Chapter 103: Night of Purgation (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 103: Night of Purgation (2)
It was a long night, with dawn still far off.
"Yaaawn... I'm so tired."
A man clad in heavy armor yawned so wide his jaw looked ready to tear. Deep fatigue and drowsiness clung to the corners of his eyes. He suddenly nudged the man next to him with his elbow.
"Hey. Recruit."
"Recruit, Kim Pil-su!"
His booming voice echoed down the brightly lit corridor.
"Damn, did you swallow a megaphone? Why is your voice so damn loud?"
"I will correct it!"
"Ugh, forget it. Why is it that every recruit we get is a blockhead like you? No fun at all."
The senior guard frowned and shook his head. Seeing his displeased expression, the recruit looked utterly lost.
"How did you even end up rolling into the Elder Guard anyway?"
"...W-Well... I came to serve the noble Elders, sir!"
"This bastard is completely by-the-book. Oh, so our dear recruit came all this way to protect the noble Elders' precious lives?"
"Y-Yes, sir!"
"Cut the bullshit and be honest. You came for this, didn't you?"
The senior guard pinched his thumb and index finger together to form a circle—the universal sign for money.
The recruit shook his head at first, but under the relentless questioning, he reluctantly nodded. Only then did a satisfied smirk play on the senior guard's lips.
The recruit cast his eyes downward. He felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him now that his worldly desires had been laid bare.
Watching his reaction, the senior guard spoke with a bittersweet expression.
"You and me both, we're already dirty bastards splashed with filth."
"...Dirty."
That unpleasant word lingered in his mouth. It had been nearly two months since he enlisted.
The recruit had seen and experienced far too much here.
The Council of Elders, envied by the entire world. When he first enlisted, the recruit had felt immense pride in serving them.
But his admiration for the Council of Elders had shattered within a single week.
The public would never know just how hideous the Council of Elders truly was.
They discarded people without a second thought if they deemed them obstacles, treating human lives like mere objects.
He remembered clutching the toilet bowl and dry-heaving when he first witnessed their dark side.
The recruit had been miserable.
Yet, the source of his pain was not just the disgust he felt toward the Council of Elders.
It was the sickening realization that he, too, had compromised with reality and was now actively participating in it.
"……."
Glancing at the recruit's dark expression, the senior guard scratched his eyebrow and spoke.
"Well, whatever. We just need to milk them for all the money we can—"
Before the senior guard could finish his sentence, an unnatural shadow flickered behind his back. Instantly, a blade flashed in the moonlight.
Slash—! Thud.
A fountain of blood erupted from above his suddenly empty shoulders.
The metallic stench of blood filling the corridor brought a stark sense of reality. The headless torso collapsed backward.
Clatter.
The sound of armor clashing against the floor echoed through the hall.
The recruit stared at what used to be his senior, then slowly raised his eyes.
"……!"
Figures were slithering out from the pitch-black darkness where the moonlight could not reach.
A suppression of presence so absolute it was impossible to detect, and red eyes gleaming ominously against the pitch-black backdrop.
With just those two clues, the recruit realized exactly who they were.
The intruder who had taken his senior's life wiped the blood from his blade.
Looking down at the headless corpse, he murmured in a low voice.
"Choi Man-su. You are condemned for the crime of abetting Elder Cladi's dirty work for nearly five years. Rest in peace."
As the assassin spoke, he drew the sign of the cross over the corpse. The recruit could only watch the scene in sheer daze.
The—the Auditore...!
Forcing strength into his hands, which were frozen in terror, the recruit barely managed to grasp the hilt of his sword.
After all, he couldn't just stick his neck out and die without a fight.
Step, step.
Amidst the thick stench of blood, footsteps echoed from down the corridor. At the sound, the shadows pressed themselves against the walls in unison, clearing a path.
As the footsteps drew closer, a cold shiver ran down his spine. The clouds drifted aside, allowing the vivid light of the full moon to illuminate the corridor. Soon, a new figure came into view.
A black-haired youth with his hands shoved deep into his pockets, wearing a relaxed, expressionless face. It was Kang Geomma.
Kang Geomma came to a halt right in front of the recruit.
Shifting only his eyes, he looked down at the recruit's hand gripping the hilt of his sword.
"……."
After staring silently for a long moment, Kang Geomma walked right past him.
Following him, the assassins melted back into the shadows like haze.
Thud.
The recruit's hand, which had been gripping the hilt so tightly, slipped off.
The recruit did not dare to look back. He kept his eyes fixed straight ahead until the footsteps completely faded away.
* * *
Thirty minutes had passed since we began roaming the annex.
The Auditore cut down the guards blocking our path without a moment's hesitation.
Only the metallic scent of blood quietly dispersed in the air; not a single scream was heard.
The assassins severed their vocal cords before they could even let out a sound.
Unless one possessed extraordinary skill, killing someone instantly in a single blow was no easy feat.
They sprang from the shadows without warning, snuffed out lives, and vanished like haze.
I clicked my tongue in inward admiration at the movie-like spectacle.
Though their methods were fierce and merciless, it was not a mindless massacre.
They selectively targeted and cut down only those who deserved to die.
They kindly recited the reason for each person's death before wrapping it up with a cool line: "Rest in peace."
It was a bit chuunibyou, but watching it live definitely struck a chord in my manly heart.
Badassery is a universal language.
'...Anyway.'
Perhaps because it was an Elder's annex, the place was ridiculously huge.
I felt like we had been wandering around for ages, yet I couldn't get my bearings.
