Chapter 21

Chapter Four: When It Rains, It Pours

1

I N THE RECEPTION ROOM OF THE GILBERT ­mansion, the mood was not exactly peaceful, to put it mildly. Each of the four men present bristled with dangerous and barely concealed aggression that threatened to break right through the suffocating tension and cause a full-scale war at any moment.

“You’ve some nerve coming here, Count Lennox. What is it you want? Mwa ha, or do you require a formal greeting first?”

“There is no need, Marquis Gilbert.”

Count Lennox kept himself composed in appearance, but he could scarcely keep his enmity and irritation from bubbling up to the surface. Yolande sat nearby, watching over the proceedings with a thin smile on his face.

Hm, I understand why Marquis Gilbert called me here. A sudden visit from a powerful royalist noble? I wonder what he wants…

“There is something I wish to discuss with you in private…” He trailed off, then glanced pointedly at Yolande. “What is a Lonsdale doing here?”

“You must be aware of the connection between the houses of Gilbert and Lonsdale. He is no different to me than the man standing at your side is to you. You may speak.”

“Very well,” responded Count Lennox, though it was clear that he was absolutely fuming. He was so used to being treated with respect that Claude’s arrogance irritated him greatly.

“I will ask you directly, then—what are you plotting?”

“Of what do you speak?”

“Don’t play dumb with me!”

Count Lennox slammed his hand down on the table as he rose from his seat. The explosive show of anger did nothing to alarm Claude, nor even slightly darken his facial expression. He just smiled, as if the whole situation were amusing to him, which only served to irritate Count Lennox further.

“I don’t know what your objective here is yet, but I am well aware of your strange dealings of late! Don’t think I haven’t noticed the odd influx of royalists who have recently started switching sides to join your noble-faction cause! Suspicious indeed, and certainly connected to whatever underhanded arrangements you’re making.”

“Mwa ha ha…and?”

“What…?”

“What are you going to do about it? Supposing I am responsible for everything you say, that is.”

“You…!”

Count Lennox abruptly shut his mouth. In the face of Claude’s apparent shamelessness, he’d almost lost his composure. He knew he’d regret it if he allowed the curse to escape his lips, so he somehow managed to swallow the insult. His anger remained strong, however, as he took a letter from his chest pocket and held it up to Claude.

“I know that you are responsible for this!”

“…What is it?”

“A letter! Correspondence from my third daughter, Mia, at Aslan Magic Academy!”

“Aha.”

A few different possibilities instantly floated into Claude’s mind, but he could not come to a conclusion. To him, the news was completely unexpected. Claude glanced over at Yolande, who shook his head faintly from side to side.

“…You still feign ignorance, then?”

Count Lennox ripped the letter from its envelope and jabbed a finger at a portion of its contents. Claude and Yolande glanced at the line in question, which read:

“I intend on devoting myself entirely to Luke.”

The moment Yolande finished reading the sentence, he instinctively put a hand over his mouth—keen to ensure their guest did not detect the twisted smile spreading across his face.

Brilliant! You’re brilliant, Luke, truly incredible!

The letter went on to state that Mia intended to leave home if her father would not accept what she had written. She was a smart, cunning girl, and she fully understood her value to House Lennox as a triple-element user. Count Lennox, of course, had been unable to accept his daughter’s declaration of devotion, and he had come to Claude in a state of anger, thinking that he must be the root of this problem. It was, however, not his only objective in coming.

“Only two months have passed since she entered the academy, and now she’s ‘devoting herself entirely’ to your son?! Damn it all! I have had multiple offers of engagement for Mia—from the first prince and the heir to the house of Marquis Drummond! What position will I be left in if she flees my home?!”

On the inside, Claude laughed scornfully at the man before him.

An incompetent, through and through. To think you would show such weakness to me and to the noble faction. Yet…I should have expected as much of my son! He has even made a royalist daughter his own! It makes perfect sense, I suppose, now that I think about it. He surpasses even myself in his talents; it is a law of nature that he should be so attractive to others.

If they had not been gathered for a formal discussion, Claude would have been positively beaming—but he would not show such emotions to others, and his expression remained firm and unchanging in spite of the news.

He did, however, begin to consider what he should do next.

What is the best course of action? What will earn me the most advantage?

Yolande, meanwhile, was still trembling with joy, convinced that the world was smiling upon him.

Marquis Claude is a talented man. I am sure that he will come to the same conclusion that I have: This is our opportunity to turn Count Lennox to our cause. In this moment, he may be convinced to betray the royalists for our noble faction.

