The dark shade covered the village as the sun began to hide behind the mountains.
Somewhere in the Forest of Balto, Roma, the mastermind of the abduction, sped through the trees, carrying Julian on her shoulder. She moved swiftly, unbothered by the darkness that illuminated her path. At first glance, it might have seemed that she was running without a sense of direction.
Suddenly, a light appeared in front of her. There, she found her three accomplices, camping in the forest with a carefree attitude, unaware of the dangers lurking within.
"Yo, looks like you got the third son, huh?" Jethro, the leader of the assassins, commended Roma.
"Well, it was easy. Nothing worth mentioning," Roma replied casually.
Roma was the traitor inside the manor plotting to overthrow the Viscount and kill his son. Despite her mysterious origins, the Viscount had adopted her after discovering her during his expedition.
"You're tougher than I thought, kid," Foid, another assassin, said, glancing at the sleeping Julian before slapping his face.
He blinked, surprised. The kid he'd seen pierced with a dagger in the heart was alive.
"Hey, ease up on the kid. It'd be a shame to ruin his good looks," Roma interjected.
"Fine, fine. But seeing that pretty face makes me want to leave a scar," Foid remarked. "Put him down and keep a close watch. The contract's up tomorrow."
Roma put Julian down. In a flash, she stabbed the bulky assassin with a heavy thud. Blood sprayed everywhere, confusing the other two.
"Wha..." Jethro sputtered, hand instinctively going for his short sword.
"Just wanted to see if my skills haven't rusted," Roma said, wiping the bloody stain from her sword. "And it seems they haven't."
"But still..."
"And besides," she interrupted, her gaze cold, "he nearly cost us the mission. No point in keeping an incompetent fool alive."
Jethro couldn't refute Roma's reason for killing the bulky guy. As long as the Viscount felt agony for the loss of his loved ones, that was all that mattered, he thought.
No one would feel sorry for the other assassin. It was his fault that, instead of kidnapping the Viscount's son, he went for the kill, nearly costing them their mission. Luckily, the kid was still alive.
Such is the world for assassins. Killing is an ordinary part of their lives, especially for those without principles. They live in the shadows, cold-blooded and indifferent to their fellow assassins.
Of course, not everything is absolute. As a universal rule, there is always an exception.6
Jethro instructed the other assassin, who seemed scared, to dispose of and bury the body. The latter nodded and obeyed his instructions.
Inside the tent, Roma removed something from her face. Her aloof and easygoing demeanor transformed into a cold, eagle-eyed gaze. It was clear that her role as the Viscount's maid was only a disguise.
She glanced outside and noticed the flickering light of the campfire. Without hesitation, she stormed out and scolded Foid.
The smoke and light in the dimly lit forest would reveal their location to their pursuers, effectively broadcasting their whereabouts to any enemies nearby.
"Where is he?" Roma looked at Foid with a piercing glaze.
Foid, unable to answer, saw the scary look on Roma's face, remembering how she had killed the bulky assassin earlier. Finally, he replied, "Jethro... instructed us to face the Viscount. He gave me the order that we will set out at midnight. Most likely, he wants to face the Viscount and avenge his father."
"That damn fool! This is why I hate those who let their emotions interfere with their job. Quickly extinguish the fire; we need to move now and find another place to wait until sunrise."
Foid quickly disposed of the fire and put Julian on his back, who showed no signs of waking up.
"What about Jethro?"
"Leave that fool. If he wants to die, it's not my problem. Only a fool challenges the Knight Commander."
The Knight Commander is one rank below the "Grand Cross," the highest rank in their order. It's common knowledge that a Knight Commander is considered to be at least as powerful as a thousand common knights. Viscount Chris is undoubtedly much more powerful than Jethro.
But Jethro, consumed by hatred, wanted nothing more than to kill the Viscount with his own hands. He accepted this mission solely for the chance to confront Viscount Chris, the man who killed his father.
Leaving Jethro behind, Roma, her face now different, and Foid, who was carrying the sleeping Julian, sped through the forest looking for a place to hide away from their camp.
Even the dimly lit forest did not hinder Roma's movements, highlighting her experience in navigating through the darkness.
Suddenly, they heard heavy footsteps, like a cavalry closing in behind them. Although they were far from their camp, the urgency in the knights' approach to rescue Julian was evident.
"Let's speed up. Even I can't handle that many knights," Roma said, glancing at Foid, who was struggling to keep up. "And don't you dare put that kid down or my blade will accidentally pierce your heart."
Foid shuddered when he heard her last words.
Back in the Camp
Jethro, now surrounded by twenty knights on horseback, faced Viscount Chris, who led them. Despite the overwhelming odds, Jethro wasn't scared; instead, anger contorted his face.
"How dare you kill my father, asshole," Jethro cursed the Viscount. His father had been an important figure in the neighboring Barbatos Empire, which had recently invaded the kingdom of Lihnea. The Barbatos Empire was very different from the knightly kingdom of Lihnea.
The Forest of Balto served as the border separating the two kingdoms. A week ago, when the Barbatos Empire attacked the village of Asmanthus, the force was led by Chrowe, Jethro's father. Among those Chrowe killed was the wife of the Viscount.
"How insolent. I have no interest in arguing with you. Now, where is my son?"
Viscount Chris demanded, knowing Jethro sought to avenge his father but unaware of why they wanted to kidnap his son.
"Your worthless son is on his way to being sold as a slave," Jethro spat back.
The Viscount is angry when he heard those words. His arms went to unsheathed the sword from the scabbard. The seemingly ordinary hilt concealed a blade that shimmered with the mesmerizing hues of a fading twilight.
Jethro unsheathed his ordinary shortsword. Though it couldn't compare to the Viscount's weapon, it exuded a different kind of power, one forged through the lives it had taken.
Viscount Chris slashed his sword toward Jethro's legs.
Jethro quickly sidestepped, aiming to pierce the Viscount's chest with a swift thrust. Instead of dodging, the Viscount altered the angle of his strike, redirecting it to where Jethro had moved.
Jethro stepped back, halting his shortsword just in time. Realizing the Viscount's skill, he decided to throw his weapon aside, preparing for the next move.
I knew I couldn't kill Viscount Chris with my own power; I'm not that reckless. The merchant who wanted to kidnap the Viscount's son told me this shortsword would unleash a power capable of killing even a Knight Commander.
Viscount Chris was not confused when Jethro threw his sword away. What puzzled him more was why Jethro had been using a shortsword in their fight when warriors from his kingdom typically used gloves and fists as their weapons.
Of course, it goes without saying that the shortsword was far from ordinary. Suddenly, it flashed a bright light, blinding everyone nearby, followed by a loud boom that echoed through the forest.
Not far from the battle, Roma and Foid, who was carrying Julian, were startled by a brilliant white light that illuminated the forest. Even at a distance, the shockwaves were palpable.
The forest came alive with the frantic cries of animals, startled by the explosion.
"That fool Jethro. So that's why he was confident he could kill the Viscount," Roma muttered with a smirk. "Put the kid down. Not even Jethro or the Viscount will survive that blast."
As Foid set Julian down, his legs suddenly gave way. Fresh blood spurted from his chest. "Why..." he gasped, collapsing as his consciousness faded.
Roma's eyes glinted with cold amusement. "Because you're no longer useful, fool", she whispered to Foid's lifeless form.
Without hesitation, she scooped up Julian and carried him to a large tree, carefully laying him down. She glanced back in the direction of the explosion, her expression hardening with malicious intent. "We'll wait until sunrise to meet those merchants," she decided, her voice resolute and devoid of empathy amidst the chaos.