Ch.389Assassination Plan

The Kingdom of Panam, known as the Kingdom of Passion, is renowned as a land of abundance where warm sunlight shines year-round.

In truth, only the people of Panam call it the Kingdom of Passion, while foreigners refer to it as a country of luxury, indulgence, and decadence.

It was wealthy enough to earn such nicknames.

The fertile inland plains yielded harvests sufficient to feed all of Panam’s people with plenty to spare, and with three sides bordered by the sea, maritime trade flourished.

Particularly, the profits gained from mediating trade between Himmel and the Empire through sea routes were enough to build towers of gold.

That wealth was one of the reasons why Danon, the king of Panam, began showing hostility toward Leopold’s Empire.

From Panam’s perspective, the Empire’s decision to begin direct trade with the Red Copper Clan without going through Panam was nothing short of a national emergency.

It was time to either sever the trade lines between the Empire and Himmel or find a new revenue structure beyond intermediary trade.

The king of Panam seemed to think the answer was to pressure the Empire with military force or to seize Imperial territory through war.

—-

“…So because their income decreased, they want to beat up the person who was giving them money and steal their wallet?”

“While this is our intelligence department’s speculation, put bluntly, yes.”

“…Is he an idiot?”

I was dumbfounded. If Panam were the world’s strongest nation, I might understand, but what on earth were they thinking?

Sure, the Empire might lack the troops to respond now due to internal chaos, but once things stabilize, they could turn Panam into a wasteland.

“Since the throne is inherited by bloodline rather than ability, even such an incompetent person can become king. Of course, our Emperor is different.”

The dispatched agent nodded as he continued explaining about Panam.

My companions and I had crossed the border disguised as a merchant caravan and headed straight for Panam’s capital. After driving the carriage all night, we managed to enter the capital by the following evening.

This agent was waiting for us there.

He guided only me to their hideout.

The other agents planned to conduct business like ordinary merchants in the capital to avoid suspicion.

The hideout we arrived at was a building disguised as an inn.

An inn. Quite a plausible disguise.

As a lodging for outsiders, unfamiliar faces coming and going wouldn’t arouse much suspicion.

While the upper floors were an ordinary lodging house, the basement was filled with dispatched agents from the intelligence department.

Non-combat agents were bustling about, organizing collected information to refine the plan for assassinating the king and rescuing the princess, while combat agents were checking necessary equipment.

I also handed over my cloak of concealment to them temporarily, as it needed to be recharged with mana.

Afterward, the agent who had guided me spread a large blueprint on the central table and explained information about Panam.

Things like Panam’s national strength and reasons why the king of Panam deserved to be assassinated.

To summarize in one sentence, King Danon of Panam was an incompetent fool and human garbage.

—-

After explaining the reasons and justification for the assassination operation, the agent immediately explained the detailed operation plan.

“This is the floor plan of the Panam royal palace. The king’s bedchamber is located on the third floor of this innermost part of the palace. Since it adjoins a coastal cliff, it’s difficult to approach from the rear.”

“With a cliff right behind his bedroom, he could commit suicide just by opening the window. Well, the view must be quite nice.”

“Actually, when the Panam palace was occupied by rebels over a hundred years ago, records show that the king at that time escaped by climbing down the cliff through the window.”

Must have been quite a tenacious king.

Given that a rebellion occurred, he probably wasn’t exactly a wise ruler.

“So, I’m supposed to climb up this cliff to infiltrate?”

“Yes. While our agents create a disturbance by attacking the palace from these three directions, you should climb up to King Danon’s chamber, assassinate him, and cause a commotion.”

Simple enough.

I just need to climb up the inward-sloping cliff, slit the king’s throat, rampage for a while, and then jump back down.

“There are guards monitoring the cliff, but as you can see, since the cliff slopes inward, they won’t be able to see you until you reach the ground. Besides, they don’t seem to monitor it very diligently. They might consider someone descending by rope, but they probably never imagined anyone could climb up such a cliff in reverse.”

Well, a Master-level knight could manage it with some effort.

The Panam people apparently didn’t consider that possibility.

“The moment King Danon’s death becomes known, all the castle forces will chase after the assassin toward the inner palace. Taking advantage of that gap, our agents who have already infiltrated the palace will rescue Lady Eleonora, while other agents will set fires throughout the castle to create confusion as a diversion. Count, please be careful not to reveal your identity while buying time, and when you see fire break out in the annex, jump over the cliff and leave the capital. If you feel your identity might be exposed, you may withdraw earlier than planned.”

