The black-robed man’s head was pressed firmly against the cold brick wall, his mouth only able to emit muffled whimpers.
Ailiya calmly kept her foot on him until she was sure this prey had completely given up any thought of resistance, then slowly moved her foot away from his mouth.
Cough cough cough… Gah!
The black-robed man coughed violently, spitting out some blood, and gasped for air in big gulps.
Ailiya crouched down, the tip of her knife naturally coming to rest over his heart.
“Now, your mouth can be used for valuable communication.”
“The rules are simple. I ask, you answer. No omissions, no lies, and not a single word of useless…”
The black-robed man trembled with fear, nodding repeatedly.
“First.” Ailiya flipped her wrist, the dining knife gently pressing against the man’s throat. “The method for that Shadow Stealth you used earlier, and the method for concealing your presence. Tell me every last detail.”
The black-robed man was stunned.
He had imagined that if captured, he’d be tortured, forced to reveal his employer, forced to give up his accomplices.
But he never imagined the first thing the other party would ask about, after going through all this trouble, would be his magic?
What kind of madness was this?!
“That’s a high-level shadow secret technique… you, you don’t even have basic Shadow Affinity. Even if I tell you the principle, without systematic study, you can’t possi—”
Thwip!
Before the black-robed man could finish, Ailiya’s dining knife plunged into his thigh without warning.
Ahhhhhh—!
“Shh… Noisy nonsense.” Ailiya placed a finger against her lips, her gaze icy. “I ask, you answer. I didn’t ask you whether I could learn it or not.”
The man trembled in pain. “I’ll tell! I’ll tell!”
“First, you must convert your own magic power into a dark attribute. The core lies in stripping away your own presence, resonating with the surrounding shadows… extending along the threads of the shadows…”
He was like a failing student caught by a teacher and forced to recite a lesson, spitting out the principles at a rapid-fire pace.
Time ticked by.
The black-robed man racked his brains, breaking down and explaining his life-saving, bread-winning techniques in the simplest terms possible to Ailiya.
He was terrified that if his explanation wasn’t clear enough, he’d earn himself another stab.
At the same time, in Ailiya’s vision, a familiar semi-transparent system panel popped up.
[The Shadow Gunner “Graves” is imparting knowledge to you]
[Learning Progress: 10%……35%…….]
Watching the steadily rising progress bar, Ailiya’s mood improved considerably.
After about ten minutes or so.
[Learning Progress: 100%]
[Professional Ability Acquired: Shadow Affinity (MAX)]
[Skill Acquired: [Assassin] Shadow Stealth (Lv.1)]
Hearing the crisp notification in her mind, Ailiya nodded in satisfaction.
This was much faster than reading those books.
“Next item.”
Ailiya seemed to be opening a new textbook. “When you were aiming at me from the bell tower earlier, that glowing magic in your eyes. What was that?”
The black-robed man no longer had the energy to bargain. He spoke weakly, “That’s Eagle Eye Art. It’s a composite scouting magic combining Weakness Perception, Magic Perception, partial X-ray vision, Life Detection…”
Another period of friendly exchange followed.
[Learning Progress: 100%]
[Skill Acquired: [Scouting] Eagle Eye Art (Lv.1)]
“Continue.” Ailiya looked at him expressionlessly. “That Phantom Clone technique from before, and the usage skills for that magic gun. Explain everything. Be detailed. Don’t miss a single step.”
For the next hour, this dark dead-end alley turned into a bizarre classroom.
A severely injured assassin, in an utterly humiliating and subservient posture, was pouring out all his lifelong assassination techniques to a demi-human girl in a maid outfit.
The price of hesitation was blood.
If he paused even slightly, or if his explanation wasn’t clear enough, that gleaming white dining knife would mercilessly leave a new mark on his body.
[Skill Acquired: [Warlock] Phantom Clone (Lv.1)]
[Professional Ability Acquired: Magic Gun Shooting (Lv.1)]
[Gunner Learning Progress: 45%]
As skill after skill was successfully ‘acquired’ into her skill list, Ailiya’s expression remained calm, but deep inside, the player’s hoarding instinct was immensely satisfied.
The black-robed man leaned against the wall like a sponge wrung dry of water, his eyes unfocused.
He had spilled everything—his life-saving techniques and his livelihood skills—under the threat of this maid’s dining knife.
“N-nothing more… I really have nothing…”
“Is that so?”
Ailiya raised an eyebrow slightly and slowly withdrew the dining knife.
The skill extraction was complete. Now, it was time for the standard procedure.
“Then let’s talk about your background.” Ailiya stood up, looking down at him from above. “Which assassination organization do you belong to?”
“Night Owl… I’m a mid-level member of Night Owl.” The black-robed man swallowed and answered honestly. “I’m just a hired hand. The one who hired me… was the main branch of the Kastian clan!”
“The main branch in the royal capital?” Ailiya narrowed her eyes slightly.
“Yes, that Kastian main branch in the royal capital.” The man confessed rapidly. “As for the employer’s specific identity, I truly don’t know.”
“We all take jobs through faceless intermediaries. We never see the employer’s true face. I only know the funding source points to the main branch.”
So it’s the old cliché of noble infighting.
Ailiya made her internal assessment. She’d seen this plotline in games no less than a thousand times—nothing more than fighting over wealth or inheritance rights.
Since it involved the main branch in the royal capital, the enemy was in the dark while she was exposed.
