A Dark Fantasy Spy

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When working overseas, you end up handling all sorts of firearms.

From famous companies delivering handguns like Glock, Sig, and Colt to old Soviet models like Makarov and Tokarev. Typically, as you venture into developing countries, Eastern Bloc firearms become more prevalent, and instead of genuine exports from the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, you see a lot of illegal replicas stamped with fake production marks.

However, smugglers bring in anything that can make a profit, so information officers utilizing the black market often encounter firearms with names that sound unfamiliar more often than they’d expect.

Just like right now.

“…”

The rough body of the handgun I pulled from my waist glinted under the ceiling lights.

This pistol, without a hammer for easy carry, was compact enough that I could slip it into my pocket without feeling odd. Like Tokarev or M1908.

After pushing the catch located at the back of the grip to check the magazine, I racked the slide and quietly said.

“Through the back door.”

—

Episode 17 – The Blood-Drinking Tree

The first moment I realized that the locks were undone was when I checked the seal on the front door and saw it was ripped off.

Whether it’s a safe house or a residence, a home that’s been left unattended can no longer be considered 100% safe. So, just as information officers with some overseas experience do, I also made sure to stick warning seals on the front door and windows whenever I had to step out.

– Sappak. Sappak.

Even in that brief moment returning to the back door, I constantly ran simulations in my head. Who the intruder was and what their motive could be.

The first group that came to mind was the cult ‘Abyssal Devourer’ that wreaked havoc in the Necropolis. I wondered if those who had identified Francesca had tracked me down since I had been active in the city with her.

But probably not.

If the Abyssal Devourer was suspicious of me, they wouldn’t have gone to my lodging; they would have come directly for me.

Searching a place indicates an interest in belongings rather than in the person. Employees looking to pilfer a guest’s things, thieves aiming to steal expensive items, or spies rushing in to secure data, and so on.

This lodging is owned by the Palm Tree Trade Guild, so I could rule out employees. It isn’t a hotel or motel. Thieves could similarly be dismissed. Having a lot of cash and property in a lawless city means you must have the means to protect it.

Unless you’re a narcissistic lunatic like Hong Gildong or Arsène Lupin, no one would dare rob a guild lodging.

That leaves only one candidate.

“…”

Whether my speculation was right or wrong, I had no intention of letting the intruder leave unscathed.

Upon arriving in the backyard, I fiddled with the lock using my pick while muttering so only Camila could hear.

“I’m going to open the door.”

“Aren’t you going to use the key?”

There was no key for the back door. The guild manager lost it long ago.

After prying the door open with my tools, I quietly stepped into the building. While attaching a silencer, Camila carefully pulled a knife from the kitchen.

The sounds that had been clear at the front door grew increasingly distinct. The sounds of zippers, rummaging through things. As soon as I heard that raw noise, I pictured the intruder searching through the luggage.

The direction of the presence felt like it was upstairs.

Before entering, I checked for any dirt left on the shoes; the intruder’s traces were left all over the corridor and stairs, allowing me to easily pinpoint their location.

After signaling to Camila, I ascended the stairs to the second floor. The Arabian-style carpet absorbed the sound of my steps on the staircase, concealing my presence.

Camila, placing her hand on my shoulder, whispered softly.

“…Be careful.”

I simply nodded slightly and entered the second floor.

The scene on the second floor was exactly as I had seen it when I left.

The curtains to the sides were entirely untouched, and the room was shrouded in darkness, without a single light. Excluding the scenes that brushed the edges of my sight, I swept the room with my loaded firearm.

And then I saw it.

“…”

At first, I doubted my eyes.

A figure blocking a window wide enough for two people to look through at the same time, with a round object presumed to be a head almost touching the ceiling.

Seeing a mass the size of a statue occupying the center of the room gave me a surreal feeling, as if the alcohol hadn’t quite worn off yet. It was a size that could outsize any human I had ever met—no, even an Orc wouldn’t measure up.

There was no time to ponder why such a hulking figure was here. It was far more reasonable to think someone was playing a nasty prank than to believe that the intruder could be recognized at a glance even in the dark.

That was how extraordinarily oversized they were.

For a moment, I even speculated that someone had secretly brought in a statue or that Joaquin had sent a golem to the lodging.

But the giant started to move, and the moment I spotted my bag, haphazardly strewn at their feet, I realized that I wasn’t mistaken.

The muzzle of my firearm pointed toward that unfamiliar intruder did indeed spit fire next.

– Bang!

The muffled gunfire pierced my eardrums. The slide retracted, ejecting a brass casing.

Before I could hear the sound of the casing hitting the ground, my gun struck the primer of another round, ejecting a second casing.

I calmly pulled the trigger in rapid succession.

Even though the surroundings were dark, in this distance, I was not the loser who would miss the target, so aligning my aim was unnecessary.

– Bang! Bang! Click!

As I pulled the trigger, I heard the last casing rolling on the ground. After confirming the slide locked back with the sensation in my fingertips, I replaced the magazine, keeping my gaze fixed on the hulking intruder.

As the behemoth that had been facing away from us began to turn, the vibrant colors of the crystal illuminated the darkness.

Like the sun breaking through clouds, the light from the underground city chased away the shadows, revealing the figure of the intruder.

