Eitan rubbed his forehead and set down his pen. He leaned back in his chair and let out a light sigh. It's already been a few days, but there's still no sign of that assassin. He'd even put in the effort to intentionally show openings in the recent period of time in the hopes of baiting them out, but the days merely fluttered by as usual.
Eitan straightened his posture as there was a knock on the door.
"My lord, Sir Farrel has come to see you." Aengus' voice came from the other side. After hearing of the assassination attempt, he temporarily passed over his militia duties and took to guarding Eitan like this.
"Let him in." Eitan's expression lifted slightly.
The door opened, and Farrel strode inside, and Aengus gave a short bow to Eitan before closing the door behind him. Once the door shut, Farrel took a knee and presented an envelope. "My liege, news from the information guild."
"Already?" Eitan raised an eyebrow as he bent forward and received the envelope.
"Reportedly, they were drawing nearer to the origin of the copper plaque, and the new evidence confirmed it," Farrel explained respectfully.
Eitan nodded with understanding as he unsealed the envelope and browsed the contents within. There wasn't much written aside from some key information. Most importantly, the identity of the assassins. They apparently belonged to an assassin guild called Subrosa, where a member's rank was indicated by the plaque. The lowest rank was copper, then silver, gold, platinum, and finally, mithril. Only the guild leader held the mithril plaque, while the number of assassins holding each rank below was impossible to estimate. They were an organization active in the Ikoll Kingdom, which shared a border with Ortus.
Kathryn must have made contact through a business partner. Eitan surmised as he handed the paper back to Farrel. "Read it."
Farrel looked over the contents, his gaze so sharp it seemed as if he would pierce a hole in the paper. "Who dared…!" The paper crumpled slightly under his fierce grip. After all, assassins coming not just once, but twice, from the same group meant someone was thoroughly set on extinguishing Eitan's life. Not just that, but even a high-ranking assassin was sent after him.
"Kathryn, or Countess Reidar," Eitan answered calmly. "Now that I am no longer in my father's eye, she is rather eager to remove the hindrance for her sons."
Farrel's body shook slightly before his demeanor cooled. He suddenly raised his head and looked up at Eitan with a beholding gaze. "My liege- did you…?"
"Yes, I knew she intended to kill me even before we left Reidar Castle," Eitan confirmed with an even gaze.
Farrel's expression contorted slightly. "I should have removed her head."
Eitan shook his head gently. "No," his eyes glinted with a piercingly cold light. "She mustn't die yet." This woman was the greatest reason for his tormented younger years. It would not do for her end to be peaceful.
"... I understand." Farrel lowered his head docilely.
Eitan was about to continue, but was interrupted by a voice beyond the door.
"Your Lordship, I have something to report."
It was Lind. Eitan and Farrel exchanged an unreadable glance, and Farrel rose to his feet and stood beside the desk. "Yuriel, open the door," Eitan instructed the girl who was waiting by the side as usual. As he spoke, he picked up his pen and spun it casually in his hand.
"Yes!" Yuriel nodded and pulled the door open to reveal Lind standing with a polite posture.
"What is it?" Eitan inquired lightly.
Lind bent courteously, and just as he was about to step forward and speak, Eitan hit the bottom of the pen on the desk. At this, Lind keeled over and hit the ground with a thud. Farrel stood over him, hand cloaked with a lingering white glow.
"Mister Lind?!" Yuriel exclaimed worriedly at the sight.
"Get back," Eitan got up and stood between the girl and the now unconscious Lind. "Farrel, search."
Farrel immediately crouched down and began rustling through Lind's uniform, while Eitan darted out of the room. As he stepped through the doorway, he saw Aengus' body slumped over at the side. His heart fluttered, and he hastily placed his fingers on Aengus' neck. He's still breathing. He thought with relief before leaning his head back into the room. "Yuriel, fetch a soldier to take Aengus to the infirmary as quickly as possible."
"Understood!" Yuriel was obviously confused but nodded her head hurriedly before dashing away.
Eitan checked over Aengus one more time to ensure he was just unconscious with no apparent injuries before going back into the study. A pattering of hidden weapons lay beside the body of 'Lind', and Eitan's face hardened. As I thought. He let out a quiet exhale. "Good job, Farrel." He had used a similar signal back when they were dealing with Beren, and as always, Farrel lived up to his expectations. "So?"
Farrel bowed slightly to Eitan, glaring down at the disguised assassin. "It is undoubtedly the same culprit as before. The change in appearance seems to be due to some sort of magic, my liege."
Eitan clicked his tongue as he looked down with a chilling expression. "Take them to the dungeon, and be sure to restrict them well."
"Yes, my liege," Farrel responded resolutely, his fists clenching slightly. I'll be damned if I let this rat escape my grasp again.
