Chapter 56

Volume 13 - Chapter 3

"Come out!"

Zebra Duke shouted as he hurriedly ran to the grand hall. Then, nine assassins appeared without a sound.

They were the Black Arrow Corps, whom Zebra Duke absolutely trusted.

Their assassination skills, honed over generations of serving the Zebra family, were unparalleled. They had never failed to assassinate their targets.

Zebra Duke gave the order.

"Go after that guy from a moment ago and kill him! And bring back the black crystal earring!"

"Yes."

The assassins vanished without a trace. Even Zebra Duke, who was standing right in front of them, didn't know when they had disappeared.

Impressed by their excellent skills, Zebra Duke smiled sinisterly.

'No matter how strong that guy is like a monster.'

How could he possibly withstand the sudden attack of the assassins, who could strike without even a mouse or a bird noticing?

Zebra Duke felt very satisfied as he imagined the despicable man dying in agony.

Just as he was humming a tune and sipping his drink, a small cat walked into the grand hall.

The plump creature had shiny black fur, with only its paws and the tip of its tail being white like snow.

'Cute!'

Zebra Duke's face lit up as he saw the cat's beady eyes.

The cat's charm was so absolute that it could even captivate a madman who considered humans mere livestock.

Enchanted, Zebra Duke was momentarily dazed. He was overwhelmed by the desire to keep this cat by his side for the rest of his life.

But that didn't last long.

Regaining his composure, Zebra Duke roared.

"What are the guards doing! How could they let a mere animal enter? Do you all want to die!"

"Sorry, sorry!"

The soldiers, who had rushed in upon hearing the commotion, felt as if they were possessed by a ghost.

We were certainly on strict guard. Our watch was so tight that not even an ant could enter. So how did this cat manage to sneak into the grand hall?

"You can't just stand there!"

The soldiers scrambled to drive the cat away.

However, the cat, despite being plump, was incredibly agile. It darted around the grand hall like it was its own living room, easily evading the soldiers, and then leaped up.

"Huh?"

Zebra Duke and the soldiers' eyes widened.

They saw small wings fluttering on the cat's back. Upon closer inspection, a small horn protruded from its forehead.

"M, Monster…!"

Realizing the cat's true nature, Zebra Duke frantically waved his hands.

But his sluggish movements were no match for the cat's agility.

"Meow!"

Swish! Swish, swish, swish!

The cat's short front paws swung like lightning.

Zebra Duke was overwhelmed by excruciating pain. He felt as if his face was being sliced by a razor and burned by fire.

"AAAAAAH!"

A sharp scream echoed through the grand hall.

Zebra Duke's large face was covered in blood, as if it had been brutally slashed.

"H, Huh."

The soldiers were terrified.

It was clear that the duke's wrath would fall upon us for failing to prevent the monster's entry.

'We will be tortured and killed horribly!'

'What do we do?'

'What can we do!'

The soldiers, communicating through their eyes, gripped their spears. They slowly approached Zebra Duke, who was trembling in pain, muttering all sorts of curses.

"Y, You guys, surely…!"

Zebra Duke, who had lived a life far from suffering due to his noble blood, faced death for the first time on this day, and by the hands of his subordinates.

"Have the audacity to harm your master! Do you not know that insubordination is the gravest of crimes! All of your kin will be dismembered and killed!"

Zebra Duke tried to intimidate them, but it didn't work. The soldiers' anger was palpable.

"How can we believe your words? We know you lie to people, promising to spare their lives, dozens of times when you torture them!"

"We have hated you from the start! Human butcher! It would be better if you died!"

"One of the girls you framed and killed was my relative! She was only fifteen! You bastard!"

The suppressed anger was now unleashed.

If we didn't kill him, we would die. The soldiers, well aware of this, had no choice but to stab Zebra Duke with their spears, gritting their teeth.

Thud! Thud, thud, thud!

"Y, You…! You…! Gah!"

The end of the cruel and wicked murderer, more evil than a demon, was tragic and meaningless.

"Meow."

The cat, the instigator of all this, was calmly leaving the grand hall.

***

"Was this your plan?"

On the outer wall of the castle.

Kiki's question, after using the <Eagle Eye> skill to live-stream the situation inside the castle.

Veraldin shook his head.

"No. I just wanted to obtain the bones of the Butcher."

Veraldin couldn't be sure why Grid, the Duke of Etrnal Kingdom, had come to the Zebra Duke's territory.

But he could make an educated guess.

The Butcher, a boss monster that had drawn many high-ranking players to this place.

Perhaps Grid had come here to raid the Butcher? That's what Veraldin had assumed, and he hadn't reported Grid's presence to the Zebra Duke.

As a result, Grid had raided the Butcher.

So far, everything had gone as expected.

But Veraldin hadn't anticipated that the Zebra Duke would be killed.

Technically, the soldiers had killed the Zebra Duke, but the black cat that had triggered the situation was clearly Grid's pet.

"Surprising."

Was Grid the kind of person who would act to protect the people of another country, even if it wasn't directly related to him?

