The night in the city was dark.
Watching the moon covered by thick clouds, the masked man thought it was the perfect weather for “work.”
Beside him were several companions, similarly cloaked in black clothing and masks.
Although they had already done various dirty jobs together multiple times under their employer’s orders, it was rare for five of them to gather in one place.
For the assassination of a mere 13-year-old boy, it could be considered an excessive show of force.
However, that strong response served as a gauge of how important this task was deemed by their employer.
Chrome Midas.
Infamous representative of the Midas family, known for treason, exploitation, and lacking respect,
His name echoed not just from his lineage but also because he was the last surviving child of a once-beloved concubine among Vern Midas’s many wives and was rapidly emerging as a notable contender among the heirs.
Recently, a large number of cubes that only took up space in the various branches of the Midas Guild began to be transported back to the main house. Various speculations filled the minds of the guild’s employees about the reason, but due to Vern Midas’s strict orders, no details were disclosed.
What was known was that this event stemmed from the boy, Chrome Midas, and the substantial profits it brought to the Midas family.
In addition to that, rumors spread among the guild staff that Vern was personally assigning various tasks to his young son while confirming the results, as well as the story of the typically aloof head of the family having a private conversation with Chrome for over dozens of minutes. This led to speculation that Vern regarded him as a strong candidate for heir.
Even if the speculation wasn’t true, the fact that the notoriously cruel and cold-hearted head of the Midas family had such regard for his son was undeniable.
However, that very uniqueness would cost the boy his life tonight.
“――.”
Words were unnecessary.
With a single gesture from the man at the forefront, several shadows submerged into the darkness of the night.
The target was a well-known lodging facility in the city where Chrome Midas resided.
Famous for its luxurious furnishings and high-quality service, it didn’t quite match the security level of the Midas family’s main residence.
A grappling hook thrown from across the building secured itself onto the roof of the lodging, and the black shadows skillfully descended the rope.
The window of the target’s room was grand and ornate, making it defenseless to an entrance from above.
The others simply jumped to the opposite side of the roof and entered.
<><><>
◆Grappling Hook Launch Point
◇Secured Location
□Window of the Target’s Room
━┓ ┏━━━━━━┓
┃ ┃ □
┃ ┃ □
┃ ┃ ┃
┃ ┃ ┃
┃ ┃ ┃
┃ ┃ ┃
◆┃ ┃◇ ┃
━┛ ┗━━━━━━┛
<><><>
– Yes, that was to be expected.
Until a flash of light shot out of the darkness and pierced the neck of one of the intruders.
There were no screams.
Just a brief sound, like the air escaping from a child’s ball, echoed softly.
The body of the man, off balance, tumbled straight down beneath the roof, landing with a grotesque thud on the ground.
It was only after hearing that sound that the word “ambush” flickered into the men’s minds, but the painfully slow realization came at a high cost.
With a sickening squelch, another man fell backward, pierced through the center of his chest.
As he laid there, blood staining the jagged spear that gleamed ominously, the three surviving men dashed forward, drawing their weapons.
A sword swung through the air, only to be met by a similarly-sized shortsword, blocking its path.
It was only after they closed in, swords clashing, that the assailants realized the one who had slaughtered two of their comrades was a young girl with unkempt brown hair, still showing remnants of childhood.
They had been informed about a girl following the target as a guard.
They also knew she was a former mercenary named Ligret from their prior investigations, but they hadn’t paid it much mind.
To them, the term “guardian” was superficial; they judged her to be akin to a maid or pet accompanying Chrome Midas out of personal fondness.
The actions of the assailants quickened as they finally sensed something was off.
To block the target’s escape and any reinforcements, one assailant lunged toward the window, while the other aimed a sword at the girl’s backside.
The blade plunged into her back, tearing through her insides, and she would soon breath her last, blood spewing from her mouth.
Two assailants were sure of their victory.
And in the next moment, that certainty shattered as effortlessly as a glass ornament.
The first one to feel the unease was the attacker swinging his sword up front.
Just a moment ago, he thought he was overwhelming his opponent, but suddenly, his blade was slightly forced upward as if pushed by some immense force.
The second one to sense an anomaly was the attacker aiming to stab the girl from behind.
The girl, who had just been right in front of him, had inexplicably vanished.
One was oblivious to the fact that the opponent blocking his blade had already vacated the position, while the other couldn’t halt his thrusting momentum.
In the very instant when the two blades invoked flows of crimson blood, Ligret’s strike, laden with her entire weight, cleaved through both assailants.
No longer able to tread the earth, their upper bodies embraced death in an eerie pose.
<><><>
Unaware that his comrades were falling one by one, the last assailant sprinted across the roof.
Reaching his intended location, he grasped the edge of the roof and hurled himself toward the window below.
With a loud crash, the window shattered, and flying shards lodged into his flesh, spilling blood everywhere.
The plan to quietly open the window without causing a commotion was already out the window.
The girl waiting on the rooftop was a tangible presence.
If their ambush had been detected for some reason, they needed to locate the target as quickly as possible.
If the target had already fled the room—
“Hah…!”
Startled by the sound of glass shattering, he found himself nearly involuntarily gasping at the sight of someone on the bed desperately trying to rise. He almost forgot he was on a mission, letting out a sound that bordered on laughter.
But his moment of delight was fleeting.
As he was about to cut off the target’s breath, his body suddenly froze, as if jolted by an electric shock, at the shrill scream of a woman coming from the bed.
Before his brain could comprehend the meaning of the sound he had just heard, he was abruptly knocked to the floor by a strike from the side.
An intense pain burned through his arm. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a feathered arrow.
And in one corner of the room stood a blond boy, quietly aiming a crossbow at him.
The last assailant struggled to rise from his fallen position, quickly realizing that his body was no longer responding to him.
‘Paralysis Poison.’
It was disturbingly strong, enough to immobilize his whole body within just a few seconds.
Such a thing wasn’t easily obtainable, even if one tried.
“If it’s something that can’t be obtained in the first place, that’s one thing, but for things that are hard to acquire, most often, money can somehow manage.”
The boy spoke as if answering the man’s silent query.
The boy wasn’t being careless in allowing the man to fall.
He held his crossbow steady, maintaining his distance from the man, with his words acting as a confirmation of the man’s reactions.
“So, using a female staff member from the Midas branch to gather intel on my bedroom’s location or schedule, and sending multiple assassins—I’m quite curious about who could pull that off.”
A sharp gasp escaped from someone on the bed.
“Could it be the nobles of the former royal family gnashing their teeth regarding our house? Or a victim harboring resentment from my father’s unscrupulous dealings? Or perhaps those half-blood siblings we share?”
The man didn’t respond. The poison might not just paralyze but also induce drowsiness, and consciousness began to gradually fade. But he couldn’t even take his own life while his body lay still.
“—Or could it be our eldest brother?”
The boy’s tone held a questioning lilt, but it was filled with conviction.
The man thought.
Another monster had emerged from the Midas bloodline.
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