The next morning, Daike leaves his room to begin his sword training in the courtyard. As he enters the bar, he sees the mess left from the previous evening and notices the absence of staff in the inn. After hours of training, he returns sweaty. L'arc, waking up and spotting Daike from his window, watches in admiration and rushes down the stairs to ask for help with his swordsmanship. Taken aback, Daike laughs, saying, “I wanted to learn your style, Master L'arc.”

  L'arc smiles and replies, “You already beat me; what could you possibly need to learn from me? Besides, I thought you wanted to learn from my mum.”

  Daike places a reassuring hand on L'arc's shoulder. “It's not all about strength. Technique and knowing your opponent can mean the difference between life and death, a win or a loss.”

  L'arc beams and says, “Okay, I will show you if you show me.” Daike smiles and tussles the boy's hair. “Deal!”

  They both step into the courtyard, teaching each other their techniques. Kaoru watches from her window, delighted to see the two getting along and learning from one another. Suddenly, she hears a knock at the door.

  “Come in,” she says.

  “Just here to collect your sheets,” an unfamiliar barmaid pokes her head in before entering. Following Kaoru's gaze to the courtyard, she smiles and says, “That's a lovely family you have there, miss.”

  Kaoru replies, “They are my traveling companions,” watching the barmaid suspiciously, gauging her reaction for any change in demeanor as she

  responds.L'arc rushes into the inn and bounces into his mother's room, excitedly showing her what he learned from Daike. Meanwhile, Daike approaches the bar, where a new barmaid is present. He inquires about the events of the previous evening, but she feigns ignorance, shaking as she wipes down a glass. "I'm not sure what you mean, sir," she says.

  Noticing her nervousness, Daike takes a seat at the bar and orders a drink. When the barmaid returns, he gently holds her hand and reassures her, "It's okay; I saw the mess." Overcome with emotion, the barmaid collapses onto the counter in tears. "Please, sir, I don't want to anger Lord Jiro," she pleads.

  At the mention of Lord Jiro, Daike's grip on the glass tightens, causing it to shatter. His eyes darken, betraying his suppressed emotions as his expression remains blank. He mutters to himself, "Filthy nobles; they think they can do whatever they want."

  Daike rushes out of the inn, running aimlessly down the road until he reaches a dead end, where he sees a thug bullying a helpless victim. The thug looks up at Daike and sneers, "You're in the wrong place, punk," stepping forward to confront him. Without a word, Daike punches the thug relentlessly, shouting, "I don't have time for this!" He throws the man aside and starts to walk out of the alley, but then turns back, shouting in the thug's face, "You! Where's the infirmary?"

  Fearful of another beating, the thug quickly reveals the information Daike seeks. Grabbing the thug's leg, Daike starts to run, dragging him along to the infirmary. Upon arrival, doctors rush to the door, asking, "What happened to him?" Daike throws the thug onto a table and responds, "What happened?"

  The thug, sweating and scratching his head nervously, replies, "I tripped." The nurse looks at Daike in disbelief. Daike asks, "Where is the woman who was brought in last night?" The nurse hesitates before answering, "Room 6. Are you the father?"

  Caught off guard by the question, Daike sprints to Room 6. He stops in his tracks upon seeing the barmaid covered in bloody sheets. A doctor walks past, his eyes downcast, and tells the woman, "I'm sorry; I couldn't save her." (A quick flashback shows Daike hearing those same words from a doctor.) Gritting his teeth, Daike walks away, muttering, "Are nobles never satisfied until they take everything away?"

  He approaches the thug still in the waiting area, grabbing his collar and pushing him against the wall. Despite the doctors' attempts to break his grip, he growls, "Take me to Jiro." Dragging the thug by his leg, Daike leaves the infirmary, bumping the thug's head down the steps.

  "I can't take you somewhere without being able to walk myself," the thug pleads. Daike grunts and finally releases him. "Fine, walk. Make a wrong move, and it’ll be your last. I'm not in the mood," he warns, narrowing his gaze. The thug nods and leads him to Jiro's mansion.

  Diake looks up at the walls and gate before unsheathing his uchigatana and cutting the gate down. The guards, witnessing this, tremble and back off as Daike strides forward. New guards enter the courtyard, weapons drawn, ordering him to stop. Daike ignores their command and continues, bellowing, “Move! I'm not here for you!”

  The guards stand firm. Daike sheaths his sword, knocking out one guard with his scabbard before pushing the hilt into another's chest. He then spins to kick a third guard away, pressing on. The guards tremble as Daike advances, kicking the door open. He yells with all his might, “JIROOOOO!!!”

  The camera shifts to a man sitting down, smiling. He mutters, “This should be interesting.”

  Jiro burst through the doors at the top of the stairs, meat in hand. “What’s all this racket?” he shouted, descending the stairs while taking a bite of his meat. “You dare interrupt my meal, peasant?” he said, locking eyes with Daike. “Guards, arrest this man!”

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  At these words, Daike dashed forward with blinding speed, ascending the stairs. He unsheathed his weapon and slashed upwards. Just then, a shadowy figure fell into the frame from above, grabbing Jiro and moving him to the side, but not in time to prevent the damage. Jiro clutched his head, screaming, “Where’s my ear?” Writhing in pain, he ordered the shadowy figure, “Execute Daike—kill this man!”

  The shadowy figure bowed his head and replied, “Lord, do you not think it’s best to show the people this treachery by making his execution public?”

  “Fine, maybe you have a point,” Jiro said reluctantly, still gripping his missing ear. “Arrest this man, throw him in the dungeon, and someone get me a towel and pick up my damn ear!”

