Episode 86. The Assassin in the Darkness
“Whoa, whoa!”
A group of people hurriedly stopped their horses. According to the map, a cliff appeared where a path should have been.
“What’s going on?”
A gentle old man’s voice was heard from inside a carriage decorated with gold.
They were the Duke of Rodwell and his knights escorting him to the Vatican.
The knight commander at the very front approached the carriage and reported.
“It seems we took the wrong road. It seems we missed the signpost along the way.”
Knock.
The carriage window opened, and the Duke of Rodwell’s face appeared.
He was the head of the noble council, and he had a gentle appearance with white hair and flesh. However, his dark brown eyes looked strong and determined.
Jan, Stone!
The cunning demons had joined hands in the end.
'No! I will never let that happen!'
Adele hurried to Bluegale with Jennifer and the members of the WG 1st Division.
"I heard you are on your way to the Vatican."
Christine's voice, heard in the darkness, was polite but eerie because it had no emotion.
"Did you lure us to this mountain lodge?"
"I think it would be better to have a quiet place to talk."
Christine sat down by the window as if he really wanted to talk.
But the Duke was breathless and creepy.
If everything had gone as planned, he should have been staying at a luxury inn in the city by now. However, he had followed the wrong signpost and gotten lost in the mountains, and ended up staying at this mountain lodge.
It was all according to this man's plan.
If it were a remote mountain lodge like this, no one would know even if all his party died.
“So you plan to kill me?”
“I’ll think about that after the negotiations break down.”
“Negotiations?”
“I’m going to testify about the assassination of the former Emperor... What do you think?”
The Duke let out a soft sigh at the unexpected words.
That was exactly what they wanted most.
But wasn’t Christine the Emperor’s right-hand man?
“Could it be... that you’re betraying the Emperor?”
When he asked half-heartedly, he received a cold answer.
“Jan and I only joined hands because we needed each other. And now that we no longer need each other, we’re letting go.”
“So what do you want from me?”
“Stop your journey to the Vatican, and stop trying to learn about the Wolf Clan. And the autonomy of the Russwolf.”
“As expected, you were... the silver wolf who assassinated the former Wmperor.”
“I killed that silver wolf.”
The Duke nodded, understanding Christine’s meaning.
“Yes, you witnessed the silver wolf attacking the former Emperor. So you killed the wolf. However, Grand Duke Jan Valencia silenced you. Because he was the one who used the silver wolf to assassinate the former Emperor. Is that right?”
Like a seasoned politician, the Duke quickly came up with a natural scenario.
If this continued, it would be enough of an excuse to expel Jan as the murderer of the former Emperor. And Christine could end up receiving a light punishment.
“It seems the negotiations have ended safely.”
“Thank goodness.”
Just when the Duke was about to feel relieved,
Christine drew his sword and lunged at him.
“What the heck!”
The surprised Duke was thrown under the bed without even having time to fight back.
Ping! Ping! Ping!
Arrows flew down like rain and pierced the bed where he had been sitting a moment ago.
The arrows cut by Christine’s blade also fell to the floor.
“What happened?”
“It’s an attack.”
Christine quickly closed the window where the arrow had come and drew the curtains. Then he carried the Duke out the door.
'Jan, you moved faster than I expected.'
"Die!"
As soon as the door opened, a man came running, swinging a sword.
Shuk!
He quickly spurted blood on Christine's blade and rolled on the floor.
"Duke, are you okay?"
Soon, the duke's knights came running up from downstairs, panting. Then, when they saw Christine holding the Duke, they all grabbed their swords at once.
"...Count Weiss!"
"Count, is this your doing?"
Christine sighed and handed the Duke over to them.
"I'll protect you, so take him and get out quickly."
No one knew what was going on, but there was no time to hesitate.
Soon, armed masked men poured into the mountain lodge like a tidal wave.
Christine took the lead and went down the stairs swinging her sword.
The Duke's knights also joined in and began to fight.
Chae-ang! Chae-ang!
Dizzying metallic sounds tangled, and miserable screams echoed everywhere.
The floor of the lodge quickly became soaked with blood, and the smell of blood stung the nose.
In this chaos, Christine continued to make his way through.
The knight commander and the attendant supported the Duke closely behind. Even so, he stuck out his tongue. The red blood mist around Christine thickened, and flesh splattered.
But what was even more eerie was that even in the middle of this terrible hell, he was so beautiful that it was almost mind-boggling.
His silver hair, swaying in the moonlight with every movement, was dazzling, and his dynamic and dazzling swordsmanship seemed to dance, so it was impossible to take your eyes off him.
