"FIND HER!!!"
"Erwyn, we should get you checked out too!"
"SILENCE! Send a messenger to the Viscountess now. Ride the horses until they drop!" Erwyn shouted, frantically scanning the area for any sign of his lady. In the time he'd been unconscious, Lucia had vanished.
"Isn't it bad to inform the Viscountess right away? We could try to find her quietly, without raising panic," the guard supporting Erwyn advised.
"You don't understand. If the Viscountess finds out we delayed informing her about her daughter's danger..." He gulped, unable to suppress the dread that thought brought.
"Forget about me! Just do it! Tell every servant to comb the estate and the surrounding area. Contact every city guard's barracks. Her life is the only priority!"
He had failed.
He should have noticed sooner—his exhaustion wasn't natural. Someone was orchestrating this. Someone had pulled the strings to abduct Lady Lucia.
How could he have been so careless?
The trust he'd been given, the responsibility of guarding her... was this how it would end?
If anything happened to Lady Lucia, he wouldn't need the Viscountess to punish him—he deserved the executioner's axe himself.
Of course, they'd strike while the Viscountess was away...
It had been so obvious. Yet—
"DAMN IT!"
---
The assassin moved first, lunging with terrifying quickness. Gerrard's sword met the attack, and the clash created a shower of sparks between the steel.
Each of the assassin's attacks was precise, aimed to end the fight in a single blow. But that precision made his intent clear, allowing Gerrard to block each strike. Instead of wearing his opponent down, the assassin aimed to kill swiftly.
He's getting impatient. He doesn't plan to spend much time here, Gerrard thought, realizing he could use this to his advantage.
The assassin feinted left, then struck from the right.
Gerrard anticipated the move, deflecting the blow and countering with a swift strike of his own. The assassin barely dodged, the tip of Gerrard's blade grazing his side.
Tch, not deep enough. This is why I hate agile opponents, he cursed internally.
The assassin stepped back to reassess, holding his bleeding abdomen.
So that opening was purposefully created... despite his bulk, he's using his brain well.
The wound was not deadly. He could still fight.
But...
The current tactic will not work.
The captain's defense was equal to his attack speed; he would need to injure him more before attempting a killing blow.
Gerrard's breath came in ragged gasps, his injured arm stinging like a swarm of wasps.
He won't last long... Just one more solid hit and—
With a sudden burst of speed, Gerrard pressed the attack, his sword swinging so quickly it blurred in motion.
Fast!
Clang.
He parried the strike, forced to retreat. That speed clearly was not in his prediction.
I thought he was tired. Is it adrenaline?
Sensing hesitation, Gerrard seized the moment, his blade finding an opening in the assassin's defense.
But the assassin wouldn't fall so easily.
I was not planning to use this—
THUMP.
His heartbeat roared loudly. As Gerrard's blade neared his neck, a burst of crimson aura exploded from the assassin's body.
CRACK.
The assassin caught the blade with his bare hands and crushed it.
...!!? Impossible—
"With this, you die."
Stunned and unable to recover his composure, Gerrard left his guard wide open.
"Kggahh--!!"
Gerrard's armor cracked as the assassin landed a brutal hook to his torso. He stumbled back into the dark tunnel, disbelief etched across his face.
As he groveled on the ground, clutching his chest and struggling to breathe, it felt as if his ribs were broken and his lungs punctured. His vision began to darken.
Tch, only one potion left...
And it would only act as a painkiller. It would not be enough to mend wounds that reached internal organs.
"Still conscious?" the assassin mocked as he slowly approached Gerrard. "Do not worry, the pain will end very soon."
Gerrard fumbled for the potion, desperate to stave off the agony for even a moment longer.
Splash.
But the assassin quickly threw a dagger, shattering the vial and spilling its contents into the dirt.
"That's the third bottle. I'm guessing that's all you brought?"
Things had gone from bad to worse.
With his punctured lung, Gerrard was barely conscious. He used all his remaining concentration to stay alive.
Casting magic is impossible; there's no way he could fight back in this position.
Step. Step. Step.
He recognized this feeling all too well.
Fifteen years ago, as a mercenary, when he experienced Viscountess Leticia's prowess for the first time.
The exhaustion, the despair, the fear.
He's currently dying.
In a place like this?
With his last remaining breath, Gerrard could barely mutter the name of his most precious.
"...sorry, Isla."
---
"Check the slums! Search the alleyways!"
The guards were finally mobilized. It seemed they'd realized their lady was missing.
"Hey, you!"
...!
"Have you seen anyone who looks like this?"
The boy walking beside me glanced at the hand-drawn portrait of Lucia before shaking his head. "No, sir. Haven't seen her."
"I see. If you do, report it immediately." The guard hurried off to join the others in the frantic search.
I let out a slow, silent breath.
He didn't see through the invisibility...
Long story short, I'd done it. I'd kidnapped Lady Lucia.
