Chapter 24
Chapter 24: Preparations for Battle
“Four hundred meters west from Vivian Glass Factory—”
Slender fingertips wrapped in white lace gloves traced lightly across the district map, finally stopping at the location of a theater.
Funis looked up and surveyed her surroundings.
Rows of red velvet seats could still faintly show traces of their former luxury and grandeur, but now dust and scars had torn apart the past glory with time, leaving only ruin and decay.
Rock debris scattered across the floor, spider webs everywhere.
The industrialization of Blackwater District meant those distinguished guests no longer wished to visit. The theater troupe had moved to Georgetown District in the city center, leaving the original theater here awaiting demolition.
Perhaps in a few years this place would be renamed some factory, but at least for now, it was still called—
“Ansell Grand Theater.” Funis murmured to herself.
She was currently sitting sideways on the theater stage, a blanket beneath her blocking the dust, a hand-carried kerosene lamp illuminating this small area while the rest of the theater remained dim and unclear.
“Further south is Charles Herring Cannery. If the schedule is correct, the debt collector will arrive this evening to inspect the herring quality.” Funis analyzed while consulting the copper plate beside her.
The gangs also invested in factories themselves. Thanks to Blackwater District’s natural industrial advantages, any machinery and skilled workers could be easily found and arranged. The Blood Wine Society couldn’t refuse the enormous business opportunities and profits involved.
Charles Herring Cannery was one such venture. Charles was another debt collector’s name—he and “Iron Finger” Weiss had jointly funded this factory. The assembled herring cans would be sold to other cities in the Kingdom of Corenzo, bringing back bag after bag of gold and silver coins bearing King Clarence’s portrait.
This was Blood Wine Society property, Weiss’s own property. He should value it considerably and was unlikely to be absent without cause.
That was why Funis had chosen this timing.
“Need to find a way to lure him in here.” Funis picked up the golden revolver resting on the blanket, spinning the chamber with crisp mechanical clicks. “Then send a bullet into his skull.”
To compensate for the gaps in pathway, sequence, and physique, Funis needed to create a home-field advantage.
This abandoned grand theater was her carefully selected hunting ground.
Actually, Funis didn’t really want Weiss’s life. If she could easily learn the location of the secret warehouse, she might consider sparing the guy.
But the prerequisite was still that Funis could defeat a Sequence 8 extraordinary being of the Benefactor pathway.
“Guardian—physical strength far superior to ordinary people and same-sequence extraordinary beings of other pathways, muscle power enhanced by at least double.”
Funis opened the chamber and began carefully cleaning the cylinder with a brush.
Weapon maintenance and pre-battle analysis proceeded simultaneously. This helped activate her brain for quick thinking—an old habit from when she was still Sera Fred that hadn’t changed even after becoming a girl.
“If I take his attack head-on, I’ll definitely be beaten unconscious by iron-hard fists and lose combat ability immediately, losing the fight outright.”
Agile evasion, then finding the right moment to counterattack.
Funis had to remind herself not to charge forward recklessly like in her male past. She no longer possessed that robust physique and strength—her only remaining advantages were her small, nimble frame and flexible movements.
“Guardians can also partially harden skin and bones to marble-like strength, but the duration isn’t long and there are usage intervals.”
Then cleaning the barrel.
Blackened gunpowder residue and grime carried a faint fishy smell. Funis used a soft cloth to wipe clean the glaring bright spots bit by bit, finishing with a fine brush for simple cleaning.
The girl’s movements were precise and careful—the dirt couldn’t even stain her white gloves. She remained elegant throughout.
“Focus on restricting movement, inflicting damage during the intervals between hardenings.”
Incredibly fine threads.
Funis straightened out the extremely thin steel wires threaded through transparent needle holes and laid them on her knees. They were barely visible even under light—taken from the needle pouch bound to her arm, one of the weapons and techniques Cesya had taught her.
Sera Fred would certainly have disdained using such underhanded methods, but she was Funis now. For achieving her goals, whether the means were noble or base didn’t matter—witches should be this way.
“But the most difficult aspect of dealing with a Guardian lies in their explosive power. Trading subsequent fatigue and weakness for greatly enhanced speed and strength in a short time, fearless of pain and death, like a brave warrior.”
Funis frowned slightly.
She had witnessed those Charity Knights from the Benefactor Court charging fearlessly to their deaths. Whether that was sacred or eerie was unclear—either way, it was frightening and bone-chilling.
The girl lifted her skirt and smoothly drew a silver short rapier from the leather sheath along her thigh-high stocking. The cold blade gleamed with flowing light, its butterfly-shaped guard delicate and ornate.
Though reluctant to admit it, she truly treasured this little gift from Cesya.
Sera Fred had considerable skill with rapier techniques, but given Funis’s current size and strength, she could basically say goodbye to all general varieties of long rapiers.
Unexpectedly, Cesya had taken the girl’s casual complaint to heart, specially finding a master smith in the Kingdom of Corenzo to custom-make this slightly shorter rapier.
Just the right size for Funis to wield effectively, and convenient to hide under formal dresses for sudden attacks from the shadows.
In the worst case scenario, Funis might have to face off directly with Weiss in his “explosive” state for some time. Having discarded her umbrella sword earlier, she could now only rely on this short rapier.
Wiping with a soft cloth, applying sword oil.
Gleaming brilliantly.
Fortunately, Funis had studied and understood the characteristics of various extraordinary classes. She knew all of the Guardian’s abilities inside and out.
The Benefactor pathway’s strength lay in enhancing bodily functions; its limitation was also in only enhancing bodily functions—a shortcoming that couldn’t be fundamentally resolved even upon advancing to Sequence 5.
Chamber clicks closed, rapier sheathed.
Funis gracefully rose while lifting her skirt, looking down at the stage where she would soon dance.
Sera Fred had defeated higher-sequence opponents with lower sequences more than once. Skill and courage were both indispensable, but even then, she would have considered a fragile Sequence 9 attempting to challenge a Benefactor pathway Sequence 8 nearly impossible.
Yet now Funis had returned to the weak, insignificant Sequence 9 in an unexpected way. The feeling of revisiting old ground was both novel and moving.
“Now I can finally verify whether my thoughts back then were right or wrong.” The girl smiled helplessly.