William finally arrived at the city's eastern gate.
"Huff."
"Huff."
After running for more than ten minutes straight, he was barely able to breathe.
The library was still a few minutes away if he walked normally.
'I really hope I'm wrong. Please be safe, Osric.'
—
A few minutes ago inside Luke's office in the Stoneclaw Gang's headquarters.
"Boss, are you sure about sending our guys to get rid of Osric before Klinger's team comes back from their job?"
Luke clicked his tongue. "What difference does it make. They can't do anything against our numbers. Just send another team of ten guys to kill Osric, just to be safe."
His right hand man by the name of Ivan, exasperated.
"Alright. But this could seriously bite us in the ass. Osric is currently inside the city and in a very public place. Getting rid of him there won't be easy, and if this tracks back to us…"
"Shut up. Just get it done. You think anyone can come after us with the rulers of Ashbrook backing us?"
Ivan couldn't argue anymore.
"Send the men right now!" Luke yelled.
"Yes."
Ivan turned with a disappointed expression.
'He's changed too much since kneeling to those nobles. Although he was never very clever or anything, but at least he had a strong mindset and clear goals for our gang.'
As Ivan stepped out of the office and ordered the ten man squad to leave, his face turned dark and cold.
'Luke is just a scared and mindless puppet now. Something needs to change.'
He knew that he was the only one inside the gang with enough influence to change things.
Ivan started moving.
'It's time.'
—
Osric was quietly reading at a small table to the far back from the library entrance.
There weren't many people around. The librarian and two assistants were around, a couple of merchants who enjoyed reading, and the rest were mostly people who worked as low ranked administrators and scholars in the city.
Osric didn't pay attention to any of them and certainly didn't notice someone new walking in.
A few readers looked up as another man entered the library.
Some immediately recognized him as one of House Greydell's administrative officials.
Samuel ignored the attention.
The older man moved through the rows of shelves with measured steps, his thick grey goatee neatly trimmed and his sharp eyes quietly observing the room around him.
Unlike most nobles and retainers, he wore no weapon.
His dark clothing was practical rather than expensive, allowing him to blend in far more easily than his status would suggest.
Eventually, his gaze settled on a young man reading alone near the back of the library.
'That must be Osric.'
'Just like I heard, he's difficult to miss. I don't think I've seen a better looking young man in Ashbrook. He could pass as a noble if it wasn't for his clothing and small scar.'
Samuel didn't get any closer. He picked up a book and sat down a couple of tables away from Osric.
He narrowed his eyes and focused on the stack of books next to Osric's arm on the table. He had clearly been here a while.
'He looks really focused. Although most average commoners have basic reading skills, very few actually spend their time reading books.'
Samuel wondered why an adventurer would waste his time in a library. It was highly unusual.
'Is he trying to be a scholar too? Hm, I wish I could see what he's reading.'
A few moments later, the library doors suddenly opened.
Several people looked up in annoyance.
Libraries were supposed to be quiet.
The young man who entered clearly hadn't received that message.
"Huff."
"Huff."
William stood near the entrance while struggling to catch his breath.
His winter clothing was stained with dirt.
There were traces of blood on his shield.
More importantly—
He looked panicked.
The old librarian immediately frowned.
"Sir, if you're going to make a disturbance—"
William ignored him completely.
His eyes scanned the room.
One table.
Then another.
Until they finally landed on the familiar dark-haired young man sitting near the back.
Relief washed over him.
'Thank fuck.'
Without caring about the stares he was receiving, William hurried through the library.
"Y-you need to pay the entrance fee at least." The librarian said without being heard.
Samuel watched everything quietly.
His eyes narrowed.
'A combatant?'
The panic on William's face immediately caught his attention.
Meanwhile, Osric finally looked up from his book.
His eyebrows furrowed slightly.
William almost never looked like this.
"William?"
William stopped beside the table.
"Huff…"
"Huff…"
"Osric."
His voice was unusually serious.
"We need to leave. Right now."
Osric slowly closed the book.
The calm atmosphere around him disappeared instantly.
"What happened?"
Before William could answer—
The library doors opened again.
This time nobody complained about the noise.
The room simply became quiet.
Osric's eyes shifted toward the entrance.
So did Samuel's.
Ten men entered together.
None of them wore uniforms.
None of them bothered hiding the weapons hanging from their belts.
Swords.
Axes.
Clubs.
The kind of men nobody wanted to meet alone in a dark alley.
The librarian's face immediately paled.
Several readers lowered their heads and looked away.
One merchant quietly stood up and began moving toward the nearest exit.
The group spread out slightly after entering.
Not enough to look organized.
But enough to block most of the room.
William's expression darkened.
'Fuck.'
He recognized the type instantly.
Not adventurers.
Not mercenaries.
Thugs.
And there was only one group in Ashbrook that would send ten armed men into a library.
The leader's eyes slowly swept across the room.
Then stopped.
Directly on Osric.
A grin appeared on his scarred face.
Samuel quietly closed his book.
The sharpness in his eyes vanished behind a calm expression.
But inwardly, he was stunned.
'They're here for him?'
'I know that Reginald told Luke to get rid of him, but what kind of idiot sends ten thugs in broad daylight to kill someone in a library?'
Osric slowly stood up from his chair.
For a brief moment, nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
The entire library seemed to hold its breath.
Then the thug leader took a step forward.
And another.
His grin widened.
"Found you."