Admission Preparations - House Cleaning - (1)

The night in the city was pitch black. Staring at the moon veiled behind thick clouds, the masked man thought it was perfect weather for work. Several comrades stood beside him, all similarly clad in black clothes and masks. They had carried out countless dirty jobs together at their employer’s command, but gathering five of them in one place like this was rare. It was definitely overkill for ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠assassinating a single thirteen-year-old boy. Still, that very intensity served as a clear indicator of just how seriously their employer was taking this job.

Chrome Midas. The youngest son of the Midas family, infamous for treason, exploitation, and representing the worst of the nouveau riche. He was the last child of Bern Midas’s late primary wife, and among the many heir candidates, his name had recently begun to stand out sharply.

Recently, massive quantities of cubes that had simply been taking up space in various Midas Merchant Group branches had begun to be transported back to the main house. Among the company’s employees, all sorts of speculations swirled about the reason, but Bern Midas’s strict orders kept the details from leaking. The only things known were that the whole affair had started with the boy named Chrome Midas, and that it was generating enormous profits for the Midas family. Rumors also spread that Bern Midas had personally assigned various tasks to his young son and verified the results, or that the family head—who was famous for rarely engaging in private conversation—had spent dozens of minutes alone with him. Before long, speculation arose that the family head was already viewing him as a leading candidate for succession.

Even if the rumors weren’t entirely true, the fact that the notoriously vicious and cold-blooded family head was showing him special attention meant the boy possessed truly exceptional qualities. But that very specialness was precisely why his life would end tonight.

“――.”

Words were unnecessary. At a single hand signal from the man in the lead, several shadows melted into the darkness of night and advanced. Their target was a famous lodging facility in the city where Chrome Midas currently resided. It was known for luxurious furnishings and high-quality service, but its defenses fell far short of the Midas family’s main residence.

A grappling rope thrown from the rooftop of the opposite building caught on the lodging’s roof, and the black shadows slid down the line with practiced skill. The window of the target’s room was large and ornate, making it useless for defense against an approach from above. All that remained was to cross to the opposite side of the roof and break in.

—Yes, that was how it should have gone.

Until a flash of light shot out from the darkness and pierced the throat of one of the uninvited guests.

There was no scream. Only a short sound, like air leaking from a child’s toy ball, echoed briefly. The man who lost his balance collapsed, his body tumbling straight off the roof and hitting the ground with a grotesque crunch.

Only after hearing that sound did the word ambush finally surface in the men’s minds, but the price for such slow situational awareness was brutal.

With a sickening crunch, another man was pierced through the center of his chest and toppled backward. The moment they confirmed the sight of the short spear gleaming ominously, drenched in red blood, the three survivors leaped forward and drew their weapons.

A sword swung through the air was met by a shortsword of similar size. Only after their blades clashed at close range did the attackers realize, in shock, that the one who had killed two of their comrades was a brown-haired girl who still looked quite young.

They had known there was a girl of similar age acting as the target’s bodyguard. Their preliminary investigation had also revealed that the girl named Ligret was a former mercenary. But they hadn’t paid ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it any mind. In their judgment, her role as “guard” was nothing more than a title; she was closer to a maid or playmate that the boy Chrome Midas kept around out of personal favor.

The attackers moved quickly once they realized something had gone wrong. One of them sprinted toward the window to prevent the target’s escape or any reinforcements, while another thrust his sword at the girl’s back. A blade piercing the center of the back would shred her organs, and she would vomit blood and die. The two attackers were certain of their victory.

And in the next instant, that certainty was shattered with ridiculous ease.

The first to feel something off was the attacker swinging his sword in front. The blade he thought was overwhelmingly pressing down on his opponent suddenly lifted ever so slightly, as if pushed back by some enormous force.

The second to feel the anomaly was the attacker trying to stab the girl from behind. The girl’s back, which had clearly been right in front of him just moments ago, had vanished.

One failed to realize that the opponent blocking his sword had already moved. The other couldn’t stop the momentum of his thrust. The moment the two blades drew two lines of fresh blood, Ligret’s full-weight slash cleaved both attackers in half at once.

Only their upper bodies, now unable to ever stand on two legs again, embraced each other in death.

Unaware that his comrades were dying one after another, the final attacker sprinted across the roof. Reaching the intended spot, he grabbed the edge of the roof and hurled himself toward the window below.

With a loud crash, the window shattered. Shards of glass stabbed into flesh, drawing blood. The plan to open the window quietly to avoid making noise had already gone out the window.

The girl waiting on the roof. If their ambush had somehow been detected by the other side, they needed to locate the target as quickly as possible. If he had already fled the room—

“Ha…!”

At the sound of the breaking window, someone on the bed seemed to scramble upright in surprise. Forgetting he was on a mission, the man let out an exclamation that sounded almost like laughter.

His joy lasted only a moment. The body that had been about to cut off the target’s breath froze as if electrocuted by the high-pitched female scream that came from the bed.

Before ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠his brain could even process the meaning of the sound that reached his ears, a heavy impact slammed into him from the side, sending him rolling across the floor.

Burning pain in his arm. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The fletching of an arrow visible in the corner of his vision. And in one corner of the room, a blond boy quietly aiming a crossbow at him.

The final attacker, a man, tried to push himself up, only to realize his body wouldn’t obey him. Paralysis poison. And an extremely potent one at that—strong enough to immobilize his entire body in mere seconds. This wasn’t something one could easily obtain just by wanting it.

“Well, if it’s something that can’t be obtained at all, that’s one thing. But most things that are hard to get can be solved with money somehow.”

As if answering the man’s silent question, the boy spoke. He didn’t seem to have let his guard down at the sight of the fallen man. The boy kept his distance, crossbow still trained on him, and his words sounded more like a probe to gauge the man’s reaction.

“Someone who used a female employee at a Midas branch to learn my bedroom location and schedule, and who can send multiple assassins. I’m curious who you are.”

A short shriek escaped from whoever was on the bed.

“A noble from one of the old royal families that bears a grudge against our house? A victim seeking revenge for my father’s vicious business practices? Or perhaps one of my half-siblings who share only half my blood?”

The man didn’t answer. Whether the poison contained not only paralysis but also a sleeping agent, his consciousness was slowly fading. Yet his immobile body wouldn’t even let him take his own life.

“—Or could it be… our eldest brother?”

The boy’s voice sounded like a question, but it was filled with certainty. The man thought to himself:

Another monster has appeared in the Midas bloodline.