Julius was still awake, even though all the shopkeepers and marketers had already closed for the day. He constantly checked outside the window, looking to see if the Duke had really sent people after him.
"Sigh... I should probably sleep on the couch. Arrows might be able to hit me," Julius mumbled. He left his room and lay down on the couch.
In a building very close to the inn, Ray sat, observing the surroundings. He saw the young prince constantly checking outside his window, and he also looked around but didn't find anything.
'I wonder what the prince wants in this place. And it's very close to the slave market at that; he's still young,' Ray thought as he looked at the prince's room.
No matter what, he was still a fourteen-year-old boy. Even if Julius told him to stay back, he had to always follow, as it was his duty.
He suddenly noticed movement in the shadows. About a mile away, three people were coming towards the inn silently.
They all wore grey clothing and masks. Ray leapt towards them, using the buildings to close the distance.
The three people had tranquil eyes as they approached the inn at a quick speed. Even a normal person wouldn't be able to see them.
They suddenly saw Ray in front of them with a long sword, and then they brandished daggers.
One of them leapt up into the air; a blade of ice formed in her hand, and she threw it towards him before forming another one and grabbing it.
She came down on Ray, and he sidestepped while blocking an attack from the side. He removed his cape, and then his image was suddenly blurry.
"Who is this guy?" one of them spoke out, obviously a lady due to her voice.
"Leave him, he's not the target," a manly voice came from another assassin, and they all jumped away, running in different directions.
Ray suddenly jumped up towards the one who flew; he kicked him down to the ground, shocking the assassin.
The other two didn't even look back and continued on their way. Ray threw a very short rope towards the one he kicked, and it wrapped around him.
Ray then vanished from his position.
As the lady had the inn in her view, she suddenly frowned as she felt pressure coming from behind them.
'Ugh, this magic,' she thought. She turned around, waving her hand, and a layer of wind blew, blocking a sword attack aimed at her shoulder.
Before she could react again, a kick landed on her waist from the side, and she was sent flying.
The third assassin looked back. He only snorted before he went into the inn.
Another rope tied the second girl, who struggled as she looked at Ray.
"Who are you?!" she asked, gritting her teeth, and he suddenly blurred as he sped off towards the inn.
The assassin that jumped from another building, about to enter the prince's room window, was suddenly grabbed from the air.
'Fast!' the assassin thought as he struggled, and in the next moment, he was slammed into the ground.
Another rope tied them, and then Ray raised his hands. The ropes carried the three assassins, and he took them with him.
They all struggled to get free, but they just couldn't.
A few minutes later, they were seated opposite each other, facing Ray, who had taken off his upper body armor.
"Well, I'm guessing the Duke sent you," Ray said as he cut a fruit and put a piece in his mouth.
"You can torture us all you want, but our lips are sealed," the boy said in a fierce tone. Ray removed his mask to reveal a boy with short brown hair and dark eyes. He had a big nose and puffy cheeks compared to his body.
"I don't want to know that. I just want to know what the prince did to make the Duke send out assassins. As far as I know, the Duke can hardly get provoked and is a very chill man," Ray said. The girl in the middle of the two boys laughed at his statement.
"That psychopath that enslaved us. You don't know the Duke as much as we do," the boy said, and Ray still had an indifferent expression.
"I knew he had assassins behind him, but to think they'd be THE grey convoys themselves," Ray shook his head, as it was indeed going to be stressful.
"Just you wait; once we don't return, only the elite assassins would come. Even you wouldn't be a match for them," the lady said, and Ray looked at her.
"Well, it wouldn't be my first time dealing with assassins. Do they care about you enough to come save you?" Ray asked, and the assassins were taken aback by his question.
They stayed silent as they all looked at him.
"I guess not. Well, you guys will accompany me throughout the night," Ray said.
'I can't kill them. The grey convoys have more than 30 assassins that are well-versed in magic, at the level of master seekers like me. I just hope the issue isn't too serious.' He could only hope.
If the Duke indeed decided to send out his elite assassins, his only choice might be to take the prince and flee with his bond.
A blue-colored bird resembling a falcon suddenly flew towards him and landed on his hand.
He let it stay on his lap and began to pet it.
'No way, is that a...' the girl's eyes widened as she saw the creature on Ray's leg.
"Mountain falcon," she mumbled. The two boys looked at the bird, then at Ray, and then they realized they could never defeat this man.
She looked at the ropes holding her; she was right. She could see magical inscriptions on them, and she tried to use her mana to disable them but couldn't.
...
Julius woke up. He looked outside the window, then grabbed a small circular flat disc and looked at it. On a specific part of the edge was a bright light.
'It's already morning, huh?' Julius thought, and then he began to get ready to go to the slave market again to see if they would bring who he wanted.