“Are you really confident?”
Kensilom’s messenger looked at the two assassins with an anxious face. Since they were both hired by Etonhorn, they were not familiar with Kensilom’s messengers.
The two linked arms and looked back at the messengers. While everyone was wondering at their gazes, Count Blava threw a heavy pouch on the table.
“This is the down payment, and Etonhorn will pay the rest after we succeed.”
The two checked the money in the pouch and stood up.
Of course, they didn’t forget to take Erdene’s dagger and put it in their waists.
“Aren’t we all in the same boat now? Don’t worry and prepare a carriage. Wouldn’t it be safer to leave Vetor as soon as this is over?”
Erdene and Arkan were fast asleep.
They could have slept close together, but after the conversation, they couldn’t stand the awkwardness and ended up lying far apart from each other.
As a result, Erdene was on the verge of falling out of bed.
The two assassins were dressed as servants and guards, just like when they came to Vetor.
Of course, there were more than ten weapons hidden under their plain-looking clothes, but they were so well-made that no one could tell from the outside.
Since they had learned about the King’s residence in advance during the daytime meeting, it wasn’t hard to find.
It would have been easier to climb over the outer wall, but there were guards, so in the end, they had no choice but to attack from the inside. However, no one seemed anxious or worried.
“This is His Majesty the King’s residence.”
The servant guarding the residence stopped the two and quickly scanned their attire.
Seeing their slightly different clothing from Vetor’s, he quickly realized that the two were part of the delegation.
“If you’re lost, I can guide you..."
At that moment, one of them waved his arm.
Something very small and sharp flashed from his fingertips, and the moment it stabbed his neck, the servant’s knees buckled.
The assassin, who quickly caught him and laid him on the floor so that he wouldn’t fall, kicked the servant’s body with his toes.
“Is he dead?”
“He is dead.”
The one who swung his arm said, looking at the tiny needle between his fingers.
It was barely big enough to embroider, but the tip was soaked with poison.
It instantly took away his consciousness and paralyzed his nerves as if he were asleep.
They leaned the servant’s body against the wall and sat him down. After checking the time, they went inside. They also dealt with the other servant who was sleeping inside in the same way.
“Here it is.”
Said the one who opened the bedroom door slightly.
Then, the one who had taken two servants’ lives with a needle took out a ball the size of a baby’s fist from a small leather pouch.
“What is that?”
“If you don’t know, just look.”
He fiddled with the ball, found a flat stopper, pulled it out, held his breath, and threw it through the gap in the bedroom door.
The ball rolled and stopped, and a cloud of smoke began to rise upward.
The smoke spread into the air and spread throughout the room, including the bed where Erdene and Arkan were lying.
“Just wait two minutes. If someone carries you, you won’t know.”
“You’re carrying all sorts of things.”
“Put on a hood. If you fall asleep inside, I’ll leave you alone.”
The one who was scolded grumbled and took out a hood to cover his nose and mouth tightly.
The one who threw the ball took out a small hourglass and turned it upside down.
The grains, which were barely visible in the darkness, fell as if they were slipping through a very narrow gap.
The footsteps of the guards returning from their shifts could be heard from afar.
The attendant in the hallway was sitting as if he were asleep, but if one of the soldiers even shook his shoulder, he would know that he was dead.
“What if the Queen wakes up?”
The silence brought anxiety. Then the one who threw the ball into the bedroom glared at the opponent as if he was going to kill him.
“Never wake up.”
He muttered as if he was spitting it out, then glared at the hourglass with anxious eyes.
As if time would pass quickly.
He was also nervous. But now there was no turning back. All he could do was have unconditional faith.
Although he didn’t know what to believe.
“Enough.”
When the sand in the hourglass ran out, he immediately pulled out Erdene’s dagger from his waistband.
Another one carefully approached the bed, drawing a sharp sword from his sleeve.
There was not even a sound of breathing from Arkan and Erdene.
The two assassins stood right next to them, separated by a wide bed. They looked more like siblings who had fought and squabbled than like a King and Queen, curled up in a bed and sleeping with the sheets covering their heads.
“You were going to kill them both, right?”
