Chapter 65
Chapter 65
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: John Howard
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John Howard.
He was a man who appeared utterly unremarkable at first glance.
There were no visible signs that he had trained in martial arts or magic, nor was his appearance particularly striking.
He looked just like any ordinary citizen you might pass on the street, with no distinguishing features whatsoever.
And that wasn't all. His body, likely toughened by rough labor, bore only the muscles necessary for such work.
But precisely because of this, John Howard had established himself as a highly capable agent in the Eagle Eye, the Aslan royal family's renowned intelligence network.
'Impressive.'
Ian was genuinely admiring.
While there were many excellent intelligence organizations, few could cultivate agents so seamlessly blended into everyday life.
Even he himself wouldn't have suspected this man of being an Eagle Eye agent if not for his own words.
"John, could you explain more about this man?"
Ian's finger pointed to the name 'Adam' and a sketch of the man's features.
"The princess's banquet draws all sorts of flies. I first spotted him while my team and I were scattered, patrolling every corner of Shurton."
John recalled his initial encounter with Adam.
On the first day of the banquet, John had immediately sensed the dangerous aura emanating from him.
Beneath those calm eyes lurked a savage killing intent, prompting John to approach and observe him throughout the event.
And he became certain.
This man was dangerous.
"What made you think he was dangerous?"
"His hands. I saw his hands."
John held up his own hand emphatically.
"They weren't the rough hands of a common laborer. He had the fists of a highly trained warrior, yet he pretended to be an ordinary citizen. How could I not suspect him?"
John continued with unwavering conviction.
"Warriors who reach high levels rarely mingle well with ordinary folk like us. Their worlds are too different. But this man... he responded cheerfully and blended in with me effortlessly. People who act like that are usually one of two types: those who are naturally bold and open, making friends without discrimination, or... those with ulterior motives."
"But the former is possible, isn't it?"
"Absolutely not. Such people have clear, serene eyes. But this man's eyes... there was a faint but unmistakable glint of killing intent."
Though John explained various reasons, Ian focused more on the reactions around him.
No one questioned John's certainty.
It was proof of how much skill backed his words.
"Adam, huh..."
Tok, tok!
Ian rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought for a moment.
As John described, Adam did indeed give off a fishy smell.
But was it truly problem-free to immediately pursue him?
The names marked in red were few in number, but still too many for Ian's group to handle alone.
Was choosing Adam over the others on the list really the right call?
'Until we know for sure who's targeting the royal family, it might be safer to hear out the others too...'
What should he do?
As Ian's deliberation dragged on, John, who had been watching quietly, added,
"Come to think of it, this guy seemed suspicious, so I tried luring him slowly to this tavern today... but I lost him. He suddenly said he had urgent business and left right away."
"Left right away?"
"Yes. I lost track after he headed in the same direction as another person on the list. Unlike Adam, that one moved alone, so I couldn't confirm the name or identity, but..."
John's finger pointed to one of the unidentified entries on the list.
"He was with this woman. Two people radiating danger heading the same way can't be coincidence. I suspect they're up to something."
The woman John's finger indicated had fiery red hair that seemed to blaze.
Ian's expression subtly hardened as he looked at her.
"...John. Were this man and woman moving together for the first time?"
"Pardon? Oh, no. They were both first spotted in the outskirts just before the banquet started, around the same time. Considering that, we suspect they might be the masterminds behind the slum massacre..."
Startled!
Before John could finish, Ian shot to his feet.
"Where did you lose this Adam?"
"Ah, yes. Other agents tailed him to the city center before losing him. The red-haired woman too, so their connection seems even stronger."
The moment John's words ended, Ian moved out with his team.
"Understood. We'll take him from here."
A woman with red hair wielding slender weapons. Adam's highly trained hands.
Once might be coincidence, but twice was inevitability.
Ian finally had to acknowledge the identity of Shurton's uninvited guests.
No doubt about it.
These were people from the North Continent, Crohoca.
Flicker!
In a secluded alley not far from the bustling streets.
At this late hour, when most people had ended their joyful day and returned home, a small light flashed, and a figure appeared.
"Haa, haa..."
Urk!
Her breathing was ragged, and the stabbing pain in her lungs kept blood trickling from her mouth.
