"This is it," the guide said. "The Shadow Broker's office. She's expecting you." He held out his hand expectantly.

Aldric dropped a heavy coin purse into the palm. The guide counted quickly, nodded with satisfaction, and disappeared back into the market's crowds.

Taking a deep breath, Aldric knocked on the door.

"Enter," came a female voice from within.

The office was surprisingly elegant. Plush carpets covered the floor. Bookshelves lined the walls, filled with ledgers and tomes. A large desk dominated the center of the room, and behind it sat a woman whose age was impossible to determine—she might have been thirty or sixty, her features ageless in that way that suggested elven blood somewhere in her lineage.

"Commander Aldric Thorne," she said with a knowing smile. "How unexpected. What brings a respected military commander to my humble establishment?"

"You know who I am," Aldric said, not surprised. A good information broker would have identified him the moment he set foot in the market.

"Of course I know who you are," the Shadow Broker replied. "I make it my business to know everyone of importance. Please, sit. Can I offer you tea? Wine? Something stronger?"

"Information," Aldric said, remaining standing. "That's what I came for, and that's what I'll pay for."

"Straight to business. I respect that." She opened a drawer and pulled out a folder. "I received your inquiry. You wanted information about the southern forest, specifically about any incidents involving the hero Vegeta. That's quite a sensitive topic."

"Can you provide it or not?"

"Oh, I can provide it," the Shadow Broker said, her smile widening. "But the question is, can you afford it? Information about a hero's death doesn't come cheap."

Aldric's blood ran cold. "Death? You're confirming he's dead?"

"I'm confirming nothing until we discuss payment," she replied. "Standard information about the southern forest? That would cost you, say, fifty gold. But confirmation of a hero's fate, complete with witness accounts and evidence? That's worth considerably more. Five hundred gold."

It was an exorbitant price. Aldric's annual salary was only three hundred gold. But he needed to know.

"I'll need to arrange the funds," he said carefully. "It may take a few days—"

"Or," the Shadow Broker interrupted, "you could offer payment of a different kind. Information for information. There are things I'd like to know about Clover City's military plans, troop movements, that sort of thing. Nothing that would endanger your soldiers, of course. Just... advance notice of certain operations that might affect my business interests."

"You're asking me to become an informant," Aldric said flatly.

"I'm offering you a trade," she corrected. "You get information that could save countless lives by preparing you for a genuine threat. I get information that helps me avoid... complications in my business operations. Everyone wins."

Aldric's jaw clenched. This was what he'd feared being compromised. Once he started sharing information, it would never stop. The Shadow Broker would always have leverage over him.

But if Vegeta really was dead, if a goblin had actually managed to kill a hero, then the threat was far more serious than anyone realized. He needed to know. Needed to prepare. Needed to report to his superiors so they could mobilize an appropriate response.

"Limited information only," Aldric said finally. "Nothing that endangers soldiers. Nothing classified above my clearance level. And only for this one exchange."

"Of course," the Shadow Broker agreed, though her smile suggested she knew this wouldn't be the last time. "Let's begin, shall we?"

She opened the folder and spread several documents across the desk. " Few weeks ago, the hero Vegeta entered the southern forest on what was presumably a mission from you, given the timing. He was seen by several sources traveling toward the area where reports had indicated a goblin settlement."

She pulled out a sketch. "This is the goblin in question. Satou, as he's called by his followers. Description varies depending on the source, but all agree he's exceptional for his species. Intelligent. Strategic. Possessing unusual magical abilities including something called 'naming magic' that can forcibly evolve other monsters."

Another document. "Vegeta reached the settlement. What happened next comes from multiple sources—merchants who passed through the area shortly after, scouts from other settlements, even one of the survivors from the battle itself who was willing to talk for enough coin."

Aldric leaned forward, his heart pounding.

"There was a battle," the Shadow Broker continued. "Vegeta attacked the settlement while this Satou was away on a scouting mission. By all accounts, He was winning easily. He killed dozens of goblins and orcs, destroyed most of the settlement, injured the rest. It should have been a complete massacre."

"Should have been?" Aldric repeated.

