1.
Ruby’s words were true.
– <Black Wolf> without its Captain!! Do you know how dangerous these mad dogs without leashes are?!
Not even a full day had passed since his absence.
Yet, <Black Wolf>, moving recklessly on their own, was carrying out a massacre in the central plaza of the capital.
‘What the hell is the problem?’
To avoid trouble, I even issued an order to clean and repair the hideout.
“Please!! Please spare me, you bastard!!”
“Sorry. You stink too.”
Why are they cleaning up people instead of the hideout?
‘…What should I do about this?’
Should I briefly revert to <Black Wolf>’s form and pull them out?
‘No. Too many eyes are watching right now.’
If by any chance it gets revealed that <Yellow Dragon> and <Black Wolf> are the same person, it’ll be an even bigger issue.
‘But if I leave it like this, the remaining ten or so hostages will likely die.’
As I stood there, dumbfounded, unable to think of a solution, Dalan, standing next to me with his ever-present smile, asked,
“What’s going on here?”
Yeah. I’m losing my mind too.
Suppressing a groan and a sigh that nearly slipped out, I replied calmly.
“I don’t know.”
“Oh, come on. What kind of <Black Wolf> business would the Captain not know about?”
“This one.”
“Pfft! You’ve gotten funnier since I last saw you!”
What the hell is he even saying?
“Enough joking around. Why don’t you share your plan with me, Captain?”
Dalan’s insistent grin and attitude finally made my voice tighten a bit.
“Dalan. I’ll say it again. I told you—I don’t know.”
“…!”
Realizing I was serious, Dalan’s expression stiffened, and he lowered his head.
“My apologies. I understand now.”
“Enough.”
I almost died of frustration.
After some deliberation, Dalan raised his head again and asked.
“Shall we subdue them?”
“Can you handle it?”
“If it’s the two of us together. Though honestly, you’d be enough on your own, wouldn’t you, Captain?”
No, not really.
Everyone knows that <Black Wolf> members are all at least S-rank.
If I approached them as <Yellow Dragon>, they’d undoubtedly cut off my head.
But I couldn’t run away either.
I know they’re <Black Wolf> members, so it’s less of a shock for me, but to others, it’s just a mass slaughter by unknown assailants.
The terrified people scanned their surroundings, searching for someone to resolve the situation. Naturally, <Yellow Dragon> was the one they turned to.
“It’s <Yellow Dragon>!!”
“Look! The Monstrous Dragon is with him!!”
“If it’s <Yellow Dragon>, he’ll definitely help us!!”
The number of gazes grew heavier.
‘…This is driving me crazy.’
A situation where I couldn’t move forward or back.
‘What the hell am I supposed to do?’
Ignoring the headache creeping in, I kept my gaze fixed on <Black Wolf> when suddenly—
Ding.
A bright sound, completely out of sync with the dire situation, echoed as a blue system window appeared before me.
─『Subquest Activated!』─
◆ A New Hero.
: With the <Hero> embarking on their <Expedition>, fear is spreading. The Babylonia Empire needs a new hero.
◆ Conditions
- Drive out <Black Wolf>.
- Prevent <Yellow Dragon>’s identity as <Black Wolf> from being exposed.
- Survive.
◆ Reward
: Attention from <Eclipse>.
◆ Failure or Refusal
: The destruction of <Yellow Dragon>.
What I thought was a lifeline turned out to be a shove into a death trap.
But what choice did I have?
If I don’t want to die.
If I want to go back, I have to do this.
‘…At least if it’s just driving them out.’
If I used my artifacts, skills, and even Dalan—the Monstrous Dragon’s power—it might be doable.
A faint glimmer of light seemed to appear in the pitch-black future ahead.
“Remember, Dalan. I’m <Yellow Dragon>.”
“…Understood.”
After reaffirming that I was <Yellow Dragon>, not <Black Wolf>, I gripped my greatsword, preparing to draw it when—
“Silence, all of you.”
A figure, clad in dark red armor and wielding a crimson longsword, stepped forward from the group that had been standing still until now.
