Torbin's Shadowy Strike
The old mercenary Torbin had prepared for the assassination. The target was the young mage who was the most prominent in the castle right now. He was a monster who had hunted demonic beasts head-on.
'He must be a combat mage.'
Actually, not all mages are dangerous. Mages are usually divided into several types, and among them, the crazy ones who learn only attack magic and run rampant on the battlefield are called combat mages. As a former mercenary, Torbin was the most to be avoided by combat mages.
'There were even ones who burst their heads with a single spell.'
Torbin had once seen from afar how his mercenary group was wiped out by a single mage. If Joseph was that kind of combat mage, Torbin would die the moment he made even one mistake. He wouldn't have come near in the first place... but.
"......"
Torbin fiddled with the gold coins he had received in advance. 'Two gold coin pouches and the county's tax collection rights...' This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. In his mind, he saw himself living extravagantly in the county.
Torbin honed the blade of his dagger and replaced the leather on the scabbard. Then he tied it to his waist and fixed it in a position easy to draw and throw. He also brought a short sword about the length of his forearm.
Although the castle's corridors were wide, a too-long sword could cause problems. He had no intention of using it if possible, but it was a habit to always prepare for the 'what if'. He didn't wear armor. Since he wasn't fighting head-on, he didn't want to risk making noise by wearing something heavy.
After all, the moment he was attacked by a combat mage, armor or anything else would be meaningless. He just wore a plain, familiar leather armor on top. This was less for insurance and more for psychological stability.
Then he tore a long strip of thin cloth and wrapped it around his hand. As he aged, he felt his grip weakening a bit. This way, the sword wouldn't slip, and the blade wouldn't get stuck shallowly.
"Huu-."
Torbin exhaled a long breath. This kind of thing was getting tedious now. It had been a long time since he retired from mercenary work, and he was too old to wield a sword.
'Once I do this properly, I'll truly retire.'
Eventually, the sun set and darkness descended on the castle. Torbin waited alone in his house for the moon to rise a bit higher.
Gradually, all noise in Valois Castle died down. The only sounds were occasional creaks of armored guards passing by.
Creak.
Torbin opened the door and left his house. In the castle where darkness had settled thickly, there was no presence of people. Nevertheless, he walked quickly, passing through the places where light didn't shine.
All the way to the castle, his mind kept recalling the structure of the inner fortress that Zalier had taught him. 'Pass through the inner fortress gate... climb the wooden stairs on the left...'
Soon, the inner fortress gate appeared far away. However, the guards guarding that gate were not visible. According to Zalier's words, it was the time when the guards were changing shifts.
Normally, when the relief guard arrives, the outgoing guard should vacate their position. But the guards left in the castle now didn't seem to be guarding that. They said they didn't guard those things one by one. The strict ones who could guard that had all gone to the battlefield. Upon direct observation, it seemed not wrong.
'Some of them probably got their necks hanged in the morning.'
Torbin naturally passed through the empty inner fortress gate. No one pointed it out. Even inside the inner fortress, the same was true. Far away on the castle walls or near the training ground, there were a few torch lights held by guards, but the number was small.
Torbin quickly climbed the stairs as Zalier had taught him. And immediately headed towards the place facing the largest room on the second floor, the innermost one. It was the side where Joseph's room and research lab were.
"......"
Torbin quietly checked the door at the end of the corridor. According to Zalier, whenever Joseph was in the research lab, he always kept the lights brightly lit. However, because it was late, no light was leaking from the gap between the research lab door.
'Had he fallen asleep.'
Torbin saw Joseph's research lab with the light off and inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. If Joseph was awake, it would be several times harder to take the opportunity.
Torbin took out a black cloth from his pocket. More important than caution was that it had to end quickly. To prevent the sleeping mage from chanting spells, drive a dagger into his neck to block his breathing, and cover his face with the black cloth to hide his gaze. Proper mages had heard that they could use magic with just their eyes. Even if it wasn't true, it was for the 'what if'.
He licked his slightly drying lips and moved his feet. He walked as quietly as possible on the wooden floor of the castle, standing in front of the door. Then, he slowly brought his ear to the floor in front of the door.
"......"
There was no presence of people. He slowly took a deep breath. There was only one chance. If he failed, he was a dead man. If he succeeded, he was a noble.
Torbin took out the key to the room that Zalier had given him in advance. Then, very carefully, he inserted the key into the keyhole of the door. Click- The sound of the lock opening, and Torbin gently grabbed the door handle and pushed it.
And the moment he stepped one step into the room. Crack-! The wooden floor immediately broke and made a loud noise.
'What...!'
Torbin swallowed the sudden loud sound. No, he tried to swallow it. Faster than that, a white light sphere flew towards his leg. Crack! The sphere crushed Torbin's shin by breaking it backwards. The extreme pain spread from the shin. Just as he was about to scream, the pain from his back made him fall to the floor. And his elbow, spine, neck, and the remaining knee. The white light-emitting sphere pressed down like a vice.
"Guuu-."
And without giving a gap, the remaining knee pressed strongly. A groan from an old man echoed in the dark room.
