Chapter 77: Trap (3)
The night in the capital was not much different from usual.
Tada
Shadows revealed themselves under the faint moonlight, moving swiftly across the rooftops.
The narrow and steep roofs of the buildings, made of stone and wood hardened by heat and polished smooth, were not very suitable for people to walk on. However, the figures traversing them maintained considerable speed as if they didn’t care about such things.
Paat!
The masked figures, momentarily halting their movements, lightly jumped onto the roof of a rather tall inn building.
Their movements were not something that could be considered those of ordinary people. They seemed quite adept at handling the mana within their bodies.
Seureuk
As if they had arrived at their destination, the masked figures each drew their weapons from their bosoms. The blades, with their chillingly sharp edges, glinted in the darkness under the moonlight.
These individuals who visited the luxurious inn, a peaceful resting place for travelers, did not seem to have come with peaceful intentions.
‘Which floor is it?’
‘The fourth room on the fourth floor.’
After exchanging opinions through secret hand signals, they quickly moved into the hallway.
In the deep dawn, when not even the sound of birds could be heard, the dark hallway was silent.
Tadak
The man at the forefront of the group, having arrived in front of the fourth room, took something out from his bosom.
What appeared in his hand was a small scroll. It contained magic that had the effect of preventing noises within a confined space from spreading outside.
Jjiik. As the scroll was torn, the sound-blocking magic hummed, filling the narrow hallway.
Keudeok. After looking back and exchanging one last glance, the man skillfully unlocked the latch inside by sliding a thin dagger through the crack in the door.
Dalkak.
As the crude locking mechanism was released, the man opened the door without hesitation.
The creaking sound of the wooden door opening echoed in the silent darkness, but thanks to the scroll’s magic, no sound leaked out into the hallway beyond.
Paat!
The men who rushed inside as the door opened moved in unison.
While three or four people preemptively secured the exits, including the door and windows, the rest split left and right and quickly entered the bedroom.
Smooth movements as if they were not doing this for the first or second time.
The moment the men, holding swords of suitable length for wielding indoors, took a step inside.
“I guess this is the next thing to do?”
A woman’s soft voice came from somewhere.
“……!”
Startled by the lack of any presence, the men hurriedly looked around. In the middle of the dark room, someone with soft features was standing.
The moonlight streaming through the window illuminated the red hair and pale skin of the woman standing still.
An instinctive chill ran down their spines. And a horrifyingly alluring atmosphere that made their heads spin.
The men with swords hesitated for a moment, staring at the woman.
But only for a moment. As befitting those who had been trained solely for assassination, the assailants quickly regained their composure and charged toward the red-haired woman, swinging their weapons with resolute momentum.
And before the blackened blades coated with deadly poison could reach the woman, a powerful shockwave erupted.
Kwaang!
The bodies of the two assailants standing close to the woman exploded instantly, unable to withstand the shock that engulfed them.
“……!”
Blood and organ fragments splattered across the room.
The surroundings instantly turned into chaos. The assailants hurriedly created distance while simultaneously launching a counterattack.
Pabak!
Crossbows fired from small mechanical devices attached to their wrists flew towards the spot where the red-haired woman had been standing.
However, the sharp, poison-coated crossbow bolts pierced the air futilely and lodged themselves into the empty wall.
The next moment.
Peoeok. The woman appeared in front of the assailants with a puff of red smoke, and as she swung her arm, three or four men collapsed, bleeding.
“……Damn it. They said it was just a young kid alone!”
One of the assailants, having lost his composure as most of his comrades were killed in the blink of an eye, muttered a curse.
Kwajik.
In his trembling eyes, he saw another comrade collapse, bleeding.
The sight of the woman deflecting the sword swung by the man with chillingly fast and fluid movements and then snapping the comrade’s neck in the opposite direction was surreal even to him, who had assassinated countless individuals.
Geureureuk. Comrades collapsing without even a scream.
The man quickly grasped the situation. The mission had already failed. No, it was an assassination mission they could never have succeeded in the first place.
“……”
Biting his lip tightly, the man quickly pulled out a transparent crystal ball from his bosom. Inside the bead, something that looked like a multicolored liquid shimmered.
This glass bead, which looked expensive at first glance, was a tool containing a powerful explosion magic. Although single-use, it possessed considerable power.
It would probably be able to blow this inn room away in an instant.
While his comrades were dying all around him, the man, without hesitation, took out his last resort and threw the bead with all his might.
Before the bead, which flew through the air, could hit the wall and shatter.
Seueueu.
A shadow that surged from a dark corner of the room instantly swallowed the bead.
“……!”
There was no sound, no impact.
The shadow that had swallowed the bead wriggled as if it were alive. Then, a man slowly walked out from the darkness.
The bead he had just thrown was held calmly in his hand.