Killing this assassin outright would just prompt them to send someone more skilled, needlessly adding to her troubles.
Besides, a third-tier assassin proficient in high-level assassination techniques, able to take jobs in the royal capital’s underworld…
Killing him just like that seemed a bit wasteful.
Why not… keep a tool who could handle dirty work?
“Do you want to live?” Ailiya toyed with the dining knife in her hand, her tone flat.
The black-robed man jerked his head up, a fierce desire to survive blazing in his eyes. “Yes! If you let me go, I swear I’ll run far away and never take another job from the Kastian family!”
“No, you will continue taking them.” Ailiya looked at him. “From today on, you work for me. Understand?”
The black-robed man was stunned for a moment, then nodded frantically on the surface. “No problem! I swear, from now on you’re my new boss!”
However, the moment he lowered his head, a trace of vicious cunning flashed in his eyes.
Work for you?
In your dreams!
“You understand contract magic, right?”
Ailiya suddenly spoke, her tone casual as if making small talk. “That very simple, yet efficient method. Like the one you used earlier to control those stone gargoyles.”
The black-robed man was stunned again, not understanding what this person was getting at, but he answered honestly. “I do… know a bit.”
“What specific types are there?”
“There’s… the Attendant Contract, the Master-Servant Contract, and… the Slave Contract.” The man swallowed, his voice trembling.
Ailiya raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of mockery flashing in her ice-blue eyes. “Seems you’ve dabbled widely. Then, pick one for yourself.”
The black-robed man’s heart sank.
Pick one? You want me to choose how to sign my own indenture?!
But he had no right to refuse. That dining knife was still there.
His mind raced, frantically weighing the three options.
The Slave Contract was absolutely out of the question.
That was equivalent to handing over even his soul; even thoughts of life and death would be under the other’s absolute control. The Master-Servant Contract was also terrible—forced, one-sided obedience.
Only the Attendant Contract had the weakest binding force. As long as he didn’t directly disobey orders, there might still be chances to exploit loopholes.
“I… I choose the Attendant Contract…” The man ventured cautiously, sweat dripping from the tip of his nose.
“Fine.” Ailiya agreed without hesitation.
The black-robed man secretly breathed a sigh of relief inside. Just as he was about to get up and go through the motions, Ailiya’s cold voice sounded again.
“I don’t have a contract on me. Since you chose it, you will provide the materials and perform the spell.”
Ailiya tapped his cheek with the flat of the knife, her tone leaving no room for refusal. “Also, to prevent you from exploiting loopholes in the Attendant Contract, you will add a few additional clauses yourself.”
“First, whenever I summon you, no matter where you are, you must come. Second, tasks I assign must be completed unconditionally, no excuses. Third, you must never reveal any information about me to anyone.”
The black-robed man’s face turned completely green. “Th-that… adding all that is too restrictive.”
“Oh? You’re unwilling?” Ailiya’s wrist turned slightly, and the knife’s edge instantly cut his skin, a bead of blood seeping out.
“I’ll sign it! I’ll sign it right now!”
Gritting his teeth against the pain all over his body, the black-robed man trembled as he pulled a scroll from his robes.
He bit his fingertip and quickly inscribed on the scroll, chanting a familiar incantation, imprinting his true name and all the one-sided clauses Ailiya demanded.
As the scroll dissolved into a red light that shot into the foreheads of both individuals.
Ailiya’s vision immediately popped up with a system notification:
[Attendant Contract Signed]
[Attendant Acquired: Shadow Gunner “Graves” (Lv.35)]
[Loyalty: 60%]
Seeing this prompt, Ailiya finally withdrew the dining knife with satisfaction.
Acquiring an on-call tool, fighter, and informant for free. This round was definitely not a loss.
She patted the dust off her skirt and looked down at the man slumped on the ground. “As for your injuries… you have a way to handle them yourself, right? Do you need my help?”
As she spoke, she hefted the freshly cleaned dining knife in her hand again.
“No! No, no, no!” The black-robed man waved his hands frantically, shaking his head like a rattle-drum. “I fell and hurt myself! All of it was from me walking carelessly! I have a way to treat it, I absolutely dare not trouble you!”
“Suit yourself.” Ailiya turned her back to him. “Then go. After you return, do whatever you normally do. If your backer asks questions, you know how to spin a story.”
She tilted her head slightly, her ice-blue gaze glancing at him from the corner of her eye. “Don’t think about any funny ideas. The contract is already in effect now.”
“No matter which rat hole you hide in, I can accurately dig you out. Understood?”
“Understood! Absolutely understood!” The man nodded like a woodpecker.
Satisfied with the answer, Ailiya paid him no further attention.
Seeing the killing god finally look away, the black-robed man felt as if granted a pardon.
Gritting his teeth, he endured the agony and, with two sickening cracks, forcibly wrenched his dislocated arm back into place.
Then, he fumbled a recovery potion from his waist pouch, pulled the stopper, and gulped it down.
Using the potion’s effect to somewhat stabilize his injuries, he stood up unsteadily, gathered his things, and directly transformed into an extremely faint patch of shadow, slinking away along the base of the wall.
Having finished all this, Ailiya looked up at the night sky. The clouds had dispersed.
The moonlight tonight was nice.
The night wind blew past. The silver-white figure melted into the darkness like a ghost, as if nothing had ever happened.