The one who had thrown the ball nodded.
“We have to kill them both. To frame them alive is stupid. How could the heir to the throne of the empire not be able to defend herself to that extent? You fools.”
He drew his dagger. The sound of the blade sliding out of its scabbard was very faint.
Erdene, who had been sleeping as if she had fainted, opened her eyes and said,
“Of course, that’s right. How could I not be able to do that?”
She rolled down her body like lightning as she threw back the sheets and pulled out a long sword from under the bed.
It was something she had brought and hidden before Arkan came in.
The sword moved horizontally, making a sound as if it was cutting through the air.
The body of the assassin holding her dagger seemed to bend to the side, and then she was hit by the sword she had swung with the scabbard, and she flew to the opposite wall and slammed into it.
“Ugh!”
Erdene had covered her nose with a cloth.
When she glared at the darkness, the other assassin was also terrified.
However, even though he was trembling with fear, he did not forget his duty.
He stabbed the sword precisely into Arkan’s neck where he was crouching.
No, he tried to stab it.
“Keuk!”
The sword he had slammed into the bed.
Arkan, who had covered his nose with a cloth just like Erdene, kicked the assassin’s stomach with his eyes wide open.
“Damn it!”
The one who had been hit by Erdene and sent flying stood up, holding his side.
Erdene’s dagger that he had been holding had already flown far away, so he had to draw his own weapon.
But before he could even take the sword out of his ankle, he heard a swoosh! and Erdene was right in front of him.
The moment his eyes met hers, time seemed to pass strangely slowly.
The assassin saw Erdene’s right arm bent so far behind her back, and the hilt of the sword in her hand.
She didn’t even run. She almost glided across the floor, without a sound. She came so quickly and without a trace that she might as well have flown in.
A terrible fear came over him.
‘This is a monster...’
The moment cold sweat ran down his back, he felt an excruciating pain at the side of his neck.
He heard a cracking sound of something breaking, and his consciousness completely faded away.
He flew to the living room, hit his head on the table, and collapsed.
“Ugh! Die!”
The remaining man, in a state of panic, screamed out loud, forgetting what he had come to do.
Even the movement of pulling out the sword from under his sleeve and swinging it was dull.
As soon as the assassin came into range, Arkan spun around and stomped down on his hand holding the sword.
Using that momentum as support, he jumped up and kicked him squarely in the side of the head.
“Crash!”
The assassin fell over after hitting the decorative table with a loud noise. Erdene pulled out her sword and aimed it at his neck.
“Crash, crap, crap...!”
“Who’s instigating you?”
The assassin, who had been struggling without coming to his senses, froze. Erdene’s soft voice was much more frightening than the sword touching his neck.
“Uh, uh, we... Aah!”
Without putting the sword away from his neck, Erdene pressed down hard on his collarbone with one hand.
There was a snap, and unimaginable pain swept over him.
“I, I will tell you. Please, just let me live, aah...!”
At that moment, Arkan, who had flown into the living room to examine the trapped man, returned and pushed open the window.
“I told you not to kill him. As promised, you have to read a whole book of poetry tomorrow.”
At that, Erdene suddenly turned her head and took down the cloth that was covering her nose and mouth.
“Why are you blaming me for the fact that he’s as weak as a scarecrow? I told me not to kill him, so I didn’t even take my sword out of its scabbard. If he died after only two strikes, it’s because he was weak!”
“You just hit him? You hit him until he died. I saw it all.”
“You’re lying.”
Erdene muttered under her breath.
The assassin gripped with fear, opened his eyes wide at this absurd conversation, then met eyes with Erdene, who was looking back at him.
At that moment, his breath almost stopped at the sight of those sharp eyes, but Erdene quickly raised her hand.
There was a sound of something like a thin wooden board splitting. It was the sound of Erdene slapping the assassin in the face. With just one blow, his mouth was completely torn open, and he spat out blood without even screaming.
One of his teeth was also pulled out.
“Keuk, keuk, huk... Gulp...!”
Erdene said, swatting away his hand.
“Don’t even think about fainting. If you faint, I’ll make you beg to be killed. Tell me, who’s instigating you?”