Step, step...
Was it the terror of death she faced for the first time? As the overwhelming tension finally ebbed, extreme fatigue crashed over Isabel's body.
The excruciating pain made her want to collapse right then, but.
Isabel dragged her wounded, exhausted body forward, one forced step at a time.
'Just a little... further...'
She was almost there.
This was different from before.
Not a hasty blink through a portal, but a proper teleport using blood as a medium to draw a makeshift magic circle.
No matter how fast they were, they couldn't catch up like last time.
About 500 meters in.
Just a bit more, and if she escaped this place, she could reach a safe spot.
No, she didn't even need to head to the bustling area.
A little further, and she could reach the royal palace's incinerator via the magic circle she'd secretly installed.
Faint, lively clamor echoed from afar.
The magic circle was now less than 100 meters away.
As Isabel gritted her teeth and pushed toward it.
"That's far enough, Princess Isabel."
Swish!
...Someone blocked her path.
"...Wh, o...?"
It wasn't the two from before who had cornered her.
The man with a long staff wrapped in cloth on his back was someone entirely new, unseen until now.
Yet for some reason.
Isabel knew instinctively.
'...This man is dangerous.'
Much more so than the two she'd faced earlier.
"How... did you know I'd come here?"
Swallowing blood-mixed saliva, Isabel asked the man.
She needed to buy time somehow.
Thud!
As she subtly shifted her foot, a hole punched into the ground mere inches from it.
"Hahaha, Princess. Sorry, but I won't allow even a single step. If you escape from here, it'll give us quite the headache."
"...!!"
...She hadn't even seen the man's hand move, yet a long staff was now in his grip, cloth unwrapped.
'A completely different level.'
"We knew you used the magic circle here to enter and exit the palace. We figured you'd choose it once cornered. You never imagined anyone else knew about it besides yourself."
"...!!"
"You've worked hard fleeing this far. You escaped better than expected; I don't even know how to thank you."
"...What?"
Isabel involuntarily blurted out at the man's baffling words.
Her pursuers saying her escape was fortunate?
For a moment, she even mistook him for an ally dispatched by the royals.
Of course, his chilling killing intent made that impossible.
"Of course we're grateful. Who could've known you had such outstanding magic to put on that spectacular show? If you'd held out longer there, the Aslan royal guards and knights would've swarmed in. If you'd stayed put, we'd have been far more pressed. But you fled without a trace, which suits us perfectly."
She couldn't comprehend what this man was saying.
"The royal... guards would have... shown up?"
"Hm? What, you didn't know?"
Step, step!
"Shurton of Aslan Kingdom boasts top-tier security in Agena. Do you have any idea the resolve it took for us to come here and scheme?"
The man spoke gently, almost kindly.
"How fortunate. Thanks to you fleeing as predicted, the royals won't track you easily for a while."
Isabel couldn't hide her sense of futility watching him approach mockingly.
'...The one who distrusted the royals most wasn't anyone else—it was me.'
She hadn't known.
She never imagined the royals had the capability to respond instantly to that level of light and mana waves.
No, more precisely, she hadn't wanted to know.
Compared to the Lichtenauer Martial Clan or the mage tower repository of knowledge.
She'd only dwelled on their shortcomings, nurturing petty inferiority and throwing tantrums.
She'd never once confronted the royals' true potential.
Why hadn't she realized it sooner?
"Well, I think I've answered all your questions. You've suffered enough—go in peace. We're short on time too."
Swish!
The man aimed his staff calmly.
His expression was as impassive as harvesting crops, betraying no emotion at taking Isabel's life, despite his words.
"It won't hurt. Don't worry."
Shiiiik!
The blunt staff tip filled her vision.
A strike that pierced the ground like soft clay.
That blow would probably shatter her head without a trace.
'Perhaps... all this is my own doing.'
Far from pride in her family, she'd been too busy envying others under the kingdom's vast umbrella.
That foolish petulance had led to her death today.
Gazing at the staff tip overwhelming her sight, Isabel thought.
'Still, I hope... Father won't grieve too much.'
As she closed her eyes in resignation before encroaching death.
Claaang!
Instead of neck-piercing agony, a explosive clang rang out, followed by a faint stinging pain brushing her ear.