Although the Auditore silenced every enemy we encountered, we would be discovered in no time at this rate.
'We need to find the room where Cladi is staying as quickly as possible...'
Ssshh—
Just then, a presence materialized out of nowhere right behind my neck.
A human-shaped shadow had appeared out of thin air.
It was Al'tair, who had been following us with his presence completely erased. He limped out of the darkness, leaning on his cane.
"My, my, this place is far more spacious than I anticipated."
Al'tair spoke, stroking his beard.
"...Don't you usually do some preliminary scouting before coming? With the Auditore's information network, I figured you'd have the layout of any place memorized."
"I appreciate your high opinion of us, but even we have our limits when it comes to gathering intelligence. Especially when it concerns the facilities or villas where the Elders reside—those are classified among the most classified secrets."
"I see."
"Be patient, even if it is frustrating. My children will find it in no time."
True, it would be stranger if the layout of a residence belonging to the Council of Elders—the highest tier of nobility—were public knowledge. Since they were extremely sensitive about their personal safety, they must have taken measures to prevent any leaks.
Shaking off my stray thoughts, I kept walking. Al'tair kept pace beside me with a genial smile.
"Ugh!"
"Ack—"
"Eek!"
"Argh!"
Short, muffled screams echoed in rapid succession from all directions.
Here and there, the candles of life were being snuffed out.
The same scene played out as we continued forward. Gleaming heavy armor collapsed to the ground, and the Auditore shook the blood off their blades before drawing the sign of the cross.
The guards tried to fight back, but they were utterly helpless against the surprise attacks and fell one by one.
Those whose heads weren't severed had their arms or legs lopped off.
I lightly stepped through the corridor, which was splashing with blood. Then, suddenly curious, I asked Al'tair.
"This is an operation to strike down an Elder. Aren't you worried, Patriarch?"
"Hmm? Worried about what?"
Al'tair asked back, looking genuinely puzzled.
"The backlash is bound to be severe. Even a fallen giant is still a giant—even with solid evidence, executing an Elder must carry a significant risk for the Auditore."
"Hahaha! I've felt this for a while, but you are remarkably thoughtful for a young man."
He burst into a hearty laugh and replied leisurely.
"If I were worried about such things, I wouldn't have come to Korea in the first place."
"……."
"Moreover, now that we have definitive evidence, wouldn't it be a far greater problem if we, the House of Order, did not act? This is our family's long-standing duty. We are not so fragile that we would be shaken by merely disposing of a single Elder."
As he said this, Al'tair suddenly patted me on the back.
"And even if there is some backlash, what does it matter? We have the future Seven Stars with us! Though I pride myself on maintaining neutrality, my heart somehow leans toward you, hahaha!"
"Ah..."
A groan escaped my lips.
Unlike when I had spoken so boldly earlier, embarrassment washed over me belatedly.
'After all, I am the next Seven Stars to succeed the Sword Emperor.'
At the time, it was a declaration of my resolve, but thinking back on it now, it was so damn cringy.
Seeing my strange expression, Al'tair gave me a knowing look. He seemed to have completely misunderstood my thoughts, but I didn't bother to correct him.
'With a sharp old man like him, it's better to just leave things to his imagination.'
As we continued to move, an assassin suddenly materialized before us.
I recognized his identity by his presence alone. It was Nox.
He bowed to Al'tair and spoke.
"There is a three-way intersection a hundred meters ahead. The room on the right is where Cladi is holed up. Everyone else, except for me, is currently on standby in front of the door."
"I see. Understood."
"Patriarch."
"Is there something else to report?"
"Well, it's just..."
Nox hesitated. At the Patriarch's questioning look, Nox replied with a complicated expression.
"I don't know for sure since I lack experience, but... I felt a strange sensation coming from beyond the door."
"A strange sensation? You mean you couldn't identify it even with your presence detection?"
"Yes... It was faint, but the energy felt like magic power."
At those words, Al'tair and I exchanged a glance. It seemed the same question had crossed both of our minds.
Silence briefly enveloped the corridor. It was a quietness that stirred a seed of anxiety deep within.
Just as Al'tair's expression hardened and he was about to speak—
"Aaaaaaaaargh!"
A long, drawn-out scream echoed through the air.
Instantly, as if on cue, all three of us turned our heads to the right.
Then, the thick stench of blood assaulted our noses.
After a brief, stunned blink, cracks of shock fractured the expressions of Al'tair and Nox.
"Patriarch, this is definitely..."
"Our people."
The moment the words left his mouth, the two of them dashed forward, leaving only a haze behind.
I, too, quickly kicked off the ground.
Thanks to our swift footwork, we reached the destination in no time.
The sudden sprint left me slightly winded. After catching my breath for a moment, I raised my chin.
The first thing I saw was the backs of Al'tair and Nox, who had run ahead.
The two of them stood frozen, staring straight ahead. I raised my gaze a bit higher.
A massive door stood wide open, as if mocking us. There was no sign of the assassins who were supposed to be on standby.
"Aaaaaaaaargh!"
Another scream erupted from beyond the door, which was shrouded in deep darkness.
Splat— Following the sound of tearing flesh and splattering blood,
a severed arm rolled across the floor and bumped against Nox's foot.
"……!"
Nox picked it up with a trembling hand. It was holding a dagger engraved with the Auditore crest.
His face turning deathly pale, Nox stared into the room.
A darkness even deeper than the shadows of the Auditore
was revealing itself from within.