God’s Guide for Teasing Heroes

Kazue POV 

  

  

  

  

"Why are you here?" <Kazue> 

I asked the masked man for his business here at miss Alicia's home. 

I am surprised to see Argent-senpai after a long time. 

  

  

Hmnn? 

Now that I think about it... 

His presence was too suspicious. 

To have Argent-senpai appear just when I needed some help. 

Why now... it's too convenient. 

[How suspicious... or Am I overthinking this? This kind of luck is not like me.] 

It reminded me of the first time we met, he appeared when all things looked so desperate. 

I want to trust him, I do. 

But I have to be sure. 

What is at stake here is not only my life but also, Calm. 

Although I somehow trust this person I still shielded Calm from him for safety measures. 

  

  

"Hmnn~ Even if you ask me for the reason why I am here, I don't have an answer for you..." <Argent> 

"-Stare-" <Kazue> 

Instead of a reply, I showed Argent-senpai a suspicious gaze. 

I tighten my guard and hid Calm safely behind me. 

"Come on, Don't show me that face, It's not as if I am here because I need to do something suspicious. Hmnn~ how do I explain this? Ah... I know. Some time ago I received a message from the guild. The miss of this house is looking for me for some reason. The reason why I don't have an answer as to why I'm here is that the miss never gave the reason why she's looking for me." <Argent> 

He said in a somewhat happy tone. 

If one was to judge by his tone, it sounded like he had no intention of harming the saint. 

So I asked. 

"Miss Alicia is looking for you?" <Kazue> 

  

  

At that moment, I remembered. 

When I asked miss Alicia the reason why she came to Riles. 

I recalled the words that she said. 

["I am looking for a guy wearing an ugly mask."] Those were the exact words she said. 

It did not come to me at that time since it has been a while since I'd seen Argent-senpai. 

Our meeting did not last long and the two of us were not particularly close. 

What I remember about Argent-senpai is that... 

He is a person who saved my life once. 

The person who helped me escape from the dungeon during the monster stampede in Altus. 

The person who taught me the skill [Aura Blade] and [Mana Shroud]. 

An adventurer whom I admired. 

  

  

When Miss Alicia said he was looking for a person with a mask, nothing came to mind. 

Now the person was standing before me, I realized that the person miss Alicia was looking for was Argent-senpai. 

[Do those two know each other?] 

[Is there a possibility that miss Alicia and Argent-senpai is working with each other to kill the saint?] 

[If not, should I ask for their help?] 

[Nope, I don't think so...] 

[I feel that I am overthinking things.] 

I closed my eyes and thought about these questions. 

The possibility of these two working together to kill Calm is almost impossible. 

Even if they did, there is no reason why those two would wait up until now. 

Knowing how strong miss Alicia and Argent-senpai I could not picture anyone stopping them from doing so. 

I feel that miss Alicia had an idea of what I was up to before. 

It makes no sense if she was after Calm. 

I think that the matters happening around Calm has little to do with miss Alicia. 

The action of miss Alicia seems to be an act of courtesy. 

  

  

After some more thought, I finally came to a decision. 

[Alright, I will ask for their help from here on.] 

I decided to trust miss Alicia and Argent-senpai. 

I think I've already done enough on my own. 

It's time for me to ask for some help. 

  

  

I lowered my guard and breathe out some air to relax. 

At the same time, I put back my sword into its sheath. 

Argent-senpai was not bothered by the fact that I pointed my weapon at him. 

He casually asked me a question in return. 

  

  

"Why is Kazue-san here?" <Argent> 

"Ah... that... Actually..." <Kazue> 

[Should I say it here?] 

I nod. 

"I am here to protect this girl." <Kazue> 

"Hmnn~ protect huh..." <Argent> 

I nod. 

"Does protecting her include shaking off those suspicious guys following you?" <Argent> 

He was glaring at the path behind me. 

Hearing those words from his mouth. 

[Crap I am still being followed.] 

My face became pale. 

It seems that there were still more assassins following me around. 

My instinct was unable to detect them and as a result, I was followed here. 

  

  

"I see. I will not ask for the reason but is it fine if I capture them for now?" <Argent> 

I helplessly agreed to Argent-senpai and gave him a nod. 

"I understand." <Argent> 

After that, he disappeared from where he was standing. 

"Eh?" <Kazue> 

I was unable to react. 

He slipped my vision and I was unable to follow his movement. 

Realizing that he had moved I looked around to find him. 

  

  

"Gyaa!!!" 

"Whaaa!!!" 

I heard screams coming from a distance. 

