Chapter 13 | The Assassin Searches for His Friend
Today was a holiday, meaning we had no classes. I took advantage of my free time by staying in my room and analyzing all the traces of Naoise that my information network collected. I desperately hoped to find him.
Naoise was the heir to one of the four major dukedoms, so his disappearance became quite a scandal. He’d vanished before, but always made arrangements to ensure that no one took issue with his absence. This time he didn’t bother. I inferred that meant he didn’t plan to come back.
“I hope House Romalung has some info…”
Nevan had taken my advice and begun searching for Naoise using House Romalung’s operatives. Dad had been dispatched for the same purpose. He was among the best assassins in the country—no one was more qualified for the job than he was.
A carrier pigeon arrived just as I reached a stopping point.
“A letter from Dad…”
The bird was a special breed raised by the Tuatha Dé clan. It was tougher and flew faster than ordinary carrier pigeons. I took the letter and deciphered the coded message.
“…Talk about ominous.”
Dad’s message sounded like a will. It told me where documents important to House Tuatha Dé were stored and that he’d affixed his seal to the ones necessary for me to succeed him. He also shared the whereabouts of a book containing Tuatha Dé secrets he’d yet to teach me, instructed me about inheriting the duties of a feudal lord, and asked that I look after my mom and unborn sister. And finally…
“I’m surprised Dad would joke like this… No, he’s serious.”
…he said that if Mom tried to remarry after his death, he wanted me to oppose it as her son and meticulously obstruct any potential suitors. A part of me thought it’d be better for Dad to wish Mom happiness, but I guess that was just how much he loved her. He wanted to keep her for himself, even in death. I understood where he was coming from—the notion of Dia remarrying hurt my heart.
“Sending this letter means he feels he might die on this job.”
I was the reason he had this assignment. On the off chance that anything happened, I would swear to carry out the contents of this will to the letter. I didn’t have to worry about my mom remarrying. Knowing her, she’d never take another husband.
I finished analyzing the information.
“It’s no use. I still have no idea where Naoise is. There’s one thing I’m worried about, though. The writing of my intelligence agent in Gephis feels a little different.”
My operatives recorded themselves reading written reports when contacting me over the telecommunications network. I gathered these audio logs and listened to them. The voice undoubtedly belonged to the agent deployed in the Gephis domain, but something was off about their wording… Almost as though they were being forced to read a document prepared by someone else.
I trusted my intelligence agents but remained aware that an enemy could capture them. Thus, I made sure to memorize their voices and writing habits.
Naoise’s family rules the Gephis domain. There’s no way this irregularity is a coincidence.
What if Mina captured my operative and forced them to read false reports?
I gave each of my agents a portable communication device, but none of them would give away the location of a base unit… My telecommunications network should be safe. Still, it’s best to assume all information shared on the network, especially on open channels, will be heard by the enemy.
I wondered if I should head to Gephis, but I decided against that. Information was the priority. That domain was dangerous territory now, and I had to be prepared. Nevan surely understood that as well as I did, which meant that House Romalung had likely performed a thorough investigation already.
When I visited Nevan, she suggested we move to a terrace in the courtyard, offering tea upon our arrival. She lived in the S-class dorm like I did, so I could drop by whenever I wanted. The Alam Karla had finally been deemed safe the other day, which allowed Nevan to return to the academy.
“I’m flattered by the visit, Sir Lugh, but is it not a bit early to creep into a girl’s bedroom?”
“This is no time for jokes… My intelligence agent in the Gephis domain assigned to the telecommunications network has been captured.”
“Interesting… I wonder how that happened.”
“What’s going on in Gephis? Tell me everything you know.”
“I could do that, but I have no obligation to tell you anything for free.”
“I suspect that House Romalung is at fault for information on my intelligence agents leaking.”
“That’s possible. But do you have proof?”
I promised to let Duke Romalung use my telecommunications network as part of our deal, and I passed him information about my agents so he could access it. I doubted my operative would have been discovered otherwise.
