Chapter 118
Chapter 118
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: Blood-Red New Moon (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
If Luata's northern district was the slums, and the southern district the affluent quarter, then the western district could be called a solidly middle-class residential area.
From cramped neighborhoods where commoners huddled together, to spacious homes built by those not quite wealthy enough for the elite but savvy enough to snag cheap land.
Among the latter stood the mansion of a merchant known to have made a tidy fortune.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Once the sun had fully set, shadows began slipping silently over the walls from who-knows-where.
Despite their numbers, no commotion stirred within the mansion.
They were all in on it from the start. This wasn't just a place they treated like home—it was home.
The intruders made their way one by one to the meeting room.
At the head of the table sat a man with an impassive face, half-buried in his high-backed chair.
As each person entered, they offered greetings of varying warmth, and the man responded with a slight nod each time.
Once all thirteen had taken their seats, one of the elders among them spoke up curtly.
"Everyone's here."
It was a voice Terti would have recognized instantly—the old man from the rendezvous point.
Though plenty of empty chairs remained, full attendance was rare; assassination contracts never took a day off.
Those gathered today were the assassins currently between jobs.
"As announced beforehand, we're here to discuss the contract that came in three days ago."
"An old geezer on his last legs has the best damn luck, doesn't he?"
No sooner had the elder opened his mouth than a woman with sharp, venomous eyes sniped back with a sneer.
"Fancy contracts always roll in right when it's your turn. This rigged or what?"
"As if a slut like you, too busy rolling in the hay with every man in sight, would ever get a good gig."
"Jealous? Well, yeah, I guess when you're too old and limp to get it up anymore."
"Now, now, Fifth Moon. That's enough. Truth is, we should be grateful to Third Moon, right?"
As if this were a familiar routine, a young man cut in with a mild, amiable smile. Another man of similar age beside him chimed in.
"Sixth Moon's right. Third Moon didn't hog it all but shared the opportunity with us. There's that saying about hating the person but not the money, isn't there?"
"That's just the crap rattling around in your empty head, Ninth Moon. Quit spouting nonsense with no source."
"You think I handed a chance like this to a whore like you because I wanted to?"
The elder called Third Moon shot back coldly.
The woman's eyes—Fifth Moon's, who had bristled like a wild filly—flicked briefly toward the head of the table before snapping back.
Amazingly, her mouth clamped shut like a clam.
The organization called New Moon used code names blending numbers and moons—Fifth Moon, Ninth Moon, and so on.
But for a single outfit, their cohesion was sorely lacking. They were more a loose alliance that banded together only when needed.
Yet New Moon endured. The assassins knew full well it was far more convenient for taking contracts and gathering intel that way.
"......"
And the man at the head of the table scared them.
First Moon. The first moon. Leader of New Moon.
No one in the group believed they could beat that stone-faced man—whose thoughts were utterly inscrutable—in open combat or assassination.
"In terms of assassination difficulty, it's a nothingburger. One priestess and one Bronze warrior. Any one of us could handle it."
Third Moon wasn't bluffing; it was simple fact.
Assassins, with proper prep, could kill far stronger foes.
And everyone here was a top-grade assassin.
In the assassin trade, top-grade meant Silver warrior level in raw skill alone.
A Bronze warrior wasn't worth the effort, and a priestess would lose to a Silver in a straight fight anyway.
They could take the targets head-on, let alone by stealth. Failure would mean losing top-grade status.
"But this contract strongly recommends live capture. Even pilgrims get touchy about harming priestesses."
"Staging something in broad daylight is off-limits, and even at night, if the innkeeper catches wind of trouble, it'll go straight to Luata's church."
"Is that really a problem?"
Sixth Moon backed Third Moon, but Fifth Moon shot back curtly.
"We knew the target was a priestess when we took it. Dead or alive, we have to handle it without drawing church eyes either way. It's obviously something to handle carefully—so why harp on it?"
"That's......"
"My instincts say no."
First Moon, who had hung back watching until now, finally spoke.
It was an absurd reason, but no one argued.
His authority was ironclad, and his "instincts" had an uncanny track record.
He wasn't demanding anything weird—just extra caution, nothing to oppose.
The moment she realized it wasn't Third Moon's idea, Fifth Moon cleared her throat and pivoted.
"Old timer, anything suspicious? Like it might be a trap?"
"From my observations... nothing unusual stood out."
Third Moon trailed off slightly.
The contract had come three nights ago.
Until today, he'd mobilized not just his underlings but himself to gather intel on the targets.
Had they been farther away, it'd have taken longer, but Luata was New Moon's backyard—easy work.
"The targets arrived in Luata five days ago and are staying at an inn in the southern district. They've been sightseeing nonstop during the day."
"How's their vibe?"
"Very close. They might be faking it expecting a tail, but... keeping it up flawlessly for days straight? Hard to say."
