I spend a few days settling into the Beller manor. I generally keep to myself and make extra sure all the staff is loyal to either me or the Marquis. I don't want my presence to be known until it is time. My targets are the most important overall, as it was impossible to plant false evidence on them through the various channels at my and Duke Hasslerouges' disposal. They are just regular businessmen who are good at what they do, and most of all, they are careful. All I really had to do was have one of my loyal people plant a forged letter or turn an unused room of a building into a Demon Shrine. Without things like security cameras and computer systems, it's really easy to slip incriminating evidence into piles of documents.

The others have very specific orders to spend a long time investigating, leaving no stone unturned, and once they have gathered evidence they will block off all escape routes, account for all associates, and then finally "constrict" slowly crushing the targets and their companions to death. Of course, most of them are innocent, their only crime being that of support of an absolute monarchy or some other slight against the Hasslerouge household.

Since I am by myself, having shaken off the paladin in charge of me by having a fake summons come for her from the church, I have a different goal in mind. I plan to completely annihilate my targets, and destroy not only them but their businesses as well. I absolutely do not want to harm their families but, I doubt I'll get that choice.

Once I am comfortable in my lodgings I begin scouting my target locations. I take mental notes of different potential entrances and escapes. I grease some palms and gain access to cellars and the underground canals within the city. Through this, I find even more access points. I take time and care to block off most of these in order to simplify my job even further.

I then begin taking careful notes on guard rotations, and the daily activities of the targets, and what they do with their time. With a schedule created and some discarded letters read I plan my actions with extreme care. I kick myself for not bringing very much in way of supplies and tools, but the Marquis happily provides me with backup in the form of the local garrison. While quite weak, their numbers will be appreciated. With all of my ducks in a row I write some very incriminating letters "sent" from one of the other targets. The letters are each unique but basically say,

"We love the Demon King and are so happy all those people died during the attack on the academy. We love evil and eat babies."

Well, not so simple, but I paint them to be quite wicked. I then free a few prisoners from the city's jail and have them work as couriers. they are "caught" by the guards and unfortunately die in the struggle, but now the guards and the Marquis have "proof" of my targets' evil natures. I then work with the garrison to block the escape routes of the homes of the targets. While they do that I sneak into their company headquarters and start fires deep within the wooden buildings. With the flames started, the constrictor can begin squeezing.

I enter the first compound, I am not wearing a mask as I have no need for one, my mission is sanctioned by the crown. The decorative walls around the first manor offer no trouble as I enter. The house also isn't very well guarded. The two defending the front surrender without a fight upon seeing me open the front gate letting ten soldiers enter. We breach the first manor and search for the target. I find them first as planned, and he, unfortunately, meets his end by my hand while he was definitely sacrificing his own wife in order to become a demon himself. This is bullshit as I beheaded him while he sat up in his bed startled and I used the letter opener on his bedside table to quickly end his wife. Without modern forensics, I cannot be proven guilty. The garrison soldiers thank me for my service and then begin arresting the entire household. I quickly leave for the next manor.

The soldiers actually did their job to my surprise. They entered the compound without a fight, arrested the guards and staff, and the target who at one point was a soldier himself naturally defended his home and family, which left him dead via multiple spears thrust through him. I had handed this target off correctly and I feel proud of myself for a job well done, but then there was a wrench thrown into my plan.

I arrive at the last target's home and find the soldiers standing outside of the gates cowering. Marquis Beller was put in charge of this raid and he meets be outside of the gates. Angrily I ask,

"What is the meaning of this?"

He answers,

"The target... he has some mercenaries hired as personal guards. They are far stronger than we expected. We lost two men to the gatekeeper alone."

I grit my teeth and draw my sword. I am not wearing armor aside from my gauntlets. I shove my way through the cowardly soldiers and find a truly massive individual standing in front of the broken gate. It's a man wearing chain armor wielding a massive battle axe. In front of him lies two soldiers, one cut in two and the other almost cut in the same manner. He clearly did that in a single swing. I approach and say to him hoping to avoid a fight,

"Sir... I understand you were hired to protect this household, but the man inside has been found in league with the demon king, would you please allow us entry to enact justice?"

He responds sternly,

"No. I don't give a shit about that. He hired me, so I fight."

I nod with a sigh. That's really annoying and I probably don't have enough cash on hand to pay him off. I feel my hands start to tremble as I approach him. I feel my breathing grow heavy as my heart pounds. The man tightens his grip as I continue to get close. When I get within his range he raises his axe in a shortened grip. It allows him to raise the axe high with impressive speed. His downswing though is slow as he slides his hands together for a powerful downward strike. I use this time to close the short distance in two powerful steps. I then plant my feet on the ground and rise quickly putting the crown of my head into his nose. I feel it break and due to the sudden force, he stops his swing and falls back, and slams into the metal gate with a thunderous crash. I approach and swing low. With a well-placed slash from my well-sharpened blade, I cleanly slice his shin in half. His legs were only armored down to the knee. The runes used to amplify the force onto a target allowed to me break through the two bones if the blade wasn't enough on its own. This causes the big man to fall to the ground using both hands to hold his new nub. He screams in pain as I collect his axe. I use it to break the shitty lock open and kick the gates wide.

