“But there’s something strange. The mercenaries didn’t react at all to my pranks.”
Shay shrugged.
Then she told Ibis what she had seen.
“I pecked them with my beak and tried all sorts of things, but they didn’t even twitch.”
“Hmm, no movement at all…”
At Shay’s report, Ibis’s expression turned grave.
Even if it was just a bird, wouldn’t it be normal to react somehow if it annoyed them that much?
The mercenaries at that mansion had simply stood still, as if dead.
It was certainly strange.
At present, Ibis had come here on the orders of Kyle, the head of the Adventurers’ Guild Alliance.
To be precise, she had been ordered to investigate Ralph, the man at the center of the rumors.
The first place she investigated was, naturally, Ralph’s luxurious mansion.
The claim that he had discovered treasure in a dungeon did not seem to be a lie, for the mansion was indeed magnificent.
The problem was that there were far too many mercenaries guarding the mansion, making it impossible to investigate any further.
On top of that, this fellow Ralph never even went outside, so there had been no progress in the investigation.
All they could do was have Shay transform into a crow and keep watch around the mansion.
But now Shay had brought back one clue.
‘They stay still even when a bird touches them…’
Ibis’s mind grew complicated.
‘They’re like scarecrows.’
Scarecrows?
Suddenly, Ibis’s thoughts opened up.
Come to think of it, farmers also set up scarecrows in their fields to drive animals away.
“Could it be that they just stood up suits of armor?”
A trick to make the number of mercenaries look greater than it really was.
At first, she had thought he had hired a large number of mercenaries after becoming rich overnight.
But the reality seemed different.
The mercenaries Shay had touched were likely dummies.
‘Right. It didn’t make sense from the beginning.’
No matter how rich he had become, it would be difficult to hire that many mercenaries.
It was not a matter of wealth. What would he do if the mercenaries colluded and stabbed their employer in the back?
Anyone with sense would have hired knights or mages rather than mercenaries.
“Hmm.”
When her thoughts reached that point, Ibis’s eyes narrowed.
“…Could it be a trap?”
Thinking about it, even the rumors had been unnatural.
As if someone had spread them deliberately.
Ibis looked around at the members nearby.
Shay, who had just transformed from a crow.
Herod, with his massive build and axe in hand.
And Faren, his golden hair fluttering.
All of them were people under Ibis’s command.
Their main duties were information gathering and assassination according to Kyle’s orders.
Though they were far from ordinary adventurers, operating in the shadows rather than under the sun was their mission.
“What do you all think? Judging from the current situation, there’s a chance that the mansion belonging to this person named Ralph is a trap.”
Ibis had to start making a choice.
Even though she was the leader, it was important to hear her subordinates’ opinions.
The first to answer her was Herod.
“A great warrior does not yield even to traps!”
Herod was a barbarian warrior, a man who loved to show off his strength.
Though his actions and thoughts were simple, he was an adventurer who had earned a gold badge in one stroke with his monstrous strength alone.
“I can charge in right now. That is what a warrior does.”
On top of that, Herod was a warrior who obeyed orders thoroughly.
Since Kyle had given the order to investigate the mansion, he intended to see it through to the end.
At Herod’s words, Ibis nodded.
“Yes, Herod has a point. Even if those mercenaries are just scarecrows, and even if it really is a trap, we need to investigate who did such a thing.”
Their priority was information gathering, after all.
It felt somewhat insufficient to submit a report to Kyle based only on their current suspicions.
If all of this was a trap, they had to find out who had set it, why, and for what purpose.
Even if it was not a trap, discovering by what route the rumor had spread was the order she had been given.
For that reason, Ibis resolved to investigate this incident thoroughly.
Earlier, there had been too many mercenaries for them to approach the mansion.
But now they had realized that dummies were mixed in among the mercenaries.
At this rate, couldn’t they sneak into the mansion?
“Shay, what do you think?”
For this mission, Shay, who could transform into a crow, was indispensable.
Shay was a mage, but her magic consisted entirely of transforming into animals.
Though she was not suited for direct combat, she excelled at information gathering just like now, so she held an important position.
“I’m fine with it.”
