Ch 19

The service company worker watched from the roof of a building that gave him a panoramic view of the night market street. From far away, he wouldn’t be able to confirm the detailed status of the target due to the crowd. His role was to collect reports from the other workers observing the target closely and to determine the movements of the security guards in order to instruct the optimal timing of each operation.

- This is Group One. The delivery customer’s party has split into two. The delivery customer is moving with two middle-aged men and a boy about the same age as him.

Hearing the situation by radio, the team leader immediately gave instructions. "Team Leader check. Group One, keep an eye on the delivery customer. Group Four, keep an eye on the location of the separated party. Pay close attention to the movement of the presumed dog."

Among the precautions from the top management, it was said that the black-haired young man was strong enough to attract the attention of Hermes Blade, an ambassador of the Crow tribe.

- Group Four check.

Normally, they wouldn’t have tried to assassinate someone in a crowded place like a night market. It would not have been difficult to hide in the crowd and assassinate the target, but most of the people who used their services wanted things handled secretly and quietly. In this market street, a panic would ensue quickly. However, them attempting an assassination in an unexpected place like this without waiting for the target group to return was due to a new escort that attracted even the Crows' interest. The team leader and his crew were all first-rate assassins, but their individual strengths were not so strong. The strongest one, the leader of Group Two, was at the level of a knight. Most of them were at the level of a skilled soldier, but some of them were not even as skilled as ordinary adult men. What mattered during an assassination was stealth and quickness, not individual strength. Even the Crows, who were famous for their strong bodies, would die if their guards were lowered and were stabbed or poisoned.

- This is Group Four. The location of the dog among the separated party has been identified. He is accompanied by three light-blue-haired women and a young watchdog, and they are moving towards the northeast in the direction of the mask dance performance.

"Team Leader check. A good situation came sooner than I thought. I'm glad we don't have to cause any trouble on purpose. This’ll reduce the chance of us getting caught."

The night market was far from ideal for dealing with the matter quietly, but at the same time, it was a good place to launch a surprise attack because the large number of people made it easier to get close to the target. If the team leader had had more time, he would have infiltrated as a servant and poisoned them, or launched a surprise attack while they slept, but that kind of careful assassination was impossible due to the tight timeframe.

"Group One, where is the delivery customer?"

- This is Group One. Delivery customer is slowly moving southwest, looking around street stalls.

"Check. The patrol guards are coming up from the southwest, so be careful. Delivery will begin in ten minutes, after the guards have passed."

Now that the optimal situation had been created, they could easily stab the target with a poisoned dagger and run away.

"Group Two get ready for assassination."

He waited for their answer. A strange feeling came over him when he didn’t hear one.

"Group Two, respond. Group Two, respond!"

Despite his urging, no radio communication was heard from Group Two.

"Group Two, right now…!"

- This…! Zzzk! This is…! Two...! Group! Click!

Suddenly, the radio burst with noise. At that same moment, there was another strange sound.

- Kehehehehehe!

When he heard a creepy laugh, he instinctively cut off his connection to Group Two and connected to Group Three.

"Group Three! Check on Group Two! Something must have happened!" the team leader shouted urgently.

The team leader of Group Three was flustered, and began speaking without using the radio conventions designed to decrease confusion.

- I-I understand! Right away...I will…! Check…! Zzz! Check…! Check…! Uaaah! What the hell is this!? S-save me. Me. Me.

Click!

Once again, the radio signal had been cut off with loud noises and screams. He was convinced that something was wrong, so he picked up the radio to order a withdrawal.

"Team leader to all members! Pull out! Pull out now! Everyone scatter and gather at the rendezvous point!" he shouted urgently, but no one answered.

"Group One and Group Four! Answer me! Don't mess around…!”

- Zzzk...!

Suddenly a high pitched noise rang out from the radio. Then, static, followed by voices.

- The decided rendezvous.

- Where is it?

- Team?

- Leader? Keheheheh!

Each voice sounded familiar. It was the four group leaders. The team leader fell stiff and his blood ran cold from his fingertips. He was scared.

"Your subordinates are speaking to you."

"Ahhhhh!!" the team leader screamed in terror, frightened by the sudden whispering voice behind him. He threw away the radio and crawled away on the ground.

"Oh shoot, that radio must have been quite expensive."

The team leader couldn't keep his mouth shut when he saw who it was. The black-haired young man with a playful smile, speaking in a relaxed voice.

"D-dog..."

The young man, who was only supposed to have been an escort for the target a moment ago, now seemed like the devil.

* * *

Tristan's report said that the assassins had begun to move once again, so I sent the chirps around the surrounding area again.

"Well, there's more than I thought."

The total number of assassins I identified was twenty-one. Looking at their movements, it seemed like they were moving in five groups, with a team leader who had an eye on the entire night market from a distance. However, it was troublesome to suppress assassins, who blended in with the crowd and moved independently, all at once, without causing a panic. If I started a panic and Uncle Hermes started moving faster, things would become more troublesome. I was sure Hestia noona would have told Uncle Hermes a plan to prepare for my escape, if she had one in mind. I also figured it would be annoying if the person behind the assassination attempt got away before I could dig him out. Normally, I would have ordered the knights to launch a coordinated surprise attack, but right now, I could only mobilize Tristan. Also, my dragon tooth soldiers were not suitable for covert situations. You couldn't deal with multiple hands with one hand. Then you could just borrow someone else's hand.