The body wrapped in rags looked almost inhuman at a glance. An unreal giant wrapped in tattered fabric.

– Grrr…

The undulating rounds seemed to halt midair, obstructed by something invisible.

I lowered my firearm with a weary expression.

“…Ah, come on.”

Now a street kid without even body armor was blocking my bullets.

—

This is something everyone can relate to, but there can’t be a perfect plan in the world. Unexpected mistakes and variables you’ve never imagined can easily disrupt the best-laid plans.

In that sense, an intruder who doesn’t succumb to gunfire is certainly a nightmare variable. Especially for someone like me who has no faith but in my firearm.

By the same logic, when the giant used some invisible force to hurl me away, it was only natural that I, not even a magician, would take the hit and go flying.

“Gah!”

“Mommy…!”

Camila’s scream quickly brushed past my ears. Floating in midair, I had no choice but to crash into the wall.

“John, it hurts like hell…!”

“Are you okay?!”

Clutching my stomach and gasping for breath, I desperately shook my head.

No, I am definitely not okay…

As I struggled to catch my breath while rolling on the ground, Thud! The giant started approaching.

What in the world did they consume to bulk up like this? I could hear the ground rumbling with the sound of their steps, and they were stepping forward, pushing aside the casings at their feet.

“Stay back!”

– Fwhoosh!

Camila shot fire at the giant. Seeing the flames rushing toward him in an instant, he quickly stepped back, swinging his thick arms to brush the flames away.

– Pffht!

The giant swinging his arm to clear the flames appeared like a dancer in fire. The gesture, which seemed somewhat stiff, pushed the flames away, igniting the ceiling and wallpaper.

Tiny sparks flew up, floating through the air, like stars scattered in the night sky, beautiful to behold. As the embers mixed with the dust and twirled in midair, the silhouette of the giant began to emerge beneath the crimson wave.

The arms, stark with bulging muscles, resembled rocks more than limbs, with tattoos—or maybe writing—etched upon them. The shadow that started from his fingers wound its way up his arm, reaching up to the parched neck cloaked in rags.

He appeared to be a luminary even amid the flames.

The moment I finally figured out that the intruder was male, he began to slowly advance while brushing aside the flames splattered across the ground.

Seeing him swatting the flames with bare arms, Camila’s eyes widened, her mouth agape.

“What is that!”

“How should I know…. Ugh…”

I barely managed to respond while trying to rise.

Camila, upon spotting the figure advancing through the flames, began to summon fire once more. Just as the hulking figure lowered its stance, preparing to brace itself for another attack, she yelled.

“Hey!”

With both hands full of flames, Camila hastily ignited the surroundings.

– Whaaaah!

– Fwhoosh!

The floor, ceiling, and walls—all ignited above and below. The rug exhaled a foul smell as it expelled the dust it had kept, while the singed wallpaper began spreading out blackened traces.

“…!”

The giant, suddenly engulfed in flames, looked around frantically.

In the meantime, Camila struggled to lift me under her armpit, and she exclaimed.

“Let’s hurry escape! We might get burned alive here!”

“Oh no!”

Just then, an incomprehensible language pierced through my eardrums.

The giant shouted something toward us with the flames between us.

“Makuna-ba’kta!”

It was a language I had never encountered before. It seemed like a dialect from the Mauritania Continent, but I had no idea which tribe or dialect it belonged to.

What on earth was he babbling about? I shot a glance at Camila, who looked bewildered, then she stuttered out.

“Uh, he’s asking where we are…?”

“…What?”

“He’s asking where we are, saying he wants something back…?”

What the hell is this nonsense?

I looked at Camila, puzzled and incredulous. She did translate, but she didn’t seem convinced by what the giant was saying either.

Just as the wooden structure engulfed in flames began to snap and fall, we finally realized the situation. I covered my nose and mouth with my clothes, while Camila used a handkerchief to cover her face, pulling me along forcefully.

And then,

– Whaaargh!

Flames hurled us into the yard.

“Oof!”

“Wahhh!”

Having not mastered teleportation magic perfectly, Camila, who floated through the air, had no choice but to roll on the ground. Of course, I fell along with her.

She smacked her slightly dazed head and gathered her wits.

“Let’s quickly escape to the guild…”

– Kwooow!!

Looking up, I witnessed an unbelievable sight unfolding before my eyes.

The outer wall of the lodging was bouncing outward as if hit by a shell.

I could hardly hear an explosion, but the sight of one wall crumbling, scattering debris was a scene straight out of a monster movie.

Fragments of rock rained down mercilessly, brutally pummeling walls, flower beds, and streetlights, and several pieces even shattered the windows of neighboring buildings.

Screams of those caught in the unexpected attack melted into the darkness.

The giant, having escaped from the collapsing structure, fell with a thud right in front of us, revealing itself.

“Da’la-kur!”

With veins popping from his neck, he stammered in another incomprehensible language.

I might not know that foreign tongue, but it was clear he was furious.

“Damn it….”

As I pulled out a knife from inside my jacket, Camila, having come close, pressed her back against mine.

With beads of sweat dripping along my jawline, she asked in a tense voice.

“It’s going to be impossible to run now…?”

“…You’re stating the obvious.”

I answered while gripping my knife tightly.

With thunderous roars echoing and the giant charging at us, the red waves and sharp blades clashed with the black shadow.