Volume 9 : Chapter 8 – KILL THE COUNT (2)

As soon as I was able to somehow cancel the manipulation magic of Al before its complete effect could take place. The four assassins were already lying cold on the floor like scattered cockroaches after a thorough extermination with roach spray.

The panther beast kin fell on the ground behind Regis. His shadow-binding spell being negated allowed Regis to move freely again.

The first-user assassin, Mars, also fell flat on his face in front of Hana, resembling a falling stick.

As for the small elf magician girl, Ivy her spell was overtaken by my mind manipulation magic before any of us could get hit by it. And even her high magic resistance could not help her in this situation.

And on my end, I could still feel the slight electric shock from my dual swords, all because I fancied a katana in that moment when Nia tried to strike me.

It’s really tough when I can’t even think to wield any other weapon all because these blades are always so possessive.

Thankfully from the circulating magical energy in their bodies, I could tell they were still alive. However, they might still be caught up in some weird intermediary effect of the manipulation magic.

It's even hard for a magical genius like me to tell what kind of effect this could have.

“What did you do to them, Alicia? Don’t tell me they are done for.” Regis showed concern in her words, but she humorously checked the beast kin's reaction by playfully giving him a light kick on his body.

“They aren’t just pretending right?” And now after getting caught in their surprise attack, she is trying to be careful.

“Master, my head is spinning.” On the other hand, Hana seemed to have produced some difficulty in walking.

Maybe because I cancelled the spell forcibly, it could have left some lingering effects on Hana, since the constant magic supply from me to her is maintained by Al as well.

“So, what should we do next? Do we have to pick them all up and carry them...” Regis sounded exhausted after the fight and hesitant to do any more work.

“Regis don’t tell me you are planning to bury them while they are still alive.” I gasped.

“Of course, I am not that heartless. For now, let’s just take them to the room and wait for them to wake up.” Regis straight away rejected my assumption.

“I think first we should clean this mess. Since no one else is watching. I think it’s the right time for Hana to show her real powers.”

I was referring to the destruction caused by Regis and Hana’s fight, as this time I was the one who inflicted zero damage.

“Yes, master.” Hana as if straight away understood what I meant and nodded.

Hana because of her homunculi built could not use magic but in return, she was able to keep her innate ability to nullify causality.

The reason she healed after every damage she received was not because of regeneration; but every time she got hurt her power would manifest and nullify the event on her that caused the injury.

Unfortunately, this magic only worked on non-organic substances and Hana alone.

That means…

Hana takes a glance at the table cut down, the walls pierced with arrows, and the wooden floor marred by her own devastating punches.

And something changed, but in reality, nothing particularly changed….

The floor, the walls, and the tables were returned to their original state before there was even a scratch on them.

No, matter how confusing or bizarre Hana’s power was, it could bypass the laws of nature.

“Wait! But how!?” After a long pause from a surprised Regis. She finally admits. “I don’t get it, but that’s how it works, I suppose.”

I had a satisfied smile on my face from the results, but Regis was quick to sense it.

“Don’t get any funny idea of misusing Hana’s power and thinking that you are free to do whatever you want.” Regis warned me.

“Of course, I would never do something terrible like that.” Before Regis could drag this any further or Hana who was about to protest that her sole reason for existence was to serve me.

I snapped my finger, and in an instant, we were all teleported to our room in Count Viktor’s mansion.

***

Nia’s eyes fluttered open, but her head still felt heavy. As if she just now woke up from an illusionary dream.

She looked around and found herself in a large room. A beautiful carpet under her feet and walls decorated with paintings.

But the mist in her head and a strange searing pain in her abdomen made her doubt what she was even doing here in the first place.

All she had was her sword in her other hand.

“Nia, make sure you complete the mission, without fail. ⸺Kill them all.” A crimson shine from her blade made her feel nauseous.

She quickly turned back to look at where the sound came from.

But she only found Ivy pulling her clothes.

“Nia is everything alright.” A concerned Ivy gazed worriedly at Nia's face.

“Is it really good for the team if the team leader is spacing out like that?” Mars laughed loudly.

“Nia, what’s the matter?” A dark-skinned boy asked, with panther-like ears growing from his hand.

“Prowl you are here!?” Nia answered in surprise.

“Is there something wrong with me being here?” Prowl and others looked confused.

“You are acting weird.” Mars commented.

“Stop it Mars. Nia is just a bit tired. I will cast healing magic on her.”

