'How dare you insult me?'
All was silent in the dead of night when the guest room window slid open without a sound.
Swoosh.
A shadow slipped down into the garden like liquid.
The pristine white priestess robes were gone, replaced by a black cloak draping a woman—the Saintess Chloe.
She glanced around warily, biting her lip.
Every time she recalled the humiliation from the audience chamber that afternoon, her stomach twisted in knots.
'How dare he treat a noble Saintess like some wench?'
Of all things, she'd tripped over her own legs, fallen flat on her ass, and earned mocking laughter.
She couldn't just slink away like this.
She would find that arrogant emperor's weakness and force him to his knees.
"Sacred Veil."
⟨ Sacred Veil ⟩
A thin membrane of light enveloped her body before fading into transparency.
A divine power exclusive to the chosen Saintess, erasing footsteps, breathing—even scent.
'There's only one reason holy power wouldn't work on him.'
She was certain.
No ordinary human could resist divine authority.
The answer was obvious.
'The emperor must have contracted with a demon king or is using a forbidden item.'
If she found proof, toppling even an emperor would be child's play.
She'd summon the heresy inquisitors, shatter his haughty nose, and watch him beg for mercy.
Chloe headed toward the annex housing the emperor's bedroom.
'Just you wait... Darcor. I'll peel back every layer of your facade.'
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
'Perfect. Lights are out, and he's definitely asleep.'
Chloe nimbly scaled the tree.
She perched on a branch overlooking the emperor's bedroom.
Just as she timed her infiltration—
Crunch.
A faint sound reached her ears.
Too sharp for mere wind.
Chloe held her breath and peered below.
'What the... what's that?'
From the shadows against the opposite wall, black figures began crawling out.
One, two, three... five.
Men in black masks emerged.
Their movements were fluid, without waste.
Above all, she felt the acrid killing intent unique to professional murderers.
'Wh-what? Assassins?'
Chloe clamped a hand over her mouth.
The situation was turning strange.
Uninvited guests besides herself were targeting the emperor tonight.
'No!'
She screamed inwardly.
Not out of worry for him.
'If they kill him, I lose my chance to expose his weakness!'
'That toy I need to control can't break!'
Chloe anxiously chewed her nail.
She wanted to shout for the Royal Guard, but that would expose her own intrusion.
'Watch for now. If it gets dicey, I can "rescue" him then and take credit.'
She hunkered down in the branches, unwittingly fretting over the emperor's safety as she held her breath.
The assassins were pros.
They knew the Royal Guard patrols perfectly.
Swish.
They slipped through blind spots and scaled the wall in seconds.
Soon, they reached the bedroom window.
A hurdle that should have taken time.
'Lucky break. Heaven itself has abandoned him.'
The window, which should have been shut tight, was ajar for some reason.
The leader signaled with his eyes.
The vanguard slipped inside silently.
The room was pitch black.
On the bed, the blankets bulged in a human shape.
No breathing, but it looked deeply asleep.
'Kill him.'
The leader drew a finger across his throat.
All five hurled daggers at the bed.
Thuk! Thunk! Thud!
Dozens of blades pierced the blankets.
Certain death. No one could survive.
Yet the leader's brow furrowed.
Something felt off.
Whoosh!
He yanked back the covers roughly.
What scattered wasn't crimson blood, but white duck feathers.
"..."
At that moment, as the assassins' pupils quivered—
"No knock? How rude."
A low, dry voice echoed from the darkness.
The assassins whipped their heads around.
"Did you homeschool your manners? Zero etiquette."
Lightning cracked across the clear night sky outside the window.
Rumble!
The room flashed bright as day for an instant.
In that split-second light, the assassins saw him.
A man leaning against the corner, legs crossed.
Dressed in black like them, with a black mask.
His eyes gleamed coldly through the mask.
"Was just about to head out."
Darcor spun the dagger in his hand lightly.
"And in roll the gift-wrapped presents on their own feet?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Villain detected.] [Target: Presumed assassins.]