I toss his axe and step over him and into the compound which is now alive with activity as lanterns and torches light up the halls.

Marquis Beller orders his soldiers to follow which they do, now joined by reinforcements from the other two raids which have now finished. The mercenary guards come out to meet us. None are as impressive as the gatekeeper. A few surrender on the spot, but the fight begins. The soldiers emboldened by their number advantage meet the superior mercs in battle, and to my surprise start to break the enemy.

I don't waste my time with any of the random mercs and make a beeline right for the guy giving orders. I don't think they are the actual leader, but they definitely are a lieutenant or something. They are a young man in rather cheap-looking chainmail. It appears this attack woke them up so the armor isn't properly secured. They do notice me approaching and raise their small wooden shield and sword to meet me. They strike first without asking questions and I easily parry the attack, but eat the shield in my face. I taste blood from my busted lip as I recoil backward. I cuss under my breath as I catch myself. My opponent doesn't take advantage of the stagger as they move forward shield raised. I don't have the time for this.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

They go for another swing and I parry it, they don't bash me this time, instead opting to focus on swinging their blade. We trade slashes and thrusts for some time. He stops all my attempts at a counter-attack with his shield and I either dodge or parry away his attacks. He isn't overly skilled but is clearly a seasoned veteran despite him looking only a few years older than me.

After another exchange of attacks, he tries to sneakily bash me again with the shield. He tries to put the metal-reinforced side of the shield right in my mouth, but this time I am ready. With my offhand, I catch the shield and shove it aside while stepping inside it. I am not between him and his shield, even with my arms crossed I am in a better position. I step on one of his feet and uncross my arms. I grab his leg with one hand at the knee and pull it skyward. He moves backward in reaction which allows me to sink my grip to his ankle which I then lock into the crook of my arm after I release his trapped foot. He is now bouncing on one leg which allows me to simply kick it out from under him making him fall to his back with a loud thud.

I plant my foot firmly on his shield which presses it against his body and traps his sword arm underneath it. Now helpless he tries to wiggle out but the shield is firmly strapped to his arm. After holding him for a few moments the soldiers finish up with the now leaderless mercenaries and surround me. The man on the ground stops struggling and with a sigh concedes. I release him as the soldiers seize him and I move toward the manor with a group of ten soldiers and Marquis Beller.

The interior of the manor is nice, but not anything special. For the current time period, it's incredibly luxurious, but I've been quite privileged so far. There are a few more mercenaries running around in the halls. I only meet with one of them as I move through the halls looking for a target. My short sword is at advantage in the manor as the halls aren't overly large. Only big enough for one and a half people to walk side by side in. The longswords of the mercenaries hit the walls, either ruining all momentum in a swing or getting stuck in the wood. Dispatching these individuals isn't much trouble, and takes little to no time.

I learn from a captured servant the target has escaped to the underground tunnels, which puts a smile on my face.

I find cellar access and I hear frustrated yelling coming from within. I walk down the stone stairs quietly and find the target along with his family trying to bust into the underground tunnels but the blockade I built a few days earlier. I had stacked big sacks of sand in front of the access and then boarded it up. This creates a very difficult obstacle to bust down without a large crew or specialized tools.

I enter the cellar quietly as the target digs into the sandbags with a knife and using his hands to pull the sand onto the floor. His family stays huddled against the wall next to him, but I am not unnoticed. Behind them stands an older man wearing a chain tunic with a metal breastplate. From his nice clothing and armor, I can tell he is the actual leader of the mercenary group. He has a decorative sword on his hip and I don't notice any other weapons.

He draws his blade and places the torch he is holding into a wall holder. He announces my presence and prepares to fight. The cellar is quite open in design. It's not cavernous but offers enough room to maneuver. The target orders his hired guard to attack which the man does.

He leaps toward me with an upward slash. I step back into the wall and manage to dodge the attack, but I am now against the wall. He takes advantage of this and puts on pressure with a flurry of thrusts and slashes. I manage to block his attacks or redirect them into the wall behind me. This guy is a veteran and knows well to keep me on the defensive, but unfortunately for him, his offense is what will open him up. During one of his thrusts, I dive to the side away from his dominant hand, and sweep around his left leg. My knees get scuffed on the rough floor causing me to grimace but I slam the back of my gauntlet into his gut while kicking the back of his knees. The runes on the gauntlet increase the impact of my hit knocking the wind out of him and making him trip over my kick.