“It’s alright, Ivy. I am completely fit.” Nia showed a confident expression to Ivy but she still went on to complete the chant.

“For now, let’s find a way to the inner part of the mansion and find the room of the count.” Prowl advised.

That’s right I was on a mission to assassinate the count. Nia reminded herself firmly.

The four of them like on any other mission quietly walked around the mansion scouting the place while staying under the veil of darkness.

“Isn't this place too big, and there's no one around here?” Mars said after some time passed as if he was already exhausted.

They had been walking in the corridor for a long time, but the other end of it appeared to be shrouded in darkness and never seemed to draw any closer.

Prowl and Nia suddenly stopped listening to Mars prattling and became alert.

“Ivy search the area. Is anyone close to us?” Prowl asked Ivy to check their surroundings with her magic.

Ivy raises her staff, holding it like an antenna. And once she had ascertained.

“There’s no doubt. I have checked multiple times but in this entire place there is not even a single guard.” Ivy stated.

“Prowl… does that mean we are under the effect of some kind of spell.” Nia asked. It was not new for them to encounter confusion traps set up in high-security places like these.

Prowl was already in a focused state, and others could see her shadow extending in every direction trying to get into cracks and corners to find a way out of this building.

“It’s blank…” Prowl suddenly loses his posture and falls to the ground with the support of his hands.

“What happened?” the other three asked in unison.

“My shadow is not able to locate any place to transfer outside this mansion. It seems we have been cut off.” Prowl says with clenched teeth. His entire body looked strained from over-exerting his power.

“Is this some kind of a deception and we are already caught inside it.” Mars concluded. Despite his young age, it was only after he was deemed talented and was sent on assassination missions at such an early age.

"If that's the case, then we try to open every door here and find an escape route first; that's our top priority. The mission is on hold until then," Nia ordered.

From there the four divided themselves, to open all the rooms they could find. Some opened up to reveal only a black patch.

Astonishingly, stepping inside would only bring them back to the entrance of the door.

The windows were locked. And Mars who considered himself smart for coming up with the idea to break the glass. Was immediately hit with some kind of paralysis when he tried to punch it.

"Damn it, what's going on here?" Mars groaned with each failed attempt to break anything breakable he could find.

“Did you find anything Nia.” Prowl asked.

Nia seemed to be lost in thought as if she wanted to remember something but she couldn’t. Somehow, she was missing a part of her initial memory of how they infiltrated the count’s mansion.

Nia inadvertently failed to reply Prowl’s question.

“Everything here is so tough to break.” Mars knew that there was something definitely wrong with this place.

“Nia even I don’t know what is happening to us. Whether we are under the effect of a spell or a magical artifact tool or a part of a confusion trap. If it was magic I should have been easily able to dispel it. But this place feels too real to be an illusion and at the same time you can’t explain it otherwise.” Ivy conjectured as one who was most adept in analyzing magic in the group.

“An illusion…. If it’s an illusion. ⸺And we can’t get out of here. Then the only way to break it is.” Nia's blabbering caught everyone's attention.

And just when Nia was about to bring the blade of her sword to her neck.

“Nia, what are you doing?” Mars who first noticed shouted in surprise.

Ivy quickly slapped Nia’s hand to get her attention and stop her. Even though Ivy was always the one who was against violence in everything.

“Nia have you gone mad? What are you doing?” Prowl shouted while he quickly pulled the edge of her sword away from her.

Nia as if waking up from the voice found herself sweating through her neck and forehead. And her comrades stared at her with dismayed looks.

“No…!” Nia realized what she tried doing was insane, trying to chop off her own head. “It’s just that I thought. If all four of us are under an illusion. Then it’s possible if I die here then I can wake up from the shock and save you three.”

“And what if you would have failed? Nia. Why? Why do you always put yourself in harm’s way to save us.” Ivy cried as she said. “⸺What if you actually would have got hurt and something would have happened to you? Are we not reliable enough?”

“It’s not that.” But then Nia seeing that she made Ivy cry and others worried. She decided not to make any excuses and think up of a better way where they all could agree.

“I am sorry. I should have come up with a much better method of saving us.”

“I say we throw the dice and take out everything until we find an exit.” Mars cheered trying to lift everyone’s spirit.

“Alright. Let’s do it.” Ivy said wiping her tears. All Ivy wanted was for no one to get hurt.

