Zaefal pushed through the last of the panicked crowd. The thick black smoke made his breathing difficult. The smell of burning wood and a faint trace of charred meat stung his nostrils.

He arrived in front of the explosion site. The inn was gone. Orange flames still licked at the collapsed wooden skeleton of the building. The heat beat against his face, even from across the street.

Kili. It seems the perpetrators of this chaos are already gone.

They left after blowing this up? What's the purpose? As bait?

Bait for what? What are they planning? Is this the work of humans or another kingdom?

Zaefal forced himself to calm down so he could think clearly.

First, the Guardians are missing. This is the strangest anomaly that has happened.

Second, it's possible they're using the explosions as bait. Using this logic, it means they are doing something else right now.

Third, there was more than one explosion in a short time. Which means there is more than one or two culprits. Likely a group or organization.

Organization...

Zaefal tried to piece together the puzzle in his mind, searching for the motive of the bombers.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The sound of rhythmic footsteps on the stone street came from behind him.

Someone?!

Zaefal immediately leaped into a dark alley across the street, hiding behind a stack of foul-smelling wooden barrels. His heart pounded.

As Zaefal peered out slightly, he saw them. Four City Guards emerged. Shields raised, swords drawn. They moved cautiously toward the fire, their eyes scanning the shadows.

"Anyone alive?!" their leader shouted.

"Check the back alley! Quickly!"

"This place is a total mess."

"Shut up! Don't talk! Just check!"

"Okay okay!"

Thank goodness, it's just the Guard.

Zaefal let out a small sigh of relief.

This is my chance to ask where the Guardians went. I hope they know something, Zaefal muttered inwardly.

Just as Zaefal was about to step out from his hiding place,

Sst.

The sound of fast movement. From above.

Who?!

Two figures landed without a sound in the middle of the street, between Zaefal and the Guards. They both wore pristine all-white robes with hoods.

The Guard leader turned, startled.

"Stop! Identify your—"

Sst. Sst. Sst. Sst.

One of the white figures dashed forward. The movement was a blur. Four brief silver flashes. Slashing all four guards.

It was too fast for the eye to follow.

The four City Guards froze. Their eyes widened in horror. Thin red lines appeared on their necks simultaneously. They collapsed onto the stone street. Blood pooled quickly beneath their bodies.

Zaefal held his breath. He didn't move an inch.

Wh-who are they? High level? Hunters? Are they the ones Laura meant? They killed four guards that easily?

Zaefal pressed his body deeper into the alley's shadows, into the rotten smell of the barrels.

After a moment, he peeked out again slightly.

The first white-robed figure was a man. He was cleaning the blood from his thin blade on a dead Guard's cloak. The second figure was a woman. She stepped past him, looking toward the fire.

"Is our task finished now?" the woman asked. Her voice was calm.

The man sheathed his sword. "We should be able to leave in ten minutes."

The woman nodded. "Well, technically we're done. Killing a few adventurers and guards is finished. The other teams have detonated the other two locations."

The man turned his head towards the main square, where panicked screams and the faint roars of monsters were starting to be heard.

"And the monsters have been released."

The woman sighed. "Honestly, this is the riskiest job we've taken."

The man snorted. "Agreed. But she took it. Maybe our client this time offered something strange?"

The woman chuckled. "I'm really curious what kind of payment she received."

"Honestly, we've had a lot of jobs this month," the man said, looking at the flames.

"True," the woman replied.

They stood in silence for a moment.

"Let's go," the man said. "No point in watching the fire."

The woman laughed lightly. "You're right."

Both of them leaped up to the rooftop. In an instant, they vanished into the night's darkness.

Zaefal stayed in his hiding place for a full minute, peeking out slightly. His hands were shaking.

Released monsters? Don't tell me the screams and strange noises over there are monsters?

This is worse than I thought.

This is truly fucking worse than I thought!.

Zaefal narrowed his eyes.

They were wearing all white... which means... likely Whitening.

They were hired to create this chaos. Someone hired Whitening to do this, and to make the Guardians leave the city.

He must be influential or very cunning. His wealth must be immense.

Zaefal bit his lip. Anger and helplessness washed over him.

I'm too weak. I'm so weak.. I can't do anything!!

She sacrificed herself, and instead I-I became a weak coward loser like this!!.

Zaefal slapped himself. Softly, but hard enough to sting.

Calm down. Getting angry at yourself won't change anything.

He straightened his posture, forcing his trembling body to obey.

Zaefal then took a long breath.

I have to get to Rasie and Fyar.

Zaefal looked around for a moment, making sure there was no one else, no more enemies.

When he felt it was safe, he stepped out of the alley, avoiding the pooling blood of the Guards. He looked at the four bodies in front of him.

In a heavy tone, he said quietly,

"Forgive me..."

Zaefal turned and ran as hard as he could back toward the Main Square.

...

At the Governor's Office, far from the chaos.

The room was lavish. dominated by a grand mahogany desk and tall windows overlooking the city.

On the floor near the desk, the Governor's body lay in a pool of blood.

In the large leather chair, a man with brown hair dressed entirely in black sat casually. He gazed out the window, toward the faint smoke rising in the distance.

Beside him stood a white-haired man with two blood-red horns. His neat gray suit contrasted sharply with the dimly lit room.

The horned man's eyes were fixed on the brown-haired man seated before him.

"Why would you destroy an entire city just to kidnap one girl?" he asked.

The brown-haired man chuckled softly. He turned his gaze from the window to meet the horned man's eyes.

"uhhh, General..."

"It wouldn't be fun if I told you now."

He paused for a moment, a faint smile curving on his lips as his eyes returned to the view outside.

"You'll find out soon enough…"

"In just a few hours."

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