The sharp sound of a blade slicing through the air.
Even though it was only visible through the mask, the thick, overwhelming killing intent sent shivers down my spine.
“The one who steps into a darkness deeper than the void, who feeds on the lives of others to satisfy their greed, and… those who dare defy the will of <Black Wolf> and close their eyes and ears.”
The figure, who silenced everyone with just their presence, ran a finger along the hilt of their sword and declared.
“Slowly, one by one, I will ensure you all walk the same path.”
The moment the figure finished speaking—
Thud. Thud-Thud.
Thud, thud.
The heads of a dozen hostages, who had been restrained nearby, rolled to the ground in an instant.
The sheer dominance of the assailant’s strength froze everyone in terror, unable even to scream.
Amid the gruesome scene, where severed heads fell like rain, the lone figure, presumed to be female, added in an excited tone.
“All is as per the will of <Black Wolf>, the Captain!”
Wait, when did I ever say that!?
2.
Central Plaza.
A horrific massacre unfolding in broad daylight at the heart of the Babylonia Empire.
“All is as per the will of <Black Wolf>, the Captain!”
The voice of the assailant, filled with ecstasy, crushed the spirits of those present.
Even E-rank mercenary Mud, the first witness to the incident, was no exception.
‘So they weren’t a child.’
What he initially assumed to be a child was just someone smaller in stature, standing between two larger figures. But they, too, were nothing less than a monster, reveling in the bloodshed alongside the others.
“…I guess it’s fortunate my guess was wrong.”
Muttering under his breath, Mud slowly began backing away, preparing to flee.
E-rank mercenary Mud.
Leader of the F-rank mercenary group, <Mud Mercenary Corps>, a man of righteous heart who managed to hold onto his principles even after three years in this brutal world.
In a place where such people rarely survived a year, Mud’s continued survival stemmed from one simple skill:
Sharp instincts.
‘The knights will arrive soon to handle this. The hostages have been freed, and no one important has died yet. If I want to live, I have to leave now.’
That instinct had kept him alive.
“Guys, we’re leaving.”
The three other members of his mercenary group, who shared his upright nature, looked at him with cold sweat dripping, whispering anxiously.
“R-right now…?”
“Yes. Those people are way too dangerous.”
“But shouldn’t we stay and help the others…?”
“Help? The knights will be here soon. Let’s just back out for now.”
The knights.
Unlike themselves, F to E-rank mercenaries, knights were monsters starting at a minimum rank of B+.
Though the assailants appeared strong, the knights would undoubtedly surpass them in both quality and quantity.
“Let’s go back and finish that herb-collecting quest. Otherwise, we’re skipping meals again today.”
Half-joking, Mud’s comment made the newly joined F-rank mage, Loren, whisper seriously.
“But Captain…! Earlier, when I treated that injured guard, I heard something… they said the knights aren’t coming!”
“What…!?”
Mud, startled, turned toward Loren, who moved closer and spoke in a hushed tone.
“They’re keeping it quiet, but you know the rumor… <Black Wolf> supposedly tried to kill the Empress earlier this morning! The knights are all guarding her out of fear!”
“…Damn it.”
The faces of the entire <Mud Mercenary Corps> stiffened at Loren’s revelation.
The cowardly Empress.
Reina Babylonia.
Ever since she ascended the throne ten years ago, following the death of the previous Emperor, the Babylonia Empire had been rotting from within.
People believed she at least cared about the safety of her citizens, so they hadn’t revolted.
“Now she doesn’t even do that…”
Overwhelmed with despair, Mud muttered under his breath, and Loren spoke up again.
“I heard somewhere that without the <Hero>, there’s no one to keep her in check anymore.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Think about it…! All of this started falling apart just one year after the <Hero> left on the <Expedition>. If the <Hero> were still here, would any of this be happening!?”
The group nodded in agreement with Loren’s words.
Back when the <Hero> stayed in the Empire, life had been much better.
Corrupt nobles focused only on their greed, the cowardly Empress holed up in her palace, and even these bloodthirsty assailants before them—none of this would have happened under the <Hero>’s watch.
