To Be a Power in the Shadows! Chapter 144

In a back alley within the Oriana Kingdom, now occupied by the Doem Faction, I was surrounded by soldiers, low level grunts basically .

“He's looks shifty . Kill him . ” Said one of them while another pulled out his sword .

I immediately lowered my head submissively .

“P-please, spare me, mercy, please—!”

“—Begone . ”

My pleas were all but fruitless and a sword was already making its way to cull my life .

I sighed, and kicked it away .

The sword broke off in the middle flew off with a clang .

“—Wha!?”

“Come on, you could've at least gone “He looks shifty, capture him” . ” I said to the grunts who only kept staring eyes wide .

“What in the fuck are you talking abo—!?”

“All I wanted to be was a no-name citizen getting rolled up in the domestic turmoil . ”

An ordinary boy unjustly accused and captured .

However, soon after they captured him, the soldiers of the occupying forces began to disappear in the dark of the nights . Slowly at first, then more and more, until only that no-name boy and the leadership of the army remained .

Just who is this mysterious boy—? Sounds thrilling, right?

“On your guards, he might be trouble…”

The soldiers surrounding me all drew their swords now .

“Seriously, you guys are the 10 group already . This is getting bothersome . ” I muttered .

One leader-seeming soldier came up front and said, “Am I supposed to believe you're responsible for the recent assassinations of our men? A kid like you… no matter, we shall make sure now . ”

“Too late . That won't make me a 'no-name' boy . ” I told the man as I sliced off his neck with my slime sword .

His gaze, that of a decapitated head, turned to the sky . The moonlit sky from a back alley tainted with blood splatter .

“F-fiend! Kill him!”

“Hey, maybe I'll get lucky with the 11th…” I muttered after nonchalantly finishing off the grunts .

This kind of felt like being a secret assassin I guess .

The fight was over fast and the smell of blood permeated around me . I checked my clothes .

Good . Not a drop on them .

I had failed in my goal yet again, but I did manage to get some clues out of the exchange .

Currently, this royal capital was being occupied by some faction and men of this faction were being assassinated as of late .

That, might be mostly my doing .

Meaning, maybe I might get captured under suspicions that I'm a spy or assassin . Of course, I'll still be a lowly falsely charged mob .

If that's the case, maybe I should've gotten some blood on me after all . Then again, that itself could make it too obvious .

I was walking out of the alley while thinking, when I sensed multiple presences approaching .

I determined their number via sound and mana signatures… 7 of them, should be soldiers .

They might be looking for the bunch I left back there .

“Oh, this could work . ”

I fell on my ass in front of the alley and waited .

Soon—

“D-dead, in the alley, they're…!” I pointed down the alley and croaked in a terrified voice, making sure the soldiers were within earshot .

I took especial note to be on the verge of sobbing, like a helpless mob .

“What!? Dammit, don't tell me—”

The soldiers rushed into the alley .

“Dammit! It keeps happening!”

“Fuck, once we catch him, I'm swear I'll!”

“Oi, kid! You see who it was!?”

One of them screamed at me as I was pretending my knees had given out .

“I, I, no… I didn't see, nothing…” I said, shaking like a frightened pup .

“You, you look like an outlander . ” The soldier's eyes turned sharp .

“I, yes . I'm a student from Midgar…”

“From Midgar eh . Why would someone like you be here now…?”

“I, I came to see if a friend was doing alright… I swear, please, please believe me!”

The soldier's eyes remained sharp .

“Very well . One more thing— Why would you be walking the streets in the dead of the night?”

“I, uh, needed some air…”

“Some air eh . Do you expect me to believe someone would try to go out on a pleasure walk in the current state of this country? And here in the capital no less?”

“I-it's true! Wait, please don't tell me you suspect me of causing that!? I, I could never do something, so, so horrible!”

“Hmph…” After a final glance at me, the soldier turned his eyes towards the alley . “All 9 of them were killed by a single stroke… You're right . You don't look the type to have done all that but… show me your sword anyway . ”

“Yes, of course . ” I presented my blade . As a mob, I make sure to equip a normal sword at my hip .

“Cheap iron… and it's clean . ”

“D-do you believe me now…?”

“I will admit that the chances of you killing them all is very low . ”

“T-thank you…”

“But you're still a suspect, and the fact that you're here itself doesn't smell right at all . ”

“Wait, no…!”

“Oi, capture him!”

“Come on, please believe me! I'm but a simple and plain, innocent civilian!”

Nice . I went the mob-but-kind-of-suspect route and it worked out like a charm!

I did a mental fist pump as I was tied up and dragged away .

Chapter end