Lancelot approached, his face twisted in a grimace as he asked, “Is it over?”
He shot a furtive glance at the corpse—decidedly dead—and let out a small sound of disgust.
I replied, “It’s over. Did you have a nice rest, doing absolutely nothing?”
“...You’re the one who told me to rest, man.”
“And you actually did? Just because I said so? My good knight, you’ll never get ahead like that.”
I pulled a handkerchief from inside my coat and wiped the blood from my hands.
“By the way, how long are you going to keep addressing me so casually? I am your superior, you know.”
“...Then what should I call you?”
“That’s for you to figure out. But if you call me ‘man’ like that once more, I’ll tell Lea everything.”
“Ugh!” Lancelot’s lips twitched as if that was the one thing he absolutely could not allow.
But only for a moment.
He let out a small sigh and, with great hesitation, muttered, “Boss.”
“Can’t hear you.”
“I said, Boss!” Lancelot yelled and turned his head away, looking for all the world like a sulky teenage girl.
I scowled at the sight. “Make that face again and I’ll lop your head off.”
“What? Why?!”
“Shut up. Hell, this is making me sick.” I fought back the urge to vomit and ran a hand through my hair.
At least the window was open, and the northern winter breeze was refreshingly brisk.
“Whew... What a filthy thing to see first thing in the morning.. Anyway, Kai, well done. Looks like you’ve learned how to wield Aura?”
“Yes, Young Master. Something just popped in my head.”
“That’s what happens when you first start using Aura. If you run into any blocks, just ask. I’ll tell you anything.” I ruffled Kai’s hair and smiled.
Just then, Lancelot grumbled and asked, “So, what did that guy say?”
“He kept his mouth shut. I didn’t get much out of him.”
“That’s a shame, but it can’t be helped. I mean, with that kind of torture you’d—”
“Their reorganization plans, org chart, the Guildmaster’s name and hometown, where the guild members’ roster is kept—oh, and did he happen to mention the Guildmaster’s age, too?”
I said it as if I were noting the time of day, and Lancelot shot me an incredulous look.
“...Isn’t that squeezing every last drop from his brain? I bet even the Imperial Task Corps would find out less than that.”
“Mm? Not at all. You haven’t really done a proper job extracting information unless you know how many pairs of underwear the man owns.”
“...Why would anyone need to know that?”
Huh. Is that so?
I paused, briefly lost in thought, then shook my head to clear it. “Anything you can find out is important.”
“...Leaving aside why it has to be underwear, what are we actually going to do now? Are we going to storm the guild?”
“Hmm...” Lancelot’s question made me stop and think.
Since the fake Lancelot had spilled a few secrets, we could, in theory, barge straight into the Assassins’ Guild and possibly come out on top.
We’d just have to interrogate the guild members one by one, gather the pieces, and use them to corner the Guildmaster.
But that would take far too long. Furthermore, having a chance at victory didn’t guarantee a win.
While Kai had managed to defeat a high-tier assassin, that was only a one-on-one duel.
What if there were, say, five high-tier assassins? And they all attacked together?
And if, instead of us springing a trap, they set one for us?
Kai might be able to cope somehow, but it was hardly likely that I’d make it back in one piece.
In unfamiliar territory, an assassin’s blade was still a very compelling argument for caution.
Besides, if the Guildmaster himself got involved, even Kai would be hard-pressed to handle it alone.
All things considered, charging into the Assassins’ Guild right now was an impossible plan.
I let out a faint sigh and shook my head. “We should deal with the guild after the engagement party.”
“Well, I do think that’s a better idea myself. With a high-tier assassin dead, the Assassins’ Guild will probably keep quiet for a while.”
I nodded at Lancelot’s words.
Certainly, with a high-tier assassin now dead, the Guildmaster would have to keep things quiet for a while—if only to figure out what on earth had happened.
After all, he’d need time to wonder what sort of powerhouse was lurking in the shadows and, more importantly, what crucial detail he’d missed.
I do wonder what face he’ll make when he finds out that the so-called powerhouse is a kid who hasn’t even reached adulthood yet.
I rolled my eyes over to Kai.
Kai, with his white hair drooping low, was busy collecting throwing knives and other deadly souvenirs from the dead assassin’s clothes.
When the boy noticed me watching, he blinked and asked, “Is it all right if I keep these?”
“You might as well grab Lancelot’s things too.”
“Why would he take my stuff?” Lancelot interjected.
“Ah, not you, sir knight. I meant that other Lancelot lying over there.”
“…Please don’t go handing out my name to corpses.”
“Tch, how fussy.” I shook my head.
In any case…
We’d gotten the information we needed, and the situation was wrapped up.
Which meant our next move was obvious.
I pulled a fresh pair of gloves from inside my coat and slid them on, announcing, “Let’s head back to the Duke’s residence.”
* * *
Meanwhile, at Duke Artezia’s estate—
The crash of shattering crockery rang through the halls.
“AAAAAARGH!”
Hera Artezia, the duke’s only daughter, stood with her red hair in wild disarray, breath heaving as if she’d just run a mile.
“How could they fail?! How does anyone botch an assassination against Louis Berg, of all people?!”
She’d commissioned the so-called best Assassins’ Guild in the North.
They boasted a whole roster of high-tier assassins, their competence so reliable you could set your watch by it.
So, naturally, she had assumed success was a foregone conclusion!
Hera scowled fiercely as she hurled the letter she’d just received across the room.