Nia smiled finally feeling a sense of relief. Throughout all her experiences in training and assassination missions, she had always acted alone, never relying on anyone for survival, and only on her instincts. That's how she made it to the end.

But from the day she met her new comrades, Nia knew she had become fearful. She feared the thought of losing them because of her own mistakes or weakness.

And that’s why it was fine for her if she was the one to die first and was able to protect them.

But now that she has finally found a place and comrades she could rely upon, Nia did not wanted to leave them too soon.

“Really you all are too much.” Nia sighed, suddenly sensing a cool and different atmosphere spreading in the air.

Due to her profuse sweating and generating body heat out of anxiety, she felt movement in her surroundings. “A… breeze.” Nia muttered.

She immediately started running in the direction from where the wind came and others followed as if they finally found a clue.

The four reached the big window of a room on the second floor. But because of the darkness, they could not see what was outside.

Now the four standing there for sure could tell that the breeze was definitely coming from there.

“I had previously tried breaking this too, but nothing happened. So, why now?” Mars was confused.

“Maybe something triggered it to activate or formed a crack in the illusion.” Ivy conjectured.

"Let's find out what's on the other end." Nia said, sliding the door to her left to open it.

They stepped in and were now standing outside on a huge balcony. The sky was filled with a myriad of stars, casting a soft, silver glow on everything it touched. But it was hard to say whether it was real or not.

And near the ledge of the balcony, they could sense a presence.

An eerie white glow falls on the surface, even though they could not see a moon anywhere.

But the lighting was more than enough for them to take notice of a girl facing the sky upwards as if reminiscing.

Draped in a resplendent white gown that flowed gracefully around her. Her extremely long hair, as luminous as the moonlight itself, cascaded down in gentle waves.

But Nia and others couldn’t see her face because she was looking the other way.

“We never received any information of a girl being in the count’s mansion.” Mars said.

“I don’t think she has noticed our presence.” Prowl thought loud because a general reaction would have been to scream on seeing strangers in their house at night.

Nia decided to move towards her and maybe ask for help even though they were the attackers in this situation.

While Nia would pretend to be non-hostile, her hand had already reached the handle of her sword to draw it at the right moment.

We could knock that person unconscious and escape. Right, now she is the only one in our way. Nia thought to herself.

“Excuse me. I ⸺…” Nia approached to catch the girl’s attention.

But then Nia realized she couldn’t hear her voice.

She was unable to speak a single word. The step she had taken to get close to that individual girl, did not move an inch.

Nia felt like she had lost control of her own body.

She turned and saw others in the same panic.

“It’s too early, but it’s time for you to leave. I have been here for too long, I just wanted to play a bit longer.” Nia heard a voice she felt familiar but childish at the same time. A voice so fresh she did not wish to forget but she still couldn’t identify her.

And when the individual girl in front of them finally turned, Nia almost lost all visuals. Except for a pair of glowing blue-colored eyes that looked down on her.

She stopped feeling her bottom body as if she was getting crushed even though her flesh was intact. In fact, it was her soul itself that was being forced out of this place.

It was very ordinary for Nia who faced death every time on her mission, that she could learn to overcome her fear.

But right now, Nia feared for her own life and the lives of her comrades more than anything. The pain she felt was so excruciating and hit her body in an instant.

As if her soul was being forcibly passed through between two closing walls. To the point, it became so unbearable that she could not remain conscious any longer.

***

“So, how long before they wake up.” Regis consistently taps her foot on the floor, producing a continuous noise.

“I am sure they will be waking up any time now.” I hurriedly answered to comfort Regis’s growing impatience.

Just quickly wake up, you four. This is the third time Regis has asked me the exact same question. And I'm pretty sure she will kick me out of her room the next time if you don't wake up.

And I have no intention of being abandoned like a cat and being alone on a deserted street at night.

Hana who would have been sleeping tightly at this hour, was also wide awake with excitement as well.

Most probably Regis’s impatience was because she wanted to know their reason for working as assassins and why they wanted to assassinate the count.

It’s not like I am not interested but it does not help me in any way to get close to Athena so I had no reason to be that anxious. But now I was not sure, since I got myself involved.

“So, what kind of magic did you use on them that they are not even waking up even when I tried kicking and rolling them around.”

Regis did not seem reluctant in hiding the fact of the horrible atrocities she committed in her attempts to wake them up.

“It was just a simple mind illusion spell. But because father had warned me against using them because we couldn't be certain of its effects." I answered remembering what happened in the past.

