I left the safety of House 132, stepping out from the covered porch into the crisp morning air of the 3rd District. I wore the heavy, dark canvas cloak thrown over the rugged merchant polo and tailored trousers I had stripped from Luke Granhart's corpse. The contrasting outfit was bizarre, but beneath the thick, voluminous layers of the heavy fabric, my massive crimson blood-wings were completely compressed and anchored flat against my spine, hidden entirely from public view.
Inside the locked house, I had left a portion of my massive haul resting openly across the wooden table… the remaining two bootleg Tommy guns and the glittering pile of high-grade mana rings. I left them there completely unbothered, utterly oblivious to any lingering threat from the fact that I had just brazenly stolen them from the vault of the most ruthless crime syndicate in Andromeda. To me, the Yellow Flower mafia was already a ghost of the past; their hoard belonged to the swiftest executioner.
However, my current mobile arsenal was still staggering. Secured tightly into the interior harnesses against my back were three heavy firearms: my custom Death Chant Shotgun, the pristine, matte-black and silver original Death Chant Tommy gun, and a single bootleg copy. Heavy and cold, they shifted slightly with each step. Deep within my trouser pocket rested the hand-written tactical recipe for the chemical tear gas that Maine had surrendered to me before the forest explosion.
My tactical itinerary for this fateful seventh day was immense, and I mapped out my route through Caria with cold, precision planning. The immediate priority was financial and administrative: I needed to claim the massive bounty on Don Anthony. His severed, cloth-wrapped head was securely strapped right against my waist, a heavy, grim pendulum marking my stride.
My first stop was the grand headquarters of the Luminous Knight Bureau Association or LKBA in the 4th District. Now that the morning hour had officially passed, the doors would be wide open. I would march straight into Chief Anton's office, present the mafia kingpin's head, and demand my hard-earned wealth. In the exact same breath, I would corner the registrar to claim the highly classified intelligence reports regarding Vanessa Katt, the Immoral Commander's wife, which had finally arrived after a grueling week of processing.
Once my pockets were flush with blood money and my next hunt was mapped out, I would depart the 4th District and descend into the bustling commercial hubs of the 6th District. There, I would systematically navigate the high-end apothecary stalls and chemical vendors to purchase the precise medical supplies, volatile compounds, and raw ingredients required to forge Maine's tear gas formula. Having a non-lethal, high-dispersion chemical weapon in my arsenal would provide the perfect tactical utility for my impending infiltration of the main Immoral Knight base.
From the alchemical markets, I would chart a course directly to Olive's elite tailor shop. Today was the strict deadline for my custom order, and I would finally collect my fire-resistant crimson trench coat… a piece of high-tier gear essential for surviving the devastating magma-imbued weaponry I anticipated facing.
After securing my coat, my path would take me somewhere into the shifting, crowded sectors of Caria to seek out a face-to-face confrontation with Father Columbia. The newspaper report had ignited a dangerous curiosity in my chest; I needed to look into the eyes of this self-proclaimed apostle of Jesus Christ, this fellow reincarnated soul from Earth who was daring to preach my past-life religion in a world of monsters and magic. I needed to gauge whether he was a useful wild card or a liability that needed to be erased.
Finally, my long day would culminate at the Capital Knight Bureau Association, the sister building located across the city. My first and strongest guess was that Alta would be stationed there, navigating the lower-tier adventurer boards. I would track her down in the shadows of the hall, slip her the hidden bootleg Tommy gun from beneath my cloak, and significantly upgrade her personal firepower for the trials to come.
With my grand strategy perfectly solidified in my mind, I tightened the front straps of my cloak to ensure Don Anthony's head remained hidden from civilian eyes, turned the corner of the residential street. Renny chuckled as I approached the gate a second time, his eyes tracking my brisk pace.
"Morning again, Eirene, why so in a hurry? Got a hot lead? Anyways, you know the drill… toll and status card."
I didn't waste a single breath. I slid my status card and the required silver coin across to him. He swiped it with a quick nod, the heavy iron bars creaked open, and I vanished into the crowds heading straight toward the 4th District.
When I pushed through the grand doors of the Luminous Knight Bureau Association, the atmosphere was every bit as chaotic as I remembered. The morning air was already thick with the heavy stench of cheap ale, roasting meats, and the sweat of rowdy, low-tier adventurers. To my left, a heavily armored vanguard was loudly boasting about slamming a minor forest beast; to my right, a group was arguing over a copper-rank reward split. They looked right past my worn cloak and Luke's oversized polo, completely ignorant of the fact that the actual executioner of the Neospider Queen and the Yellow Flower Mafia was walking in their very shadows. I ignored them entirely. I had far more important assets to claim.
I bypassed the rowdy guildhall and walked directly up to the high-ranking registrar desk. Sydney Popov looked up from her ledger, blinking in surprise as I came to a halt in front of her counter.
"Good morning, Eirene, you're right on time. The official field reports from the campaign against the immoral rogue knights just arrived this morning. The files regarding Vanessa Katt's suspected coordinates are right here. Care to take a look?"
Sydney said, a professional smile replacing her startled look as she reached into a secure drawer beneath the desk. And I didn't respond. I didn't even reach for the papers.
Instead, I reached down to my waist, unclipped the heavy, dark canvas bundle, and dropped it onto the wooden counter with a dull, wet thud.
Sydney startled backward, her hands flying to her chest.
"Another bounty already? Eirene, you just got back to the city..."
Curiosity overrode her caution. Shaking slightly, she reached forward and pulled back the blood-stained cloth just enough to catch a glimpse of the features underneath… the pristine, unmistakable mustache, the sharp jawline, and the cold, lifeless eyes of the tyrant who had ruled the underworld.
Sydney breath hitched violently, her face turning an ashen white as she staggered back against the document shelves. She whispered, her voice trembling as she stared from the severed head back up to my single, cold green eye.
"Eirene... what the... This... this is Don Anthony! The supreme head of the arms trafficking guild! How in Andromeda did you... We must report this to Chief Anton immediately! Come with me!"