Chapter 136 : Assassination - 4
Chapter 136: Assassination - 4
Kaid shouted.
“Why, why! What grudge could you possibly have against me?”
“I don’t have any feelings toward you at all. I simply coveted the Invisibility Cloak.”
“…….”
“Originally, I planned to take the cloak from you and then kill myself. That way, the Invisibility Cloak’s function would return….”
I cut him off.
“You were planning to use that to kill me and my Companions, weren’t you?”
Edgar looked at me with a faint smile.
“Truly, your ability to see the future is troublesome to deal with.”
“…….”
“Well, that’s precisely why I expected you to show up here. Even so, I fully intend to secure the cloak.”
“You’re saying you want to settle this by force?”
My Companions once again placed their hands on their respective weapons.
However, Edgar shook his head.
Then he opened his mouth toward Kaid.
“Mr. Kaid. You need to think carefully.”
“About what? It’s already obvious how black your insides are.”
“It’s true that I took away the Invisibility Cloak’s function, but I’m also the one who can restore it.”
“…….”
“To be precise, ‘only I’ can restore its function. By killing myself while wearing the Shoes.”
Kaid’s complexion changed.
Edgar continued leisurely.
“In this situation, shouldn’t you be on my good side? If the cloak’s function doesn’t return, you’ll be dragged to Hell and punished by your Master.”
“Ugh.”
“Let’s do this, Mr. Kaid.”
Neither I nor my Companions bothered to stop him.
We had already expected he would come out like this.
In fact, it would have been troublesome if he didn’t.
Yes.
Edgar was steadily taking one step after another into the trap we had laid.
“Lend me the Invisibility Cloak for just one day.”
“What?”
“For one day, Louis and I will protect you. So that you won’t be dragged to Hell.”
“And after that?”
“Of course, I’ll return the Invisibility Cloak properly. You can wear it again and free yourself from your Master.”
Kaid’s eyes wavered.
At that moment, Aina raised her voice.
A performance to make this trap appear even more convincing.
“Don’t fall for it, Kaid. You can see for yourself that he’s utterly vicious!”
“But what he’s saying isn’t wrong. There’s no one besides him who can restore the cloak’s function.”
“Th-that may be true… but how can we believe he’ll return the cloak after a day? He definitely won’t give it back!”
Then Edgar spoke.
“Then let’s set up a guarantee.”
“A guarantee?”
“Yes. We’ll receive a guarantee from Magireta noona. I’ll borrow the Invisibility Cloak from you for just one day. During that time, I’ll ensure you’re not dragged to Hell.”
“…….”
“And finally, after one day, I will certainly return the cloak. We’ll form a contract between us under those terms.”
A contractual guarantee from Magireta under the Hidden Rule.
It was the most certain promise imaginable, to the point that no flowery words could compare.
Kaid wavered even more than before.
Feigning urgency, I spoke.
“Wait. You can’t just push this forward on your own.”
“Mason.”
“Kaid. That bastard intends to kill me and my Companions with the cloak. Lending it to him is the same as killing us yourself.”
“……Then will you restore the cloak’s function for me, Mr. Mason?”
I pressed my lips tightly together.
The corner of Edgar’s mouth curled upward.
After waiting a moment, Kaid spoke.
“Very well, Mr. Edgar. Let’s form the contract—”
“Kaid!”
I shouted, letting anger flare in my voice.
“If you join hands with him, I’ll use my Shoes to block the cloak’s function. Forever!”
“Don’t listen to him, Mr. Kaid.”
“You think I can’t do it?”
“No. You probably can. I’ll just make sure you can’t.”
After saying that, Edgar suddenly shouted loudly into the air.
“Noona!”
“I told you not to call me noona.”
“You’re as consistent as ever.”
“What is it?”
Magireta descended smoothly from the sky.
Wearing a victor’s smile, Edgar spoke.
“You understand the situation, don’t you? Mason is threatening to block the Invisibility Cloak’s function with his Shoes.”
“Mm. Exactly what you were doing just earlier.”
“Let’s bury the past. The future is what matters. People must always live looking toward the future.”
“That’s something criminals often say.”
“Let’s make a deal, noona.”
Just as I thought, he would take it this far.
I subtly signaled to Magireta with my eyes.
She gave me the slightest nod.
Then, in a solemn voice, she asked,
“A deal? What kind of deal?”
“Please make it so Mason cannot take away the Invisibility Cloak’s function with his Shoes.”
“Hm….”
At that moment, Karin cried out sharply.
“Wait. That’s ridiculous. Blocking the rights of a First-place reward?”
“That half-wit is right, Edgar.”
“Hey. Who are you calling a half-wit?”
“Normally I shouldn’t reveal this, but I’ll give you a special service. Through a deal, it’s impossible to block someone else’s First-place reward.”
Despite that clear refusal, Edgar did not lose his composure.
“What in this world is truly impossible? It’s simply that the price hasn’t been high enough.”
“…Well, to be precise, yes. I meant even staking your life wouldn’t be enough.”
“That would be the case if you were blocking the right forever.”
“And what are you implying?”
“One day. Just for one day, make it so Mason cannot take away the Invisibility Cloak’s function.”
One day.
It was the same period Edgar had just proposed to borrow the Invisibility Cloak.
He was limiting it to the exact time he would have the cloak.
In that case?
“Then… hmm. Shall we put it on the scale?”
“By all means.”
I spoke urgently.
“Wait. Noona. You can’t.”
“Sorry, little brother. I can’t refuse a request for a deal once it’s made.”
“Ahhh….”
“Let’s see… Mm. It should work. We can proceed like this, right?”
Edgar grinned.
“After we withdraw from here first.”
