[It's safe here. We are no longer being chased.]
Hearing those words in her head, Rheannon tugged at Hadrian's hand to ask him to stop.
Hadrian looked at her in disbelief. "What is it?"
"We're not being chased anymore," Rheannon told him. She glanced around them, which was quite dark. From a distance, the music and laughter from the party could no longer be heard. "We're pretty safe, I think. Have they given up yet?"
"That's not possible. Spies are sent not to play games," Hadrian said.
So what? thought Rheannon.
From the start, this attack was strange. If it was true that their target was Rheannon or Hadrian, they should have killed or attacked at the first opportunity. But instead of that, they even wandered around the party hall and only attacked when their whereabouts were discovered. And now they have disappeared.
Are they in hiding, preparing for the ultimate attack?
"Hadrian, are you sure you were the one who was ordered to kill me?" she asked.
"Should we talk about that now?" Hadrian retorted in an irritated tone.
"No, weren't you the target of assassination as well? It could be that the King secretly wants your downfall as well…"
"There's no gain for His Majesty killing me," Hadrian said confidently. The two entered one of the hidden rooms that Rheannon knew for the first time. "I am quite confident that the kingdom's defense against the Pyrs will be reduced by a quarter. If there is none. Why do you ask like that?"
"I don't know…" Rheannon looked around. The room they were in now was clearly a hiding room that only a few people would know about. "I feel that their target is not me."
Hadrian looked silent in thought. "What makes you think that?"
"If the target was me, they should have killed me with one strike," said Rheannon. "Demon control senses are very sharp, and we remember everything… easily and quickly because of the demon's help. All of our strikers know that."
"Like when the Pyrs attacked that time," Hadrian muttered. "No wonder they attacked all out." Rheannon nodded in approval. "While the attack this time is different, it feels like…"
"Just trying to buy time," continued Rheannon. "You remember there was something I wanted to say earlier?"
"Yes."
"Perhaps, actually their target is Desmond."
Hadrian's face paled instantly. He realized one important thing.
My fault, too, Rheannon thought. She only realized it now after thinking things over.
"Rheannon, you want to wait here alone?" Hadrian asked in a trembling voice.
Rheannon nodded, and Hadrian bolted away from her.
This was the first time Rheannon had seen Hadrian that scared.
[The all-black boy has arrived at the scene. Just in time for the knight to be overwhelmed.]
A hooded demon appeared behind Rheannon. His arms were wrapped around Rheannon's waist, and his head rested on her shoulder. Rheannon automatically stroked the demon's head.
[Total attackers are 5 people. All of them are assassins.]
"What about the one who chased us earlier?" she asked.
The demon messenger laughed. [You won't believe him if he's an emissary from the temple.]
"That means the Beulah Temple and the kinsmen already know Desmond's true figure," Rheannon muttered. "Haaah, I wonder why the people in this residence don't notice."
[That's because there is ancient magic protecting the boy. The ability to control it will come out only when he is an adult.]
"What a great mother. You know her?"
[I can't recognize her by her child's smell.] The demon kissed Rheannon on the side of the cheek. [If we visit there and see how the body is, then I will be able to recognize it.]
Rheannon rolled her eyes. It meant that this damn demon would force its way into Desmond's memory and make the boy suffer.
But there seems to be no other way...
"We'll see how it goes later. We're going to go out to pray for them, right?"
[Wow, so happy. I can finally go out and see this world again!]
***
Chas arrived just in time. Ichabod almost missed. Fortunately, Chas quickly pulled Desmond and managed to block the stab of the knife intended to kill him.
"Don't ask. Don't cry now!" Chas said to Desmond.
Despite being told that, tears still dripped from Desmond's dark eyes.
At least she wasn't sobbing, Chas thought. He pulled out the knife that had stabbed him and used it to counterattack his opponent.
[Don't get killed.] Chas heard a demon whispering in his head.
"Yeah, damn it. I know!" grunted Chas while trying to paralyze his enemy.
But crippling his current enemy wasn't easy. With Desmond looking ready to cry, Ichabod who was equally overwhelmed not to kill anyone, and the possibility of the poison in the knife earlier, Chas' ability diminished. His footsteps were unsteady and his gaze spun slightly. He was feeling really crummy right now.
"Lord Chas, in your back!" shouted Ichabod.
Chas looked up quickly. A real devil!
How could a demon appear?! thought Chas. Demons usually don't appear or attack humans directly. The only ones who can do it are demon controllers. The Rheannon thing couldn't do it, and even Desmond was still in the dark.
Except…
Unless the demon contract holder pays a hefty fee.
Chas's hand almost grabbed Desmond to avoid the demon who was eager to kill him. But he knew he was too late. Chas had even apologized first to everyone in his heart because it would be too late to save Desmond. Ichabod's screams behind him echoed, and Desmond's eyes of horror shadowed him.
Until then, a sword slashed the demon's head.
The demon is not dead. No, they wouldn't die from a simple sword slash. The demon simply vaporized in midair and took all the assassins who attacked with it.
The assassins' blood splattered everywhere, including on the shirt of Hadrian, who had slashed the demon's head earlier.