Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: #10 Banquet (2)
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Two days passed, and the day of the banquet arrived.
If one were to explain what had happened between Elric and Tiria during that time... what was there to say?
It ended with Elric enduring an uncomfortable bed due to the delayed arrival of the new one.
Would it make sense to say he had constantly withstood the sensation of every nerve in his body tensing at the sound of her breathing?
And it was infuriating that Tiria had slept soundly through it all.
In any case, those hardships were over.
The bed had finally arrived, and Elric did not toss and turn tonight because of her breathing.
Of course, he did dream of battlefield nightmares.
"Young Master, shall we begin preparations?"
It was just around lunchtime.
Elric tilted his head at Aldio's mention of preparations already.
"Isn't the banquet in the evening? Why start now...?"
Only after saying that did Elric recall the imperial banquet.
"...Ah, that damn formality."
That was the nature of banquets.
To look better than everyone else, one had to spend hours getting dressed in new clothes, applying makeup, and styling hair just to stand in that hall.
How tedious that process had been at past banquets he'd attended.
'To go through it once more...'
He already felt chills at the thought, but what could he do?
There was no way to avoid it.
In the midst of that, Aldio spoke up.
"The people I arranged for have just arrived."
"Hm? Arranged for?"
"The ones who will handle your preparations, Young Master."
"Aren't the maids doing it?"
"Oh dear! What a disaster that would be! This is a royal banquet! We must leave it to professionals! Even our maids can barely handle the Lady's preparations!"
Aldio exclaimed in shock, showing his firm resolve.
He seemed to attach great significance to this banquet, and Elric let out a chuckle.
From Elric's perspective, the Weibin harvest festival and this banquet weren't all that different—just crowds gathering and buzzing about.
Of course, he knew it held different meaning for Aldio.
Elric was well aware of how Aldio always strove to accustom him to noble life.
Thus, Elric said,
"You've gone to the trouble of arranging people yourself. May I meet them?"
"Yes! It's just the right time."
"Good. Let's go."
Elric rose from his seat.
Arriving on the first floor,
There stood women taller than average, smiling with thick makeup.
Their gazes turned to Elric.
"Hello..."
And then,
"...sir?"
They froze.
*
The assassin group Moon Shadow, known as the envoys of the west.
In their history, which even claimed the lives of marquises without a whisper, there were exactly three failed missions—failures no one else in the industry could claim.
The first: assassinating Baron Disha during his outing.
The second: assassinating a certain commander on the battlefield.
The third: assassinating a certain heir on the eve of his wedding.
Petty failures compared to their reputation, but to them, those incidents were like reverse scales.
In other words, terror—or nightmares.
It had to be.
There was one common thread in those three failures.
-As of today, Moon Shadow imposes one restriction on all commissions we accept.
A single man had been involved in all three.
-Sword Ghost Kasha. Thoroughly exclude any mission with even the slightest connection to him.
Sword Ghost Kasha.
One of the Continent's Seven Strongest, the mightiest individual among all living beings.
The demon whose infamy pierced the heavens on the western battlefield—that man.
For the first baron's assassination, Kasha happened to pass through the area and massacred every Moon Shadow operative on the mission.
For the second commander's assassination, Kasha was serving as a mercenary in that very commander's unit, leading to the annihilation of an entire Moon Shadow battalion.
And the last—the most absurd. The heir getting married turned out to be Kasha's close friend. Who could have guessed that Kasha, who never left the battlefield, would come to the rear for a mere wedding?
In any event, only after those incidents did Moon Shadow begin avoiding Kasha.
From recruit training, they memorized his appearance well enough to draw it blindfolded. They evacuated entire regional units from battlefields linked to him. They even once gifted him a sword, hoping he'd finally leave them alone.
How ridiculous was the reply that came back that day.
-Then you shouldn't have gotten in my face. Why blame me for your deaths?
He was a merciless monster without blood or tears.
Of course, as assassins, they knew how hypocritical it was to deny his words, but that day, Moon Shadow were undeniable victims.
After all, the Moon Shadow executive who went to negotiate with Kasha that day lost faith in the work and quit the industry entirely.
So it was that the name Sword Ghost Kasha became a taboo in Moon Shadow, spoken of only in whispers.
When word spread that he'd gone missing on the battlefield, every branch shut down for a day to celebrate with banquets.
After that, it was smooth sailing.
No Kasha meant Moon Shadow's world.
