Four days before the event ...
April 17th, 2223. At the evening ...
*Tap* *Tap* *Tap*
Several people were running somewhere. After a while, they arrive at a cemetery. An abandoned old cemetery ...
"Y-You didn't m-m-mistake for the meeting place, d-did you?" The thin guard questioned stutteredly.
"I didn't. I'd checked several times before coming here. So, I'm sure of it!" The medium-size guard refuted against him.
"Y'all are fucking noisy! If it was wrong, I'll beat him for sure!" The big guard was annoyed with his colleague.
"Enough for the nonsense. We come to the business matter, understood?!" The fat man who wore noble clothes had intervened them.
As a result, they were silent as soon as they perceived their milord's words.
Next, The noble looked ahead as he spoke,
"Did that 'Bastard' trick me again??! I gave him a lot of money to fuck up Aeron Schmidt's life. Where the fuck is Edward?!! I'll ruin his life if he doesn't appear this time once and for all!"
Abruptly, a mysterious voice commented,
"Delectable quietus or ludicrous demise?"
Hearing that, the guards immediately protected the nobleman with alacrity. The nobleman asked it,
"Are you the assassin hired by that 'bastard' or his comrade?!"
A mysterious voice responded,
"Didn't you know the etiquette of hiring an assassin? Looks like there were several idiotic nobles in this kingdom!"
"Khh!" The nobleman was annoyed with it.
"Hey! Show yarself before our milord if ya still care of yar life!" The big guard reacted as he pointed his spear.
Yet, The mysterious voice only uttered,
"Delectable quietus or ludicrous demise?"
"Ludicrous demise! Now, get out or—!"
*Stab!*
Before the big guard finished it, something warm was felt on his neck. When he looked at it, something was struck deep in his throat ...
*Shrrock!* *Splash!*
Blood came out of his throat. The mysterious person started to pick up his sword. As a result of the mysterious person's action, his blood scattered all around ...
*Drip* *Drip* *Drip*
"?!!!" The remaining people, including the nobleman, became alerted about it.
Before them, the mysterious voice turned into a person who wore a black hooded robe. With a crow mask used on the face, the person talked,
"Delectable quietus or ludicrous demise?" While approaching the remaining people.
*Walk*
"I'll shut your filth mouth shut forever if you come here, you lowlife beggar! Along with your family like cremation ashes!" the medium-size guard reacted angrily.
"Kill that freak!" The nobleman ordered him immediately.
The medium-size guard wanted to attack. However ...
*Swoosh!* *Shhrock!*
He felt as if he had fallen ...
*Fall!*
Amidst that moment, he could see his body was standing clearly ...
"Isn't that ... me???!"
*Fall!* *Thud!*
A few seconds later, his body fell and, followed by his blood, which scattered out ...
*Scatter!*
"ARRGGH!" He screamed after realizing that.
Swiftly, the mysterious one stabbed the guard's head forthwith ...
*Stab!*
Subsequently, that person took the guard's head and threw it to the nobleman ...
*Swoosh!* *Thud!*
The head fell under the noble's feet. The nobleman suddenly panicked and almost fell to the ground. Yet, his body could still be held by the thin guard.
Realizing it, the nobleman gave an order,
"You must be my meat shield!" While pushing his last guard toward the mysterious person.
The last guard fell in front of that person. Pleadingly, he uttered his words,
"P-please forgive me! I-I still have dependents to take care of my mother, who was sick because of leprosy!"
He —the thin guard— broke out in cold sweat subconsciously. Unexpectedly, he peed in his pants and fainted instantly.
"Khhh! You unusable guard!" The nobleman pissed off.
The mysterious person only passed him by and continued the walk ...
*Tap* *Tap* *Tap*
Ultimately, the mysterious person was standing before the nobleman. Thereafter, the person expressed the thoughts,
"So, did you understand it, fat swine?"
"I got it! B-but, spare my life!"
"A swine like you want to spare your life? Pfft! Get lost!" That person swung the sword through the nobleman's neck immediately.
*Swoosh!*
Betwixt those momenta, the nobleman suddenly confronted his idea,
"I-I-I will give you everything! Money? Fame? Status? I will give them all it once!"
Hearing his idea, the swing of the sword stopped, although it was almost slightly reached his neck. Subsequently, that person replied,
"Who?"
Receiving a question, the nobleman cleared his throat and voiced his thoughts,
"Kill the man named Gilbert from Adventure Guild!"
As a reply, the mysterious one expressed it,
"Tell me more about the prey."
...
After telling several information about Gilbert, the assassin confirmed those,
"Is that all? Any clues that are left?"
