The Assassination War (7)

Freugne obediently followed the youth’s lead.

Why? He had claimed Edan summoned her.

For what reason? Likely a pertinent matter had arisen. His reluctance to elaborate implied a connection to the futures she had witnessed.

Faint commotion emanated from beyond the walls, perhaps related incidents.

“How did the meeting proceed?”

“The meeting, you ask? From my position, I could not fully discern the details. But it seems some disagreements sparked debates…”

“I see.”

Her mind remained hazily disoriented, the youth’s murmuring voice evoking dreamlike sensations.

Pausing briefly, Freugne inquired:

“Don’t you hear something from afar?”

“As I mentioned, the meeting seems to have intensified slightly.”

“No, not that – sounds akin to minor explosions.”

“…You must be mistaken. Surely no one would detonate fireworks amidst such circumstances. Likely some crates toppled nearby.”

“…..”

“You see? The noises have subsided, restoring tranquility.”

True to his words, the faint disturbances dissipated, silence reigning once more.

Yet the absence of even muffled clamor seemed oddly incongruous – akin to a rowdy classroom abruptly stilling, an unsettling phenomenon.

The youth resumed walking.

“Then shall we proceed? You mentioned urgency.”

“Yes, we should.”

That was enough.

With a brisk fingersnap, Freugne discharged a current rapidly enveloping the youth’s body amid crackling sparks.

---

The youth collapsed with a strangled cry.

“Guh…ack…!”

“Ordinary humans would likely lose consciousness, but you being a Demon, you’ll persevere at least that long.”

“Guh…urp…”

“As expected.”

The illusion shattered alongside the deployed magic.

The ‘minor disturbance’ she had dismissed revealed itself as screams and explosions.

The supposed ‘guide’ sported slender protruding horns, unmistakably a Demon.

Freugne swiftly assessed the situation – during her induced slumber, he had fabricated illusory perceptions.

Lingering aftereffects prompted a mild disorientation, though her grogginess could have resulted from the abrupt awakening. Either portended ill omens.

“Huack, heuck. H-How…”

“You expect me to explain?”

As an operative, especially one assigned to this pivotal meeting venue, he should have undergone her comprehensive vetting process.

Their profiles, histories, even futures – she had personally verified them all, including committing every attendee’s face to memory.

While manipulating her cognition to perceive him as an ‘innocuous human,’ anything short of rewriting her memories would inevitably raise suspicions once her mental faculties regained clarity.

Lacking the organization’s insignia alone practically advertised his extermal affiliation.

Naturally, she felt no obligaton to offer courteous explanations.

Pinning the Demon underfoot, another current surged through him, triggering convulsions.

His head whipped sideways, slamming against a table’s edge and drawing blood, yet he defiantly clung to consciousness.

As he attempted rising, Freugne discharged another shock, maintaining outward composure while inwardly reeling.

Had such incidents been foreseeable, she would have foreseen them.

This implied a breach somewhere – a betrayal she should have anticipated.

‘Someone’s memories were accessed.’

And she could hazard a guess whose…

But speculation would prove fruitless. Freugne had no inclination to indulge adversaries with exposition, wasting precious time.

“Hold–”

“Gwaah!”

-Kwajick!-

The Demon lunged, prompting Freugne’s unhesitating retaliation, seizing a nearby chair to bludgeon his skull’s edge.

Magic alone seemed insufficient for inducing unconsciousness against this stalling tactic.

A few concussive chair-shots later, his wriggling ceased, evidently rendered comatose if not deceased.

‘Now, where should I proceed?’

The Demons’ infiltration implied their likely presence within the venue itself.

Freugne abandoned her deliberations – she lacked sufficient information, no trustworthy individuals to utilize for future assessments. Instincts would guide her better under such circumstances.

Opting for the opposite direction the Demon had led, she could not guarantee its safety, but blindly walking into their midst seemed unwise.

-Bang! Kwaang! Pung!!-

“…That would be magic, undoubtedly.”

The resonating shockwaves instinctively halted Freugne’s stride.

Unless artillery now bombarded the venue’s exterior, only magic could account for such tremors. And she recollected dispatching someone capable of such spells ahead.