Setting fire to the palace too?

This is a more full-scale assault operation than I thought.

“If we make too big a scene, won’t it be obvious that we did it?”

“We’ve thoroughly prepared cover identities, so as long as your identity isn’t revealed, it shouldn’t be a problem. They might have suspicions, but without definitive proof, they can’t denounce the Empire. Rather, the opportunistic ones will try to curry favor with the Empire to seize control of Panam during the chaos.”

The agent smiled confidently, telling me not to worry.

So basically, it would be troublesome if my identity were revealed.

With my hood pulled low and my hair dyed gold, it should be fine… but I should avoid using the power of Murder Karma or showing too much strength.

—-

After the agent finished his explanation and left with a bow, another agent approached and handed me pre-arranged equipment.

“For weapons, we have two black iron longswords and ten daggers. We’ve also prepared a bow and arrows just in case. Will that be sufficient?”

“It’s a shame they’re not true silver swords, but this should be fine.”

The black iron longswords would break if I swung them with full force, but there wouldn’t be many opponents requiring my full strength anyway.

There were only three Masters stationed at the palace.

The other five were apparently deployed throughout the kingdom.

“And these clothes?”

“Dane-style chain mail covered with a black surcoat. We’ve made it as lightweight as possible since you’ll need to climb cliffs and swim, but it’s better than nothing.”

I wonder if they chose Dane-style to sow discord between the two countries.

Indeed, the infiltrating agents were also wearing Dane-style chain mail.

It probably won’t be very effective, but there’s no harm in trying.

“These are rock climbing tools…”

“Ah, I don’t need those. I can do this.”

I summoned the power of Murder Karma in my left hand, materializing it into beast-like claws, and showed it to the agent who was tilting his head in confusion.

“Ohhh. So this is the Radiance of the Blood Empress that I’ve only heard about in rumors! Truly impressive.”

The agent who witnessed the power of Murder Karma leaned in with eyes shining like a child who had spotted Santa Claus coming down the chimney.

Other agents were also glancing in my direction. Is it really that fascinating?

Even Hersella chuckled at the agents’ enthusiastic reaction.

[Radiance of the Blood Empress? How grandiose.]

I know, right? They’ve really dressed it up nicely.

If anything, it’s more like a sinister glow than radiance.

—-

The assassination operation was set for midnight the next day.

I spent the day resting at the intelligence department’s hideout and reviewing the plan, then finally moved toward the coastal cliff of the Panam palace under cover of darkness.

True to its reputation as the Kingdom of Passion, the streets were filled with prostitutes and ruffians despite the late hour approaching midnight.

There were so many people that without the cloak of concealment, which drastically reduced attention from bystanders, the operation might have failed.

Every woman walking around had five or six men clinging to her, trying to seduce her.

Many women were being led into back alleys by drunken men.

Since no one intervened despite such blatant behavior, this must be normal in Panam… though it wasn’t a pleasant sight.

If I had witnessed such a scene in the Empire, I would have beaten them first and asked questions later. Unfortunately, I couldn’t do so now as I couldn’t cause a disturbance, which was truly regrettable.

[Why are you so troubled? With the entire city being this lustful, a woman wandering alone at night must have desired such encounters from the beginning.]

‘Is that so…?’

Honestly, I’m not sure.

It could be, or it might not be.

I pulled my hood lower and headed toward the coast, leaving the repulsive downtown area behind.

—-

The coast was even more outrageous.

The beaches I knew were either places for landing operations or meeting spots for lovers… but this was simply a breeding ground.

Every secluded spot was filled with intertwined couples.

Moans overflowed with just the slightest attention.

What are these crazy bastards doing outdoors?

And in many places, it wasn’t just couples but groups of three or four entangled together.

Not the Kingdom of Passion but the Kingdom of Lust.

Perhaps Isabella would have been happier staying here rather than in the Empire?

The sea was no different.

It was teeming with naked humans copulating while pretending to swim.

They say the sea is the mother of life; certainly, new life would be conceived here.

I needed to swim secretly toward the palace cliff, but finding a suitable entry point took quite some time, as every spot hidden from view was occupied by aroused couples.