LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 23: Counter Assassin
"HUH?? Someone took that commission? You told me nobody would take that commission!!" I fumed inside my bedroom at R4 or Edwal, who had assured me that nobody would accept the Elidranthia kill commission. Panic started to settle in as my blood froze.
"Well, I thought nobody would take that commission since the reward was too low and the job too hard. But apparently, someone did."
"I am a guild member! How could they approve such a quest?"
"I just wanted to inform you. The guild is not monolithic by any means. They don't care what they do as long as it produces results. It has happened multiple times where the guild produces conflicting commissions, such as protecting and assassinating the same target. It is up to you to take the request after all," Edwal said, but then an amusing whistle cut in. "You know, you could probably rank up quite nicely if you could kill your offender."
"Ugh! I don't care about ranks! But why? What did I do to them that got my name up there!"
"That would cost you 800 points. Please work hard and rank up. You only managed to scrape 5 points from the info yesterday."
"1 point is 1 gold, right? So, 5 points is 5 gold. It is a lot of money, right?"
"Well, this is just how our world works. Don't compare yourself to those commoners, Reaper 666. Think outside the box. We offer so much because we do everything and anything."
"Ugh! How am I supposed to defend against an assault by veteran assassins!"
"Lady Eli. May I help you? I heard weird sounds coming from your bedroom."
"Hieek!" My heart jumped when Alicia suddenly came into my room. I needed to make rules to forbid anyone from entering without permission. However, I also often intruded upon her room uninvited. "Nothing! Nothing! I was simply muttering to myself about how I miss my home or how I wanted to drink milk or something."
"I see. Do you want to talk? I am sorry, but this village has no milk this season. It is very rural after all. They don't have a refrigerator."
"Of course. I know."
"Do you want to chat?"
"Ehm… sure, sure! Let's chat. We have nothing to do here anyway. I am going to prepare! Don't worry, Four! For tea! Do you want tea?" I tried my best to talk to both Alicia and R4 at the same time.
"Geez! You are such a handful. Good night. Sleep with your eyes open. I can't help you there. R4 out. " The mana was then cut off, and I freely continued my chat with Alicia.
I turned my mouth on autopilot as I racked my brain on how to defend against the assassins. We leisurely rode a carriage here, so after 3 days, we were only halfway there. However, the distance to the capital could be crossed in two days with a single horse or even one day with a fast horse.
"How many assassins were after me? My kill commission was 100 points, or the equivalent of 100 gold! It was quite a bit of money. If I offered it in the slums, I could probably hire ten or twenty people! But those are ordinary citizens! The me right now could handle that much. However, what if the assassins only hired five or three experienced individuals? They could get to me while I am asleep or use poison."
"I see. I will work hard! If Lady Eli wanted parfait, we could buy the required fruit in our territory. And then…" Moreover, what about Alicia. I was famous. Even in the academy, everyone already knew me. What if they targeted Alicia.
"Alicia. It is already night! Let us sleep."
"Alright. Good night, Lady Eli." As she began to leave the room, I called out to her.
"Wait. Will you sleep together with me?" I mumbled. She would probably hate it. But this is for her own safety. I did my best to suppress my mana to avoid frightening her.
"Is it okay? For us to sleep together?"
"Yes. Please."
"Well… I am just a maid. I couldn't possibly."
"It's fine. Please! Sleep together!" I said, and Alicia finally relented.
The next day, I looked outside the carriage relentlessly. I watched every tree and every patch of grass out there. Is it possible for them to attack the carriage? We have two knights guarding the carriage. They couldn't possibly attack us in the open, right?
Several horses passed by us. They glanced toward us and left. I grabbed my dagger and karambit, but it turned out to be a false alarm, and we safely reached our rest stop by evening. My nerves were frayed, and I wanted nothing more than to sleep soundly inside the inn. When I was about to lie down, the metal plate vibrated. I took a clip from it and put it on my ear.
"Hey, 666. Are you still alive? See anyone suspicious? They could be within your doorstep by now."
"Nobody. Just some horses passed by."
"Hmm? How could several horses pass by you? That is not a direct route to the capital." R4 questioned me. He thought it was unusual for there to be multiple horseriders riding along that path. They didn't belong to the messenger guild as they often traveled alone. So, they must be mercenaries.
"Hm? Oh, shit!" I quickly grabbed my dagger and karambit and rushed to Alicia's room. There were four horse riders that passed by us today. I thought there was nothing strange. Maybe they wanted to go to this rural village or something. However, now that R4 has pointed it out, there was a possibility that they were the assassins.
