Before the man could react, Nolan blurred forward. His kick slammed into the man's face with crushing force. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he flew backward, crashing into the dirt and lying still, unconscious.

Nolan lowered his leg, his expression calm, as his eyes turned toward the three remaining enemies.

The last three froze, panic flooding their faces. They knew they had no chance. One by one, they dropped to their knees, foreheads pressed to the ground.

"Please… spare us," one stammered. "We'll talk. We'll tell you everything."

Nolan stopped walking, standing over them in silence.

Are you sure you're going to talk? Huh? Because you saw what happened to your companion. That's why I sent you, Nolan said.

One of the men opened his mouth to speak, but Nolan felt something—like a spell—begin to coil through them. A faint glow crawled up their skin and a circular sigil bloomed on each of them, pulsing ominously. Nolan's hand snapped up. "I can feel it," he said. "It's about to—"

He didn't finish. He cast a single word and a single motion: Dispel.

The sigils sputtered and winked out. The three men froze, horror turning to relief as they realized Nolan had saved them. One of them scrambled back on his knees. "You… you saved our lives," he whispered.

"Maybe," Nolan replied coldly. "Now speak."

Heads bowed, they spilled the story at once.

"When we approached him, it was a man named Zari," the first said. "A merchant. He offered us a job — told us to wear his gear so it would look like his brand. He paid well. He said we were only getting an E-rank job, but that it'd be easy: take out one man. He named you."

"We thought it was a setup at first, just another contract," the second added. "He promised a lot of coin. We didn't expect… not this. He told us you were an easy mark. He said we'd be paid well for a simple job."

"We thought we were only E-rank fodder for him to test his product," the third finished, voice shaking. "We never expected you to be—" He broke off, staring at the three unconscious bodies where their companions had been.

Nolan listened without expression. The men's fear, the merchant's name, the glowing sigils that would have killed them—everything fit together. He let the silence hang for a long, heavy breath before he finally spoke. "Who sent you?" he asked again, softer this time.

"We told you: Zari," they repeated, urgent now, wanting the bargaining to stop. "We'll tell you everything—where he meets, who works for him—just please—don't kill us."

Nolan's eyes swept them. Outside, the night smelled like smoke and earth; inside, his yard was still scattered with smashed stones and the traces of the earlier fight. He weighed their words, the merchant's name already turning in his mind into the next place to strike.

"Who is this man? When can I find him?" Nolan's voice was cold, sharp. "And are you lying to me? Because if you are, your heads will be on the ground."

"No! I promise, we're not lying!" one of the men stammered.

"Yes, it's the truth," another added, trembling. "He said it himself. And not only that—he gave us thirty million gold coins to take you out. We thought it was going to be an easy job. Rank E adventurers are rookies…"

"So you planned to kill me." Nolan's tone dropped even lower, almost like a growl. "That's a shame. Really bad. You're Rank S adventurers, and yet you still didn't know who I am?"

"We didn't," the man admitted quickly. "We're not from here. We're from the Empire. He brought us here for this job. We helped market his brand there—wearing his armor on quests. He's got businesses in different villages and nations…"

"Are you going to tell me where I can find him?" Nolan asked.

One of the men swallowed hard. "He also has a house at the back of his large shop. There are a lot of guards there."

"I don't know that place," Nolan said. "Just tell me what's around it. If you describe it, I'll know it."

"It's a bit far from the Adventurers' Guild," the man said finally.

"That's all I need to hear." Nolan straightened, eyes narrowing. Someone's watching me. He felt it—a sting of mana from afar. He turned, eyes sweeping up toward the building across the garden. A silhouette stood there, watching. Their eyes met. Then the figure leapt down and ran off into the night.

Nolan didn't chase. He looked back at the captured adventurers. They were probably being watched to make sure they succeeded, he thought. If they killed me, the merchant would know.

He raised his hand. The three dropped instantly to their knees. "Please, spare us! Can we go now?" one begged.

"No," Nolan said flatly. "You're going to be locked up."

He moved faster than they could see. A flash, a blur—his palm struck the backs of their necks in one smooth motion. They collapsed, unconscious.

Nolan looked down at the three men, their bodies slack and unconscious on the ground. Celia and Linda moved closer and fell into step beside him.

"Master, what are you going to do?" Linda asked.

"I'm going to find the merchant who hired them," Nolan said.

"But Master, isn't that dangerous?" Celia protested. "I want to come with you."

"No. It's fine. I'll be okay." Nolan glanced at the three unconscious men. "What I need you two to do is gather them and tie them up. Use rope. Make sure they can't get free."

"But Master—we want to—" Linda began.

"No. That can't happen. Please, do this and stay here. Watch the house." Nolan's voice was firm.

Celia and Linda exchanged a look, then nodded. "Okay, Master," they said.

Nolan breathed out slowly. "Good. And don't worry — Lyra is fine. She went elsewhere, but this isn't as simple as it looks. Be careful while I'm gone."

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.