Chapter 1496

<Episode 1447> 1447. Dark Moon

I couldn’t help but gawk as the female ninja vanished in the blink of an eye.

She was fast—so fast it was almost ninja-worthy. I immediately cast a Detection spell to scan the area, but there wasn’t a single trace of her presence. She had completely disappeared in that brief moment.

“The power ninjas use… I wanted to ask about that.”

I knew she wouldn’t answer easily, yet I couldn’t suppress the sudden surge of curiosity and ended up speaking.

“That’s definitely some kind of magic-related power.”

It wasn’t the same type of magic I used, but it was clearly based on magic—that much was certain.

“Ninja characters are rare even in the original game, and here one shows up.”

Ninjas were one of the jobs players couldn’t choose from. There were rumors they’d be added later as DLC content. That’s what I believed.

I turned around. The bodies of the gang members the suddenly appearing ninja had wiped out now littered the floor, pooling with blood. Despite the acrid smell, I felt a slight sense of relief.

“I didn’t even know that female ninja was nearby until she revealed herself.”

If she had entered my sensory range, I would’ve noticed right away—but not detecting her until just before she killed the gang members was quite shocking.

“I don’t know the exact extent of her abilities… but she’s probably stronger than me right now.”

I checked the four transparent barriers surrounding my body. With these barriers, I could withstand a few attacks.

“The problem is, I can’t walk around all day maintaining barriers out of fear of assassination.”

Some proper anti-assassination measures are needed. An idea did come to mind, but implementing it immediately would be tough. Even though my magical talent is exceptional, I’m far from mastering every spell.

“Compared to other level 5 mages, I know way fewer spells.”

As I walked out of the building, I paused and glanced back at the scattered corpses. My original plan was to brutally kill the gang members and display them as a warning. But the female ninja interfered. Would leaving things as they are cause any trouble?

“It should be fine as a warning. Still, I might as well talk to Rose.”

She might know something about ninjas.

Instead of heading home, I went to the X-sector labor office.

It was still early morning, with the sun barely rising. Laborers lined up in front of the office, waiting for work assignments. These weren’t mercenaries like me—they worked in factories or similar places to earn their living. They completely ignored me, and I didn’t bother approaching them either.

Soon, Rose appeared. She glanced around briefly before assigning tasks to the workers.

“Don’t cause accidents on-site.”

“Haha… I wasn’t thinking straight because I was drunk last time.”

“Don’t drink on the job. I’m warning you—this is your final chance.”


Rose exchanged a few words with the workers. Rough words were exchanged. The workers all disappeared, and she flicked her finger at me.

“Come in. What brings you here today? A job request?”

“It’s personal business.”

I sat across from her in the office. Rose furrowed her brow as she listened to my explanation.

“You’ve caused trouble… but this time you’re in the right. The Fraxion Mercenary Group won’t get involved in something like this. They’re not that stupid. The Harvus Gang… they might be a problem though. Those guys sometimes don’t care about consequences. You should be fine for now. As far as I know, Jupiter is pretty busy right now anyway.”

“Do you know anything about ninjas? They call themselves ‘Invisible Blade.'”

“What’s with that ridiculous name? You’ve gotten yourself mixed up with some weird guy.”

“It’s not a guy, it’s a woman.”

“…An even weirder woman then. I know a few ninjas around Neo London, but I’ve never heard of ‘Invisible Blade.’ Is she supposed to be skilled?”

“I’m not sure exactly how strong she is, but she’s definitely not normal.”

“A skilled ninja wiping out a gang like Harvus… must just be trying to build a reputation. She’s probably new to the city.”

“Do you know much about ninjas?”

“I know a few famous ones operating in Neo London. Apparently their origins trace back to Unbelievable Japan or something?”

Unbelievable Japan.

An ancient country that existed about 800 years ago. It no longer exists.

“Do you know anything about the ninjutsu techniques they use?”

“Not really. Why are you so curious?”

“As far as I know, ninjas use hand seals when performing ninjutsu. But this kunoichi used ninjutsu without any hand seals.”

“Mages use hand gestures too. And you use Shadow Blade. Is it really that surprising?”

“Ninjas and mages are different.”

“You must’ve been pretty shocked seeing that ninja.”

“Shocked. It was a real Ninja Reality Shock…”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It’s a thing.”

“Anyway, sorry, I don’t know much about ninjas.”

“Alright.”

I stood up.

“Aren’t you going to request a job? There was one sent to you yesterday.”

