Chapter 70

Chapter 71 (70/324)

71

An artifact to view a lion's memories.

Commonly known as a memory summoner.

Its appearance resembled that of a bracelet.

The moment I infused mana into the artifact,

Hum!

A fierce tremor emitted from the artifact, and a blue mana burst out. The mana headed straight for the assassin's head.

Twitch!

As the mana entered the head, the assassin's corpse stirred. Soon, a small hologram began to float in front of the bracelet.

It looked like a tiny TV.

The time I could use this artifact was not long.

The best way to use the bracelet in my hand.

It was precisely this:

"Baron."

To narrow down the memory to be found using a keyword.

The moment I said the keyword,

The scene began to play inside the screen, just like watching a movie on a smartphone.

A pitch-black space.

A voice flowed out from the small screen.

"A request."

"The client is?"

"Baron Remington."

"What is the content?"

"The Celterion Viscount's annex. Among the people there, you need to kill these two."

A black-clothed masked person then handed over a picture with a montage drawn on it. It was clearly Ersiel and Seron.

"It's virtually impossible to penetrate the security of the Celterion Viscount's annex."

"Under normal circumstances, yes. But there is an insider who will inform you of the security's weak points."

"How many people?"

"You and ten intermediates. Lastly, I will add twenty juniors."

"Just kids. Killing them won't be difficult, but there's a senior guard knight protecting the annex. It's impossible to get past him with that number of people."

"He has gone to Helena. It's said he won't return for a while. Currently, most of the guards at the annex are either junior or intermediate experts."

"In that case."

"Do not tarnish the reputation of the Black Shadows. Failure is... "

"Nonexistent."

The moment the video playback ended,

A smile spread across my lips.

'I found it.'

The Black Shadows.

One of the more famous organizations in the underworld.

Their main business was the assassination of important figures, and they were rumored to have an extremely high success rate in the industry.

'So they only sent one senior.'

Ersiel and Seron.

They both looked like ordinary kids, and it was probably expected that the security could be easily breached with the help of an insider.

If they had intended to assassinate me,

At least one top-tier assassin and over ten seniors would have been assigned.

That many people would have been necessary to get past a senior expert guard.

Crack!

Soon, a crack slowly appeared on the bracelet hanging on my arm.

Clang!

With a sound like shattering glass, fragments began to fall to the ground.

The time to view memories.

The given time had ended.

The viscount, who had been quietly looking at the broken bracelet, spoke.

"Baron Remington. It was him."

"Yes, it seems certain."

"By the way, about that artifact... Can it also view old memories?"

Shaking my head at Remton's question,

It wasn't that convenient.

"It can only go back up to a month after death. Additionally, to find the desired memory, you need to say a specific related word, and it can only recognize one word."

Moreover, it could only show the most recent memory related to the keyword, and it couldn't be used repeatedly on the same corpse. Various restrictions were attached to this artifact because once used, the brain of the lion whose memory was played back would melt.

After explaining all of this, the viscount nodded.

"So there are limitations."

"Yes."

"The Black Shadows... Let's find these guys first."

"There's no need. I know where they live."

"…You?"

"Yes. I heard about it in the past."

Seeming to understand something from my words, Remton nodded. After all, it was common for rascals to be well-informed about the underworld.

"Where is it?"

"Pelfran. The Saram Inn there is their base."

"Pelfran. It's not too far."

Pelfran.

One of the cities that could be reached in about three days by horse.

"If we sweep the place, we can find evidence. No matter how thorough they are, they must have a ledger with information on their targets."

If there was a list in the ledger, it could be useful later. Whether for blackmail or to prevent a backstab, it was very useful information.

Of course, there was a 100% chance that such a ledger, containing the client's personal information and the amount, existed in such a shady organization.

Unfortunately, the assassins didn't call out the name of the insider, so it would take some time to deal with Baron Hemington.

But it didn't matter.

Just knowing the name of the baron who placed the request was enough.

After finding the ledger with the baron's name,

I would capture the guy and send Baron Hemington to the grave with him.

After a pleasant torture session, he would surely reveal Baron Hemington's name.

"I'll send the Storm Corps."

The Storm Corps.

An elite knight corps consisting only of experts at the intermediate level or above who had learned the Storm Sword.

It had two meanings.

Not only was it named after the Storm Sword they learned,

But it was also called that because nothing was left after they swept a place.

They would likely have no trouble wiping out the assassins whose hideout was exposed.

"Will you immediately confront the Frinners once you find the ledger?"

"I'm not sure. It will probably be after the succession ceremony."

I quickly understood why the viscount made that judgment. It was likely to bolster the next heir's power.

After all, when a war breaks out, the members involved usually develop a terrifying cohesion.

Moreover, since Baron Remington had no chance of losing,

Power would quickly begin to gather around the next heir who returned victorious.

This was probably the picture Remton was aiming for.

Unfortunately, a split apple would never stick back together.

I nodded at the viscount.

"I understand."

"Good. You've done well. Go and rest. I'll call you again when we find the evidence."

"Yes."

After the conversation ended,

One of the knight corps in the viscount's household began to secretly leave the territory.

