A little more than ten minutes ago, outside the Kiramman estate.
Talon, who had been lying in wait in a nearby house where the owners had yet to return, stared thoughtfully at the distant mansion.
According to intelligence gathered from General Du Couteau, who had received it from the Grand General, this manor was surrounded by deadly weapons.
Previously, several war artisans who had attempted to infiltrate the estate were knocked unconscious by gun barrels that seemed to appear from nowhere, then captured by the young mistress of the Kiramman family, who now worked as a detective.
Not only that, but a craftsman named Li Lin had seemingly invented a mechanical device capable of distant surveillance, somewhat akin to the "scout sentinels" created by mages.
Talon's expression darkened. He pulled a rough map of the Kiramman estate from his pocket—an incomplete blueprint of the mansion's surrounding area, with several missing sections, particularly the interior layout.
The war artisans were renowned scouts, engineers, and warriors from Noxus, and their skills in creating blueprints were second to none, with errors in estimating sizes rarely exceeding 10%. But judging from this map, no war artisan had yet been able to fully draw the layout of the Kiramman estate, a testament to the complexity of the target.
No…
More accurately, it was Li Lin who was the difficult target.
Talon absentmindedly picked up a hard-shell pen from the desk, a new model Li Lin had endorsed after his rise to success. It was far more practical than the feather pens used in Piltover and other regions.
He spread the map across the wall, noting the "X" marks concentrated around the manor's gate, walls, main house, and side balconies.
These areas had been tested by previous war artisans who were meant to provide backup, contributing additional information.
Though the layout of the Kiramman estate wasn't a secret among the upper class of Piltover, the last few years of trouble with the war artisans and Li Lin's return from Shurima had prompted the council to announce an internal overhaul, seemingly to unify forces against the Shuriman threat. This also led to the uncovering of many hidden war artisans.
Now, anyone attempting to probe the Kiramman estate, or other council families, would be reported to Piltover's enforcers, who would reward the tip-off.
Regardless of the intent behind the investigation, the enforcers' policy was to capture the intruder first and apologize later if found innocent, with an official apology from Sheriff Grayson himself.
After spending the afternoon personally investigating, Talon realized there were many issues with the map.
First of all, the marked "X" areas weren't all hidden weapons—some of them were exposed cameras.
Though Talon didn't know what the devices were, he was an expert in gunpowder and firearms. The "barrels" of these devices seemed to be made of glass—how could they possibly fire bullets?
He made some revisions, changing the "X"s over the cameras to "O"s, and added new marks, both "X"s and "O"s, around several other areas, marking a few spots with question marks to indicate potential danger.
Had Katarina been paying attention, she would have surely exclaimed "Genius!"
Talon had almost fully mapped out the locations of the cameras and hidden weapons around the Kiramman estate, leaving only two or three insignificant gaps.
Finishing his work, he casually tossed the pen back on the desk, the tip and nib positioned exactly as they had been when he picked it up.
Besides combat, the art of moving without a trace was a required skill for an assassin, one that had been personally taught to Talon by Du Couteau. This skill ensured fewer complications later.
Ever since his defeat in a duel with Du Couteau in the slums of Immortal Bastion, Talon had pledged allegiance to the legendary general, who had taught him many things he had never learned before, especially in the subtle techniques of assassination.
Even without a kill mission, Talon could still carry out secret reconnaissance with ease—he had even entered the hidden chambers of Demacia's mighty alone without being noticed.
Now, Du Couteau's latest mission for Talon was to infiltrate the Kiramman estate in place of the war artisans and acquire the blueprints for the mechanical device Li Lin had invented.
As Li Lin had suspected, Du Couteau never trusted his own daughter, and so, naturally, he wouldn't assign her any significant tasks. She was merely a public figure, and the real work would fall to Talon.
Katarina…
Talon touched the small, protruding bulge on his waist, where he kept his favorite small dagger.
Hearing the footsteps in the corridor outside the door and the faint sound of the lock turning, he took a deep breath, quickly stashing the map.
It was time to move.
Talon moved with lightning speed, jumping from the open window and grabbing the windowsill with one hand. His speed was akin to that of a nimble monkey. In less than two seconds, he had scaled to the roof.
Below, the voice of the house's owner could be heard muttering in confusion, "Why didn't I close the window?"
Talon took a quick glance ahead, testing the wind's direction and speed using a cloth tied to his wrist.
He then shifted position and, in a flash, pulled out a small vial the size of a thumb from his pocket. The vial contained nearly transparent powder, which he casually poured over himself.
This was a special reflective powder made from magical materials. When sprinkled on the body, it would grant the user temporary invisibility, making them nearly invisible to the naked eye if not focused on carefully.
