Chapter 75

◈ Chapter 75: Kalsa Assassin (1)

"There's no need to cover your face anymore. You have such a beautiful face; it's better to show it."

"……!"

Violet's face turned red.

She hastily stepped back and pulled down the black veil to cover her face.

"Well, thank you, but I'm more comfortable this way."

"Is that so."

Rudger did not press her any further.

Violet calmed her racing heart.

Is he being considerate?

It's strange. Why is my heart pounding so fiercely?

It feels like someone is stomping their feet.

'Could it be?'

She had vowed not to give her heart to anyone while doing this job.

She thought that truly loving and longing for someone was something that would never happen to her.

Because she was a prostitute despised by everyone.

It had always been like that.

And it would continue to be so.

'Right. This is just the joy of an old scar finally disappearing.'

Violet organized her emotions this way and regained her composure.

She touched the spot where the scar had been.

The rough texture was gone, and smooth skin could be felt.

To heal a scar that even a priest had given up on, in an instant.

'Is this real magic?'

Magic is magic, but what is real magic?

Even Violet, who had learned about magic through observation, found it hard to understand.

It felt like her definition of magic was being completely shaken.

"So, what do you plan to do now?"

"……I'll follow your instructions and take care of the job. Right away, if possible."

"Good to hear."

Right. I shouldn't care too much.

Violet had seen and heard a lot.

She knew how dangerous and formidable this James Moriarty was.

His abilities had been clearly demonstrated just now.

Healing her scar was just a small favor.

To him, it was something he did naturally. The more significance she placed on it, the more she would lose.

If it was natural, then naturally Violet realized the reality.

In this dark alley, standing face to face in the same space.

He was a different class of human.

"Anyway, today's meeting was impressive. I'll be on my way."

"Violet."

Rudger's voice stopped Violet as she was about to leave.

She halted her steps.

"What is it?"

Why is he calling her? They had finished their business, or was there something else he wanted to say?

Just as her thoughts were getting complicated, Rudger was staring at the complex alleyway.

His gaze seemed to pierce through the darkness, looking beyond.

"Why are you calling me…… Ah!"

Violet couldn't finish her sentence.

Rudger had stretched out his arm, grabbed her waist, and pulled her forcefully.

Violet was taken aback by the sudden action.

"What, what are you doing……!"

Just as she was about to protest, an arrow grazed past her veil.

Thud!

The arrow's tip trembled as it embedded itself in the wall.

Violet muttered in disbelief.

"……An ambush?"

"Seems like it."

Rudger then summoned his magic.

"Don't hide, come out."

As soon as he said that, figures armed with weapons began to emerge from various spots in the alley.

Rudger narrowed his eyes as he observed them.

'He didn't bring firearms.'

In other words, they knew he was a mage and had prepared accordingly.

Thinking about it, the projectile they used for the ambush was an arrow.

'Or rather, a chain mace.'

To use such a weapon.

'They're targeting mages on purpose.'

Rudger couldn't help but nod, thinking about how he had made someone so angry to be ambushed in such a dark alley.

"Are you the remaining members of the Red Society?"

"James Moriarty."

Among the group surrounding them, a man in his mid-30s with a dirty beard grinned, revealing yellowed teeth.

"Who would have thought such a big shot would wander around alone without any guards. You must have a lot of guts. Or maybe it's a good thing. Thanks to you, we have an opportunity."

"I don't know who you are."

"Well, what's the point of knowing? You'll be dead soon anyway."

"Foolish. Don't you know what happened to the Red Society?"

"Yeah, I know. That you're a mage. But do you think we didn't prepare for that?"

"Hmm."

Rudger realized that the magic he had summoned was not working properly.

What were they relying on? This was it.

Rudger sighed inwardly.

'The situation isn't good.'

He had used a considerable amount of power to heal Violet's scar.

It would take time to recover, and it just so happened that he was ambushed at this moment.

The timing was bad.

"Let me go."

"Sorry, my mistake."

Violet glanced at Rudger through her veil and then composed herself.

