No. 13 Guta Street, like every other building on the street, was a standalone three-story flat-roofed house. The first floor contained two rooms, a dining room, a living room, a kitchen, a washroom, and a basement storage area. The second floor had six rooms and two washrooms, Goethe had previously lived there with his parents, younger brother, and aunt. The third floor housed a large study, a living space, and a washroom, where Goethe’s grandfather had resided.

Like the other houses on No. 13 Guta Street, had neither a back door nor a garden—opening the front door led directly to the street.

Goethe didn’t bother climbing through a window. Instead, with a revolver clenched between his teeth, he used both hands and feet to climb up to the rooftop.

In his memory, there was a door on the rooftop that led directly into the house. It had been installed for convenience when hanging laundry. A movable ladder sat beneath it, and the door itself wasn’t locked, closing it simply involved removing the ladder.

Silently, Goethe pushed the door open.

After carefully scanning the interior, he leapt down.

The moment his feet hit the floor, a surge of familiarity washed over him.

It was almost enough to make him feel safe.

But—

Exhaling deeply, Goethe quickly discarded that illusion.

Standing in the darkness, he narrowed his eyes and surveyed his surroundings.

The furniture remained in place, the room’s decorations untouched. It was clear that the debt collectors hadn’t broken in after he left.

Of course, that wasn’t because they were merciful.

The repayment deadline simply hadn’t arrived yet.

Once it did—

Forget the furniture, the entire house would be stripped away by those debt collectors.

Following the memories in his mind, Goethe immediately located the candlestick—the very one that had smashed into Hader’s skull.

【Obtained: Bloody Honor!】

…

As Goethe’s fingers brushed against the candlestick, words flashed before his eyes.

Seeing them appear, his tense nerves relaxed just a fraction—

The overwhelming surge of power he had felt earlier was seared into his mind.

Even if it came with unknown risks, right now, [Bloody Honor】 was indispensable.

He didn’t for a second believe that the mist outside was a natural phenomenon.

At that thought, the momentary ease he had felt vanished.

His muscles tensed again as he grabbed the candlestick and hurried toward the kitchen.

Everything he needed was there.

Just then, his gaze constantly flicking toward the street caught something unusual.

The thick, suffocating fog had begun to thin.

“This is…”

“The authorities are taking action?!”

Goethe’s eyes lit up.

After reporting that this incident involved supernatural forces, he had expected some kind of response.

What he hadn’t expected was such a swift reaction especially compared to Swart’s incompetence, making it all the more remarkable.

“If that’s the case, I can adjust my plan slightly.”

A small smirk played on Goethe’s lips.

Meanwhile, outside Guta Street, hidden in the shadows, Delber’s expression darkened as he watched the thick fog dissipate.

This had never happened in any of their previous operations.

“Could something have happened to him?”

The sudden change along with the bodies strewn beside the carriage planted the seed of retreat in Delber’s mind.

As the leader of this gang, he knew exactly where their strength lay.

Six gunmen?

That was nothing.

In places like Hunter’s Tavern, men like them were a dime a dozen.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

What had set them apart in Lustre and earned them notoriety—was that man, the one who wielded Supernatural abilities.

But now—

Something had gone wrong.

“Find the target.”

“Kill him.”

Just as hesitation gripped Delber, his voice echoed in his ears.

He had no idea what had happened, but he knew better than to disobey that man’s orders.

Without hesitation, Delber gestured toward two of his subordinates.

Immediately, they split up, approaching the carriage from both sides.

The remaining two men positioned themselves in a crossfire stance, eyes locked on the area.

They knew someone had escaped earlier.

The attackers didn’t rush in recklessly.

They moved carefully, using shadows and walls for cover, ensuring they stayed hidden as they crept forward.

Because of this, it took them several minutes to finally reach the carriage.

One of them even caught sight of Swart, still curled up under the seat, shaking uncontrollably.

Without hesitation, the gunman leaned out—revolver raised—

Just as he was about to pull the trigger—

Bang!

A gunshot rang out.

The man crumpled to the ground.

From the shadows, Goethe didn’t bother checking if he had hit his mark. The moment he fired, he ducked back into cover.

