Chapter 2: The price and the payment

"Andrew..."

The mage that had knelt to the ground a moment ago lifted her hood, revealing the deep black hair that somewhat resembled the demonic girl.

She was a ’mage’ but she was no demon.

Her skin was fair, her pupils were blue, and her eyes had endless concern for the masked man... for her husband.

"Are you alright?"

The one who had contributed to the formation of the circle the most, the knight with silver hair and silver eyes, was the same as her.

She knew the heart of their husband the best.

She knew better than the rest of them just how painful this truly was for him.

But it was necessary. And the one who understood that necessity the best was the one who kept her hood on, hiding her distinct pink hair, simply sharing her concern through her green eyes.

"I’m fine. Let’s... let us go."

This wasn’t even the beginning of what was to come. This was groundwork.

Groundwork that took them three whole months.

Still, they were ready now.

So, they moved to the carriage which had been waiting for them in silence. And darkness.

The dark clouds which covered the Koel region had become darker, moving quickly towards the capital city, bringing a strom with them.

"Huppp!"

They were the envoys bringing the news of this storm...

-Takat. Takat. Takat.

*

(Mayn capital, Gipon: )

The vast city was a marvel in itself.

Tall buildings, the testament of hundreds of years of human development.

A vast pantheon in the very heart of the city, the salvation that masses needed.

Houses of small, smaller and the smallest scale spread in a neatly arranged structure, getting progressively better as one reached towards the center of the city.

The nobility resided near the pantheon, the rich resided surrounding them, the houses of common people with important positions started right after, and following them were the less fortunate and those who were barely getting by.

Sadly, in this vast city, those who were barely getting by made up a third of the population, the other two third being those who were just a little better off than them.

Only around one percent of those who were doing well were present in the center of the city, and speaking of this center, the Pantheon, the centre of religion and hope, was the only place that accepted all those who were unfortunate or well off.

There were different paths to reach the pantheon for each section of the society, but on this cloudy night, the focus was not the residents of the holy, nor the nobility who lived in a different dimension than the majority.

"Welcome, dear guests."

Tonight, one of the most well-lit buildings was located right outside the (Noble district), standing even taller than some of the noble dwellings.

This estate, seemingly a castle, was hosting the 50th birthnight of the master of this castle, an important milestone in the life of someone who had amassed great fortune atop the corpses of countless people.

Despite the eerie weather outside, the glowing castle was illuminated by countless magical lights, the marble walls reflecting them twice more brilliantly.

Guests had come from far away, some the residents of the capital, some nobles, and some important individuals from different states that owed the great merchant a favor or two.

-Takat.

They came in carriages led by fine horses, some plain and intentionally unattractive, while some were glamorous, as if showcasing their standing within the society.

The event tonight was a special masked ballet, and so, each guest who arrived in their fancy clothes worth more than what the common folks of the city spent in a year or two, had covered their faces in unique masks adorned with gold and gems.

It was a fancy party.

But beneath this facade, an evil was scheming a dreadful operation.

"Mmmm~."

The target was each and every one of the guests present in this estate, the elites who, one way or another, looked after countless people around the world.

They were capitalists and scums and perhaps evil to many but they did not ambush a closed event venue with a well trained task force with clear intent of carnage.

At the very least, none of them would be foolish enough to actually do it.

"Hmmm~. Oh... oh you’re good."

The host of this party was already aware of the armed forces who had started surrounding the glamorous estate.

And while she should be activating the gas bombs she had planted across the estate, she was lost in a different... extracurricular activity right now.

"Hmmm~. Hahaha, I can’t take this anymore!"

She was playing around on a balcony, her lavish dress now half soaked by the cold water that the masked man, who had been teasing each part of her body until just now, had splashed around it.

He was a charming young man, his half face covered in a red mask, his mouth however, smirking right at her, his eyes taking in the Lady’s entire state.

"Fine then."

He had done enough by now, so, without giving her a moment to think, he lifted her up, surprising her with his sudden action, and walked inside the empty room she had brought him to.

Her intention was the investigation of this unknown man, but now... now she lay on the bed, with his golden eyes staring down at her with endless lust.

He had enchanted her.

"We’re going to have so much fun, m’Lady."

And she had forgotten everything she was supposed to do thanks to his indescribable charm.

"Open your mouth."

She was already intoxicated by his touch, his scent, and his words. But with the strange liquid that she willingly let him pour right into her mouth...

"Good night."

She was intoxicated for real.

"...?"

Before her mind could comprehend what was happening right now, she was already losing consciousness.

And, by the time she had fallen asleep, the masked man was already opening the door to this room, a fine, voluptuous lady in a black dress stepping in, her graceful dark hair a testament of her unique lineage.

"You bad, bad boy."

She did not get to work until she had wiped the filth of the unconscious bitch off of her man. But once she was done, she focused her gaze towards the out-of-place wardrobe.

That had been their target all along.

< "Eagle and Spot in place." >

The moment the masked mage started decoding the safe (wardrobe), the masked man informed the rest of their group about their progress.

At the same time, somewhere in the vicinity of the merchant estate, surrounded by a bunch of concealed assailants, the woman with white hair was looking at about two dozen experts.

< "Snow in place. Engaging with the opposing party." >

< "Barn in place. I’ve arrived at the bomb location. Deactivating the contraption now." >

On one hand were the people who were here to kill the merchant’s guests and then there was the dumb merchant that accepted the offer of blasting them away with a gas bomb without knowing how devastating that thing actually was.

If things had gone the way she wanted, the entire city, with the exception of those around the pantheon’s surroundings, would have been killed by the toxic gas which the bombs would release.

But, that would not happen today.

"I’m done."

The mage, Spot, was soon done unlocking the highly advanced safe of the sleeping merchant.

< "We have obtained the books. Report status." >

Snow, the group’s main muscle, was also done dealing with the dozens of attackers.

Sadly, she was now surrounded by more of them. And leading them was their prime target, the one they knew they cannot face carelessly.

< "I’ve been surrounded. The ’Black Fish’ is here." >

< "Stay put. Do not engage with him." >

< "I wouldn’t do it even if I wanted to, darling." >

The enemy was not one that they could handle right now. And that was the very reason they needed a month to get the demon girl on their side.

< "The bombs have been secured and stored away." >

< "Good work, Barn. Reach Snow and be on standby." >

< "Copy." >

All of them were stealthy enough to never get caught by these guys. So he wasn’t worried about her. Instead, he looked at the fallen merchant with pitiful eyes.

They may be going against her right now but she was used in a greater plot she did not even know about. For the events of today, at least, she was innocent.

"Let’s go."

He did want to kill her for all the atrocities that made all the money she had right now, but she wasn’t alone in this damned world who climbed the social ladders by spilling inhuman quantities of blood.

"You..."

He tucked her in her bed after he removed her shoes.

She would not know the events of the last hour after she wakes up tomorrow. And that was for the best knowing the hell that’d start for her soon.

"Dumb-."

"Come here."

He lifted her up in his arms and jumped off the balcony.

His second wife was in danger right now.