Kensilom’s messenger looked at the two assassins with an anxious face. Since they were both hired by Etonhorn, they were not familiar with Kensilom’s messengers.
The two linked arms and looked back at the messengers. While everyone was wondering at their gazes, Count Blava threw a heavy pouch on the table.
“This is the down payment, and Etonhorn will pay the rest after we succeed.”
The two checked the money in the pouch and stood up.
Of course, they didn’t forget to take Erdene’s dagger and put it in their waists.
“Aren’t we all in the same boat now? Don’t worry and prepare a carriage. Wouldn’t it be safer to leave Vetor as soon as this is over?”
***
Erdene and Arkan were fast asleep.
They could have slept close together, but after the conversation, they couldn’t stand the awkwardness and ended up lying far apart from each other.
As a result, Erdene was on the verge of falling out of bed.
The two assassins were dressed as servants and guards, just like when they came to Vetor.
Of course, there were more than ten weapons hidden under their plain-looking clothes, but they were so well-made that no one could tell from the outside.
Since they had learned about the King’s residence in advance during the daytime meeting, it wasn’t hard to find.
It would have been easier to climb over the outer wall, but there were guards, so in the end, they had no choice but to attack from the inside. However, no one seemed anxious or worried.
“This is His Majesty the King’s residence.”
The servant guarding the residence stopped the two and quickly scanned their attire.
Seeing their slightly different clothing from Vetor’s, he quickly realized that the two were part of the delegation.
“If you’re lost, I can guide you..."
At that moment, one of them waved his arm.
Something very small and sharp flashed from his fingertips, and the moment it stabbed his neck, the servant’s knees buckled.
The assassin, who quickly caught him and laid him on the floor so that he wouldn’t fall, kicked the servant’s body with his toes.
“Is he dead?”
“He is dead.”
The one who swung his arm said, looking at the tiny needle between his fingers.
It was barely big enough to embroider, but the tip was soaked with poison.
It instantly took away his consciousness and paralyzed his nerves as if he were asleep.
They leaned the servant’s body against the wall and sat him down. After checking the time, they went inside. They also dealt with the other servant who was sleeping inside in the same way.
“Here it is.”
Said the one who opened the bedroom door slightly.
Then, the one who had taken two servants’ lives with a needle took out a ball the size of a baby’s fist from a small leather pouch.
“What is that?”
“If you don’t know, just look.”
He fiddled with the ball, found a flat stopper, pulled it out, held his breath, and threw it through the gap in the bedroom door.
The ball rolled and stopped, and a cloud of smoke began to rise upward.
The smoke spread into the air and spread throughout the room, including the bed where Erdene and Arkan were lying.
“Just wait two minutes. If someone carries you, you won’t know.”
“You’re carrying all sorts of things.”
“Put on a hood. If you fall asleep inside, I’ll leave you alone.”
The one who was scolded grumbled and took out a hood to cover his nose and mouth tightly.
The one who threw the ball took out a small hourglass and turned it upside down.
The grains, which were barely visible in the darkness, fell as if they were slipping through a very narrow gap.
The footsteps of the guards returning from their shifts could be heard from afar.
The attendant in the hallway was sitting as if he were asleep, but if one of the soldiers even shook his shoulder, he would know that he was dead.
“What if the Queen wakes up?”
The silence brought anxiety. Then the one who threw the ball into the bedroom glared at the opponent as if he was going to kill him.
“Never wake up.”
He muttered as if he was spitting it out, then glared at the hourglass with anxious eyes.
As if time would pass quickly.
He was also nervous. But now there was no turning back. All he could do was have unconditional faith.
Although he didn’t know what to believe.
“Enough.”
When the sand in the hourglass ran out, he immediately pulled out Erdene’s dagger from his waistband.
Another one carefully approached the bed, drawing a sharp sword from his sleeve.
There was not even a sound of breathing from Arkan and Erdene.
The two assassins stood right next to them, separated by a wide bed. They looked more like siblings who had fought and squabbled than like a King and Queen, curled up in a bed and sleeping with the sheets covering their heads.
“You were going to kill them both, right?”
