The brown-haired, gray-eyed assassin swiftly dashed out of the restaurant, but Charlotte was already out of sight.
As the throwing knife spun back into his sleeve, a faint smile appeared on his face, and he was about to say something. But in the next instant, there was a roar like a dragon, and a magic-breaking shell came hurtling from a distance, aimed directly at him.
Charlotte fired this shot with a heart full of resentment.
He was just a math teacher who had been transported to this world. His greatest life goals were to marry a wealthy woman, climb the social ladder, and amass wealth. How did it come to this, where he was repeatedly hunted down?
In Kilmarnock Prison, the new warden, Magru Trelle, driven by selfish motives, had forced him to betray Menielman. Even after he escaped, Magru Trelle wouldn't let it go and spent a fortune hiring the Red Horse Detective Agency to hunt him down, triggering a series of misfortunes. After killing eight detectives from the Red Horse Agency, their leader, Aubrey Charlton Atwood, had even bribed assassins from the Beastman Assassin Guild to come after him...
The troubles seemed endless.
"Magru Trelle! You deserved to die."
"Aubrey Charlton Atwood, I will kill you, destroy your Red Horse Detective Agency, and bring ruin to your family, wiping out your entire lineage!"
Though Charlotte was a transmigrant, he still held onto some traditional Chinese values deep down!
Yes, he had a particular fondness for wiping out his enemies' entire families.
The brown-haired, gray-eyed man reacted swiftly, his body twisting in midair, somehow managing to change direction and narrowly dodging the magic-breaking shell, which grazed his shoulder and flew off into the distance.
The assassin didn't even have time to feel relieved before a sharp pain shot through his side, and blood began to pour out.
Charlotte had struck successfully but had no time to capitalize on his advantage. The brown-haired, gray-eyed assassin suddenly wrenched himself free from the Blood Rose's blade, let out a piercing howl, and increased his speed, fleeing towards the outer districts.
Charlotte quickly checked in with the three clever cat kittens. The little ones, born only recently, had collapsed from exhaustion after firing that one shot. They lay panting on the wall, too tired to move, and couldn't bring the anti-space sniper rifle back to him. Charlotte could only watch in frustration as the assassin escaped.
"There are too many spells that can conceal one's presence and launch ambushes, making it hard to guess which one it was. But the spell that can suddenly boost speed, lasting only briefly each time, and is commonly used by beastmen, should be 'Leopard's Pursuit.'"
"This ability doesn't last as long as Agility, but its explosive power is impressive. If it weren't for the fact that each burst only lasts for two or three breaths, I probably wouldn't have lasted long."
In the heat of battle, Charlotte had keenly noticed that after each round of rapid attacks, the brown-haired, gray-eyed assassin would make some sarcastic remarks. At first, Charlotte thought it was just a nasty habit of his, but he soon realized that the assassin simply couldn't sustain his flurry of attacks.
Seizing the moment when his opponent needed to catch his breath, Charlotte directed the three clever cat kittens to launch a surprise attack, then struck back fiercely. He had been so close to killing the assassin.
As he watched the assassin's figure disappear, Charlotte muttered to himself, "What a pity!"
He leaped a few times to reach the three clever cat kittens lying on the wall. He first stowed the anti-space sniper rifle into his alchemy staff, then gathered the three little ones into his arms with a smile and said, "Thanks to you, I'll treat you to something delicious."
He first returned to the restaurant to pay his bill, even leaving an extra twenty silver coins to cover the damage from the fight, before choosing another restaurant. There, he ordered a new meal for himself and asked for the tenderest raw beef for the three clever cat kittens, having it finely chopped and served.
This restaurant didn't have fruit wine, and the paired beverage was beer. Charlotte took a sip, and his brows relaxed slightly. This beer was almost devoid of bitterness, crisp and refreshing, perfect for drinking.
As he dined, Charlotte watched the clever cat kittens happily devour their beef, a smile spreading across his face.
He hadn't expected the kittens to play such a crucial role in this battle. Without their well-timed shot, he wouldn't have been able to drive off that fearsome assassin.
