As the rain falls harder with each passing minute, I waste no time going back into my carriage. Once again, I stuff myself into the small carriage.
"Commander, did they tell you what the mission is?" asked Frank. He had taken his seat from across me.
"No. All I was told is that I have to work with those 4 hybrid pigs." I said. Honestly, no one to work with those hideous creatures. They have always been looked down upon by the family and even its servants.
"Our seniors were right. The family's orders are always vague up until the last minute. By the way, can you please not fall asleep again. It's only 15 minutes until we get to the manor." said Frank.
"Yea, whatever. I'm sleeping the whole way back so I'll try to hold it in and Frank, how many times have I asked you not to call me commander in private? To you, it's been Arya for the past 6 years. " I say.
"I am trying to get used to calling you 'commander' even though you are not going to be doing any commanding. You don't know hard it is for me to call you that. " Frank has been my best friend for a long time.
He knows that I don't have much of a talent when it comes to planning or commanding. I have a loud voice but I don't know how to use it. Frank is smart. That's what all the Pigmen said.
I am the only commander by name. He would be the real brain behind the operations.
It didn't take long for the carriages to come to s stop. I had been distracted all this time by the conversation that we had quite often. It was about which pig in the family was fattest. Unlike outsiders, Frank and I could make fun of the Manupius family all we wanted.
They practically raised us and treated us like close family. It gives us the right to talk about them like so.
A knock came on the carriage doors and Frank opened it without delay.
"Commander, Vice Commander, we have arrived at the Manupus Family Villa." said a tall man with lean muscle, black hair, and black eyes.
"Cody, relay to everyone else that they are to unload the carriages and wait in the servant's quarters until further orders. The Commander and I will go converse with the young masters," commanded Frank with a tone of authority.
"Yes sir." The man walked away to really the order.
I just get off the carriage and walk towards the sprawling white mansion in front of me. The courtyard where all the carriages took up land off over 500 square meters. It was not as big as the training grounds I am used to but it isn't small either.
Frank followed right behind without uttering a single word along the way. I did the same. The atmosphere inside the mansion was just too eerie. The maids all had stressed faces and looked like they aged an extra 10 years.
There was no emotion on their faces as they silently went through the halls like ghosts. They were in a hurry to finalize all the accommodation for over a hundred people that they were not informed were arriving.
I climb up a stair of bright, marble stairs, walk through a long corridor, and arrive at an open door. Frank walked in behind me and closed the door.
"Welcome to our modest home, Ms.Arya. How was....."
"Spare me the pleasantries. I am here to work so give me my work?." I demanded.
Litus, the oldest of the brothers tried to greet me but I cut him off. I have no time to spare. I want to get my work done as fast as I could. I don't want any room for mistakes and give the family my all.
"If that is what you wish for, I shall comply. Your target is this couple." Litus placed a box with a dark blue, spherical gem embedded into it. It displayed a clear image of a handsome man with aqua hair and a crimson-haired goddess.
Wait.... did I just compliment another girl's looks. No, I didn't so forget what I just said. It was just an ugly woman with no level of attraction. Her hair is just messed up noodles drenched in spaghetti sauce. There is nothing good about her.
"Your mission is to kill both of them while retrieving a method to make this." Litus continued while talking out a strange umbrella. Unlike the paper umbrellas that I was used to, this one was made up of a strange, clear material.
"You're curious I see. This clear material is amazingly light and does not allow water to slip through. Water basically slides of this thing. This umbrella that it is made from can protect anyone from rain."
"How am suppose to find the production for this material? No one just leaves those things for people to just find." I asked. I could get killing them as it is what I'm good at but what about the other part, that's not part of my very small repertoire.
"I assume it's on the second floor of the shop that they run. I sacrificed a lot of my personal men trying to track where the supplies for this umbrella come from but I got no result. I have had to send over 50 trained assassins and skilled thieves only to learn that all of his stuff appears to come from inside his shop.
I can't even approach the store when that man is around as he notices everything due to his senses as a cultivator. Men that I send to his shop when he's out to eat get into the shop but never come out. Some of my scouts just watch him from a far distance disappear without the man moving an inch from the shop.
I actually don't think headquarters will blame if you can't find the production method but get rid of him without making a commotion and they will count this as a finished mission." This was the briefing the Litus gave me before I silently nodded and had Frank follow me out.
I walk through the corridor and jump down the stairs. A maid notices that I have finished my conversation and bows down to me while gesturing towards a room with two, single beds in it.
