episode_0011

Slowly, the mask was lowered.

Gradually revealing a soft jawline.

Silver hair sticking out between the mask.

The assassin’s true identity was a woman of my age with purple eyes.

“Cough…!”

The woman forcefully pushed away my hand.

Her intense gesture caused the black mask enveloping her to slip off completely.

Thanks to that, her white neck was clearly exposed.

At that moment, I realized.

That this woman was not just a mere mercenary.

A black tattoo resembling a choker was etched on her neck.

I knew that tattoo.

‘A confession prevention spell.’

Usually, such spells are cast on royal aides or high-ranking officers.

Among them, someone skilled in night techniques like this…

Must be from the intelligence unit ‘Black Moon.’

‘But why would a soldier from the palace target me?’

While pondering for a moment,

The female rogue looked up at me with fierce eyes.

In response to her gaze, I firmly replied,

“What are you staring at as if you’ve done something right?”

My question left her momentarily flustered.

Normally, when Black Moon reveals their presence, anyone would feel intimidated, but she seemed taken aback by my bold approach.

“What is your identity…?”

Her question made me chuckle involuntarily.

It was the question I wanted to ask.

“What about your identity? Why did you attack a mere knight?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

She clenched her mouth shut in response to my question.

Instead, she changed the subject and asked about her fate.

“What are you going to do with me now…?”

Indeed.

Due to the confession prevention spell, she would never reveal her backers.

Even if they arrest her, she could easily escape through noble connections.

Moreover, she wasn’t even the assassin foretold by the seer!

I had planned to exploit the senior’s weakness this time and benefit for life…

But instead, I caught a meaningless pawn.

“Since you won’t confess because of that mark on your neck, we have no choice but to hand you over to the Order.”

Regrettably, I had to follow the procedure.

And then, I would watch to see who would come to retrieve her from the Order.

However, as if reading my thoughts, she urgently exclaimed,

“N-no, you can’t…!”

I chuckled at her defiant refusal.

“You don’t want to be arrested after attempting an assassination?”

She was unwilling to reveal her identity even at the cost of her life.

Her demeanor only heightened my curiosity.

Thanks to that, the desire to arrest her surged within me.

I untied the tie to bind Rogue’s hands.

And just as I approached her,

“I didn’t intend to assassinate…!”

Unexpectedly, her confession made me stop in my tracks.

“Then what was the real reason?”

In response to my question, Rogue hesitated as if choosing the right answer.

Ultimately, her response was even more surprising.

“I just… wanted to test your skills.”

She wanted to test my ‘skills.’

This was the first time I had heard of such a motive for assassination.

“If you really wanted to kill me, you would have ambushed me when the smoke screen was up!”

True.

She had never aimed for my vital points before.

Even when she created a favorable environment with the smoke screen, she chose flight over fight.

Considering these aspects, it seemed like she wasn’t lying.

But still.

Who could be so eager to test my skills in such a noisy manner?

“So, who wanted to test my skills?”

“…”

As expected, she did not answer this question.

Well, I could still make a rough guess.

‘It’s probably the nobles who didn’t participate in the appointment ceremony.’

They must have wanted to verify my skills firsthand after hearing about my victory over Richard.

If the level was satisfactory, it was better to seize the opportunity before someone else did.

Rogue swallowed deeply and looked up at me.

In response to her gaze, I replied with a knowing expression,

“Fine. You were probably ordered from above and had no choice.”

I roughly stuffed the untied tie back into my pocket.

And pretending not to care about her anymore, I stood up.

“What, what is it… Are you letting me go?”

Logs flashed violet eyes as if they were unbelievable.

In response, I clapped my hands softly.

“Oh, go ahead.”

She looked up at me with a troubled expression.

Due to wearing a mask for a while, her silver hair stuck to her lips.

“Instead, make sure to convey it clearly to your master.”

I reached out my hand to her.

And just as Log was about to grasp my hand and rise to her feet,

She subtly let a small amount of mana flow into the cuff of her sleeve, unnoticed.

“No matter how impressive you may be, if you approach like this again…”

Log deeply swallowed his saliva at my serious expression.

Thanks to that, I didn’t even think about secretly attaching a piece of my mana to her clothes.

“I won’t let you leave alive.”

Leaving those words behind, I distanced myself from her.

Then I calmly returned to the office.

“Ah… It’s getting cold!”

