In combat, the act of turning one’s eyes away from one’s opponent is a fatal misjudgment that must never be allowed.
And the legacy Salem left behind forces that misjudgment on the other side.
advanced magic
[Blink]
And the moment when that gaze disappeared. change location
Without even noticing, the siege that surrounded me collapsed in an instant.
intermediate magic
[Ice Rink]
Creates a thin, smooth ice sheet on the ground. This disabled half of those who had a movement advantage.
intermediate magic
[Mirage Fog]
And at the same time, it spreads a fog that obstructs vision.
With this, I neutralized half of those who were aiming for sniping this time.
Of course, there are many more people who do not work with this crude method.
But wouldn’t it be enough just to reduce the number of people?
And magic is not used individually, but linked.
intermediate magic
[Chain Lightning]
match!
The magic developed by clapping hands creates [Chain Lightning] that moves along a medium.
Since the mana of [Mirage Fog], which is deployed in the form of mist, is small and densely spread out, [Chain Lightning] is also split into thousands of strands accordingly, expanding its range.
Of course, the power is low as it is a medium-level magic and has spread over a wide range.
However, it is too powerful to subdue ordinary people.
“her… … .”
A larger number than expected fell to the floor. And that was true of assassins, not nobles.
I know these people.
I have been tormented by countless assassins until now.
The characteristics of individual groups are already well known.
“I guess there was a guy who was eager to kill me from before?”
Who was the toughest opponent against the assassins?
Except for not being an enemy, it is definitely a discrete.
Even if you use [Contemplation], it’s hard to detect its existence itself, and it pops up at an unexpected timing.
If he had tried to kill me, my neck would have fallen right away.
But Discre is, after all, an individual. A very good individual too.
So what if we think of it as a group rather than as an individual?
“I’ve thought about it before, but it’s a dirty way to make an ordinary person an assassin.”
They weren’t assassins.
Assassins are usually trained to kill people.
Even if you don’t like such training, your body gets used to it, and your eyes are different from those of ordinary people.
However, the assassins who rotted my head were infinitely close to ordinary people.
These are people who have never even committed murder, let alone combat training.
There must be only one skill they have learned: how to clear their minds.
“Well, then it seems that the gossips have been filtered out.”
The sight captured by the [Great Step] was only for a moment.
The lion with the mane of flame would still be looking for them in the corner of the field of vision, but they didn’t take their eyes off me.
“Suddenly, how rude is this… … .”
“Is the bastard who sent the assassin right after me talking about rudeness?”
did you think i didn’t know?
If persuasion doesn’t work, you can clearly see that he was trying to threaten you, but what kind of idiot would accept it straight away?
“By the way, you guys are better than I thought. How come no one is down?”
Intermediate level magic spread for the fastest attack possible. Of course, I didn’t expect to defeat many people.
However, except for the low-level assassins and some servants, all the nobles were standing still.
Still, it was a power that could easily stun ordinary people.
If that’s the case, unless they use some kind of magic tool, the guys gathered here aren’t commanders, but all of them are fighting nobles.
In fact, the nobles seen at the place where the [Mirage Fog] was removed were armed one by one.
The one with the cane, the one with the sword, the one with the gun.
“It means you never intended to negotiate with me from the start.”
If that was the intention, there would have been a guy with a good head in the first place.
I don’t know if there will be people with good bodies and good brains mixed in, but I can feel the malice from the arrangement.
The place is the banquet hall. Distance is neither far nor near.
At this distance, regardless of warriors or wizards, the ones with good skills have the upper hand.
Deploying [Blink] at the same time as expected was the correct answer.
“Whoa… … .”
You cannot use great magic.
The [Great Step] was able to unfold because it was before I expressed any clear hostile intent.
Now, it is only natural that I be wary of each and every one of my actions.
In such a situation, it would be unreasonable to unleash high-level or higher magic that would take time to unfold.
“Let me make a suggestion for a moment.”
“Now what… … !”
intermediate magic
[Gust Piercing]
I cast my favorite magic at the guy who is about to shout something, and immediately shuts up. All other nobles are wary of the violent method.
But that’s enough.
In the state of looking down on me and in the state of being wary and afraid of me, the treatment will inevitably be different.
If I had gone out mildly, I would have snorted, but if I was in a state of control, fear is what gives meaning to bullshit.
The weight of the speech changes.
“I don’t mind those who tried to be hostile to the emperor from the beginning. However, if you are forced to struggle simply because you do not want to lose your precious things, I will help you.”
I have already shown enough performances.
In such a surrounded situation, it was not enough to break through the encirclement at once, so it was even a preemptive strike.
Unless you’re a mediocre idiot, you’ll know I’m putting myself out there against all of them.
And that confidence is backed by the status I have.
He has the status of [King of Darkness].
Due to the death of the previous [King of Darkness], there was no formal succession process, nor was anything proven about my skills.
Their standard of judgment must have been the standard at the time of the [Successor of the King of Sorcery].
In other words, it’s different now that I’ve demonstrated my skills myself.
There is a sense of inflated to some extent, but now I have the power to be worthy of the evaluation of the SSR rank.
“I should have persuaded you instead of going to war in the first place.”
“Did Antares look like someone who could be persuaded?”
The one who responded to my scolding was a gunner with a profound impression. He was holding a cigar in his mouth and pointing a gun at me, and it seemed like a scene from a movie.
But in the end, it’s just appearance.
“Who told you to persuade Antares? All we have to do is attack Princess Stasia, who can be said to be the cause of this incident.”