She was basically telling me that this would be my room.
'Hehe. Looks like we're sharing a room, Frank. You gonna make any moves on me tonight?." I asked jokingly.
"There are no moves to be made on you. I haven't told you this yet but I have someone I like so don't expect anything from me now or in the future. I am going to ask for her hand in marriage when I get." Frank's serious tone never changes. Even when talking about his love life, his face was still stern.
'You dense muthaf*cka! It was a joke dude, a joke. No need to take it seriously. I wouldn't have said anything if you had told me earlier and here I thought you would be a virgin for the rest of your life. What's her name?" I ask him while trying to defend my actions.
"Her name's Hailee," he replied. I could see his face turning slightly red at the cheeks. This bastard somehow could really make such an expression. Where in the world did his sternness from earlier go?
When I heard the girl's name, the image of a young girl with a small and fragile frame came into mind. She had long, brown hair that was tied into two pigtails, one on each side of her head. She had a round face with large brown eyes.
Hailee wasn't earth-shatteringly cute or beautiful but she wasn't unattractive either. She is just normal.
"You mean the daughter of the stable manager? Not bad I guess. She's a kind girl but I'm not sure her father would be willing to hand her over to a mercenary that always puts his life on the line." What kind of father would do so without even an ounce of hesitation.
"I already talked to her father. I'm not that dense. To be honest, I think you're the one that's going to end up a virgin. I don't think anyone would wanna marry an arrogant, muscle-bound battle maniac. " said Frank with a mocking tone.
"HOW DARE YOU!" I yelled while speedily tripping him. He falls face-first onto the ground and I plant my foot on his back.
"I don't need my man to agree. I while just beat him and then take him to the wedding altar. If the priest doesn't approve, I'll beat him too. All I need to do is find a man that I like." I say while rubbing the back of my boots into Frank's sturdy back.
I don't plan to get married anytime soon anyway. I'm gonna search for my perfect kind of guy when I get a good position in the family, have a manor under my name, and lots of money to spend.
I may not have much talent in cultivation but I know that 99 percent of humans could not kill me. As long as I surround myself with smart people, I won't invite any problems to come my way.
I let Frank up after a whole minute of keeping him under my feet. We go into the room close the door and sit on the beds across from each other. I took the left bed and he took the right.
"What do you think?" I ask.
Frankl started to swiftly scan the documents that were handed to him before he left Litus.
"Hmmm. This situation seems a bit odd. Based on this paper, the male target is at the Body Strengthening Level 2 - Peak Grade. He should be easy for you to handle as he should not have much skill at fighting humans and has a. He spent years just roaming and killing beasts. His wife isn't a cultivator so that's an easy kill.
The problem is that even when the cultivator man wasn't taking any action, there were still scouts and thieves going missing. I have to assume that there is either a group of talented individuals that are protecting them from the shadows.
There could even be another cultivator behind the scenes. This one unknown factor could be lethal to us."
Frank's explanation of our situation was simple. I had no question about the fact that this was an easy mission if there was not this hidden factor involved. I was confident about my skills against one person that was weaker and less skilled than me. I had no confidence when it came to things that hid in the shadows.
No one in my shoes should have confidence. I may be arrogant and proud but it doesn't take too long for something unexpected to break it. I may be grown up on the outside but not experiencing the world had caused my inside self to remain like a child.
"Do you have a plan then?" Only frank could get me out of this. That's why headquarters sent him here in the first place. He's calculating and cunning brain has allowed him to go tens of missions for the family before I even got to step outside of the training grounds.
'Of course, I do!" he claimed with energy in his voice. "You would kick my an*s if I didn't. So here's what we should do..."
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Deafening explosions went off. The explosions made the entire manor buckle at its feet and caused it to shake violently.
Even if it was loud, my physique was strong enough to keep me strong. I got on my feet within seconds of the explosions ending only to find Frank laying on the ground, holding his head, trying to cope with the shock of the booms.
I leave him on the ground and rush out of the manor and came outside. The rain was still pouring down with fervor and thunder was striking away at a distance.
I can smell a slight scent of burning from the east of the estate. The rain was probably cleaning and dampening out the smell while suppressing the fire. There was also not much of a wind that could carry the smell over to me.
Smoke!
There was a faint smoke coming from the servant's quarters in the east.
Noooooooooooooooo!!!
It cant be. My men. My comrades. That's where they had gone to rest.
I run as fast as my body could carry me.
I was swifter than the rain but to my disappointment, it was already too late.