Chapter 106: Thinning (2)
Green was spreading along the palace courtyard. It was the time when summer was approaching at the end of spring.
Soon, the spring flowers like primroses and hyacinths that were in full bloom would lower their heads, and summer flowers would take their place.
Saaaak- The soft sounds of leaves and grass brushing against the wind in the alleyways were faint. It was a quiet morning.
Although it was a path he had always walked, Carlyn was immersed in sentimentality at the familiar scenery.
‘In the end, what I want is this kind of tranquility.’
He had spent a long time here. Correspondingly, his memories of Earth were fading little by little.
The goal of Carlyn, who he had become, was survival. Returning was an issue to think about after that.
Anyway, after surviving he would have wished for a peaceful and comfortable life. Whether on Earth or here in Eden.
Carlyn hoped this moment of stillness would continue. But it was an impossible reality.
He turned his head slightly. The scenery of the imperial palace where he had been living appeared. What his eyes were fixed on deeply was where the Princess’s room was.
Without exchanging greetings, they also couldn’t share any farewells. Naturally, he couldn’t mention that something was about to happen soon.
‘Although I did say something could happen any time.’
When it came time to leave, his heart felt a little reluctant too.
It was the moment he had to abandon everything he had accomplished as the Princess’s knight, Carl Schurtafen.
It was an expected situation, but actually going through it was another matter.
It was said that even skilled spies feel regret when a long disguise ends, so he thought this sentiment was nothing special.
Standing there too long would seem strange.
Carlyn turned his body again. He left the palace through the path he always walked. In an instant, the tranquility disappeared completely.
‘Was it the calm before the storm?’
Because as soon as he left the palace, the Empire’s eyes were fixed on him. There was no change yet.
Haisen would also make contact with the Empire around evening.
Time was life in this matter. If he talked too early, the Empire’s traitors could whisper it to the leader.
Arriving home, Carlyn picked up the newspaper first. As usual, he unfolded it and went inside.
‘Huh?’
Unfolding the newspaper, he felt a faint sense of discomfort. As he turned two pages, a sheet of paper fluttered out.
The appearance was a bill for the newspaper subscription fee. But the content was not so.
-Farewell, again.
Carlyn could tell this was a message sent by Phiri. In front of the Duke’s confidant, the two of them could not comfortably exchange greetings.
With the small bill, there were limits to conveying words in code, but the size of that sentiment was fully felt.
‘Farewell, again.’
After pondering those words briefly, Carlyn tore up the bill and threw it into the fireplace. He couldn’t carry it around and leaving it would be dangerous.
There was no other meaningful information in the newspaper he read afterward.
Carlyn simply took care of his meal and then laid down on the bed. He hadn’t properly slept for days.
To think about what would happen today, he had to store up even a bit of stamina.
It was a deep sleep, without nightmares.
Even before opening my eyes, I realized today was the day. The day I was in peak condition.
My five senses were keen.
Through my ears, I could hear the foul language of men far down the alley. Through my nose came the smell of food from a street stall 300 meters away.
Strength around 6 times greater than usual was coiled up inside my body. The circulation of mana was extremely neat.
I could vividly sense every corner of the mana circuitry within my body.
I couldn’t be 100% certain but the signs I felt last night seemed real.
Was I lucky?
‘No, no.’
In fact, it was right to say I had no luck at all until now. On important occasions, there hadn’t been a day I was in good condition.
The time when I was learning weapons under the Duke was probably the best.
Even then, it wasn’t a hugely important event. It would have happened sooner or later.
I was certain.
‘There won’t be any problems.’
There was no better day than today. It was as if the heavens were helping me. The mission would not fail.
The time was 6 pm. The number watching me was still four.
I sat cross-legged. It was to focus on the Moonlight Technique. I wanted to gain even a bit of enlightenment, if only briefly.
The moon that had yet to become a crescent rises in my mind. Under the moonlight in my vision, I grasped the Moonlight.
I reviewed the past battle. The war with the West, assassinations, and the battle with Ante. 𝐟𝐫eewe𝗯𝐧𝚘ve𝐥.c𝚘𝚖
Things I hadn’t seen or missed back then become clearer little by little. And although the meditation wasn’t long, before I knew it I had learned it.
However, I was unable to pass the 5-star level of Moonlight Technique. After all, I had only recently reached 4-star.
I didn’t have high expectations but still, I was disappointed.
“Hoo.”
As I breathed out deeply and opened my eyes, there was indescribable calmness about the imminent events.
I got up, had a cup of coffee, then finished preparations to head out.
Now was the time to move. I went out to the street in my usual attire.
It was to meet one person. The Empire’s dogs still numbered four. They tailed me.
I moved here and there, conversing with various people who recognized me.
I browsed newspaper stands and dropped by bookstores, flipping through various books.
Was this enough?
They were suspicious actions I normally didn’t do. I sensed the imperial agents having a silent conversation.
And at the end, I met a man in the promised outfit at the promised place.
He was a Haisen patriot.
“Hello. The weather’s nice today, isn’t it?”
“Yes, summer’s almost here.”
I nodded at the man’s greeting. This man didn’t know about this operation. He would only know his own duty.
To confess to being a devil worshipper after being captured by the Empire and die.
There was no need to worry. He was someone personally sent by the Duke. His patriotic brainwashing couldn’t be compared to mine.
The look in his eyes already shone with extraordinary determination.
A half-concealed tattoo was visible on his neck. It was the devil worshippers’. He must have copied it after seeing a corpse.
