One Strike, Three Birds (6)

A man sat slumped in a chair, his form a wretched mess.

The vice captain of the Yustia assassination squad drove a sharp needle between the man's fingernails.

"Grrrrraaah!!!!!"

Hades ground his teeth, his eyes bulging with burst blood vessels.

He'd fled to evade pursuit, only to end up at the Yustia mansion—inevitable that he'd get caught.

"Hades, speak. Why did you run? What do you know?"

"……."

But his lips remained sealed tight as a clam.

Another sharp needle pierced his finger.

"Ggggrrrraaack!!!!!"

His fingers were already mangled rags—no whole ones left.

The vice captain of the Yustia assassination squad gazed down at Hades with cold, chilling eyes.

"What did Zeke Clayman tell you?"

"……Hella... niim... beg you... don't... torture..."

Hades strained desperately to keep the bead hidden under his tongue from being discovered.

Fortunately, during the skirmish with the vice captain, he'd rolled ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠on the floor and deliberately scraped his face,

making his slurred speech seem natural rather than suspicious.

A vein throbbed on the vice captain's forehead.

"Lady Hella deign to meet trash like you herself?!"

Despite the brutal torture, they learned nothing in the end.

The vice captain bit his lip.

Creeeak—

At that moment, the door to the dim torture chamber swung open.

The captain entered, stumbling wearily, his face haggard, shoulders bearing fresh wounds.

"C-Captain!?"

"Yes."

"Those wounds... was it Zeke Clayman?!"

The vice captain's face twisted viciously.

Watching this, the assassination captain's brow furrowed.

...I sent my men ahead first, but no word? Hm, he must've gone straight to Lady Hella.

"No, not that... We'll talk about it later. You caught Hades. Good work."

"But we haven't gotten anything out of him yet. Give me a bit more time..."

The assassination captain cut off the vice captain mid-sentence.

"Vice captain, could you step out for a moment?"

The vice captain flinched.

His eyebrow twitched.

After meeting Zeke Clayman, had the captain heard something too? Suspicion flickered in his mind.

"Captain..."

"......"

An awkward silence stretched between them.

Finally, he bowed his head.

"Yes, understood."

Creeeak—

The vice captain opened the door and left the torture chamber.

Only the assassination captain and Hades remained.

The assassination captain looked at Hades and spoke.

"He told you not to trust anyone, didn't he?"

"......"

"You, who's served for so long, defying Yustia's orders and trusting the traitor Zeke Clayman... How absurd."

Hades lifted his battered head with a wobble.

He looked a mess from the savage torture.

"I just confirmed our enemy alongside Zeke Clayman. And you still won't talk?"

"Please... don't... torture... Hella... niim."

The assassination captain pinched the bridge of his nose and rubbed his eyes.

Forcing a traitor to face Lady Hella directly—something that never should've happened.

He understood the vice captain's reaction.

Hah. Really, who the hell is playing whom here?

He let out a deep sigh.

"Fine. I have to report too. Come with me. But if you try anything suspicious, I'll cut you down on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the spot."

Hades nodded.

Hella sat in a grand chair in a spacious room.

She gazed down at the prostrated assassination captain with emotionless eyes.

"You let Zeke Clayman go?"

"Yes."

One of her eyebrows arched sharply.

"So, one side loses twenty assassination squad members to Zeke Clayman and comes crawling back like a whipped dog..."

Her gaze shifted to Hades right beside him.

Hades flinched, his body trembling.

"The other side listens to a traitor, ignores orders, and flees like a surveillance leader..."

Hah.

It wasn't even amusing.

Since when had Yustia's prestige fallen this low?

Suddenly, the assassination captain's eyes wavered.

"...Twenty men? What do you mean? Lost to Zeke Clayman...?"

"Didn't you say it? They're all dead."

"...I sent the three survivors ahead to Yustia. They said they'd bring reinforcements."

Hella's brow furrowed.

"No one arrived here."

"!"

Hades's eyes widened at the words.

Damn it, Zeke Clayman was right. There's a traitor inside Yustia! Someone killed them? Or are they the traitors?

The assassination captain seemed to share the same thought.

"We must track those three."

The captain's face hardened as he spoke.

Hella sensed a subtle awkwardness in their reactions. This was no ordinary matter.

"...Very well, give your report. Assassination captain, what happened?"

"Yes. First, there was a force targeting the young lady."