This "invisibility powder" was highly regarded among assassins and often allowed them to turn the tide of dangerous situations.
Of course, its price was so high that most assassins could hardly afford it.
But with the support of Du Couteau's family, Talon had access to such expensive magical items and wealth.
As his body became almost transparent, Talon quickly leaped to the roof across from him, silently darting over the eaves with swift precision.
He chose an area that appeared to have fewer "X"s and "O"s, a place where there seemed to be a few oversights.
The effect of the invisibility powder didn't last long—perhaps only a few seconds—but for someone like Talon, who was ranked among the top three assassins in Noxus, it posed no problem at all.
As the invisibility effect neared its final second, he moved quickly through the outermost "level," silently landing on a branch with a lush canopy, not disturbing a single leaf, nor alerting the servant who was sweeping the leaves below.
Moments later, after the servant had moved away from the tree where he was hidden, he took out another vial of invisibility powder, poured it over himself, and with a quick intake of breath, dashed swiftly like the wind, diving into a bush by the roadside. He waited quietly for two servants, laughing and chatting, to pass by before he continued sprinting silently forward.
The perimeter of Kiramman Manor was already sufficiently dangerous, and the situation inside was unknown. However, based on intelligence about Li Lin's character, he could never allow any lapses inside.
Talon was carrying thirty vials of invisibility powder. Of these, twenty-five were mainly for infiltration, each capable of maintaining invisibility for about five to six minutes.
Of the remaining five vials, three were for backup, leaving two behind for a potential retreat. Otherwise, those unknown guns hidden somewhere could suddenly open fire, making it far too risky.
In other words, if Talon hadn't obtained Li Lin's mechanical design or intelligence by the time the twenty-fifth vial was used, the mission would be considered a failure.
Talon's face remained cold as he moved swiftly behind each servant. Even as he became "transparent," each of his movements blended into the quiet shadows.
His last mission to eliminate Katarina had failed. Although Du Couteau had said nothing, the seed of disappointment had already been planted in his heart.
He could not afford to fail again.
After bypassing the main and side houses, Talon soon arrived at the back garden of the manor, where several artisan workshops were located.
Ducking into the bushes, Talon scanned the area with his sharp eyes. He quickly identified the most luxurious-looking workshop, which, according to the descriptions in the intelligence report, appeared to be Li Lin's.
It seemed that the infiltration would not be difficult, but stealing the intelligence might not be as simple.
After using the sixth vial of invisibility powder, Talon swiftly circled around the main entrance, which had two security cameras, and arrived at the side wall, glancing upward at a window about four or five meters above. The window was slightly open.
He crouched, took a deep breath, and with a sudden burst of strength, jumped upwards, grabbing the window ledge with one hand. With a swift motion, he squeezed through the gap in the half-open window and landed quietly inside the workshop, swiftly hiding behind a workbench and observing the interior with the corner of his eye.
The workshop had no lights on, but that did not hinder Talon's vision.
He soon caught sight of a black and blue set of armor displayed in a glass showcase, and his heart lifted in excitement.
However, Talon did not act impulsively. Instead, he used another vial of invisibility powder to avoid the mechanical devices positioned at the corner of the room, making his way to the door. He gently twisted the doorknob.
But before he could open the door, a chilling voice suddenly echoed from behind, where there had been nothing moments before:
"You haven't even activated the defense systems, and it took you this long to get here? Your movements are so slow. Hiding and sneaking around like this—are you competing with the air?"
Talon's heart skipped a beat in shock. He immediately tore off his outer coat, revealing the barbed knife blades attached to his back, which he swiftly whipped backward.
However, the sound of metal clashing made his heart sink as he realized something was terribly wrong.
The next second, with a soft hum, the dim room was suddenly illuminated by a blue-white light.
Even Talon couldn't dodge in time and was hit squarely in the chest by an energy orb. He was sent flying backward, crashing into the wall and losing consciousness.
The lights in the workshop flickered back on, and Li Lin, now dressed in normal clothes after his battle armor had transformed back, stepped over to the unconscious Talon. He crouched down and poked his face with his hand.
"I thought you'd be more impressive, but you're no match for the magic-wielding Katarina."
Afterward, Li Lin disarmed Talon, removing more than thirty assorted daggers and throwing knives, including the vials of invisibility powder.
"Let's analyze this substance. It might be useful to us."
Li Lin tossed the small bottles from the bag to a floating mechanical assistant, then grabbed Talon by the collar and dragged him out of the room.
Katarina, also unconscious, was lying in the center of the room.
(End of chapter)
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