Chapter 82

"Zoe"

"Yes"

"Take the beggar to a safe place. He's exhausted, so let him rest and give him some good food."

"Understood"

Zoe nodded, helped the beggar who was lying down to get up, and supported him as they left the alley.

The remaining assassin, Kate, and I were the only three left.

Immediately after, a throwing knife plunged into the back of the man lying face down.

"Ah!"

Kate screamed.

"M-Master! The knife!"

"Ah"

"…Huh?"

Because I remained calm, Kate also calmed down.

"Aren't you surprised…?"

"I expected them to have a backup plan. It's a cover-up for a cover-up. Since he was closer to the mastermind, I let them do it."

"Really!?"

"Ah"

I nodded and started walking.

I headed in the direction the throwing knife came from and walked for about a minute.

In a deeper part of the alley, a man was lying down.

He was dressed in black, with only his eyes visible.

He was trembling and trying to escape.

"See?"

"Did Master do this?"

"Ah, the moment the knife flew, I calculated its origin and took him down."

"Amazing, Master! How did you do it? It didn't look like you did anything."

"I'll tell you later."

I said this and approached the man in black.

He tried to turn around, but his body was so paralyzed that he couldn't even move his neck.

I kicked him lightly, turning him from face down to face up.

"Now, speak. Who ordered this?"

"K-Kill me…"

"If you speak now, I won't harm you."

"…"

The man didn't answer; instead, his Adam's apple moved.

He seemed to have swallowed something.

He then closed his eyes.

I did nothing and waited for a while.

Nothing happened.

Because nothing happened, the man opened his eyes again and looked at me in shock.

"Why…?"

"Given the kind of people who would let this happen, it's obvious they would expect someone to commit suicide if they failed. I took care of it."

"Wha—"

"Master is amazing…"

"I won't give you the right to kill yourself. Now, speak."

"…"

"What's wrong? Why aren't you speaking?"

"Kill me… Kill me!"

"Hmm?"

I furrowed my brow and tilted my head.

This reaction was unexpected.

I could have predicted "Kill me!" but "Kill me, please!" was completely unexpected.

Looking at the man's face, I saw a genuine plea.

"What do you mean? 'Kill me, please'?"

"If I fail, I have to die quickly, or my family… my daughter will…!"

"…I see."

I understood.

It was a sickeningly clear story.

His daughter was taken hostage, and he had no choice but to comply.

Moreover, the fact that he had to die if he failed showed how serious these criminals were.

"…Sigh"

I sighed and waved my hand.

Purple liquid seeped out from the bracelet and shot out like an arrow.

The poison arrow struck the man's body straight.

"Thank you…"

The man rolled his eyes back, foamed at the mouth, and with his last strength, said this before collapsing.

On the other hand, Kate looked at this with a mix of shock and fear.

"Is he… dead?"

"Check for yourself."

Kate nodded and cautiously approached the fallen man, placing her hand on his neck and nose.

"He's dead…"

She whispered.

☆

"Ugh…"

In a room with the windows tightly shut, a man groaned as he woke up on the bed.

"You're awake?"

"Huh? …Where…!?"

The man jumped up and looked around the room.

"Don't worry, you're not in the afterlife."

"You… I… I'm alive!?"

"Ah"

"Didn't you kill me!?"

"Don't worry, you're officially dead."

"Huh?"

I extended my hand and pointed my index finger.

A drop of purple liquid dripped from the tip of my finger onto the floor.

The same poison I injected into the man's body earlier.

"It's a poison that puts humans into a temporary state of apparent death. I confirmed that someone verified your death."

"Temporary state of apparent death… H-How is that even possible…"

"Want to try it again? It's not recommended, as it's quite toxic to the body."

"…"

Even as I spoke, the man still looked disbelieving.

"Instead, look around your body."

"Look around my body… What is this burnt skin-like thing?"

The man picked up the burnt skin-like object on the bed. It was shaped like a human, as if he had shed his skin.

"You were cremated once. I arranged it so that only your skin was burned."

The paralyzing and apparent death poisons I used on the man were from Apophis, and the possession during cremation was from Bahamut.

Thanks to Bahamut's possession, the flames were nullified, and I used the armor ring to burn the skin, fooling the subsequent verification.

Cremations have different grades.

For unclaimed bodies, they are usually burned and disposed of carelessly.

Bodies are only burned to ashes if there is someone to claim them.

"Amazing…"

The man said, his eyes wide as if they would split.

"To be able to do such a thing…"

"…"

"Who… are you?"

"Instead, here."

I threw a leather bag at the man.

It contained 100 silver coins.

"What is this?"

"Travel expenses for now. Go somewhere until this matter is resolved. Otherwise, your family will be in danger."

"…But"

"Just go."

"…"

The man held the silver coin bag, still hesitating.

After some deliberation, he raised his head, looking determined, and opened his mouth.

"The one who ordered this—"

"Enough"

"…Huh?"

"Say nothing."

"But—"

"If the information comes from you, there's a chance your source will be exposed, putting your family in danger."

"…"

"It's not just about your life. The fact that you tried to tell me is enough."

The man gritted his teeth but looked at me with gratitude.

"Then, just one thing."

"Hmm?"

"Their next move. They always try to bribe someone close to their target in situations like this."

"I see. That's fine to share."

"I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help."

"Don't worry about it."

The man bit his lower lip even harder, looking regretful.

He was a man of principle.

If we had met under different circumstances, I would have considered recruiting him as a subordinate.

There was a knock on the door.

The man jumped.

"Come in."

I already knew it was Zoe from the sound.

Zoe, who had completed her task, entered.

"Master"

"Hmm, what is it?"

"This…"

Zoe held out a leather bag to me.

"What is it?"

"It seems to be gold coins. 3000 Reen."

"3000, huh?"

"They said this is for information about your identity and future plans."

"They came quickly."

I smiled.

On the other hand, the man, who had seen the exchange between Zoe and me, was shocked.

"Wh-What… You weren't… bribed… even for 3000 Reen…?"

I smiled.

It brought back memories.

It was almost ten years ago.

The people who tried to assassinate me attempted to bribe Zoe, but she told me about it and handed over the money.

The scene was exactly the same, and it brought back memories.

"I'll give you 30,000 when you return. Keep the 3,000 as well."

"Thank you."

This exchange was exactly the same as before.

"Thirty…! What… What does that mean…?"

The man was still in shock and didn't return.