Chapter 39
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 39
Chapter Title: Night of Chaos
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Roselia slowly replayed the scene that had unfolded in those mere 30 seconds, trying to make sense of it.
"Have you forgotten already...?"
Leoner stared straight at the dagger coming right for her face, then thrust out her left hand, striking the inside of Kairak's wrist.
Thud!
"Hngh?!"
Kairak's grip loosened from the sudden impact, and he dropped the dagger.
As he instinctively stepped back and reached for the spare dagger hidden in his robes,
she had already slipped inside his guard.
She wrapped her fist in a blue aura and threw a light punch.
"Solar plexus."
Bam!!
A heavy thud that vibrated through flesh and bone echoed throughout the panic room.
"Gah!!"
With a strangled scream, Kairak—the master of the assassin guild—tumbled to the floor.
Foam mixed with blood bubbled from his mouth.
"Hah... What in the world."
He clutched his solar plexus, gasping raggedly, unable to even breathe properly.
The destructive power from such a delicate noble lady's fist was unbelievable.
Roselia finally gave up trying to understand the scene before her.
She glanced at her own hands, which somehow felt more respectful now, then shifted her gaze back to Leoner.
Leoner kept her guard up, never relaxing her tension as she looked down at him.
"The person you targeted isn't just some woman named Leoner. It's Leonier Baldinmar—the sole heir to the family at the pinnacle of martial prowess. And you tried to engage her in close quarters without a care? You're far too careless."
"Hah... Ack..."
Kairak curled up, sweat pouring from him like rain.
His face twisted in agony showed no sign of him getting back up.
"Whoa... That's insane. What was that punch? How's a monster like him unable to even breathe?"
In response to Roselia's fussing, Leoner replied without lowering her guard.
"It's one of the applied techniques from the Thunderclap Fist... but as you can see, the original name's too long and clunky, so I just call it Solar Plexus Smash."
"S-Solar Plexus Smash...?"
"Yeah, Solar Plexus Smash! It's one of the Baldinmar family's secret techniques. It strikes while channeling mana to forcibly stiffen the muscles and blood vessels. He'll probably struggle to twitch a finger for a while."
As she described, Kairak trembled like his whole body was paralyzed.
Leoner sighed and approached the fallen Kairak.
Honestly, even she hadn't been entirely sure until her fist connected.
This was her first time using Thunderclap Fist on an opponent of this caliber.
But... as expected from the martial art every southern adventurer dreams of learning.
Once it landed properly, even a powerhouse like him was neutralized in an instant.
'Back when we had that one marital spat, I hit Noxion with it too... and he didn't even flinch. What a monstrous guy.'
Leoner reached right in front of the slumped Kairak, lost in such idle thoughts.
She looked at him with a hint of pity and spoke.
"I know your circumstances are tragic and pitiable... but sorry. Sleep for now."
She still didn't know why he was so obsessed with the elixir,
but she knew he had loved Elina more than anyone.
And that their story had ended in tragedy, which made her hesitate a little.
Of course, that didn't mean she'd spare someone who'd tried to kill her.
"You didn't actually wound me, so His Grace might forgive you..."
Aura began gathering on her fist once more.
She was about to slam it down on the back of his head to knock him out for sure.
Whoosh.
Black mist rose like a mirage from the wall right to her side.
"Wha...? What's th—"
Roselia didn't even have time to shout a warning.
From the fog, another black-masked man materialized in an instant.
A presence wielding an ability different from the assassin guild's shadow teleportation—one more ominous and viscous with killing intent than even Kairak.
The newcomer closed the distance in a flash.
"Milady!!"
Stab!
"Ugh...!"
With a gruesome tearing sound, a sharp dagger plunged deep into Leoner's side.
Red blood soaked her dress and dripped to the floor.
Leoner’s eyes widened in pain and shock.
"Ah... Ugh, hack."
As the dagger pulled free from deep in her abdomen, hot blood gushed out.
Her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the floor.
Forcing her blurring vision to focus, she looked up at the face of the man who had stabbed her.
"Hah... Hah."
Emotionless brown eyes peered through the mask.
Killing intent thicker and stickier than shadows.
'N-No way...?'
She knew those eyes.
From her past life—the most dangerous man in the empire, shadowing the crown prince like a ghost.
'G-Garneon?'
Her eyes widened in disbelief.
Ha. Not content with the assassin guild's master, even the captain of the imperial Black Wings had come personally.
It was unbelievable that two titans ruling the empire's darkness had mobilized just to take one princess's head, but it confirmed one thing.
