Guest (2)

The guesthouse for Hisperion's honored guests boasted security so high it was among the best on the continent.

Since it was situated within the Heavenly Sword Palace, where the head of the Heavenly Sword Family resided, it was personally guarded by the most elite force in Hisperion—the Heavenly Sword Knights.

No matter how skilled an assassin or thief, the walls guarded by the Heavenly Sword Knights were not something one could simply take lightly.

However, that only applied to intruders from outside the walls.

If the intruder targeting the guesthouse was already inside the palace walls, the situation changed.

Since the Knights focused their vigilance on the boundaries of the palace, the internal facilities were comparatively less secured, and of all the internal buildings, the guesthouse's security was a low priority.

No matter how important a guest the Heavenly Sword Family's honored guest might be, they would never take precedence over direct family members living near the family head.

That was one reason, but the biggest was that each and every guest was, from the outset, a terrifying monster who barely needed protection.

Except for Ian, all of Hisperion's guests were at least master-level experts.

Among them were even some at the same level as the Captain of the Heavenly Sword Knights—a Grandmaster. Who would protect whom?

The Hisperion guesthouse was truly the territory of the world's top apex predators.

For intruders, it was a deadly demon realm.

To break in with malice was essentially throwing oneself into a dragon's maw.

Was there really any assassin or thief foolish enough to do such a thing?

And yet—

Tonight, there was one such fool.

Alex.

An assassin for hire by Charlotte, and an expert of the highest class.

'Charlotte... That arrogant, overconfident brat... Always making me do the shittiest work...!'

Alex gritted his teeth as he darted-nimbly across the rooftops like the wind.

Tonight's mission was to infiltrate Ian's guesthouse and steal the rusty greatsword Ian had summoned during the Spirit Sword Ritual.

'Last time it was stealing the Supreme Mana Stone from the Magic Tower Auction...'

During that mission, Alex had nearly lost his life to the Magic Tower's security mechanisms three times.

'And now what? Robbing the guesthouse? Shit, why doesn't she just tell me to stick my head into a dragon's jaws? Playing along with that brat's nonsense has its limits.'

If he kept going along with Charlotte's whims, Alex felt he might die before reaching old age.

Not that many assassins died of old age anyway.

'How many times has that brat almost gotten me killed?'

It had only been six months since Alex joined Charlotte.

In that time, he'd lost count of how many times he'd brushed death.

'Damn... Contract or not... Should I just steal whatever's worth money and disappear?'

Or maybe—

'Kidnap that snotty brat Charlotte and sell her?'

If he handed her to a power hostile to Hisperion, she might fetch a good ransom.

'I'm seriously tempted. At this rate, stabbing her in the back and running off seems much safer. And I'd get my money faster.'

After all, the only reason he entered Charlotte's employ was for the money.

The money he needed for the business of his dreams.

'Steal Charlotte's jewels... Add her ransom on top, and I'll have more than enough to start that business.'

Drugs, organ trafficking, assassination, slavery, prostitution—

Vile enterprises where one could rake in cash by leeching off society and the innocent.

He could do them all.

Decision made.

'Good. If I just stay put, she'll keep sending me on these shitty assignments, so there's nothing to hesitate about. This'll be the last one. Time to start planning to stab her in the back properly.'

He would steal Charlotte's wealth and sell her off after kidnapping her.

'Once I've kidnapped her, I'll have my fun before making the sale.'

When that time came, he'd vent all he'd accumulated on her maddening face and body.

A silent sneer.

Alex's eyes and lips gleamed with malice.

'Still, I'm lucky tonight.'

From the high rooftop, Alex looked down at Lunabreeze, the guesthouse where Ian resided.

Next to Lunabreeze, the other guesthouses for Hisperion's guests were lined up in a row.

The guesthouses were clustered tightly together in one sector of the palace.

'Good thing all those monster-like guests are away right now. Otherwise, even an expert assassin like me couldn't dream of sneaking in here.'

Alex thought he had been lucky, but in reality, it was normal for Hisperion's guests to rarely stay in their assigned guesthouses.

Their nature was, after all, unaffiliated wanderers.

Rather than staying put, their way was to roam restlessly in pursuit of their own goals.

To the guests, the guesthouse was nothing more than an 'inn for a brief stay.'

It was natural for those places to be empty more often than not.

'The only thing to watch out for... are those two on patrol.'

Alex narrowed his eyes at the two Heavenly Sword Knights wandering the guest sector.

Judging by their energy, both were advanced-stage Expert.

'Nothing I can't handle.'

If Alex fully concealed his presence, even master-level experts could not easily detect him.

Hiding from expert-level knights was as easy as breathing.

'I'll finish the job before sunrise.'

― Swish!

Alex flung himself from the high rooftop.

Landing silently, he slipped like a shadow straight to Ian's guesthouse.

'Where's that rusty greatsword?'

The first place to check, naturally, was the armory.

'Found it.'

Should he be saying 'of course' or 'how careless'?

Through the armory window, Alex could see Ian's rusty greatsword plainly displayed on a stand.

'Can't go inside, though.'

As expected, the armory provided by Hisperion itself was enveloped in every lock and security ward imaginable.

Locks could be picked, but the moment he entered through the window, the security barriers would instantly subdue him.

'I prepared a special trick for times like this.'