As wars intensified, assassination commissions poured in.
They spread their influence endlessly across the west, and now they were expanding into the east.
They'd snagged a decent sponsor and come all this way...
'Why the hell are you here?'
Why was Kasha here?
Moon Shadow's Ferdin branch chief, Danal, felt every hair on his body stand on end.
Thank goodness he'd come in disguise with mask-level makeup.
Without it, his shock would have shown plainly.
'Why? How?'
He pondered, but no answers came.
Danal had come down from headquarters for an assignment, and on the side, for some casual assassination work. Why, of all places, here—and of all people, Sword Ghost Kasha?
'Mistake?'
Impossible.
Moon Shadow recruits learned his appearance definitively from day one.
Danal, who had once led that training, could draw it blindfolded.
Beyond that, Danal had met Kasha in person.
-Junior, I'm quitting this line of work.
He'd been the successor to the executive who quit in disillusionment after negotiating with Kasha.
"Hm, I heard you're professionals, so I won't worry much, but please avoid excessive primping. I don't want to draw attention."
Kasha sat and smiled amiably.
Danal felt chills crawl up his spine.
"Let's get started. Time's tight until evening, isn't it?"
His deputies looked to Danal, at a loss.
Even in the dizzying terror, Danal recalled his assassin training and regained some composure.
He spoke in a woman's voice.
"P-Please wait a moment? We need to reorganize our tools first..."
"Ah, take your time."
As Kasha beamed, Danal spun around and huddled with his deputies.
Click-click. Over the unfolding makeup kits, they signed.
-Neutralize all poisons.
Every cosmetic here was lethal poison.
Kasha was immune to poison from the start. If they slipped up and he noticed the attempt, they were done.
Perhaps survival instinct was that potent—they neutralized everything in under three seconds.
Danal nodded in satisfaction.
-We saw nothing. Just do the makeup and leave. We never saw this guy today, got it?
That wasn't all.
-Pull the Ferdin branch out. How did no one know this bastard's from here!
As of today, Moon Shadow's Ferdin branch was closing shop.
No—before leaving, they'd kill that count.
If not for him, they wouldn't have suffered this humiliation!
The deputies nodded fiercely.
Only then did Danal turn back with a smile to attend to Kasha.
"Th-Then, let's begin!"
"You seem quite tense."
"It's our first time with a noble!"
"Relax. I won't bite."
Unbelievable words.
Danal tittered and began the primping with his deputies.
The process was utter silence.
If Aldio, watching from afar, gasped, "It's like master smiths handling a legendary blade with utmost gravity!" you'd understand.
Desperate to live, Moon Shadow's three assassins poured every disguise skill they had into adorning Kasha.
Hours passed. Danal stepped back, utterly drained.
'Done...!'
Not the moment for such thoughts, but Kasha's makeup was more perfect than ever.
The pinnacle of achievement in cosmetics loomed before them.
Danal and the deputies exchanged glances.
Pride. Relief at survival.
-Kids, after retirement, let's tour as makeup artists.
Call it survival makeup.
That combo could top the industry.
"All done?"
"Yes! Your natural handsomeness, Baron, left us with so little to do!"
Half flattery, half truth.
Danal said so while packing up.
That was when it happened.
"Aldio. I have something to discuss privately with these folks. Could you step out?"
"Yes!"
Click. The butler closed the door and left.
The three assassins felt an eerie unease.
'No way.'
It couldn't be.
He denied it desperately, but ominous hunches always proved true.
"Assassins these days have impressive makeup skills. You must work hard to make a living."
Kasha admired himself in the mirror with satisfaction.
The deputies trembled.
The shaking spread to Danal.
'When?'
How much had he seen?
As he thought, Kasha met Danal's eyes through the mirror.
A gentle curve to his eyes.
"Moon Shadow. Your mana cultivation method was so impressive, I still remember it. That faint breathing was so unfamiliar now, it took time to judge. Sorry. Must have been disappointing not to be recognized."
It's over.
"Haha..."
Danal laughed hollowly.
No more woman's voice.
What else could he do?
Thud!
He dropped to his knees and bowed his head.
"...Greetings, Elder."
The deputies followed suit.
"Greetings, Elder."
What wouldn't one do to survive?
Running was impossible; begging for life was the best play.
"How have you been faring?"
Danal gazed up at his "master" with wide, sparkling puppy eyes.