And, well... she was currently slung over my shoulder like a sack of grain.
Carrying her in a princess carry might've looked more dignified, but even with invisibility, it would've been way too awkward. Still, lugging her like this was exhausting.
Kidnapping a noble's daughter... If I get caught, I'm dead.
The herb I'd used to knock everyone out had worked better than I'd expected—probably because they'd all been worn out from the festival. Thankfully, I'd ensured it was non-lethal, so they'd all be fine by morning.
But that wasn't my main concern.
Time was running out.
The cloak's invisibility would only last ten minutes. Once the magic wore off, it'd become an ordinary black cloak, and I'd be completely exposed.
I had to move quickly. I had to reach the hideout before it was too late.
And then... I'd kill Cedric.
---
In another part of the city—
"Mom, what is that man doing?"
"Shh, don't get too close. He's dangerous."
All eyes were on the strange man sniffing the ground, a bizarre sight that had gone on for several minutes.
"Not here..."
Suddenly, he stood up, walked to a nearby shop, and began sniffing the door intensely.
"Not here either..."
"Oi, stay away from my shop! What the hell are you—"
The shopkeeper's rage faded the instant he saw the man's eyes. They were wide open, bloodshot, and unblinking, as though he were under some kind of influence.
"W-what...?"
Cedric, at that moment, felt on top of the world. Everything seemed bright and dazzling. Riches and power were finally within his grasp.
Lucia, the girl his master was supposed to kill, was missing, which meant the assassination couldn't happen!
His master would fail, just as the old fool deserved.
Cedric had had enough of serving others, begging for scraps of power. If he could locate Lucia and kill her before his master, their roles would reverse instantly.
The Order despised failure more than anything else, but they rewarded success generously. Now that Cedric was officially one of them, that rule applied to him too.
That old geezer is no longer of any use to me.
Right now, Lucia was no longer a person but a treasure—a prize waiting to be claimed.
A treasure hunt.
Lucia, oh Lucia... Don't worry. I'll find you soon enough.
And Cedric was very good at hunting.
---
Cedric, the hunting hound.
Known for his uncanny ability to track targets by scent, Cedric never let go once he caught wind of his prey. Ruthless, ambitious, and self-serving, he was exactly the kind of psychopath the Demonic Order groomed.
In the main story, he would turn Rosemount into his playground. Drug trafficking, secret murders, the red-light district, illegal slavery—and his favorite hobby:
Torturing young women.
Because of this, he rose quickly through the ranks, becoming a Second-Pawn under First-Pawn Benjamin within just one year of joining the Order.
But—
I'm confident I can win.
Fighting him head-on would be suicidal, but I'm not without a plan.
I scanned the surroundings near the mansion. As expected, most of the guards and servants were searching the city, leaving the mansion's security thin.
Lesser Fortify Step
With a basic strengthening buff, I jumped over the fence. Anything stronger would disrupt my focus, and I needed to maintain the invisibility spell.
This body didn't skip leg day, I'll make sure to train it daily.
I reached the front door and tried the handle.
Clack. Clack.
Locked.
Of course, it wasn't going to be easy.
Lesser Empower.
I dispelled the earlier spell and buffed my strength instead.
Time is running out. The cloak's invisibility will wear off soon.
The mansion's interior was initially confusing, but finding a safe room was easy—most of them were empty.
I settled in the largest room I could find, one farthest from the remaining guards.
Lucia's room.
Or at least I thought it was.
The extravagant decorations, jewelry, and the painting of her with her parents made it clear.
Is that supposed to be her dad?
They had the same eyes.
The painting must have been based on the artist's imagination since Lucia's father had died in the war when she was still a baby. In the portrait, she was depicted as a teenager.
Anyway, enough snooping around.
Cedric would track Lucia's perfume soon and find my location.
With luck, he'd be caught by the guards before reaching this room. That was unlikely, though.
The chance of him telling the guards about Lucia's location and asking for their help was zero.
Knowing Cedric, he'd want to kill her himself. The fewer people who knew her location, the better.
The rest would depend on me.
---
"The mansion?" Cedric muttered as he sniffed the air again.
Why would someone hide Lucia in her own home?
If they truly wanted to harm her, this would be a terrible hiding place.
The mansion's security was loose for now, but within an hour, most of the guards and servants would return. How did they plan to escape?
Could it be a trap? Are they trying to lure me out?
No, that was impossible.
No one in the city knew the Demonic Order had planted a spy. Hell, most people didn't even believe the Order still existed.
There's no way the kidnapper knew he was coming for Lucia.
'I'm overthinking this.'
The kidnapper probably panicked and saw the mansion as a temporary hiding spot.
Still, even if it is a trap...
Cedric smirked.
It didn't matter.
The only person who posed a threat to his new demonic powers was currently outside the city.
So it really wouldn't matter.