I looked behind me to where the general direction of screams originated. 

A few moments later, I saw Argent senpai appear from one of the corners. 

He was dragging three people wearing black cloaks similar to the Assassin I fought earlier. 

  

  

"Wow..." <Kazue> 

He was able to defeat them in a flash. 

I was reminded. 

This person is also a monster. 

I was not able to appreciate his abilities when I have first seen him fight. 

But, after what he did just now I am certain, he is also a monster of miss Alicia's caliber. 

No, I think he's even stronger. 

[Uwah... this world is really wide... After seeing how powerful Miss Alicia, Lavi Onee-sama, and this time Argent-senpai, I can't help it... -sigh- I'm starting to lose my confidence. I can't see myself becoming as strong as them. I was hoping to reach S-rank in the future but... Knowing that Miss Alicia, Lavi Onee-sama, and Argent-senpai are a step below that level. Maybe, I should just aim to become a high-tier B-rank Adventurer in the future? Right! let's aim for that from now on!] 

  

  

*************** 

  

Narrator POV 

  

  

Going back 4 days ago. 

Abandoned alley, Assassin's Order temporary hideout. 

  

  

A few days ago, the Assassin's order had asked for reinforcement on their mission to assassinate the saint. 

Today, they are gathering the members of the order who just arrive and join the mission. 

When the order gathered here a few days ago to discuss how they failed to assassinate the saint, they decided to ask for backup from the other members of the order. 

They did this because there were only a few of them remaining. 

The area where they gathered is now full of the members of the order. 

Those who came into this abandoned alley are all wearing black cloaks over their body. 

They wore hooded robes in a way that they are hiding their faces from each other. 

Thus, this way no one will be able to know their true identities and faces. 

  

  

The Assassin's Order is a mercenary group dedicated to killing people. 

The reason for assassinations is varied. 

May it be for the money 

It was for Fun. 

It was for the challenge. 

It was for the enjoyment of fighting people to death. 

It was to satisfy their thirst for blood. 

It was for a noble reason and justified killings. 

And even for the bragging rights of killing a highly profiled individual. 

Naturally, the members of the order mostly consist of dangerous people. 

  

  

The "Assassins Order". 

The Order might have a name. 

But... it is not as if the members of the order are strictly for those people who have the "Assassin" job class. 

The order is not recruiting members just because they have the "Assassin" job class. 

Rather, the members of the Assassin Order have various job classes from Cooks to Knight to Swordsman and even Priest. 

Thus it also follows that those members have other jobs other than being a member of the order. 

They are living just like an ordinary person would. 

In fact, in plain sight, the members of the order look ordinary. 

Some of them are former and current Adventurers. 

Some of them are former and current Soldiers. 

Some of them are Private guards. 

Some of them are Bandits. 

Under that mask they are killers. 

The members of the order had one thing in common. 

The common thing is that all of them are individuals who can kill others for fun, money, or fame. 

  

  

The members of the order are handpicked by a veteran member. 

As soon as they agree to be a member of the Order, they would sign a magical contract that will bind them to the Order. 

Upon joining the order, they will be given a black card and a hooded black robe. 

The card will be used to instruct and guide them on the order's activities. 

The robe acts like a uniform that they would wear during missions and gatherings of the order. 

  

  

Rio arrived at the location where the black card instructed her to go. 

In that place, more than 60 people wearing the same outfit are loitering around. 

Despite the crowd, it was silent. 

All of them are only carefully observing each other. 

Cautiously. 

They seems to be aware of each other and were avoiding any kind of interaction. 

  

  

In that silence, a man stepped up on an escalated pile of broken things that act like an elevated platform. 

He stood above the people who gathered here. 

He gave off such an intimidating presence that no one in the crowd protested for him standing and looking at them from above. 

He opened his arm wide in the air and talked. 

"Welcome, members of the Assassin Order." <Man's Voice> 

A man's voice echoes through the abandoned alley where the members of the Assassin Order gathered. 

With that, the attention of the crowd was focused on him. 

 

 

 

 

The man speaking was wearing a hooded robe that is quite different from the others. 

To point out how it was different, there are some aesthetical pieces attached to his robe. 

It was not much but somehow it gave the impression that he was someone important. 

No one even had to explain that this person is one of the more influential figures within the Assassins Order. 

They assumed, but... 

Despite having a lot of members they don't have any form of hierarchy. 

This is mostly because few of the members knew each other. 

  

  

The Assassin's Order is a famous organization. 

They are an infamous group of mysterious people for hire to kill others. 

