Roja, Leader of the Dissection Team, Subordinate Team, Unit 5, [Radiant Fang] Guild
"This is the place."
When I arrived at the Nehu family's house, guided by the kids I bought, the house before me was nothing but a pile of wooden ruins. Scattered around were human organs and bloodstains, strewn everywhere.
Some of the group I brought along furrowed their brows, some gasped in shock, and others turned away.
In contrast, the two kids I bought stood there calmly, staring as if this was just another ordinary sight. If it were monster corpses, they' d probably be used to it. And for the same reason, people in the slums must be desensitized to human corpses.
The bodies were so mangled it was impossible to tell who was who. A rough estimate—probably around ten corpses.
Could it be possible that some of the Nehu family survivors are among these bodies? Tiara, with her disability, might not have been able to escape. Elda, with her frail body, probably couldn' t carry anyone to safety either.
"Leader, there' s a suspicious kid who' s been staring at this house the whole time," one of my subordinates said, dragging a teenage boy by the collar.
"Why are you staring at this house? What' s your connection to the Nehu?"
From what I could tell, the boy' s eyes burned with hatred and rage.
"If you don' t talk, you' ll end up in a pile with them."
"They killed my friend!" the boy spat.
"Who?"
"That bitch Lera and Calika!"
"…What!? What did you just say?"
"I said that bitch Lera and Calika!"
Someone named Calika came to Calika' s house?
"Tell me everything. From the beginning."
----- Ten Minutes Later -----
To sum it up, this kid was another member of their group. But today, he had to help his older brother with some heavy lifting, so he couldn' t join in on the "fun" of killing Tiara. When he arrived, he saw Lera helping Calika' s older sister. Seeing how skilled she was, he hid himself.
After they killed his group, Lera made a soldier go find her younger sister, Elda.
The description of that Calika didn' t match the Calika I killed, true. But why did she call Tiara her older sister and Elda her younger sister? That family only has three members.
"Head back to the Adventurer' s Office immediately. Check the records for anyone using the name Calika. List them all."
"Got it!"
Did something happen in the dungeon? But if that' s the case, the Cleanup Unit would' ve reported it, right?
Majoka, Labo, Tuge—ordered to be taken out because of the dagger issue. That dagger was used to kill Calika. The dagger went missing.
Another Calika? Showing up at the Nehu family' s house, calling the other two her older and younger sisters?
This is starting to feel off. Could that blonde Calika be the same person, and could she be involved with Lord Jaigia' s dagger?
"Change the search target. We' ll find Elda first and take her as a hostage."
"Understood!"
If Elda is that important to her, she' ll spill everything.
*****
Astil, the Sole Surviving Member of a Delinquent Gang
Those bitches, Lera and Calika. You' ll pay for killing my friends and destroying our group.
We had dreams of becoming famous adventurers, founding a renowned guild, with people bowing to us in respect. But because of you two, our shared dream is over.
Why? Just for one trashy older sister, you had to slaughter my entire group?
Unforgivable.
I clenched my fists, staring at the scattered remains of my friends.
"Don' t worry, guys. I' ll avenge you."
I looked up to the sky and roared, "Goddess, be my witness! I, Astil, swear I' ll crush Lera and Calika into the same mess they made of my friends!"
*****
Calika Nehu
After being forced to order my slaves to drop their weapons and kneel, the debt collector gang leader spoke, lifting my chin.
"Put on this collar, little girl, and sign the slave contract. Don' t make me use force."
But before he could lean in to kiss me, the slave trader blurted out in a trembling voice, "Are you sure about this? She might be a noble' s daughter! Enslaving a noble' s child without a crime could get us all executed by the kingdom!"
"You think I' m staying in this kingdom?" the leader sneered.
"What!? You' re fleeing to another kingdom?" the trader gasped.
"Obviously. With guilds sweeping through the slums to clean us out, you think I' d stay here like an idiot?"
At those words, the clueless ones erupted into chaos.
"What? For real?"
"Which guilds? How many are coming?"
"Is the royal family serious this time? We' re all screwed!"
"Boss, what do we do?"