"The inn room?"
"Rented a detached annex together."
"So they've probably already fucked each other silly."
"Coming from you, that sounds oddly credible."
"Shut it, old timer."
The client gave zero backstory.
But New Moon, having seen every kind of contract, had their guesses.
A man and woman glued together day and night? Obvious what that meant.
Priestesses lived ascetic church lives, so celibacy was common—but marriage wasn't banned.
Big families, though, hated church meddling, so they'd never approve a match with one.
Probably some naive young master and clueless priestess eloping. Not hiding well suggested they figured they'd gone far enough.
The enraged family must want the guy back, even if it meant killing the girl.
"Love triangles with priestesses are rare but not unheard of. Though a contract escalating to assassination? First time... Not sure if it's a trap."
Ninth Moon said cautiously.
"Suppose it is a trap targeting us. Using a priestess as bait... who the hell would?"
"The church wouldn't mishandle one of their own like that, and outsiders lack authority to move her."
"Exactly as Sixth Moon says. No sane priestess volunteers for something like that."
Ninth Moon nearly nailed it but veered off just short.
"Could it be a fake priestess?"
"I saw the stigmata in her eyes myself. Who'd impersonate one in a city with a church?"
"Not affiliated with Luata parish?"
"Confirmed otherwise."
"Then it should be fine......"
Fifth Moon muttered, stealing a glance at First Moon.
Third Moon, Sixth Moon, Ninth Moon didn't add more but shared the sentiment.
The rest were top-grade too, but lesser than the single-digit moon holders, so less sway—and no real disagreements anyway.
Frankly, the twelve excluding First Moon wondered why they needed a full meeting for one wandering priestess.
First Moon saw right through his subordinates' thoughts.
"......"
Truth was, even he couldn't explain. It was just a bad feeling.
Pondering his words carefully, First Moon spoke slowly.
"...If tourism's the goal, they'll move to another city soon. If settling, they'll buy a house. Either way, better conditions than now."
It made sense, so all nodded. First Moon continued.
"Some hits take months of prep. No need to rush in our own backyard. Watch a few more days, gather more intel."
"Understood."
Caution to excess was poison. Especially if the boss acted the coward—subordinates wouldn't obey well.
He knew, yet First Moon had no choice.
An inexplicable unease gnawed at him relentlessly.
Five more days passed.
No new red flags emerged.
After fully enjoying Luata's sights for ten days straight, the targets leisurely departed the city.
Six assassins trailed them westward by carriage. Plenty of traffic on the road—no one would notice.
At dusk, the lead carriage halted far ahead.
A large village—not quite a city, but populous enough.
A day's ride from Luata, it drew plenty of travelers; inns were booming.
Here too, the targets rented a detached annex. Crude compared to Luata's, but still private.
"Family must be loaded. How much cash did that runaway young master pack?"
"Good for us."
Third Moon flatly fielded Fifth Moon's grumbling.
Staying at inns was the same as before, but security was laxer, evasion easier across the board.
"Definitely simpler."
"Wasn't hard in Luata either."
"...True, but."
"And now it's even easier—why send six top-grades? I could do it solo."
"If you hated it so much, say it to First Moon's face."
"Like I'd kill this old geezer."
Truthfully, Fifth Moon just rubbed him wrong; Third Moon agreed on that point.
Even allowing for bad luck, three would suffice. Six meant slimmer shares—not ideal.
But gripes aside, top-grade assassins executed flawlessly.
Having pinpointed the targets, they ate well, rested, and awaited nightfall.
Soon, the moon rose.
The new moon of early autumn glowed faintly in the clear night sky.
Well past midnight, when even the hard-drinking stragglers had stumbled to bed or passed out cold.
"Let's go."
The six fully prepped assassins slipped silently from their rooms toward the annex.
Evading the perfunctory, half-assed guards and scaling the wall was child's play.
The unlit annex's layout, true to the inn's caliber, held zero complexity.
Gliding across the small courtyard, they took positions.
Fifth Moon confirmed the setup and eased the window open ever so slowly.
Creeeak—
The flimsy frame gave way effortlessly.
Through the narrow gap, Fifth Moon slipped something inside.
Thud!
A faint sound echoed from within as something hit the floor.
A sleep powder blended from eastern mountain herbs.
They were likely asleep already, but this ensured it.
Fifth Moon counted the seconds for the dust to disperse and settle, then signaled.
The annex door flew open in a flash—they'd swiped the inn key earlier.
"Jeez, all this fuss for something this easy......"
Adjusting her face mask, Fifth Moon led the charge inside, muttering.
It was the moment she stepped into the pitch-black bedroom, utterly unresponsive.
Before she could react, something clamped her throat like a vice.
"Ghk?!"
"You're early."
From the darkness, Lilia's eyes gleamed as she whispered.