Chapter 89
Chapter 89
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Unforeseen Resistance
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"Oh... an interesting choice. But I don't see how getting up there changes anything."
The assassin climbed the ladder between the cars to get onto the roof.
But that, too, was a confined space.
There was still no way out.
*Whoooosh!*
"Hah! Hah!"
The harsh wind made it hard to stay balanced, but he grunted and struggled toward the back of the train.
'His resistance is stronger than I expected.'
I couldn't help but question his reaction.
For the Rantzverger Assassination Guild, the rule was to commit suicide if escape was impossible.
They knew all too well that being captured meant a grim end.
But this one was unusually desperate.
Strangely so.
"The reason is usually obvious in these situations. Either he has a high chance of escape... or he has a trick up his sleeve."
I followed the assassin silently, with poise.
The strong wind made him stumble repeatedly, but my body remained perfectly steady.
It was a testament to my strength, which easily overcame such winds.
When we reached the rear of the train, he finally stopped.
The assassin turned around, a sinister smile on his face.
Just as a strong sense of unease gripped me, his mocking voice reached my ears.
"Farewell."
In that very instant, I snapped my head to the side.
*Swoooosh!*
The object that grazed past me by a hair's breadth was a thick wooden pillar.
A structure intentionally embedded in a massive tree had been approaching the back of my head.
But I had already figured that out.
The reflection of the approaching pillar was visible in the assassin's eyes.
"Huh! H-How did you..."
"Never look your opponent in the eye when you're lying. Didn't they teach you that?"
"Damn it!"
He cursed and tried to throw himself off the tracks.
It was a move that would almost certainly kill him, but it was better than being captured alive.
However, he didn't succeed.
I had closed the distance in an instant and grabbed him by the scruff of his neck.
"Where do you think you're going?"
* * *
"Ughhh..."
In a corner of the cabin, the assassin lay crumpled, neatly folded in half.
I looked at him and clicked my tongue softly.
'In terms of skill, he seems to be on par with a Grade 2 agent of the family, but his professionalism is sorely lacking.'
The typical standard of a minor assassination guild, I suppose?
Their plan was meticulous enough, but they seem to have failed in their preliminary intelligence gathering.
To send such mediocre assassins, considering only Adel Richter's combat prowess.
Then again, given the guild's circumstances, they probably couldn't afford to dispatch more skilled agents.
"These men... they're from the Alkanus Guild?"
"Yeah. But no matter how deep you dig, you won't be able to find out who hired them."
After interrogating the assassin, I managed to glean a few pieces of information.
There was no need to resort to any particularly elegant methods of interrogation.
Luckily, I found a rather effective truth serum on the dead one's body.
All I had to do was drug him, ask some questions to get a few keywords, and that was it.
Once the drug wore off and he was lucid again, I could just confront him with those important words.
All while pretending it was a confirmation process.
'He'd assume he'd already spilled everything and would start talking on his own.'
This was exactly why I said the assassins from Alkanus lacked professionalism.
You should have denied it to the end, you fools.
"I never expected that much in the first place."
"You must have made a lot of enemies recently. If not, was the assassination postponed until after you enrolled in Venderford?"
"Hmm..."
Adel sank into thought, a serious expression on her face.
No matter how hard she thought, she couldn't think of anyone bold enough to send assassins after her.
Duke Richter's only political rival was Sword Duke Geoffrey Anders.
The most skilled man in the empire would have no reason to resort to such a despicable act.
In many ways, the case was becoming a mystery.
But just then, an idea struck me.
"You know what you said earlier."
"What was that?"
"About personally inspecting the snacks. It sounds like you had a significant influence on the introduction of the magitech train. Is that right?"
"Yes, I designed everything except the engine. The part about it running on rails, too."
"Then it makes sense that you'd have assassins after you."
"Ah! I see what you mean now."
She nodded as if she understood after just a few words.
'Oh, she's a quick study.'
The root cause was the reduction in transportation costs.
If large quantities of goods were transported by magitech train, the merchants who used that trade route would suffer.
The smart ones would quickly find other trade routes or devise new transportation methods.
But what about those who were both stupid and sinister?
"And what if there's more than one or two of them?"
"They'd pool their funds and attempt an assassination. Rather than doing it themselves..."
"They'd go through a guild. They're much more professional. Except for these guys, of course."
"It's just speculation, but it makes sense. I should order an investigation when we stop at the next station."
"Right. That's what family power is for."
"That sounds like a pointed remark."
"It's not out of insecurity. I was just reminded of someone who always flaunted his family's prestige."