“No, but…there’s value enough in knowing that something has happened to one of my people. I want compensation.”
“I suppose you’re right. Very well. Let’s see, where should I start? Famous knights in the Gephis domain have been disappearing lately. The first to vanish were those of the Gephis Ducal Guard. Each one of them is an elite, as you would expect of knights in the employ of one of the four great dukedoms. They are the strongest order in this kingdom and beyond—House Romalung excluded, of course. Their vanishing is concerning.”
The knights of the Gephis Ducal Guard were strong. Even I would struggle against them in a one-on-one sword fight. They were one of the big three orders in Alvan.
“…I didn’t hear anything about that. I should assume my agent has been a puppet for a while now.”
“That must be the case. Even House Romalung only learned of this yesterday in a report from your father.”
“Don’t be absurd. I’m sure there are Romalung agents in Gephis. Undoubtedly, they sent a carrier pigeon immediately after learning of the knights’ disappearance.”
“You’re right. However, our agents have become puppets of the enemy as well. They’ve made fools of us all.”
I couldn’t believe my ears. My agent’s capture was shocking, but it didn’t totally shock me. Using the telecommunications network gave my operatives a massive advantage, and I chose them from a qualified group of knights who idolized me—espionage was not their specialty. That was not true of House Romalung’s agents, though. They were highly trained, with an aptitude for intelligence. It was difficult to imagine them getting caught.
“I’m sure House Romalung sent several of its most elite agents. Are you suggesting they were all rounded up with no time to report their abduction? And that they failed to commit suicide, allowing the enemy to use them to send false information? I don’t believe it. Are you sure about this?”
“I doubted it at first, too, but unfortunately, we’ve found evidence to confirm your father’s report. I offer you my deepest apologies. I challenged your accusation, but considering the situation and the timing of your agent’s capture, it’s likely that House Romalung is at fault for the information leak.”
Nevan bowed, graceful even in apology. The situation was even worse than I thought.
“Someone has conquered the Gephis domain. Their total control over information shows that their takeover is complete. Gephis is not a simple hideout for the enemy—the entire region should be considered subject to their whims. We need to take immediate—”
I stopped talking when Nevan and I both sensed a presence. We stood, strengthened ourselves with all our mana, and reached for our weapons.
“Ha-ha-ha, you two never cease to impress. I can see why that boy is so jealous. I’m tempted to eat you both and add you to my collection.”
A voluptuous woman appeared. She had dark skin and vertical irises like a serpent’s. It was Mina, the snake demon with a love for human culture, my supposed ally.
“…I see you’ve dropped the human act,” I said.
Mina disguised herself as a noble to infiltrate aristocratic society, and she always maintained human form to keep up the ruse. Now, however, she exposed her snake eyes and tail, flaunting her overwhelming power. Not suited for combat, my ass. She’s stronger than any demon I’ve fought yet.
“I have no need to conceal myself any longer. You two guessed correctly—I’m going to use what I’ve conquered to make this country mine,” Mina responded.
“Are you talking about the Gephis domain? The missing knights are already monsters, then?”
“Hee-hee, I’m just getting started. My little Naoise is going to lead my adorable children and conquer this nation’s domains one by one. You humans are powerless to resist.”
House Gephis was the only family in the kingdom powerful enough to challenge House Romalung. If Mina had captured its elite knights and increased their strength by turning them into snake people, she really stood a chance at taking over.
“What happened to enjoying human culture?”
“Oh, Lugh. I can enjoy human culture just fine after conquering the world. I will become the Demon King and rule the world, not destroy it. I won’t kill anyone who surrenders to me.”
Something had changed for Mina. She had me eliminate the other demons competing to become the Demon King because her strength supposedly paled in comparison to theirs. There were still other demons left, but something had happened to change her mind.
“Did you come here to tell us that?”
“Yes. It may be over now, but we had an alliance. I felt obligated to inform you that I’m moving on. Thank you very much for eliminating those pesky rivals of mine. You’ve done great work for me,” Mina said.