A strange smile appeared on Veraldin's lips.

Kiki was worried.

"What do we do? There will be chaos."

The empire wouldn't sit idly by after a grand duke was killed. They would launch a large-scale investigation, and the atmosphere would be tense for a while.

The problem didn't end there.

The Zebra Duke's son was still young and emotionally unstable due to his mad father. It was doubtful that the other nobles in the territory would willingly hand over the lord's position to such a deficient boy. A bloody factional struggle was expected.

"Veraldin? What are you thinking? Shouldn't we report Grid to the higher-ups immediately?"

"Rejected."

"What?"

Kiki couldn't understand Veraldin.

Grid was an enemy. He had dealt a significant blow to their guild and plunged the Zebra Duke's territory, their guild's base, into chaos.

It was absurd to let him continue to act as he pleased, yet what was Veraldin thinking?

Veraldin explained his plan.

"We will take credit for arresting the soldiers who killed the Zebra Duke and increase our influence to make his son the new lord."

One shouldn't be bound by trivial favors to achieve a greater goal.

"This is a chance to make a big leap."

Veraldin believed that this incident would eventually allow him to take over the entire Zebra Duke's territory.

I will offer this territory to my master, Agnus.

***

Outside the Zebra Duke's castle.

Grid was waiting for Noe.

'If I could, I would have killed him myself.'

The Zebra Duke was a villain who should not be left alive.

Grid, who had met countless characters during his many adventures, had never seen such a cruel person.

But killing him with his own hands was too risky.

If he became a wanted criminal in the empire, it would be difficult to approach Ashmofel, and the Etrnal Kingdom would be in a difficult position.

If Veraldin had known he was an imperial noble, Grid wouldn't have bothered with the White Wolf Guild.

But Grid didn't know Veraldin's true identity, and fortunately, Veraldin hadn't reported Grid to the higher-ups.

"Is Grid a good person? So you punish bad people?"

Randy's question, who was starting to distinguish between good and evil.

Grid, satisfied with his growing friend, smiled and answered.

"I am not good."

That's right. Grid is not a saint. He wouldn't sacrifice himself for a stranger, though he might for his comrades.

But he had a sense of minimum decency.

He wasn't the kind of person who could ignore people trembling in fear of being butchered by a mad killer like the Zebra Duke.

If he lacked the power, he might have ignored it for his own safety.

'I am no longer a pushover.'

If I can help someone, I will, but only if it doesn't harm me.

This was Grid's evolved mindset.

Not particularly righteous, but not deserving of criticism, and just right.

"Anyway."

Grid sensed the presence of uninvited guests approaching stealthily.

With his insight exceeding 1,400, it wasn't difficult.

"Sending just these guys, the Zebra guy really underestimates people."

Grid's standard for judging assassins was Faker.

Assassins who were worse than Faker, i.e., most of the assassins in this world, were considered ants to him.

This wasn't arrogance.

From his perspective, it was the reality.

Given the nature of assassins, who rely on stealth and speed, it was practically impossible for them to threaten Grid, who had high insight and abnormal defensive capabilities.

At least, they needed to be at Faker's level to make him feel a chill.

Swoosh.

The assassins didn't realize that their presence had been detected.

They continued to close the distance stealthily and attempted to stab Grid in the neck.

At that moment.

Clang!

A golden blade flew and blocked the assassin's dagger.

"Showing off?"

"…!"

The assassin's expression didn't change, but he was internally shocked.

'He noticed my sneak attack? Impossible.'

He tried to stab again, but it was futile.

Thud!

"AAAAH!"

A golden blade, thrown by an unknown source, pierced the assassin's forehead.

A notification appeared in Grid's vision.

[Critical!]

[Dealt 1,590 damage to the target!]

'Even a critical hit on a vital point only does this much damage.'

Pabranium is the strongest mineral.

If weapons were made from Pabranium, their attack power would surpass even failed works.

But the Pabranium blades currently in use weren't fully effective.

'The miners need to find the western labyrinths quickly.'

Securing Pabranium would further enhance my luck.

The miners have a heavy responsibility.

While Grid was thinking, the assassins were on guard.

'This guy has an accomplice!'

When Grid arrived at the castle, he was alone. But now, he had a girl with him and hidden guards.

They needed to find the guard who kept throwing golden blades from somewhere.

But they couldn't detect his presence, which was frustrating.

Grid, who found the situation amusing, pointed to the sky.

"Up there."

"…?"

It was a fleeting moment.

The assassins looked up and saw the floating golden blades.

'An artifact!'

When the assassins looked back down at Grid, they saw three of their comrades impaled on a blue sword, dying.

"What the…!"

What a ridiculous situation!

"Ever been prey?"

There is a common trait between the past Grid and the current Grid.

They show no mercy to their enemies.

"Don't waste time and die quietly."

A half-covered iron mask.

At first, it looked like it was crying, but now it looked like it was smiling.

The assassins were experiencing the greatest fear of their lives.