At some point, a Teleportation bead had appeared in his hand.
Then he gestured to Kaid.
“Please come this way, Mr. Kaid.”
“…….”
“If you’ve understood the entire flow of this conversation, you should realize you have no other choice.”
“Khmm.”
Kaid bowed his head toward me and said.
“I’m terribly sorry about this, Mr. Mason.”
“You’re truly despicable.”
“I hear that quite often. Hehe.”
“Kaid….”
“Truth be told, emotionally I’m on your side, Mr. Mason. But first and foremost, I’ve got to survive.”
He slowly edged his way toward Edgar.
Edgar and Louis looked at us with blatant sneers.
Louis spoke.
“At last, it’s over—our fight. With Arcane’s victory.”
I could only grind my teeth as I stared at them.
Edgar, too, spoke in a relaxed voice.
“You’ve already seen the future, so you should know, but I’ll say it anyway.”
“…….”
“I’ll use this cloak to kill all of you. However, I’ll spare you alone, Mr. Mason.”
“You bastard.”
“That way, I can enjoy watching just how much you despair.”
Swoosh.
Their figures vanished.
For a moment, silence settled over the group.
Soon after, Magireta looked at us and shrugged.
“This is enough, right? Little brother.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“It was nothing.”
She answered like that, then paused for a brief moment.
Soon she let out a small laugh.
“Still, I wonder if this is really fine. I’m clearly taking my little brother’s side right now.”
“It’s not like you lied about anything, noona.”
“Hmm. Well, that’s true.”
“Besides, your help was merely supplementary. It’s similar to when Edgar sent me a letter through you before.”
“When you put it that way, I’ve got nothing to say. I do have a record.”
She nodded in acknowledgment and then vanished in a flash.
Only then did our tension completely ease.
My Companions each dropped to the floor where they stood.
“Phew. Acting out of character is exhausting.”
“You were pretty convincing. Even I almost fell for it.”
“Aina, you were no slouch yourself.”
“Looks like Edgar really bought it, right? At least up to this point.”
“Indeed. Now it’s just a matter of finishing things properly.”
“This was so fun. Let’s do it again sometime.”
Listening to their murmurs, I rubbed my palms together.
Alright.
All the bait had been properly scattered.
The time for harvest was drawing near.
Edgar, Louis, and Kaid were in Deut Territory.
They had used a Teleportation bead to move to where the Mason gang was—this place.
Edgar muttered in a low voice.
“So this is their base.”
My long-standing ill fate with that bastard would end today.
To be precise, I intended to spare Mason himself—but it amounted to the same thing.
A man who treasured his Companions so dearly would never remain sane after losing them all.
I would enjoy watching him break apart like that… and at the decisive moment, dispose of him.
‘Perhaps I’ll take my time deciding how to stage his end.’
I already knew where Mason’s residence was.
Louis had previously mingled among his Companions.
Near the house, Edgar whispered.
“The cloak can only conceal one person at a time. The two of you wait here.”
“Will you be alright?”
“Even if I fought him at full strength, I don’t think I’d lose. Let alone launching a one-sided attack in a state of Complete Invincibility.”
The two nodded.
Edgar glanced up at the sky once.
Night had fallen deep.
A darkness as though prepared specifically for assassination.
He slipped into the house like a shadow.
‘Bright.’
Outside was pitch-black, yet inside the house was brilliantly lit.
Mason’s Companions were using every available source of light to illuminate the interior.
They were seated in a circle at the center of the house, guarding all directions.
Around them was what appeared to be Berseum’s Defensive Spell.
‘Pointless.’
From within the cloak, he drew his sword.
He didn’t even bother hiding his footsteps. There wouldn’t be any sound anyway.
He stepped into the magically activated barrier.
Swoosh.
He passed through without any restriction.
Even Berseum himself showed no sign of realizing that someone had breached his Defensive Barrier.
Edgar once again marveled at the Invisibility Cloak’s function.
‘Who should I kill first?’
A cruel smile spread across his lips.
Perhaps the Princess he cherished the most?
He approached Armelia.
Despite the fact that he was standing right in front of her, looking down at her, Armelia showed no sign of noticing him.
Without hesitation, Edgar raised his sword and muttered,
“Watch your comrade die before your very eyes, Mr. Mason.”
Whoosh!
With a wet sound, the sword pierced into the crown of Armelia’s head.
Without a single cry, she collapsed limply to the floor.
“Ha. Hahaha.”
This was too easy.
For an end to those who had irritated him so much, it felt strangely empty.
Too empty.
Too… empty?
‘Huh?’
What was this?
Why was it so quiet?
From their perspective, Armelia had just died before their eyes.
Edgar, flustered, turned to look at the others.
They remained perfectly calm, as though nothing had happened.
Faces that showed no awareness of what had just occurred.
Like dolls without will.
‘Dolls?’
Now that he thought about it, in the previous Quest…
The next instant—
His vision began to change.
The Mason gang crumbled like dust and scattered away.
Their base, the house, and the scenery outside the windows.
Even every building and tree in Deut Territory.
Suddenly, something flashed through Edgar’s mind.
‘The previous Quest was definitely….’
Sleepwalking.
At the very moment the sky began to collapse, Edgar finally reached the answer on his own.
“It was a dream.”
Since when had it been a dream?
But his thoughts did not continue.
Because unbearable agony seized him.
His entire body was melting like soup.
This sensation…
He opened his mouth to speak.
And immediately regretted it.
“Guh…! Cough!”
The moment he opened his mouth, something surged in.
His tongue, his esophagus, his stomach—melting away.
If he opened his eyes, his eyeballs melted; if he breathed, his airway melted.
At last, he understood.
—He was submerged in Mason’s blood.