Damian, that mad crown prince, was dead serious.
And he fully intended to kill her today.
"Cough..."
Her consciousness leaked away like it was draining through a hole.
Blood from her side soaked the floor.
Even amid it all, she saw Roselia at the edge of her vision—finally grasping the situation, trembling as she raised a hand to cast a spell.
'No. Don't move... You can't handle him. He's a monster on a different level from Kairak.'
"Run...! Roselia, hurry!"
Leoner squeezed out the words with all her might.
But it wasn't Roselia who reacted to her desperate cry—it was Garneon.
He narrowed his eyes slightly and looked down at Leoner collapsed at his feet.
'That look just now... She recognized me.'
The princess's gaze wasn't mere fear at another assassin appearing and stabbing her.
It was the steely certainty only someone who had pierced his identity could show.
Which meant he couldn't let her live.
Information leaks were more dangerous than mission failures.
She had to die.
Without a shred of hesitation, Garneon reversed his grip on the dagger and thrust it down.
Not at the heart, but the throat.
To sever her breath in one silent stroke, without even a scream.
"......."
Shiiik—!
Time seemed to slow as Leoner blankly stared at the silver blade rushing toward her neck.
She couldn't dodge or block.
She didn't even have the strength to twitch a finger.
'Ah... So this is how it ends.'
She had dreamed of a happy future, only to lose everything overnight.
Yet she gritted her teeth and lived again, desperately trying once more.
And now, just when she had finally started conveying her true feelings to Noxion, the man she loved more than anyone...
"..."
As she slowly closed her eyes in resignation,
Boom—!!
A deafening roar that rattled her eardrums exploded, and the sealed panic room entrance shattered.
Through the thick dust cloud, a black silhouette faster than any assassin blocked Garneon's path.
Clang—!
Sparks flew with a sharp metallic clash, and Garneon's dagger—aimed at Leoner's throat—ricocheted into empty air.
"Tch...!"
He staggered briefly from the horrific shock to his wrist.
But even in the sudden chaos, Garneon quickly and calmly retreated to create distance.
As the dust settled, a figure emerged.
"Tch... You're even earlier than I expected."
"Who the hell do you think you're touching?"
"..."
A familiar back, a longed-for voice.
Leoner let out a breath of relief as she gazed at the man's silhouette blocking her path, even as her vision faded.
'Haha... Just like before, your timing is artistic...'
With that sight as her last, she fully lost consciousness.
***
'...How the hell did they infiltrate all the way to the Kaltstein panic room?'
It had taken some time to find the way, but thankfully I arrived just in time to save Princess Leonier Baldinmar.
That much was good.
But separately from that, I couldn't wrap my head around the current situation at all.
This wasn't some backwater noble house in a minor kingdom—it was Kaltstein.
The Kaltstein, with security rivaling or surpassing the imperial palace... So why were there not one, but two intruders?
"...Hoo."
The questions could wait. Priority was dealing with this mystery man quickly and treating the princess.
I took a small breath and eyed the man.
He was fiddling with his right wrist, which wasn't moving properly from the shock, while staring straight at me.
"...Think you can keep going? With that wrist, you won't even be able to hold a sword—unless you get treatment fast, you might never wield one again."
"Can't argue with that."
The man glanced down at his wrist, then met my eyes again.
"Too bad. I wanted to cross blades with the new head of Kaltstein."
"Hah, a sneaky assassin who only knows hit-and-run dares to match swords with me? You really don't know your place."
"That applies to gutter-trash assassins like the one sprawled on the floor. I'm a different story."
I'd thrown out the provocation on purpose, but was he a true pro, or did he genuinely not care?
The man shrugged and stomped on the head of his presumed comrade on the ground.
"Is that so? Well, if you're that confident, I can't just deny it outright."
Deep down, I wanted to take this guy out here no matter what.
But seeing the princess's breathing grow shallower and her face paling, I couldn't drag this out any longer.
"So, what's your move now? Gonna keep fighting for your goal? Or tuck tail and run?"
"Looks like carrying out orders is off the table... Time to retreat."
With that, he drew a dagger from his robes in a flash and plunged it into the throat of the man on the floor.
Stab—!
"Gahk!!"
"What the—?!"
"Hmm, can't have loose ends. He was always a pain anyway—been wanting to dispose of him. Nice bonus: got to see an interesting side of the princess too."
With those final words, the man dissolved into black mist and vanished into thin air.
"...What the hell...."