An additional prominent aristocrat added to the noble faction’s ranks would accelerate Yolande’s plan greatly—and would make the world much more interesting for him. He had intended to take more time to secure the foundations of the noble faction before taking action, but he would not let such an opportunity go to waste.

But how did Luke make her fall so head over heels for him in just two months? I could never do anything of the sort. Oh, you really are going to entertain me, aren’t you? Heh heh…

Count Lennox, whose eyes had been on the floor, suddenly jerked his head up to look at them.

“But…that said, let’s drop the matter here for now. I have other matters to discuss today.”

Count Lennox sighed—he couldn’t help it. This maddening conversation had brought his anger to its boiling point. The pressure within him was such that a sigh of complaint just slipped out, like an emergency release valve letting off steam.

Why was it, then, that he had visited Claude? What was his true objective?

“I wish you to welcome my daughter Mia into your family, as wife to your heir and son, Luke Witharia Gilbert.”

He had come to speak of engagement.

Unlike Claude, Count Lennox had no love for his children. If they proved themselves capable, he would raise them so as to improve the prestige of his house, but would disown them without a second thought if they were incapable.

That was just the sort of man that he was—cold, calculating, rational. But this shrewd nature of his was, in fact, responsible for his rise to the position of power which he presently occupied. Mia had grown up without the love of a parent, and so she unconsciously felt the need to prove her worth to those around her. She wanted to be needed by others—to be seen by them. That was precisely why she had competed with Alice and likely was what led to her obsession with being wanted by Luke.

“Mwa ha…I take it you mean to switch sides and join the noble faction?”

“Yes. If the decision must be made, it should be done quickly. My worth to you will only deteriorate once my position has crumbled. It’s not a bad proposition I’m offering, is it? You already have several other royalists in your pocket. I cannot claim to understand all of your motives and aims, but I know that much to be true.”

Yolande was having real trouble suppressing his smile.

It’s almost scary how well this is going. I never expected Count Lennox to be so quickly drawn over to our side.

The situation was developing far better than Yolande had even imagined possible. If nobody had been watching, he would probably have literally been rolling on the floor, laughing and holding his sides.

Claude hasn’t answered yet, but…there’s no need for that, is there? I can’t imagine he would ever refuse an offer like th—

“Hmph. I will consider it.”

“Huh?”

“Huh…?”

Claude’s answer was so shocking that Yolande couldn’t help but put voice to his surprise. Count Lennox hadn’t expected the answer either and sat there in stunned silence for a moment.

“I-I am not asking that Mia be his official wife, of course. A position as concubine would be acceptable, you understand?”

“Yes. I told you I would consider it. Do not make me repeat myself.”

“Wh-what?! What could you possibly have to consider?! Mock me no further! In spite of my position, I have bowed to you! I have made real concessions!” Count Lennox shouted in frustration.

“Do not misunderstand me,” answered Claude. “That is not why I am asking you for time to consider this.”

“Then what is it?!”

Claude took an elegant sip of his tea. The action only irritated Count Lennox even more, but there was nothing that he could do except wait for Claude to speak.

“I must ask Luke himself. I am not so foolish as to make the same mistake twice.”

“Huh?”

Given the lack of affection for his own children, the statement was almost incomprehensible to Count Lennox.

Why does he need to ask his child? I don’t understand what he is saying.

Secretly, from the moment that Luke’s rare Dark element had been discovered, Count Lennox began to consider the possibility of switching sides. The noble faction would have a massive amount of power at their fingertips, considering a Dark magic user was about to join their ranks.

Count Lennox was a terribly logical man and hadn’t even considered that Claude might balk at his proposal. It was not arrogance that led him to that conclusion but his analysis of the situation. He recognized Claude’s abilities, and he understood the worth of his own house to the noble faction. Given this thought process, it was only natural that he had been unable to anticipate Claude’s response—it was just about as far away from logic and reason as any answer could be. Fifteen years prior, Claude set about putting his priorities in order—and number one, by a large margin, was the happiness of his son, Luke.

Luke had to be happy. That was the most important thing. It didn’t matter what needed to be sacrificed in order to make that a reality. Claude never wavered in that, even as he began to rekindle the spark of ambition within his heart.

However, he had made one genuine and unfortunate mistake, which was Luke’s engagement to Alice. He tended to lose his cool when it came to matters involving his son and had jumped the gun. The moment he saw Luke’s face, he realized his mistake, but he could say nothing to rectify it. It was too late for that, but he was also not such a fool that he did not understand why Luke never complained to him at the time.