People rushed at him as if possessed, and then fell, spewing blood. Like moths flying toward a flame.
Even during this time, he seemed to be from another dimension, his breathing not faltering.
“If you take this back road, you will come across a valley. The road is rough, but it is not easy to chase, so this is the safest route.”
Christine, who had already left the mountain lodge, pointed to a narrow back road.
“Understood!”
The knight commander quickly started running, carrying the Duke on his back.
“Chase!”
Christine blocked the masked men chasing after him.
“First, deal with me.”
“Count Weiss, are you betraying His Majesty?”
The one who seemed to be the leader of the masked men shouted sharply.
But Christine wiped the bloody blade with his finger and replied calmly,
“The Duke of Rodwell is mine. I decide whether to let him live or die.”
“His Majesty knew you would betray him and sent us!”
Christine couldn’t help but laugh at those words.
“Ha, betrayal? That’s what I would say to the Emperor who ordered you to attack me from behind.”
“How dare you insult His Majesty! Fire!”
At the leader’s shout,
ping! ping! ping!
Arrows rained down from all sides.
Christine quickly jumped behind the carriage that had stopped.
Papa pat!
The carriage that the Duke of Rodwell had been riding in was hit by arrows and quickly turned into a hedgehog.
As soon as the masked men surrounded him from all sides and rushed at him, he jumped onto the roof of the carriage. Then he flew lightly up onto the tree again and swung his sword.
Several people chased him and climbed up the tree, but they all flew away like fallen leaves.
“Then that’s it.”
In the meantime, Christine had lightly skipped between the trees like a bird and disappeared into the distance.
However, his previously relaxed expression suddenly hardened.
“...Is this it?”
Clink!
At the same time, an arrow deeply pierced his side.
As his body fell to the ground from the impact,
“The Count has fallen!”
“Catch him!”
The masked men rushed at him from all sides, not wanting to miss this opportunity.
However, he had no regard for the people surrounding him with swords.
What was stimulating his nerves right now was...
This disgusting smell that made him want to vomit...
“Damn it, you son of a bitch!”
It was definitely Stone.
“Kwaaak!”
With a terrible scream, the knight commander’s body was brutally torn apart.
Behind him stood a huge brown wolf.
Its fearsome foreclaws were embedded with bloody flesh.
Its appearance was like a strange being from hell.
“...!”
The Duke of Rodwell had been involved in countless incidents throughout his life. That’s why he prided himself on being courageous and calm.
However, this monster in front of him now was on a different level. Just looking at it made him shiver to the bone, and he couldn’t breathe because he was so scared.
“Krrrrrr! Krrrr!”
The thing let out a terrifying roar as it came closer and closer.
However, the cliff blocked his back, so the Duke of Rodwell could no longer run away.
When its shadow touched his feet, he desperately wished he would just get a heart attack and die.
Otherwise, he would die a horrible death like the squire and the knight commander.
“Whoa, whoa!”
A group of people hurriedly stopped their horses. According to the map, a cliff appeared where a path should have been.
“What’s going on?”
A gentle old man’s voice was heard from inside a carriage decorated with gold.
They were the Duke of Rodwell and his knights escorting him to the Vatican.
The knight commander at the very front approached the carriage and reported.
“It seems we took the wrong road. It seems we missed the signpost along the way.”
Knock.
The carriage window opened, and the Duke of Rodwell’s face appeared.
He was the head of the noble council, and he had a gentle appearance with white hair and flesh. However, his dark brown eyes looked strong and determined.
"Oh, it’s already getting dark.”
Since it was a forest, darkness would come quickly once the sun set.
“It seems it will take quite some time to turn around and go to the city. Are you feeling okay, Duke?”
The Duke wiped the cold sweat from his forehead at the knight commander’s question.
“I’m sorry, but I’m already tired. I think it would be better to just stay nearby today.”
For him, who had just recently recovered from his illness, riding a carriage all day was tiring.
“Yes, let’s check if there’s a suitable place to stay!”
After a while, the Duke and his party found an old mountain hut not far away.
“Are you there?”
“Is anyone there?”
They called out several times, but there was no sign of anyone inside the mountain hut. It was dark, and the lights were not on, so it seemed that no one lived there.
“It seems empty.”
The Duke nodded at the knight commander’s report.
“There’s nothing we can do. We have no choice but to stay quietly and leave tomorrow. In return, leave a generous fee.”
“Yes, Duke.”
The Duke Rodwell went up to the largest bedroom on the second floor, supported by his servant and his doctor. It was an empty house, but it seemed that someone had lived there until recently. The furniture inside the house was neatly organized, and there were still food items in the kitchen.
