Just before falling asleep, the ‘survival expert’ blared a warning.
Thanks to that, I managed to dodge an ambush and catch the enemy off guard.
I aimed my sword at his neck and asked,
“Who are you?”
The guy wore a black mask, just barely showing his eyes.
His outfit was completely black, making it hard to identify him in the night.
Clearly, this wasn’t a normal getup.
There was no one in Bethany who dressed like this.
“Who sent you?”
Naturally, I concluded he was an assassin sent by someone.
‘Could it be Eliya…?’
Coincidentally, the only person I know who would send an assassin is Eliya.
‘Does she really want me dead that badly…?’
I could certainly die for her.
Not as a job, but as a human. There was a time when I was like that.
‘But this way…’
I glanced around, seeing the sword hovering below his neck.
I pressed the sword closer.
“Stop stalling and answer. Who sent you?”
“There’s been a misunderstanding….”
“I’ll set some rules for a smooth conversation. First, answer only the questions I ask. Second, don’t think about it, just answer immediately. And third, if I don’t like your answer, I’ll cut your neck.”
“…….”
“Hmm. You’re quite loyal. It doesn’t seem like you plan to tell me….”
“…You. Now that I see you.”
His eyes widened as he stared at me.
As if he recognized me.
“That failure…?”
“…Failure? Do you know me?”
Seeing that I piqued his interest, a smirk crept beneath his mask.
“Well, curious, are we? Then let me start with this sword….”
I nudged my sword slightly.
Skin split open, blood oozing out.
“Will you get the picture when your head and body have to say goodbye?”
“…….”
“If you don’t answer by the time I count to three, I’ll just go ahead and end you.”
One. Two.
“…Three.”
The moment I spat it out, he launched backward.
He floated lightly through the air, landing gracefully.
With a satisfied smile, as if he had already succeeded in escaping.
However, that smile didn’t last long.
“Ah…?”
I predicted where he would land as he took off and threw my sword.
The sword pierced his abdomen perfectly.
“How….”
“I got you.”
“Cough, hack….”
He knelt down, coughing up blood.
His gaze was determined, as if he would not speak until the end.
“Such loyalty. I don’t know where you were sent from, but there is a way to confirm something.”
I drew a dagger.
It wasn’t mine.
I picked up the dagger he had thrown and missed.
“Don’t tell me….”
His eyes widened, as if he had guessed what I would do next.
That guess was probably right.
I rolled up his sleeve and stabbed with the dagger.
“Ugh…!”
The wound gradually darkened.
Assassin Guild.
It was Ramek’s deadly poison.
“So you’re from the Assassin Guild.”
I had considered various possibilities; it wasn’t only assassins from the guild who could do this, but now it was confirmed.
Could it be that Eliya sent him to kill me?
‘Assassin Guild, huh…’
Thinking back, the assassin who had come to kill Eliya five years ago was also affiliated with Ramek.
That assassin had paused too, as if recognizing me.
‘Did I just think it was my imagination?’
The assassin closed his eyes as if he had given up.
With a solemn voice, he said,
“…Kill me.”
So I did.
I brought my sword down with a thud.
After he took his last breath, I rifled through his belongings.
‘There should be a mark here… Is this it?’
A small emblem.
This silver ornament was the Assassin Guild’s insignia.
You could only head to their sanctuary with this.
Though calling it a sanctuary was an understatement.
It was just a place where they hung out.
The Assassin Guild was an organization founded under an obscure religion long forgotten.
‘Celestial Church. Those who praise the heavens.’
I pondered for a moment.
‘It seems this past of Judas is tied to the Assassin Guild.’
Though I was dispatched to Bethany, I wasn’t stuck here.
I could move freely.
I’m basically a discarded identity now.
‘…I wonder how they’re doing.’
The bodyguards of Room 13.
Hermis, Shylock, or maybe Anna.
Yuel, Bradley.
…And Eliya too.
It’s funny; I’m curious if they’re all okay.
‘What a total fool I am.’
I’d never realized I could be this foolish.
I should have known from past experiences.
“Haah….”
For now.
It will take more time for what I asked Hermis to prepare to be ready.
So I have the luxury to visit the Assassin Guild.
‘They’ve set up their sanctuary at the demon realm’s border, so it’s not far from Bethany.’