“If the <Hero> had been here, this would’ve never happened.”
As the group’s mood grew darker, Loren smirked faintly.
“That’s why we need a new hero now, don’t we?”
Hah.
Mud noticed Loren’s slight smirk but dismissed it as his imagination.
He raised his head.
“Let’s stop talking and get moving. No matter what’s going on, we still have a job to do—protect as many people as possible from those maniacs.”
To protect others.
It was a lingering dream of the man who once aspired to be a <Hero> but lacked the talent and eventually faced reality.
Even if all they could do was help frightened civilians out of the plaza—
“Let’s go, guys.”
Mud moved forward.
No.
“Wow! Oppa, you smell nice. Like a refreshing, earthy scent of clean mud.”
I was about to move.
Drip, drip-drip.
The sound of a viscous liquid falling was immediately followed by the metallic tang of blood.
“Damn it, Loren, use the speed enhancement spell…!!”
Sensing something approaching, Mud turned around, drawing his longsword and shouting, but—
“Oh, sorry. If you’d told me just a bit earlier, I might’ve waited.”
In the hands of the assailant was Loren’s head, still moving slightly, their eyes meeting Mud’s.
“Uh, uhh…?”
“I found her face in the memories of the last person I killed. Ugh, no wonder—she was the one reeking of that foul stench.”
“W-why… why would you…?”
“Because we’re cleaning up?”
Frozen in fear, Mud could only stand there, unable to act.
Perhaps it was because he was staring at death itself, but his mind raced faster than ever before.
– Those bastards, they put a robe and mask on a child and forced them to kill directly!!
By the time Mud realized that the assailant in front of him wasn’t what he initially thought—
“Wait a sec. Let me check something. If I’m wrong, I’ll spare you. You smell good, so I doubt it, but I can’t afford to make any mistakes this time.”
Placing a hand on Loren’s severed head, the assailant’s emerald-green eyes glowed brilliantly.
Mud understood immediately.
The assailant was reading Loren’s memories through the severed head. If they found whatever it was they were looking for in their group—
‘We’re dead.’
No doubt about it.
It wasn’t just fear of death. This was the undeniable certainty of an imminent, unavoidable end.
At that moment, when most would have fled or begged for their life—
“I told you we should’ve run.”
【Skill 1 – <Mud Pit (E)> has been activated.】
A bronze-colored aura erupted from Mud’s body, wrapping around the two remaining mercenaries.
Swoosh!
As if they’d sunk into a soft swamp, the two mercenaries instantly disappeared, reappearing five meters away.
“…What’s this? Why’d you suddenly make them flee? Got something to hide?”
The assailant, who had been focused on reading memories, turned their gaze back to Mud.
“Are you with <Eclipse>? Tied up with them somehow?”
“…What?”
“Figures. That’s why you got so twitchy and evacuated them.”
Crunch.
【<Trickster’s Masquerade> ends.】
【The Trickster, who left behind their memories long ago, returns to slumber.】
【<Hansen’s Masquerade> begins.】
【The sleeping master of daggers remembers that even a hand can be a blade.】
The black mask the assailant was wearing shifted and transformed into a white clown mask.
“You were with her, weren’t you? Even if you didn’t know, hiding someone from the group that tried to assassinate the Captain is still a crime.”
Dead.
There was no escape.
An E-rank mercenary like Mud wouldn’t last even a single exchange against them.
– We need a new hero.
Loren’s final whisper, what was supposed to be a casual remark, now echoed like an unintentional last will.
Hero.
A dream Mud had long given up on. He never even dared to think he could achieve it himself. But in this final moment, he desperately wished—
‘…For someone, anyone, to appear.’
To take his place.
to fulfill the dream he could not.
to become the hero he once aspired to be.
– I’ll become a hero one day and protect everyone!
He hoped that someone, someday, would achieve that dream.
“Well, goodbye, fragrant oppa.”
The man who once dreamed of being a hero resigned himself to death, closing his eyes—
【<Solar Annihilation (EX)> has been activated!】
【Flash──!】
A ray of light burst through the air.
