Chapter 43
Chapter 43
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter Title: Ambush (2)
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In the kingdom, there was one underworld guild that handled all the dirty work.
Twilight.
Their main duties were protecting clients, tailing targets, and gathering intelligence, but from time to time, they also took on assassination jobs.
For instance, when the client offered an enormous sum of money along with considerable influence.
"...So, you're asking us to kill one academy cadet?"
"That's right."
Flint, the guild master of Twilight, furrowed his brow.
The man standing before Flint was one of the guild's regular clients.
"Count Raimund, even so, assassinating an Erebos cadet carries risks in every direction, doesn't it?"
Count Raimund von Kreuz.
A swordsman who had reached the Swordmaster realm, one of only seven on the continent.
However, word was that he'd lost his senses after recently losing his only daughter. Even so, Flint never dreamed he'd request an assassination in broad daylight on a cadet openly attending the Erebos Academy, no matter how deranged he was.
"Lately, there have been several unfortunate incidents at Erebos. If we assassinate a cadet in that situation... Dean Cornelius won't just sit idly by."
It was true, as he said.
After the Full Moon Festival and the Twin Towers incident back-to-back, Erebos had ordered unprecedented security reinforcements. The area around the Royal Academy was now fortified with magical defenses worthy of being called ironclad.
No matter how many assassination specialists Twilight had on its roster, they had no desire to make enemies of Erebos.
Above all, Erebos was the Royal Academy. Starting trouble there was tantamount to declaring they didn't want to set foot in this kingdom anymore.
"...I know that."
Raimund responded to Flint's plea with detached composure.
"Take it."
Raimund pulled a map from his pocket and held it out.
"What's this?"
"You know about the dungeon exploration practical?"
"Ah, it's part of the Knight Department's curriculum for the greenhorns. I went there myself, so I know it well."
Flint examined the map. It was a simple overview of the territory near Erebos.
Count Raimund pointed to a spot on the map.
"As you said, the Erebos Academy is ironclad right now. But at the end of this semester, the Knight Department heads to this dungeon for their practical. It's outside the academy grounds. Naturally, the defenses will be lax."
"...Count, you don't mean assassinate her there..."
"Exactly. No eyes on us there. The perfect environment."
Through the strands of Raimund's black hair, his ash-gray eyes gleamed. They burned with the fury of a father who had lost his daughter.
"Make it look like an accident."
Anything could happen in a dungeon. In fact, back when Flint had attended Erebos, one cadet had died in an accident during a dungeon exploration practical.
As that thought crossed his mind, Raimund placed a pouch on the table. It was filled with gold coins.
"The reward is whatever you ask for. This is the advance."
"..."
"I've heard your guild's been struggling financially lately?"
"...Hmm."
Flint made a troubled face as he pocketed the map.
A plan this meticulously laid out, with rewards equivalent to dozens of commissions? There was no reason to refuse.
Besides, refusing this job meant not knowing what Count Raimund standing before him might do.
"Just one question, Count?"
"What is it?"
"Who's the target?"
"Sophia Veronica Aquilova."
Raimund answered immediately.
"The vile wench who killed my daughter. A seed of evil from a traitor's bloodline that shouldn't exist in this world."
"...Hmph."
Flint shrugged.
Well, a traitor's bloodline meant no sleepless nights, at least.
So he thought.
And so, back to the present.
"No hard feelings. It'd be best if you surrendered quietly."
"..."
The standoff continued.
The cadet with crimson hair glared at the assassins, hand on her sword hilt.
Meanwhile, Flint, standing at the rear, confirmed the cadet's face.
'That's her, alright.'
She matched the description Raimund had given perfectly.
But...
'Is that the kind of presence a cadet can emit...?'
Killing intent flowed through the dungeon's narrow passage. It was so intense it sent chills down Flint's spine.
Participating in a dungeon exploration practical meant she was at most a second-year cadet, yet the aura Sophia Aquilova exuded surpassed that of a seasoned knight.
'Well, she must be worth the assassination commission for a reason.'
Flint dismissed it casually.
She was just a cadet, after all. On their side, they had five battle-hardened assassins.
The power gap was clear.
"You can kill her, but minimize wounds. Cut her down in one go."
Flint ordered.
To disguise it as an accident from being devoured by a magical beast.
"Guild master, what about those kids in the back?"
"Huh?"
Only then did Flint's gaze fall on the terrified cadets trembling behind Sophia.
They were innocent.
But they'd already witnessed the scene.
Just bad luck.
"...This'll make for rough dreams..."
At Flint's mutter, the assassins drew their weapons. The cadets screamed shrilly and frantically pressed the buttons on their magic communicators.
