Divine Luck: SSS-Rank Battle Maid Harem

Kadricke wasn't going to turn around at first. It would have been gratifying to see Derot's death, but he wasn't interested at the moment. He didn't want to think about it. He had to deal with the mess Derot had left behind, as much as his blood felt like lead, before he did anything else.

But then he stopped. Before his men could say anything and before the other Coalition members even thought to notice something since they were all too busy pondering on the same problem as Kadricke, Kadricke stopped walking.

He couldn't even pinpoint why he stopped. It was just a vague feeling of something being wrong.

While turning around, he realized part of it.

The metal clanging sound that rang out just before a head dropped to the ground.

What was that?

Kadricke could even begin to think of possible answers to that question. Fortunately, he just had to turn around to get his answer.

It was not a good one.

In front of Derot was a visitor to the restaurant that no one had noticed or been aware of save for Derot, the visitor, and the restaurant itself. Clad in all-black cloth to the point where not even the light of their eyes was visible with a long dagger to match. They were facing away from Derot, whose head was still attached to the neck.

It was impossible to tell what they were looking at, but they were facing the headless body of one of the Coalition's men. It was the guy who had worked hard enough the past month to earn the honor of being the first to stab or decapitate Derot. His hard work had come back to bite him in the neck.

Kadricke froze as he looked at the black-clothed person. The seamlessness of their outfit and the nigh-invisibility in the dimly lit restaurant made them hard to see. If Kadricke's eyes hadn't adjusted to the restaurant's lighting, he would have thought the person no more than a shadow.

Even now, it was hard to tell if he was just imagining it or not.

But Kadricke knew better.

"...Can I take this Shadow as a display of the Gaville House's intentions of entering the capital?" Kadricke asked in a slow voice, unwilling to startle the Shadow.

Derot turned to look at Kadricke, a little but not fully surprised that the latter knew about the Gaville Shadows.

"No. He was cast out. His death won't invoke any retribution from anyone other than me. In that regard, my death will be more troublesome for you to deal with. It will make it more difficult for you to expand into the south, but I don't think you had any plans on doing that." Continue your saga on empire

"I don't."

"Then, as long as you're capable, feel free to have both me and my Shadow killed." Derot smiled brightly with his hands clasped behind his back to hide them shaking. He had almost lost his head there. It had been a little scary.

'How does Zach do stuff like this?' Derot wondered. The Labyrinth of Syst had been dangerous, but any danger was easily overcome through a little cunning. It was nothing like the outside world.

No matter how much he thought, planned, schemed, or guessed, Derot wouldn't be able to reason with the cold edge of a sword's blade when it was slicing through his neck. He resisted the urge to scratch the skin where the sword would have touched if not for his Shadow's interference.

Derot would have increased Baxter's pay if the latter accepted payments of that kind or any kind for that matter.

As far as Derot knew, the Shadows of the Gaville House accepted payment, but everything except what they used to train and maintain their quality of life went straight to a safe place that would be used on a rainy day for the Gavilles.

Baxter, who had been cast out, naturally didn't have any obligation to contribute to that fund. He also wasn't arrogant enough to think that he would be better at keeping money safe than Derot. His only purpose was to aid and protect Derot. Much like his ancestors had done when they first swore allegiance to the Gaville House, Baxter swore allegiance to Derot of his own free will.

It had nothing to do with Derot being a Gaville, at least not directly. Derot would most likely not have found Baxter if he wasn't a Gaville, but Derot being a Gaville didn't make him greater than anyone else in Baxter's eyes.

No, Baxter had sworn an oath independent of his people after they cast him out to Derot because Derot stumbled upon him when he was on the verge of death. It had happened a long time ago, and Baxter resented Derot for it when it happened.

After being cast out, Baxter lost all purpose in life. As such, it was only natural for him to die. Derot had put a stop to that.

But Derot hadn't just stopped Baxter from dying. He had given the Shadow a new purpose in life.

For that reason, Baxter was ready to fight to the death to make sure Derot got out of the restaurant in one piece.

The armed thugs didn't look like anything special, and Baxter was confident he could take them on. But he didn't let down his guard.

After all, it wasn't like he was cast out for being too good for his clan and their mission of serving the Gavilles.

That was something Kadricke was aware of. If it had been a proper Shadow, one who hadn't been cast out, he would have ordered an immediate retreat, even if not for the looming presence of the Gaville House. Those Shadows weren't the only reason the Gaville House had earned its prestige of today.

But in their world, no matter the financial skills of the Gavilles, they would have never been able to establish themselves, especially in the pirate-infested South, without the right security measures.

Kadricke didn't know much about the Shadows, but he knew enough to know that if they were enough to help a merchant family become one of the biggest in the South, the hub of trade in the Empire, they would be enough to erase his Coalition over night.

However, if this Shadow in front of him had that kind of skill, Derot would have already put it to use.

From that, Kadricke could conclude that the Shadow that was Derot's personal guard was not that dangerous. But could he take the risk? Was he that bold?