During my time in the labyrinth, I learned a lot of spells from father. I wasn’t keen on the idea of controlling someone’s mind, but on my journey to becoming a magical genius, it was important that I should at least try.

After a bit of study and reference from father who showed me some examples of illusion magic.

I am pretty sure the first time I tried mind manipulation magic was on monsters of the Tathya labyrinth.

Usually, it’s the instinct of monsters to attack as soon as they see their target. And they would always do it without fail.

But after using my spell on them, they suddenly lost their innate nature.

It was almost as if they had become dumb. Either they would just stand in one place or start walking around mindlessly. They stopped feeling any pain and stopped attacking their prey altogether.

The monsters on whom I used my spell even forgot about eating their food and hunting. Eventually, they died with their life force completely depleted.

Father was dumbfounded and even after a lot of attempts we couldn’t verify what happened to their souls after I used mind manipulation magic on them.

So, it was best I stopped using it and mother feared that it could have bad effects on me as well. So, I sealed it as an automatic counterattack spell cast by Al if I was ever attacked by one.

But I made sure to cancel the spell even before it could manifest completely, so they should be fine. Right!?

“…Where are we?” The little elf girl wakes up rubbing her eyes.

Before she could look around and become surprised. Nia who had just woken up only a second ago and decided to pretend to sleep and observe.

Nia broke her posture, tightly held Ivy, and picking her up jumped back to the other end of the bed.

“Prowl.” With a word, the panther demi-human did exactly the same with Mars as he bore his sharp pointy nails on his hands.

“Nia…Niaaa.” Ivy still looked flustered and embarrassed about being carried like a child hanging from Nia’s side.

Nia only glared at us, as she drew her sword and kept a close eye on our every movement.

“What did you do to us?” Nia finally spoke and without beating around the bush.

Is she worried about the illusion spell?

“I am really so…” I thought I should apologize since I did not wanted to go that far to hurt them.

“I will be the one asking. First tell me, who are you all and what are you here to do exactly?” Regis asked without any reservation about the situation.

I knew Regis was being too direct with people who had just woken up to a bad dream. However, it was my first time seeing her in an interrogative mode, looking like one of those experienced inquisitors who break a leg first and then ask a question.

She doesn’t plan on doing that right…, no matter how roughly she handled them moments ago. I wasn’t sure, but I let the conversation continue.

I was still feeling too shy to speak in between because I did not know the other four properly.

“Just as I said before, we are assassins and we are here to kill the count. But we didn’t receive any information about you three being here.” Nia answered.

“But why would you kill the count? Did you have a grudge against him or did he do something bad to you? Or did you take money from someone to do their dirty work?” Regis asked using her wild imagination.

These types of assassins were common in a series I once used to read. But for Regis who had too little knowledge of the world like me, it was our first time experiencing it. And I was just as curious as her.

“None of them. It was an order from the organization.” Nia revealed.

“What organization?” Regis asked a follow-up question without waiting.

“Nia what are you doing, we should make for a run. The organization will never forgive us if we tell anything more.” Prowl warned as if unable to understand their leader’s intentions.

It was obvious that they trusted Nia a lot and allowed her to speak freely on behalf of them, but the fear of the organization was evident from their scared faces.

“Prowl I am sorry but we have already lost.” Nia beckoned to Prowl to look at themselves and at the same time, she sheathed her drawn sword.

“I still have my weapons,” Mars said in a surprised tone.

“And we are not being held captive or in chains.” Prowl finally realized.

"Nia, your injuries have completely healed, even the old ones," Ivy exclaimed with a mixture of surprise and joy.

Well, that’s obvious because I used healing magic on them. I stood there with a triumphant and proud look.

The group had a confused expression on their faces. But if they wanted to move forward, they had to come up with an explanation for themselves.

“I don’t know how, but I am sure I already lost to that girl in the mask. And since we have our weapons and are not withheld by ropes or magic. It’s obvious they don’t even consider us a threat. And if we try going against them they can use that illusion spell to trap us again.” Nia explained the downside of fighting us to her comrades.

But in a way, she was trying to make them feel comfortable and come in terms with the situation.

Nia puts Ivy down so she can relax.

Regis looks at Ivy with affection and asks, “Are you alright? What did you see in there?”

“Thank you.” Ivy answered but could not forget that they were fighting to death moments ago. She looks back and Nia nods her head with her approval.