“I’ll prepare a meal and bring it to you soon.”
At the servant’s words, the Duke waved his hand and headed to the bed.
“Yes. I need to get some rest.”
“Then ring the bell whenever you feel hungry.”
“Yes.”
The Duke, lying on the bed, closed his eyes, and the servant covered him with a blanket and left the bedroom. How much time had passed? The cool breeze on his face woke the Duke from his sleep. The candles had gone out, so the bedroom was deeply dark. However, the moonlight streaming in through the open window made it possible to vaguely see shapes in the room. Someone was standing by the window. He instinctively felt goosebumps. An unfamiliar intruder! However, he responded calmly. If he suddenly made a fuss, it could only provoke the intruder.
“Who are you?”
A deep, low voice answered from the darkness.
“Don’t even think about calling someone by shouting. Even if all of the Duke’s knights come, they won’t be able to fight me.”
The voice was polite, but the content was so fierce that it made his hair stand on end. And those words were definitely not an exaggeration. The Duke, who had dealt with many people, had a gut feeling.
“Could it be... Count Weiss?”
***
The outskirts of Greenhill, the capital of Kalime.
“What’s going on?”
Jennifer, who had received Adele’s message, came running out, leading his men and hurriedly riding. Adele, who had been waiting in the carriage, quickly ran outside.
“We have to find the Count quickly! Sir Zimmer left first, but I don’t think he can do it alone.”
“What are you talking about all of a sudden...?”
“The Count is probably heading to the Vatican in Bluegale right now. He might have fallen into a trap, so we have to go and help him.”
Adele was anxious, but Jennifer still had a look on his face that didn’t make sense. He had never thought of Christine as someone who needed help.
“Understood. Anyway, we just have to find the Count who is going to the Vatican, right?”
“Yes, as soon as possible. Hurry up!”
The reason Adele was so anxious was because of Stone. Zimmer, who had just brought news that Stone had been released, added again.
“As soon as he gets released, he’s heading to Bluegale!”
At that moment, Adele was faced with the reality of the anxiety she had been feeling all along. It was clear that Stone was heading to Bluegale to attack Christine.
Jan planned to use Christine to assassinate the Duke of Rodwell, and then have Stone attack him again.
Jan, Stone!
The cunning demons had joined hands in the end.
'No! I will never let that happen!'
Adele hurried to Bluegale with Jennifer and the members of the WG 1st Division.
***
"I heard you are on your way to the Vatican."
Christine's voice, heard in the darkness, was polite but eerie because it had no emotion.
"Did you lure us to this mountain lodge?"
"I think it would be better to have a quiet place to talk."
Christine sat down by the window as if he really wanted to talk.
But the Duke was breathless and creepy.
If everything had gone as planned, he should have been staying at a luxury inn in the city by now. However, he had followed the wrong signpost and gotten lost in the mountains, and ended up staying at this mountain lodge.
It was all according to this man's plan.
If it were a remote mountain lodge like this, no one would know even if all his party died.
“So you plan to kill me?”
“I’ll think about that after the negotiations break down.”
“Negotiations?”
“I’m going to testify about the assassination of the former Emperor... What do you think?”
The Duke let out a soft sigh at the unexpected words.
That was exactly what they wanted most.
But wasn’t Christine the Emperor’s right-hand man?
“Could it be... that you’re betraying the Emperor?”
When he asked half-heartedly, he received a cold answer.
“Jan and I only joined hands because we needed each other. And now that we no longer need each other, we’re letting go.”
“So what do you want from me?”
“Stop your journey to the Vatican, and stop trying to learn about the Wolf Clan. And the autonomy of the Russwolf.”
“As expected, you were... the silver wolf who assassinated the former Wmperor.”
“I killed that silver wolf.”
The Duke nodded, understanding Christine’s meaning.
“Yes, you witnessed the silver wolf attacking the former Emperor. So you killed the wolf. However, Grand Duke Jan Valencia silenced you. Because he was the one who used the silver wolf to assassinate the former Emperor. Is that right?”
Like a seasoned politician, the Duke quickly came up with a natural scenario.
If this continued, it would be enough of an excuse to expel Jan as the murderer of the former Emperor. And Christine could end up receiving a light punishment.
“It seems the negotiations have ended safely.”
“Thank goodness.”
Just when the Duke was about to feel relieved,
Christine drew his sword and lunged at him.
“What the heck!”
The surprised Duke was thrown under the bed without even having time to fight back.
Ping! Ping! Ping!
