Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: The Jackal and the Winter Flower
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"Gasp! Pant!"
Her ragged breaths formed white clouds in the air.
Though it wasn't yet the dead of winter, the pre-dawn air was cold enough to make it so.
"She went that way!"
"After her! Don't let her get away!"
"We must take her alive!"
The voices of her pursuers were drawing near.
There was no time to rest.
As the woman struggled to her feet, her fair skin reflected the moonlight.
She had a well-proportioned, toned figure and was quite tall, her shoulder-length, dark red hair fluttering in the autumn wind.
In the moonlight, her eyes held a strange, blue hue.
That must be why she was nicknamed Bluebird.
That was right.
This woman was codenamed Bluebird, Wendy, the second daughter of the Head of House Rantzverger.
She had failed in her attempt to assassinate Marquis Pennant and was now being pursued by the capital's city guard.
"Dammit. Just hold on a little longer…"
Wendy muttered under her breath, glancing down at her pierced leather armor.
She had performed emergency first aid by stuffing some medicinal cotton soaked in a healing potion into the wound, but it was a dangerous situation.
All she could do was hope the wound wouldn't reopen before she reached her hideout.
"She definitely vanished around here."
"We'll just have to retrace our steps. You, call for backup."
"I've already sent the signal. They'll all be here soon."
Sure enough, the pursuers who had just passed by were now returning.
Fortunately, she was already moving out of their search area.
Wendy rolled her body and dropped into a sewer.
As she did, she flicked her left hand to the side, deliberately creating a bloodstain.
It was a false trail to throw them off.
*Thud!*
As she descended into the long sewer, the smell of rot assaulted her nose.
This was the main channel that carried Troven's filth out of the city.
It wasn't much of a problem in the summer, but it always clogged up in the winter.
"Squeak! Squeak!"
As expected, the lower levels were a complete mess, teeming with sewer rats.
As Wendy tried to stand, something like a human head drifted toward her face.
*Squish!*
She reflexively stabbed it with her dagger, but the sensation in her hand was strange.
It was a half-rotten corpse.
Probably an executed prisoner who had been hanged recently.
The bodies of criminals who died for various reasons were also disposed of here.
"Tch."
With a short click of her tongue, she pulled out her dagger, cleaned it, and moved deeper into the sewer.
Just then, she heard the voices of her pursuers from above.
It was a close call.
"Where did she go? See anything?"
"You don't think she went into the sewer, do you?"
"No way… Going in there at this time of year, she'd catch a disease and die."
Wendy held her breath, listening to their words.
She felt the unsettling sensation of sewer rats brushing past her legs, but she didn't move a muscle.
She just waited for the pursuers to fall for her diversion.
"There's a bloodstain here. She must have gone this way!"
"What are you standing around for? Let's go!"
*Tap-tap-tap-tap…*
Thankfully, having found the bloodstain, they passed the sewer and moved on to the next district.
Only then could Wendy let out a sigh of relief and start moving.
*Squelch!*
Annoyed, she stomped on the rats scurrying around her feet to chase them away.
At last, she headed deeper into the sewer.
The conditions in the underground waterway were slightly better.
The sewer gas wasn't so bad that she couldn't breathe.
Staggering along, Wendy suddenly climbed up into an alcove in the wall.
She squeezed her body into the recessed space.
"Phew!"
As her feet touched dry ground, she finally felt a sense of relief.
This place had been a temporary rest area for laborers when the underground waterway was being constructed.
Wendy had turned it into her own personal hideout, stashing survival supplies here.
For a day just like this.
Taking off her leather armor, she began to treat her wound.
As she did, a certain face came to mind.
"To think *he* would show up."
The moment she was about to sever Marquis Pennant's lifeline, Wendy had been ambushed.
Someone had appeared on the scene to prevent the assassination.
If it had been just any opponent, she would have ignored them and pushed through.
But her opponent was Jerome Klevitz, the captain of the Luminous Knight Order.
Known as the Wings of Radiance, he was an absolute powerhouse, a Tier 2 expert.
For her, a mere Tier 4, just escaping was a miracle.
If he hadn't tried to deflect the dagger flying toward his target, Wendy would have died on the spot.
"Why was he there?"
