Barbarian’s Dark Fantasy Strategy Guide

Chapter 11: Rule （3）

Sharpening…… Sharpening……

Tiny sparks flew every time the whetstone slid over the axe blade. Khalid had been sharpening his axe in silence ever since he returned from the bank.

After an hour of this, Becky, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke up.

『”Stop sharpening it already. It’s going to wear down to nothing.”』

‘……’

『”Why did you even take the contract? I thought you’d tear it up right there. You weren’t scared of the bank’s sanctions, were you?”』

Khalid still didn’t answer.

『”Don’t tell me! You’re actually going to…… Melissa, for money……!”』

‘That’s ridiculous.’

Khalid finally stopped sharpening and spoke.

『”I was just kidding. You were so quiet.”』

‘”If I hadn’t taken the contract, they would have hired a new assassin from another village.”‘

『”Oh, that makes sense. If you don’t do anything by the deadline, it means Melissa is safe at least until then. That’s why you asked if anyone else had taken the contract at the end, right?”』

‘……’

『”Huh…… You’re a lot smarter than you look.”』

‘”Are you mocking me?”‘

『”It’s a compliment, a compliment. Anyway, that means you’ve already decided to save Melissa, right?”』

‘”She knows information about Gunnar. I can’t just let her die.”‘

If Melissa could remember Gunnar’s changed name, it would be a huge gain for Khalid. Of course, even without such an interest, he wasn’t a cold-blooded person who would accept an assassination request for no reason.

『”Right. I also agree with ignoring the assassination request for now. But remember this. Within the fences, you shouldn’t judge people by their appearance. You never know when a disguised demon might pop out.”』

‘”I know.”‘

Khalid had also dealt with countless demons.

Many of them hid their identities and mingled among humans, so he couldn’t trust everything he saw. This was why the people within the fences were wary and suspicious of each other.

What Becky just said meant that he shouldn’t completely rule out Melissa as a suspect. She was a truly chillingly meticulous person.

However, Khalid didn’t want to be consumed by suspicion and have his judgment clouded.

‘”Once you decide to trust someone, trust them until they betray you, that’s my discipline.”‘

If, by any chance, the person he trusted turned out to be a demon, he could just kill them then. It was a bigger problem to become indecisive out of fear of failure or mistakes.

Taking responsibility for his choices and their consequences until the very end.

If something failed, he could just fix it.

That’s how the Thunder Axe Tribe, and Khalid, lived.

『”But about that contract. There’s something strange about it.”』

‘”Strange?”‘

『”Do you remember the phrase written on the contract? ‘Assassinate Melissa Smith, the blacksmith in Windfall.'”』

‘”Yes.”‘

『”That means the client knows that Melissa is currently in Windfall.”』

‘”……!”‘

A glint suddenly appeared in Khalid’s eyes.

Melissa had arrived in Windfall just today.

No one in the village had recognized her.

Which meant……

‘”It could be someone from the lord’s mansion. Then…… could it be him?!”‘

『”Him?”』

‘”The lord’s advisor. The only people who knew I went to Stoneberry were the lord and him. He must have known Melissa would come to Windfall and placed the request with the bank in advance.”‘

Dominic Lowe.

He was a former mage who had been appointed as Hojae’s advisor a few years ago. Hojae highly valued his knowledge and always kept him by his side, and he was also present when he gave Khalid personal requests.

It had only been a few hours since Khalid arrived in Windfall with Melissa. After the dinner, Khalid went straight to the bank, so it was difficult to believe that the request was placed in such a short time.

It was reasonable to assume that the client knew about her arrival before she even came to Windfall.

『”That’s right. If Hojae wanted to kill Melissa, he wouldn’t have sent you to Stoneberry in the first place, so he’s obviously excluded as a suspect. That leaves only Dominic.”』

If Khalid hadn’t found Melissa, that would have been enough for him, but even if she did show up, he intended to eliminate her as quickly as possible.