-Crreeeak-

“Huu…”

Gently prying the door open, Freugne averted her gaze before exhaling deeply.

A corpse lay before the entrance, belonging to a familiar operative.

Had Edan truly summoned her, this would have been his messenger, perhaps even his ill-fated advance party. Not that such details mattered now.

When meticulously devised plans unravel, even their orchestrators momentarily falter.

Failing to contemplate contingencies stemmed from investing every effort into preventing such eventualities.

Freugne stood rooted for a moment, time seeming to slow inexplicably.

Simultaneously, she sensed something fracturing within – her self-assurance.

‘Well, I did try my utmost.’

Well-founded confidence poses no inherent detriment – if anything, it fuels positive motivation, hence warranting encouragement.

Yet the world had unanimously agreed to denounce unfounded self-assurance as arrogance.

Her track record existed, undeniably.

Countless battlefields surveyed, innumerable soldiers’ lives preserved.

Yet if she had overlooked the crux, what did those achievements avail?

She had never doubted her ability to facilitate better outcomes.

She had merely assumed their inevitability, rebuffing Edan’s concerns over her exertions with reassurances of persevering ‘a bit longer.’

The obsession driving her pursuit of increasingly immaculate futures had stemmed from a desire to prove her capabilities to him, once and for all.

‘If I had heeded his words, would this have unfolded differently?’

Perhaps – or perhaps not. Could she have foreseen these blind spots had she conserved her efforts?

But by focusing on battlefield overviews instead of immediate surroundings, the Earl of Norton might now reside within this very venue.

Ultimately, that immutable past would forever elude Freugne’s comprehension. History permitted no ‘what-ifs.’

“Right, I should locate Edan first, then ruminate.”

Retracing her path from memory, the venue lay just beyond that stage.

Yet as Freugne stepped through the threshold:

“Don’t move.”

“…Eep.”

“Remain quiet, and you won’t be harmed immediately. Is my Belfast phrasing correct?”

Accompanied by that stilted diction, frigid metal pressed against her nape.

While unsurprised by the Demons’ presence, their staging an ambush around this very corner proved unexpected.

A scenario eerily reminiscent of this flickered through Freugne’s mind.

She vividly recollected its outcome too, precluding any intervention on Edan’s behalf in this pivotal moment.

For him, who would never have instigated such endeavors without her involvement to begin with.

-Zazazazap!-

“Kyaaah!!”

Yet neither did she wish to become deadweight once more.

Forcefully shoving aside the disarmed Demon, Freugne fled.

---

Expecting those previously preoccupied with accruing wealth and influence to evacuate in orderly droves would have been overly optimistic.

“Remain calm, all of you! Dispersing invites solitary demise!”

“Hey, that route leads to a dead end anyway. Don’t flee, come this way instead!”

“I can’t see ahead. Which way should we–”

“Kyaaaah!!”

Pandemonium erupted within the venue.

Had I abandoned my position to search for Freugne, complete annihilation would have ensued.

While the irreparably shattered trust could never be seamlessly remended, preserving the remaining operatives allowed applying metaphorical bandages, of sorts.

Preventing casualties entirely seemed improbable, but minimizing fatalities remained imperative.

“Ugh, I never anticipated such contingencies–”

-Kwaang! Pung!-

“L-Lord Edan. What shall we do now…?”

“Restrict yourselves to minimal explosive magic!”

Having pursued the Demons, Sithe prepared unleashing spells before flinching upon noticing the interior occupants.

Employing exteriors-level magic indoors risked collapsing the ceiling, instantaneously disbanding the organization.

While not utterly obliterated, maintaining previous command would become untenable.

Losing that leverage would sever their influence over the frontlines, hastening their downfall.

A glimpse outside revealed charred, smoldering Demon corpses piled in a corner, their myar signatures fading.

Evidently Sithe had neutralized the initial exterior assailants upon entry.

Surveying the tentatively stabilized situation, I glanced back anxiously, expecting Freugne’s imminent arrival.

Yet in that very instant:

“Is this what you seek?”

“…Auntie.”

Freugne had been apprehended, now held at knifepoint by the Demons.