"And… begin a search for Lind." Eitan spat out, a small bit of bloodlust leaking out of him. If he's dead, I swear I'll…
"I shall inform the soldiers at once."
His thought was cut off by Farrel's firm voice. Eitan nodded faintly and directed his gaze back to the unconscious body on the floor. Now let's see just how you can help me.
*****
"Don't think you can pretend to be asleep," Eitan spoke coldly. He was currently sitting on a wooden chair and staring down the limp body of 'Lind' in front of him, whose four limbs were firmly chained to the wall behind. Just a moment ago, there had been an ever-so-slight twitch, which Eitan's keen eyes naturally didn't miss.
'Lind' remained motionless, but Eitan's piercing gaze didn't relent. After a short while longer passed, olive green eyes finally opened to stare back at him.
"We've already removed the poison from your mouth, so don't even try," Eitan informed the assassin coolly.
"This is such a harsh way to treat a loyal servant, Lord Eitan." Lind looked up at Eitan with a forlorn expression. "How pitiful this is."
The intonation and face were so much like Lind it caused Eitan's face to contort. "Disengage the magic you're using and answer my questions honestly. If not, your situation is about to get a whole lot more pitiful," Eitan responded pointedly.
"Lord Eitan–" A familiar begging voice entered his ears.
"Say my name with that voice one more time, and I will cut off your arm." Eitan threatened harshly, his hand going to the hilt of the shortsword on his waist.
"How pitiful this boy is to have such a cold master." Still with Lind's appearance, the chained assassin shook their head lamentedly.
Eitan's lips curled down, and his brow tightened. "Farrel."
"Yes, my liege," Farrel, who had been waiting by the side, stepped closer with a bow.
"Until this bastard reverts to their original appearance, remove one appendage every minute. Begin with the fingers. I want to see if they can use magic even when they're left with just a torso." Eitan's chillingly calm voice resounded through the room.
"Understood," Farrel's dagger flashed under the dim light as he approached the bound body.
The assassin's pupils shook slightly, and their eyes rapidly darted between the two men. Their expression itself remained composed, but their eyes held traces of apprehension mixed with disbelief.
"Sixty, fifty-nine, fifty-eight…" Eitan began counting down quietly as Farrel's dagger hung above the assassin's pinky.
"Will you really hurt me? Your Lordship?" The assassin spoke in the same manner as Lind when he was anxious.
Not using my name, I see. Eitan didn't deign to respond and just smirked a bit as he continued. "Thirty-seven, thirty-six…"
The assassin's appearance didn't change, and they even continued speaking out with Lind's countenance. All the way until… "And one." Eitan finished counting down and gave Farrel a look. The expression of 'Lind' noticeably eased as the two momentarily held each other's gaze. Then…
Crack.
Followed by a small thud as flesh and bone hit the hard floor.
"Hah!" The assassin did not groan but gasped. There was not pain but rather a sense of incredulity in their eyes. "How unexpectedly cruel our young lord is."
"Sixty…" Eitan ignored the assassin and restarted his count, and Farrel unhesitantly positioned the now bloody dagger over the next finger.
"What a pity. It seems this face isn't of use any longer." As these words came out, the voice progressively distorted. A moment later, the scene in front of Eitan changed entirely.
It was no longer Lind chained up, but a beautiful woman. Long eyelashes hung over sapphire eyes, and the dirty-blond hair changed to silky black. Beautiful was somewhat of an understatement, actually. It was an appearance that could easily steal a heart with a single glance.
Eitan blinked a few times before leaning back with a stolid expression. "This isn't your true appearance either, is it?" His tone harshened with the lilt of the question.
The assassin smiled enigmatically. "Who knows? But surely you can't continue to be so cruel to a pitiful woman like myself."
Eitan clicked his tongue and motioned with his eyes to Farrel. The assassin caught the subtle glance, and her shoulders stiffened ever so slightly. But Farrel just returned to Eitan's side and, after a sharp glare at the assassin, wiped the blood off his dagger before stowing it away.
"Name," Eitan ordered impassively. He was displeased that the person in front of him was still disguised, but it didn't matter too much. All he really cared about was that the one facing him was no longer one of his.
"I have too many of those to recall," the woman chortled a bit.
Eitan's brow furrowed, but he relaxed with a long exhale. "Are all members of Subrosa like you?" He caught an almost imperceptible twitch in the woman's face when he brought up the organization's name.
"It is full of existences far more pitiful than I," the assassin responded cryptically.
… Should I just get Angi to have someone torture her? Eitan seriously considered this prospect for a moment. However, he soon dismissed the thought. I don't want them to know about the situation in the house. The Silver Wolves may now be his people, but that didn't mean he trusted each and every one of them enough to be privy to his personal circumstances.
