33. The Planted Assassin

Reet traveled to Korin, a town in the eastern region, to complete his assignment.

But what awaited him upon arrival was entirely unexpected.

“Eh? No monsters have appeared?”

Reet headed straight to the town hall upon arrival, only to hear such an unexpected statement from the town mayor.

The mayor seemed shocked that a knight had suddenly shown up unannounced.

“Yes, sir. There are no Metal Wolves appearing here. Some minor monsters might pop up here and there, but nothing that would warrant calling in a knight.”

“However, I was told there was a request sent to the Eastern Knight Order.”

“It must be some kind of mistake. This town is peaceful—completely peaceful.”

Reet grew uneasy and reviewed the map he had received from Commander Ursu.

But the location was correct.

What on earth is going on…?

Reet tilted his head in confusion.

But thinking about it wouldn’t yield any answers. To receive instructions from Ursu, Reet borrowed a contact mirror from the town mayor and reached out to the capital office, contacting Commander Ursu.

“Commander, I’ve arrived in Korin, but the mayor says there are no Metal Wolves.”

Upon hearing Reet’s report, Ursu’s expression turned puzzled.

“None? What do you mean?”

“Exactly as it sounds. I confirmed with the mayor—he says the town isn’t having monster troubles and has no memory of making a request.”

“That’s absurd… I definitely received a support request from the Eastern Knight Order. I still have the documentation of the orders.”

“Could it be some kind of mistake?”

“I’ll investigate what happened on my end. For now, return tomorrow.”

“Understood.”

“… I have a bad feeling about this. Be careful on your way back.”

Commander Ursu’s words carried considerable weight.

If this ‘bad feeling’ was just him being overly cautious, that would be fine, but if it was backed by years of experience…

“I’ll contact you again tomorrow, then.”

Reet ended the communication and thanked the mayor before leaving the town hall.

From there, he headed toward the inn at the edge of town.

But along that path—

A man wrapped in robes approached, and Reet felt a chill run down his spine.

His face was concealed by a hood. In the darkness, he couldn’t make out the man’s expression, but his swordsman’s instinct sensed something ominous in the atmosphere.

“Hey there.”

The man stopped.

Reet positioned himself to draw his sword at any moment.

And then the man lowered his hood.

The face beneath was familiar.

Disheveled golden long hair swayed, and from the gaps between the strands, a sharp, piercing gaze appeared.

Rogan Bentley.

The man who had lost to Reet in the knight recruitment exam and whose fraud had been exposed.

Reet had heard rumors about what happened to him after the exam. He’d asked Iris to keep the cheating incident quiet, giving Rogan a chance to recover, but ultimately the truth had leaked from someone other than Iris.

The rumor spread in no time, and “the man of standing,” Rogan’s father, lost his place in the knight order because of his son’s scandal.

And Rogan was disowned and cast out from his home.

So what happened to this miserable man after that? I’d actually been curious about it.

But for him to appear before Reet now was completely unexpected.

And his atmosphere was completely different from before.

What surrounded him was insanity.

Yes, insanity.

“I’m going to die today…”

Rogan muttered quietly.

Reet placed his hand on his sword hilt and lowered his stance.

“—I’m taking you with me!!!!”

Rogan’s anguished cry echoed through the area.

And then he spoke his Skill.

“—Berserk!”