In an exquisite manor that overlooked the entire city.
The light emitted by the dim fluorite illuminated the well-arranged study.
On the desk, a goblet that looked stood out from the surroundings.
A light red liquid swirled inside.
The wine wasn't expensive. It looked a bit too cheap for such a glamorous manor.
After having a high status, after having enough wealth, what he got was just tiredness, sickly tiredness.
6He had enjoyed the top-notch things. Now, he should try a lower one. In fact, it could still provide a different kind of pleasure.
Or so Lissner thought.
As the head of the Empire's No.1 business family, Lissner felt his palate had been corrupted by those so-called famous wines.
He picked up his wine goblet and walked towards the window. The Buried Gold City was lit up. The people were busy rebuilding their homes.
"What's wrong?" Lissner suddenly asked for the empty room.
In the study, a figure silently emerged from the shadows and stood behind him. Wearing gray robes with the smell of sewer, a low sound of gears turning in a skeleton metal mask was heard.
"Mission failed."
A harsh sound was heard like nails screeching over steel. Making one felt chill just from hearing the voice.
"I thought the 'undertaker's' target would never see the sun the next day?"
Lissner's voice was unperturbed. He still gazed at the city below, illuminated by the moon.
"You've failed twice. Have your death inventory grown smaller?"
"There's a mistake in our calculation." The rough voice sounded again. "There's an unknown presence that was secretly protecting the target."
"Protecting?" Lissner stopped swirling his goblet. "Who was it? Who in this world, other than the Saints, can deny your gift of death?"
"Insufficient information. The undertakers were all killed in the dark. And the target killed them through the heart. But something certainly had interference before the death happened."
"The assassination organization that made people scared frantically had lost their power?"
Lissner finally turned around and looked at the figure so dark even the light refused to illuminate it.
"How many years have you roamed this world? How many lives have you claimed? But now, you can't even kill a helpless young girl?"
"The initial judgment was wrong. The target, Empress Naiya Dodran is not just an unknown daughter of the Emperor."
A different emotion finally appeared in a rough voice. An emotion called anger.
"From the information we had, she was raised by a Saint who had escaped the Court of Gods and possessed peculiar bloodthirsty symptoms but quickly disappeared after reaching adulthood. Now, the target was a knight maiden that had killed hundreds of beasts."
"And whose fault was that?" Lissner spoke, unconcerned.
"If you hadn't failed in the first mission, that little girl would've died in silence. There won't be a 'Her Highness' anymore. No 'hero' that saved this city, and so on. Now things are getting messed up. Naiya? Now I know her name, and so the whole city."
Lissner placed the goblet next to the windowsill and looked at the crowd below, "The whole city remembers her name as well! Her Highness the Empress, Naiya."
"Does the mission continue?" The other party ignored Lissner's words and continued asking in a stoic manner.
Even though the mission had claimed 2 of their members.
"Of course. Why shouldn't we? You can even slay a king, but I can't afford the price."
Coming out from one of the wealthiest people in the country, the price must be no joke.
Lissner knew the undertaker's reputation. No one knows where they came from. Nobody knows how many people they had, hiding in the shadows. People only remembered their metal skeleton masks and their names, "Undertaker"... accompanying grave news.
Everyone can hire them anywhere. As long as they pay enough money, they can help them kill anyone.
Anyone, even the current Emperor, Dodran XXI.
Despite the fact that the price to assassinate him was much lower because of his illness and weakness, Lissner knew it was pointless. His death was only a matter of time anyway.
Especially now, after an unknown successor suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
But now, everyone knew her name.
"The price will be raised from 100 million to 10 billion. If it's unhindered, then…"
"Ten billion?" The numbers made Lissner frown. "Even if the whole city knew her name, raising it that high is simply too rude."
That wasn't a small amount. It exceeds his income for a whole year.
"The difficulty is not on the target, but to the person who has been secretly protecting the target."
"Who exactly made you miss your targets several times? Was it the Lord of the West, Prince Lordland? Or was it Her Highness the Empress Regent, the late Emperor's daughter? The Order of the Knights has been following the Emperor, so they won't be protecting her. How many people in this world could stop you from killing someone? It's only seven or eight, right?"
"Today, there's one more." He told Lissner without any concealment, "The person secretly protecting her possesses a scent concealing ability that was no weaker than ours. The undertaker having his throat slit without knowing it was coming."
"An existence capable of assassinating you... that sounds really creepy."
"...."
Lissner sighed and continued gazing over the city, "How strong do you think that person is?"
"The rank is at least above the 57th floor of the Tower of the Top."
The Tower of the Top is a place to judge someone's strength. It was at the Capital. Legend said it was the Dragon God that had created the building. There were over 60 floors in total.
Every time one passes a tower, they can have a power given by the Dragon God.
Upon reaching the 50th floor, they will become the most powerful person in the world.
Upon reaching the 60th floor, one would have a status of a 'Saint' and will be called into the Court of the Gods, becoming a god-like existence.
"An existence that appeared out of nowhere possessed a power exceeding the Empire's Order of the Knights?"
Lissner felt something was amiss.
"You know what? Earlier today, the Forest of Beast, which had been tranquil for over a hundred years, once again showed humans its horror. Her Highness comes and saves the day. Repelled the beasts to protect the city."
"...."
"That's why that obscure girl was famous." Lissner waved his hand to tell him to sit down.
"I don't think she can do this kind of thing. She's too young. She wouldn't have that kind of power. One of the beasts had killed one that had reached the 50th floor of the Tower of the Top. The Knight Commander, Kensel Dodran. That's fine. You sell your lives for money. Then go ahead and sell it. I'll give you 10 billion."
Lissner looked at the figure that disappeared into the shadows and continued, "Find out who was secretly protecting her."
...…
After the silhouette disappeared.
"Come in," Lissner spoke in a low voice.
The door of the room was opened, and a person wearing a butler's uniform walked in.
"Pull out some of our funds into the city reconstruction. Don't let the civilians forget the Crowell family's name."
"Understood, Milord." The butler retreated with a slight bow.
"The people in the shadows? That's... really scary."
Lissner drank the wine in his goblet in one go.