The narrow alley felt as if the air had frozen solid.
A squad of fully armed city defense soldiers blocked both ends tightly, their silver armor gleaming with a cold metallic sheen in the dim alley. The captain at the front kept his hand on his sword hilt, his chiseled face stern.
“We just detected magic fluctuations here,” the captain said in a low voice. “You two, please explain your identities and what just happened.”
Leo was startled by the show of force, but the young master’s temper made him instinctively puff out his chest.
“I am Leo Castian!” Leo declared loudly.
The captain furrowed his brow, looking Leo up and down with a scrutinizing gaze.
“You say you are the young master of the Kastian manor? Do you have proof of identity?” The captain’s hand still hadn’t left his sword hilt, clearly not believing this clumsy excuse.
Leo patted his waist, and his face instantly stiffened.
‘Damn it.’
Today, he had snuck out to have fun and hadn’t brought the noble badge representing his status.
Just as Leo was scratching his head anxiously, about to invoke his mother’s name, Ailiya unhurriedly stepped forward.
Her expression was placid. With elegant movements, she pulled a silver badge engraved with a thorn and sword crest from the inner pocket of her apron and handed it to the captain.
“Captain, this is the Castian family crest.”
Ailiya’s voice was clear, cold, and calm, carrying a sense of composure that made one involuntarily believe her.
“This is indeed my young master. As for the magic fluctuations just now, the young master was merely practicing water magic as part of his daily routine. There was no fight.”
At this point, she glanced at the sack of ruined flour in Leo’s arms and added with a straight face, “He was just trying to wash the road with a water flow. He lost control of his magic power and accidentally dirtied his clothes.”
Leo: “…”
The Captain: “…”
Although this reason sounded utterly ridiculous, the captain took the crest and examined it carefully, confirming that the magic anti-counterfeiting mark on it was indeed genuine from the Castian family.
The captain’s expression softened slightly as he handed the badge back to Ailiya.
“Since it’s someone from the Castian family, let’s forget it.”
He looked at Leo, his tone becoming earnest. “However, Young Master Leo, public security hasn’t been peaceful these past few days. You should go out less often recently.”
“Not peaceful? What’s going on?” Leo asked curiously.
The captain’s expression turned grave. “The Holy See and the City Defense Army have issued a joint warrant. According to reliable intelligence, a dangerous and extremely cunning Third-Order Shadow Assassin has infiltrated our city.”
“The target is proficient in shadow magic and kills without blinking. A few days ago, there was a conflict at the Wind Moon Tavern, and he seriously injured Lord Balke before escaping.”
The captain patted Leo’s shoulder, warning him seriously. “He’s a tough character that even knights would find troublesome. For your safety, do not linger in remote alleys during this time.”
“If you notice any suspicious shadows, report to the City Defense Army immediately!”
“O-okay… I understand! I’ll go home right now!” Leo hugged the sack of flour tightly, shrinking his neck and nodding repeatedly.
***
On the way back.
Sitting in the carriage, Leo looked at Ailiya, who had her eyes closed in repose across from him. After hesitating for a long time, he spoke somewhat awkwardly. “Um… back in the alley, thank you for getting me out of that.”
Ailiya didn’t even open her eyes, her tone flat and devoid of fluctuation.
“Young Master need not take it to heart. I did so merely to reduce unnecessary trouble. After all, going to the City Defense Army garrison to retrieve someone would waste time.”
Leo was choked by her response. He pursed his lips, turned his head away, and said nothing more.
Half an hour later, at the Kastian Manor.
Without any surprises, Leo was punished by being made to copy Noble Demeanor ten times. He wasn’t allowed to eat dinner until he finished.
Night fell.
The manor gradually grew quiet.
Ailiya returned to her private room and gently locked the door from the inside.
She sat down in the chair at her desk, focused her mind, and summoned the semi-transparent system panel only she could see.
Her gaze skipped directly over the long list of skills and experience bars at the top, landing on the [Contract/Subordinate] section at the very bottom of the panel.
It clearly displayed:
[Subordinate: Shadow Gunner ‘Graves’ (Lv.35)]
[Status: Recovering/Weakened]
[Loyalty: 60%]
‘He’s recovering quite quickly.’
Ailiya closed her eyes and sank her mental energy into that intangible contract link.
What that city defense captain had said made her somewhat concerned.
***
At the same time.
In a hidden sewer somewhere in the city district.
The dangerous assassin wanted throughout the city, Graves, was pitifully curled up on a tattered, moldy straw mat.
He held a small piece of black bread as hard as a rock, trying to swallow it with difficulty while washing it down with a mouthful of murky, cold water.
“Damn it, what kind of mess is this…”
Graves cursed inwardly as he gnawed on the bread.
In all his years in the assassination business, this was the first time he had encountered something so absurd.
Not only did the mission fail, he was beaten to the point of being unable to care for himself, and he had somehow signed that utterly humiliating attendant contract.
Now, the streets outside were filled with patrolling city defense soldiers and clergy from the Holy See, with wanted posters of him plastered everywhere.
He didn’t dare show his face and could only hide in this rat hole, gnawing on black bread.
Just as he was filled with grief and indignation, feeling his life was bleak.
A cold, crisp female voice suddenly and without warning echoed from deep within his mind.
“Not dead yet?”
“Whoa!”
Graves was so startled his whole body jerked. The black bread in his hand plopped onto the sewage-covered ground.
He scrambled and rolled off the straw mat, sitting up and stammering a reply to the air. “I-I’m not dead! I’m still alive! What are your orders?”
“Good that you’re alive.”
The voice in his mind remained as flat as if discussing the weather, yet it sent a chill deep into Graves’s bones.
“Since you’re not dead, don’t just sit idle. Tell me, what exactly has been happening recently? Why is the whole city after you?”
Hearing this, Graves immediately perked up and began speaking volubly.
“This really can’t all be blamed on me! That night, after I was… uh, accidentally injured by you, I thought about going to a tavern for a drink.”
“Nothing was supposed to happen. I was sitting quietly in a corner. But then some drunkard got too familiar. He came over acting crazy, not only trying to get chummy with me but also insisting on touching the magic gun I had on my back, saying he was curious.”
Graves said through gritted teeth, “In our line of work, our weapon is our wife.”
“Of course I didn’t indulge him. I punched him right away. But who knew that guy was actually a Second-Order Storm Swordsman.”
“And then?” Ailiya’s voice sounded in his mind.
“And then we fought in the tavern, of course.”
“I was still injured, so a head-on fight was definitely a disadvantage. But I noticed the guy was very drunk and not very good at dealing with stealth assassins.”
“So I created distance, hid in the shadows, shot him once, and then escaped in the chaos.”
Graves sighed, his tone full of frustration. “It wasn’t supposed to be a big deal. Later, I found a colleague in the city and asked her to arrange a hidden place for me to lay low.”
“But for some reason, these past few days, no matter where I hide, the city defense and Holy See people always seem to have a dog’s nose, finding the place with pinpoint accuracy.”
“I changed locations five times, and all of them were raided.”
“In the end, I had no choice but to hide in this stinking sewer.”
He paused, his tone turning icy. “I think I was definitely betrayed. Someone is deliberately leaking my location to the city defense army.”
On the other end of the mental link, Ailiya was silent for a moment.
Then, she calmly posed a question. “Who is this colleague of yours?”
“I don’t know her real name,” Graves answered honestly. “In our Night Owls organization, we only interact using code names.”
“So, can you find her?”
“I can try to lure her out using a signal.”
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