The Young Shark 2

Doyun silently observed her.

“I’m being quite generous, you know? Paying 20,000 over 10 years essentially makes me your slave.”

Indeed, the lump sum of 10,000 likely constituted her entire assets, while the 20,000 installments represented an exorbitant sum even for a Paladin like Elizabeth to accrue within a decade.

Under the System’s adjudication with life as the penalty, no loopholes remained.

She essentially mortgaged her life to obtain Luna.

“That girl is a monster. I’ll mold her into the Alliance’s strongest within 30 years.”

Surprisingly, Elizabeth’s expression lacked even a hint of madness when discussing Luna – utterly solemn instead.

Reminiscent of the pre-insanity Paladin Elizabeth who had once led an assassination squad benefiting the Alliance.

“Not convinced? How about 30,000 over 20 years then? No more negotiations. No refusals either. Sign it.”

She genuinely yearned for Luna.

Yet Doyun’s expression remained unchanged from the start.

No, beneath that impassive facade lay a razor-sharp blade fully unsheathed.

Doyun reached to incinerate the contract once more.

However, a sword ki-imbued dagger flew towards the back of his hand.

Shraak!

Thunk!

The dagger embedded itself between Doyun’s fingers into the table – had he not evaded, his hand would have been impaled.

“You fucking insolent brat.”

Twisting her face madly, she snarled viciously.

“Just because I spared your life once, you think I’ll go easy? Shrug off a single sneak attack, and now you think you can withstand throats slit, guts spilled, and cunts stabbed? Huh?”

“…”

“A mere brat who’s never fought an assassin before… Can’t you see? I’m already being incredibly generous by just offering this deal – that bitch has me utterly enthralled. Last warning. Burn it again, and I’ll really take that slave seal by force, my way.”

Doyun briefly tilted his head skyward.

‘A brat who’s never fought assassins before…’

Come to think of it, had he not done so recently?

The time was nigh to hone his senses against elite assassins in preparation for the Demon Lord’s Vanguard forces.

As one who attained Paladin rank through assassination, she would prove…

“Not bad for practice.”

Doyun murmured softly.

Upon those words, veins bulged on Elizabeth’s temples as swords were gripped – a hair-trigger situation.

“…”

“…”

Silently, Elizabeth rose from her seat.

Without a word, she turned and walked away as Doyun watched impassively.

In this venue with Duke Noir present, neither could realistically engage in lethal combat anyway.

Unexpectedly composed demeanor contrasting her earlier manic antics during the procession – not what one would expect from the fabled Madwoman.

The Madwoman Elizabeth, who had spiraled into insanity after losing her beloved assassination squad, her adopted family. She had found new purpose through Luna.

Currently, she embodied the Paladin Assassin Elizabeth rather than the Madwoman.

Hence her pragmatic judgment.

‘I must withdraw.’

Against an equal-tier swordsmaster, assassins held a two-fold disadvantage in direct confrontations.

Though a feint, he had already deflected her sneak attack once. Engaging him directly risked legitimate defeat.

After withdrawing, she would handle it the assassin’s way – through ambush.

Harboring that fervent desire, Elizabeth emerged from her madness with eyes of cold ruthlessness appraising the war to come.

Step, step.

Doyun remained seated, quietly watching her depart.

‘…Unexpected.’

Her unexpectedly pragmatic judgment denied him the justification to kill her. The war’s momentum had shifted to her side.

Yet it mattered not if she chose the assassin’s path to war.

Doyun had slain more assassins than anyone across the continent. He remained confident still.

Ultimately, if she provided an excuse, initiated hostilities first – then he would simply kill her.

Step, step.

“…”

“…”

Thus they parted without further words.

Each aware the other intended lethal force. Only war remained.

A chilly wind blew, shaking the trees.

Fwooosh-

Not even the typical bird or insect sounds could be heard – just rustling leaves whispering intimations of death.

They had issued their unspoken declarations of war. Between the Paladin Elizabeth and the Apostle Doyun, combat had commenced.

And…

“…”

Amidst the darkness, golden irises flickered in observation.

+++

Day 1 after the war’s start.

‘I will kill her within 4 days.’

Doyun diligently prepared for battle.

The opponent was a Paladin. Eliminating the likes of the former Enoch or current Lion King without justification was impossible – it would ensure complete political isolation.

Even Duke Noir, the Alliance’s second-in-command, lacked such authority.

But the same applied to Elizabeth. If she killed Doyun and fled, she would turn the entire Alliance against herself.

Yet she had struck first, indicating her desperation to obtain Luna at any cost – even mortgaging her life.

‘First, I shall relocate from the guild house.’

He purchased a small manor on the capital’s outskirts to avoid implicating other guild members.

Afterwards, he saturated the manor’s vicinity with surveillance recording magic and artifacts to document any preemptive strikes against him as evidence.

Thus the first day passed into night.

Inside the dark study of the new manor, creaking floorboards announced Doyun’s entrance.

Long uninhabited, the manor remained chilly. Of course, Doyun paid no mind nor warmed the interior – this place would serve as a battlefield.

