Chapter 69

This thought flashed through the minds of the three spies, and then it could not be erased. Indeed, it was so. The surroundings were so dark, and the other party was focusing on something else. At such a time, even a mage would not have enough time to react. As long as they could land a successful hit, everything would be fine!

However...

The three spies looked around, still a bit worried. They were not responsible for the task of seizing treasure. This strange and exaggerated place also raised their vigilance. But after careful consideration, the three felt that the danger should not be great. Look, the female mage was squatting there doing academic research without any guard. If there was really something dangerous, she would have already become a corpse, right?

But on the other hand, they were also puzzled. In the orders, the female mage was just an "out-of-spec" target, and the main person they were supposed to assassinate had not appeared yet.

Where was that young man with black hair?

If he were dead, the female mage wouldn't be so calm. Could it be that he left her alone and went inside to explore?

The three looked at each other, gestured, and discussed. In the end, they felt that this might be the closest guess to the truth. After all, he was still a young man, and according to the intelligence, he was quite skilled. People with such abilities often have an adventurous spirit, and it's not strange for him to go inside the ruins. Although the darkness made it hard for the spies to see the ruins clearly, the rough outline was still visible in the firelight.

The lead spy was silent for a moment. Finally, he raised his head, and the firelight reflected in his brown eyes. Then, he raised his right hand and pressed it down!

Begin the operation!

With this action, the spies quickly leaped down and disappeared into the darkness.

A dangerous aura began to spread.

Squatting in front of the stone pillar, Marin stared blankly at the beautiful and intricate patterns before her. Although interpreting ancient texts was her forte, she couldn't focus on anything now. The words Rod had said earlier still echoed in her mind.

"Those guys will definitely come, and they will attack you. I hope you can pretend not to know about their existence and continue doing what you were doing. As long as they dare to make a move, I have a way to deal with them. Don't worry, Marin. I won't let you get hurt."

Although Rod said this very calmly and seemed very reliable, it was absurd to think that Marin would be completely at ease. In fact, the girl often glanced at the dark shadows around her. Under the firelight, these shadows moved from time to time, and if you weren't careful, you might feel like someone was lurking there.

It had to be said that this pressure was indeed significant, especially since Marin had heard with her own ears through her familiar how those people would deal with her, which made her feel a chill in her heart. Just the thought of death was enough to make one feel terrified. If it were something worse than death, Marin didn't even dare to imagine.

Many times, Marin wanted to summon a magic light ball to illuminate the surroundings and see where the threats were. But in the end, she suppressed her fear because Rod had made it very clear that he needed her to do this. So, she had to trust him.

It's really unreasonable.

Thinking about this, Marin found it absurd. Why did she trust a man so much? Why did she even put her life in his hands? Was it because he convinced her? Or was it for some other reason? Why did she follow a man's words so obediently? She had never been so obedient even to her father. But in front of this man, she couldn't oppose any of his words... Could it be because of that trial? It shouldn't be, although he was the first man to dare to hurt her, she wasn't a weak woman. Would she retreat just because she was scared once? It didn't seem to be the case...

Marin shook her head, trying to clear her mind of these thoughts, but no matter how hard she tried, Rod's face kept appearing in her mind.

"Stop thinking about him!"

To get rid of these distracting thoughts, Marin finally tried to focus on interpreting the ancient text before her. This time, she quickly became immersed in it...

Women's thoughts are indeed complex.

"...Guard the world... the chosen knight..."

Pale, slender fingers moved over the intricate mystical carvings. Marin carefully examined the ancient text before her and murmured softly.

"...The source of power... lies in... the soul's contract... beneath the void..."

The girl's voice grew lower, and her expression became more focused.

At this moment, Marin had truly forgotten everything around her.

A perfect opportunity.

The spy hiding in the shadows sneered inwardly as he observed the scene. As a qualified hunter, he did not immediately attack upon seeing his prey. After all, the other party was a mage, and without a surefire plan, attacking would be very foolish. He had seen Marin's behavior earlier; the young lady seemed a bit restless, which made him hold back. But he didn't think she had noticed their presence. It would be strange for a young girl to be calm and composed in such a creepy place. Now, Marin's behavior had gradually entered a state of focus. Her expression while interpreting the ancient text was so intense that she definitely wouldn't notice the abnormalities around her.