The captain, rattled by the disappearance of the men he'd sent ahead to safety, soon spoke calmly.

"...Iriel?"

"Yes. The assassination squad clashed with the enemy."

"Ignoring the order to secure Zeke Clayman?"

The captain nodded at her words.

"My apologies. But I have no regrets about my judgment. ...They're dangerous. They used black magic to turn even ordinary folk into fearless killing machines stripped of fear. And... the leader's strength was utterly alien."

The captain bowed his head, as if ashamed.

"I fought their leader but lost my men, and I was defeated as well."

Hella was startled.

The strongest among those she knew was the assassination captain.

She'd assumed Zeke Clayman, knowing the Yustia squad's ways well,

had avoided direct combat with the captain and whittled down the numbers instead.

But for the captain to lose...

A black magic cult... I knew magic users were dangerous, but...

"You lost in terms of skill...?"

"Yes."

"A black magic cult. Their name?"

"Lost Hope. They're completely absent from Yustia's intelligence network."

Hella toyed with her lips.

Normally, I'd dispose of a failed assassination captain too, but...

A chill ran down her spine.

It felt like they'd timed their emergence perfectly for this moment.

Suspicion bloomed: had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠these shady foes been plotting Yustia's downfall for ages?

"The chance they noticed our grand scheme? Or Yohayden's side?"

"Unlikely. At least, Yohayden showed no suspicious signs."

"True, Yohayden would've noticed if it were them. So, how much does Zeke Clayman know?"

The assassination captain recalled Zeke's demeanor and spoke.

"We need to meet Zeke Clayman again for specifics... but it seems he learned of this kidnapping and gathered intel to intervene."

"I see... So that's it... No wonder he left the military... Iriel, huh. Makes sense. But..."

As Hella pondered, Hades spoke up.

Before the assassination captain's hand could twitch, he spat out a blue bead from his mouth.

"He gave me this."

"Isn't that a recording orb?"

The assassination captain and Hella's eyes widened.

"Yes. Zeke Clayman said he obtained it while tracking Lost Hope in the military. He'd listened to it but couldn't grasp the meaning... He asked me to deliver it to you in secret."

Hades held out the orb with both hands.

But Hella had no intention of taking the filthy orb, slick with saliva and foam.

She nodded curtly at the assassination captain.

He hesitated briefly before accepting it.

"Activate it."

Click.

A man's voice emanated as he pressed the button.

Guildmaster? Which guild?

Several names flashed through Hella's mind.

Merchant guildmaster, adventurer guildmaster, laborer guildmaster, craftsman guildmaster, city guildmaster...

The message contained secretive intelligence.

"Strange happenings in the Ulshire region. If even knights from Lamieli got involved, it'd be a big deal. Assassination captain, any word on that?"

"No. Nothing."

Yustia had eyes everywhere across the Empire.

If something happened there, Hella would've been informed already.

"Right, then Zeke Clayman wouldn't claim he couldn't understand it. And 'three months later'... Without knowing when this orb was recorded, we can't gauge the deadline..."

Hella tapped her armrest with her fan.

The assassination captain sensed an odd dissonance in the voice.

It was that strangely ear-catching tone he'd felt fighting Lost Hope earlier.

Emphasizing "three months later" seemed like a ploy to divert attention there.

"Lady Hella, the 'three months' might not be important."

Hades nodded in agreement.

"Yes, since Zeke Clayman got it in the military, he would've investigated Ulshire after hearing 'three months later'."

"So there's something in that pointless lie?"

"Yes, that seems logical."

"Hm. You, fetch paper and transcribe every word."

She addressed Hades.

Hella, the assassination captain, and Hades stared intently at the paper.

"Your handwriting's atrocious."

"S-Sorry."

"What's this say?"

"Ah, ah. Is this working..."

Hades began reading his own scribbles.

"Stop. Break it into sentences."

"Yes!"

Moments later, Hella's eyes darted rapidly.

"It's a cipher."

Her finger traced the first letter of each sentence.

The assassination captain and Hades followed.

A, jo, jeo, ban, su, je, mul, eul, jun, bi, hae, ra, baek, myeong, ra, i, o, seu, san, maek, myeong, se.

They couldn't make sense of the leading "Ajojeobansu" or trailing "Myeongse,"

but the middle was crystal clear.

Sacrifices!

A black magic cult aiming to use Yustia as sacrifices. Lost Hope.

And they needed a hundred.

Hella swallowed hard.