Slightly dark skin revealed, covered in unknown tattoos.
The moment the assassin met the dry gaze of the man who had emerged from the shadows, he instinctively stepped back.
Monsters. They were monsters.
The prior information that it was just a young Esquire Inquisitor alone was utterly wrong.
“……”
And now that all means had been rendered useless, the man had only one option left.
Escape.
Pabat.
Gathering all his strength without looking back, the man ran towards the door at full speed.
And the moment he reached for the door right in front of him.
“Gotcha.”
A chilling voice from behind. At the same time, something shining from her hand flew in, drawing a beautiful yet eerie red curve.
Peoeok.
An excruciating pain in his abdomen. He instinctively knew it was a fatal wound.
“Keuk……”
The last thing he saw as he barely turned his head was sharp fangs revealed along with a chillingly alluring smile.
🔹🔹🔹
Gulruk gulruk.
An unpleasant sound echoed through the room.
I stared intently at Marchena, who was holding a well-built man with one hand.
Mages are those who are more interested in the exploration of new phenomena or knowledge than anyone else.
From that perspective, the sight of a vampire sucking blood was quite intriguing.
Of course, I had seen it many times before I faced death. But the sight of a vampire sucking human blood while the victim accepts it with a dazed expression always evoked a strange feeling.
Teolseok. Marchena lightly tossed the drained corpse to the floor.
Seueuk. Wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth, she looked at me and spoke with a sharp smile.
“I’m finally full.”
I stared at the blood dripping from the vampire’s mouth for a moment and then spoke calmly.
“From the perspective of an Inquisitor, it’s not a very pleasant sight.”
Turning my gaze away from Marchena, I looked around.
It was a complete mess.
The blood-soaked interior was completely ruined. I feel a little sorry for the innkeeper. I should leave a hefty repair fee.
“At this rate, it’ll be hard to even know how many there were originally.”
I muttered as I sat down on a chair that was relatively free of body fragments. Then, Kazan, who had quietly walked out from behind, handed me a crystal ball that shimmered in various colors and said.
“Does it matter? It’s not that difficult to piece together the body fragments. It’ll just take a little time.”
“There’s no need for that.”
I replied nonchalantly as I accepted the bead Kazan offered.
They were quite skilled assassins. The equipment they had, including this bead containing explosion magic, was quite valuable.
They were definitely not a ragtag bunch like back-alley thief guilds, but rather individuals who had received proper support, undergone extensive training for a long time, and had real-world experience.
Of course, proper verification would have to be done from now on.
Seueuk. Marchena, catching my gaze, shrugged and said.
“As you said, I kept one alive.”
In front of her, a man sat on the floor, drenched in cold sweat. He seemed to have just woken up from being unconscious, and although one of his legs was bent in a grotesque direction, he was otherwise fine.
Of course, the man himself wouldn’t think so.
“……”
The man’s eyes held a resolute determination, as if he instinctively knew that he couldn’t escape from this place no matter what he said.
Noticing that the three of our gazes were focused on him, the man spoke in a trembling yet resolute tone. It was quite a dignified tone for someone who had just barged into the room and attempted an assassination.
“……You won’t get the answers you want from me, no matter what kind of damn torture you use.”
“Torture, what a horrible thing to say.”
I chuckled lightly at the man’s words and nodded towards Marchena.
Of course, having lived as a Black Mage for many years, I knew quite a variety of torture methods. I had even experienced some of them myself in my final moments.
But if you have a vampire companion or subordinate, you can use a faster and more efficient method than twisting joints or pulling out fingernails.
“Let’s see how long you can hold out.”
Seueuk. Marchena, with a playful smile, slowly bent down and met the man’s eyes.
The man’s face froze as he met her gaze with a puzzled expression.
“……”
Before long, the man’s eyes became hazy. A silly smile had already appeared on his lips.
He didn’t seem to have the mental strength to resist the vampire’s charm. Well, the opponent was a high-ranking vampire who could walk around even in sunlight.
Kideuk. Marchena chuckled at the sight of the man grinning foolishly as if he couldn’t even feel the pain in his leg, unlike before.
Marchena, who was looking at the man with a satisfied expression, suddenly looked up at me as if she had just remembered something.
“……”
“……”
Our gazes briefly met. Without blinking, I met her gaze and spoke.
“What are you doing now?”
“Tsk. As expected, it doesn’t work.”
Marchena pouted and muttered in dissatisfaction, turning her head away.
“That’s a very funny joke.”
A mental attack against a Black Mage who wielded a sword in a space filled with the energy of a Great Demon’s fragment.
Marchena waved her hand dismissively as if it were a joke and threw simple questions at the man who was staring at her with a dazed expression.
Then, without any hesitation, words betraying his comrades and organization began to pour out of the man’s mouth.
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