The Useless Prince Is A Gangster
Chapter 41. Commission

Chapter 41: 41. Commission

At the Dark guild of Avermoor town, the iron door of one of the guild’s room opened.

The Guild Master stepped inside, his presence commanding. He was a tall, broad man with a scary face and a gray beard. He scanned the room, looking at scattered bodies. Behind him, a few workers followed, their faces pale and uneasy.

The room smells of blood and decay. The room, dimly lit by lanterns, looked like a makeshift morgue. Ten bodies lay scattered on the dusty floor, each covered with blood-soaked white cloth.

The Guild Master walked to the nearest corpse, crouched down and pulled back the stained sheet. His breath caught for a moment, though his face stayed calm.

Under the cloth was one of the guild’s most feared mercenary. he was a legend, known for his ruthless skills. But now, his body was a horrifying sight—split in half from gut to skull, his flesh torn and jagged, his blood dried to a sickly dark color.

Even the Guild Master, hardened by years of violence, felt his stomach churn.

A worker behind him broke the silence, his voice shaky. "They went out for a job... but we didn’t expect this. All of them, dead."

The Guild Master looked around the room, his eyes taking in the other covered bodies. He didn’t need to uncover them to know the truth—each death was brutal. Still, the workers began pulling back the sheets, one by one, revealing the horrors.

One slashed to half horizontally. One’s chest crushed as if hit by something massive. One man’s head and torso were separated.

A younger worker gagged, covering his mouth. "Whoever did this... they’re psycho. No sane person could do this."

The Guild Master’s voice cut through the murmurs, steady and cold. "Not a psycho," he said firmly. "A killer. Must be experienced." His sharp eyes studied the wounds, reading them like a story. "This wasn’t madness. This was skill."

He looked at the workers. "What job were they on?" he asked, his voice heavy with authority.

One of the workers stepped forward nervously, holding out a crumpled bounty poster. The Guild Master took it and unfolded the paper. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the sketch—a young boy with sharp features.

The Guild Master’s brow furrowed as he read the name below the image, Leonhardt Caulem. He murmured, almost to himself, "Caulem... That name. One of the great houses."

He folded the poster slowly, his movements careful as his mind worked through the implications. His sharp gaze swept the room again, lingering on the mangled bodies. "This job is blacklisted,tell the main guild and the client" he said finally, his voice low but firm. "We can’t kill the killer with hunting dogs."

Leo sank into the grand marble tub, the warm water swirling around him, washing away the blood that wasn’t his. His crimson eyes stared blankly at the intricate carvings on the tub’s edge, his mind replaying the moment when Liana had been taken hostage. It was a mistake—a blunder. One that almost cost her life.

His fist clenched tightly, his knuckles whitening before he slammed it against the tub’s edge with a sharp crack. The pain barely registered as he let out a soft sigh, the frustration inside him cooling into quiet determination. He wouldn’t let it happen again.

In the other room, Liana stands at a small table. Her brown eyes were fixed on the bounty poster lying in front of her.

The bathroom door creaked open. Leo stepped out, his damp hair clinging to his forehead and fresh clothes fitting loosely on his frame. He noticed Liana and the bounty poster, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. "Look terrible in that picture," he said lightly, his voice carrying a touch of sarcasm.

He walked over to her, moving easily, and leaned over her shoulder to get a closer look. "I should’ve given them a better portrait."

Liana glanced up at him, her worry slipping through her usual calm. "That’s not important, Young Master," she said, her voice soft but serious.

Leo let out a low chuckle as he moved to the couch and sat down. He picked up the paper, shifting it to his side, and studied it. "It’s strange," he murmured thoughtfully.

Liana hesitated, but finally spoke. "Why do they want you alive? I thought they’d want you dead."

Leo’s smirk faded, replaced by a colder look. "Oh, someone definitely wants me dead," he said, his tone calm.

"But someone else wants me alive. Maybe to kill me themselves. Or maybe they’d like to make me suffer first."

Liana frowned as she thought about his words. "Who’d hate you that much?" she asked, voice barely above a whisper. "Is it....Duchess Maria?"

Leo shook his head immediately, his answer blunt. "No. Maria’s not patient enough for something like this. She only put 500 coins. She wants me dead—fast, clean, no theatrics. This... this feels like someone else."

Liana’s curiosity sharpened. "Then who? Someone in the academy?"

Leo leaned back, letting his gaze drift toward the ceiling. "Someone in the middle of this bounty mess. Someone with enough hatred to make it personal. And if this is their move now..." He paused, his voice quiet and deliberate. "There will be more bounties. More hunters. Worse ones. The kind that don’t hesitate."

Liana stiffened at his words, her fists clenching at her sides. "Worse than these mercenaries?"

Leo glanced at her. "Yes. The desperate ones, the hungry ones, the kind that don’t stop until the target is theirs—or they’re dead."

Her hands shook slightly as her gaze dropped to the bounty poster again. "I hate this..." she muttered, her voice soft but heavy with emotion. "You don’t deserve this."

A sudden knock on the door interrupted their tense conversation. Both their gazes snapped to the sound, Leo sitting up straighter as he carefully folded the bounty poster and set it aside. "Liana," he said evenly. "Check the door."

She nodded and walked to the door, her fingers brushing the handle briefly before she pulled it open. Her breath caught instantly. Standing outside was Rin—violet-haired and pink-eyed, with a soft, nervous expression. Her hands fidgeted as she glanced past Liana into the room, her lips trembling as if she were mustering courage to speak.

"Um... Is Leonhardt here?" she asked softly, her voice carrying both curiosity and hesitation. "He... he called me."