『”But why the rush? No, what does he even gain from killing her in the first place?”』

‘”Well, I don’t know the details, but there must have been a reason he had to do it.”‘

『”We can’t figure that out with the information we have now.”』

‘”Anyway, it’s a good thing I took this contract. The bank’s confidentiality agreement has become a poison for Dominic. He won’t know that I’m the mercenary who took the contract.”‘

The fact that he defeated two mercenaries in the ogre cave had helped him in this way.

It was fortunate that the request came to Khalid because the Gold-rank mercenary in Windfall had disappeared.

It was also ironic that Fang Kyle’s belongings were now in Melissa’s hands. That dagger could have stabbed her in the back.

『”So what are you going to do now? Even if you confront Dominic with this, it’s useless if he denies it. The bank won’t sell out their client either.”』

This was why Dominic didn’t get his own hands dirty and instead hired an assassin. To create an escape route at any time.

Dealing with humans was a headache after all.

It was so much easier when dealing with demons.

Knock knock.

Just as Khalid and Becky were discussing countermeasures at the inn, someone knocked on the door.

“……Melissa?”

When he opened the door, Melissa was standing in the hallway with a dark expression.

“Mr. Khalid…… I have something to tell you.”

“Come in.”

『”Perfect timing.”』

The cheerful look she had when they parted at the mansion was gone, and the girl seemed dejected for some reason.

“So, what is it you want to say?”

“Well…… how do I explain this……”

“Did something happen at the mansion after I left?”

“Huh? How did you……”

『”What? Did Dominic do something to Melissa?”』

“It’s alright, just tell me comfortably.”

Khalid’s unwavering gaze was so reassuring that it instantly dispelled the girl’s anxiety. Melissa calmed her trembling heart and cautiously began to speak.

“There…… there are people in the mansion who are after the lord’s life.”

“What?”

『”What’s this now?!”』

Khalid and Becky were startled by the unexpected answer. They thought it was related to Dominic targeting Melissa, but now it was Hojae.

Melissa told Khalid what she had learned at the mansion today.

◈◈◈◈◈◈ ◈◈◈◈◈◈ ◈◈◈◈◈◈

After Khalid left the mansion, Melissa was leisurely strolling through the lord’s mansion.

She was originally supposed to go to the blacksmith with Hojae, but he had a sudden errand and she decided to wait.

“Miss Melissa, I apologize. Something urgent came up at the trading company. It won’t take long, so could you wait a moment?”

“Yes, Lord Hojae.”

“In the meantime, why don’t you take a look around the mansion or the garden? I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

Hojae returned to his office and Melissa was left alone. She spent her time exploring the lord’s mansion.

The mansion’s servants were busy cleaning up after the dinner, and no one paid attention to her wandering around alone.

“Wow~, it’s really spacious. So this is where nobles live.”

The lobby was as wide as a courtyard, and a splendid chandelier hung from the ceiling.

There were countless identical doors on both sides of the hallway, and soft carpets were laid everywhere, making her feel like she was walking in a forest even inside the house.

She didn’t even notice the time passing by just looking at the paintings and decorations hanging here and there.

“Beautiful~.”

Melissa’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the scenery of the garden visible through the window. The garden, decorated like a small forest, was bathed in the sunset, showing off its beauty even more.

She immediately went out to the backyard and slowly admired the brightly blooming flowers.

“How could this happen!”

Startled by a sharp voice coming from somewhere, Melissa instinctively crouched down. She also unknowingly grabbed the soundproof dagger Khalid had given her.

‘Wh, who is it?’

The voice that came from inside the garden was none other than Baroness Mila’s. She seemed furious, as if she was reprimanding someone.

“How could you dare let those things into this mansion?”

“I didn’t expect him to handle it so easily either.”

The person soothing Baroness Mila’s anger was Dominic, Hojae’s advisor. They were completely unaware of Melissa’s presence.