"Alicia!" I opened the door in a panic.
"Kyaa!! Oh my god! Lady Eli! Would you please knock next time you enter?" Alicia was naked. We were both girls, so I didn't care about that. I scanned the surroundings and observed any potential weak spots the assailants might come through.
As I approached the window and peeked outside, my instincts moved my head a bit to the left, and an arrow flew by my head. Alicia screamed again, but I ignored it. I scanned the outside, but it was too dark. All I could see was a glint as another arrow passed by my head. I immediately grabbed Alicia, killed the light, and stayed away from the window.
"Lady Eli. W-w-what happened?"
"We are being attacked."
"B-bandits? The same ones who tried to kidnap me years ago?"
"Possibly."
I harbored a strong resentment towards nobles and mages, viewing them as an entitled and arrogant bunch born into luxury without facing any hardships. My upbringing in the slums had been harsh, and when I defended myself by killing three bullies attempting to rob me of food, a man shrouded in a hooded cloak approached me. Impressed by my tenacity, he offered me the opportunity to join the Reaper Guild.
The sense of empowerment during my first assassination mission was exhilarating. Finally, I could exact revenge on those wealthy individuals who had tormented me. Moreover, the substantial earnings allowed me to live a life akin to nobility—frequenting cafes during the day and indulging in wine at night.
Joining the most fearsome guild instilled pride in me. As a professional killer, I reveled in the fear I instilled and the glory it brought. I was no longer the oppressed citizen I once was.
Yet, there were always bigger fish in the pond, above the sky, there was always be a higher sky. And a hierarchy was formed within the organization. Despite my efforts, I remained at the bottom, never completing a quest exceeding 100 points. This time will be different. Elidranthia, a mere countryside noble's daughter, earned the ire of certain figures who sought her demise for a reward of 100 gold.
Unable to take on a noble alone, I had to split the task among three comrades, all brought from the slums. Forty points were allocated for horses and supplies, leaving the remaining 60 points to be divided among the four of us—15 coins for each, tasked with killing a mage and a noble. Few would accept such a perilous mission, but my intense hatred toward nobles compelled me to undertake it.
My target was the girl who had slain Boss Larry. Living a life of privilege, she had a well-endowed personal mage as her maid and hosted extravagant parties in her noble quarters daily, funded by the exorbitant taxes we paid. While assassinating someone within noble quarters was deemed impossible by my operator, an attack in the middle of the woods or at a rest stop presented a feasible opportunity. The girl would likely be returning to her countryside residence soon, providing me with a chance to end her life.
An opportunity had finally presented itself. The noble girl ventured out as anticipated. Swiftly, I instructed my operator to accept the kill quest and set out with the rented horses along with my comrades. My work ethic was unmatched. While the privileged nobles slept soundly in every inn, I pressed on through the night with my horse. I intercepted her carriage as she recklessly peeked out, but her two imperial guards stood vigilant.
Despite the presence of her guards, her fate was already sealed. I planned to wait at her inn and strike during the night—a time when sneak attacks were our forte. Without their armor and weapons, even knights were no match for our skill. As the sun set and night fell, our chances of success increased. Just as I prepared to launch the attack, my friend spotted her once again, stupidly gazing at the moon and stars through an inn window.
"Should we attack?"
"Yes. Kill her!"
My friend, an archer with over a decade of experience, could easily hit her. I chuckled at what seemed like an easy quest. This commission was proving simpler than anticipated. I watched as the arrow flew toward her temple. However, she moved her head suddenly, and the arrow, which should have found its mark, missed. I gasped in surprise. How had she dodged it?
"Shoot again!" I nearly shouted at my friend, who stood in shock. He fired a second arrow, and the same outcome occurred. She deftly moved her head, avoiding the shot.
"It's a skill. I'm sure of it. My friend has something similar," remarked another companion, a myrmidon. Myrmidon, a term chosen with pride, was merely a fancier way of saying sellsword or mercenary. However, out of respect, we refrained from calling him otherwise. "My friend said it's a form of short-term foresight. He knew when he was going to die and thus evaded it. Oh, and don't forget my bonus. This information didn't come cheap."
"So, that noble daughter has a skill, magic, and a noble? Damn, the world is unfair. The gods must have been pampering her. She got all three gifts everyone ever wanted," the hulking guy with two axes groaned. "So, shall we charge at the inn now? She killed the light and had to stay away from the window. At this rate, we will have to face the two soldiers she's sure to awaken in a few moments."
"Alright! Let's go. Hit it! Fast! If we slow down, she will call her knights. Then it will be four of us against two mages and two knights."
