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“Are you saying those assassins are after the 2nd Consort Elisha of the Atien Empire?”
“Yes. What should we do? Shall I contact Barossa and warn them?”
“Since they had already left, it would be too late. There’s a high possibility that it will only cause misunderstandings,” Teo added to the conversation between the two. “Two of the three things Atien boasts are there, aren’t they? Let us calm down, Your Highness.”
“Right. I forgot about them for a while.”
And the things Atien boasted suddenly had increased by one more to become four, and if one added that up, there were three of them currently present at Verdin. If nothing had happened, it was only because the 2nd Consort Elisha was still holding her breath.
“Looks like the snakes made a mistake this time. How could they have accepted such a request?”
“I bet they didn’t know the two would move.”
They would have rejected it if they had known, despite being the best assassin group on the continent. Since they had agreed, there was no way to break the agreement.
“Cicero, check out who put such a request to the snakes. As is known, if the emperor of the Atien Empire cares for his second consort, there might be room for negotiation.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” Cicero bowed. The purple eyes of the prince turned towards the Atien Empire.
“I’ve never missed someone so much in my life.” Talking to himself, he pressed his eyelids down tightly to hide the young ferocity in his purple eyes. When he opened them again, there was no trace of his former expression anywhere.
“Your Highness, you really need to go now.” As Teo pressed on, Ishmael soon stepped forward as if nothing had happened.
***
When seen from the outside, the Verdin Duchy was sinking heavily to the point of suffocation, but in fact, it was not like that inside.
Rohan was intent on resolving the situation in the west on behalf of the duchy, and the citizens of the empire within the dukedom, who had experienced that they could change the world with their own hands, did what they could.
“When the 2nd Consort wakes up, let’s present Master Patrick and his wife as a gift!”
“I haven’t heard that they escaped yet, so why haven’t they been caught?”
Every nook and cranny resulted in nothing, and they increased their effort. Naturally, the inside constantly buzzed.
“Do you want to go outside? They could hide nearby, pretending to be scattered and waiting for the remnants to creep in.”
“By the way, who are the people we saw earlier? They seem unfamiliar.”
“These days, as we move around without dividing the area, the number of people I see for the first time has increased. I’m going to have to talk to Decal and sort things out. I don’t even know who’s who. Last time, two groups from different places searched the same place and misunderstood each other as rebel remnants, so there was a big fight.”
To the extent that one didn’t even know that there was a gap due to the somewhat radical flow.
***
“Is that Decal and the band of commoners still the same?”
“Yes. They’re guarding the entrance to the mansion. And according to the 2nd Consort, as long as Young Master Jonathan is alive, he will become the next duke thanks to his wife’s achievements… She hoped to have him take care of the commoners who contributed to the fall of the duchy.”
The 2nd Consort did not put forth only ideals. She did not forget the plight of those who had to live in reality. That was why those commoners ran amok even more.
“That’s right. Above all, there’s no way to infiltrate the mansion because of the mention of treason.”
“However, it is true that the relationship between the crown prince faction and the 2nd Consort is not very good, and even if it has improved recently, it is problematic to entrust her safety only to Marquis Blemir. I just want to go in quietly and check if the 2nd Consort is well.”
“Don’t worry, Prince. Sir Rohan is not far away. There won’t be any problem.”
There was nothing they could do, the Eastern knight turned around and said. Prince Raymond’s face hardened, and he looked back at Count Dyke, but even he shook his head. It would be a different story with the Shadow Knights, but they weren’t there.
Boom!
Those talking in the temporary shelter jumped to their feet at the sound of an explosion coming from somewhere.
“What’s going on?”
“There’s an intruder in the mansion where the 2nd Consort is staying!”
Was there a reason to wait and see if there was a gap…?
Knights of the Eastern and Imperial factions poured out from the temporary residence of the subjugation group prepared a little away from the mansion where the 2nd Consort was staying.
***
The man who belonged to the continent’s official Viper Killer Group with a palm-sized snake around his neck stared at the dagger he had thrust down.
Blood gushed out as soon as he stabbed the dagger into the quilt on the bulging bed where the shape of a person lying down was revealed. It was in line with the position of the heart, and he had never made a mistake.
The bloody smell that drenched his face and hands made him terribly relieved, thinking that this mission, which had been twisted to the point of repulsion, would come to an end like this.
No, it was not just a feeling. It was a reality that could be felt. The man quickly realized that the reason was because of the blood he had drenched herself in.
Blood spurting from a freshly cut throat or heart was warm, but this was not it.
“It’s too cold.”
As if it had been taken out from a dead animal and left to cool for a long time!
Shruk!
The man pulled the blanket off the bed he was looking down at once. A very well-made doll with the same shape as a person was lying there. With bags filled with blood all over its body.
