“Oof, it’s a little chilly.”

“Even though it’s summer, it’s still night right now.”

Two guards walked around the city wall. They were assigned to Gilleon’s night patrol.

After about an hour, one of them spoke, “Tsk. Sometimes I wonder if there’s a point to our jobs.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Well, we rarely ever get attacked by monsters anymore. The Players clean them all up.”

“...Hm.”

When the Players appeared, they had certainly stopped worrying about monster invasions. The Players were obsessed with getting stronger, and they killed all the monsters for them. Moreover, there weren’t any other empires on the continent that could invade them.

“It’s a good thing. It means that the world has become more peaceful.”

“...Right? Well, I suppose we still have petty thieves rather than monsters.”

“Of course. I’m grateful for the peace.”

“Alright. In the spirit of that, I’m gonna recharge a bit. I’m gonna take a quick smoke.”

“That’s what you were aiming for the whole time, wasn’t it?”

“Hehehe.”

The guard leaned against the city wall with a cigarette between their teeth. White smoke puffed out of their mouth. The other guard kept their distance and turned away.

“Are you done?”

“...”

“I asked, are you done?”

“...”

There wasn’t a single word nor the slightest reaction. The guard turned around, sensing that something was wrong.

“...!”

Their comrade’s head had been severed from their body and was rolling across the citadel.

“Urp?!” The violent sight...