We charged at the inn at once. The axe guy smashed the front door in a single swing as we tried to climb to the second floor. The knights woke up all at once, but we had all the advantage. They were shirtless. Myrmidon and I dispatched them swiftly.
"The knights are down. Let's kill the mage noble bastard!"
We didn't know which room they took. So, when we got to the second floor, we had to open all six rooms one by one. The axe guy broke down the doors one by one. When he broke down the third door, a dagger flew through his throat.
"ACK!"
"I won't be a burden to Lady Eli! Die, bandits!"
"Watch out!" I screamed as a fireball shot out from the fifth room. Explosions destroyed part of the inn we were in. Myrmidon and I jumped through an empty room and escaped the blast, but the archer didn't make it.
"Scram!" I ordered. The narrow hall was the worst place for an artillery mage like her slave to be in. We didn't have anywhere to dodge. Moreover, we didn't have any mage who could detect mana. I should have bought those mana glasses instead of using the points for beer. Damn it.
"Damn it, we lost two people," I cursed.
"You have taken the quest, Reaper 451. If you fail, your balance will be turned into a minus due to penalty. You know what will happen then, right? We don't take kindly to failures."
"Damn it! I know! Just shut your mouth, telephone guy!" I shouted at the block of wood the size of a water bottle in front of me.
“I am Operator Unit 16B. As requested, I will stay silent during your mission."
"What should we do?" I asked the Myrmidon. "Damn it. How could R453 get killed by an ambush? Was he blind?"
"Hmm... Her battle technique bore a resemblance to R4. I wonder…."
"Huh? The legendary Reaper that was still alive from the beginning of the Reaper Guild?" I asked him. Many thought R4 was immortal since his name was there three hundred years ago. But no one ever knew. He might as well be a different person with the same numbers. We recycled quite often.
"Yeah. I met him once and offered thirty points for a single friendly match. I lost. It is not because his skill is superior. I was simply tricked by an illusion. His body suddenly vanished and appeared behind me."
"Yeah. She is a dark mage. She could do that. I thought dark mages were supposed to only summon monster illusions or something! When did we get hit by her illusion anyway? We didn't see her at all!"
*crack
I knew that sound. A twig was stepped. Myrmidon quickly brandished his sword. "Hey, is this one of her illusions?"
"Let's escape. Let's run and kill her another day."
"You won't run. I won't let you! I will find you! And I will kill you," Red eyes floated from behind the inn and into the woods. This village only had five buildings, and then a jungle was only a few steps out. How did she find us?
"She found us!" I whimpered. Fear started to take hold of me. Even as she walked slowly, we didn't dare make the first move.
"Is she real?" I asked the Myrmidon.
"She is real! Charge!" The Myrmidon took out a vial from his pocket and drenched himself with it. That vial could dispel mana or curses applied to the user. He then wore glasses and activated the feystone in them. R445 always bought several magic tools with him using our team's money. I moaned at the ridiculous 30-point price, but apparently, we needed it now. I thanked his cautious attitude inside my heart and promised to treat him to a beer later.
The girl smiled as we charged at her. Her red eyes sent a shiver along my spine. Why did she smile? Is this some kind of illusion? Was she playing tricks on us?
Myrmidon prided himself as a swordsman. I thought it would be over with a single slash of his sword. However, both of us were surprised when his sword was blocked by her weird curved knife. A counterattack soon followed, and the Myrmidon jumped back with all of his strength. A silver comet seemed to flash by, aiming at his neck.
I charged with my buckler and slashed at her. She sidestepped and cut at me from the side. As I swung my blade, her weird knife caught my blade again. However, she was too arrogant. Just because she could do a bit of close combat, she dared to challenge two reapers at once. We could win this.
"Damn it. She is too small, too fast," Myrmidon cursed.
"Bye-bye!" She then took a step back. Her feet were as light as a feather. However, we couldn't chase her as light filled my eyes in the middle of the night.
"Don't touch Lady Eli!"
"Watch o—!" An explosion, bigger than before, resounded before Myrmidon could warn me. The ten-or-so-meter fireball was like a sun dropping right down to us. The earth and trees seemed to shake, and my world seemed to turn upside down.
"Ugh. Kohok!" I coughed as I lay defeated. My body was hurt all over from the burns; I couldn't even lift my sword. The girl, dressed in black with red eyes, then came to me as she walked merrily. Her eyes smiled at the chance of stabbing me with her dagger.
"Damn it. Mages and nobles… this world. Unfair…." were my last words before her dagger plowed through my throat.