"Ch-charge! He's alone!"
The leader's shout unleashed the assassins.
Blades closed in on him.
"Loudmouths."
But Darcor yawned lazily from the corner, flicking his wrist.
Swish!
His dagger flew straight.
Splat!
"Gahk!"
It buried in the first assassin's forehead.
He toppled without a scream.
Crash.
What followed wasn't a fight.
It was a one-sided cleanup.
'N-no way...'
Chloe atop the tree rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
Lightning flashes revealed impossible scenes.
Crack!
The emperor snapped an assassin's arm like a twig.
Bam!
One kick sent a hulking killer smashing into the wall.
"Gaaargh!"
Overwhelming force.
Like an adult versus a child.
'Is that... the emperor I knew?'
Chloe was aghast.
She'd witnessed the truth: no incompetent tyrant plagued by madness.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
"Hahk, hahk... Th-that thing's a monster!"
The sole surviving leader fled in terror.
Seeing his men die in seconds had broken his will.
He limped desperately through the darkness.
"Where's the fire?"
"Eek!"
Thud.
But Darcor wouldn't let prey escape.
The leader drew his dagger frantically, but it halted at Darcor's fingers.
"No need to ask who sent you. That Ether crest says it all."
Darcor grabbed the leader's throat and grinned.
'Ah...'
Chloe, hiding in the tree, finally realized.
The vision from the audience chamber.
The black-masked figure drenched in blood, smiling down at her.
That was the emperor's true face.
'The terror I felt then was real.'
Chloe trembled violently.
She understood now, viscerally.
The emperor was beyond purification by some half-baked saintly power.
Snap.
A gruesome crack, and the leader's head lolled lifelessly.
Silence returned to the garden.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙[Elite assassins from the assassination organization Ether eliminated.] [Madness Level greatly decreased.] [Current Level: 5%]
"Whew... not bad at all."
Darcor shook blood from his hands and slowly tilted his head up.
His gaze drifted upward.
Straight to the branch where Chloe hid.
Flinch.
Chloe's heart stopped.
Red eyes peered through the black mask.
Staring right at her.
'Our eyes... met.'
She couldn't breathe.
Her exclusive divine power was useless.
She felt utterly exposed.
'I'm dead. My neck snaps like that assassin's...'
Chloe covered her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut.
'Please, please pretend you didn't see... God, just let me live this once.'
As if her desperate prayer reached him—
Darcor chuckled and turned away casually.
Stretching, he leaped back through the bedroom window.
"I... I lived..."
Left alone in the tree, Chloe clung to the branch, sobbing as she gasped for air.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Morning in the imperial palace breakfast hall was filled with the aroma of fresh coffee and toasted bread.
"Mm... the steak's grilled to perfection today."
Darcor sat with a refreshed face, about to pop a piece of meat into his mouth.
The dining room doors opened, and Chloe entered.
"...."
She looked wretched.
Dark circles hung to her jaw, her face ashen.
She'd trembled in terror all night without sleep.
"Oh? Saintess?"
Darcor greeted her cheerfully, fork in hand.
"You look pale. Rough night?"
His kind concern made Chloe's heart plummet.
She forced a smile, trying to play it cool as she met his eyes.
'Damn... that expression.'
Goosebumps erupted across her skin.
It was the exact smile he'd worn while snapping a neck last night.
"H-ha... I don't sleep well in new beds."
Chloe mumbled weakly and sat far away.
Before her sat her favorite premium steak, but it wouldn't go down.
As nausea welled up and she reached to cover her mouth—
"That explains it."
Darcor grinned and picked up his knife.
Screeech!
The knife scraped the plate, sending chills through the room.
Chloe swallowed hard at the grating sound.
"Must've been tough sneaking all the way there late at night."
"...Huh?"
Darcor dangled the dripping meat, chuckling.
His reddened eyes bored into her.
"How was the night view from up there? Care to share your thoughts?"