Although Taimyun had the skills of at least a 7-star as a nanny of Runcandel, she couldn't react to the ambush from the knights—whom she thought were her allies—while she was in an unprepared position.
Stab!
Jin's throwing dagger pierced an assassin's shoulder. The killer couldn't swing their weapon properly, allowing Taimyun to evade a fatal wound even though she reacted a little late.
Sssk.
The edge of the dagger skimmed her shoulder. Still, she couldn't accept the situation. Her eyes widened.
'That was dangerous. If I were a little late, Taimyun would've died.'
Jin saved her not because he liked her.
There was a mountain of information they needed out of her.
He couldn't leave the culprit of his curse to die after having no clues despite fifteen years of searching. Furthermore, the person punishing her should be him, and no one else.
Finding Taimyun and the Runcandel sibling behind her, he was close to solving the mystery of his past life. Jin alleviated his anger and gritted his teeth.
"How dare you… in my land!"
Luna swung Crantel, and two assassins lost their heads.
If they were real enforcement knights, then they would've at least resisted the attack. At that moment, Luna knew that they were fake. She stared at the rest of the assassins.
Before the disconnected heads could hit the ground, Jin instantly closed the gap between him and Taimyun.
"Who sent them?! Who soiled the Runcandel name?!"
Luna's angry voice echoed throughout. The other assassins lost their balance and stumbled backwards.
Not because they were scared of Luna's immense power. It was an instinctive reaction due to her incomprehensible power.
If they stumbled due to the energy in her voice, then the assassins were lower than 6-star. And there were only five of them, so the moment they fail their assassination on the first strike, they would lose their only opportunity.
However, they weren't knights, but well-trained assassins.
Two of their allies died in a flash, but without changing their expression, they continued to target Taimyun.
"Jin!"
"Don't worry!"
Jin swung Bradamante towards the assassin who first tried to kill Taimyun. Grabbing and throwing Taimyun backwards, the assassin tried to deflect the swing with their dagger.
Slash!
Jin cut off the assassin's arm, pinned him to the ground, and cut open the airways.
While blood splattered everywhere, Jin felt like the assassins came knowing that they'd die. As he expected, they came to self-destruct alongside Taimyun in the first place.
"I was right, Taimyun Marius. Your higher-up has no intention of saving you."
Jin calmly spoke as he shook the blood off his blade. Luna broke the limbs of the remaining assassins and successfully pinned them down.
They needed to ask some questions, so they didn't kill them off completely.
Crrrrk!
Luna crumpled the helmets on their heads. The thick steel helmet that was worn to emulate a real enforcement knight crumpled like paper in Luna's hands.
"If you answer truthfully, I will save those unrelated to—"
Luna stopped abruptly after noticing the assassins' faces. Jin came over to see what she saw and gulped.
Their hideous faces looked like worn and torn clothes sewn together. From their forehead to their chin, there were many wounds and cuts. Their ears cut off as well.
Seeing the wounds still open and the swelling still prominent, this definitely happened recently. In case their identities got revealed, they ruined their faces on purpose.
On top of that, they weren't even breathing. Their eyes rolled back and blood foamed in their mouth.
"What is this…?!"
"Wait, Eldest Sister."
Jin shoved his fingers into the dead assassins. He couldn't feel their tongue but felt many small grains near their molars.
"They had poison between their teeth. They must've bitten down on it before they got pinned down."
"Damn it, so dirty."
Disturbed, Luna gripped her forehead. Her mind was already all messed up before the assassins came, but after the situation unfolded, she could only be certain.
That her own nanny was trying to harm Jin and that one of their siblings was supporting Taimyun from behind.
And that the very same sibling tried to get rid of Taimyun to erase all evidence.
Along with anger, disappointment erupted within Luna.
"How… could you do this to me? How?! Who ordered you? When I asked you to investigate who tried to harm Jin, you acted like you knew nothing…"
Luna couldn't look at Taimyun.
She couldn't deal with her confused feelings. Only a few hours ago, Taimyun was Luna's most trusted person.
Even until the end, she wanted to believe that it was all a misunderstanding.
Killing Taimyun—who was no different than her own mother—was harder than killing her own siblings.
'It must be devastating. Just as Gilly is to me, to Eldest Sister Luna, Taimyun is a more motherly figure than our birth mother.'
Jin felt a little uncomfortable. However, he knew that he would face this pitiful moment when he suspected Taimyun in the first place.