I acquired Ramek’s symbol, and I know the entry password.
‘Nothing much will change, but should I give it a shot?’
I hesitated slightly before leaving Bethany.
What if Eliya comes looking for me while I’m gone?
‘How ridiculous.’
A bitter laugh escaped me.
It mixed with mockery.
I felt pathetic for entertaining such vain hopes.
I felt like I wanted to slap myself.
‘There’s definitely no way Eliya would come looking for me.’
*
Balak sat on the sofa.
He stared intently at the woman across from him.
Her once lustrous black hair was now disheveled and dull.
Her vibrant red eyes were lifeless.
She looked like someone about to die.
Balak sighed and called her name.
“…Eliya.”
Eliya answered in a small voice.
It was as if she were just a mechanical doll reciting prewritten lines, not responding to the person in front of her.
“I have no intent to withdraw the accusations I disclosed. I will crush the Empire, Bevel, and Molsin Church all at once. No negotiations.”
“Haah… Eliya, please… Why are you doing this, seriously… I’ve told you repeatedly it was a misunderstanding, right?”
“…….”
Eliya stared into space with unfocused eyes.
“This father…. No, ugh….”
Balak hurriedly shook off the term “father.”
It was too disgraceful to say.
“I know I was wrong. I even understand that you can’t trust me, sure. But the idea that I wanted to kill you, along with Molsin Church and the Empire? That’s ridiculous.”
“…….”
Seeing Eliya’s silent expression, Balak felt a severe headache.
Her recent statements about the leak and the anti-Empire faction.
From claiming that the Judeca Beast Incident was a ploy by the Empire to the assertion that he, Johan, and Molsin Church conspired to secretly assassinate Eliya, a bastard child.
The rationale was to maintain a balance of power.
To eliminate Eliya, who harbored a disproportionate talent reminiscent of the mythic age.
Explicit details were even outlined for why they needed to do that.
Balak and the Emperor needed to keep the war alive to not endanger their power.
The evidence was laid bare.
The statement was distributed across the continent, thoroughly pressed onto both sides of the paper.
Rumors circulated about a war breaking out between the anti-Empire faction and the Empire.
Ironically, the rest of the Bevel family, excluding Eliya, sided with the Empire.
By chance, Balak’s children all agreed with that sentiment.
All five sided with the Empire, actively endorsing the idea of killing Eliya.
Meanwhile, Balak, the head of the family, was planning to overthrow the Empire.
Everything had gone awry all of a sudden.
All the anti-Empire factions that Balak had been eyeing had been absorbed by Eliya.
That wasn’t even the important part.
Eliya, who boldly announced her statement, looked like a corpse lacking vitality.
She wouldn’t even respond to questions.
“Please… Daughter, just say anything….”
Only Balak and Eliya were in the reception hall.
He finally knelt on the floor, having descended from the sofa.
“I know I hesitated far too long in taking care of you. I shouldn’t have ignored you, but I did, saying it was unavoidable. Yes, it was a despicable act. However, I truly never wished to harm you….”
“The Grand Duke.”
Eliya’s deadpan gaze met Balak’s.
Her unfocused eyes didn’t really seem to be looking at anything in particular.
“You dislike me, don’t you?”
“I was wrong. I’m sorry… You thinking like that leaves me no room for excuses. I understand it all too well. But saying I wished to kill you is false. Eliya, we shouldn’t become enemies….”
“You don’t need to make excuses. Ultimately, I have to be hated by everyone.”
“Why would you say that, Eliya….”
“Because that’s the kind of person I am.”
As she spoke, Eliya got up from her seat.
“I have nothing more to say. Unless you came to declare war, you may leave.”
“Eliya….”
Eliya exited the reception room.
Her steps were so weak; it looked as if a corpse was walking away.
“Haah….”
Left alone, Balak wiped his face in frustration.
He slowly stood up from the floor.
Currently, Eliya, the centerpiece of the anti-Empire faction, showed no signs of reconciliation.
They could end things peacefully, but she refused everything.
He could barely meet Ariya’s eyes.
Balak sighed deeply as he wiped his face.
‘What on earth should I do about this? The Empire is on high alert…’
This situation would lead to a civil war within the Bevel family.
