Published: July 5, 2025
Ryo had fought against the assassination cult twice.
The first time was in their village, and the second time was in Twilight Land.
In the first battle, he defeated their leader, the leader named Hasan.
By the time of the second battle, there was supposed to be a new leader called "Kuro."
"After that, I stopped hearing rumors about the assassination cult... Could it be that they moved to the Western Nations?"
Ryo muttered.
"I've heard rumors about the assassination cult. They had been engaging in underhanded activities in the Western Nations for decades," replied Bonifacio.
"Oh, I see."
It seems they didn't move to the Western Nations right after the clash with Ryo.
Come to think of it, the founder and leader, Hasan, had mentioned that he was from the Western Nations.
"However, there's also a rumor that their main base is in the Central Nations, so their activities in the Western Nations may not have been that active," Bonifacio recalled.
After answering, he looked at Ryo and asked, "Did your grace determine that these individuals are members of the assassination cult because of the tattoo on their chests?"
"Yes. It seems that everyone in the assassination cult has this tattoo marked on their chest."
"Excuse me, but is that... really true?"
"It is true. I heard it directly from someone who used to be an executive in the assassination cult."
What came to Ryo's mind was Shaafi, who had left the cult and was now working at the Gecko Merchant Association.
"The level of alchemy the assassination cult practiced was very high. The founder, who was at the center of it, has passed away, but... I believe some of it has been passed down."
"I see."
Bonifacio grimaced.
The organization known as the assassination cult, which he heard about only in rumors...
Now that they were attackers and had half of the Mitril Ore, he couldn't think of a good way to search for them.
The main goal was to recover the Mitril Ore.
However, the Republic government would likely also order the annihilation of the assassination cult... Bonifacio grimaced even more at this thought.
After exchanging some information, the purchasing delegation decided to leave the scene.
They had obtained the information they wanted, and staying any longer could interfere with the investigation.
"Still... I can't believe the assassination cult was involved."
Eto murmured.
Nils and Amon, however, did not change their expressions upon hearing that.
Ryo understood why.
"Nils and Amon seem to not know much about the assassination cult."
"Ugh..."
"Do you get it now?"
Nils stammered at Ryo's comment, while Amon chuckled.
That said, the two of them were normal.
The assassination cult was something that appeared in fairy tales and rumors.
It was a sort of urban legend.
"A long time ago, a man born at the western edge of the Western Nations established the assassination cult due to various circumstances. He called himself Hasan... or rather, I think he didn't name himself that? I recognized him as the reincarnation of Hasan. By the way, Hasan is the person who once established the assassination cult in another place. He was simply referred to as 'the leader' by the members of the cult."
"Is this about the assassination cult?"
"The leader excelled in earth attribute magic and reached an astonishingly high level in alchemy. Of course, he was also a formidable fighter with extraordinary skill in close combat. The assassins of the cult were trained by him. Time passed, and they built a village within the Central Nations’ Naitorei Kingdom."
"...Huh?"
Nils occasionally interjected as Ryo spun the tale of the assassination cult's history.
"The aging leader wished to obtain eternal life. With the alchemy he established, he believed he could attain immortality if he had the right materials."
"What?"
"That led to various events, and their village was destroyed."
"Hey..."
Nils interjected at the abbreviated ending of Ryo's explanation.
"If you're going to tell a story, at least tell it all the way through."
"How rude to say that it's a mere story!"