[666] To Radum (1)
Anyone knew of it, but not just anyone could enter—through Radum's back gate a man like a mangy stray was approaching.
"Sniff. Sniff."
No—Shagal, who prowled after the scent of the incident, truly looked like a stray dog.
His prodigious physical capacity—able to operate as many as seven schemas—matched the mobility of a giant at Stage 1 of the Anecdotal Wine.
The schema base he was using belonged to the sensory category, a primary-sensory build that enhanced vision, smell, and hearing.
He'd folded the schema four times to amplify those senses sixteenfold, then folded parts of the schema again to sharpen specific abilities. Ra Enemi's scent began to register with unnerving clarity.
"Is he here?"
"Stop. This is a restricted civilian area."
The castle guards posted at Radum's back gate shoved torches forward and stopped Shagal.
As if he hadn't heard, Shagal moved closer; the guards, sensing danger, drew their weapons.
"Stop! Identify yourself."
"Sniff. Sniff."
At first, his doglike sniffing made them think he was mad.
He dragged a heavy sack behind him, his long hair veiling his face, but despite the disheveled look his eyes were unnervingly clear.
"Kill him. I'll take responsibility."
At the captain's order, the soldiers vaulted the barricade and lunged at Shagal.
More than ten men toppled to the ground as Shagal simply passed through them; the captain's eyes nearly popped out.
"Uh, how—"
It wasn't weakness but recognition: this madman was an unheard-of master of schemas.
"Support—!"
Giving up on a counterattack, the captain put a whistle to his mouth and blew hard.
Shagal launched himself forward, thrusting his arm out and stabbing with a dagger; with three sharp sounds, three cuts almost simultaneously found the captain's throat.
Before the breath could even reach his lips, the blade at the nape cut a hissing flow, and with a sickening thud the captain's body went down, spewing a torrent of blood from the wound.
The heavy bag containing the dagger thudded to the ground, but it did not pierce Radum's silence.
"Ra Enemi."
The one who had stolen everything from him.
"I'll kill you. Over and over."
Radum's back gate was opened.
* * *
Around midnight, twenty members of the Shirone mercenary band gathered in the Silverring Guild's courtyard.
They were the chosen few—each bearing the look of men who could survive even if thrown into hell.
Lupist and Jane still wore masks; they planned to keep their identities hidden until they entered Radum.
In any case Shirone was captain, so there would be no problem with command.
"I'm Shirone, captain of the Shirone Mercenary Band. Before we depart, I'll explain the mission."
Curious about the 10,000-gold reward tied to the job, the mercenaries pricked up their ears.
"From now on, we will infiltrate Radum."
No one showed signs of wavering—yet.
"What exactly will we be doing?"
Wig of the Gale raised a hand. Since losing to Rian, he'd accepted the new ranking, but he was noticeably subdued.
"We are—"
Shirone paused, weighing the right word.
"Going to occupy Radum."
"What?"
Only then did some faces register shock.
Radum was Vashka's shadowy quarter—the part of the city even the kingdom hesitated to touch.
They said it was too filthy to bother with; if it had been merely a den of riffraff, the kingdom would have swept it away long ago.
"Occupy Radum? What do you mean by that?"
Even though the mercenary band was sponsored by broker Brooks and led by an Ivory Tower candidate, it was still a private force—twenty people could not possibly conquer Radum.
How could Shirone convince them?
Only a few knew Lupist, head of the Magic Association, was part of the group. And the existence of the Iron Tower "Saenghwa," Radum's core, was a state secret that couldn't be revealed until the final mission was complete.
"I've been to Radum a few times."
Kargin, the healer who'd joined the band, spoke up.
Despite being in his seventies, he was a lecherous mage who flirted with the younger women in the group.
"Radum's divided into three main areas. The outer slum district, the inner concealment-facility district, and the central area—the supposed core. Some say rulers of the Ain race live there, but no one's ever been to the core. Countless organizations' concealment facilities surround it."
The concealment district held Ain groups fleeing the kingdom's pursuit mixed with human organizations that had infiltrated for investigation.
Their tech made the concealment district a maze, forming a natural defensive barrier that blocked access to the core.
"To conquer Radum means getting into the core. Any plan? There are easily a hundred concealment facilities to punch through. Worse, each security system runs on a different setup—no information expert can crack them all."
At the danger in Kargin's words, Baikon shot to his feet.
Clad in heavy armor and wielding a greatsword, he was a traditional-style swordsman who could use three schemas.
"Exactly! This isn't just about fighting and dying! How can we storm in without solid intel? You're not saying we'll break into each security system one by one, are you?"
"We will break them one by one."
Shirone answered frankly.
"It'll take time, but if we want to reach the core, that's the only way."
"Hmph! Who's going to disable the security devices?"
"Number 29 and I will."
Kargin glanced between the two.
"Just the two of you? Magic?"
"Yes. I can decrypt any security device."
It was the power of the Ultima System.