* * * * *

As I entered the annex, the neatly organized interior caught my eye. If I hadn't known, I wouldn't have realized that assassins had broken in.

Soon, Ersiel and Seron approached me.

"Master!"

"Everything is neatly organized?"

"Yes."

"Were there any casualties?"

At my question, her face darkened.

"...A few servants..."

I see.

After the alarm magic sounded,

The assassins began their actions, and casualties occurred.

Since the visit wasn't for a good cause and they needed to find the target quickly,

'They must have acted aggressively.'

To find the target in a short time, they likely resorted to threats and killings.

Judging by her expression, some of the maids she was close to were also victims.

"Revenge will be taken by the knight corps."

"...The knight corps?"

"We've found the mastermind."

"The mastermind...?"

"Baron Remington. He placed the request. It was one of the assassin groups. The Storm Corps will take care of it, so it won't take long to sweep them out."

"Indeed, if it's the Storm Corps."

Ersiel and Seron.

Although they were safe, I had no intention of letting the nuisances who would keep causing trouble go unpunished.

The baron and the viscount.

Both would soon be made to close their eyes neatly at the guillotine.

"Are you okay? Any injuries? How about you, Seron?"

"I'm fine."

"I'm... fine. Thanks to the energy given by Ersiel, I could handle them."

"Did you see the bodies? To erase the traces, right?"

At my question, Seron frowned, recalling the unpleasant memory, then

"...Yes."

She nodded slightly.

"Good job."

"Ah... It wasn't my decision. Ersiel asked me to do it."

"Really?"

At Seron's words, Ersiel nodded.

"Yes. I heard it from the spirit."

" Heard?"

"Here... it's a bit..."

It seemed she had heard something.

At her words, I pulled Leonhard and Seron back a bit.

Ancient spirit.

If it was something the spirit said, it was worth listening to. Soon, she leaned in and whispered quietly.

"The spirit said there's a bad aura here. It's full of evil energy... and it's boiling."

"Boiling?"

At my question, she nodded.

"Yes. It's a suppression spell, a spell that suppresses human nature. The spirit warned that it might burst soon."

Hmm.

This spirit must have sensed something about the 5th Legion under Adolph's command.

Is it because it's a spirit of light?

It seems to have quite sharp senses.

Well,

Light and darkness are opposites, so it's possible.

"By the way, can you now have a conversation with it?"

"Yes. My spirit power has risen to the point where I can have a direct conversation."

I see.

The deeper the spirit power, the deeper the communication with the spirit, so it's not strange that she can now have a direct conversation.

"Did it say anything else?"

"Your magic seems a bit special..."

"That's something you already know, right?"

At her words, she shook her head.

"The magic you use is similar to the magic used a long time ago."

"My magic?"

"Yes."

A long time ago.

When the ancient spirit says a long time ago, it can only mean that time.

The time of the ancient empire.

Ancient spirit.

The name 'ancient' wasn't attached for no reason.

It was created during that time.

'An artificial spirit.'

A growth-type spirit artificially created by humans who had gained immense power.

That was the ancient spirit.

It seems to have sensed traces from the way I cast my magic.

The way users cast magic might actually be the way ancient empire mages cast their spells?

This was the first time I found out.

I only knew the surface details about the ancient empire.

Information about that era could only be found occasionally in dungeons, ruins, or ancient books.

"Did the spirit also tell you to hide the traces?"

"...Yes. It said it would be troublesome if it was discovered. Do you know something, Master?"

Curiosity filled her eyes as she asked.

Should I tell her or not?

After a moment's thought, I answered.

"It's not certain yet. But... about my second brother. I don't have a good feeling about him. That's why I told him to be careful when summoning."

"...Adolph?"

"Yeah. Most people probably don't know. So don't show it, just act normally. I'll handle it."

At my words, she nodded vigorously.

"Yes."

While I was having this quiet conversation with her,

A knight who had run from a distance approached Leonhard and started talking to him.

A moment later,

My guard knight, who had nodded, approached me.

"Master."

"Hmm?"

"Lady Iris is coming soon."

"Iris? Oh."

Come to think of it,

The one-month deadline we discussed last time was almost up.

It's a few days early, but,

What a patient kid.

"Did she come by carriage?"

"No. She's coming through the gate."

"...Teleportation gate?"

"Yes."

Well,

To come here through a gate, at least ten intermediate mana stones would be needed.

How much of a daddy's girl is she to use a gate for a distance of about a week?

She must have been really worried.

"I see."

What does she want to learn this time?

While I was thinking about the hybrid casting method,

A girl accompanied by a guard knight began to approach from a distance.

It was Iris.

Purple ponytail.

And a light purple dress that seemed heavily adorned, along with all kinds of jewelry.

Is she going to a blind date or something?

Meanwhile,

Our eyes met.

"It's been a while, Lady."

At my words, the kid clenched her lips and quietly began to speak.

"...Can we talk for a moment?"

Her eyes clearly showed that she was very angry.

Judging by the fact that she didn't grab her stomach, she must have thought about it at least three times.

Well, I'll listen.

"Follow me."

Soon, we began to enter the annex.