Early in the morning, just before we left, the assassins came.
While most of them were either caught or killed in the traps I set up last night, only one actually managed to get past them and make it into my bedroom. The man that invaded was wearing a mask and black cloths and had a knife that was dripping with a purple liquid.
Still drowsy, I faced the man and went to seize him when both [Intuition] and [Release Trap] set off very violent warning bells in my head.
After blinking a few times, I noticed the reason why I was getting these warnings. Apparently, something quite similar to a bomb had been buried inside of his body. What had saved us is that it seems that the bomb will not activate from a distance.
Well, this is certainly annoying…
For the time being, I couldn't kill him because the others would have gotten caught up in his suicide attack, I'm fine with taking a bit of damage, I'll just heal instantly, but I'm not willing to put the others in harms way needlessly.
In the end, I just used [Parasite] and forcibly made him into my slave.
Although it was my intention to immobilize him and withdraw information with my finger, it seems that their free will and memories had been intentionally wiped clean. Most likely by using either magic or a specific magical item to manipulate their minds.
The rest of the men who were captured were in the same state, assassins that were more or less just meat puppets. I couldn't even give them orders, they were just empty shells.
I was able to take away their physical freedom by using my parasitic clones to make them into my slaves, but their minds were broken from the beginning and I don't have any reason to try and restore them. It's no use, so I'll just have to give up on trying to draw out any real information from these doll-like would-be assassins.
I inserted a clone into their bodies and removed the magical item near their hearts. In doing so, the assassin's chest burst open from the inside, that part couldn't be helped though.
The bodies of the assassins were eaten in their entirety and while I was at it, I also ate the magic item's explosive device as well.
Ability learned: [Burst]
Ability learned: [Human Bomb]
Although there was no way to trace their equipment back to the person who sent them, since I took the assassin's gear, I did secure a small amount of profit.
After eating them, I gave the Princess my report. She responded to it with,
"I see, if that's the case, we must find the culprits immediately. It'll be a good way to vent today's anger and dissatisfaction when we find them."
Well, I thought that the Princess would be able to determine the culprit immediately, but I guess not. Afterwards, since I have grasped the general strength and general habits of the palace guards, I had them separate into groups and do basic training in shifts.
From this point on, I intend to strengthen each section a great deal.
If I get it [Yatte? Dial? Andes] is even gold, would be assassinated but Konasu anything but would be smuggling but would be robbery, is one of the organization living in the world on the back of the human desire is swirling.
It has a reasonably long history, and a much higher request completion rate compared with other organizations, with a much greater emphasis on developing human resources in order to improve the use of equipment.
For the most dangerous missions, an additional level of insurance is achieved by the use of three tools unique to our organization; special corruption magic to eliminate the mind and ego, explosive magic planted in the back teeth to ensure the destruction of anyone who is captured, and the implanting of a magic bomb within the chest of each agent to secure the destruction of a target if all else fails. Because of these measures, we are considered one of the most reliable organizations in the underworld, with a measure of respect afforded to no other.
This time, the request was against some new arrivals surrounding the Royal Princess; it was a somewhat unusual request for "disinfection" of the flies in her vicinity.
From the collected information, the target has been found to be an enemy that we know almost nothing about, save that it's supremely unlikely that we can kill it from the front. We can only kill it if we approach from the darkness.
It is said that this being is so strong, it can approach and kill us before we can even see it coming. In this case, we will use everything we have.
Before we formed our strategy, we were given structural information of the palace around where the princess would be that indexed the shortest route to our target, provided by our client.
Assassinated in the run-time, by at the same time carried out the work, it has penetrated into the palace without find anyone.
Since the guards who are patrolling were redirected to give us an opening, there is no sign of life around.
After we approached under cover of the pre-dawn Usuyami, our only thought is to kill.
A very skilled Hikirutsu fellow also thoroughly prepared us by securing the best goods.
Black clothes called "Silent Cat" to increase our stealth skills, high quality sound deadening leather shoes called "Kaku Medallion", and matte black knifes coated with "Terminate Mamba" venom that could kill even the biggest monsters with one scratch.
Others were magically charged with a dark device to coat the whole body in a similar poison, and we were improved even further with a number of other magic items.
With all of this support and preparation, it was inconceivable that we would fail.
Looking back though, all of this and more were signs that this would not be nearly as easy as we thought. We realized too late that we were the hunted, not the hunter.
We were devastated.
Rooms of the palace. Most when the security is somehow arrived at the destination that is far in front of the bedroom of robust princess, had not already left only me.
Everyone else died.
I could not understand.
In the short passage leading to the Princess' room, there were more than a dozen traps hidden so skillfully that none of us could see them.
As we advanced down the passage, the floor opened up without warning and swallowed the first in line before sealing up again. It happened so fast none of us could help, and we would never know his fate.
The next to die stepped on a hidden switch and was instantly cut to pieces. Careful investigation revealed a large spring-loaded net made of near-invisibly-thin yarn; the few pieces of his face we could see among the chunks of meat looked surprised.
As we carefully proceeded with the walk, a portion of the wall not covered by a Hentetsu portrait suddenly revealed a slime-like thing that engulfed and dissolved another of our members.
We hurried through a shadowy portion of the passage in which lurked a strange thing like a spider that caught and ate more of our people.
Another hidden switch unleashed a storm of arrows that Tobinoki somehow managed to avoid, only to step on a portion of floor that had been covered in a highly viscous liquid that trapped him in place. Unable to dodge, Tobinoki screamed as he was turned into a hedgehog; it didn;t last long, as a strange poison on the arrows rotted him into a sludge that gave off a terrifying odor.
It was a hell like non we had ever experienced, far beyond common sense and logic. Evil traps waited in the wings, products of insane villainy. This kind of thing had never been seen in any residence of the aristocracy.
If it wasn't for the masks hiding our true faces and controlling our emotions, it would have been impossible to move.
The traps were incredibly vicious, and so subtle that it was already too late by the time you noticed them.
The only way to advance was to ignore everything but moving forward. If we thought about what was happening even a little bit, we would be stopped dead. The only thought in my mind was to kill the target, to introduce him to the bomb in my chest.
I finally made it past the hall of death, ready to challenge the target.
I do not know what the difference was. But, the next moment, I cannot move-no matter how hard I try, I cannot twitch a finger.
It seems I failed-it's no longer possible to stab the target with my venom knife. My only option is to detonate the twin bombs in my mouth and chest.
The back teeth will destroy my head beyond all hope of recovery, and the bomb will conceal most of the rest. It would be even better if I can take the target with me as collateral damage.
But nothing happened. My death was utterly wasted.