He tumbles to the ground but quickly begins getting to his feet. His chain armor allows freedom of movement helping him in his movement. I drop my sword and grab his right wrist, the one with his sword. I mount him as he punches upward with his non-dominant hand. I eat the punch and headbutt his hand during the next punch. I hear a crack as one of his fingers breaks, or at least dislocates. I put my feet onto his chest and pull on his right arm before falling to his right side. He tries to stop me but my weight is an advantage and his arm straightens and I lock the arm bar. I plant my feet on his breastplate and thrust my hips to the sky and with a "Pop" he drops his sword and his arm bends at a bad angle. With the move complete I release the arm and climb onto his chest. I grab my nearby shortsword and drive it into his neck. He lies there choking for a moment and I pull my blade from his neck. I stand up and flick my sword to the side sending the blood off the steel and onto the floor.

The target stands at the ready facing me with only a knife in his hand. Behind him are his wife and two kids. He is trembling in fear but holds firm in defense of his family. I feel my heart sink. I look around the cellar for anything. I hope and pray I find a cage full of children or something, but instead, I see stone walls and long-forgotten barrels. I grit my teeth and start cussing internally.

Every manor I entered tonight I had hoped would hold some dark secret. A dungeon of slaves, children, or maybe a drug trafficking ring, but I wasn't lucky enough to find anything of the sort. None of these targets even participated in the slave trade aside from purchasing workers. As far as this world is concerned these men and their families were squeaky clean. They just happened to make the mistake of supporting the royalist faction financially. I feel my throat tighten as I step forward, there won't be a fight, his posture makes it obvious. He clearly was at some point a young and studly man, but in his middle age, he is fat and out of shape. He has done well for himself with his business. He then chokes out,

"W-what do you want with us?"

I shake my head solemnly and say in a low voice,

"You. You were in support of the royalist faction within the kingdom... I have no ill will toward you, but I...I have no choice."

He lowers the knife and lowers his head. He then says to me quietly and pleadingly,

"Please spare them and take me alone..."

I nod and he drops the knife. I say to him,

"Upstairs."

He nods and thanks me as his wife tries to reach for him. He stops to embrace his wife and kids a final time as he walks up the stairs. The woman tries to plead with me but I deafen my ears as I follow the quiet man. Once upstairs I motion to a side room which he steps into. I swiftly behead him before he can turn around. I can't look him in the eyes, and I'd rather he not have that final moment of anticipation. I catch him as he falls and gently set him to the ground. The soldiers and the Marquis head into the cellar behind me and arrest his family. I only hope they are treated well... which is unlikely.

I sheathe my sword and walk out of the manor as in the distance flames lick at the night sky from the headquarters buildings that I had set ablaze. I walk to the Marquis manor feeling like life had been sucked out of my body. I don't even feel my throbbing lip, I just feel like shit. I enter the manor and go into the Marquis study. I sit down in a chair and a servant brings me something to drink. I can't manage to choke anything down due to the tightness in my throat.

The Marquis arrives after a while and is absolutely beaming. and he sits across from me in his chair. I give him a thin smile as I retrieve the sack I brought with me. I pull out of the sack a letter, one sealed by the king himself. I hand it to the Marquis who opens it. He reads it by candlelight and then stands up and actually leaps for joy. He then says to me,

"The king has granted me the land of the surrounding nobles who perished during that big attack! I had no clue the reward would be this large! Thank you, lord Isa!"

I smile at him and say,

"Yeah... it's a good reward. Please treat the people there well... I will be leaving now... I have things to attend to."

He nods and approaches me before embracing me in a single arm as I stand up. He walks me out of the house to the stable babbling excitedly about something or another. He offers me all kinds of favors and even dedicates his service to the party and whatnot. We get to the stable where my horse is waiting patiently. I saddle up and get ready to ride but before I do the Marquis grows solemn and says to me,

"Isa... I know is means little coming from me... but I am truly sorry what happened to you... I only wish I could do something to make up for it, but I know it's impossible..."

I have nothing to say but I just nod and ride out of the manor complex without a word. I think about the Marquis. He isn't a bad guy per se, just blinded by fatherly love. I can't really fault him for that, but I really can't forgive him for his blindness. Then there was the situation tonight, he was so happy to acquire land from people who died in a tragedy for killing some innocents. Maybe he didn't know they were innocent, but it can't feel that good right? I don't know, maybe it's still my morals left over from the modern world where this kind of shit is so rare... maybe... I don't know. At worst he is a product of the times, at best he is just an idiot... I don't know which kind of person I prefer. Oh well... I have a few days ride ahead to think about it and to get my head right. Maybe some time camping along the road along the way will help me recenter. I hope so.