That must not happen.
‘It’s my fault. It’s all my shortcomings and foolishness…’
He knew that well, but the outcome must not lead to a rift within the family.
Eliya, or any of his other children, must not die.
‘If only I were to die instead… but that won’t solve anything. What should I do….’
The door to the reception room carefully opened.
The one entering was a maid with red hair.
Ria brought in tea and sat in front of Balak.
Balak fell onto the opposite sofa as if he had collapsed.
“It’s been a while since we’ve spoken face to face.”
“Indeed. I want to ask you something.”
“Anything.”
“Eliya’s claims… They’re false, aren’t they?”
“Even if I can’t say otherwise, I understand how it appears. But I swear by the sun, it’s a misunderstanding.”
“Then why did Eliya….”
“I’m also dying to know why….”
Balak chugged his tea like it was liquor.
Placing the cup down, he asked,
“But what happened to make her like that?”
“Maybe it has something to do with Judas.”
“That brash kid? No, what on earth did he do to my daughter?”
“It wasn’t Judas directly… Eliya drove him away. To Bethany.”
Balak doubted his ears.
Bethany?
Wasn’t that practically equivalent to being exiled?
Knowing what Eliya thought of Judas, Balak couldn’t understand this at all.
Besides, why was she struggling so much after sending him away?
“It doesn’t seem like she wanted this situation.”
“Then why…?”
“I don’t know. Even when I ask her, she just keeps repeating that it’s her fault, that it’s her wrong…. I genuinely don’t know what to do….”
At that, Ria finally let her tears fall.
Balak could only watch her sorrowfully.
In the end, their hurt partly stemmed from him.
He was burdened by original sin.
“When she wakes up screaming in the middle of the night, and every meal is thrown up… I’m so scared….”
“Haah….”
“Surely, there won’t be fighting, right? No way?”
“Of course not. I’ll do everything I can to prevent it.”
Balak stood up.
There was no time to spare to stay idle.
“Wasn’t Miguel the house manager?”
“Yes.”
“Make sure to stay in good graces with him. Have him reinforce the mansion’s security. Things feel off.”
“Understood.”
“Then I’ll take my leave….”
Balak glanced at Ria.
With the makeup, her original impression looked very different.
Even her voice and expression were skillfully fabricated.
She was once a dancer, after all.
Nonetheless, he could glimpse bits of her old self.
He wanted to say more.
Apologies? To wait just a bit longer? Or maybe thank you?
How was Narcissi doing?
But all of those felt too embarrassing to say.
“…Next time, I’ll come with good news.”
*
Eliya walked up to her bedroom.
She refrained from using teleportation to conserve magic power.
She collapsed onto the bed.
Thud.
Her head bobbed up and then sank down again.
The blanket lifted high before falling back down.
This wasn’t her room.
It was Judas’s room.
The bed still smelled of him.
When she closed her eyes and concentrated on her breath, it felt as if he were right next to her.
In that moment, she would move into his embrace.
In her slumber, he would hold her close.
As if he would protect her from any storm, like a large umbrella.
She fell asleep, intoxicated by the comfort.
If he truly existed, it would be like that.
What she hugged was only a black cat plushie.
A gift Judas had given when she was young.
She covered herself with the blanket and pulled the scarf-like cover up to her nose.
Wanting to drown in her memories with him.
That was a futile act.
The more she submerged, the more his absence loomed in her reality.
It was like a drug.
While using it, she felt as if she were dancing in paradise, but once the effects faded, she plummeted into despair.
Once, she couldn’t understand those who relied on drugs or alcohol.
Now, she understands.
She knows it’s an act of self-destruction, yet she can’t stop.
Her hazy eyes glanced out the window.
On the windowsill was a potted plant.
Anemone.
Judas hadn’t taken it away.
The flower buds had opened wider than when he left.
Almost ready to bloom.
But the pot’s owner was nowhere to be found.
Within her mental cage, the red anemone continued to display its colors, bathed in moonlight.
A space in her consciousness.
It was an illusion.
A shadow she could never reach.
Reality was the same.
He wasn’t by her side.
All that was left was a faint echo.
Even that couldn’t last forever.
Eventually, it would disappear.
And when that happens, what will I do?
“Ugh….”
