Chapter 392: Assassin's Guild
Priss wore a contemplative expression, his face deep in thought.
For the past six months, everything seemed to be going wrong.
The middleman handling the shipments had disappeared without a trace.
Even the supplier's contact had vanished.
This gave Priss a bad premonition.
"Madam, do you think we've been targeted by a certain faction?"
Targeted by a faction?
Reese fell into silent contemplation.
After a long pause, she nodded.
"It's possible. Priss, you should leave Obenlo City tomorrow and hide for a while."
Go into hiding?
Priss felt conflicted.
Although they had lost contact with their supplier's middleman,
this wasn't the first time such a thing had happened.
After all, people had their own affairs to handle.
Perhaps the middleman had simply been delayed by something.
There was no need to be overly sensitive.
"Why did the beast-drawn carriage stop?"
At that moment, the carriage suddenly came to a gradual halt.
Priss, seated inside, noticed the shift.
The direction was also off—it was veering dangerously close to the roadside buildings.
Priss lifted the curtain, intending to ask the escort what was happening.
"What's going on?"
Priss called out to the guards outside.
For this banquet, Priss had brought a squad of high-ranking swordsmen as bodyguards.
Seven in total, three of whom were just one step away from reaching the king level.
The nearest guard, mounted on horseback, remained motionless.
"Answer me! Have you all gone mute?"
Priss barked at the guards.
But they remained silent.
Then, a terrifying sight unfolded before his eyes.
The guard outside the window suddenly had his head severed.
His helmeted head rolled to the ground.
Yet, his body on horseback remained eerily still.
Seeing this, Priss's face turned pale.
"Madam, this is bad! There's an assassin!"
Priss quickly turned to warn his wife.
But when he looked back, his pupils shrank in horror.
His wife's head was gone.
Only a headless corpse sat in the seat.
And beside the corpse sat a graceful figure.
She was holding Reese's severed head, examining it with keen interest.
"It's... it's you!"
Priss recognized her—it was the woman he had met at the banquet.
Hearing his voice, Avinsa lifted her gaze to look at him.
Seeing the pale-faced Baron Priss, a smile of delight spread across Avinsa's face.
She lowered her head and placed a kiss on Reese's forehead.
After that kiss, a hint of disgust flashed across Avinsa's face.
"No wonder the boss despises you—you really stink."
Saying this, Avinsa grimaced in revulsion and tossed Reese's head out of the carriage window.
After finishing this, Avinsa turned her attention back to Priss.
"Baron Priss, we meet again!"
"You... you... who hired you to kill me? Spare me! I'll pay ten times the price!"
Priss's face was ashen.
He looked at the beautiful yet terrifying woman before him in horror.
Avinsa leaned back, watching him with amusement.
She loved seeing her prey show this expression.
Killing them at their peak of terror was an indescribable pleasure.
"Priss, do you think I'm beautiful?"
Priss nodded frantically.
"Beautiful! Incredibly beautiful! Even a duchess cannot compare to your beauty."
"Hehe."
A soft, sweet laugh echoed within the carriage.
Avinsa, seated opposite Priss, shook with laughter.
Then, in an instant, the laughter stopped.
"Then dying at my hands should be an honor, right?"
Avinsa's smile vanished.
Murderous intent gleamed in her eyes.
"No, I..."
Sensing the change in Avinsa's aura, Priss's face contorted in fear.
Before he could finish his sentence, he smelled a delicate fragrance.
It was the scent of that woman.
He had smelled it while dancing with her at the banquet.
But before he could react, a cold sensation flashed across his neck.
His vision flipped.
The world turned red.
Avinsa, her cheeks flushed, caught Priss's severed head.
She gazed down at his wide-eyed expression.
"Did you think my body was so easy to touch? If I didn't have to spend tonight with the boss, I would have had a little more fun with you."
Recalling their dance at the banquet, anger flickered in Avinsa's eyes.
This man's hands had been extremely dishonest.
The hand resting on her waist had been slowly sliding lower.
He had been mere moments away from grabbing her hips.
"Disgusting."
With a cold snort, Avinsa flung the head out of the window.
It slammed into the wall of a nearby building with a sickening crunch.
The impact shattered the head into pieces.
"Luke, time to go."
On the dimly lit street, a melodious voice echoed.
Then, an eerie silence followed.
That night, darkness deepened.
In the Bard Earl's estate, inside the first-floor bathroom...
"An Assassin's Guild? There's an organization like that?"
In the bath, Li Meng and Avinsa were enjoying a steamy soak together.
Luke was there too, all three of them washing away the filth.
Avinsa, lying against Li Meng's chest, giggled.
"Of course. The Assassin's Guild has a history just as long as the Adventurer's Guild. Nobles often need assassins to handle dirty work, so they turn a blind eye to its existence."
"As for those who try to eradicate the Assassin's Guild, it's not unheard of. But no matter who they are—even kings—their lives tend to be very short."
An Assassin's Guild?
Li Meng hadn't expected the assassin profession to have such an organized structure.
"That's a double-edged sword. It harms others but can also harm itself. There must be some restrictions on the Assassin's Guild."
Avinsa pressed her face into Li Meng's neck, inhaling his scent greedily.
"Mhm, the Assassin's Guild used to have no restrictions, but that changed. To gain the support of various kingdoms, they established closer ties with the royal families, gradually becoming their hidden blade."
"But these restrictions don't bind all assassins. The guild doesn't strictly regulate private jobs. In the past century alone, several kings have been assassinated."
"Of course, most assassins avoid targeting royalty. If they are discovered, they will be hunted by fellow assassins for the rest of their lives."
Not far away, Luke glanced at Li Meng and Avinsa.
Seeing their intimate embrace, Luke's mouth twitched.
After all, Avinsa was his wife.
He shouldn't have let himself be dragged into this bath.
Did he resent Li Meng?
No.
Because, no matter how he looked at it, Avinsa was the one taking the initiative.
After all, this whole three-person bath was her idea.
Could it be that Avinsa had feelings for the boss?
Deep down, Luke didn't believe it.
They were assassins. Love was the most ridiculous thing for them.
Although he and Avinsa were married, there was no love between them—at least not on her part.
And he didn't love her either. What he had was possessiveness.
Their marriage was simply a way to strengthen their partnership and tighten their cooperation.