The night sky held a waning crescent moon, its faint glow illuminating the window-side chair where Doyun reclined with closed eyes. Softly, he spoke:

“Luna.”

Opening his eyes, she stood before him.

“From now on, do not go to Elizabeth.”

Given Elizabeth’s lust for Luna, no telling what schemes she might concoct.

Though her objective revolved around Luna, precluding direct harm, the woman was unhinged – best to cover all contingencies.

“…”

Yet Luna remained silent.

Doyun understood that silence’s implication as his pupils wavered.

“…Luna?”

“No.”

As ever, Doyun maintained his impassive poker face concealing all emotion.

Yet his eyes trembled like aftershocks as his heart pounded anxiously.

‘…What is this?’

He could not comprehend her response.

Betrayal? Had she already sided with Elizabeth? So soon?

‘…Kill her?’

The presence before him harbored a monster’s seeds.

If she threatened the Alliance, went rogue, displayed unexpected behavior…

Then she had to die. And right now represented that very juncture.

“…”

Yet Doyun’s hand would not move decisively.

“…Very well.”

He muttered weakly in an uncharacteristically pitiful tone completely unlike him.

Luna – no, the Vanguard’s daughter – had deviated beyond his expectations.

He should kill her immediately. Sparing her constituted sheer folly.

But he did not wish to kill her. Did not want to believe she had betrayed him.

The notion of her betrayal pained a heart he had thought numb with a profound sense of loss.

For no discernible reason, despite their bond spanning barely months and knowing virtually nothing about each other.

It made no sense.

‘I suppose… I simply wish to learn more.’

In this moment, he abandoned his usual ruthless commander persona for clueless naivete.

Like a fool fixated solely on a young girl – trusting her unconditionally, willing to give her anything and everything she desired.

A foolish demeanor.

“…”

When Doyun opened his eyes again after squeezing them shut, Luna had vanished.

He remained seated motionlessly with closed eyes.

‘…I will kill her.’

Regardless of any circumstances, Elizabeth now had to die.

+++

Day 2.

With Tiamat’s assistance, Doyun layered various debuff spells and spatial lockdown arrays around the manor to impede any escapes.

While confident of outright victory, he had adopted such thoroughness when dealing with assassins ever since the Vanguard incident.

And this time, the opponent had to die no matter what.

Night fell, and he entered the study again.

The manor remained chilly – even more so than yesterday, a bone-deep chill seeping through the window drafts raising goosebumps.

Cloudy skies cast a solitary waning crescent adrift amidst the overcast gloom, the moon particularly forlorn tonight.

Doyun leaned back into the chair, closing his eyes.

Shortly after opening them again, Luna’s half-illuminated figure stood before him in the moonlight.

“What did you learn today?”

He needed to monitor Elizabeth’s movements until their final confrontation.

Though doubts lingered whether Luna deceived him… he soon dismissed such thoughts as mere mental clutter.

“Synergizing dual-wielding with shadow magic.”

“…I see.”

Doyun’s left hand rested on the armrest.

Their interaction ended there – routine as always.

Yet unlike usual, Doyun remained guarded towards Luna, constantly conflicted over whether to kill her.

Even his dreams featured Luna defying his control to attack him with strength rivaling the Vanguard himself.

‘Come to think of it… how powerful is Luna currently? How much has she grown?’

She had likely already surpassed Sophie and could potentially hold her own against Lei for a few moves.

Forcefully steering his mind elsewhere – a pitiful struggle…

“…”

Doyun squeezed his eyes shut to dispel those intrusive thoughts. When he reopened them, Luna had vanished.

He remained seated for a long while, staring at the space she had occupied.

+++

Day 3.

Doyun spent the entire day in imagined combat training against assassins from previous lives who had targeted him, including the Vanguard himself.

Oddly, Luna’s visage kept superimposing over the Vanguard during those sessions.

Doyun’s mental state grew increasingly frayed as he agonized over whether to kill Luna.

“Phew…”

Again seated in that same chair, he exhaled a heavy sigh.

The manor grew steadily chillier, its stale coldness permeating to the bone until Doyun shivered from the biting chill.

Wearily closing and reopening his eyes, Luna reappeared.

“What did you learn today?”

“Methods of assassinating multiple targets simultaneously.”

“…I see.”

Doyun’s left hand rested on the armrest once more.

Still unable to discern Luna’s intent.

Yet the sense of her goodwill towards him persisted – a solitary comfort gradually steadying his increasingly frazzled nerves.

Or perhaps even that represented mere acting or self-delusion.

“…”

Doyun blinked, and Luna vanished from his sight.

The waning crescent seemed to shed silent tears moistening him with faint moonlight.

+++

Day 4.

The night of the final confrontation.

According to his calculations, Elizabeth would undoubtedly attack today.

Doyun’s eyes were bloodshot from remaining on high alert against assassins while agonizing over Luna’s situation, exhausting his mental state.

Beneath the lonely moonlight, seated in that chilly chair, he opened his eyes – Luna present once more.

“What did you learn today?”

“I killed Elizabeth.”

“…”

Doyun’s left hand rested upon his sword hilt.