Chapter 26: The First Assassination
After leaving the tavern in the capital city of Alta, Shu and Iris found lodging using the money they had received. In the Holy Kingdom of Grinia and its vassal states, paper currency was in circulation, so even if they received a considerable sum, it wouldn't be bulky. That was the only thing they were grateful for.
By the way, the lodging they obtained was of medium quality, and it became a two-person room with Iris.
"Oh! It's more beautiful than I expected!"
"Yeah, the sheets are white, and the floor doesn't have any noticeable dirt. It's lodging worthy of the amount we paid."
The money they received from the black cat was quite substantial. However, if they continued their stay in the lodging together, they would deplete the entire amount in about ten days. However, if they succeeded in the assassination request, they would earn a considerable amount of money, which would allow them to spend a few months without luxury.
Assassinations were highly dangerous and challenging, which is why they offered high rewards.
"Shu-san, Shu-san!"
"What is it, Iris?"
"You're going to work tonight, right..."
Work... is what Iris tried to brush it off as, but by looking at her complex expression, it was clear. She wasn't particularly enthusiastic about the job of assassination. Originally, she had the determination to become a holy knight. It wasn't hard to understand her feelings.
While imagining Iris's true feelings, Shu answered seriously.
"Yeah, but—"
"In that case, I'll warm the bed with my body! When you come back, you can sleep enveloped in the warmth of a beautiful girl! How about that? It'll be exciting!"
"Give me back my concern, you idiot!"
"Ouch!"
Shu swiftly struck Iris with a karate chop. It was a waste to worry about her.
It was grateful that she showed him kindness, but he wanted her to consider the timing and circumstances.
"There are two beds, right? We sleep separately."
"Hehe. You can say that for now. It's a given that men at night are wolves!"
"Too bad. I'm a spirit-type demon without appetite, lust, or the need for sleep. Even if a beautiful girl sleeps next to me, I wouldn't have the intention to attack."
"I see...?"
Shu, the primal demon spirit Alpha Spirit, didn't have those desires nor did he need them. His energy source was magical essence, which he continuously absorbed from the air. If he ate, he could obtain extra energy, but that was about it.
So, Iris's seductive strategy was destined to fail from the beginning.
"This is what makes you a disappointing girl."
"Ugh..."
"Don't sigh like that. If we get some money, I'll take you on a sightseeing trip in Alta. Wasn't the garden of the parliament building a famous tourist spot?"
"Is that true?"
"It's true."
"Then I'll quietly wait."
Iris said so as she rolled on the bed.
The eyes that stared at Shu from there seemed to shine a little. Shu was about to be amazed at how simple it was, but then he reconsidered that this was what made Iris who she was.
If you find that aspect cute, your perspective might change a bit.
Because of her immortality through the power of magical equipment, Iris had decided to forget that she was actually twenty years old. If you think you can live forever, twenty years is still like being a child.
(Nimroth Blatt, Minister of Finance, assassination, and the recovery of the gold coins... I was even informed of the target's home by "Takame." It should be resolved quickly.)
Until late at night when even the moon sleeps, Shu conversed with Iris.
◆◆◆
In the late hours, the town fell silent.
In this world where electricity has not yet spread, it is already bedtime. In other words, it was the time for assassins.
"Well then, shall I go?"
Shu gently stroked Iris, who was sleeping next to him, and stood up.
Then he phased through and appeared on the roof of the inn. The only source of light was the moon and the stars. There was nothing else except for the sounds of nocturnal animals.
(Is it that way?)
While phased, Shu stood out a little with the magical light, so he solidified and ran on the roof. He intended to run as quietly as possible, but surprisingly, it was difficult. This area would require more practice.
Nevertheless, while running on the roof, Shu aimed for the upscale residential district. In that area, so-called mansions lined up, and it was where Nimroth Blatt, who embezzled money despite being the Minister of Finance, had his mansion.
(The security becomes stricter around here... I have to be careful.)
And theft is a concern in the upscale residential district.
Therefore, it is an area that the police are cautious about, and night guards patrol regularly. It requires being careful while moving to avoid them. It's not a problem for Shu since he can sense magical energy, but still.
(Here is the main gate with a lion ornament... It's here.)
Recalling the characteristics of the Blatt mansion as told by "Takame," Shu confirmed it. It seemed that he had come to the right place, and Shu began to consider the method of infiltration.
