episode_0081

81. Successful Assassination

Hunting grounds.

Layna treated the wound on her thigh with bandages.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a serious injury, and given her robust constitution, it wasn’t a problem. But…

Layna’s mood was far from pleasant.

*”Goddamn it, this is fucking ridiculous.”*

She spat out every vulgar curse she knew.

Because she despised what Blackthorn had become.

Morality, kindness, competence—none of it mattered anymore. He was gradually turning into the very person she had loathed the most.

Lucian Goldhenheim, her former lord.

Lucian, too, had been a good man at first, but he had fallen apart after meeting Oh Young-jae.

What about Blackthorn?

*”Why the hell do all these lord bastards turn out like this? I could do a better job than that.”*

She tightened the bandage around her thigh once more and stood up.

Then, sensing something off, she scanned her surroundings.

The men who had followed Isobel to share intimacy with Blackthorn were nowhere to be seen.

*”Where the hell did those bastards—”*

*”GRAHHH!! KILL THESE BASTARDS RIGHT NOW!!”*

Blackthorn’s furious roar echoed from where they had left.

Layna immediately mounted her red horse and chased after them.

With a halberd in hand, she charged forward on her steed.

Of course, chasing down frail scholars was as easy as stepping on ants.

After about ten minutes of pursuit, four fleeing figures—two men and two women—entered her line of sight.

Just as she raised her halberd to strike…

*’You fool! Are you interfering with your lord’s grand ambitions?!’*

For a moment, the image of Blackthorn hurling a poleaxe at her flashed through her mind.

Simultaneously, doubt crept in about what she was doing now.

Would killing these fleeing bastards really be the right thing?

Would staying under Blackthorn’s command guarantee luxury and comfort?

Or would she just end up dead by one of his reckless weapons before achieving anything great?

These tangled hesitations began to scramble her thoughts…

*”Damn it…”*

By the time she hesitated, they had already fled far beyond her reach.

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Isobel gripped the reins tightly as she fled.

A burly man supported her in her escape.

They were galloping away at a speed even shadows couldn’t catch.

Whether they had outrun the Peerless Warrior or not, there was no sign of pursuit.

Still, tense from their failed assassination attempt, they continued their escape without slowing.

Sweat poured down Isobel’s face as she apologized to the rugged men guarding her.

*”Sorry… I should’ve been more careful…”*

*”No. That Blackthorn is a freak of nature.”*

The assassination had failed.

Isobel had done everything to gain Blackthorn’s trust, pandering to his every whim.

In the end, her efforts allowed her to join him on a hunt and seduce him into a private moment alone.

But Blackthorn had spotted her drawing an arrow in his sword’s reflection…

The arrow shot at incredible speed only grazed his shoulder.

Yet the assassination attempt didn’t end there.

*”After getting fat and weak like that…”*

Blackthorn, bloated from months of indulgence.

His once-powerful muscles had vanished, turning him into a lump of fat.

The burly guards snuck out and attacked him…

They struck his abdomen, drawing blood.

But Blackthorn refused to die easily—with his weakened body, he twisted the throat of the man who had stabbed him.

One ally died instantly, but another lunged forward, plunging a blade into the shoulder grazed by the arrow…

Blackthorn, unfazed by pain, swung his greatsword and killed him.

Reduced to a wounded beast, Blackthorn barely held on.

Another man tried to stab him, but Blackthorn caught the blade with his bare hands in a defiant display.

Finally, Blackthorn let out a roar filled with rage.

*”GRAHHH!! KILL THESE BASTARDS RIGHT NOW!!”*

The assassination ended in failure.

Isobel and the man fled immediately.

Though chased by Layna, they miraculously slipped away.

Isoel apologized to the man again.

*”Sorry… You’re just a mercenary hired for money, and I dragged you into danger.”*

*”Not at all. To kill Blackthorn, no amount of gold is needed…*

*I’m the one who should apologize for my lack of ability.”*

A strangely heartwarming moment unfolded.

Even though they were all now branded traitors.

The man spurred the horse’s flank to speed up.

*”Where do you plan to go now?”*

*”Me? Hmm…”*

Isobel stroked her chin in thought.

Currently, these two—well, at least Isobel—were now traitors.

Anyone who had sheltered her would likely be executed by Blackthorn, who held the Emperor in his grip.

