21 – Her Scent
Poof!
Haelrok Pelios.
He, the Duke of the Mersen Empire, is now…
staring at the unidentified man who drew his sword from the lifeless body lying limp.
The rain had stopped without notice.
As the clouds retreated, revealing the chilly figure of the crescent moon.
Below it.
The unknown figure who saved him.
Slowly moving away, avoiding the scattered pools of blood from the fierce battle.
Even after such intense fighting, his hood remained untouched.
The same went for his black cloak of the same color.
It somehow didn’t seem wet at all.
Who could it be?
Who is that person?
Could it be the one who ran through this rain to save him?
He couldn’t help but feel startled, just like when the carriage suddenly lost balance and toppled over.
He felt like a small trapped animal, fallen in a cage.
Thrown off the chair and tossed around mercilessly by the wind, he couldn’t get up for a while.
At least three bones seemed to have been broken.
How disoriented he was.
And how agonizing it was.
Only after regaining consciousness and providing simple first aid with magic was I able to barely open the door and come out.
And what I saw right after that was.
Numerous assassins wearing masks.
The two knights who were riding on white horses and following the carriage had suddenly disappeared.
They must have been eliminated beforehand.
The only thing that was expected was death.
It was unnecessary to think about who sent the assassins.
Since I had been persistently interrogating only one person, Duke Schlein, it must have been his men for sure.
But no matter how much of a thorn I was to him.
I never expected him to send so many assassins so blatantly.
And in the midst of that, that person suddenly appeared.
The Duke hurried his steps.
For some reason, it was an unwilling, stiff posture.
But I couldn’t let go of the benefactor who saved my life like this.
To repay him, even if it’s just his name, I had to know.
The distance was quickly closing.
As it got closer, it became clearer.
Somehow, it was a figure that seemed familiar from somewhere.
And perhaps the infiltrator was…
They seemed exhausted after a fierce battle.
Well, considering they were assassins numbering in the twenties.
Sent to kill them, no doubt.
They must have been the elite assassins of the Duke of Schlein.
Although each individual may not have been as skilled as a seasoned knight.
There was no one in the entire continent better trained in covertly trailing a group.
Yet this unknown infiltrator had single-handedly defeated them.
At first, it was undoubtedly a great surprise.
With just a flick of a finger, all five of them fell.
The Duke, who had wielded magic for many years, could not help but doubt his own eyes.
It was the legendary Shadowless Blade magic that they had only read about in books.
It was a realm that humans could never reach.
Although the elves were known to conjure spirits and create such scenes.
It was known that most of them paid a significant price for such miracles.
Of course, if it were a noble elf, they could perform such miracles multiple times and still be unharmed.
But there was no such noble being in the heart of the Mersen Empire.
Furthermore.
Even if they were assassins, they undoubtedly had trained in mana.
To simultaneously overturn those five skilled individuals.
It was a powerful magic that I, who had been in the world of magic for a long time, had never seen before.
If given the chance, I definitely wanted to ask about the techniques and mana manipulation involved.
Furthermore, what was that astonishing movement that seemed non-human?
It moved as if sliding through the rain.
Even when stepping into a puddle, there was no splashing of muddy water.
It was a movement that even highly skilled knights would find impossible to imitate.
Straight lines and curves, vividly drawn in green, were boldly intertwined in the dark void as if abstracted.
At the same time, it felt like it was tearing through the darkness.
It felt like witnessing a mythical beast fighting against the night.
The arms, legs, and bodies of the assassins were constantly severed and flew through the air.
Yet, there wasn’t a single clash of swords, which was truly astonishing.
It was clear that one person was surpassing all the assassins.
That’s why.
I couldn’t help but be incredibly curious about the identity of that remarkable being.
In the end, I could only approach the weary stranger who was walking slowly.
“Look at this.”
Whoosh!
But the person wearing the hood deftly evaded, as if eyes were on the back of their head.
Leaving behind the hand of the scratching peacock in the air.
I ran through the darkness and suddenly disappeared.
***
After killing the assassins,
my mana finally recovered.
It wasn’t so much a feeling of relaxation as it was simply manageable.
Yet, I couldn’t help but be amazed by it, bursting out uncontrollably.
The physical vessel of Prince Eos was truly remarkable.
Not only did the total amount of mana increase dramatically after just two crises,
but the body’s ability to follow my thoughts so effortlessly was particularly pleasing.
Even the way I conserved and used mana had become as natural as breathing.
The blood of the noble elf, Pyra, was even more impressive than I had imagined.
Then, the duke approached and spoke to me.
Perhaps he was quite grateful for saving his life, as he reached out to grab my shoulders and turn me around.
It seemed like he wanted to know more about my true identity.
But it wasn’t the right time yet.
I sidestepped slightly and easily evaded his hand.
Duke Felios, as a renowned mage, had a very upright demeanor.
Given his inability to tolerate injustice, it was only natural that he harbored a deep hatred for the infamous Prince Eos, the epitome of evil.
Just saving his life once wasn’t enough.
It was clear that revealing my identity would lead to an unfavorable situation.
So it was not yet time to reveal my true identity.
After being rescued at least three times, it would be the next step.
Only after bestowing an overwhelming sense of indebtedness and gratitude that could never be repaid did I intend to reveal who I really was.
So, leaving the duke behind, I headed towards the palace.
There was no need to worry about him.
At least for today, there would be no more attacks.
The wind that enveloped my body grew slightly stronger.