"If I add some, it'd be that he has a close relationship with Aeron Schmidt. For the last name, don't think about crossing the line with him because I've someone to handling him. Just focus on Gilbert!" The nobleman warned that assassin.
The assassin didn't reply to his words, only a silent reaction appeared as the response.
Seeing that reaction, the nobleman questioned something,
"I-I thought about something for a while since we have already met each other's. Y-you, as an assassin, did you know where Edward is? Or you came here as his emissary?"
"He already died,"
"W-what???! How did—I mean, by who?"
"The last one you warned before. I was passing by. And, coincidentally, I saw him, fighting against Schmidt. Seeing their fight from the outside range at the time. To be clear about it, does he -the Schmidt name you mentioned- has a black color and tall height?"
"Yes ... he has those ...," He couldn't believe about what the assassin spoke before, contemplating those words.
"It is what it is then. So, any clues about the prey next?" the assassin asked again.
The nobleman realized something about those words. His face suddenly changed into shock when he looked at the assassin,
"I-if you are not his emissary ... w-who are you?!"
"I'm the assassin you ordered. Neither his colleagues or emissary," the assassin pointing the knife's blade on the nobleman's throat skin, touching his skin. "Have the problem you wanted to deal with me?"
"N-no. I've said all!" His sweat drenched profusely, making a pale face.
...
April 18th, 2223 ...
The assassin began to observe the prey. Everything was observed. That person only didn't observe him when he was doing a mission to the border.
April 19th, 2223 ...
The assassin tried to see several places. Road until Alley were becoming the target's spot list for executing Gilbert. The assassin also did that until night to decide the best location based on several information that assassin gathered.
...
April 21st, 2223 ...
The assassin appeared before the prey. With the scheme that was prepared, that person did the plan. Soon, it started ...
"Are you one of the customers who want to take your weapon?"
The assassin only silent to his questions.
"Instead of looking at me like a freak, you'd better tell what your aim is!"
With the same way, the assassin made it again. Only replied to his words with silent.
The prey —Gilbert or Nagao— started to take out his weapons. As the normal reactions, the assassin did the same, drawing and holding the sword within robe, waiting for his next movements.
When Nagao was preparing to combat against the enemy, an unexpected intruder came within their fight, coming out from the door shop. By that situation, the assassin held the self and vanished from his sight before Nagao could aware ...
*Vanish!*
Then his companions talked to Nagao,
"Big brother! You've come back! What are you doing here??"
"Hey, Emilia! As you can see," he replied. "I want to fight someone in front of me. That person wore a crow mask,"
"A crow mask?" she said while looking around. "But no one was wearing that before you," she commented confusedly.
"What do you mean? That person was standing before—"When he looked toward it, that person had disappeared—"Where did the freak go??!"
"You might be tired after taking much work," she sighed. "Luckily, we wanted to eat. So, come join us!" While holding his hands.
Then he looked at Mr. Schmidt,
"Go easy on yarself, boy," he tilted his head. "And, don't sweat the small shit because I gotcha yar back!"
"Daddy!" she was annoyed by his words.
"Oh, silly me!" Mr. Schmidt talked back with chuckles.
"Fine ... if you insist!" He sighed afterward.
Eventually, they went into somewhere place, a place where they could eat together.
Meanwhile, the assassin hid amidst the crowd. Following the situation, the assassin perceived conclusion,
"Plan one was successful. Plan two began to execute it!"
The assassin went out from the crowd, precisely, went into one of the alleys amidst Keldam kingdom territorial ...
*Tap* *Tap* *Tap*
Along with it, the assassin spoke again,
"The more difficult the prey, the more tastes sweetly~!"
The assassin walked casually amidst it. After a while, the assassin talked with the self,
"Looks like I must change the place for executing him. If that's so, I would choose that route then~!" the person looked at the sky where the grey clouds was already covering it. "I hope in the middle of that action, the rain will fall. It will be much worth it~!"
Abruptly, the drip of rainwater fell to the ground ...
*Drip!* *Drip!* *Drip!* *Pitter-patter!*
The assassin suddenly stood amidst these conditions, making those rainwater fell dripping onto the assassin's mask, including the robe.
"Looks like natural as if approving of my choice. How amusing it~!"
The assassin was holding that stance amidst the rain, enjoying the situation. Even the assassin opened the mask slightly, inhaling the petrichor who already evaporated amidst the rain ...
*Inhale-exhale*
From the assassin mask, someone with tan skin color could be seen clearly. As the effects of the inhaling the petrichor, the assassin's chest rose and fell according to the rhythm.
Then, the assassin uttered the thoughts,
"I've got a good feeling about this~!"
With these thoughts, the assassin walked away from the alley. Later, the assassin vanished from the place.