"Are we going to fight?"

"We're already surrounded. You're not suggesting we run now, are you?"

Violet retorted, as if her pride was hurt.

Rudger shrugged.

"If that's how it sounds, I apologize."

"Never mind."

Violet then pulled out a black umbrella from the frilly skirt.

It wasn't an ordinary umbrella. Just by looking, one could tell the material was unusual.

Rudger realized it was a defensive weapon Violet used.

She had been hiding something like this.

"Quite an interesting item."

"A lady's skin is sensitive to the hot sun."

Rudger held his cane and stood back-to-back with Violet.

"James Moriarty and Violet, the leader of the Black Roses. This is quite a stroke of luck. I wasn't sure when the meeting would end, but it turned out to be a fortunate day."

"To wait for us like this. That's a very touching thing to say."

"Hah. Still trying to act cool in this situation? I'm curious to see if you can maintain that attitude even when your limbs are cut off."

The remaining members of the Red Society, who had surrounded them, slowly approached, weapons in hand.

Rudger scanned their faces but remained vigilant.

'The one who shot the chain mace at us first.'

He couldn't see the man.

There was almost no killing intent, and he had hidden himself immediately after shooting.

The timing of the ambush was also unusual.

'He's hiding among the crowd, targeting our lives.'

This wasn't the behavior of a typical alley thug.

Even if they were members of the Red Society, they couldn't display this level of skill.

'A professional.'

Someone skilled in killing.

A hired assassin.

He was targeting Rudger right now.

'They must have pooled all their money to hire him.'

No matter what, if they killed him and reclaimed their business, they could earn money again.

Rudger took a deep breath.

In the stagnant air of the narrow alley, a subtle smell could be detected.

Not the musty smell of a dark, damp alley, but a scent that slightly irritated the nose.

'A diffusion fragrance. A drug that interferes with the use of magic.'

They had spread it in the area.

It was a type of drug that hindered a mage's use of magic, causing significant disruption in the casting of spells.

It wasn't harmful to the body.

The effect of the diffusion fragrance wasn't to nullify magic itself, but to excessively increase the conductivity of magic, causing it to spread widely instead of concentrating.

In other words, if one tried to create a fireball, a faint flame would spread around, losing its power, and the caster would also be harmed.

'This is expensive and hard to obtain, used in the creation of artifacts. They're using it here?'

Being unable to use offensive magic is a painful experience for a mage.

Of course, spells like [Silence of Fire] would affect a wider area, which is why they didn't bring firearms.

But the most important thing was the hired assassins hiding among them.

'For professionals, there's nothing more fatal than showing a moment of weakness.'

They were waiting for him to panic.

'Foolishly. Even without this expensive diffusion fragrance, it's difficult to use magic right now.'

Actually, if he pushed himself, Rudger could still use magic.

The downside was reduced power and a longer casting time, but the latter could be mitigated by using [Source Code].

'Even so, with an assassin around, this poison is quite fatal for a mage. The fact that they deliberately put up these human shields…… is it a feint?'

Rudger quietly warned Violet, who was standing back-to-back with him.

"A fragrance that interferes with the use of magic. I recommend not using offensive spells. They'll dissipate before they're completed."

"……You know about that too?"

"Experience teaches you a lot."

"This is troublesome. I don't like physical combat."

Despite her words, she was ready to face the enemy.

It was more than just self-defense; it was something practical.

She must have learned swordsmanship.

'In such a perilous world, one must learn everything.'

The same applied to Rudger himself.

He was a mage, but he didn't rely solely on magic.

"There are about thirty of them. But there's a dangerous one among them. Not just one, but a team of at least three……"

"The ones who shot the chain maces? They're hired killers."

"Do you know them?"

"Well, they're somewhat famous. I have a good idea who they are. They came from the southern desert. They're reliable but very expensive. They must have spent a lot of money to catch me."

"More accurately, to catch me."

"We're in this together now."

She was surprisingly stubborn about this.

Rudger shrugged and chuckled. He didn't