When a member of the order accomplishes many missions, they will become famous. 

Of course, none of the members of the order can officially reveal their names to the public. 

In exchange, the Assassin will be famous under his killer name. 

A "Title", 

A "nickname", 

An "Alias". 

A "fake name" to let others know of his existence. 

Once a member's alias becomes well known, he or she will be respected by the other members of the Order. 

Once a person receives respect, people will naturally follow them. 

The person standing right before them seemed to be that kind of person. With his intimidating presence, he must be a member worthy of their respect. 

Even without anyone saying a word, they instinctively knew this fact. 

He is viewed as the leader of this mission and no one was objecting. 

  

  

"I am Razor, And I will be leading this mission." <Man's Voice/Razor> 

He continued to speak. 

As he announced his name. 

Members of the order showed some sort of interest in that person. 

Why would they not, his name is well known, and even normal folks have heard his name at least once. 

  

  

Razor is a well-known member of the order. 

He has been with the order for 13 years. 

During this time, he succeeded in many missions. 

As he accumulated these experiences, he became more and more skilled at doing his job of killing his targets. 

His name naturally became known after accomplishing countless assassination missions. 

  

  

This job became his pride. 

He was not the strongest member of the order. 

There were a lot of assassins out there who is more powerful than he is, and he knew this. 

But... the worth of a person in this line of work is not measured by how powerful one is. 

It is how he leaves a mark on people's minds. 

How many have you killed? 

How did you kill your targets? 

How much fear would people feel when they hear your name? 

And... Who were the people that you killed? 

The worth of an assassin is measured by these standards. 

Razor had done well in answering all of these questions. 

  

  

All he wanted now is to be remembered as the best assassin ever. 

He already killed so many people, His name can already strike fear in those who know his name. 

But it was not enough to give him the title of the best Assassin who ever lived. 

To do that, he wanted to add a name to the list of people whom he killed. 

Calm Eastertale, the Saint of Riles, the Oracle of the Goddess of Life. 

A name that most of the people on this continent know. 

If he can be remembered as the one who killed Calm Eastertale, his name will forever be remembered. 

That is why he wanted to kill the Saint. 

And to kill the saint, he needs the help of the members of the Assassin's Order. 

  

  

"I am glad that many of you have come to this place today despite how abrupt this request for backup was." <Razor> 

Razor acknowledges the people who came here today with an enthusiastic voice. 

He continued to talk. 

"You all might be thinking why did we ask for your participation in this mission? 4 days ago--." <Razor> 

Details of the mission were explained. 

The members of the order who came recently have no idea what the mission was all about. 

Upon hearing the details, there was a commotion amongst the participants of this gathering. 

Some were shocked, some showed hesitation, and some showed excitement. 

  

  

He explained and shared information with the members present today. 

The plan was revealed. 

The plan was very simple. 

"Do whatever it takes, Find the saint and kill her." <Razor> 

Razor announced. 

The way he said this was with a cold voice. 

  

  

The Order called for reinforcement because many of the initial members were killed during their first attempt. 

They lost a lot of their members during that encounter with the holy knights. 

Just the remaining members of the Assassin Order will not be able to do it by themselves. 

They needed more men to look for the saint. 

If not, the holy knights, the soldiers of the city, or the adventurer's guild will find her first. 

If they find the saint first it will be harder for them to kill her. 

Sure, they have members who are within the ranks of adventurers, soldiers, and knights. 

Even with that, if they were late to find the saint. 

The mission will become extremely hard or even, impossible to accomplish. 

Ultimately they want the saint dead. 

For the reward and honors. 

For the lives they lost to achieve this goal, it would be a waste if they let the saint escape. 

  

  

Thankfully right now no one has found the saint yet. 

The item "Angel Wings" teleported the saint to some random place. 

No one can find her since then. 

There is still a high chance that they would be able to find her first. 

  

  

The simple plan to find the saint and kill her is probably the most reliable plan for the members of the order. 

Sure, they could have devised a more genius plan but that won't be possible with the members present. 

The members of the order don't know each other and no one is willing to reveal their faces. 

They are also avoiding the possibility of their plan being revealed as some of them might be a spy. 

The Assassin's Order is never an organized group in the first place and executing a complicated plan is impossible without proper preparations. 

  

  

They are only following instructions from the black card they received upon becoming a member of the order. 

They are not bound to the order in any way. 

Not knowing the identity of your fellow member only makes a "hierarchy" in the order impossible. 

There is always a possibility that a member of the order has their loyalty elsewhere. 

This may cause them to become traitors. 