"What kind of guy... no, it's done."
Torbin's gaze on the floor saw the figure of a man slowly rising from the bed. "Details later." With that last word, a shock was felt at the back of his head. Torbin's consciousness sank into darkness in an instant.
* * *
"Huh, what a coincidence..." Joseph muttered while looking at the broken floor and the unconscious man. He had just casually knocked him down without any issue, but in fact, he was incredibly surprised inside.
'What is this? Is this really an assassin or something?'
Joseph thought while looking at the dagger on the man's waist. Actually, Joseph had prepared this trap purely by luck. It was just that it was a bit worrying. The way his servants had feared him too much.
Joseph had already experienced facing a thief or being attacked after falling asleep. Because of that, it wasn't easy to sleep anywhere comfortably. So, if someone secretly entered, he had burned a bit of the floor's wood with Fire to immediately notice, and then set it so that when he stepped on the chewed weight, it would break. After all, the servants didn't dare enter Joseph's room at midnight, so doing this much was more due to psychological stability.
'But... it wasn't a servant who secretly entered. He came to kill me openly like this?'
Not the count's castle, but to come kill him. He had said there weren't enough soldiers in the castle, but he didn't expect the security inside the castle to be so severe.
'No, this isn't the time to complain.'
Joseph shook off his complaints and quickly pulled the man's weapons. After stripping him completely, leaving only his underwear, and checking his mouth with the dagger just in case. He was a guy who had infiltrated the castle to target his life. He had no intention of sparing him.
After making the man naked, he pulled a chair and sat him on it. Then, he tore the bedding long with the dagger and tied the whole body to the chair. Since the broken shin was dangling, he tied it up and down there to fix it.
"What? Old man?" Joseph could finally look closely at the man's face. He had sparse hair and many wrinkles; an old man. Joseph tried to recall if he had met this person somewhere, but no face came to mind. Suddenly, he thought that maybe the village chief in Bari Village had sent someone to target him.
Joseph pondered while looking at the unconscious man. 'What should I do with this guy.' The situation with the thieves who had attacked him before was different. At that time, the guys were just trying to rob the unnamed third-rate mage's belongings. So, Joseph could easily oppose them without hesitation.
But now the situation was a bit different. The guy had tried to kill Joseph, the mage whose name was known throughout the castle. And he had prepared quite thoroughly.
'I don't know the behind, but I need to know the reason...' Someone doesn't like that he's in the castle. Why...?
Joseph was about to call a servant but then shook his head. It could make the matter too big. Joseph wanted to focus quietly on researching the Fire magic book. That was not good for him. Above all, it bothered him that the guy had entered the castle without being noticed by anyone. Even if there weren't enough people in the castle, sneaking out of the guards and accurately finding Joseph's room wasn't an easy task. It had to be someone connected to the internal personnel of the castle.
Joseph thought that in the worst case, it might be Folmers behind it. 'Then, if I call the guards, I might become dangerous instead.' Joseph thought for a moment. He needed to know why this guy came to kill him. But of course, there was no guarantee that this guy would tell the reason immediately. If I save him and send him quietly, will he tell? Even if he tells, is it true? I can't know any of them.
'Still, I can't just stay quiet.' Joseph immediately went to the window and closed the curtains. Then, even the moonlight that dimly illuminated the room was hidden, making the front even harder to see. He tied the remaining bedding to the man's mouth with the chair. With this, he couldn't shout loudly.
After that, he changed clothes and put on an outer robe for going out, and even flipped the hat. Then, he pulled another chair opposite the man and sat at a distance.
"......"
Joseph watched the man for a moment, then swung his staff to create a small mana orb. The orb slowly flew towards Torbin's broken shin. Crush- And the orb slowly began to press on the broken leg.
"Guuuu-!" The man writhed in pain and groaned.
"Ugh!" Then, his eyes suddenly opened. The man realized that the glowing sphere pressing on his body and shin was in front of him, and finally saw Joseph sitting in front of him.
"......"
Joseph said nothing and just stared at the man quietly. The man facing him swallowed. In the dark silence, that sound echoed even louder.
* * *
'......I'm going crazy.' The room was already dark, and with the hood flipped up, his face was completely invisible. Even now, the glowing sphere pressing on his shin and the occasional movement of the staff made him know that he was being watched.
"......"
Even if he wanted to speak first, he couldn't speak properly because of the cloth in his mouth. The cloth in his mouth seemed like a warning 'Don't speak carelessly', so he couldn't make a sound. He just kept watching in the darkness. That was driving Torbin crazy.
'Rather, do something!' Torbin was at his limit inside. The mage in front of him was just watching him silently in the darkness without saying a word. The fear was beyond imagination. Even if thrown into a beast pen as food, it wouldn't be this bad. At least it would die quickly. Torbin's vague fear of mages, which had been in his mind, grew stronger.
How much time had passed like that. When the flowing sweat had soaked his face thoroughly. The mage finally opened his mouth.
"......It seems you don't really want to die."
In that low voice, Torbin got goosebumps all over his body.