Bizolt Railton, someone I'll have to beat the hell out of someday...
As I thought of that red-haired, curly-haired pig, I suddenly remembered kicking something smaller.
'That man who was blabbering in the hallway earlier also mentioned something about Railton.'
Should I start by messing him up?
"Mmm..."
As I was thinking that, a faint groan came from beside me.
It was the sound of Camil Felton, who was sleeping curled up on the bed.
Adel and I glanced at each other and shrugged.
"He's certainly consistent."
"That's why I like it. No need to guess whether he's sane or not."
* * *
"Ahem! Ahem! My apologies. I had no idea the Duke's daughter was the target of an assassination attempt..."
As we were about to get off the train, Viscount Milo, the man I had kicked, came to apologize with an awkward expression.
In truth, he had come to our cabin to argue about who was right and wrong.
But the moment he saw Adel's face, he made a dramatic change of attitude.
'If you hadn't controlled your expression, your life would have been over. You know that, right?'
I made a throat-slitting gesture with my thumb at Viscount Milo.
All with a cynical smirk.
He flinched and cautiously backed away.
"I-I shall take my leave now."
"Alright. Take care."
Perhaps because of my subtle threat, Viscount Milo's face had turned pale.
From now on, even Adel Richter's gentle farewell would probably not sound so innocent to him.
"It was nice while it lasted, but our comfortable journey is over."
"But we don't have much further to go. We're already in Marquis Penant's territory."
The magitech train had cut the travel time by more than half.
This was possible because it could run day and night without stopping.
But from here, we had to choose a different mode of transportation.
The railway tracks wouldn't extend all the way to the Forest of the Dead.
'It's been a while, though.'
Living in Venderford, I had no reason to visit the eastern branch.
From dungeon exploration to buying my own house, I have so many memories in this city.
'Come to think of it, the due date for the final payment is already getting close.'
Looking at the villa district on the outskirts of the territory, I remembered the A3 plot I had chosen last time.
I had until next June, so there was still some time, but it was natural to feel a bit anxious.
I still didn't have 25,000 Geld on me.
"Should I sell this?"
My gaze fell on the Goddess's Tear I had received from Ellington.
If I put it up for auction at the Black Spot, I could secure a considerable amount of funds.
But it felt like a bit of a waste.
It's not like I'm incapable of making money.
"What are you muttering to yourself about? Are you buying a villa?"
"No, it's nothing."
At Adel's question, I shook my head and looked away.
Looking at the villa district made me want to finish this tedious long-term mission.
But I can't do that right now.
I don't even have a girlfriend yet.
"Get in. We'll be traveling by carriage from here."
The carriage waiting at the station was clearly marked with the seal of the Richter ducal family.
No gate would be able to perform its duty before this luxurious carriage.
They'd be too busy opening the gate to even think about an inspection.
'I used to ride in carriages like this, too.'
For a moment, I felt a pang of nostalgia for my days as the young lord of the continent's strongest family.
But flaunting the ducal family's seal didn't guarantee passage through every gate.
As we tried to leave Marquis Penant's territory, the gate actually closed.
*Thud!*
"What are they doing?"
"I'll find out, my lady."
While the coachman went to assess the situation, we scanned our surroundings with uneasy eyes.
Something about the atmosphere at the eastern gate of Penant felt unusual.
Of course, I started with a joke regardless.
"Has the prestige of the Richter family fallen this low? To be stopped by a mere gate."
"That can't be it. There must be a reason. Could it be another assassination attempt or something?"
"I doubt it."
I know a thing or two about how assassins operate. They don't attack again right after a failure.
Targeting a well-guarded mark only leads to greater losses.
They wait until time passes and defenses loosen.
*Creeeeak!*
Contrary to our worries, the gate opened shortly after.
It seemed there had been some kind of mistake.
Soon enough, we learned the reason in detail.
"So you are the Duke's daughter. My sincerest apologies. The Forest of the Dead has recently begun to expand... We had no choice but to block the gate for safety reasons."
The person who rushed over and gave a sword salute was the commander of Penant's eastern gate.
From what he said, the situation outside the territory seemed quite serious.
Adel and I met each other's gaze and nodded slightly.
"It seems a full-scale exploration is needed."
Leaving the gate commander's worried farewell behind us, we headed east toward the Forest of the Dead.
After half a day's ride in the carriage, we finally arrived at the exploration team's camp.
But what greeted the 3rd Venderford Student Corps was, surprisingly, not the imperial army.
'Or rather, what was once the imperial army.'