I won’t make that same mistake again, Luke!

Thus, Claude was determined that, no matter what, he would never cause Luke to make that face at him ever again. Yolande, of course, was well aware of the great love that Claude bore for his son, but it was only now that he realized the true extent of it.

I can’t believe it… Why would he go so far…?

It was that day that Count Lennox realized that the depth of Claude’s affection knew no bounds. This man’s doting nature meant that he was ready to discard anything and everything for the sake of his son.

2

J UST AS THE MORNING LIGHT BROUGHT THE night to a close, so, too, ended the silent symphony of blows that had shaken the air for the past several hours.

“Morning already, huh…”

Luke was a bit startled to discover this fact. He’d been so completely focused on nothing but swinging his sword that he lost all sense of time. It was only when he was training like this that he didn’t have to think about any of the other things that irritated him. He could focus entirely on the weapon in his hands—a brief respite. With his mind under constant assault from unexpected events these past few days, Luke felt he needed more time with the sword.

This weapon is blunted, but at times, it looks like it really could cut through anything.

Luke looked down at the sword, still holding it in both hands. It was expertly made, but it was ostensibly useless for combat. It was, after all, only a replica for training purposes.

Alfred taught me that finely honed swordsmanship could make a man sharp, even without a blade in his hands. But this is something else…more distinct…

It was there that Luke’s thoughts ceased.

“C-cold today, isn’t it, Luke?”

An unexpected visitor approached him.

Someone else was there that day to train with the sword.

“What are you doing here, Abel?”

Luke’s concentration was so intense that he didn’t admit a single scrap of unnecessary information. His concentration was so great, in fact, that it would be a difficult feat for any normal person to ever reach his level. That is why Luke did not realize that Abel had been there all along, standing some distance away from him, also practicing with the sword.

“Huh? I’ve been here all night…”

Luke said nothing.

“Y-you didn’t see me, then…”

Abel seemed disappointed at Luke’s response, or lack thereof. It was depressing to find out how little impact his presence made, but even so, Abel was determined to interpret Luke’s actions in the most charitable and convenient way. Surely his reaction was rooted in honesty, not malice.

Luke really is a hard worker. I guess all I can really do is try my best…so I have to make sure I put in at least as much effort as him, no matter what!

Abel wanted to beat Luke someday, but his feelings of admiration were just as strong. He looked up to him and the pure, immense strength that he possessed.

“…What’s that gross look in your eyes?” Luke sneered. “You’re irritating me. Get lost.”

“D-did I really have a weird look in my eyes?!”

Luke treated Abel with the same disdain as he always did, and yet he could not shake him off. Worse still, Abel kept approaching of his own accord—a fact that was disturbing to Luke in a way that was quite difficult to express. Luke turned on his heel to return to his room.

“Ah, wait up, Luke!”

“…”

Abel made to follow immediately.

“Um, Luke… There’s this event that the empire holds every year, apparently…have you heard about it? The Sword Saint Festival.”

“…”

“I just recently heard about it from my master, so I don’t know the details…but I hear they gather master swordsmen from all over the world, and they compete to find the best! It sounds super exciting, right?!”

“…”

“S-so…how about it? Want to go and watch it with me? Uh…I think it’s going to be held on the—huh? Are you listening?!”

“…”

“Um…L-Luke? Do you want to go to the festival tog—”

“You’re so annoying.”

Luke picked up the pace in the hopes of getting away from Abel—who persistently trailed close behind and continued to talk to Luke, despite the other boy ignoring his every word. Luke knew about the Sword Saint Festival, of course. He was even considering participating in the event, but of course he had no intention of telling Abel that.

3

I T WAS IN MAGIC TRAINING AREA THREE THAT I finally found myself facing off against Luke.

“What’s wrong?” he taunted. “Hurry up and cast, Lloyd.”

It took me so long to complete this new spell…and there’s nobody else I’d rather show it to first. It ain’t like I think I’ve caught up to him…but I’ve come a long way, and I wanna know how much further I’ve got to go.

“If you’re sure you’re ready for me.”

“Mwa ha, you worry for my safety? Don’t get so cocky.”

Luke’s words sparked anger deep inside of me—but that was all. A chill ran through my whole body and gripped my heart. Goosebumps formed all over my skin, and my legs felt weak. I was only facing down one of my classmates, but I felt the sort of dread I’d probably feel if I were facing down some great monster.