The letter, which had arrived only moments ago, bore two words: “Mission Failed.”
She’d staked twenty white gold coins on this job, and this was the news she got for her trouble.
She felt as if her insides were about to burst into flames and take the rest of her with them.
“Louis! LOUIS BEEEEERG!”
Seething, Hera snatched up her necklace and hurled it at the mirror.
Crash!
The glass shattered, scattering shards across the floor.
Huff… Huff…
Hera gnashed her teeth, her breath coming in ragged bursts.
She looked every bit the villainess from a cautionary tale, enough to make the attendant girls tremble and hold their breath.
Just as everyone was silently wishing for the storm to pass quickly…
Creeeeak—
Hera’s door opened, and in walked a long-haired man.
“It’s hardly proper to call your former fiancé’s name with such longing, you know.”
“…Young Lord Dragunov.”
“That’s right. Verick Dragunov—your current fiancé. At last, you call my name.”
Verick Dragunov shooed the attendants out with a wave and flopped into the guest chair.
He pulled a cigarillo from his pocket, placed it between his lips, and lit it.
Fssst—
A sharp, smoky scent began to drift through Hera’s room.
Verick took a slow drag before speaking. “So, what’s got you so cross?”
“…It’s nothing, just a minor setback. You don’t need to concern yourself.”
Hera steadied her breathing and swept her hair back with a hand.
Verick watched her, wearing an insincere smile as he spoke again. “My lady. Even if our engagement is one of convenience, we’ll soon be husband and wife, won’t we? So tell me. What’s gotten you so worked up?”
“…I said it’s nothing.”
“Was the new dress at the boutique sold out? Or did the cake run out of cream? Or perhaps—” Verick’s lips curled into a sneer. “—you failed to kill that misbegotten cur, Louis Berg.”
Hera’s eyes widened and she jerked her head up.
What did he just say?
Failed to kill Louis Berg? How does he know about that?
Hera bit her lip, her face stiff with shock.
Verick let out a soft chuckle and continued speaking. “Not much for hiding your feelings, are you?”
“…I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Ha! No need to be so tense. I’m on your side.” Verick tapped the ash from his cigarillo.
“Dragunov County and the Duchy of Artezia will be sworn to each other for eternity, after all. As long as your looks don’t change, my love will never fade.”
Hera bit her lip in a moment of silence.
Then she sighed and swept her hair back again. “…Hah. So how did you find out?”
“I slipped some money to those guild fellows. Promise them a white gold coin and they spill everything.”
“...You must have money rotting away somewhere.”
Burning through a white gold coin just for a scrap of information—truly, only the richest family on the continent could afford such extravagance.
"That's right. I hired someone to kill Louis Berg. But things got a bit tangled. Will you take care of it?"
Hera tossed out the words like she didn’t expect anything in return.
Engagement or not, their relationship was only born of necessity. Verick wanted the duke’s name and her looks; she wanted the Dragunov fortune.
Naturally, love had nothing to do with it.
Though, if it had been Louis Berg, that soft-hearted fool would have jumped up at her request, eager to prove himself.
Hera waved a hand dismissively and began, “If you can’t do it, just keep quiet and let—”
“I’ll take care of it.” Verick stubbed out his cigarillo.
She blinked at him, surprised into momentary silence. “Excuse me? What did you say?”
“I said I’ll take care of it. It just so happens that your ex-fiancé has been bothering me for a while now.”
Verick spoke as if it were nothing and pulled a box from inside his coat.
The box was about the size of a small wooden case. When he opened it, there was a single badge inside—it had a black background with a single red dot.
Hera cast a puzzled eye over the emblem, which resembled a red star hanging in the sky.
“What’s this?” she asked.
“Death Veil. It’s how you use their services.”
“Death Veil... you mean the Death Veil? Weren’t they supposed to be gone?”
“Gone? Not at all. They’re alive and well.” Verick responded with a wry smile.
Death Veil.
With that illustrious band of assassins involved, a trivial fool like Louis Berg would surely be dispatched in the blink of an eye.
“My grandfather had some dealings with Death Veil, you know. That’s why we still have a contact.”
“…Impressive. Honestly, I never would’ve guessed.”
“Just wait. You’ll get exactly what you want.”
* * *
“…What’s this?”
“It was embedded in the assassin’s skin.”
After returning to the Praha Manor, Kai handed me something.
A blood-soaked scrap of paper.
Scrawled across it was a request—a contract calling for my death.
“…You managed to grab this in the middle of all that?”
“Yes. Didn’t you tell me to collect anything like this, Young Master?”
“You really are better than Lancelot, my boy.”
“Oh, come on! Why are you picking on me again?!”
Lancelot shouted, lips jutting out in protest, but I ignored him and ruffled Kai’s hair.
Spotting and retrieving the contract in all that chaos—now that’s what I’d call a universal solution on two feet.
I said, “If there’s anything you want, just say the word. I will get anything for you.”
“Uh… then, could you please buy me a new dagger? The one I used before is all chipped.”
“Very well. I’ll get you the finest one available.” I kept patting Kai’s head as I spoke.
Considering what he’d managed to bring me, I could buy him a hundred daggers if he wanted.
Grinning with satisfaction, I turned my attention to the contract Kai had handed me.
[ Client: House Praha ]
[ Agent: Anz ]
A slow, chilling smile crept across my face.
Agent Anz… a knight of the Elder Council.