“Kill him!”

Delber, furious at losing yet another man, roared the command.

The two remaining gunmen didn’t need his orders they were already pulling their triggers.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

On the second floor of No. 13 Guta Street, the window from which Goethe had just fired shattered under the hail of bullets.

As they shot, the two men advanced toward the house, while the last attacker wasted no time yanking Swart out of the carriage.

Pressing the barrel of his gun to Swart’s temple, he prepared to use him as a human shield.

But it was pointless.

Bang!

Another shot.

Swart felt a rush of heat against his cheek.

The man holding him hostage dropped lifelessly to the ground, the bullet piercing straight through his eye, blasting apart half his skull.

"Sharpshooter!"

"Take cover!"

Delber had no time to respond to Swart. He shouted the warning and immediately ducked behind a wall.

The remaining two gunmen quickly sought cover as well.

Only Swart felt his legs go weak, and a sudden warmth spread in his pants.

Meanwhile, after landing another shot, Goethe sprinted to reposition himself, though he was somewhat surprised.

The first shot had been meticulously prepared an ambush. Hitting the target was inevitable.

But the second shot?

That was pure luck.

To be honest, he hadn’t been sure it would land.

Yet, the bullet had struck the enemy right in the eye. Even for him, that was unexpected.

Under normal circumstances, at this distance, even with careful aiming, he wouldn’t have expected such precision.

As for accidentally hitting Swart?

Goethe didn’t care in the slightest.

"One bullet left."

"Now…"

"All that’s left is to wait for the prey to fall into the trap."

Leaning against the third-floor corner wall, Goethe glanced down at the chamber of his revolver. Then, after steadying his breath, he calmly picked up a book he had prepared in advance.

Outside, hidden in the shadows, Delber hesitated again.

Fighting against a concealed sharpshooter at night was a terrible idea.

Especially when they had already lost three men.

With just three of them left, there was no way to suppress the sharpshooter.

Or rather, the moment they showed themselves, they would be dead.

The two corpses from earlier were proof enough.

"Should we retreat?"

The thought of fleeing surfaced in Delber’s mind once more.

But then—

The thick fog, which had just begun to clear, rolled back in again.

Within the mist, Delber and his two remaining gunmen exchanged delighted glances.

"Charge in!" Delber shouted.

Using the fog as cover, one of the gunmen immediately fired a barrage of bullets at the door of No. 13 Guta Street.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The gunfire roared.

One emptied his magazine, reloading while the other continued firing. They cycled through two full rounds.

By the time they were done, the first floor of the building looked like a beehive.

Under such conditions, no one could have survived behind the door.

One of the gunmen stepped forward and kicked open the now-ravaged entrance, his gun raised cautiously. The other did a tactical roll into the room.

The moment he got back on his feet, he felt something slick in his palm. Instinctively, he raised his hand for a closer look—

A sharp, acrid smell hit his nose.

"Kerosene!"

His face paled in horror, and he immediately tried to back away.

But it was too late.

From the third floor, Goethe tossed down the book he had soaked in kerosene and set ablaze.

Boom!

The burning book hit the ground, and flames erupted instantly.

Within moments, the corridor was engulfed in a raging inferno.

The gunman drenched in kerosene became a human torch.

Before the last gunman could react, the burning man—driven mad by pain—threw himself onto him.

The fire spread in an instant.

"Ahhh!"

"Help! Help me!"

The two burning men struggled to their feet, trying to run toward their leader for aid.

Delber knew exactly what would happen if they got too close.

Bang! Bang!

Gunshots rang out.

Both men collapsed.

Delber lowered his smoking gun, his expression grim as he stared at the bodies of his subordinates.

What should have been an effortless mission had left him completely alone.

His hatred for the man inside that house knew no bounds.

But more importantly—

Now that he was the only one left, he had to prove his worth to that lord.

He knew very well why he had been chosen.

It wasn’t because of any exceptional skill.

It was because he had five obedient subordinates.

But now, they are all dead.

His value had plummeted.

And he had no intention of being discarded.

So—

As the fog rolled into the building and the flames died down, Delber stepped into No. 13 Guta Street without hesitation.