Ledger

The most basic skill of stealth is assimilation with the environment.

If you can’t hide in the darkness and blend into the surrounding scenery, your first stealth mission will be your last.

[You have a death wish with that gait.]

That’s what the Grand Assassin who taught me stealth said.

She said my foot movements were too vigorous. Well, the Yomryun Skill’s footwork didn’t have the quiet, secretive touch, so she was right.

For some reason, she tried to pass on her skills to me. I wasn’t a prodigy, so I barely managed to master about half of what she taught me.

Of course, even that wasn’t perfect.

I thought I would become an assassin who would shake the country, but my life there ended sooner than I expected.

On a mission to kill a big shot in the kingdom, I was discovered, and she, who was following me just in case, died with me.

[You said, “There are no comrades in this world.” Why did you come to save me?]

[There are no comrades. But you are the man I love.]

We were both pierced through the stomach by a spear, and I couldn’t remember which world that death was in anymore.

“My lord, I am ashamed.”

Leaving my body to the darkness, crossing the wall and deceiving the guards, I was soon able to approach Byeon Hakdo’s location.

It was easy to find the room where Byeon Hakdo was, because I could hear the shrill voice of a woman full of nasal sounds and the loud voice of a man.

“Heh heh! Does that mean you refuse the touch of this Byeon Hakdo, the master of Namwon?”

A greasy voice, pretending to scold while chuckling, leaked out of the door.

“Haha, as expected, Magistrate is a man among men! A true hero among heroes. They say heroes are fond of women. Hahaha!”

Another man’s voice. I took a breath and clung to the rafters like a cicada.

The conversation between the two men and the woman went on for quite a while. The man kept offering Byeon Hakdo alcohol, and the woman subtly stimulated Byeon Hakdo’s sexual desire, pretending to give but not giving.

Eventually, the moment his brain was soaked in alcohol and his tongue was twisted, the man put the woman forward and asked for something, and Byeon Hakdo readily shouted that he would grant the request.

“Then I’ll be on my way.”

Leaving the woman behind, the man left the room. I tilted my head back slightly and hid in the shadows.

The man staggered as if he was drunk. After staggering for a while, he set out on the night road, using the faint stars in the dark night sky as a guide.

I thought it would be nice if he fell into a ditch somewhere.

“Now, shall we begin!”

“Kyaa! I’m ashamed~”

Byeon Hakdo had been waiting for the troublemaker to disappear, and immediately began to lust after the woman’s body.

Still, he had at least a minimum of face left, so he somehow endured it when the man was there.

“Haha… tonight, the Pleasure of Clouds and Rain…”

“I will give you the ultimate pleasure!”

I wished I had a function to turn off my hearing for a while.

Fortunately, unlike his grand words, the affair ended quickly.

The guy, who had been moving his waist all the time, soon reached his climax with a ‘ugh’ sound, and soon fell asleep due to the alcohol.

“…Sigh.”

The woman, left alone, had to comfort herself for a long time to relieve her unfulfilled desires.

After confirming that I could hear even breathing from inside the room, I was able to come down from the rafters.

What I’m looking for is a ledger. Looking at what Byeon Hakdo is doing, there’s no way he doesn’t have a secret ledger.

So where is the secret ledger? Of course, it’s in the room where he’s sleeping.

I take a breath and move my feet as if sliding.

I put my hand on the doorknob and check the inside again. I check for safety and open the door.

Leaving behind the sound of a drunk man’s breathing and the sound of a woman sleeping soundly, as if she was used to sleeping in a strange room, I went to Byeon Hakdo’s head.

“……..”

I wanted to smash his head, but things would get complicated. Let’s be patient.

I saw a drawer full of locks.

If you do a lot of night visitor work, you can roughly know the estimate, and these drawers are bait.

I bent down and tapped the floor under the drawer with my fingernails.

Tick, tick, the sound changes depending on the location of the tapping. This means there is empty space below.

As expected, the real thing is below.

Groping around, I touched what looked like a lid and felt a subtle groove.

I hooked my finger on it and carefully lifted it up.

Creak, a clear sound came from the room.

I put my hand inside. Ignoring the decorations and jewels that I could grab, I looked for the feel of a book.

Soon I felt the rough cover of a book.

Wow… it’s thick. I carefully pulled the book out with my index finger and thumb.

Even in the darkness, it looked like a book for sure.

I put the book in my arms and put the lid back in place. Just like when I first came in, I left quietly.

My heart was pounding at Byeon Hakdo’s muttering in his sleep.

It was only after I climbed over the wall again and escaped the government office that I could return my suppressed breathing to normal.

I felt a gaze from somewhere, but I didn’t feel any presence around me.

“Let’s see….”

I checked the contents of the hidden book in the faint moonlight.

“Wow… he’s eaten a lot.”

Fluttering, fluttering, I chuckled at the contents written in the ledger each time I turned the page.

As if mocking my worry that he might be innocent or have a light crime, he committed corruption in a very flashy way.

“Is all we really have to do is watch?”

“Yes.”

“Who is that man anyway?”

“Don’t ask unnecessary questions, Rose’s Leaf. We just have to follow the orders of a high and deep person. Tell your team to prevent the man from crossing the border of Namwon from outside tomorrow.”