Probably sending distress signals.
But the communicators were dead.
"No use, kids. We've already set up a barrier nearby. Magic tools won't work."
"H-Hiiik...!"
Completely isolated.
The cadets sensed death and squeezed their eyes shut.
Just as one assassin raised his sword high and charged at Sophia.
Chaeng!
Contrary to everyone's expectation of an instant victory, Sophia drew her Ink Sword and parried the attack.
"...Hoo."
Even Flint was impressed by the clean, efficient strike without excess motion.
Cha chaeng!
After a few more exchanges, bewilderment spread across the assassins' faces.
The power gap was clear. These assassins had bodies honed by countless real battles. Yet Sophia wasn't being pushed back.
"...Huh."
Sophia Aquilova fought well.
Too well.
"Guild master, looks like we can't kill her cleanly."
"I can see that."
Flint let out a faint sigh.
Well, intel said she was top of the Knight Department.
Not easy to kill.
"No choice. Use poison."
"Yes."
The assassins swallowed antidotes from their pouches. Then, a thick green mist enveloped the area.
Chaeng!
"Urk..."
Sophia Aquilova swung her Ink Sword, successively deflecting the assassins' blades.
Parrying itself wasn't hard. Even in this dark passage, even against five opponents, Sophia had the skill to handle it.
The problem was the smell.
"Huu."
Kang!
The green mist the assassins had just sprayed.
It was disrupting her sense of smell and all her senses. Without reliable senses, she felt utterly helpless.
Above all, after inhaling the mist, she felt a noticeable dulling in her limbs.
Paralysis poison.
'...Should I run?'
The thought lasted only a moment.
Sophia glanced at her fallen teammates behind her.
If she abandoned them and fled, her survival odds weren't zero.
But...
- 'I hope you get along well with everyone in the Knight Department, Miss Sophia.'
Her master's advice.
Get along with everyone in the Knight Department.
Abandoning them here and running would be no different from betraying her master.
"You guys, run. Now."
"W-What? But... you're..."
"I said run!"
She barked at her teammate and turned back.
Sophia gritted her teeth and faced the assassins.
Srck.
"Gaaahhh!"
The assassin whose wrist was severed screamed.
But that was her only accomplishment.
'My body... feels heavy.'
The paralysis poison was spreading through her body. Her vision blurred, and the sensation in her gripped Ink Sword dulled.
"Y-You bitch...! How dare you!"
The wristless assassin, enraged, kicked Sophia in the stomach.
"Kuhk...!"
Sophia tumbled away. Black blood poured from her mouth. The poison had reached her organs.
The assassin grabbed her hair and smashed her temple. Stars burst in her vision, and an unidentified liquid—vomit or blood—dripped from her mouth.
"How dare... how dare you, you fucking bitch...!"
"That's enough. If you kill her needlessly, we're in trouble. We need to fake an accident, you know."
"B-But! Guild master! My wrist...!"
"We can reattach that later. Just staunch the bleeding. And you two, go catch those kids who ran."
"Yes!"
Two attackers vanished into the darkness after the fleeing teammates.
"S-Stop..."
"Heh. Worrying about your friends even now? You're the one about to die."
The man who seemed to be the leader clicked his tongue at Sophia's reaction and approached. One of the assassins holding her grimaced and reached into her inner pocket.
"Hey, guild master. This bitch has something."
The assassin pulled a small vial from Sophia's inner pocket.
A tiny bottle with golden liquid sloshing inside. Sophia's expression hardened.
"G-Give it back."
Not that.
It was the first gift her master had given her.
A token of praise for her hard work, handed over personally—the most precious thing in the world.
"...Looks like an elixir. And high purity too. No, the highest I've ever seen."
The man's— the guild master's—eyes gleamed with greed.
"Bring it here."
Upon inspecting the golden liquid in the vial, the man's face lit up with ecstasy.
"Hahaha. What a harvest in a place like this. You live long enough, you see everything."
"What's got you so excited?"
"It's an elixir worth at least more than this commission."
As the man shook the elixir in delight, that very moment—
"Guhk?"
His eyes bulged.
Sophia had lunged like a wild animal and sunk her teeth into his arm.
In her paralyzed state, the only muscle she could move was her jaw.
Thus, she poured all her biting strength into tearing off a chunk of his flesh, meat and all.
"Gaaahhh!"
Blood and flesh tore free, and the man dropped the vial.
As it fell, Sophia snatched it with her mouth.
And with all her might, she crushed the vial—cork and all.
The next instant, Sophia poured the golden liquid down her throat.