Thinking this, the spy reached out, pulled out a handkerchief, and then crouched, silently stepping out of the darkness... Unfortunately, it was just a bit too late.

A sharp, red blade pierced his throat. The spy's eyes widened in surprise, his gaze fixed on the red blade before him. He tried to shout to warn his companions, but only his tongue helplessly protruded from his mouth, trembling desperately. At that moment, the cold air cruelly and decisively invaded his body.

Then, darkness enveloped his entire world.

The lifeless body swayed and then fell backward. But before it hit the ground, Rod, who had been prepared, reached out and caught it. He drew his sword, pressed the body's back with his left hand, and gently laid it on the ground. Then, Rod glanced around and quickly retreated.

The shadows instantly swallowed him.

It's about time. Why hasn't he made his move?

The spy hiding behind the stone pillar frowned in dissatisfaction. He looked at Marin's back, feeling annoyed. According to the plan they had agreed upon, one person would be the main attacker, and the others would assist to prevent any mishaps. But now, he should have made his move by now, right?

Or did something go wrong?

Perhaps it was intuition, or perhaps it was the instinctive fear of death, but the spy turned his head, subconsciously wanting to check the surroundings.

But all he saw was a flash of red.

"———"

Bright red blood spurted from his neck, landing on the ground. Rod pressed the spy's shoulder with one hand and supported his body, gritting his teeth and gently laying him on the ground. If you didn't know his identity, you wouldn't think he was a swordsman just by looking at these actions.

The second one, dealt with.

Glancing at the experience that appeared before him, Rod's mind eased a bit. He sheathed his sword and retreated again.

A faint sound of something breaking the air.

Almost simultaneously, Rod instinctively rolled to the side. He felt a cool sensation on his left shoulder and then saw a dark shadow quickly pass by him.

Professionals are indeed professionals!

Feeling the pain in his left shoulder, Rod gritted his teeth. If he could, he would really want to take out all three of them and then go outside to take out the two guards. This way, everything would go smoothly, and they could easily turn around and go home. But unfortunately, it seemed the other party didn't intend to give him that chance.

After missing his target, the dark shadow did not attack Rod again. Instead, he rolled and charged directly at Marin!

Seeing this, Rod quickly got up and extended his right hand, then suddenly threw it forward!

A low hum sounded again!

A green bird materialized from the card Rod threw, transforming into a meteor-like beam and quickly rushing toward the black-clad spy!

All of this happened in an instant. Even when Rod was attacked and the enemy jumped out of the darkness, Marin had not yet realized what was happening. When she heard the sound and turned her head, a cold, bright dagger was already in front of her, less than half a meter away! Although she felt the danger and her already prepared force shield had activated, she didn't expect the knife to cut through the semi-transparent shield as easily as cutting through a cake, directly stabbing at her!

What Marin heard next was just a low, explosive sound.

"Boom!!"

The storm formed by the soul bird hit the spy's back at the last moment. The howling storm seemed like an invisible, giant hand that grabbed the enemy, lifted him into the air, and then threw him to the ground.

"Phew..."

Only then did Rod finally breathe a sigh of relief.

As soon as he saw the spy charging at Marin recklessly, Rod knew it was bad. Clearly, the spy had already realized they were prepared, but he still "refused to repent." This meant the spy was very confident in his own abilities and might even have equipment to break through magical defenses. That's why Rod didn't rely on Marin's protection and made a decisive choice.

Now it seemed his choice was correct.

But it wasn't time to relax yet.

Marin, who had come to her senses, had already run to Rod's side. At this moment, the spy slowly got up. The impact of the soul bird was strong, but the damage was not high, especially for an advanced class. It was not easy to kill them head-on.

Rod turned and shielded Marin with his back, raising his sword with his right hand.

At the same time, the black-clad spy raised his dagger and short knife, and the cold, murderous intent in his eyes behind the mask was evident.