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As a sharp pain shot through her wrist and abdomen, Daisy’s eyes flew open with a pained gasp.

“… Am I still alive?”

It was pitch black all around. She tried to move, but it was as if she was tightly bound, unable to budge an inch.

“Ugh, ugh!”

The moment she attempted to rouse her mana, a terrible pain blossomed in her lower abdomen. It seemed she had suffered internal injuries.

Unable to do anything as she wished, Daisy instead calmed her mind.

At least she wasn’t dead.

Closing her eyes again, she began to retrace the events that had just transpired.

‘Who was it, really?’

At first, she thought Bulrai had completely lost his mind.

His tone, his behavior, and especially the look in his eyes and the way he spoke when mentioning Shepiro… he was acting like a madman.

When they actually fought, she was quite surprised.

Where had he gained such skill in the meantime that he could hold his own against her? She wondered if he was truly serious about killing Guild Leader Shepiro.

… But he wasn’t.

‘It’s not Bulrai.’

The final move Bulrai had made.

Even at the moment when the attack she had unleashed with all her mana was effortlessly blocked, she couldn’t even comprehend what her opponent had done.

All she knew was that something like a blade had swept through her, instantly shredding her.

It wasn’t a movement that could be explained by mere skill improvement. It was magic or swordsmanship that transcended common sense. And moreover…

‘I definitely saw it.’

The moment Daisy recalled the look in her opponent’s eyes at the last moment, a chill ran down her spine. Those eyes were definitely not Bulrai’s.

Somehow, someone had killed Bulrai and was impersonating him.

Daisy clenched her teeth. She should have been more thorough in her confirmation. It was a painful lesson for letting her guard down, unlike her usual self.

‘No, it’s not too late. I’m still alive.’

It was then, with a flash, the lights in the room suddenly turned on.

Startled, Daisy almost screamed.

Right in front of her sat Bulrai, or rather, the unidentified man. How long had he been watching her from there?

But Daisy quickly masked her inner thoughts and spoke.

“… Thank you for sparing my life.”

The man stared at her silently before speaking.

“Our Manager Daisy.”

Daisy, sensing his intentions, replied.

“Yes, Branch Manager Bulrai.”

“Drop the Branch Manager title.”

While Daisy was pondering how to respond, the man asked again.

“Do you want to kill that Shepiro bastard?”

“… Yes. He tried to kill me.”

“Tried to kill you?”

“He’s a lunatic. He chased me for a while, and when I rejected him, he turned violent. He even tried to force himself on me.”

Daisy, feigning innocence, held back tears and lied.

It was true that Shepiro harbored impure thoughts towards her, but he hadn’t openly expressed them yet.

Pretending to wipe away her tears, Daisy gauged the man’s reaction.

“Oh my. What an absolutely despicable bastard.”

Thankfully, the man seemed to believe Daisy’s words without a doubt.

“How skilled is he?”

“He’s dangerous. No matter how capable you are, there’s a high chance you’ll die. Even renowned bounty hunters were taken out in an instant. Assassination is practically impossible.”

Daisy deliberately exaggerated. Saying this would increase her chances of survival.

“I see.”

“If you spare me, I’ll create an opportunity. I’m not asking to be sent back to headquarters right away. You wouldn’t trust me, after all. I’ll stay here and wait. When Shepiro contacts me, I’ll create an opening.”

Daisy looked at the man with pleading eyes.

As long as she stayed alive, she was confident she could sway him. She would bide her time, then either kill him or, if that proved impossible, escape. There would be no second lapse in judgment.

Suddenly, the man slowly approached Daisy and asked,

“You’ll stay here?”

Daisy didn’t avoid his gaze, meeting his eyes steadily.

‘It’s working!’

The moment Daisy blushed and averted her gaze slightly…

SLAP

A flash of fire on her forehead.

Slapped across the face, Daisy’s head snapped back with such force that she felt her neck might break. As a shocked Daisy looked back at the man, he was grinning.

“… Why?”

Before she could even collect her thoughts, a pain like being struck with a stone on her forehead sent her head reeling once more.

Only then did Daisy realize that her plan hadn’t worked at all.

“W-wait!”

SLAP

“T-talk to me. Talk, you damn bastard… ugh!”

Daisy’s head slumped. The man looked at the unconscious Daisy for a moment, then brushed his hands off.

“Our Manager Daisy seems to have lost her mind.”

* * *

A cold chill crept up, and a ringing filled her ears.

As a fiery pain blossomed on her forehead, Daisy opened her eyes with a scream.

“Gah!”

… Oh, am I not dead yet?

In the pitch-black darkness, Daisy trembled. The man’s eyes from before she lost consciousness flashed in her mind.

‘He was a madman.’

Then, something occurred to Daisy. She suddenly softened her demeanor, forcing a smile onto her lips.

“… Are you there?”

The madman might not have left the room yet. She had to be extremely careful, as there was no telling what he might do.

A moment later, a faint light once again entered the room.

There was no one in front of her.

As she cautiously looked around, she realized the layout of the room was completely different from before.

With a creak, a door opened somewhere, and an elderly man with a familiar face appeared.

“… Bravo Khan?”

Bravo Khan slowly approached her and met her gaze.

“It’s been a while, Manager Daisy.”

“… What’s going on? Who is that bastard, really?”

“Watch your tongue. He’s the one I serve.”

“What?”

“Manager Daisy, you shouldn’t even think about deceiving him.”

Bravo Khan suddenly started groping Daisy’s body, and she was startled, shouting,

“What the hell are you doing, you crazy bastard!”

