At the intersection of the roads leading from the royal capital to the northern regions of Northmark and Earlgrand, there was a small town called Grohaller where a cobbler named Sokulibe ran his shop. One day, he received a visit from some rather suspicious characters.
Two large men with guns concealed under their dark coats accompanied the apparent leader, a woman who kept her face hidden under a hood. It was clear from their demeanor that they were not there to place an order.
Although they tried to conceal it, their manners betrayed their noble upbringing. Sokulibe couldn't help but think that they were woefully ignorant of the ways of the world.
"We'd like to order some custom-made shoes, preferably in a dark color," the woman said in code, as Sokulibe had expected. He led the trio to his workshop at the back of the shop, where the woman wrinkled her nose at the cluttered room. But Sokulibe knew that appearances didn't matter as much as soundproofing when it came to covert operations.
"Who's the target?" he asked without beating around the bush.
He knew it was best not to ask too many questions, as the client's interests were of no concern to him as long as he got paid. However, he was taken aback by the answer.
"Scarlet Northmark, the daughter of the Earl," the woman replied.
Sokulibe was an expert in the family trees of the nobility and the heads of famous trading companies throughout the country. He had all the information stored in his head. He couldn't help but ask again, "But she's only a year old, isn't she?"
He had no qualms about killing a child, but he couldn't see why anyone would go to such lengths to eliminate a baby girl who posed no threat to their interests.
"I recently gave birth to a daughter myself," the woman explained.
Sokulibe understood the woman's identity from this information. She was the second wife of a declining Earl whose demotion was rumored. Their third son, who was now three years old, was the only one who could maintain the family's status, and the only girls who could compete with him were his own daughter and the Northmark heiress. Therefore, the woman saw the baby girl as nothing more than an obstacle to be removed.
"It seems they intend to rebuild the fallen Marquis family by being connected to the royal family.
I was surprised, but I understood.
Although I couldn't help but ask, I never refuse an assassination request based on motives.
"What's the reward?"
"3 million zels."
"If it were an adult, that would be fine, but a baby won't come out. If we have to infiltrate the mansion and the Marquis family has full security, it's not worth it without additional compensation."
"I thought you would say that."
They didn't want to risk their lives for a higher reward from a noble, but when they demanded payment according to the risk, the wife piled up money in exchange, and the guard who had been holding back put a large case on the workbench.
"We don't have time to leisurely take our time with the infiltration. So, I prepared this."
They said so and opened the case, leaving me speechless.
SBLK-14GC sniper rifle. A monster sniper rifle with an effective range of over 3 km.
This was a new model that had just been issued to only some special forces of the national army, and it shouldn't have been here.
Sokriev had no idea how it had been smuggled in, but the money spent on it alone far surpassed their fee.
Certainly, with this kind of weapon, they didn't need to consider infiltration. They could aim from outside the premises, beyond the scope of security.
"I have prepared the bullets. They have five layers of penetration spells and a spell that disappears after impact. Can you take on this job with this?"
I thought I was surprised enough by the sniper rifle alone, but it went even further.
No matter how many contacts Sokriev had, they could only manage up to three layers of spells at most. There were only a few people who could carve six layers of spells, which were the pinnacle of magic technology, into the "Magic Tower." Taking into account that the target was a small bullet, it narrowed down even further.
How many children do they want to kill?
Their selfish madness made me laugh, and I hastily hid it.
I thought they were a foolish client who couldn't even hide their intentions, but they were a frightening client who didn't intend to hide. I cursed myself for misreading them. Their lips drew a red arc from under the hood, which seemed to be a trail of blood, and it made me feel uneasy.
"Yes, I am happy to accept it."
The only requirement was for his sniper skills. This was the easiest job he had ever been given. There was no way he could refuse these conditions.
If he refused, he would be killed to keep him quiet, and he didn't even want to think about the kind of retaliation or torture that would await him.
In reality, there was only one answer prepared for him.
Two weeks after accepting the job, Sokuribe was on the rooftop of a certain shop in the Northmark capital city late at night.
He had disguised himself and passed through the city gates with a fake ID. He had left a decoy at Grohaller's shop to keep it open. There was no danger of being found out.
However, he had no intention of returning to Grohaller after completing the job.
He couldn't imagine that the client's wife, who had been brimming with excessive murderous intent, would let him live. After the assassination, he planned to abandon his entire identity and disappear.
In the distance, the Northmark family's mansion was visible, albeit small.
It was more than 5 kilometers away, beyond the range of a firearm, but Sokuribe had confidence in his unique wind magic to extend his range. It was this technique that had supported him as an assassin for 20 years.
Although he only had one bullet, he had no intention of missing.
The SBLK-14GC bullet had a speed of 900 meters per second. Even if there was a 3cm thick iron plate between him and his target, it would penetrate it and not serve as a shield. Furthermore, it was a specially made bullet with increased penetration power, and even magical defenses would be useless.
It was overkill to kill just one child.
He fixed the barrel with a bipod and looked through the scope while lying prone.
Conveniently, there was a faint light leaking from the target's room. They probably had a night watch, but they wouldn't be aware of the sniper.
"Even if you're locked in the darkness, I won't miss," Sokuribe muttered.
The scope had a specially made focusing lens that could pick up even a small amount of light and display the target.
In the crosshairs was the figure of a young lady sleeping unknowingly.
"Goodbye."
Sokrieve pulled the trigger of his deadly gun. The bullet struck Scarlet faster than the roaring gunfire.
The vicious bullet hit the window glass separating the inside and outside of the mansion.
Clank.
It bounced back with a hollow sound.
As Sokrieve peered through the scope to confirm the death of the young lady, a bullet reflected off the window glass and struck him in the face. He died without understanding the situation.
The next day, a body with severe head damage from a gunshot was found on the rooftop of a merchant house. The damage was so severe that identifying the body was difficult. However, a military special sniper rifle that should not have existed was found beside it, leading to a trace of its acquisition route.
Furthermore, it was discovered that the bullet was inscribed with a special magic formula from the magical traces left on the barrel, and the magic user who bestowed it was also tracked.
Due to the confirmation of smuggling by the national army, a large-scale investigation involving the country was launched.
As a result, they traced it back to a certain military bureaucrat and a top-class researcher of the "Magic Tower," and the investigation led to the second wife of the Duke's household based on their testimony.
The second wife denied the allegations, leading to a political dispute between the two Duke households.
This incident became the trigger for the demotion of the declining Duke household, but that is a story for another time.