Although this brown-haired, gray-eyed assassin was also a mid-tier extraordinary, his strength far exceeded that of the previous assassin and even the former warden, Magru Trelle.
After finishing his meal in comfort, Charlotte noticed that the three clever cat kittens had eaten until their bellies were round and were now lying on the table, mewing contentedly.
Charlotte called over a waiter and said, "Your beer is quite good. I'd like three barrels. Have them delivered to my address later."
He then picked up the three kittens, paid for his meal and the beer, and walked back to 58 Élysée Gardens.
Upon returning, he greeted Lady Nancy, who was waiting on the first floor, and said, "I bought three barrels of beer. When the restaurant delivers them, please move two barrels to the basement and bring one barrel upstairs for me."
After giving these instructions, Charlotte headed directly to the third floor. He set the clever cat kittens down, gave them some water, and let them play on their own. Then he went out to the balcony overlooking the Lukavaro River, pulled over a lounge chair, and began to gaze at the scenery across the river while reaching for the Cat Mask.
This extraordinary item could transform into six different forms, randomly drawing one skill from the transformation target. The targets had to be entities he had previously encountered, and wearing the mask also slightly enhanced his agility. It was also a form of identification for members of the Beastman Assassin Guild.
Curious to see if the Cat Mask could transform into the appearance of the brown-haired, gray-eyed assassin he had encountered today, Charlotte lightly touched the thin mask.
Six different forms appeared in sequence, three of which were ordinary people, and the skills drawn by the Cat Mask included cooking, driving, and night patrol.
With a slight mental nudge, Charlotte replaced one of the ordinary forms with that of the brown-haired, gray-eyed assassin. At the same time, more than ten different throwing knife techniques flooded into his mind.
A smile crept across Charlotte's face. He hadn't expected to extract such a skill.
The Cat Mask couldn't draw on the target's abilities, only their skills, which was a bit of a disappointment. But if it could extract abilities, this item would be far too powerful.
Throwing knife techniques weren't an ability but a skill, composed purely of technique, proficiency, talent, and an elusive "sense of the blade."
The brown-haired, gray-eyed assassin had clearly put in an immense amount of effort into mastering throwing knife techniques, not only developing precise throwing skills but also mastering close combat with the short knives. Every move and technique was honed to perfection, crafted purely for killing.
In terms of complexity and sophistication, the assassin's throwing knife techniques couldn't compare to the Angel's Sting of the House of Asilo.
The Angel's Sting wasn't just an extraordinary secret art; it was an extraordinary swordsmanship, renowned across the Old Continent.
The Old Continent had six or seven different versions of the ultimate swordsmanship, including the Five Holy Sword Arts, the Seven Divine Sword Arts, and the Twelve Dominator Sword Arts.
Each version included the Angel's Sting of the House of Asilo.
Each version also included the Griffon Swordsmanship of the Robin family.
Yes, the same Robin family to which Saroses Robin and Zimmelman Axel Robin belonged.
However, the brown-haired, gray-eyed assassin's throwing knife techniques were highly practical, with precise solutions for real combat, assassinations, street fights, close-quarters combat, and sudden battles. It was a typical assassin's blade technique.
Charlotte didn't have any throwing knives, but he did have a dagger. Donning the Cat Mask, he flung the dagger, then used Bloodflame Energy to summon it back after it flew out, enjoying the process immensely.
He wasn't particularly fond of this dagger, which he had taken from the previous assassin. Charlotte had tried many times to control ordinary extraordinary weapons with Bloodflame Energy, but they never responded as smoothly or flexibly as bloodsucking weapons, so he hadn't used it in any recent battles. However, this dagger was perfect for practicing throwing knife techniques.
After practicing for over an hour, Charlotte was now a "throwing knife expert," with every stylish throw hitting its mark with precision.
When he removed the Cat Mask, the throwing knife techniques disappeared. He tried throwing the dagger again and found that while his skill had decreased significantly, it wasn't as bad as he had expected, and his accuracy was better than anticipated.