“Shh! Keep your voice down.”

Daisy said with a vicious expression.

“You. You know my personality. Do I look pathetic to you like this?”

“That’s not important. You don’t know him at all, Daisy.”

Bravo Khan met Daisy’s eyes.

“Shall I tell you how Manager Bulrai died?”

Daisy unconsciously closed her mouth, and Bravo Khan, reminiscing, began to speak.

“He was burned to death. It was a very long time. He burned him with fire, and when it seemed like he was burning too much, he cooled him with water. It was truly cruel torture. And in the end, his whole body went up in flames. From his toes… to the top of his head. His whole body was ablaze.”

While speaking, Bravo Khan continued to apply a sticky liquid to Daisy’s body. Daisy couldn’t react at all and just gulped.

“Perhaps you too, Daisy…”

Bravo Khan shook his head and pointed at Daisy, whose face turned pale.

“It’s done.”

“Wh-what’s done?”

“Now try moving.”

With a rustling sound, the ropes that had bound Daisy tightly came loose. She moved her body around, and she no longer felt any pain.

“… Why?”

“It’s an old sentiment. I couldn’t bear to see you die, Daisy.”

Daisy looked at Bravo Khan with suspicion.

“Is there a way to sneak out?”

Bravo Khan nodded and gestured.

“This is a secret space that only I know about. Even the boss doesn’t know about it yet.”

Bravo Khan stopped at one spot and pushed the wall, revealing a small door just big enough for one person to pass through.

“It leads outside.”

As the door opened, the morning breeze and sunlight poured in. Only then did Daisy greet Bravo Khan with her eyes.

“Be careful. If the boss finds out you’re gone, he’ll probably chase after you. He’s persistent.”

“Thank you. I won’t forget this favor.”

“Suddenly, a thought comes to mind.”

Daisy was about to go outside, but she turned her head, thinking Bravo Khan’s words were out of the blue.

“What kind of thought?”

“This is just a thought that occurred to me now. Maybe the boss is magnanimous. I was also allowed to live twice. If I had defied the boss a third time…”

Daisy thought there was no need to hear more and jumped outside.

* * *

Daisy ran through the streets at full speed without looking back.

Her body felt as light as air. She felt no pain, and she could rouse mana in her lower abdomen without any difficulty.

It was strange, but Daisy had no time to think about it.

‘Let’s go back for now.’

She had to return to headquarters.

Perhaps this was an opportunity.

If she went and told Shepiro about the mysterious man, he wouldn’t just sit idly by.

He was sensitive about Bayern, so there was a high chance he would take action himself. They might even end up fighting and killing each other.

With these thoughts swirling in her mind, Daisy quickly passed through the main street of the west and arrived at the complex back alleys.

Running a bit further, she saw the restaurant where she had eaten the delicious stew. Just a little further past that restaurant, and she would be out of Khaoto.

Feeling she had put enough distance between herself and danger, Daisy’s mind relaxed a bit.

‘Who the hell was that guy?’

He was impossible to read. His skills were unfathomable, and his words couldn’t be trusted at face value.

Just when she thought she had him figured out and tried to probe his intentions, she got flicked on the forehead.

‘Just you wait, you bastard.’

In any case, as long as she safely reached headquarters, it wouldn’t be bad for her.

Whether the man really came to kill Shepiro or Shepiro went to kill the man, she could prepare countermeasures in the meantime.

Before she knew it, she had completely left Khaoto and was on a quiet forest path.

“He can’t chase me this far.”

Daisy took a deep breath and slowly reduced her speed. She had been running at full speed just in case, but thankfully no one was chasing her.

“Phew.”

As she stretched and inhaled the refreshing forest scent, a strange sound reached Daisy’s ears.

Thud— Thud—

The sound of chopping wood.

‘Is there a lumberjack here?’

Looking towards the source of the sound, she saw a skinny boy chopping at a tree with an axe. He was so bad at it that the axe blade kept bouncing off instead of cutting into the trunk.

Daisy clicked her tongue and passed by the boy when she heard rough breathing.

“Huff, huff, huff.”

Then the smell of sweat wafted over.

After taking a few more steps, Daisy suddenly clenched her fist, frowned, and stopped.

‘Oh, this damn meddlesome nature of mine.’

Daisy turned around and approached the boy.

“Hey.”

The boy replied, bewildered.

“Are you talking to me?”

“Give me that. Do you think you can act like a man like that?”

“Huh?”

“Give it to me.”

The boy handed the axe handle to Daisy with a confused expression.

“Watch closely. Use your wrist.”

Daisy gripped the end of the axe handle, swung it in a wide arc, and split the tree trunk. The trunk was deeply gouged.

“See? Do it like this.”

“Ah.”

The boy let out a naive exclamation and tried to imitate Daisy’s movement, but nothing changed.

“No, not like that. Do it like this.”

Daisy snatched the axe handle back and demonstrated again before handing it back to the boy. When the boy followed her example, the trunk was cut deeper than before.

“That’s it. Do it that way.”

“Th-thank you.”

The boy stammered his thanks.

“I’m going.”

The boy’s voice called out again when Daisy had turned around and taken a few steps.

“Excuse me.”

Daisy turned around irritably, and the boy quickly spoke.

“You left this.”

“What?”

The boy slowly approached and handed her something.

“Oh, thanks.”

Daisy unconsciously attached her dagger, which she had just received, to her waist, then gasped, her eyes wide open.

“Gasp!”

Daisy’s pupils shook violently.

The boy grinned and spoke.

“Manager Daisy?”

——–