Dominic, who was close behind a large tree, wrapped his arms around Mila’s waist.

“I’m sorry, Mila. But don’t worry. I’ve already taken care of it, so you won’t have to see them again.”

Mila’s anger quickly subsided, lulled by Dominic’s gentle tone. She blushed and narrowed her eyes.

“Really?”

“Of course. And I’ll take care of Hojae myself this time. That bastard hid his illegitimate child from us…… There was a reason he didn’t take a concubine until now.”

“We need to eliminate that bastard child before Hojae makes her the official successor. Now that things have come to this, we have no choice but to move up the plan.”

“Of course. Hojae wouldn’t even dream that tonight’s dinner would be his last, right?”

As Dominic smirked, Mila smirked along with him. The two of them faced each other and passionately explored each other.

Melissa’s heart sank as she watched the situation. She didn’t understand everything they said, but she could tell they were plotting something bad.

Mila, with her arms around Dominic’s neck, asked him with a flushed face.

“When are we leaving?”

“The day after tomorrow. Once this expedition is over, everything will be back to normal. After that, no one will be able to separate us.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

While the two of them were kissing, Melissa stealthily slipped out of the garden. Thanks to the soundproof dagger, no one noticed her presence.

Meanwhile, Hojae, who had finished his business, personally guided Melissa to the blacksmith. Looking at Hojae’s face, completely unaware of the plot, Melissa’s heart burned black.

◈◈◈◈◈◈ ◈◈◈◈◈◈ ◈◈◈◈◈◈

Mila and Dominic’s affair and assassination plot.

Now all the events were starting to come together. Khalid and Becky were able to confirm even their family relationships, which Melissa herself didn’t understand.

“I didn’t know what to do on my own, so I came to you, Mr. Khalid. I don’t know what would happen if I told Lord Hojae directly……”

Khalid patted the shoulder of the struggling girl.

“You did well. Leave the rest to me.”

Khalid’s brief words relieved Melissa of her burden. A little bit of life returned to her ashen face.

“Please, Mr. Khalid. Save Lord Hojae. He’s no different from my savior who hired you to save my life. Not only that, but thanks to the Arik Trading Company, I was able to survive several harsh winters while I was in Stoneberry. I believe he’s someone who shouldn’t die like this.”

Khalid nodded.

He was going to do it even if she didn’t bother to bow her head.

“I’ll take care of this, so don’t worry and go back to the blacksmith.”

Thanks to Khalid’s reliable promise, Melissa left the inn with a much more relaxed face. Becky, whose questions had been answered, clicked her tongue.

『”Oh my god…… I can’t believe those two were in that kind of relationship. Then could it be that Dominic was the one who brought in the ogre and the vampire bat?”』

‘”That’s not important right now.”‘

The problem was Dominic’s next plan.

He had placed an assassination request with the bank to prevent Melissa, Hojae’s illegitimate child, from being appointed as his successor. At the same time, he seemed to be planning to eliminate Hojae himself.

『”It seems like the Arik Trading Company is leaving for an expedition the day after tomorrow. It’s very dangerous for the lord to go on an expedition himself in this situation.”』

‘”That must be what Dominic is aiming for.”‘

However, it was uncertain whether Hojae, who had never missed a trade expedition since he became a merchant, would change his mind. Even if he canceled this expedition, the plot would continue as long as Dominic was by his side.

It seemed better to come up with a countermeasure now that they knew the enemy’s plan. Melissa’s safety was practically guaranteed until the end of the month, so there was no better opportunity than this.

『”What are you going to do now?”』

‘”I have to join the expedition.”‘

『”The troops escorting the trading company will be mostly mercenaries. If Dominic bribes them, they’ll all turn into assassins. Can you handle it alone? Moreover, he’s a mage, he won’t be easy.”』

‘”A mage, huh…… That’s quite interesting.”‘

The sharpened glint of the axe blade reflected in Khalid’s eyes.