I grumbled loudly all the way back.

The black moon agent who stared blankly at my retreating figure.

She muttered to herself with a puzzled expression.

“That’s how it is…”

After I completely disappeared, Log began to move again.

She carefully surveyed the surroundings, then swiftly leaped over the wall and returned to her hideout.

I watched her closely from a distance.

Thanks to the fragment of my mana left on her sleeve, Log’s path was clear.

By tomorrow, I should be able to confirm her backer.

* * * *

The next day,

I left the office under the pretext of patrolling.

I passed through the market and climbed a steep hill.

At the top of the hill, there was an observation tower overlooking the capital.

I sat down on the steps of the tower.

And I confirmed Log’s path from last night through the remnants of mana.

“Let’s see.”

How curious the noble must have been about my abilities.

The traces of mana were indeed heading towards the royal palace.

Specifically, towards a modest mansion.

However, when I saw that mansion,

I couldn’t help but furrow my brow.

The mansion was a building I knew very well.

“Irina… here?”

After meeting me yesterday, Log went straight to Irina’s mansion.

Moreover, she stayed there for a long time.

In other words, she even slept there.

Her backer was none other than the Second Princess.

I furrowed my eyebrows at the unexpected turn of events.

‘That can’t be right…’

Puzzled, I tracked Log’s trail that continued until this morning.

Traces of mana scattered throughout the market.

These traces abruptly stopped in a back alley.

Either her disguise was discarded there, or she was meeting someone there.

Someone she had to meet in such a shady place.

It probably wasn’t Irina.

It must be the real backer who instructed her to stay by Irina’s side.

“…”

With certainty in mind, I stood up on the stairs.

And decided to follow her trail to confirm the exact backer.

I searched the market and headed towards the back alleys.

As I did so, a group whose movements seemed to intersect with mine headed towards the back alleys first.

Armed with various maces and swords, escorting a carriage.

From their protective gear and sword shapes, they were mercenaries from the southern kingdom of Ekina.

A country that held out the longest in the war against the Empire.

Their tactics and military equipment were said to rival the Empire’s.

“It’s suspicious, so many guards attached to one carriage.”

Their skills matched their high prices.

Surely, there wouldn’t be ordinary goods in the carriage they were guarding.

Furthermore, the encounter with the intelligence unit “Black Moon.”

Thanks to that, all my suspicions pointed towards the back alleys.

The carriage slowly entered the market.

Eventually, it turned a corner and disappeared into the back alleys.

I clenched my fists.

And silently trailed behind them.

Narrow alleys shaded by dense rooftops.

As I entered, a merchant accompanied by mercenaries caught my eye.

Keeping my distance to avoid detection, I observed them closely.

The mercenaries in disarray, and the merchant engaging in conversation with someone.

Suspicion crept in at their dubious actions.

“It’s clearly not a straightforward matter.”

“You’ve arrived, I apologize for the wait.”

A distinctive southern accent.

The middle-aged man with curly hair gently nodded.

Revealing a snake tattoo on his neck.

At that moment, my lips quivered as I recognized the tattoo.

I had seen that merchant before at the royal palace.

Toliso, a traitor selling the empire the military supplies of a crumbling nation.

He was one of the suppliers to the royal family.

“Why is he here…”

The troubled mercenaries obscured my view of the trading partner.

I raised my head further to confirm my target.

And the moment I recognized the figure.

My lips involuntarily parted in surprise.

The trading partner was wearing the familiar ‘white robe.’

“Irina…?”

Disguised with golden locks and blue eyes.

She lowered her robe, pretending to be someone else to meet Toliso.

“It’s fine, we were suddenly busy too.”

Her tone was stiff and awkward.

Unlike when we met in the office yesterday, she spoke with a cold expression.

The shy girl from before was nowhere to be found.

“You mentioned 200 items; they are all in this cart.”

Toliso stepped back, pointing at the cart.

Upon this, Irina instructed her maid to inspect the contents.

“Dashia, go check.”

Complying with the request, she headed towards the cart.

Seeing her, I swallowed hard.

Silver hair.

Purple eyes.

The maid who attacked me last night was none other than Irina’s maid.

“What on earth is going on…?”

Uncovering a clandestine trade scene while chasing an assassin’s trail.

However, the central figure at the scene turned out to be none other than the Second Princess, whom I had left behind.