“You’re very welcome,” I responded with a smile, preparing to kill her. I could keep the damage to a minimum if I took her out now. The problem was, I’d brought only minimal weaponry to avoid putting Nevan on edge. Dia’s absence made this a challenge as well. The chances of me successfully hitting Mina with Demonkiller and inflicting a mortal wound were very low.
“I have one other purpose for visiting. I thought I’d let you know my adorable little Naoise’s request.”
Mina disappeared. She hadn’t moved so quickly that my eyes couldn’t follow. Rather, her presence vanished entirely, as though she’d teleported. She next appeared before Nevan. This must have been a special ability of hers.
Mina put a finger under Nevan’s chin and lifted her face. “Hee-hee, that boy had the gall to give me a condition… He told me to leave you alive. It would be so much fun to torment such a beautiful girl.”
Nevan silently retaliated with a high kick. It was an impressive attack, strong enough to break an experienced knight’s neck, but Mina easily caught the blow.
“Oh dear, it’s improper for a girl to lift her legs like that… I promised not to hurt you, but this is self-defense. It’s hardly my fault.”
“Gah!”
Nevan attempted to free her captured limb by twisting it, but Mina threw her before she could. Nevan crashed into a brick wall and fell limply to the ground.
“That strength… You’re not already the Demon King, are you?” I asked.
Mina laughed. “Hmm-hmm-hmm, you’re way off. I merely obtained the fodder you found for me.”
“No way… You ate the Fruit of Life…?”
“You clearly took great pains to hide and seal it, but your efforts were a waste. You can’t keep anything from me. I have more than monsters in my employ—I also share the senses of every snake in the world. You’re an assassin, aren’t you? You’re doing your best as a human, but snakes are assassins from birth. You can’t possibly best them.”
Snakes could certainly be considered nature’s assassins. Instead of relying on eyesight, they observed the world with pit organs on their heads that detected infrared radiation from warm bodies. No one could eliminate body heat, no matter how skilled they were at avoiding detection. Slithering was also much quieter than walking, and their low point of vision helped them surprise prey. Furthermore, their high adaptability meant they could live anywhere. If Mina truly did share the vision of all serpents, it would be impossible to get anything by her.
“Well, congrats on taking one step toward becoming the Demon King. But you need at least three Fruits of Life, right? Have you worked out how to get the other two?”
Just one Fruit of Life granted her astronomical strength. If she intended to become the Demon King, I had no choice but to kill her now.
“Yes, the second will be harvested shortly. The boy is using his knights to round up his own citizens and make one for me. I’ll obtain the third soon after. Hmm-hmm-hmm, ha-ha-ha!”
I couldn’t believe it. I was going to be the lord of the Tuatha Dé domain one day, so I knew what it was like to have subjects. How could a lord, who was supposed to protect his people, sacrifice them to a demon? I couldn’t allow it.
I tried to regain my composure and, in an attempt to kill Mina immediately, drew my pistol and shot three times. All three bullets bounced off her skin. The sight made me recall my recent duel with Epona. Defeating Mina would be similarly difficult.
“Is that any way to treat a lady? I have no intention of attacking you. However, I only spared the girl because little Naoise insisted. I don’t want to kill you, Lugh. You’ve worked so hard for me. Don’t you think we could continue to make a great team?” Mina asked.
“You have no shame. You intended to betray me from the beginning, once you obtained the power you sought,” I responded.
“I could say the same of you.”
She was right. This was my fault for letting her betray me first.
“I have one warning for you. Don’t get in my way if you value your life. I’ll leave you alone if you keep to yourself. Run and never look back, and you won’t have to die.”
“And if I do get in your way?”
“I’ll capture you and make you my pet. Both of you. You’ll be much better toys than the boy.” Mina disappeared.
This was bad. Really bad. Still, I had options. There was no way in hell I could run. If I did, Mina would conquer the kingdom, which meant the Tuatha Dé domain’s ruin. I wouldn’t abandon the place I loved.
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