Eliya choked back her tears and pulled the plushie tighter.
Where could he be by now?
He hadn’t gone to Bethany, surely.
He’s capable, so he could settle down anywhere.
Is he eating on time?
Is he getting enough sleep?
Is he hurt anywhere?
She wanted to follow him around, asking one question after another.
Then he would, flustered, tell her everything’s fine.
Smiling as if to reassure her.
Ah, no. That wouldn’t happen.
He would probably treat her coldly since she did something detestable.
That would be only fair.
She had cut him down with harsher words.
Now, she knew that even if they met again, it wouldn’t turn back.
Just.
Wherever he goes, she hopes he’s well.
Without any news reaching her.
So far away that she couldn’t even consider visiting.
‘What… am I doing….’
Numbed reason drifted away from her sense of reality.
In trying to do better, she had sent Judas away; instead, she accomplished nothing.
Instead, she suffocated in nightmares every day.
No matter if she slept or stayed awake, it was a nightmare.
An eternal dream from which she couldn’t wake up.
‘I miss you….’
Dependency.
Eliya felt the meaning of that word anew every day.
Once she began depending, she knew it could never be shaken off.
Even while knowing it, she averted her gaze.
She was a dangerous person to Judas.
*
A place for the heavens.
Sanctuary.
It’s the core residence of the Assassin Guild.
In terms of its name, the location was shabby beyond measure.
Beyond human land.
At the edge of the demon realm, once a grand city stood.
Now, I spent my time in an underground reservoir there.
There was a shortcut through the sewers.
I just arrived at that entrance.
Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock….
Exactly 12 times, with a steady rhythm.
Then, inside, they would question.
-Chaos is.
Then, I would follow up.
I knew the answer.
“Order.”
The great door opened inward.
It barely cracked open, and a pale-looking man showed his face inside.
Blindfolded, he was a blind man.
I pushed the emblem through the narrow space.
He took it, fumbled with it for a moment, then nodded in acknowledgment.
He returned the emblem and opened the door wider.
I was granted entry.
I stepped inside smoothly.
It was my first time, yet it felt like I had been here before.
I had frequently visited in the game.
I vividly remembered what the structure looked like.
I affixed the emblem to my waist and stepped further inside.
Passing through the wide sewer, I arrived at a much larger and grander reservoir.
It felt like a different world existed beneath the ground.
Despite its size, there weren’t many people there.
The sparse figures were absorbed in their tasks.
Polishing weapons.
Throwing knives or shooting arrows at a scarecrow.
Or just sitting and resting.
Some shared know-how with their fellow comrades.
‘The archive… is this way.’
If Judas were truly here, there would be records left behind.
These folks were thorough in this regard.
‘Judas Defecit. …Should I start with J or D?’
After rummaging for a while, I finally realized.
‘It’s in the extras-J section.’
Extras.
A shelf where information on those expelled due to unfortunate accidents or issues is collected.
‘Judas Defecit… Here it is.’
I don’t know my birthday, but I know my age roughly.
The personal information written here matched perfectly.
‘So he really was a member of this guild…?’
I thought as I read the briefly outlined content.
[The boy brought in by Bishop Angra of the Molsin Church. Estimated to be around 8 years old.]
He was incredibly young.
Eight years old was roughly ten years ago.
[Recommended as a usable blade. Verification confirmed true. Gifted in crisis response, quick-wittedness, a lack of aversion to killing, etc. Talented individual. Seems he was already trained by the Molsin Church. Particularly, he shows a distinct will towards his objectives.]
[However, he made a significant error during his first assignment, leading to a decision to expel him from the guild. His mission result was processed as a success.]
No records followed.
‘He made an error on his first mission?’
It seemed like he was ordered to kill someone and messed up.
‘But the mission appears to have been a success, so he must have killed someone after all.’
Did something go wrong along the way?
There was additional documentation about the first mission.
[Standing by at Gethsemane. Conducted in the forest path leading from the capital of the principality, Hesbon, to Gethsemane. The carriage driver was bribed, so it was just a matter of timing.]
[The target’s characteristics were a woman with black hair and black eyes. Her name was Mari….]
Just as I was about to read the next line.
“That’s quite the unusual sword you carry.”
Someone spoke from behind me.
‘That voice is….’
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