My body, as light as a feather, quickly moved through the darkness.
The amount of mana increased, and the speed of its recovery was incomparably faster than before.
Even with Wint’s help, mana was slowly filling up.
By the time I reached the front of the imperial palace, I had already regained a considerable amount of mana.
Of course, it was less than a tenth, but it would be enough for tonight.
From Noble mtl dot com
I headed towards the Emperor’s residence.
To complete the Emperor’s detoxification, which had been going on for several days.
Today, I planned to bring it to a conclusion.
***
Bellcreed Supertor Caldebrion, the Emperor of the Mersen Empire.
“Ugh….”
Right now, he was once again having a nightmare.
It has been several years since the death of the Empress, and every night I have been having the same dream.
Like a vivid premonition, the contents of the dream were always ominous no matter when I had it.
In the dream, the same situation unfolded every time.
Various demons, armies from neighboring kingdoms, and even elves with bows and arrows.
Enemies from all directions would rush in, turning the palace and the entire empire into a sea of fire. It was a terrifying dream beyond imagination.
“Oh, no…”
In the dream, it was a sharp scream, but in reality, it was a small whimper, as soft as a cat’s purring.
When I woke up, my whole body was drenched in sweat.
Outside the window, the round moon shone coldly.
The rain that had been pouring relentlessly finally stopped with a great effort, leaving a calm stillness.
Tap-
Suddenly, I heard it.
The cautious sound of a door closing.
Someone had entered.
Every nerve in my body tensed sharply.
Judging by the fact that there was no sound of footsteps, it was undoubtedly an assassin.
As relentless as the dreadful nightmare, it was also a familiar occurrence.
I couldn’t count how many assassination attempts there had been.
The position of the Emperor was something that could never be taken lightly, even for a moment.
In moments of crisis, as always.
The Emperor closed his eyes and gripped the sword hidden in the blanket.
It was not yet time to die.
At least, not yet.
Until he established a foundation for Eos, that troublemaker, to live as the Grand Duke, he had no intention of letting him die.
Yet the Emperor knew better than anyone.
With a weakened body like this,
he couldn’t guarantee victory against a defenseless enemy or a treacherous assassin who lurked.
Of course, it might be because he recently stopped taking the poisoned medicine.
Strangely, his body felt lighter, and there was color in his face.
But even so, he didn’t think he could easily defeat a skilled assassin.
That’s why he didn’t call for his guards outside.
If a cornered mouse cornered a sick cat, it would never survive.
So he closed his eyes and put on a relaxed expression.
He even breathed regularly as if deeply asleep.
And he waited.
Like a predator hiding in the bushes, waiting for its prey to let its guard down.
There was no moment more careless than when one was convinced of a successful hunt.
That moment when the bastard tried to cut off his own breath would be an unparalleled opportunity that would never come again.
So he waited.
Why on earth?
Someone who was clearly an assassin.
For some reason, they placed their hand on their ankle.
This was the first time something like this had happened.
If it were an ordinary assassin,
they would have approached silently, slit the throat with a sharp blade, or pierced the heart, killing their target in one strike, and swiftly escaped.
But this person placed their hand on the ankle and stayed still without any movement.
I couldn’t grasp what they were trying to do, it was so frustrating that I wanted to open my eyes desperately.
I was so curious that I felt like I was going crazy.
But the situation was ambiguous.
As soon as I opened my eyes, I felt like I would be caught, so I had to hesitate for a few seconds.
However, it was deep into the night, so I had a faint conviction that even if I opened my eyes a little, I wouldn’t be caught.
In the end, the emperor opened his eyes just slightly.
Even if it looked like I would be caught, I focused all my attention on my expression, making it seem like I had just slightly woken up from sleep.
Someone with a black hood pulled down deeply, hiding their face, was looking down at my ankle.
There was no doubt about their true identity.
Without a doubt, they were an assassin.
The emperor tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.
Swish!
He quickly drew the sword. In an instant, he stood up and threw the blanket.
As if in a moment of confusion, he thrust with all his might towards the enemy’s heart.
His weakened physical strength was replaced with past experience.
Thwack!
It was a success.
Despite the considerable time that had passed, the taste of victory remained unchanged.
There was no doubt.
The sharp tip of the knife, honed to perfection.
It grazed the space between the ribs, pierced the heart wall, shattered the scapula, and continued through the back.
The assassin was now destined to perish within seconds.
It was undoubtedly necessary…
But in the blink of an eye.
The assassin in front of him disappeared as if erased.
Hastily descending from the bed and thoroughly examining every corner of the bedroom.
There was no sign of anyone.
As if no one had ever entered from the beginning.
The only remaining traces were.
The bright red droplets of blood dripping from the knife, shining even more vividly in the moonlight.
And the slightly ajar bedroom door.
The Emperor sank to the ground as if possessed by a ghost.
Who on earth could it have been…
What was etched on their stiff faces was not a sense of relief from being alive.
Instead, there was only a sense of despair, as if they had made a grave mistake.
Clank-
Even the knife that they were barely holding onto with sweaty hands slipped out of their grasp.
The scent of the forest that reached their nostrils was still vivid.
It was like something that could only be smelled when one was lost in a dense forest in the middle of summer.
The emperor’s eyes, touched by moonlight, trembled.
Why on earth?
Why did their heart ache when the blade pierced through?
Was it because they smelled the fragrance of their young wife from the assassin?
In that moment, something suddenly came to mind.
It was their son’s face.