“I’m too busy for that. What kind of job was it anyway?”

“A bodyguard job. Dark Moon is coming up soon. The pay is pretty good. You should do it. There’s plenty of time until Dark Moon.”

“…I’m not really into bodyguard jobs.”

“Why not? Sometimes you can do nothing and still collect the money.”

“I’ve done a few bodyguard jobs before… none of them went particularly well.”

“Got it. Then I’ll pass on this job. Thanks for telling me about what happened today. Not like I can do anything about it… but there are people who cause trouble and don’t say anything.”

I said goodbye to her and headed home.

I closed the shop earlier than usual and hid in the alley, keeping watch on the opposite fish and chips shop. I quietly tailed the shop owner, John Clark. He was hunched over, looking around nervously, radiating unease.

‘So he’s heard about the Harvus Gang.’

He knows the details of the incident, so he probably suspects my involvement. He fears the blade of revenge.

John’s residence was in Sector F. Commonly known as an upper-class district. Though it’s at the edge of the upper-class areas. A neighborhood for newly rich people with lots of money.

‘A fish and chips shop owner living here? Doesn’t make sense. Did he make a big score while in the gang and buy this place?’

I confirmed him entering his house after unlocking the door.

[Detection]

Magic


The bodyguard scans the surroundings.

There were no bodyguards in sight. Instead, unmanned security robots patrolled both the garden and interior of the house, cleverly hidden from plain view.

I’ve assessed the situation. Time to make my move. Back in the military days, infiltrating past these types of security bots was old hat.

Robots are machines. Unless we’re talking about those fancy magitech models, they’re always vulnerable to electrical currents.

[Electric Field]

Current flows from my feet into the ground. Of course, it’s perfectly calibrated—just enough to neutralize the robots without causing collateral damage.

I step forward. The security robot, cleverly concealed among the bushes, now lies inert, utterly unresponsive.

Having successfully infiltrated, I casually place my hand on John’s shoulder as he lounges on the couch, sipping beer and watching TV.

“You’ve got good taste in movies there. Planetarium. Solid choice. Though it is a bit racy for daytime viewing.”

“Y-you…!”

John Clark leaps up in shock, his beer can clattering to the floor, leaving a yellow stain.

“Thanks to you, I didn’t sleep a wink last night. Pulling an all-nighter like that after such a long time really messed with my mood during work today.”

“I-I just wanted the recipe! Honest!”

“Kidnapping someone over a chicken recipe? What would’ve happened if I hadn’t been so lucky? Would I even be alive right now?”

“N-no! I wasn’t gonna kill you! Just get the recipe, then send you back!”

“Hah! Even dogs wouldn’t believe your lies. Once someone’s taken by a gang, their fate’s already sealed—that’s common knowledge around here.”

Woosh.

Mana surges, forming a magical circle in midair. At the sight of it, John drops to his knees, frantically wiping his hands.

“I’m sorry! Please… just this once! Let me live!”

He pulls out a pistol hidden under the couch and fires directly at my head.

Ting!

His bullets don’t even scratch my barrier.

“Sofa beneath, behind the TV, inside drawers—you’ve got seven weapons stashed in this living room alone. Must’ve felt pretty threatened, huh?”

“G-guards! Intruder! Why aren’t you moving?!”

He pulls the trigger again. Another hail of bullets bounces harmlessly off my barrier.

Zzzt.

The completed magic circle flashes brightly before vanishing. Despair washes over his face—it was worth showing him that.

“The movie ended with the protagonists breaking up. But this? This is my original spell.”

[Microwave]

His body swells grotesquely before exploding in a loud bang.

Whether he felt pain in that instant is anyone’s guess, but the aftermath is undeniably gruesome. Blood and guts splatter everywhere. Had I not manipulated the barrier, some might have hit me too.

I leave, taking care not to leave any traces behind.

Five days later, Rose calls.

“Busy lately?”

“Not particularly. What’s the job?”

Things at the shop have stabilized. I’ve hired kitchen staff to replace me, and now I’m dealing with franchise hopefuls. Outside of that, my time is my own. Lately, I’ve been researching new spells.

“Yeah, it’s a direct request for you. It involves Jupiter. Details are still unclear. They’re very secretive, insisting on revealing the specifics only after you accept.”

The keyword has been dropped.

Jupiter.

Whoever commissioned this knows a lot about my connection to Harvus and Jupiter. Maybe they’re part of Jupiter themselves. Or maybe it ties back to the Yeninza faction.

“I’ll take it.”