“It’s a fight with no chance. But what about taking a harder path? Nonsense!”
“Isn’t it greedy to protect something without making that much effort?”
It is better to fight Antares than to convince Stasia.
That was their argument. It’s honestly not wrong. Overcoming violence is enough, but persuasion requires convincing the opponent.
And the opponent is Stasia. It is like a child who has not yet properly understood human emotions.
Moreover, the road to reach her is also not easy.
In all likelihood, Antares would have written the numbers, and a handful of elite soldiers would be encamped beside her.
“The process of meeting and persuading her is something I do.”
“Then why did you come to see us? You should just do that.”
“I wanted to reduce the needless flow of blood. Isn’t this the role you all wanted from me? A dreamer who cries out for hope without grasping reality.”
“… … .”
“I’ll be Dreamers, so you also hang on the hope that I will cry out to you.”
A few of the nobles confronting me flinch. Not everyone was plotting treason either.
There are those who raised their swords just to protect something precious.
People who have something they want to protect no matter what the means and methods are.
It would be possible for such people to have hope for a future where it would be okay even if they did not shed blood.
And above all… … .
“Especially the head of the ‘Stilena’ family, who is still hiding in the shadows. If you’re not really thinking about treason, why don’t you make an appearance soon?”
Linking [Mirage Fog] and [Chain Lightning] is no different.
An existence that I cannot pursue even with my own eyes, even though I am there, I cannot find it.
It was because he expected that a discree-class assassin would be here.
Lightning engulfs the entire space without leaving a single corner.
Even if the power is insignificant, if there is a space that the lightning cannot invade, that is the location of the assassins.
The magic I developed in preparation for the assassin I hadn’t found in advance caught one person, of course.
“… … Right.”
Sure enough, at my words, a person fell from the air.
There is no sound even though it must have fallen from a high place.
The Empire’s assassins are unmatched in the shadows.
“Nice to meet you. the king of magic. As you said, it appeared. I am Stolas Stillena, head of the Stillena family.”
If Discree floated in the shadows, Stolas seemed to be immersed in the night.
Even though they are talking right in front of their eyes, they cannot be heard or seen.
He must be having a conversation, but I can’t make out his voice.
Despite the bright daylight, the figure is immersed in darkness. No, the surrounding itself is stained with darkness.
In a sense, it couldn’t be more difficult than a discree.
“Your suggestion was well received. But before that, shouldn’t there be something I should point out?”
“Tell me.”
“As you said, I worked through persuasion, and think of it as a success. but… … .”
From the darkness in front of me, the eyes of a bright yellow bird of prey appeared.
Eyes filled with obvious anger stared straight at me.
“Will something like this ever happen again?”
“That makes sense.”
I answered without avoiding Stolas’ eyes. Yes, that makes sense.
Unlike Discre, he was quite old. So, there must be a point of realization. That this wasn’t the first time this happened.
In fact, the Punisher and Stillena families have been ostracized from the Empire because of their origins. Moreover, it was also the first place where the empire was built whenever it was in a chaotic situation.
I would have been patient enough. He must have endured with one loyalty.
However, no one can continue unrequited loyalty to the end.
There is no one-sided relationship in the world.
A group that is unsettled from the start. The head of the Stillena family finally made a decision amid all sorts of irrationality.
“Did you say that? Those who tried to be hostile to the emperor from the beginning were fine. What if I am What if I, our Stillena, have no intention of putting up with this irrationality?”
“So you’d rather plot treason?”
“That’s my judgment so far, and if you can’t convince me, it might be the same in the future.”
“Your shoulders are heavy.”
Stolas Stillena. I think he might be the strongest assassin in the empire.
The starting point is different from that of Discre. If Discre’s stealth, which he learned for various espionage activities, has reached the level of a master, Stolas is a skill that was honed for assassination from the beginning.
Furthermore, the skills passed down through the Stillena family are also unique.
“I have been curious about something before.”
“What are you curious about?”
“Yes, how come a tyrant like Antares wasn’t assassinated?”
The emperor, Antares van Helios, is no easy opponent.
That’s why they created a new agency to monitor them while having a spy agency called ＜Tenebris＞.
In fact, Ulla was also a double agent in ＜Eclipse＞ and ＜Tenebris＞.
Back again, the leader of ＜Tenebris＞ is Discre Punisher. He is an assassin of absurd skill.
But even in this situation, he chose to be silent and not move.
Why? He could have cut Antares’ neck. You have the courage to take that risk.
But he didn’t. You know that’s close to impossible.
If so, why?
“You must be the head of the Eclipse.”
It is because a shadow stronger than himself is attached to Antares.
And unless Antares was an idiot, he wouldn’t have intended to make enemies of both intelligence agencies.
In fact, now that the Punisher family is in chaos, the Stillena family has been relatively quiet. Of course, neither of these are apparent.
However, the Punisher family’s head and daughters, Discre and Lucia, are acting as if they are driven to the edge of a precipice.
And if it’s from the Stillena family, there’s a way to know.
isn’t there A duck who has a deep relationship with your lady.
Yes, Ulla and Alexios are exceptionally quiet.
There was something I could guess through him. Antares has chosen to exonerate one of the two institutions that are difficult to turn into enemies.
And the answer is right in front of your eyes.
“What are you doing here?”
The Stillena family probably had nothing to lose in this battle.
What Antares asked him to dedicate must have been something good, not something precious.
That’s why he’s just pretending to join the anti-emperor faction.
“The emperor’s double agent.”
He must have been carrying out the original mission of ＜Eclipse＞ from the beginning.