“We were trapped somewhere and tried a lot to escape. And Nia even went so far as to cut her own head. But we stopped her somehow.”

Wait! She did what?

I am glad she didn’t go through with it. It’s possible that my spell could have been strong enough for the damage effects to manifest in the real world as well because of the stimulation felt by the body and the soul.

⸺Ahem! But of course, I shouldn’t divulge such needless information and waste everyone’s precious time, since nothing bad happened.

“So, how did you get out?” Regis asked just to make sure.

I didn’t know Regis was this good at sleuthing so that means I can always leave this kind of task to her. And this information can be helpful for me and my spell as well.

The four starts looking at each other with confused expression. And after of bit of chattering between them, they realised.

“We don’t remember anything of how we got out? But I think we found there something that shouldn’t have been there.” Nia gave a vague reply her hand pressing her right eye as if she was trying her hardest to remember.

“So, why did you do this?” Regis asked again. She was adamant about getting a straight answer.

Ivy who finally realized that the situation had calmed down around her as she explained some of the things she could remember from her illusion dream. She knew she had done something awful. Even if everyone was kind to her and tried to protect her she was just as guilty.

And when Regis questioned her motive, the feeling she withheld to not break down finally erupted into tears.

“⸺It’s not like we have a choice, or you will understand. We can’t go against what the organization orders us to do.” Nia said in a depressed tone as she held Ivy in her arms.

“I won’t know unless you tell me.” Regis said.

“You say as if you are going to help us?” Nia chided at Regis’s childish behavior and demands. Nia knew for their crimes they could be punished at any moment.

“⸺I will.”

Regis’s straightforward adamant response was not something Nia expected.

“We are all kids who were kidnapped along with our families from poor villages, villages caught in conflict and war, or villages overrun and destroyed by stampede monsters. The organization captures anyone who has the potential to become their pawn and makes them do their dirty work. All four of us have someone precious in their captive.” Nia started explaining to Regis.

“How could they do something so awful? I would have never allowed this to happen in the elf kingdom.” Regis proclaimed.

The four were a bit taken aback by how weirdly Regis phrased herself, but Nia continued revealing the final fact.

“The name of the assassin organization is ⸺Belladonna.”

I didn’t know I would have to ever hear that name again outside, but now that I had heard it I couldn’t simply ignore it.

For some reason, everyone was staring at me now.

“That wave of magic energy…” Ivy muttered scared as she felt chills throughout her body.

“I have never felt such a strong force…” Prowl whispers.

Even Regis gave me an unsure look.

“I should have known you were hiding your power. So, you were the caster of that illusion spell I presume.” Nia called out as if she was still trying to recall where she had gone wrong in her mission.

I guess I cannot always rely on this mask to conceal myself whenever my magic erupts.

“Master, are you alright?” Hana who sensed my emotions suddenly became alarmed.

I put my hand on her head to calm her down. I shouldn’t worry Regis either.

“That can’t be. Belladonna was supposed to be wiped out by the True Hero ages ago.” I was not planning to be a part of this but after hearing that name I couldn’t stop myself.

I always used to like hearing about mother’s adventures in this world whenever we were training. And one day, it was the story of an evil assassin organization that had become too large for this world.

And they took away someone precious from mother. To the point, even a small mention of that name was enough to bring a sad expression on mother who is always so cheerful.

But mother assured me that, she had taken her revenge and wiped out the entire organization for good.

So, why am I hearing that name again?

“Yes, I have heard about that as well. Maybe not even the True Hero was strong enough to completely remove evil.” Nia’s words were a bit depressing but I was glad that she did not blame the True Hero for whatever happened.

“The Belladonna Assassin organization is currently run by ten Zehn leaders all over the world. The one who issues us orders is the seventh Zehn leader. His name is Sieb.”

“Then we just need to make him learn his lesson.” Regis stated her thoughts loudly.

“You make it sound so easy, but the ten Zehn masters are not ordinary people like you and me. I learned all my skills from them, and I know just how powerful they are.” Nia shuddered at the thought of fighting the Zehns.

“Wait you and I if we work together then we can be strong too right.” Regis had already experienced fighting with Nia.

And a tag team of a close-range and long-range fighter was a good enough combination.

“No, the Zehn’s possess a totally different kind of strength that cannot be overcome by normal means. ⸺A Blessing of the World.”

There are various ways to power up in this world. That includes strengthening magic, improving fighting skills or learning new skills.