A unique secret technique developed by Alex himself.

He wove his colorless assassin's aura into a hook to pull his target.

Dark Hook Throw (黡葛投).

'I'll thread through the narrow gap in the security, and drag that sword out.'

Alex raised his right hand, aiming at the rusty sword.

A colorless, tranquil shimmer gathered above his palm.

He whipped it forward as if throwing.

― Swish!

Alex's Yumgaltu extended silently, hooking onto Ian's Vladiark precisely.

'Got it!'

A sure sensation transmitted to his fingertips.

Yumgaltu had bitten down on the target.

'Now all I have to do is pull—!'

Just as Alex tried to haul the colorless hook in using his aura—

― Bzzzzt!

'Ugh—!?'

Suddenly, a pain like his entire mana circuit was being torn out swept his body.

"Ku... kuh-!"

So intense that even an expert assassin like Alex gasped as if at death's door.

But that was only the beginning.

'Wh-what...!?'

Alex's eyes widened.

― Crack! Crunch!

'My aura...! It's being devoured!?'

He could hardly believe it, but it was clear.

Like a vampire sucking blood, like a ghoul ripping out innards—

That rusty greatsword was greedily swallowing up his aura.

'Need to cut it off—!!'

He tried to sever the aura hook in a panic.

'N-no!'

Alex's aura slipped from his control, continuing to be helplessly swallowed by the rusty greatsword.

'N-no...!'

Every moment, his aura was being gulped down in clumps.

'If this continues...! I'll die!'

Alex realized his life was hanging by a thread.

'If I want to survive...! There's only one option...!'

At this rate, even his foundational innate vital energy might be devoured.

He had to decide quickly.

'No time!'

He had no choice but to sever his mana circuits!

The right decision.

However—

― Krunch!

'Aaaaagh!!'

It was already too late.

Vladiark's hunger had already reached his heart.

Unless he ripped out his own heart entirely, Vladiark's feast would not stop.

"Gaaaaaah!!!"

In the end, Alex let loose a scream he had been desperately holding in.

* * *

Late at night, the moon hung high overhead.

—Gaaaaaah!!!

"...?"

Ian woke from sleep to a scream coming from the first floor.

The first thing he checked upon opening his eyes was Sophia's safety.

"zzZ..."

Fortunately, she was sleeping soundly right beside him, oblivious to the world.

'Sophia's fine. But what's with that scream?'

An unlucky servant triggering a magic barrier?

Or an intruder?

Whatever it was, he had to check himself.

― Swish!

Ian grabbed the dagger by his bedside and climbed through the window onto the eaves.

Then, quietly—

Suppressing his presence, he moved toward the source of the scream.

'Hmm.'

Looking down from the eaves, he saw a corpse lying in front of the first-floor armory.

'Any other presences?'

He widened his senses, but caught nothing else.

'Nothing else. But maybe there's something I can't detect. I'd better stay alert.'

—Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank!

At that moment, a group of knights in splendid armor came running from afar.

They were Heavenly Sword Knights patrolling the area.

They must have heard the scream too.

"Contact the team leader with the communication stone! Hurry! This is where the Heavenly Sword Family's guest is staying!"

"This is Owl! Owl! Full Moon, please respond!"

—This is Full Moon.

"Incident in the Crescent Sector. Requesting urgent support!"

—Roger. Support is on the way.

From the third-floor eaves, Ian watched the knights enter the garden, suppressing his presence.

'Ugh... This is going to get noisy.'

Ian could see the knights crossing the main gate into the courtyard.

It couldn't be helped, since the scream came from this direction.

'No reason for me to go down there.'

But what concerned him was that the corpse was found near the armory.

'I'd better check inside the armory.'

There could be another intruder, or something might have been stolen.

Ian returned to his bedroom, tucked the blanket back over Sophia, then headed down to the armory.

Vladiark, Sophia's 5,000 gold greatsword, and other various swords were all displayed in the armory.

'Hmm.'

Ian immediately discerned the signs of the intruder.

'Was he devoured by Vladiark?'

In the darkness, Vladiark emitted a faint red glow, pulsing as though alive.

The blade was sharper and longer than when Ian saw it before bed.

'I see why the corpse was near the window. He tried to snatch Vladiark from there. Probably used aura to move it and got devoured right then and there.'

—Clank!

Ian carefully picked up Vladiark.

"Hmm...!?"

Before he knew it, he let out a soft exclamation.

'The amount of absorbed aura...!'

An entire advanced-stage expert's worth!

'So the guy outside was an advanced-stage expert?'

He hadn't found any other corpses devoured by Vladiark, so that must be it.

'I'll need to investigate the intruder further, but...'

The massive amount of aura stored in Vladiark was an unexpected windfall.

'If I use the top-tier elixir given by Heavenly Sword Family Head, and absorb all the aura stored in Vladiark...!'

With about two weeks left until the Sword Dragon Hall entrance trial.

In that time, reaching earlyt-stage expert was entirely possible.

'Basically, entrance exam valedictorian is in the bag.'

Sword Dragon Hall had a system where, depending on trainee performance, top rewards ranged from legendary elixirs to martial arts tomes and rare artifacts.

'If I reach earlyt-stage expert before entering, the best rewards will basically already be mine. I'll have them all to myself.'

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】