Rondy followed Shin and the others to Ryujeen's apartment, hiding in the shadows.

He planned to secretly observe their fight, if possible, but Ryujeen teleported everyone away, leaving Rondy stranded.

He was disappointed that he couldn't see the battle, but…

That was the least of his worries. Rondy was in utter shock at what he had witnessed.

The mythical "teleportation magic" had been used right before his eyes.

And to teleport such a large group of people at once...

If such a thing were truly possible, the very concept of warfare would be overturned.

That single ability alone was worth recruiting Ryujeen at any cost. Making him an enemy would be utterly foolish.

Rondy wanted to immediately stop Shin and the others from confronting Ryujeen, but he had no idea where they had gone and was completely lost.

After agonizing over what to do, Rondy decided to wait in front of the apartment. He thought Ryujeen might return soon.

If his teleportation ability was genuine, he might have left everyone behind and returned alone.

It was impossible to catch someone who could teleport, and if he could teleport himself and others, there was no need to fight him directly.

Rondy had no idea how extensive Ryujeen's teleportation abilities were, but it was possible that he could teleport them to dangerous places like heights, the sea, or even dungeons.

And Rondy's prediction proved correct. Ryujeen returned after about an hour.

However, contrary to his expectations, Shin and the others were not left behind by teleportation, but had been killed.

"Ryujeen-san."

Rondy addressed Ryu.

"Who's there?"

It was late at night, and the street corner near the slums was pitch black. If it was clear, the moonlight would have illuminated their faces enough—this world had three moons, and two of them were very bright. On nights when all three moons were out, it was so bright that you could even read a book by the moonlight—but tonight, unfortunately, the sky was cloudy.

Ryu could see his surroundings with his Divine Eye even in the dark, but Rondy had already created a magical light that floated in the air, rendering the eye unnecessary.

Ryu: "You said Rondy, right?"

Rondy: "...What happened to Shin and the others?"

Ryu: "Was this your doing?! You know what that means, right?"

Rondy: "N-No! No! It was Shin who did it, I didn't force him, please don't misunderstand!"

Ryu: "We'll see about that."

Rondy: "It's the truth!"

Given Shin's personality, Ryu probably suspected that it was his own reckless actions, but…

Ryu: "You didn't order it, but you didn't stop him either, is that it...?"

Ryu could read people's minds with his Divine Eye. Lies and deception wouldn't work on him.

Rondy, trembling at the sight of Ryu's golden eyes, frantically tried to defend himself.

Rondy: "I tried to stop him, I did! But he wouldn't listen."

It wasn't a lie. He had indeed tried to stop Shin. But he hadn't forcibly intervened.

Rondy's claim that he had tried to stop him, and Ryu's interpretation that he hadn't stopped him, were both true.

It was a subtle difference, but Rondy managed to deflect the accusation skillfully.

Ryu: "Hmph, well, never mind the details. I sent the trash back to the slums, but Shin and the 'Five Swords', as they called themselves, are dead."

Rondy: "S-So, that's what happened. It... it's unfortunate."

Ryu: "Don't get any ideas about messing with me again."

Rondy: "No, I never intended to be your enemy. I wanted to be friends, actually."

Ryu: "Didn't I tell you I had no desire to be friends with you?"

Rondy: "This is getting troublesome. I'm also sad that I lost Shin and the Five Swords. How about this? Would you be willing to join me instead? It would be a great help if you would lend me your strength to take responsibility for killing my subordinates?"

Ryu: "Responsibility? I was attacked, so I defended myself. It was self-defense. It's the attackers who are in the wrong. There's no problem. Am I wrong?"

Rondy: "...Oh, Shin and the Five Swords died in vain, what a pity..."

Ryu: "That cheap negotiation tactic to make your opponent feel guilty is unpleasant. Are you going to follow Shin and the others?"

Rondy: "H-Hey, please! I never intended to provoke you in any way..."

Ryu: "I have no intention of becoming your ally. If you get any closer to me, I will eliminate you without hesitation."

Rondy: "Understood. I promise I won't do anything to you."

Ryu: "Not just you. Make sure everyone in your organization knows this."

Rondy: "That's... unfortunately, I don't have the power to issue orders to the whole organization. There are four other leaders besides me, and their subordinates wouldn't listen to me."

Ryu: "So, there's a possibility that they'll attack again? Well, if they do, I'll just fight them off. If it's going to be a hassle, I might as well just crush the entire organization. If your organization is important to you, you should try your best to convince them."

Rondy: "I'll try, but it'll probably be useless. They're not really important to me, anyway… In fact, if you could take out the other leaders, I could become the top leader, which would be helpful for me."

Ryu: "Don't think about using me for your organization's power struggle. If you do, I'll take you out too. Don't get any closer to me. Stay away. That's all."

Ryu turned his back and walked into the apartment.

Rondy shrugged his shoulders and retreated.

— — — — — — — — — —

To be continued

The consequences of touching what shouldn't be touched.

Don't miss the next episode!