Chapter 85
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: Trap (5)
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I had worried about the fallout from randomly swapping identities and scrambling traces, but that was really just a remote "what if."
That nagging feeling of, is this really okay...?
Meanwhile, the real problem lay with someone who knew the true nature of this trap. Someone like Ard, for instance.
Ard knew about Philip Deran's trap magic.
I hadn't paid it much mind because he operated far beyond the northern border, distant from the imperial capital—and even that had ended recently when he was driven off by the elves.
Given the high likelihood that contact with Zmol had been severed, it seemed unlikely he'd take interest in an incident near the capital amid all that.
But if he did take notice, he'd sense something off. Especially since, after I'd captured Zmol, Ard might later investigate when he couldn't reach him.
Traces aside, the traces themselves didn't stray from the trap magic. Philip Deran had undoubtedly died by my hand.
If he'd closely examined the corpse at the scene, even a lich would have realized to some degree that it wasn't a truly living being, but a doppelganger.
In the end, it all came down to who got there first.
Right now, I was locked in that race with Zmol, but even after settling things with him, a new... yes, an unavoidable battle like in some game awaited with Ard.
The Transcendent affiliated with Moonlight Echo operating in the capital was named Harman.
My first target.
The rendezvous point was a tree in a deep alley, much like with Jackal.
The mark was subtly different from the one I'd used for Jackal.
A deliberate variation to avoid confusion when operating from the same spot.
Dealing with Jackal had taught me that, as a Transcendent, he could respond to even a sudden trap in a few ways.
So, it was best to set as many as possible, but time wasn't that abundant.
I'd contacted Roselin quickly to save time, but beyond Harman, nine more Transcendents needed eliminating.
My goal was to distract with basic trap models I'd made before, interspersing them with powerful ones.
Recalling Garn's case—even a martial type couldn't escape massive damage if fully exposed to Philip Deran's traps.
They were that potent, and the side effects would ripple outward, just like how I'd obliterated one side of a small forest on Baratrein's island.
Especially here in the capital, where extra caution was needed.
'I have to lure him outside, no exceptions.'
But before drawing Harman elsewhere, there was something to handle first: understanding him precisely.
His mana signature. Easily discernible through his mana pattern.
A detailed analysis of mana traces would also reveal if he was martial or a mage.
Gathering every scrap of intel would boost assassination success.
First priority: head to the rendezvous and leave a different message.
An instruction to mark the tree with his mana.
He might be puzzled at first, but he'd have no choice but to comply eventually.
'Alright, drop off the message first, then.'
I approached the door, checking the hallway for presences.
One lingered by the door.
'Roselin?'
Veiled in natural mana stealth, I cautiously opened the door.
As the door cracked open, there she stood—Roselin, just as expected.
I'd sensed her presence receding earlier, but she'd returned swiftly.
Roselin seemed to guess the reason for the door opening on its own in an empty hall.
Her eyes widened briefly in surprise before settling back.
She stepped inside first.
"How long were you planning to make me wait out here?"
As I revealed myself, she replied without a hint of surprise.
"I wasn't sure when you'd emerge, so I planned to keep waiting."
I'd sent her off too carelessly.
"......You seemed to head somewhere just now."
"I figured there wouldn't be time later...... ahem, I grabbed some food."
Her eyes, usually meeting mine boldly, darted away. Embarrassed about eating alone, perhaps.
She abruptly extended a hand. In it was something wrapped in broad leaves.
"Of course, I didn't eat alone... I brought some back for you."
Food, wrapped like that.
"What if it doesn't suit your tastes...?"
Roselin peeked at the wrapping: black bread topped with cheese crumbs and such.
Cheap fare, purely for filling the stomach.
Cedric's fallen noble conceit might balk, but...
'Didn't expect her to think about food preferences.'
Fallen noble or not, it shouldn't matter.
"Set it inside."
"It'll harden if it cools..."
"I've somewhere to go. Won't take long."
"Yes... But when did you change like that?"
I was in a black coat and mask shifted to brown hues.
Stealth plus camouflage for contingencies. Cedric's doppelganger was still active in another city.
"I'm heading out."
"Yes, safe travels."
"Oh, and leave the room empty when I return—more work awaits."
"......Understood."
I cloaked in stealth again and left the room.
I reached the rendezvous per Zmol's intel, carved a mark in an inconspicuous corner, and hid a parchment scrap.
A short message atop it: leave a mana mark.
For certainty, I'd included a sample of Zmol's mana-drawn mark on the parchment, harvested from the soundproofing spell he'd cast during our talk.
Even the handwriting mimicked Zmol's notes to me.
I returned to the inn swiftly.
Roselin had vacated. Only the leaf-wrapped food remained on the small table.
Not hungry, I ignored it.
I'd craft traps while waiting for him to check the mark and leave his mana trace.
'One day at most... two tops.'
Everything needed prepping before then.
The method from Jackal came to mind. Delivering traps via bird models wasn't bad.
It bought that split-second of confusion while they assessed the threat.
Time flew as I built them.
At dawn, I slipped from the inn to the rendezvous.
'It's there.'
Harman's mana mark at the spot.
I harvested the trace and returned.
'Martial type again.'
"Hm......"
Jackal and Garn were martial too... Was Zmol the only mage?
Honestly, assassinating mages via traps might be easier.
'......No, not necessarily.'
Mages were more mana-sensitive.
Martial types were likelier to blunder in insensately.
Pros and cons each way—my approach needed adapting.
Anyway, factoring in martial, I made a few more traps, then left the room.
I exited the city, picked a lure spot, designed trap triggers there, then reentered to summon Harman.
I waited, overlooking the mountain—not directly, but via screens.
Devices I'd planted deep in the peaks relayed views. Even the ordinary-looking birds flitting nearby were among them.
The lure message for Harman was already set. Just wait for his arrival.
I lingered at a distance, but not too far—must respond instantly if traps failed.
Reviewing the plan, Harman finally appeared.
Only he could hopscotch into this remote, deserted mountain depths.
I triggered the plan the moment he arrived. No time to observe—he was already scanning, sensing faint auras.
Especially eyeing a bird perched on a nearby branch.
Our gazes met through the feed.
Just a vision-relay device, no special functions. But mana-formed, it piqued his sharp senses with subtle wrongness.
Like Jackal sensing oddity from home vision devices as the lumberjack.
Psychologically, prolonged time bred suspicion, heightening his guard. Dragging it out favored him.
'Now or never.'
I snapped my fingers lightly.
Instantly, magics hidden in bird forms swarmed from all sides.
Just as Moonlight Echo Transcendents assassinated talented youths under the pretext of eliminating the hero...
'Time you felt what it's like to be on the receiving end of an assassination.'