According to the intelligence her agents had gathered, there was no one stronger than her around Marquis Pennant.
So why was Jerome Klevitz, of all people, there?
"A simple intelligence error? If not… a trap?"
Whatever the case, dealing with her current situation was the priority.
She slowly tried to circulate her aura.
As she attempted the Konntraeger Rotation with her breathing, a wave of nausea washed over her.
She hadn't even gagged once in the pile of rotten garbage, but now, Wendy vomited something out of her hideout.
"Ugh! Dammit."
Her internal injuries were too severe; she couldn't do anything right now.
With no other choice, she resorted to simple aura breathing to soothe her internal energy.
Once she recovered to some extent, she planned to use the Form-Shifting Invisibility Technique to escape the city.
How much time had passed?
It felt like days, but there was no sign of recovery.
It seemed her internal injuries were so severe that a day or two wouldn't be nearly enough.
"My food is running out…"
The dried food she had hidden was a very small amount.
It was only meant for emergencies, so of course it would run out quickly.
But the surveillance in Troven was still at its peak.
If she couldn't use the Form-Shifting Invisibility Technique, she would be caught the moment she left this place.
But then, she sensed that the situation outside had changed completely.
She could even hear the shouts of the city guard from her hideout.
"What's going on?"
Struggling to her feet, Wendy left the underground waterway and strained to hear their voices.
What she heard was quite shocking.
"Everyone, move to Marquis Pennant's mansion! The situation blew up over there!"
"What, again?"
"Stop talking and run!"
With the sound of running footsteps, silence soon fell upon the area.
It was so quiet it felt even stranger.
It could be a trap, so she remained motionless for a while.
But no matter how long she waited, everything above remained silent.
Only then did Wendy emerge from the sewer, tilting her head in confusion.
"What was that?"
***
Wendy was so perfectly hidden that even the assassination guild couldn't find her.
Even after deploying the full force of the central branch, there was no trace of her.
That meant she was in grave danger.
She must have been so trapped that she had no choice but to lie low like this.
The plan I had proposed to Faceless was to resume the mission.
The idea was to divert attention elsewhere, creating an opening for Wendy to escape.
'Ah, of course, I didn't actually go out for a kill.'
After all, the Wings of Radiance, Jerome Klevitz, was stuck to Marquis Pennant's side.
And security had been tightened even more than before.
'I'm just putting on a show. Just pretending to assassinate him.'
Of course, resuming the mission wasn't easy either.
To properly draw their attention, a simple threat wouldn't be enough.
The forces would only converge on me if they felt the real danger of death.
*Swish! Swish! Th-th-thunk!*
I unleashed my spinning daggers from a moderate distance, and a furious Jerome chased after me like an enraged bull.
The knights guarding Marquis Pennant came with him.
Jerome Klevitz quickly returned, likely wary of a follow-up attack.
But the pursuit was still deadly.
Having provoked the city guard and the Luminous Knight Order, whose vigilance was at an all-time high, this was an expected outcome.
"Seriously, did this many people have to come? Isn't this a bit much! You f—"
Cursing, I was about to turn a corner when knights poured out from the front.
I continuously leaped over railings, heading south.
Although it had changed a lot in nineteen years, Troven was my favorite city.
It was filled with the best establishments for enjoying the high life.
Thanks to all the time I'd spent playing around, day and night, I knew the city's streets quite well.
'Oh! This place is still here.'
Fortunately, a place I used to frequent was opening on time today as well.
The large, single-story building had a touch of old-fashioned elegance.
The heavy, thick pillars and the private soldiers standing in front of them created an unapproachable atmosphere.
If you had to pick the most popular spot in the northern district, Troven's wealthiest area, it would be this place.
It was a place frequented by people of higher standing than any other establishment around.
I quickly changed my clothes and put on a golden wolf mask.
After composing my breathing, I entered the secretive-looking building.
Casually waving my hand, I leaned an arm on the counter, and the masked madam smiled.
"How may I help you?"
Glancing at the calendar, I tapped the counter with my index finger and said.
"They say on the 81st day, the jackal brings a winter flower."
"Ah…"
Her eyes widened in an instant.
She couldn't help but look utterly incredulous.
After all, the words I had just spoken were the unique code of the Riverune Young Lord.