Arrows flew down like rain and pierced the bed where he had been sitting a moment ago.
The arrows cut by Christine’s blade also fell to the floor.
“What happened?”
“It’s an attack.”
Christine quickly closed the window where the arrow had come and drew the curtains. Then he carried the Duke out the door.
'Jan, you moved faster than I expected.'
***
"Die!"
As soon as the door opened, a man came running, swinging a sword.
Shuk!
He quickly spurted blood on Christine's blade and rolled on the floor.
"Duke, are you okay?"
Soon, the duke's knights came running up from downstairs, panting. Then, when they saw Christine holding the Duke, they all grabbed their swords at once.
"...Count Weiss!"
"Count, is this your doing?"
Christine sighed and handed the Duke over to them.
"I'll protect you, so take him and get out quickly."
No one knew what was going on, but there was no time to hesitate.
Soon, armed masked men poured into the mountain lodge like a tidal wave.
Christine took the lead and went down the stairs swinging her sword.
The Duke's knights also joined in and began to fight.
Chae-ang! Chae-ang!
Dizzying metallic sounds tangled, and miserable screams echoed everywhere.
The floor of the lodge quickly became soaked with blood, and the smell of blood stung the nose.
In this chaos, Christine continued to make his way through.
The knight commander and the attendant supported the Duke closely behind. Even so, he stuck out his tongue. The red blood mist around Christine thickened, and flesh splattered.
But what was even more eerie was that even in the middle of this terrible hell, he was so beautiful that it was almost mind-boggling.
His silver hair, swaying in the moonlight with every movement, was dazzling, and his dynamic and dazzling swordsmanship seemed to dance, so it was impossible to take your eyes off him.
People rushed at him as if possessed, and then fell, spewing blood. Like moths flying toward a flame.
Even during this time, he seemed to be from another dimension, his breathing not faltering.
“If you take this back road, you will come across a valley. The road is rough, but it is not easy to chase, so this is the safest route.”
Christine, who had already left the mountain lodge, pointed to a narrow back road.
“Understood!”
The knight commander quickly started running, carrying the Duke on his back.
“Chase!”
Christine blocked the masked men chasing after him.
“First, deal with me.”
“Count Weiss, are you betraying His Majesty?”
The one who seemed to be the leader of the masked men shouted sharply.
But Christine wiped the bloody blade with his finger and replied calmly,
“The Duke of Rodwell is mine. I decide whether to let him live or die.”
“His Majesty knew you would betray him and sent us!”
Christine couldn’t help but laugh at those words.
“Ha, betrayal? That’s what I would say to the Emperor who ordered you to attack me from behind.”
“How dare you insult His Majesty! Fire!”
At the leader’s shout,
ping! ping! ping!
Arrows rained down from all sides.
Christine quickly jumped behind the carriage that had stopped.
Papa pat!
The carriage that the Duke of Rodwell had been riding in was hit by arrows and quickly turned into a hedgehog.
As soon as the masked men surrounded him from all sides and rushed at him, he jumped onto the roof of the carriage. Then he flew lightly up onto the tree again and swung his sword.
Several people chased him and climbed up the tree, but they all flew away like fallen leaves.
“Then that’s it.”
In the meantime, Christine had lightly skipped between the trees like a bird and disappeared into the distance.
However, his previously relaxed expression suddenly hardened.
“...Is this it?”
Clink!
At the same time, an arrow deeply pierced his side.
As his body fell to the ground from the impact,
“The Count has fallen!”
“Catch him!”
The masked men rushed at him from all sides, not wanting to miss this opportunity.
However, he had no regard for the people surrounding him with swords.
What was stimulating his nerves right now was...
This disgusting smell that made him want to vomit...
“Damn it, you son of a bitch!”
It was definitely Stone.
***
“Kwaaak!”
With a terrible scream, the knight commander’s body was brutally torn apart.
Behind him stood a huge brown wolf.
Its fearsome foreclaws were embedded with bloody flesh.
Its appearance was like a strange being from hell.
“...!”
The Duke of Rodwell had been involved in countless incidents throughout his life. That’s why he prided himself on being courageous and calm.
However, this monster in front of him now was on a different level. Just looking at it made him shiver to the bone, and he couldn’t breathe because he was so scared.
“Krrrrrr! Krrrr!”
The thing let out a terrifying roar as it came closer and closer.
However, the cliff blocked his back, so the Duke of Rodwell could no longer run away.
When its shadow touched his feet, he desperately wished he would just get a heart attack and die.
Otherwise, he would die a horrible death like the squire and the knight commander.
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