Also, it seemed that the signal went as soon as the doll moved because of the man.
He could feel the pressure coming from the door inside and the window outside. However, the opponent did not move easily as they tried to hide their presence, perhaps trying to deal with him quietly. So the man moved first.
Whoooosh! Whoosh!
Low, long, and short. The man whistled and informed his hiding colleagues of the situation. Once discovered, there was no way to survive. The mission must be dealt with until the end. This was the law of someone with a snake around his neck.
Why would an assassin be so loyal? Because he would suffer worse if he wasn’t. The real fear of an assassin was that he couldn’t die when he should.
In particular, the group he belonged to was a bold group that engraved conspicuous patterns in places that were difficult to hide. He couldn’t hide or cheat.
Having made up his mind, the man quietly wriggled his hand, drew the dagger from the doll, and threw it straight through the window.
Crank!
As the man broke the window on the left, he rushed toward the right window. His crouching body was thrown through the window and out.
“Catch him!”
With the cry of the guards waiting outside the window, the attack struck the man floating in the air. While the man drew attention, his colleagues began searching the mansion.
***
Elisha stared blankly at the person standing in front of her.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
She became even more puzzled because she didn’t know what was wrong.
“How can you forget the way you once went?”
And it was not just a road; it was a secret passage. You should have remembered that if you sneaked out, you might sneak in!
“I couldn’t afford to pay attention to anything else,” Blemir replied. Really, at that time, all he could think about was the need to look at those sky blue eyes again. He couldn’t see anything around him.
Besides, why should she hide when she could walk on her own feet? She was the one who protected everything within those walls.
Elisha shook her head when she saw Blemir’s gaze naturally directed to the large entrance in the center of the outer wall.
“You said I would be treated at the mansion, so if I suddenly appear outside the castle, there will be a lot of talks.”
“Who dares to make fun of the 2nd Consort for moving because of her treatment?”
“The knights who moved together with the subjugation group would say that we did not inform them because we did not trust them.”
“It’s not because we don’t believe them; it’s because we don’t need them. I’m the swordmaster. Their presence will complicate matters.” Blemir was truly someone who would answer that way, so Elisha laughed a little.
“Also, isn’t there someone else who knows besides you, Marquis? And he’s also a commoner, someone who’s just right to be talked about in their mouths.”
Even Blemir couldn’t deny it when Decal was mentioned. Based on the circumstances, there must have been a lot of accumulated things, but if there was even a cause for Prince Raymond or the Eastern knights to vent their anger, Elisha’s position would be embarrassing, but it wouldn’t be comparable to Decal.
It was clear that Decal and the forces he led would be ruined by the Eastern and the Imperial knights.
“Besides, if we are going to reveal all our whereabouts, there’s a possibility that the gem mine will be known. We want it to be our own secret. I never want it to be known outside.”
When Elisha spoke, Blemir looked at her and opened his mouth. “I swear by my sword.”
She had expected him not to take it lightly, but how could she not thank him for that sincere reply?
She opened her mouth to say something but felt a growing commotion inside the walls surrounding the outer castle. There was no way Blemir hadn’t heard what she had. The corners of Blemir’s mouth curl up.
“There’s a good excuse.”
“I know, right? It looks like our guest came just in time.”
The two kicked off the ground at the same time and jumped up.
***
Stepping on the roofs of the rows of mansions, the two still didn’t know the way, so they moved toward the loud noise. Soon after, they saw a mansion with familiar knights in their eyes.
Even though they hadn’t come close yet, the smell of blood from the mansion stung their noses. There were quite a few dead people in the gardens on all sides of the mansion, but it wouldn’t smell as bad with that alone. There were probably several times that amount of blood in the mansion.
“The intruders seem to be quite skilled,” said Blemir. Someone able to infiltrate the mansion, which was thoroughly guarded by Decal, should be strong. But assassins were not simply strong but also specialized in stealth.
As such, if their existence was discovered, they became dangerous instantly. However, the fact that they resisted and endured as much as they did meant that they were not ordinary assassins.
Elisha, who was checking the surroundings, tapped Blemir lightly and pointed with her index finger at one of the fallen people in the mansion’s garden. To be precise, the exposed neck of a corpse dressed in black.
“It’s the snakes.”
Blemir confirms her words, “You mean the Viper Killer Group in the Santiano Empire?”
“Yes.” Elisha seemed to know at once who sent them.
Princess Jaylene.
In her previous life, she would directly get rid of the people she didn’t like, and when it seemed difficult, she often borrowed their help.
Elisha’s eyes glared through the mansion’s windows and found auburn hair disappearing. It was difficult to calculate the merits and demerits of the husband who helped deal with the assassin sent by his wife.