And yet there are other special ways to become strong. That includes obtaining power through the authority of title. Or gain the favour of gods in the form of a unique skill. But these are said to be almost impossible to achieve.

On the other hand, there are those lucky drop skills. A blessing is unlocked when certain conditions are met or when a skill evolves.

However, a definitive method to attain them remains elusive, solely relying on an element of luck.

“First you need to tell me what you plan to do with us. Based only on that we will agree to help you.” Nia asked, as if she had finally made up her mind and leave herself to her fate.

Regis looked at me, with a confused look.

Don’t tell me she hasn’t decided till yet what to do with them before questioning them.

“Let’s see. If we inform the count about them, they will surely be executed by law.” To be honest there was not too much to think about it.

But it almost made Ivy cry again on hearing that.

“Wait, we aren’t going to do that? Right…Alicia.” Regis said giving me back a stare.

“And we can’t let them go without understanding what’s happening and who is behind them. If we just let them go, someone else will be hired to assassinate the count. Then that means…”

“That means we can take out the main culprit, and everything will be good again. Right!” Regis did not even let me finish.

“Yes.” I added. Well, it’s not like she was wrong.

“So, if you tell us everything we can help you and stop the person who is forcing you to do their dirty job.” Regis gladly informed Ivy and the others.

“Why are you so willing to save us? And can you really help us right now?” Nia asked with a strained face.

Nia knew time was of the essence since they needed to report back about the status of the mission. And if they fail or do not return the lives of their family would be in danger.

“Because I know that’s the right thing to do… But.” Regis suddenly paused while speaking.

And maybe she was realizing this just now, that if she really wanted to help them they would have to do it now. That could lead to a delay in our departure for the Hart Kingdom and Regis was now tormented by this dilemma.

But, I was not so heartless to not realize that if we had not interfered, Nia and her team wouldn’t be in this kind of danger. So, for everyone to be safe and for mother’s legacy I will make sure.

“Let me introduce myself again, my name is Alicia. And I say we make sure the Belladonna name is gone by tomorrow’s sunrise.”

***

It was just an ordinary-looking stronghold from the days of the Great Wars. Destroyed walls, broken pillars, and ruined grounds. That was all left of this place forgotten by people and time.

But underneath this stronghold castle, was a massive man-made labyrinth previously used by knights in the war. And now this hidden passageway was further developed into becoming one of the main bases of the seventh Zehn master of the Belladonna assassin organization.

In the heart of the underground labyrinth, a roaring fire danced within an imposing hearth, casting flickering shadows on the walls. Amidst the fiery glow, the continuous noise of metal striking metal echoed through the vast space.

"Master, we have returned," Nia announced, her voice cutting through the clangorous cacophony.

Four figures kept kneeling before a formidable figure who, with unwavering focus, wielded a large hammer upon a red-hot iron rod.

Despite their entrance, he remained immersed in his craft, indifferent to the acknowledgment of his returning subordinates.

With precision and skill, he dipped the newly formed weapon into molten lava, that seemed to absorb the very essence of the inferno.

Newly-made traps were scattered on a long table. Torture devices and weapons were all his creations and covered the walls.

And as the seventh Zehn master finally turned to gaze at Nia, a smile curved across his face.

“Master we have completed the mission. By tomorrow the news of the assassination of the count will spread everywhere.”

The seventh Zehn leader Sieb did not have any compliments for his subordinate.

Instead, he turned back and drew out his newly crafted sword from the molten lava pot.

The length of the sword was bigger than anyone could have imagined, as he dragged it all the way close to where Nia, Ivy, Prowl, and Mars were kneeling.

Sparks ignited from the razor-sharp blade being dragged against the floor, while trails of falling lava left deep holes in the ground. Yet, the radiance of the sword only intensified.

“Nia, I have good news for you. Your little sister has completed her training as well and all the leaders are satisfied with the result. I believe she will turn into a fine assassin just like you.”

“Lenya is here.” Nia whose face bore no emotion till now, a bright ray engulfed her face. But the words of the master suddenly caught up to her.

“But why, you promised me that she would not be sent on any assassin mission if I followed you.” Nia quickly objected raising her voice against the master which she never did before.

“That I did. But since the older sibling has turned rogue someone has to take her place.” Sieb hands moved to grab Nia by her face.

But before that, the four jumped back in response to a safe distance.

“Nia, you, of all people should have known better than anyone that I hate lies. And what gruesome fate awaits for those who desert their mission.”

***

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