Or worse, some might try to sell her out.

Though the royal treasury was empty, Blackthorn’s pockets were deep.

After some thought, Isobel grinned at the nameless mercenary.

*”Well, I’ll go see my big sister.”*

The mercenary bowed deeply in response.

Clasping his hands respectfully, he spoke.

*”Though we failed in our cause, it was an honor to fight alongside you.”*

*”Yeah. If fate allows, let’s meet again.”*

*”For the glory of the Empire.”*

Isobel turned her horse’s head, watching the mercenary leave.

She didn’t even know his name, yet he had followed her into a dangerous cause.

If she reached Aries and found a place of importance, she’d recommend him.

With that, Isobel gripped the reins and rode off.

Toward the territory of the fledgling warlord, Erica Grace, whose reputation had yet to spread.

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Impeccably crafted silverware and tableware.

A gleaming golden clock and writing instruments.

A gilded sofa and a room adorned with extravagant weapons.

In the midst of it all, Layna sat fidgeting on a couch that looked impossibly expensive.

*”Why’d you call me here?”*

*”Must there be a reason? Just seeing the Peerless Warrior’s noble face is enough to satisfy this old man.”*

*”Hmm…”*

A white-haired elder, wrinkled with age but still handsome in his own way.

A loyal retainer who held the highest position in the Emperor’s audience chamber.

The old man poured expensive liquor into a golden cup and offered it to Layna.

She took it, sniffed it, then downed it in one gulp.

*”No poison.”*

*”Of course not.”*

Layna, detecting no poison by scent, drank it like cheap booze.

Still, it must’ve tasted good—she licked her lips afterward, savoring the flavor belatedly.

A far cry from dignified behavior…

But she had already barged into a high-ranking official’s room with her massive halberd in hand.

Etiquette was as absent as dog food mixed with a neighbor’s feces.

She clenched her halberd, openly displaying her foul mood.

*”You old farts are all snakes, aren’t you?”*

*”Indeed.”*

*”Don’t even think about making me your pawn. Not even a little.”*

Layna preemptively shut down any schemes with her beast-like instincts.

Then, smacking her lips, she grabbed the old man’s untouched cup and drank it herself.

Any other noble would’ve been furious at such rudeness, but…

The elder simply smiled warmly and posed a question.

*”Lady Layna.”*

*”Huh?”*

*”I heard Lord Blackthorn has been… disciplining you quite harshly.”*

Layna’s mood soured further. She lifted her halberd slightly before setting it back down.

Two weeks ago.

Isobel’s assassination attempt on Blackthorn.

Though wounded, he survived and remained in good health.

But what followed was utterly absurd.

Think about it.

What could Blackthorn possibly say?

*”Oh, an assassin tried to kill me, so I’ll just laugh it off~”?*

*”I left my guards behind and walked right into a perfect spot for my own assassination”?*

No way in hell.

Blackthorn roared, making Layna the scapegoat to salvage his dignity.

The same tyranny he had once overthrown in the royal court, he now repeated himself—an unbelievable farce.

He demoted her from general and seized all the money she had secretly stashed away.

*”What? Think I’m easy to mess with now that I’m not a general? Just a deputy, huh?”*

*”It is amusing.”*

*”Oh-ho, bolder than I thought?”*

Layna stood, but the old man didn’t flinch.

Instead, he shamelessly sat across from her, looking up with a smile.

*”To demote a Peerless Warrior like you just to save face… Who in the world wouldn’t laugh at Blackthorn now?”*

*”…….”*

His sudden praise nearly made Layna smirk.

But she forced her lips back down and spoke more gently.

*”So, what’s this golden offer you’re dangling in front of me~?”*

*”A request only the Peerless Warrior Layna can fulfill.”*

The old man paused briefly before continuing.

*”Assassinate Blackthorn.”*

*”Tch…”*

Layna exhaled in disappointment.

Not mockery, not lament—just boredom at the obvious answer.

She stood and hefted her halberd, which she had been eyeing for a while.

Then, she pressed the axe blade against the old man’s neck—frail, with veins visible under thin skin.

A slight twist of her wrist would slice it clean through.

The Peerless Warrior asked the still-smiling elder:

*”I’ll ask three questions.”*

*”As you wish.”*

*”If even one answer doesn’t convince me, I’ll chop your head off.”*

The old man’s smile was his only reply.