  Guards arrived on the scene and attempted to restrain Daike, but he easily broke free. Seeing this, Lord Jiro shouted, “Reave, put this fool in his place!”

  The shadowy figure nodded, removing his cloak before stretching and cracking his knuckles and neck. “I won’t even need weapons for a B Rank,” he said.

  Daike smiled and scoffed. “I don’t know whether to be flattered or insulted, but I’m only a C Rank.” He pulled out his uchigatana. “You’ll regret not taking me seriously!” he shouted, attempting to thrust his blade into Reave.

  At that moment, Reave smiled, disappearing before landing on top of Daike’s blade. He somersaulted off the blade, and Daike barely dodged as he fell. Daike lifted his weapon for a rising thrust, but Reave, unable to dodge in midair, was forced to draw his dual daggers and block as he landed.

  Reave rushed forward and disappeared momentarily, reappearing behind Daike and striking him in the back of the neck with the hilt of his dagger. Daike fell unconscious into Reave’s arms. “I underestimated you, swordsman,” Reave said softly. He left Daike with the guards. “He won’t be a problem anymore,” he added as he walked away.

  After a brief delay, Jiro left the scene, and the guards dragged Daike to the dungeon. Upon arrival, Daike saw the cells filled with demi-humans and children. He was thrown into the last cell with frightened demi-human children and women. Once the guards left, he struggled to his feet, using the wall for support. The children cowered at the sight of him.

  He fell over but quickly jumped back up, startling some of them while others giggled. He smiled softly. “Children should always be smiling,” he said, making silly faces to entertain them.

  Hours pass, and we rejoin the party at the inn. “Where is that idiot?” Kaoru mutters to herself as she sips her drink. The barmaid from earlier approaches from behind and whispers, “Sorry to bother you again, miss, but may I speak to you in the back?” Kaoru follows, clutching her sword. They disappear into a back room where the barmaid looks around to ensure they are alone. Kaoru, staying alert, checks her surroundings and prepares for any eventuality. The barmaid leans in close and informs her of earlier events.

  “With this new information,” Kaoru says, “he seemed angry when I mentioned Lord Jiro earlier. I’m afraid he might be in trouble—or worse. Lord Jiro isn’t a man to involve yourself with; he is very powerful and dangerous.”

  Upon hearing this, Kaoru slips out through the window into the rainy night, running across the wet rooftops toward Lord Jiro’s mansion. Upon arrival, she overhears guards discussing earlier events and the frightening swordsman who sliced down the gate. She drops down, incapacitates one guard, and places her blade to another’s neck. “Where is this swordsman now?” she demands. After receiving the information she seeks, she silently takes out the remaining guards before arriving at the dungeon doors.

  Descending the steps, she hears laughter and a familiar voice. Sneaking past, using the rafters and shadows to her advantage, she hears a guard shout, “Silence!” She investigates and takes out the guard in the darkness to avoid alarming anyone inside the cells. There, she sees Daike making a fool of himself for the entertainment of the prisoners. “Hey, idiot, what happened to you? We were meant to depart hours ago.”

  Daike looks around, sees Kaoru’s familiar face, and drops to his knees, banging his head on the floor. “Forgive me, master! I was sidelined by an important mission.” As he repeatedly bows, the children laugh and giggle. Kaoru leans into the bars. “Tell me who did this.”

  Daike stands and walks towards her, whispering, “There’s a lord in this mansion. He is a vile man. I would have taken his head, but I was stopped by a mysterious figure named Reave.” Kaoru ponders for a moment. “Reave, where have I heard that name before?”

  “Give me a few minutes; I will find the key and get you free. We must leave this place undetected.” She disappears and returns moments later, opening the cell. Daike stands at the door, brushing past her slightly and leaning in close. “That bastard killed an unborn child,” he mutters.

  Kaoru hears this and takes off running through the dungeon. “I will stay here and find my weapon and get everyone to safety, master!” he shouts after her.

  Kaoru bursts through the front door, screaming, “MURDERER!” Jiro hears her scream echoing down the hall. Reave appears beside him and chuckles, “You’re popular tonight.” In a panic, Jiro throws up his hands and yells, “Reave, take care of it!” He dashes into his bedroom, cowering under the covers, muttering to himself, “Not again, not again,” shaking like a leaf.

  Reave disappears from the frame, and the focus shifts back to Kaoru, who slowly ascends the stairs, listening for any sounds. Reave suddenly appears at the top of the stairs, smiling slightly, but his expression shifts to panic as he meets Kaoru’s gaze. His pupils dilate in fear. “Dark Death, what are you doing here? We thought you left this life.”

  “I don’t go by that name anymore,” Kaoru growls, fixing her eyes on him.

  “I thought I recognized that name, Reave. Does this mean you left the guild as well?”

  “No, I’m just doing some freelance work. Contracts dried up after you left.”

  “Okay, do you intend to get in my way, little Shiv?” she says, a cold smile on her lips.

  “Actually, I go by—”

  “I don’t care! Get the fuck out of my way, or I’ll cut you down, boy!”

  At her words, Reave pulls up his hood, blending into the shadows, and flees the mansion. The scene cuts to Jiro’s room, where a storm rages outside, lightning illuminating the window. The door creaks open.

  “Reave?” Jiro questions, his voice trembling.

  “No, your bodyguard abandoned you. I am your end.”

  A flash of lightning reveals Kaoru’s silhouette as she draws her blade. Jiro screams, and the scene fades to black, his blood splattering the walls.