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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Chaos
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The city was cloaked in darkness.
Gazing at the moon obscured by thick clouds, the masked man thought it was the perfect weather for “work.”
Several companions, similarly clad in black and masked, stood beside him.
They had carried out various dirty deeds together at their employer’s behest, but it was rare for five of them to be assembled at once.
It could be considered overkill for eliminating a mere 13-year-old boy.
However, this aggressive approach indicated how seriously their employer viewed this task.
Chrom Midas.
The Midas family, notorious for their treachery, exploitation, and status as disrespected nouveau riche.
He was the last child of the deceased legal wife of Bern Midas, the head of the family, and a boy who had rapidly risen among the numerous candidates vying for inheritance.
Various rumors circulated among the employees of the Midas Trading Company regarding the recent transfer of massive quantities of Cubes, which had been gathering dust in various branches, to the main family estate.
However, the details remained undisclosed due to Bern Midas’s strict orders.
All that was known was that the boy, Chrom Midas, was the catalyst for this, resulting in immense profits for the Midas family.
In addition, stories spread among the company’s employees about Bern Midas personally entrusting various tasks to his young son and reviewing his performance, and about the boy having a private audience with the Lord, who was known for his aversion to personal conversations, for over several tens of minutes.
Speculation arose that the Lord considered him a strong contender for inheritance.
Even if the speculation was unfounded, the fact that the Lord, known for his ruthlessness and cold-bloodedness, showed special favor to the boy suggested he possessed exceptional qualities.
However, that very exceptionality would cost the boy his life today.
“――”
Words were unnecessary.
With a single gesture from the man at the front, several shadows melted into the darkness of the night.
Their target was a renowned lodging in the city where Chrom Midas resided.
Although famous for its luxurious furnishings and high-quality service, its security was far inferior to that of the Midas family estate.
A grappling hook, thrown from the rooftop of a nearby building, caught on the roof of the lodging, and the black shadows expertly ascended the rope.
The window of the target’s room, although large and ornate, offered little resistance to intrusion from above.
All that remained was to cross the roof and breach the room.
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◆Rope Launch Point
◇Point where rope is hooked
□Window of the target room
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That was the plan.
Until a flash of light, launched from the darkness, pierced the throat of one of the intruders.
There was no scream.
Only a brief hiss, like air escaping a child’s toy.
Losing his balance, the man plummeted from the roof and his body hit the ground with a sickening thud.
Only then did the word “ambush” register in the minds of the remaining men, but their belated realization came at a steep price.
-Crack!
Another man was impaled through the chest and fell backward.
As they saw the sinister glint of the javelin, dripping with crimson blood, the three survivors drew their weapons and charged forward.
A shortsword of similar size parried the attacker’s sword as it whistled through the air.
Only when they clashed blades did the attacker realize with horror that the one who had killed two of their comrades was a brown-haired girl, barely past childhood.
They had been informed of a girl of similar age accompanying the target as a bodyguard.
They also knew from their prior investigation that the girl was a former mercenary named Regret, but they hadn’t been concerned.
They had judged her to be a mere attendant or companion, kept by Chrom Midas out of personal favor, rather than a serious bodyguard.
Realizing their mistake, the attackers acted swiftly.
One rushed towards the window to prevent the target’s escape or the arrival of reinforcements, while the other thrust his sword towards the girl’s back.
The blade would pierce her back, tearing through her organs, and she would die, choking on her own blood.
The two attackers were certain of their victory.
And in the next moment, that certainty was shattered with terrifying ease.
The first to sense something amiss was the attacker who had clashed swords.
The blade he thought he had been overpowering suddenly lifted slightly, as if pushed aside by an immense force.
The second to notice was the attacker who had tried to stab the girl from behind.
The girl’s back, which had been right in front of him a moment ago, had vanished.
One hadn’t realized that his opponent had already moved,
And the other couldn’t stop his forward momentum.
As the two blades drew two streams of crimson blood, Regret’s slash, imbued with her full weight, bisected both attackers.
Only the two upper bodies, now unable to ever set foot on the ground again, met in a macabre embrace of death.
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Unaware of his comrades’ demise, the last attacker raced across the rooftop.
After reaching his destination, he grabbed the edge of the roof and launched himself towards the window below.
The window shattered with a loud crash, shards of glass embedding into his flesh, drawing blood.
His plan to quietly open the window to avoid causing a commotion was abandoned.
The girl’s presence on the roof.
If their attack had been detected for some reason, he needed to ascertain the target’s location as quickly as possible.
If the target had already escaped…
“Ha…!”
Startled by the shattering window, someone on the bed scrambled to sit up.
The attacker, momentarily forgetting his mission, let out a gasp of surprise, almost a chuckle.
His elation was short-lived.
As he moved to silence the target, a shrill scream from the bed jolted him to a halt.
Before his mind could process the sound, a sudden impact from the side sent him tumbling to the floor.
A searing pain in his arm. The fletching of an arrow in his peripheral vision.
And a blond boy, calmly aiming a crossbow at him from a corner of the room.
The last attacker tried to get up, only to realize his body wouldn’t obey.
‘Paralysis poison.’
A potent one, capable of immobilizing the entire body in mere seconds.
Such a poison wasn’t easily obtainable.
“Well, if it’s impossible to obtain, then that’s that. But most things that are hard to get can be obtained with money.”
The boy spoke, as if answering the man’s unspoken question.
He hadn’t let his guard down just because the man was down.
He kept his distance, crossbow still aimed, his words a probe to gauge the man’s reaction.
“Someone who could use a female employee of the Midas branch to learn about my bedroom location and schedule, and then send multiple assassins. I’m curious about your identity.”
A small shriek escaped from someone on the bed.
“A noble from the old royal faction who resents our family? A victim of my father’s unscrupulous business practices? Or perhaps one of my half-siblings?”
The man didn’t answer.
The poison seemed to contain not only a paralyzing effect but also a sleeping agent, as his consciousness slowly faded.
His immobile body prevented him from even taking his own life.
“…Or could it be, my eldest brother?”
The boy’s voice was a question, but it was laced with certainty.
The man thought,
Another monster had emerged from the Midas bloodline.
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