"Damn it, this girl must really be a noble' s daughter, and her family hired guilds to retrieve her!"
"Should we let her go?"
"Damn, I shouldn' t have come!"
The smaller delinquent groups were panicking, but the hardened criminals stayed calm, as if they already knew.
Guilds are sweeping the slums to take out criminals? How' s that possible? Hunting monsters is more profitable and less risky. You can study monsters, counter them easily, and sell their remains. Sometimes you even get dungeon-crafted items or rare ores.
But dealing with criminals? You' d have to enter their territory, and the bounties aren' t worth it. Losing skilled adventurers for that? Better to raid a dungeon.
That' s why no guild ever takes those requests to clean up the slums. Unless some idiot provokes someone powerful, maybe then a guild or the kingdom' s soldiers would step in. But the slum' s criminal groups work together to drive out or block those fools from their territory.
Cut out one piece of rot without risking too much—that' s what the powerful choose. It' s become an unspoken agreement between both sides. That' s why the slums keep breeding villains and remain a cesspool.
So why are multiple guilds suddenly sweeping the slums? Something big must' ve happened.
"Uh… Miss, which family are you from?" the slave trader asked me nervously, sweating profusely.
I didn' t know any noble family names, so I responded haughtily, "Which family do you think I' m from?"
"Uh, Angka? Or maybe Velma? No, no, probably Rozac. Wait, or Kalin?"
Angka, Velma, Rozac, Kalin. If I had to pick one to bluff, I' d go with the fiercest-sounding one.
"Can' t you tell? I' m from the Rozac family. You dare lay a hand on me? The Rozac family will hunt you all down!"
"Eek! I' m out! No way I' m doing this!" the trader cried. "Please, Lady Forsythia, beg your family head to spare my life! I won' t dare again!"
The trader hurriedly dropped to the ground, banging his head until it bled. Looks like I picked the right name.
But it didn' t help much. The debt collector gang leader didn' t care.
"Why are you freaking out? It' ll take those guilds forever to get here. They' re busy chasing every little girl. Just enslave her quick and get out!"
"Don' t be stupid! This is a Rozac noble! The girl they' re looking for has to be Lady Forsythia!" the trader screamed.
"You idiot! Do the Rozacs have power in other kingdoms? Just escape, and you' re fine!"
"No way! I' m out! Cancel this! Take your money back! I' m not messing with the Rozacs!"
"You moron! You think the Rozacs will let you go after they find out you tried to enslave their daughter? If we don' t enslave her now, you and I are dead right here!"
"Eeek! You' re right!"
"Stop wasting time and do it!"
"Hey, pay us first! Our group needs to get out!"
"Our syndicate too. Pay up!"
"Induct her into the cult. If we make a Rozac a follower, our group could spread the divine will to the royal family!"
"I' ll pay later! The money' s with the gang. This girl' s mine. Let me break her first, then I' ll sell her."
"No money? Fine, we' ll take her to the brothel."
"We lost a lot because of her. If you' re selling, I want a cut."
"Shut up, all of you! I said she' s mine! Stop standing around and enslave her already!"
"Uh, uh…"
"Make her release her slaves first. I want some of them. They can cover your payment."
"Hey, I saw those first!"
"No, I' m taking all the slaves to make up for the cargo she let escape. Otherwise, my boss will kill me."
"That' s your problem!"
"Talk like that, and you' re dead!"
"No way! We lost too many followers. We need to make them all converts!"
"Do whatever you want! Just give me the money!"
"I said shut up!"
Their arguing escalated, and the once-united group started turning on each other.
And then—
WHOOSH!
A swirling black tempest roared down from the sky at blinding speed, heading straight for me, where I stood as a hostage. The criminals tried to drag me away, but the storm was faster.
The moment it hit the ground, the black tempest exploded, blasting everything away. When the dust settled, the area was completely clear—not even a speck of dirt remained.
Only me and my kneeling slaves were unharmed. The winds had veered around me, striking the people behind me instead.
As the black storm subsided, a tanned woman with long black hair, dressed in modest clothing, stood before me.