The one who had thrown the ball nodded.
“We have to kill them both. To frame them alive is stupid. How could the heir to the throne of the empire not be able to defend herself to that extent? You fools.”
He drew his dagger. The sound of the blade sliding out of its scabbard was very faint.
Erdene, who had been sleeping as if she had fainted, opened her eyes and said,
“Of course, that’s right. How could I not be able to do that?”
She rolled down her body like lightning as she threw back the sheets and pulled out a long sword from under the bed.
It was something she had brought and hidden before Arkan came in.
The sword moved horizontally, making a sound as if it was cutting through the air.
The body of the assassin holding her dagger seemed to bend to the side, and then she was hit by the sword she had swung with the scabbard, and she flew to the opposite wall and slammed into it.
“Ugh!”
Erdene had covered her nose with a cloth.
When she glared at the darkness, the other assassin was also terrified.
However, even though he was trembling with fear, he did not forget his duty.
He stabbed the sword precisely into Arkan’s neck where he was crouching.
No, he tried to stab it.
“Keuk!”
The sword he had slammed into the bed.
Arkan, who had covered his nose with a cloth just like Erdene, kicked the assassin’s stomach with his eyes wide open.
“Damn it!”
The one who had been hit by Erdene and sent flying stood up, holding his side.
Erdene’s dagger that he had been holding had already flown far away, so he had to draw his own weapon.
But before he could even take the sword out of his ankle, he heard a swoosh! and Erdene was right in front of him.
The moment his eyes met hers, time seemed to pass strangely slowly.
The assassin saw Erdene’s right arm bent so far behind her back, and the hilt of the sword in her hand.
She didn’t even run. She almost glided across the floor, without a sound. She came so quickly and without a trace that she might as well have flown in.
A terrible fear came over him.
‘This is a monster...’
The moment cold sweat ran down his back, he felt an excruciating pain at the side of his neck.
He heard a cracking sound of something breaking, and his consciousness completely faded away.
He flew to the living room, hit his head on the table, and collapsed.
“Ugh! Die!”
The remaining man, in a state of panic, screamed out loud, forgetting what he had come to do.
Even the movement of pulling out the sword from under his sleeve and swinging it was dull.
As soon as the assassin came into range, Arkan spun around and stomped down on his hand holding the sword.
Using that momentum as support, he jumped up and kicked him squarely in the side of the head.
“Crash!”
The assassin fell over after hitting the decorative table with a loud noise. Erdene pulled out her sword and aimed it at his neck.
“Crash, crap, crap...!”
“Who’s instigating you?”
The assassin, who had been struggling without coming to his senses, froze. Erdene’s soft voice was much more frightening than the sword touching his neck.
“Uh, uh, we... Aah!”
Without putting the sword away from his neck, Erdene pressed down hard on his collarbone with one hand.
There was a snap, and unimaginable pain swept over him.
“I, I will tell you. Please, just let me live, aah...!”
At that moment, Arkan, who had flown into the living room to examine the trapped man, returned and pushed open the window.
“I told you not to kill him. As promised, you have to read a whole book of poetry tomorrow.”
At that, Erdene suddenly turned her head and took down the cloth that was covering her nose and mouth.
“Why are you blaming me for the fact that he’s as weak as a scarecrow? I told me not to kill him, so I didn’t even take my sword out of its scabbard. If he died after only two strikes, it’s because he was weak!”
“You just hit him? You hit him until he died. I saw it all.”
“You’re lying.”
Erdene muttered under her breath.
The assassin gripped with fear, opened his eyes wide at this absurd conversation, then met eyes with Erdene, who was looking back at him.
At that moment, his breath almost stopped at the sight of those sharp eyes, but Erdene quickly raised her hand.
There was a sound of something like a thin wooden board splitting. It was the sound of Erdene slapping the assassin in the face. With just one blow, his mouth was completely torn open, and he spat out blood without even screaming.
One of his teeth was also pulled out.
“Keuk, keuk, huk... Gulp...!”
Erdene said, swatting away his hand.
“Don’t even think about fainting. If you faint, I’ll make you beg to be killed. Tell me, who’s instigating you?”
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