The news that Daniel Furb, the boss of Abandon, was murdered spread like whoosh wildfire.

Daniel, a beggar leader from the slums, was looked down upon, yet he commanded over a hundred men and ruled a district.

The sudden massacre of such a person and his closest allies shocked not only the city’s elite but also the ordinary residents, marking it as a significant event.

======[ Piacere ]======

“Did Furb really get hit?”

“Yes, boss.”

In a lavishly decorated office with expensive wooden furniture and ornate candles, two men’s shadows danced on the carpet illuminated by the flickering light.

A middle-aged man lounged on a leather sofa, sipping whiskey, while a well-dressed man stood opposite him.

It was El Cornello, the boss of the Piacere Family, and a family executive who had come for an urgent report.

“Dan Furb himself, along with most of his key subordinates, has been killed. Their bodies were reportedly tossed into the sewer, chopped to bits…”

“Pathetic. I let them take over a territory for free, and they couldn’t even manage that properly.”

From the perspective of the Piacere Family, which ruled the pleasure district, the slums were nothing but a worthless hive crawling with beggars, not worth the risk of conflict with other organizations.

Yet it was also uneasy to hand it over completely to the rival organizations; it was like a thorn in their side.

Thus, they allowed a weakling like Daniel to act like a boss over the beggars without a fuss.

Though it wasn’t their territory, it felt like a sort of neutral ground, not dominated by any large organization.

This idea worked surprisingly well, and after the formation of Abandon, the organizations of Pesengwigel managed to maintain a stable dominion without encroaching on each other.

But now, that Daniel was suddenly dead. Not just him, but alongside his closest aids.

‘If he was going to claim a territory, he should have managed it well. Dying in just a few years is…sigh…’

Cornello clicked his tongue and picked up the cigar he had leaned against the ashtray.

‘An idiot is just an idiot, I suppose.’

With a sharp intake of breath, the end of the cigar glowed red and smoldered. White smoke mingled with the candlelight and spread out.

“…So, who did it? With such a messy operation, I assume it’s not the Guild. Is it that beast Lakan? Or Haval?”

Cornello, puffing out the smoke, inquired about the identity of Daniel’s killer.

It was unlikely to be the Guild’s doing.

They couldn’t afford to provoke a full-scale attack from other organizations, given their fragile position.

So there were three remaining organizations.
The Maenades, running brothels, were closely allied with the family, so they could be excluded.

Thus, Cornello guessed that the culprit who killed Daniel was either Lakan from Bagest or Haval from the Adventurer’s Guild.

More accurately, he suspected their subordinates. Surely they wouldn’t have acted directly.
Why would the heads of organizations take matters into their own hands? Their subordinates were not mere pawns.

“Neither of them. According to reports, the killer claimed to be ‘Shadow of the Eagle’s’ Krimhilde.”

“Shadow of the Eagle…?”

The unexpected name made Cornello furrow his thick brows in confusion.

He had heard of the Shadow of the Eagle. There was no way he wouldn’t know the name of the assassination organization that rules the underworld of every city, excluding Pesengwigel.

It was only the fools who thought this city was the whole world and were ignorant of the circumstances of others.
But Cornello was not such a fool.

Rather, he was well aware of the weight that such names carried, holding frequent ties with various nobles.

“Fake, I’m sure.”

Therefore he stated with certainty.
He didn’t know who this Krimhilde was, but at least he was sure that the one claiming to be a member of the Shadow of the Eagle was not telling the truth.

“Really…?”

“They don’t operate like that. They prefer quiet, shadowy, and certain methods. Besides, revealing their own name? That’s nonsense.”

According to reports, this ‘Krimhilde’ barged into a beggar den and rowdily confronted Daniel when he came to stop the ruckus, eventually killing him.
That was not the way of an assassin.
In fact, it wasn’t even the way of typical underworld criminals.
People like them usually capture hostages or raid places, ensuring overwhelming superiority before a fight.
Charging alone into the enemy’s den and slaughtering those who block the way in front of him? Now that was more like the way of a dim-witted knight.

“If they genuinely wanted to take out Furb, he would have ‘disappeared’ without a trace. There wouldn’t be any evidence left.”

“Those Shadow of the Eagles are that capable? I heard they’ve been chased away by Bagest…”

The executive who had come to report expressed his doubt.
What he knew of the Shadow of the Eagle was that they were just losers who had fled after their defeat to Bagest.
In fact, that was the general perception within the city. They had indeed escaped the city right after facing defeat against Bagest.

“Andres, were we lacking in strength to leave the slums unchecked? Those guys weren’t scared off by Bagest. Rather…”

Cornello started to explain but paused, realizing it wasn’t something worth discussing in front of his subordinate.

“Boss?”

“…No, never mind. Just remember that he can’t possibly belong to the Shadow of the Eagle.”

Cornello abruptly cut off the conversation.
What remained unsaid was just the white smoke from the cigar, lingering thickly in the office.

‘…Not scared of Bagest? What does that mean?’
Andres frowned, curious about what Cornello had wanted to say but didn’t ask further.
When the boss stops speaking, it usually meant that it was not something he wanted to divulge.
Asking more would only irritate him. Thus, Andres, showing wisdom like a Piacere executive, pressed down his curiosity.

“That one declared that the Shadow of the Eagle would rule the slums in place of Abandon. If that declaration is false from the start, who the heck is he…?”

“We’ll soon find out.”
Cornello smiled faintly, resting the cigar in the ashtray as the tip burned down and fell off with a thud.

“Inform everyone in the family. For now, don’t involve yourselves and just watch as usual. There’s no need for us to step in.”

An outsider who pretended to be a member of the Shadow of the Eagle and half-toppled Abandon.
Though he was suspicious to the point of causing potential chaos, Cornello had no intention of leading the charge to uncover his identity. There was no need for that.

“Are there really not enough hot-headed folks in this city?”
Even without the Piacere Family’s intervention, many would step up.
The identity of this outsider would inevitably surface through conflict with other organizations.
Therefore, Cornello chose to observe, at least until it was certain that this Krimhilde would become an enemy of the family.

======[ Bagest ]======

Lakan Krakel, the leader of Bagest, was a black wolf beastfolk of thirty-six years old.

Standing over two meters tall, his muscles could practically be mistaken for armor. With untamed hair and piercing yellow eyes, he had deep scars across his chest and nose, with his left cheek showing a fierce display of sharp teeth.
He looked so terrifying it was enough to scare one even in dreams.

“The Shadow of the Eagle, huh? Ridiculous. Did he really say that?”

“Yes, he claimed to be Krimhilde from the Shadow of the Eagle…”

“Hah, I should have offed them all the last time I let a few go. They dare crawl back in here?”

Having driven out the Shadow of the Eagle after a fierce battle, this was one of Bagest’s notable feats.
The murderer of Daniel practically threw down the gauntlet to Bagest by declaring himself a member of the Shadow of the Eagle.

He had come back for revenge after being defeated and expelled, meaning Bagest should prepare to face the stakes.

“Big brother, what are we going to do? It seems like the Piacere folks plan to just watch again.”

“I’ll have to teach them once more that there’s no tree for eagles to nest in this city…!”

Lakan Krakel accepted the challenge.
However, Krimhilde had no intention of provoking him, so it was merely Lakan’s misunderstanding.