"...This is bigger than I thought. They said they're targeting us?"

"Yes. Zeke Clayman said so. Lady Iriel is just the start. They're after all of Yustia."

Hella's mind grew tangled.

Pureblood noble blood? Or some reason it has to be Yustia?

This was far graver than anticipated.

Those who gained power through lives as collateral.

So covert not even Yustia's network had a trace, strong enough to overwhelm the assassination squad.

Hella closed her eyes.

"Iriel and Zeke Clayman..."

"Lady Hella. May I say something first?"

Hades bowed deeply as he spoke.

"Hades! What insolence! Interrupting Lady Hella!"

Sparks flew from the assassination captain's eyes.

"Enough. Let him speak."

"It's... a lowly thought, but I think we should leave Zeke Clayman at the academy."

"...Him? If your reasoning doesn't convince, today is your last."

"Yes. Lost Hope was definitely targeting Lady Iriel. And their power, as you experienced, captain, is dangerous. In such times, placing him by her side might actually be safer."

"You're saying Lamieli is safer than Yustia? That we keep Iriel at the academy?"

Hades gulped at Hella's sharp tone.

But knowing Zeke's intent to protect Iriel, and with merits balancing faults, Hades wanted to back him.

"Yes. Zeke Clayman pulled in the First Prince, Second Prince, and Yohayden's lady to form a group. A flashy alliance to use as shields."

Hella mulled it over.

For Iriel's safety, borrowing imperial and Yohayden strength made sense.

Then Yustia wouldn't bear the attacks alone; the shields wouldn't stay idle.

Can't publicize Yustia's peril now. So he went to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Yohayden. Clever move, Zeke Clayman.

Publicizing it would see Yohayden and the imperial family watch or even push them forward.

Noble politics were ruthless in shoving foes under the bus.

Hence Yustia's own grand scheme.

This calls for the family head's strategic mind.

But handling Zeke and keeping Iriel at the academy was within her purview.

She could extract them later if needed.

"Hm... Assassination captain, your thoughts?"

"...Defying orders without prioritizing the grand scheme is grave, but the merits match."

"...Spotting Yustia's dangerous foe early, protecting Iriel... Where is he now?"

"At Lamieli, guarding Iriel."

"Hah, such a fool... Guarding that idiot. Assassination captain, can you contact him for Lost Hope intel?"

"Yes. Definitely."

The captain bowed.

Thus, Zeke's plan fell flawlessly into place, successfully shifting Yustia's gaze to Lost Hope.

"However, assassination captain, I'll hold you accountable for mission failure. And surveillance leader, you too for defying orders."

Hella eyed them coldly.

Disposing of them now would disrupt future plans.

"Demote the surveillance leader and assassination captain to squad members. And six months of unpaid missions."

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

Meanwhile, the three subordinates sent by the assassination captain...

"Damn it. They're all dead. Just us... just us survived."

One squad member trembled, fists clenched white-knuckled.

Another couldn't hide his shaking eyes.

"Hey, I'm... I'm freaking scared."

Back then, rage had blinded them to comrades' deaths,

but escaping the scene brought cold reality crashing down.

Enemies fearless of death.

They'd trained to numb emotions and kill indifferently, yet now they newly grasped terror.

Monsters writhed in pain from wounds,

humans begged tearfully with blades at throats.

But these new foes were alien—neither monster nor man.

Especially the leader's fight felt from another world.

A style impossible without reveling in death up close.

Romance fantasy combat versus dark fantasy—no contest.

Truth be told, they'd braced for death even then.

Their spirits had broken long ago.

Yet the captain's sacrifice let them live.

Now, the fierce will to survive surged.

"...Never seen such mad bastards. That thing's a monster. A group of them? What hell is that...?"

"......"

"......"

The other two were just as terrified.

"We'll have to fight those things from now on...?"

"...Even the captain probably didn't make it."

"Even with reinforcements... a group wielding that magic... they could turn civilians into those things...?"

Gulp.

One spoke then.

"Hey, let's run."

"!"

"!"

The others' eyes flew wide in shock.

"You lunatic! Run from Yustia?! Betray the captain?!"

"...He's already dead. The living must live. Captain's gone, all comrades gone. Think they'll scour for our bodies?"

"I... I'm for it. Don't wanna die..."

The shouting squad member clamped his mouth shut.

The three shared uneasy silence, then turned from the Yustia mansion toward remote wilds.

Unknowing what lay at that road's end.