Carlyn exchanged quite long small talk with the man.
It was a time that would feel distinctly different from other people. Then he nodded with a slightly strange expression.
Now I just had to turn and hurry back home.
‘One down.’
Of the four, one was tailing the man. One turned the other way.
Seems to be reporting upwards.
I immediately started preparations after returning home. It was setting up to look like a devil worshipper.
I had hidden sinister things like devil worshipper charms and symbols I had obtained during the last assassination here and there around the room.
Naturally, I had also drawn a strange-looking magic circle in the bedroom. It wasn’t a difficult task.
Arranging the tattoos I had seen on the corpses in an inverted pentagram was the end of it.
‘It’s not really what those guys use though.’
The details weren’t important. It just had to look that way.
No one would say this wasn’t real after seeing what I had prepared. It would seem I was proving I was a devil worshipper.
Later when there was more information about them, I could use this to my advantage.
I just had to claim I wasn’t really a devil worshipper after Erendil became Emperor when I returned.
‘Eight.’
At some point, the quality and density of the surveillance had changed.
Seems the word from Haisen had been relayed. Of course, the report from the dog watching me would have gone up too.
The reason they weren’t swooping in immediately was probably insufficient confidence in the obtained information.
I was the Empire’s war hero and the Princess’s knight.
They couldn’t intimidate me with just the information from Haisen and some suspicious behavior.
While checking the imperial agents’ positioning, I headed to the bedroom.
‘It’s been a while.’
I took out the outfit and equipment I hadn’t used in a long time from under the bed with Winds.
They were things made by the dwarf, Hamal.
Because I had grown quickly, the clothes fitted at that time still fit well. Not exactly, but there was no discomfort.
I put a dagger on my right thigh, and attached the short sword and smoke bombs inside my cloak.
Now it was 9 pm.
There were still 3 hours until the promised time, but I had no intention of moving at midnight to begin with.
Because I also couldn’t fully trust Haisen.
It was not that I thought Phiri or the Duke and his confidant were devil worshippers. But I couldn’t know what was in their hearts.
The Duke’s plan may have been similar to mine. But there was no guarantee it was completely identical.
That plan may end with my death.
‘To leave no aftermath, nothing less than my death would suffice.’
That was the safest path for Haisen.
Even if the Duke didn’t have that thought, I was bothered by the coldness and unease of that confidant.
It was common for patriots with strong loyalty to disobey orders based on their beliefs.
The man seemed to see me as an uneasy element. Somehow, I had felt uncomfortable. There was no need to take unnecessary risks.
Anyway, I still had to move today, so making my own variables was the idea.
I also didn’t intend to use the escape route they had prepared.
‘Alright, let’s go.’
Once I started moving, it became a race against time. The Duke’s confidant with the Shadow mystic power might notice my movements.
Although that man was a variable, mystic powers weren’t omnipotent. Besides, he couldn’t harm me until after the leader was killed.
I waited below the window facing the back alley.
Eight agents were watching me from all directions. Two were looking at this window together.
But I only believed in human concentration. It couldn’t be optimal every single moment.
Let alone myself.
Unexpectedly, the wait wasn’t long. 13 minutes. Their vision moved away from each other a little. Facing different alleys.
The moment the window opened with Winds, I leaped to the opposite side of the alley. The Winds closed the window again. It was an instant movement.
‘Phew. Wasn’t caught.’
With no sound, as I had blocked it with Winds, those guys were unable to detect any movement.
Still, it wouldn’t have been possible without being in my peak condition.
If not, things would have gotten a little harder.
Well, what’s good is good. I sprinted down the alley at top speed. I scoured the alley in the blink of an eye.
Before I knew it, I had reached outside their visible range.
Now these eight would confirm I wasn’t inside the house when an uproar happened.
‘I just have to show my face while escaping after killing the leader.’
Since there were imperial eyes everywhere, I headed in the direction using alleys and rooftops.
The leader wasn’t at the hideout I had gone to before. Because he moved residences periodically.
I arrived at the primary target point. It was a deserted alley near the leader’s hideout.
When I moved the marked red brick, there was an old worn-out box.
It was the items Haisen had promised to provide support with.
In fact, because I had moved earlier than planned, I didn’t know if it would be there. It was fine if it wasn’t though.
‘It’s better than I thought?’
Magic bombs, flash bombs, and even firebombs focused solely on arson.
The quantity wasn’t small either. I put them in my cape coat. Bound by Winds, there was no discomfort moving.
After taking all the items, I exited the alley. As I walked a bit more, an upscale clothing store came into view.
It was already after closing hours but that was irrelevant. Haisen agents could be seen nearby.
‘Well, some damage is unavoidable.’
I realized my breathing had quickened unconsciously. Hoo- I deliberately slowed my breathing.
Calm down. Getting excited for battle before it even starts, what good will come of that?
After the brief self-admonishment, I regained my calm. For me, the leader was prey, and for the imperial guys I was prey.
Victory and defeat would depend on which hunter was more outstanding.
However, the fact that the leader was also hunting me made this an unfavorable fight.
‘Or is it not so?’
With the codename being Thinning, perhaps calling it more of a culling would be accurate.
A smile crept onto my lips amidst this tense situation, for some reason.
It was my peak condition. My body, moving as I will, was giving a sense of excitement I hadn’t felt in a long time.
I didn’t feel at all like I would fail.
Author's Thoughts
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