"If I decrypt them, Number 29 will disable them. The odds are in our favor."
Baikon fell silent and sat back down, though not everyone was convinced.
"Who are those two?"
Bromark, the survival-and-trap expert, pointed to Numbers 28 and 29.
"I don't like picking fights after someone volunteers, but this feels off. Why hide identities now that a mercenary band's formed?"
Everyone waited for an answer; Shirone knew he couldn't let it slide.
Fair enough—this was a life-or-death job; suspicion was natural.
"One hundred thousand gold."
At Number 28's sudden offer, every mercenary turned.
"You can take it in kind or have it deposited into the guild bank."
The guild mage Con frowned.
"Wait. Why a hundred thousand gold for this—?"
"If you don't want to, leave."
Number 28 swept his gaze across the group.
"If Number 29 and I go masked, I'll pay the entire mercenary band one hundred thousand gold immediately. If you don't agree, you can't remain in the band. This has already been cleared with the captain."
Heads started turning.
"Hmm, castle-affiliated."
Kargin narrowed his eyes at Numbers 28 and 29.
Even without certainty, their skill levels were in another realm from the rest.
Radum occupation, masks, Teshia Aria, 100,000 gold—it all fit.
Most mercenaries drew the same conclusion.
'It's an unofficial royal assignment. Something's happening inside Radum we don't know about.'
So they meant to keep it secret.
'But they're prepared for failure. That's why they hide identities?'
If it could be proven the castle had moved, any clandestine negotiations would suffer catastrophic losses; in the worst case, the capital could be targeted.
'This isn't something a mere bureaucrat can take responsibility for. And two of them—a man and a woman. Those are Lupist and Jane.'
Both the association head and the chief secretary were deploying.
Mercenaries hated the castle's rigid thinking, but in this case it brought a strange reassurance.
'If he really is the association head, he must know we've already suspected something.'
Still, the masks couldn't come off.
Circumstantial and concrete evidence differ as much as false and true in the information world—and for the men assembled, it was the difference between being removed without a sound and being legally dismissed.
'Best to keep the masks on.'
"I'll do it."
All eyes turned to Bromark.
"If you deposit 100,000 gold for my family today, I don't care who wears the mask or what the job is."
Bromark spread his arms to the crowd.
"Why worry? Since when did we care who we worked for? The moment someone pays us, the masked ones become our employers."
They were heading into a possible deathtrap; weakening the force now would be foolish.
No one could ignore the balance between money and survival.
"I agree."
The woman with the quiver raised her hand.
She was the band's sole archer, Joshua, known for swift, precise shots and exceptional ocular technique.
"One condition: I want it in kind. Now."
Kargin asked, "100,000 gold? Even at top quality that's a hundred pieces."
"Doesn't matter. I'll just put them in the Cubrick."
Joshua flashed a ring.
"Heh, a woman who can't trust people. Fingers'll get cut off that way."
"Try it if you can."
Joshua's eyes glittered like a cat's.
Her Cats' Eye was an ocular skill allowing identification in the dark.
"I'll hunt them to hell and kill them."
"Tsk, what a temper…"
Kargin clicked his tongue but looked inwardly pleased.
'I like her.'
Lupist said, "I'll take that as unanimous agreement and proceed."
There were no objections. Shirone rose.
"Settle the 100,000-gold payment and we'll meet again. We depart at midnight, so handle it quickly."
Through Jane, Lupist distributed the 100,000 gold to every member except the core members, each by their chosen method.
Those with families wanted deposits; the singles, like Joshua, preferred the Cubrick.
When the castle bell tolled midnight, the Shirone mercenary band left the Silverring Guild by carriage.
After about thirty minutes they reached Radum's back gate; Joshua was the first to notice.
"I smell blood."
Without waiting, the group prepared to spring out. Rian opened a carriage window and climbed onto the roof.
Quiet.
Joshua joined him and activated her Cats' Eye, scanning every direction.
"No ambush. Fourteen corpses."
The mercenaries dismounted in perfect order, and Shirone approached the scene.
A slum alley was the only route into Radum, and guards lay toppled in the narrow passage.
"This is—"
A killer's signature.
Now Shirone could tell who the culprit was.
"As expected, he came first."
Lupist stepped up behind Shirone.
"If he came through, it means Ra Enemi was 'here.' We might even hook a big one."
If Meirey could gauge Ra's intent by his voice, Shagal could detect traces of Ra.
Though their priority was sealing Radum, priorities could change.
'What is Ra Enemi?'
Some members didn't know, but no one argued—the deposits were already made.
"Shirone, there's an intense hunger here."
Rian gripped his sword's hilt as a foul, thick desire rose from the far end of the alley.
"He smelled food."
Shirone looked at Lupist.
"Food?"
"Corpses."
Lupist pointed at the fallen guards.
"The finest food, containing every nutrient a human needs. Because they're human. That's why people outside call Radum's residents that name."
Lupist fixed his gaze into the darkness.
"Ghoul."