This is why it is a custom to hide your face, you'll never know, you might just be reported as a member and get arrested because a member snitched on you. 

  

  

And lastly, most of them are after one thing. 

They want to kill the saint with their own hands. 

In a way, this is a competition. 

The only goal is for them to be able to kill the saint. 

The one who will be able to kill the saint will be the biggest winner. 

  

  

Razor turned around and walked away into the shadows. 

Together with Razor, other members of the order followed and disappear. 

"..." 

Then there was silence. 

Moments passed and they finally realized. 

That was it. 

The people gathered here were given a simple task. 

Find the saint and Kill her. 

  

  

Most of the members who came here today were newbies and rookies. 

"Find the saint and kill her" was the only instruction given to them. 

This means that they have to do whatever it takes all by themselves. 

They may even leave without doing anything or participating in this in any way. 

  

  

Some smart members started to discuss among themselves. 

They are natural. 

They wanted to cooperate. 

They see this as one of the "Tests" they must pass to be a full-fledged member of the order. 

This mission is not something one can accomplish alone. 

If it was, then there's no need to ask for backup. 

Seeing this, the other members of the order seemed to rally together and discuss how they would do the job. 

Maybe, this is because some of those present here were adventurers. 

They gathered and formed a party as if it was normal. 

Of course, some decided to just do it by themself and acted alone. 

And some completely abandoned the mission. 

  

. 

. 

. 

  

  

In that same place; 

A girl whispered to herself. 

"... scary..." <Girl> 

She said this word, not because of the intimidating aura the man had. 

She said these words because of the things on this man's mind. 

  

  

All this time this girl had been staring intently into Razor's eyes. 

Razor noticed her gaze but did not pay her any mind. 

It was the fact that she was not the only one staring at him intently. 

People who do this kind of action was doing either one of these two things. 

1, they are simply curious to stare at a high-profile assassin. 

2, they are trying to gauge how strong he was by observing him intently. 

Sometimes, when people do this, they may be using skills to get information about him. 

For example, there might be a person amongst them who is using the skill [Appraisal]. 

Despite knowing this, he did not mind this. 

He was confident that even if they used [Appraisal] on him no one will be able to get information from him 

He was wearing an accessory that gives the user the skill (Appraisal Block). 

  

  

Unfortunately, this girl had a special ability, a Unique Skill. 

(Eyes of the Mind Reader). 

A unique ability capable of revealing what other people are thinking by looking at their eyes. 

The girl was taken aback and said "Scary" not because of how strong Razor was. 

It was because she was able to see what is on his mind. 

  

  

15 minutes ago... 

  

  

[Whoa... I did not expect to see many members of the order here.] 

Ota Rio thought after seeing many people wearing the same black robe she wears. 

For some reason, she ends up here, thanks to a black card she received some time ago. 

  

  

Rio sighed. 

[How did I end up here.] 

Rio recalled the incident that happened on her way to Riles. 

¹ 

Something for future chapters. 

I will write about this after this Arc. 

 

[How did I become a member of the "Assassin Order".] 

She thought in regret. 

All I could do was sigh it out. 

-sigh- 

  

  

For the past few months, Rio has been traveling to find an old classmate of hers. 

Rio heard that this old classmate was headed towards the country of Riles. 

She gathered some information and narrowed down her destination. 

After sorting the information she gathered, she discovered that the person she was looking for is going to the capital of Riles, Vestir. 

It seems that she is going there to meet the saint for reasons unknown. 

  

  

As she arrived near Vestir, a certain notification caught her attention. 

It was from an item inside her dimensional bag. 

It is from the black card she received when she joined the Assassin's Order. 

It seems that the Assassin's Order was requesting reinforcement. 

Since Rio was curious about what the order was like. 

She went to the location where they would gather. 

She put on the black robe that she received when she joined the Order. 

Following the directions on a black card, she found herself in a deserted location. 

Rio noticed that as she was moving forward. 

People wearing the same black robe were walking in the same direction. 

[Urghh... what a suspicious-looking fellow.] 

  

  

Rio accidentally locked eyes with that person. 

[Urghh... what a suspicious-looking fellow.] 

He was thinking of the same thing she was thinking. 

Rio realized that looking from the outside she also looked suspicious as she was wearing the same robe this person wore. 

[Haha... So I look like that too when they see me] 

  

  

One by one the members of the order came. 

Each member gave off an impression of a dangerous person. 

As each of them has no trust in the other no one tried to interact with anyone. 

There is a chance that interacting with others may spark a scuffle. 