At Shay’s brief answer, Ibis smiled faintly.
At the same time, she turned around and addressed another member.
“Faren, what do you think?”
Though Faren did not have Herod’s physique, he still had a sturdy, well-muscled build.
His golden hair was striking, and his blue eyes looked quite different from those of an ordinary person.
Faren murmured toward empty air, then soon answered Ibis.
“I think it would be good to investigate. The children are whispering, too.”
Above all, Faren could handle spirits, if only a little.
Rather than being a spirit mage, his natural affinity with spirits was high because he was an elf by birth.
The weapon he preferred was the bow.
Faren stroked the empty air and murmured softly.
“The children say that place seems to have no vitality. They say it doesn’t seem human.”
At Faren’s answer, Ibis nodded.
This time, it was certain.
If Faren’s spirits said so, then as Shay had seen, most of the mercenaries were probably dummies.
‘Would doing that really be effective?’
Ibis was briefly doubtful, but worrying about it here would not solve anything.
“All right. Then let’s go into the mansion.”
Ibis took her people and stealthily headed toward Ralph’s mansion.
* * *
“……”
Ibis infused her eyes with mana and looked at Ralph’s mansion.
A mansion where only stillness flowed.
The building was constructed of gray stone, and wooden decorations could be seen here and there.
Its exterior was a peculiar blend of old-fashioned elegance and refined taste.
It certainly looked less like a residence for nobles and more like the sort of mansion a wealthy merchant might live in.
Dark brown curtains hung over every window, so the inside could not be seen.
The stairs leading to the entrance were made of well-polished marble, and thin iron railings had been installed on either side.
And around that area, mercenaries stood in position.
In fact, mercenaries were stationed not only around the mansion but also in the small garden.
There was no way to tell whether there were really people inside that armor or whether it was empty.
“Shay, go take a look.”
At Ibis’s instruction, Shay transformed into a crow once more.
This time as well, she pecked at the mercenaries’ armor, but there was no response.
Rather, when none of the mercenaries around the mansion reacted at all, an inexplicable sense of foreboding arose.
At that moment.
“Huh?”
Faren, who was behind them, let out a puzzled sound.
“What is it, Faren?”
Ibis asked Faren, but he shook his head.
“Ah, it’s nothing. I thought there was something like smoke over there, but I must have seen wrong.”
There was nothing where Faren pointed.
He had probably seen wrong, or perhaps because Faren was an elf, he had sensed something different.
Ibis let it pass without much thought.
“All right. Let’s keep our heads on straight.”
This job had to proceed quietly.
The Adventurers’ Guild was essentially investigating a citizen of the Kingdom of Seil without any notice.
Even if the target of the investigation was not a noble, one wrong move could turn this into a major problem.
That was why Ibis grew even more focused.
A short while later, Shay returned.
Through Shay’s actions, they had learned that those mercenaries were fake, so now all that remained was to infiltrate the mansion.
“Now, let’s go in. Don’t forget, if it seems dangerous, we pull out no matter what. Ah, Herod, you stay here and keep watch.”
Ibis gave a separate order to Herod, the barbarian warrior.
Herod’s build was far too large for a stealth infiltration mission.
Above all, with his unusual appearance, even if they tried to retreat, Herod would be discovered immediately.
“That is unreasonable! I am going on the mission too.”
But Herod threw a fit.
Carrying out a mission was a warrior’s virtue.
Yet he had been excluded from the mission, and that made him angry.
Of course, Ibis was an experienced adventurer.
She could easily suppress Herod’s objection.
“Herod. I’m saying this for your sake. Is it right for an honorable warrior to sneak into someone else’s mansion?”
“A warrior who knows honor does not intrude!”
“Exactly. So, Herod. Stay here and watch the situation for us. That’s an order.”
At Ibis’s words, Herod nodded.
“Understood. I will obey the order.”
“Good. If anything happens, inform the Adventurers’ Guild no matter what.”
“Understood. I will inform the Adventurers’ Guild.”
Ibis, Shay, and Faren left Herod behind and climbed over the mansion wall.
Even though the mercenaries were fake, just in case, they entered the mansion through a window instead of the front gate.