(There is a gatekeeper at the front gate, and there are likely guards in the garden as well. If I use phasing, I'll stand out with the magical light...)
There were already more than thirty guards within the range where he could sense magical energy. In other words, even if he were to pass through the walls surrounding the mansion, using phasing would likely make him noticeable. But jumping over would be the same.
As an assassin, the principle is to avoid being found.
Probably, they have increased security since the previous failed assassination. It is quite challenging to bypass it without being detected.
(Should I kill them all with death magic? If I make the corpses disappear with death magic, there won't be any evidence left behind.)
It may be dangerous, but when it comes to ants, they are ants.
Even if I'm looking for gold coins, it's troublesome to search the mansion sneakily. Alternatively, it's effective to kill someone other than the target, Nimroth, and make them reveal the location of the gold coins.
Shu decides to go with that plan.
(First, let's start with the gatekeeper. - "Death.")
The four gatekeepers guarding the main gate were deprived of their energy by death magic and died instantly. This is the magic controlled by the king's monster...
It is the ultimate power that even affects concepts.
Shu immediately generates death magic and sends it out to erase the four corpses. Death magic is a magical power that embodies the concept of death, and when touched by it, matter dies without question. It decays and turns into dust without even allowing resistance.
After confirming that all the bodies have disappeared, Shu accelerated and jumped over the main gate.
(Perceive six more... "Death!")
The security guards guarding the Blat mansion are killed in one blow, and their energy is absorbed by Shu as magical energy. Shu creates death magic based on the absorbed magical energy and makes the corpses disappear.
That makes a total of ten.
(Next.)
There's no time to waste here. Next, Shu moves to the garden and uses death magic on five security guards who were guarding another location. The five people turned into corpses without uttering a word, and Shu made them disappear with death magic.
In this way, Shu continues to dispose of the security guards one after another, and a total of forty-eight people disappear from this world.
Only the inside of the Blat mansion remains.
(By the way, weren't there guards belonging to a rival organization inside?)
In order to protect himself from assassinations, Nimroth entrusted his guards to a dark organization. Since that organization is in a rival relationship with the Black Cat, it would be a good result for Shu to take care of them here as well.
Having made up his mind, Shu materializes into a spirit and floats. Since he has already taken care of the garden security guards, he won't be found as long as he materializes into a spirit and emits a little magical light. He then infiltrates through the second floor of the mansion.
(I think the third floor was where the live-in staff's rooms were. It's fine to overlook the staff.)
Even though Shu has already killed all the external security guards, he ponders such things now. It felt reluctant to kill unnecessarily unless they became an obstacle.
All Shu knows is that Nimroth's bedroom is on the second floor, so he decides to search each room one by one. There are about eighteen rooms on the second floor of the mansion, and it's quite a hassle to examine each one. However, Shu resigns himself to the fact that it is necessary.
First, he stands in front of the first door.
And then, he tries to turn the doorknob, but it seems to be locked and doesn't turn.
(Oh well.)
Shu infiltrated by phasing through.
And there, a man was engaged in sexual acts with four women.
"Haa... haa..."
"Stop! It hurts! Ahhh!"
"Hehehe, you think I'll stop, you idiot? You all are my slaves!"
"No... I have a boyfriend..."
It seems that the room itself was soundproofed, as Shu hadn't noticed anything while outside. Apart from the woman currently being violated by the man, the others were unconscious, covered in various bodily fluids.
Judging from this situation, they were not lovers.
(Carlos Blatt, son of Nimrod Blatt)
There was also information that he used his power as a politician to cover up his son's crimes. Kidnapping women and forcefully violating them was likely one of the crimes being covered up.
It's a lose-lose situation.
He received a guilty verdict.
(Die)
"Hyahaha, ugh!?"
Carlos perished due to death magic. He rolled off the bed and lay there lifeless with his eyes wide open. The woman who had been violated seemed surprised by the sudden turn of events and stared blankly.
Then, to avoid being detected by the woman, Shu phased out of the room immediately.
(Next, next)
Killing Carlos was just a side task; his real target was Nimrod. Shu went to search for him. He phased into the second room, but there were several dogs sleeping there. It seemed to be a pet's bedroom. Ignoring them, Shu moved on to the next room.
Third room, fourth room, fifth room... Shu phased through the rooms one after another, until finally, the twelfth room.