Layna scowled and asked the first question.

*”Hey. I’ve already killed one lord with my own hands, you know?*

*If I kill Blackthorn too, that’s two strikes.*

*What about my honor? Where do I go after killing him?”*

*”On my honor, I’ll secure you a position as a royal general under the Emperor.”*

*”And if you’re lying?”*

*”Then you may cut me down as you please.*

*A Peerless Warrior like you could take this old man’s head as easily as pulling something from a pocket.”*

The old man answered with a grin.

It was a tempting offer.

Blackthorn had already turned the empire’s nobles against him.

If the war continued, even with her strength, Blackthorn would fall.

But as a royal general?

The title of *”the hero who killed Blackthorn”* wasn’t bad.

Satisfied, she moved to the second question.

*”After assassinating Blackthorn, war is inevitable.*

*Even an uneducated wench like me knows that.*

*How will you fund that war?”*

*”I’ll provide the funds.*

*Once Blackthorn is dead, his treasury will be more than enough.”*

*”Bullsh—… Ugh, whatever. How do I know you won’t use me and toss me aside?”*

*”Without the Peerless Warrior, how could we nobles possibly stop the human butchers like Ryke and Targon?”*

This answer also made sense.

Layna asked her final question.

*”Give me a reason to betray Blackthorn.*

*I’m the Peerless Warrior—sooner or later, I’ll climb back to general.*

*The scraps from that pig’s plundering pay way better than whatever salary you’re offering.*

*Why should I betray him?”*

*”That, I can answer with a question.”*

The old man smiled, as if playing twenty questions.

*”How many battles have you fought since joining Blackthorn?”*

Just one.

At a place called the Dragon’s Nest.

*”Does Blackthorn value the Peerless Warrior?”*

No.

Drunk and angry, he once threw a poleaxe at her.

If it had been anyone else, they’d have been impaled.

And then he made her a political sacrifice just to save face.

The old man asked one last question—one Layna couldn’t possibly refute.

*”What’s the difference between your former lord, Lucian Goldhenheim, and Baltazar Blackthorn?”*

*”…Hah.”*

There was none.

Blackthorn was becoming more like Goldhenheim.

A lord who started wise but grew corrupt with power, rationalizing his tyranny.

Treating his subordinates as pawns, indulging in lust…

Layna lowered her halberd.

*”Hey.”*

*”Yes.”*

As the old man answered, Layna slung her halberd over her shoulder.

Then, glaring at him as if stating the obvious, she said:

*”Keep your damn promise.”*

*”Would I dare not to?”*

Layna left the old man’s chamber.

Procrastination was a terrible habit.

She strode down the royal corridor, heading straight for the Emperor’s audience hall.

A space filled with high-ranking officials and powerful generals.

Blackthorn scowled when he saw Layna.

*”You wretch…! How dare you bring a weapon here!!”*

Of course, Blackthorn himself was armed and armored.

As Layna entered with her halberd, the officials, generals, and even the Emperor tensed.

They treated her like a sleeping dragon that could erupt at any moment.

But Blackthorn gnashed his teeth, berating her.

So furious that blood seeped through the bandages under his armor…

Layna grinned at him and spoke.

*”Y’know, I’ve been thinking… You’re not so great either.”*

*”What?! How dare you speak to your lord— Gahk…!”*

It happened in an instant.

Just as Blackthorn had once thrown a poleaxe at her…

This time, Layna hurled her halberd into Blackthorn’s gluttonous gut.

The massive axehead pierced through his abdomen, jutting out from his back.

The sheer force sent his massive body flying, crashing before the Emperor.

Silence fell over the stunned crowd.

Only Layna moved, stepping forward with a smirk.

She yanked the halberd free from Blackthorn’s corpse and muttered softly:

*”You couldn’t dodge that. And…”*

Then, right in front of the Emperor, she raised the halberd high and brought it down like an executioner’s axe.

Blackthorn’s head rolled clean off.

She picked it up and kicked it like a soccer ball.

*”Assassination successful.”*

A spectacle witnessed by the Emperor and forty-one high-ranking officials.

Blackthorn’s personal guard rushed to capture her, but…

After slaughtering all four thousand soldiers single-handedly, she walked out of the palace unscathed.