"But Satou returned. And something... changed. Witnesses describe a transformation. The goblin became something else, something that radiated power unlike anything they'd seen. Red aura, incredible speed, regeneration that made him effectively unkillable, strength that exceeded even enhanced orc warriors."

She pulled out one final document—what looked like a magical recording crystal. "This was recovered from the site. It contains the last few minutes of the battle. Would you like to see it?"

Aldric's hand trembled as he reached for the crystal. He activated it with a pulse of mana, and an image materialized above the desk.

He saw destruction. A settlement in flames. Bodies scattered everywhere. And at the center, two figures locked in combat.

One was unmistakably Vegeta, the Shadow Hero's distinctive fighting style, the shadow constructs, the arrogant confidence in his movements.

The other was a goblin. But not like any goblin Aldric had ever seen. He was wreathed in crimson light, moving with impossible speed, attacking with a ferocity that went beyond mere combat skill into something primal and unstoppable.

The recording showed Vegeta trying everything. Shadow clones. Shadow dragon. Every technique the hero was famous for. And the goblin destroyed them all.

Then came the end. The goblin Satou ripped off Vegeta's arm. The hero's screams echoed in the recording. Then the final moment: Vegeta begging for his life, and Satou snapping his neck with casual brutality.

The recording ended there.

Aldric sat heavily in the chair he'd refused earlier, his face pale. "A goblin killed a hero. A blessed-by-gods hero with five years of experience. And he didn't just win, he dominated the fight once he transformed."

"Indeed," the Shadow Broker confirmed. "And there's more. After the battle, the goblin consumed Vegeta's corpse using some kind of ability. Witnesses say he gained the hero's powers. Shadow manipulation, the ability to travel through the Shadow Realm, all of it."

"That's..." Aldric struggled for words. "That's unprecedented. Monsters don't gain abilities by eating their prey. That's not how evolution works."

"Perhaps he's not a normal monster," the Shadow Broker suggested. "There have been other reports about this Satou. He's allied with the Iron Fang orc tribe. He's received assistance from Demon Lord Loki—yes, an actual demon lord. His settlement now houses not just goblins and orcs but apparently elves and dwarves as well, all working together."

She leaned back in her chair. "This isn't just a goblin who got lucky, Commander. This is something new. Something dangerous. And if the rumors are true, he's being considered for the vacant seventh demon lord seat."

"A goblin. As a demon lord." Aldric felt like the world had tilted on its axis. "That's insane."

"That's the world we live in now," the Shadow Broker replied. "So, Commander, the question is: what are you going to do with this information? Because I guarantee you're not the only one seeking it. Other heroes are already being mobilized. The demon lords are watching with interest. And various other factions are trying to decide if this Satou is a threat to be eliminated or a potential ally to be courted."

Aldric stood, his mind racing through the implications. A goblin who could kill heroes. Who had demon lord backing. Who was building a multicultural settlement that challenged every assumption about how monsters behaved.

This wasn't something he could handle alone. This required the highest levels of command. Maybe even the king himself.

"I need to report this to my superiors immediately," Aldric said.

"Of course," the Shadow Broker replied smoothly. "And our arrangement? You'll provide the information we discussed?"

Aldric gritted his teeth but nodded. "Within a week. Troop movements in the eastern territories, nothing classified."

"Pleasure doing business with you, Commander. Oh, and one more thing." She pulled out a small crystal. "Take this. It's a communication crystal, linked to me. If you need more information about this situation and I suspect you will use it. Consider the first additional piece of information a gift. After that, we'll discuss payment."

Aldric took the crystal, feeling like he was accepting a deal with a devil. But what choice did he have?

As he left the black market and made his way back to the surface, his mind churned with everything he'd learned. A goblin who killed a hero. A settlement that united multiple species. Demon lord involvement. Powers that shouldn't exist.

This was bigger than he'd imagined. Bigger than the southern territories. This could affect the entire kingdom, maybe even the continent.

He needed to report to his superiors immediately. Let them decide how to handle this threat.

Because one thing was certain: they couldn't ignore it. A goblin who could kill heroes had to be dealt with, one way or another.

The question was: would they be strong enough to succeed where Vegeta had failed?

Countless questions was on Elric mind while he quickly rushes back to the castle to report the shocking and terrifying news .

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