The people here are all killers, everyone is dangerous in their way. 

It's just safer to not get involved with the other members of the Order. 

Everyone is doing their best to avoid each other. 

Rio was doing the same. 

  

  

All of a sudden a voice echoed. 

  

  

"Welcome, members of the Assassins Order..." <Razor> 

The man who calls himself Razor looked at the members of the Order. 

Rio felt that the man smiled. 

"I am Razor, And I will be leading this mission." <Razor> 

  

  

The man, Razor explained the reason why they were gathered here today. 

How they failed the Assassination of the saint a few days ago. 

He explained. 

Who were the people looking for the saint other than them? 

Who might they encounter? 

And, What to expect during this mission. 

  

  

The people looking for the saint are the Adventurer's Guild, Holy knights, and the church. 

He instructed the members of the Order who is affiliated with those group to use their connections. 

He also noted the individuals whom they have to avoid as much as possible. 

He said many names but he gave a special note on the Holy Knight, Aaron Van Zelle. 

The person who caused this mission to fail the first time around. 

He gave the order to avoid him as much as possible as no one there is capable to defeat him in battle. 

He explained more information to note during this mission. 

But... for some reason, Rio could not focus on the information being explained. 

  

  

Throughout Razor's explanation, Rio was staring at Razor's exposed eyes. 

Rio was unable to see his face but she was able to see what Razor was thinking, using her unique skill (Eyes of the Mind Reader). 

[Guh... that dude has a very nasty mind. He was already imagining how would the new members would die.] 

She was able to see what was on his mind using her special ability to read people's minds. 

  

  

"I am glad that many of you have come to this place today despite how abrupt this request for backup was." <Razor> 

Razor's voice sounds enthusiastic but oddly enough it was able to hide what he was thinking. 

[Ah, there are a lot of newbloods participating. I wonder how many of them will survive. Well, to be a true member of the order they must live through this mission.] 

He was smiling deep inside. 

[Fools] 

Razor thought under her black robe 

He was amused by the fact that despite having many newbies amongst the people gathered here, only a few had what it takes to be a member of the order. 

He knew and understood that lots of them will have to die. 

No, the word "Sacrificed" is more fitting to describe them. 

The members, specifically the new members of the order will be sacrificed to have a chance to kill the saint. 

Perhaps, the word "Find and Kill the saint" can be translated as "Go forth and Die". 

  

  

"It's good to see that there are a lot of promising new members. All you have to do is to survive. As you survive, you also will learn how to be a real member of the Assassin's Order." <Razor> 

Razor's imagined how each member in front of him would die. 

Images of them being beheaded. 

Stabbed to death by the Knights protecting the saint. 

Getting killed while being caught in a battle between powerful individuals unleashing deadly attacks. 

Getting tortured in interrogations for getting caught. 

And more... 

  

  

As he was thinking about these wonderful ways of dying. 

He was aroused by those images that flashed in his mind. 

[This is bad, I'm getting too excited. fufufu.] 

He licks his lips to somehow satisfy his feelings. 

[Your sacrifice would be remembered but I am sorry. I will be the one who will kill the saint.] 

He laughed inwardly and did not show it to anyone. 

He turned around and all of the members gathered there started to move on their own. 

  

  

Sharing that vision made Rio stop reading his mind. 

The way he imagined how they die was so clear that Rio had looked away. 

If she did not do so, she might vomit. 

His imagination was too much for her. 

It was like watching a high-budget gore movie. 

  

  

Rio was unable to focus on Razor's speech and decided to close her eyes and recompose herself. 

Soon, Razor finished talking and left. 

Sensing that he finished talking Rio opened her eyes but found out that Razor was no longer there. 

Moments passed. 

[Ah, I guess the meeting is finished?] 

Realizing this, the members of the order started to move. 

Some grouped, and some moved on their own and left. 

Rio also decided to move on to leave. 

  

  

[... Nope, I will not join this mission. It seems to be very dangerous for my taste. Let's just look for Kazue.] 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

Author Note: 

  

Hi ya! 

I just want to announce that I will be updating my work at this pace for now. 

I can only give time to writing the story every weekend. 

You may have noticed that I update every two weeks. 

It is because I am using the first week to write and whatever I finish, I edit on the second week. 

Just so you know I manage to prepare 3 chapters but I only managed to finish editing two of them 

I should be able to give another update tomorrow and hopefully the third one within this week too! 

well... I was slow in editing the chapters because I was too engrossed with Vtuber videos... lol I don't know why... I love watching them. 

Anyway, see you in the next chapter!