If he was going to forget about the curse since this life was nice, he would've never come to Luna.
'Bladed Illusion. Because of that curse, I spent 25 painful years in the clan and then just got kicked out. Taimyun Marius, you will tell me everything regarding this.'
Jin slowly walked towards Taimyun. While his confident footsteps echoed throughout the chamber, Luna closed her eyes.
"Youngest Brother."
"Yes, Sister?"
"Now, I must also strengthen my mind. I will take full responsibility for Taimyun Marius's intentions to harm you, and before all of her truths are uncovered, I will not impede you."
As if she were crying blood, Luna spoke in a low tone.
"There is nothing you need to take responsibility for."
'In fact, as the person who put this upon you, I should be the one consoling you. Though, no amount of support would alleviate the pain of betrayal and misery.'
Jin swallowed these words and glared at Taimyun on the wall.
"Fu, fufu… I didn't think it would turn out this way, Young Master Jin."
She spoke with a shaky voice.
However, it wasn't from fear or confusion. Because she was out of energy, her voice came out thin and her breathing was heavy. It was as if she were dying.
'No way…!'
Jin leaned over her and checked her face. She was covered in cold sweat, and red blood flowed from her half-open mouth.
"Did you also have poison hidden in your mouth? Taimyun Marius, you're showing this shameful sight to my sister?"
"No… Young Master—Kurgh! Well, this would indeed be a shameful moment…"
Jerk!
Shaking her head, Taimyun suddenly threw up blood and quivered.
Feeling that something was off, Luna came over and covered her mouth. Jin found a dark stain over Taimyun's shoulder.
The spot where the gauntleted man reached her with a dagger. It was just a slight skim from the blade.
However, the blade was covered in poison.
The strongest poison of them all.
It was one of Kuzan Marius's poisons. Stronger than the one he used against Jin.
"Urgh, it seems I got pretty old. I know it was an ambush, but I couldn't dodge that…"
"Stop talking, Taimyun. The poison will spread. I'll get a healer."
"There's… no need, Young Master."
"Nanny! Just wait a little, this is my land. I-I'll go get a healer."
Yet Luna—who was screaming at that point—inherently knew. The poison affecting Taimyun wasn't something that could be dealt with by a healer.
"Milady—Cough!"
"Nanny… Nanny! This can't be our last moment. Please don't do this. Please…"
"I know this poison well, Milady… Kuzan… That child's… proudest creation."
Gag, jerk…
Taimyun constantly vomited dark globs of blood.
Not only that, but the affected area also began to erupt with blood. The poison could no longer be suppressed and began to wreak havoc.
The moment the dagger skimmed her, Taimyun accepted that her life was over.
She knew that even with just a light scratch, she wouldn't be able to avoid death if she didn't possess a blessed body like that of the Runcandels.
'I guess this is karma.'
Her eyes slowly closed. The dark smell of death right at her nose.
A human knee-deep in crimes always feared death.
'I don't want to die. If I can, I want to ask Milady and Young Master Jin for forgiveness and live. I want to be with Lady Luna.'
She had these selfish thoughts flash through her mind. She wanted to beg and pray to get a hold of Numerous's Tears, which could save those who died.
And Luna wouldn't be able to ignore the request.
Within this moment, Taimyun grinned.
'I shouldn't make a horrible and dirty lasting impression on Milady. To my lovely Luna…'
Although Taimyun tricked her, tried to kill Jin without her knowing, and committed crimes with her siblings, Taimyun's love for her was genuine—albeit a little twisted.
"Milady… and Young Master Jin. Please listen to me carefully."
"Nanny, why are you talking as if you're going to speak your final words? Are you really going to do this to me…?"
From Luna's eyes, warm tears dropped onto Taimyun's forehead.
"I couldn't even properly apologize for lying to you. Though my sins will not be washed away, I confess…"
"Please, stop, Nanny. Blood—You'll bleed more."
"…Fifteen years ago, the magician who cursed the young master… was Kidard Hall."
Every syllable she spoke, her voice faded more and more. It seemed the poison got all the way to her tongue.
"The one… who ordered me… to harm the young master. Is. Jo…shua. Young Master Joshua."
Shhk, shhk.
Her breaths sounded no different from steel being scraped. Her eyes slowly faded to black from the poison.
"And… he… knows. Your power… your contract."
"Nanny, ah… No…"
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