> Narrator PoV

In a city like Runetap, trouble flows as freely as money.

And a certain underground crime syndicate contributed to both.

Although they were smaller than others, their profits were not.

Their leader, Gix, had very high standards. In equipment, skills and reputation, his men were superior in every way. Truly a gathering of professionals.

The city guard knew about them, but could not oppose them. The guards had their hands full with just the day-to-day. There simply wasn't enough manpower to deal with Gix.

And so, Gix and his little empire grew rich. They had their fingers in every bowl in the city. One of those fingers, was a guard at the south gate.

* * *

On that fateful day, a certain guard noticed an odd pair of women entering the city.

They turned themselves in and met with the captain.

They walked out with all their stuff and no charges a while later.

It was unusual - obviously a deal was made. Details were unknown, but that was unimportant.

What WAS important was their gear. Pristine armor and expensive looking weapons.

The mole in the city guard leaked this information to Gix's bunch.

The marks were stalked and investigated and they concluded several things.

First of all, one of the women was the infamous 'Crackhead magician'.

'The face is good but the head is bad.'

They ignored her before because she was always struggling for money. It wasn't worth the risk. But now she showed up with a mysterious companion.

A smaller, quieter girl.

Both of them had brand new gear. Judging from their spending spree, they had a sizable sum with them.

The 'Crackhead' was always near bankruptcy so they deduced it to be the smaller girl's money. Probably a rich brat that ran away from home to be an adventurer.

It was a common story, and a tasty target. The looney mage was probably just there to take advantage of the brat's money.

In other words, they were taking a bite out of Gix's pie.

Gix gave the order to grab them both.

* * *

When they saw their marks enter the church, the thieves waited outside.

The women left well after dark. The pitch black street was a perfect place to get robbed.

Yet these two were loudly chatting and playing around.

The Crackhead had even used a magic light. It made the area around them brighter, but the contrast made the darkness beyond that even deeper. It also made them a visible target.

In short - they were being idiots.

Picking the right time, the attack started with a distraction.

One of the thugs pretended to be a stumbling drunk and walked near them. He would then make himself a nuisance.

One of the women was asking him to go away, while the other one hid behind.

His colleagues sprang out at once and rushed the two. At a crucial moment, the 'drunk' used a smoke bomb. The smoke obstructed their vision and doubled as a knock-out gas.

Naturally the assailants made sure to cover their faces.

The mage was disoriented, while the small girl was unaffected. This was expected - her face was also covered. The plan was to separate them and overwhelm them with numbers. No matter their looks, it's not good to underestimate adventurers.

All the thieves aimed at the mage. One managed to grab her by the arm and simultaneously activate his [Rift Key].

He and the mage disappeared from the scene.

* * *

The [Rift Key] was an expensive magic item that looked like a white fist-sized stone.

By pouring mana and chanting the keyword, the spell inside activated. It would transport a person and everything they're touching to a predetermined location within 1 kilometer. It had a weight limit that made it possible to transfer two people at once.

In this instance, it was one of Gix's storehouses.

A criminal and an adventurer appeared out of thin air inside an open cell. The adventurer, Kiressara mil Quasse, was under the effect of the knockout gas. She would pass out shortly.

As her captor left her in the cell, he heard her mutter-

"... please... don't... kill... th..."

He turned around and sneered.

"Don't worry, we won't kill your friend. She has more value alive."

Little did he know, those words weren't begging for Ellie's life.

But for his.

* * *

Suddenly separated from her fiance, Ellie was overcome with rage.

She had already subdued one of the attackers and was about to gouge out his eyes

{"please... don't... kill... them..."}

At that moment, a weak voice was transmitted to her earpiece.

The rage instantly abated.

That's right, Kira wouldn't want that.

{Ellie! Kira's alive!}

As long as she was alive, she would find her. The anger lessened further still.

{I'll guide you to her, just mop these guys up.}

By now her rage had completely gone.

There was no need to be angry. Nano would flawlessly direct her.

{Make sure you scrub them for intel. Just like usual.}

Just like usual.

She repeated in her mind with a cold expression.

In her eyes, those were no longer people.

They were vermin. But Ellie thought Kira was right. Killing them would be bad.

It would be too easy.

They had to properly suffer and atone for their sins.