"Arwen."

“Whaaang."

Arwen looked back at me with her mouth full of street food. The way her cheeks puffed out was cute, but that wasn’t important.

"How many ghosts do you have on you?”

I also learned some soul magic to teach Arwen, but compared to her, I wasn’t talented, so I didn’t usually have any ghosts conjured and on hand. Personally, I wanted to teach magic that I could teach well, but I couldn’t let Arwen's natural talent go to waste just because I didn't know it. So, I had no choice but to learn soul magic.

Arwen chewed rapidly, swallowed, then answered by holding up her fingers. "Gulp! Forty seven."

"That's plenty. Can you lend me twenty-something?"

Arwen looked into the air for a few seconds, then shook her head. "I don't think I can, the souls are afraid of you."

That was why I couldn’t use ghosts. The contract didn't work at all because they were all afraid of me. It was possible to force subordination, but ultimately I had given up because it could adversely affect Arwen’s progress in soul magic.

"Even if you give them a part of my body containing mana?" I asked.

I only needed to give them something like nails or hair. At my level, they would be catalysts for soul magic or necromancy. It wasn’t a bad suggestion for Arwen's ghosts, because this would also strengthen their existences. A soul without a body had limitations in maintaining its existence. A soul magic user who could maintain the existence of ghosts was important. If something went wrong, a ghost could easily pass on or become an undead.

"Is it going to take a long time?"

"About two minutes?"

"Then sure!"

I pulled out twenty strands of hair, infused them with mana, then gave them to Arwen. A cool wind swayed around her. I could faintly see twenty ghosts fluttering in front of my eyes. Ghosts that I could make out were trembling, looking at me as if I was a monster. It was a natural reaction, they could have easily been swept away by my mana and lost their sense of self. I gathered my mana according to the soul magic textbook and sent out an order through thought transmission. Arwen stood in awe as she saw the ghosts spreading in all directions.

"I can't use twenty at a time, but as expected of you." she said.

"It's not difficult. Once you get used to it, you'll be able to do it too."

One by one, the ghosts who received my orders entered the bodies of the assassins and began to fight for control of their bodies. Some even hallucinated in the process, but the ghosts quickly succeeded in overcoming them with the help of my mana.

- Tristan, watch the surroundings for potential reinforcements.

Tristan merged into the crowd using concealment skills.

"I'm going to go somewhere for a second. If I'm late, just head back."

I gave the three people in our group who were looking around the night market some money and headed to the team leader’s location. Although the team leader had a panoramic view of the night market, he didn’t notice me coming for me. The ghosts spoke to the team leader over the radio as I had instructed, and the team leader froze and broke into a cold sweat.

“Your subordinates are speaking to you.”

"Ahhhhh!!"

Search bit.ly/3iBfjkV for the original.

The team leader threw the radio to the ground.

"Oh shoot, that radio must have been quite expensive."

‘I didn't know that the Republic's radio magic technology developed this much. Let’s hold on to that.’

"D-dog…!"

The team leader freaked out at me. I had just teased him a bit, but he overreacted.

"What have you done with my subordinates!"

"Is now the time to be worrying about your subordinates? You certainly have a great character." I said sarcastically.

The team leader looked at me bitterly and clenched his teeth.

Crack!

There was a sound of something breaking in the team leader's mouth. Blood began to flow over his lip.

"Huh? No way!"

I grabbed the team leader's chin and forced his mouth open. Inside was a broken piece of white material, and a black liquid mixed with rich blood.

"Cough!"

The assassin team leader vomited dark red blood.

"This crazy bastard!"

‘He really had poison hidden in his mouth? This is my first time seeing a guy crazy enough to do something I’ve only seen in novels and cartoons.’

"You met the wrong guy for that, you bastard!"

I created water in the air with magic and forcibly rinsed through the assassin’s stomach.

"Ugh! Ughhhhhh!"

When he resisted, I magically restrained his limbs and took a narcotic painkiller from my pocket space and injected it into him. At the same time, I administered antibiotics, convulsive inhibitors, and tranquilizers. Finally, I removed his shirt and drew a magic circle on his chest.

"It's an unfamiliar magic, so it may cut away a lot of your life, but it's better than dying right away, so bear with it."

"Argh! Arghhhhh!"

By injecting mana into the black magic circle, his life span was used to replace his life force, causing his body to resist the poison on its own. It seemed that it was an immediate-acting poison, but because I had quickly cleaned his stomach and prevented death from shock, he would survive. I was glad I had experience with this sort of thing; I had been a suspect in an attempted poisoning three years ago.

"Ugh..."

The team leader drooled, his pupils dilated. He was under the influence of the drugs I had given him. It just so happened that he was now in the perfect condition to give me some information.