Aengus and the soldiers were obviously out of the question, and as a knight, torture wasn't exactly in Farrel's skillset either. Eitan may have been exposed to numerous fields through his past experiences, but the art of torture wasn't something he ever ventured into. He could generally manage, but dealing with a person like this was already proving to be quite the headache.
Well, I got a reaction by mentioning Subrosa, so let's just continue with that. Eitan settled his mind and went on, "Are you referring to the copper rats? They were plenty pitiful indeed, getting tossed out for extermination like that."
The woman's lips pressed together slightly before blooming into a melancholic smile. "The coppers were indeed unequipped to handle two aura users. Such a pity it is."
So Kathryn did inform them of Aengus beforehand. That's why they targeted him so easily in my past life. Eitan had already presumed this, but the confirmation still sent a ripple through his heart. Kathryn did not just attempt to snuff out Eitan, but even exposed the count's forces in the process. So she is unfit as a mother and a countess. He brushed his hand over his hair and shut his eyes for a brief moment. When they opened again, his eyes were as still as a lake. "You all seem the same to me, though? Both gold and copper failed to slit my throat either, after all." He tilted his head and smiled as if he was pondering. "So what's next? A platinum? Or perhaps your leader? But surely such a being wouldn't move out for a little noble like me."
"It's a pity I won't be able to tell you what you're looking for. Requests are carried out separately, you know." The woman tilted her head up, an ominous glint in her deep blue eyes. "But enough money can make even mithril move."
I doubt Kathryn would be able to engage such a sum without my father noticing. So, it sounds like there shouldn't be too much risk. The assassin had unknowingly confirmed the most important fact. Requests are considered separate tasks. This means even if an assassin fails, it is considered an individual's failure and not the organization's. This meant it was likely an extra price still must be paid to hire one of the next level. So as long as no more money is provided, he wouldn't have to worry about getting endlessly hunted down by high-level assassins just for the sake of completing the request.
The assassin likely added the last statement in an attempt to intimidate him, but it only solidified his conjecture about how the guild runs. If even the leader moves solely for profit, then it likely won't be worth it to sacrifice resources just to take Eitan's head. Kathryn has limited access to easily utilized funds and certainly doesn't have the power to make the guild leader move herself. So there shouldn't be too many daggers pointed at Eitan's neck, at least for now.
Now that his safety was somewhat confirmed, the next objective was… "So you guys work separately, huh? Does that mean you don't have much contact with this mithril you speak of?"
An unreadable look flickered through the woman's eyes. "Such a pitiful creature, isolated and dragged about by the chains of greed. Even gold is too far from mithril to approach." A rueful sigh was laced through her words.
So only assassins with platinum plaques are permitted to meet the guild leader. Eitan inferred from her words. The person in front of him spoke superfluously and cryptically, but it was enough for him to glean what he needed to know.
"Is it possible to reverse a request?" Eitan switched up the direction of his questioning.
The woman's lush eyelashes fluttered softly. "The one who pays more naturally is the requester."
"And if the requester is killed before the target?" Eitan smoothly continued questioning.
"What a pitiful situation that would be. There exists no request without a requester." The woman responded with a faint smile.
So they pocket the money and pretend nothing happened. Eitan's mouth twitched slightly, and he asked one final question, "And I assume there's no rule preventing others from targeting a standing client?" His cold, sly voice resounded through the dull cell.
The woman gazed at him for a few moments this time before replying. "What a pitiful requester, to have their identity exposed unknowingly. Our young lord truly is cruel."
At this, Eitan stood up with a cool expression. "The truly cruel one is the mother who wishes to kill her child, is it not?" He knew the person in front of him was baiting him to check if he really knew, and he gladly confirmed. "I've heard all I need. Farrel."
The woman flinched as the gray-haired knight stepped forward. However, instead of unsheathing his sword or dagger to dispatch her, he merely retrieved the chair Eitan was sitting in. Without another word, they exited the cell, of course, locking the door securely behind them.
A pair of jewel-like eyes stared, slowly blinking, at the iron-plated door. The woman's mouth opened, and coarse laughter poured out. "How pitiful, truly, how pitiful…" Who or what those words were directed at was impossible to know as the grating laughter continued.
Eitan, who had only made it a few steps down the dim hall, glanced back as the muffled but unmistakable, unnerving laughter entered his ears. "... Keep two soldiers posted outside of the cell at all times. I don't want even the slightest chance of the rat slipping out."
"Yes, my liege," Farrel bowed his head as he dropped the chair to the side.
Eitan rolled his shoulders slightly as he stepped up the staircase leading out of the dungeon. "Go now. I'm heading to the infirmary."
Farrel bowed deeply and left to grab the soldiers, while Eitan continued on his way, his fists lightly balled. I swear to open the gates of hell for any who dares to harm my people. No matter who it may be. His blood burned, and his pace inadvertently quickened as he neared his destination.