He entered a room that was significantly larger than the previous ones.
In the corner of that room, a massive bed was installed, and on it lay a man so fat that he could be mistaken for a pig, snoring loudly.
(It's likely... him)
Nimrod Blatt's distinguishing features were his obese body, mustache, and bald head.
The man sleeping perfectly matched those features.
Shu decided to interrogate him about the gold coins. He activated vibration magic to create soundproofing and approached Nimrod, attempting to wake him up.
However, in the middle of doing so, Shu suddenly realized that he had come into contact with some kind of barrier or enchantment. No wonder this corrupt politician had been chosen as an assassination target. It seemed he had taken thorough precautions. An alarm sounded, and Nimrod's bed was surrounded by a powerful defensive barrier.
Simultaneously, the door at the back of the bedroom swung open, and three men infiltrated. It seemed they had stationed guards behind the door.
"Thief. I'll take you down!"
"Yeah."
"I'm itching for a fight."
A man stood in front of Shu, assuming a position that protected Nimros, who was guarded by a barrier. The second person moved to the window side to prevent escape. The third person moved to the door side, preventing escape and taking Shu's back.
Perhaps Nimros woke up due to the commotion and jumped up.
"What's happening!?"
"Oh... It's a thief. Please calm down, master."
"What! They haven't learned their lesson... capture them and subject them to torture. Don't kill them."
"Master?"
"That's a strict order."
"But..."
"Enough! Stop complaining! What do you think I hired you for with a large sum of money, Greg!"
The man standing in front of Shu was called Greg. While shrugging his shoulders at Nimros' request, he gathered magic power in his right hand. Then, the converged magic power took form, manifesting as a magical equipment shaped like a knife.
In other words, Greg was a magical equipment user.
Following suit, the other two also activated their magical equipment. The man by the window wielded a sword with jagged edges, while the man by the door transformed into a werewolf-like figure, seemingly a transformation-type magical equipment.
They were likely magical equipment users, not holy knights.
They were guards belonging to a dark organization hired by Nimros to counter the Black Cat.
"Just to warn you. Surrender quickly and spill the information. If you do, it'll be over easily."
Feeling the overwhelming advantage of being three against one, Greg advised Shu.
However, Shu remained silent and cast death magic on the three.
(Foolish. "Death.")
Naturally, Greg and the others fell down like cut puppets. While feeling the accumulation of magic power within himself, Shu approached Nimros and touched the barrier that protected him.
"Huh?! What's wrong, Greg! Get up quickly. Protect me!"
However, Greg and the others didn't respond.
Because Shu had killed them.
"That's right! I have this barrier! If anyone can break through this state-of-the-art barrier magic tool sourced from the Sacred Kingdom of Grinia, then break it—"
"You fool."
With those words, Shu used death magic, killing the barrier. In other words, he absorbed the energy as magical essence. No matter how strong a barrier was, it wouldn't function without energy.
In other words, those who protected Nimros had completely disappeared.
"Hiiiiiiiiiiiiii! Someone! Someone, help meeeeeeeeeee!"
Nimroth cried out desperately, but Shu had cast soundproof magic in this room. Not even his loudest scream would be noticed.
Nimroth, inch by inch, felt fear creeping in as Shu approached. In a state of partial madness, he grabbed a self-defense knife and started swinging it around.
"W-Who do you think I am?! I am Nimroth Blatt, the Minister of Finance of the Elise Republic! Step back, you insolent foolllllllllllllllllll!"
"Annoying. And the knife is in the way."
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
With the "Void Area Divider Line," Shu cut off both of Nimroth's arms. The pain caused Nimroth to roll around on the bed. Blood gushed out, staining the sheets red, and it seemed like he would die from excessive bleeding.
Shu used teleportation magic to move the relentlessly screaming Nimroth to the floor and trampled on his back with his foot.
"Ugyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
"It would be a poor assassination if you died. I'll at least stop the bleeding."
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
Activating acceleration magic and vibration magic, Shu accelerated molecular vibration to generate heat. This burned and stopped the bleeding from the severed arms. Nimroth screamed in intense pain, but Shu showed no mercy.
It was no longer an assassination but a brutal slaughter.
However, this was also necessary for the second request, the retrieval of the gold coins.
"Now, it's time for you to talk."
Without hesitation, Shu immediately began the interrogation.