Chapter 85

“A request? What exactly do you want me to do?”

I threw the question back at the Assassin King.

The fact that the Assassin King was bringing this to me meant he intended to exercise his rights under the contract. Having lost the duel, I was obligated to undertake one mission from him unconditionally. Those were the rules we’d agreed upon. I’d expected him to ask for a favor eventually, but the timing was earlier than I’d anticipated.

I wondered if there was some sort of emergency. Sneaking into my private quarters in the dead of night to make a request suggested it was something that couldn’t be brought into the light.

Ignoring my internal musings, the Assassin King spoke in a heavy, somber tone.

“One of the Representatives of Eurea—the Sorceress—is making suspicious moves. There are suspicions of contact with foreign nations. It threatens to disturb the peace of this land.”

“Heh, well, that sounds rather unpeaceful.”

“I wish for thee to investigate. Depending on the situation, the assassination of the Sorceress is permitted. Cooperate with Mihana and uncover the truth.”

Listening to the Assassin King’s words, I crossed my arms and fell into deep thought. The Sorceress was the fox-eared beauty who had been present at the meeting. He wanted to dispatch me to her controlled territory.

There were quite a few points I wanted to press him on first. It seemed the Assassin King was a man of few words; he spoke only the absolute bare minimum. Even if I was bound to obey unconditionally, there was far too little information to give an immediate “yes.”

I organized my thoughts and began my questioning.

“Why me? If it’s an assassination, shouldn’t you just order your subordinates to do it?”

The Assassin King led an assassination cult—a specialized organization dedicated to eliminating the wicked. Since its founding nearly a hundred years ago, its power had been passed down through the generations. Within Eurea, they were a dark organization that allowed no rivals in the field of assassination. They even received requests from abroad.

The man standing before me was the one who reigned at the peak of that cult. Investigation and assassination were his specialties; I couldn’t see the reason for asking me. For that matter, the Assassin King could simply go and do the job himself. Given that he’d infiltrated my private room without anyone noticing, it should have been a walk in the park for him.

When I pointed this out, the Assassin King fell silent. Eventually, he answered, sounding somewhat reluctant.

“…Not a single spy has returned. Even should I attempt to go myself, I possess a poor affinity with sorcery.”

“Affinity?”

“A specialized barrier has been erected. I cannot infiltrate her controlled territory.”

“Oho, well, that sounds like a real headache,” I remarked with an indifferent shrug.

With a specialized barrier in place, I wondered if the Assassin King and the Sorceress were on bad terms. Or perhaps she was simply being excessively cautious of assassination. I suspected the latter was true. Even I didn’t particularly enjoy having someone trespass in my home like this.

Still, even knowing that, a question remained. I decided to ask the thing that bothered me most.

“I understand the outline of the request, but why have Mihana accompany me?”

“That girl excels in survival. Though she is green, she possesses a keen mind, making her ideal for this investigation. However, she lacks the power to carry out an assassination. Thus, I chose thee.”

“You certainly hold her in high regard. By the way, are you making this request knowing full well that I want to kill her?”

The moment I asked, the Assassin King moved without warning. In a fluid motion, he leaped over the sofa and came to a halt right before my eyes. A scythe extended from within the mist, its gently curved blade resting against my neck.

In response, I had my handgun pressed against the Assassin King. The bullets were heavily coated with Spirit Stone powder. They would punch through any half-baked magic without mercy. He might be hiding his form within that mist, but at this range, it didn’t matter. One pull of the trigger would blow the whole thing away.

“…………”

The Assassin King didn’t move a muscle. He simply directed a cold, piercing gaze at me. I let out a low chuckle.

“What’s wrong? If you’re planning on fighting here, I won’t object.”

“…If thou shouldst kill that girl, I shall kill thee. The moderate Sage may desire prosperity through cooperation, but I am different.”

“And?”

“Should I judge thee unnecessary, I shall simply cut thee down… Mark my words well.”

The Assassin King’s words were laced with a distinct undercurrent of rage. It was being held back by a lid of rationality, but it was leaking through the cracks.

After a long moment of staring each other down, I took my finger off the trigger of my handgun.

“Don’t say such scary things. It was just a joke. Have you actually grown fond of her?”

“…………”

The Assassin King didn’t answer. Instead, he withdrew the scythe back into the mist. The faint aura of anger he had radiated vanished completely. Perhaps he had realized he’d lost his composure and reined himself in.

Stowing my gun, I went over the details on my fingers to confirm.

“Investigate the Sorceress’s wrongdoings, and depending on her schemes, assassinate her. That’s the deal, right?”

“—Departure is in three days. The girl will be dispatched to this city.”

With only that stated, the Assassin King vanished as if dissolving into the air. Even his thinned presence was gone. A true silence returned to the room.

Left alone in my quarters, I took a wine bottle and a glass from the cabinet. I returned to the sofa with them and began a late-night drink.

‘This isn’t a bad development at all.’

I could feel a grin naturally forming on my face. The chance to kill Mihana had arrived.

It must have been an agonizing decision for the Assassin King. Teaming me up with Mihana was an insane idea. If he truly worried for her safety, it was a choice he absolutely should never have made. I’m sure the Assassin King knows that.

It simply means he is so wary of the Sorceress’s movements that he’s willing to disregard those concerns. In short, he perceives the enemy as a threat significant enough to warrant deploying two summoned individuals.

Personally, I didn’t have a bad impression of the Sorceress. During the meeting, she had remained an observer and seemed to have little interest in me. She didn’t mock me for being a newcomer, but she didn’t exactly welcome me with open arms either. She came across as truly neutral.

I’ve been investigating her as well, but there’s nothing particularly noteworthy. Compared to the other Representatives, her governance is quite ordinary. I heard she gives slightly preferential treatment to beautiful races, but there was no extreme neglect or discrimination. It’s mostly just a matter of being easier to get into her good graces. As a defining characteristic of a controlled territory, it’s a bit lackluster.

Thinking about it again, it did feel a bit suspicious. Simply put, she has too few characteristics. Factoring in the Assassin King’s story, the suspicion of intentional image manipulation arises. The possibility that she is deliberately keeping a low profile to prevent her misdeeds from being exposed. The type to maneuver in the shadows.

Looking back, I’d seen similar people in my original world. Regardless, the fact that the Assassin King’s spies haven’t returned makes it certain that something shady is lurking beneath the surface. I’ll investigate it lightly and report back to him. I have no interest in killing the Sorceress, so if it looks difficult, I can just give up on that part.

My target, from start to finish, is only Mihana.

Judging from that exchange just now, I will undoubtedly end up as the Assassin King’s enemy. It’s a pity we can’t get along, but it can’t be helped. It’s not something where I can just win a debate and change his mind. He will surely have various schemes in place, anticipating my eventual rampage.

I’ll have to resolve various tasks in the three days before departure. I intend to welcome Mihana in top form.