But they did not know.
The moment they entered the mansion through the window,
the mercenaries outside the mansion all began to move at once.
And each time they moved, the creaking of armor was accompanied by the sound of bones.
* * *
“Rats have come in.”
In the depths of the dungeon.
Celia murmured as she went about her work.
Ralph’s mansion, which she had created as bait.
She had stationed shadows there to keep watch over the mansion, and now intruders had appeared.
“Hmm. I’ll have to think about how to deal with these rats.”
There were many methods.
She could order Queen Irena to move soldiers.
But if she caught the intruders that way, it would negatively affect the rumors.
At a time when many adventurers were climbing the mountain range because of the rumors Celia had spread, there was no need to throw cold water on the matter for no reason.
Should she send the holy knight Eric?
The holy knight Eric was currently being controlled by a banshee.
But Celia shook her head.
This was the same.
This matter was best handled quietly.
Then should she send the shadows?
No. If she handled it too quietly, there was no guarantee this situation would not occur again.
She needed a way to cause a moderate commotion while cleanly wrapping up the incident.
“It can’t be helped. Let’s send Dambi and Rils.”
Dambi was a half-vampire disguised as an adventurer.
Rils, too, had originally been a mage and an adventurer, but was now under the banshee’s control.
If she used them, since they held the status of adventurers, she should be able to manipulate the incident appropriately.
At Celia’s command, the shadow disappeared.
Dambi and Rils would take care of this matter on their own.
It was time to return to the dungeon’s affairs.
“By the way, the goblins seem very busy these days.”
“Clack-clack.”
The skeleton knight answered Celia’s question.
The goblins really were moving busily.
Aside from those belonging to the scouting party, some were managing the liquor made from lamias, while others were dressing the remaining lamia corpses.
In addition, they were crafting armor for the Goblin Lord, who might soon become the guardian of a floor.
“I see. Their loyalty to Mister Goblin Lord is quite remarkable.”
Celia admired the Goblin Lord’s abilities.
He certainly had the qualifications to become a floor guardian.
“Come to think of it, I remember giving Mister Goblin Lord armor before.”
“Clack-clack-clack.”
Armor made from the red leather of the salamander she had obtained from the auction house.
That armor had been given to the Goblin Lord.
However, the Goblin Lord was a being with an enormous build compared to ordinary goblins.
Rather, it would be more accurate to say he was on par with an orc, so the existing armor probably hadn’t fit him.
“Indeed, with Mister Goblin Lord’s physique, it would be difficult for him to wear the armor without alterations.”
That was why the goblins were in the middle of splendidly modifying the Goblin Lord’s armor.
“Well, let’s leave that aside.”
The Goblin Lord was someone who would handle things well even if left alone.
For Celia, the priority was the adventurers and the whereabouts of the rumors.
* * *
The smile hanging on the Goblin Lord’s lips was like that of an absolute ruler.
Lamia and human bones adorned various parts of the Goblin Lord’s armor.
On his shoulders, sharply protruding bones rose like thorns, and around his neck hung a necklace strung with human skulls.
Around his waist was a decorative belt made of bone.
Above all, the armor made from the salamander’s red leather had been modified and equipped like a cloak.
That appearance seemed to symbolize the Goblin Lord’s authority.
He was truly the king of the goblins.
Who could look at him and dismiss him as a weak goblin?
“Krurk, this is truly good.”
As the Goblin Lord muttered, power could be felt in his voice.
It felt as though the armor had absorbed the souls of his enemies.
“Bring weapon!”
At his booming command, the goblins struggled to carry the weapon over.
What was placed in the Goblin Lord’s hand was none other than a mana gun.
It was his most favored weapon.
He confidently snatched up the mana gun and gripped it skillfully in his hand.
The Goblin Lord’s massive frame and the crown set upon his head symbolized absolute power.
The surrounding goblins looked upon their own king with gazes mixed with fear and admiration.
The Goblin Lord radiated an aura that could dominate a battlefield.
He strode forward powerfully.
The horde of goblins lined up behind him began to move as one.
“Krurk, we begin the hunt now.”
The Goblin Lord smiled, filled with certainty of victory.