Can’t lie to myself. Deep inside, I know it already. I can’t beat this guy…

Ha ha!

Man, he’s so freakin’ cool. Strong guys are so damn cool! I love how simple this academy is. It’s all so easy to understand that even an idiot like me can get it—those with power are at the top, and that’s it. Really feels like this is where I belong.

“Here goes, okay?”

“Sure. Do it.”

I lost in my rank duel against that ice girl. She’s awful, that one. She knew I had confidence in my firepower, so she kept her approach simple to twist me into submission. My flames are never gonna beat that girl’s ice…not yet anyway, so long as I’m just shootin’ like an idiot. But fine, I can accept that I’m not as good as her just yet. I ain’t givin’ up on gettin’ my revenge with pure firepower, but I figure this is a good opportunity to try somethin’ new. Besides, I can’t brute force the duel that comes after I beat her, anyway. I know I can’t win against Luke just by firin’ off simple spells.

That’s why I made this one. It’s not a big area attack or nothin’ like that, just real narrow. I don’t let my mana spread, I concentrate it all into a single dot, then let it go.

“Searing Flash!”

A single, thin stream of fire shot straight toward Luke at incredible speed, threatening to incinerate him right where he stood.

This spell’s all about precision. I made it to target a single point, blast a hole through thick walls. Luke’s Dark magic absorbs everythin’ it touches…but there’s gotta be a limit to the amount of mana that he can take in at one time.

“Dark Barrier.”

Luke deployed a defensive spell, as expected. My flames ran straight into his shield of darkness—and pierced through, grazing his cheek.

“Brilliant,” he remarked.

“Ha…ha ha! All right!!”

I couldn’t help but raise my fist and yell out in joy.

I did it! It really worked! My flames pierced his darkness! Seems like the barrier took a lot out of it, though—it was super weak after it made it past the wall. Guess I ain’t properly concentrating it yet. Ah, there’s a million things I still gotta work on, but this is a huge step forward!

“Hmph, I see. You concentrated your mana into a single point, then. Simple, but effective. That’s some good magic work… The mana density is what’s most critical.”

“Amazin’! I only fired the thing at you once, but you already know so much abou—”

“And by creating a link to Detect Mana I could reduce my barrier’s redundancies and focus its size to create a denser shield,” Luke muttered to himself cryptically. “Mwa ha…Dark Blessing could also incorporate this technique.”

“Huh?”

I had no idea what Luke was even saying.

“Come. Once more.”

“Wh-what did you just say?”

“Fire that spell at me again.”

“Uh…all right.”

Confused, I did as he asked.

Gotta do what he says—he’s stronger than me. The flames might’a been weak when they reached him, but my spell touched Luke. It made it to him—didn’t it?

“Searing Flash.”

“Dark Barrier.”

The spell I used was identical, but the results were like night and day. My Searing Flash was swallowed up by the darkness, disappearing into the black shield without a trace.

“Huh? H-heh…ha ha ha!”

For some reason, I found myself laughing.

Seriously, what the heck was that thing? The first time I saw Luke’s magic, I knew he was a monster, but…I-I mean, I really thought I made progress here, but it looks like I was wrong. All my hard work and effort, and he overcomes it all in an instant, just like that…?

“Hmph, I knew it. Okay, I get the gist. This is how your magic works, right?” he said, raising his hand. “Darkening Flash.”

I sensed mana gathering in Luke’s fingers…mana just like mine.

No way.

In the next moment, a flash of concentrated darkness grazed my cheek and left me speechless.

Finally, I found my voice.

“Ha…ha…ah ha ha ha!! You’re freakin’ awesome! Seriously, man, that was so cool!”

All the conflicting emotions welling up inside of me mixed together and, for some reason, ultimately burst out as laughter.

Yeah…he’s on such a different level from me, I don’t reckon I’ll ever catch up to him! Man, that was so wild! He’s just so damn cool.

Makes me think, though… I feel it in my bones, somethin’ deep inside telling me that I shouldn’t even try to be like him.

Ever.

***

“Thanks for that,” Lloyd said. “I’ll be comin’ back for more.”

“Sure. That was good magic,” I replied.

We left the training area and went our separate ways.

Mwa ha…interesting. Lloyd’s technique is still rough around the edges, but that really was a fine spell. He’s got good magic, that one—gotta be on the same level as Alice and Mia, I reckon.

…But this is still pretty boring. I’m sure magic has a lot of depth to it normally, but I end up succeeding way too easily at everything I attempt. More importantly, magic duels don’t have the same push and pull that sword fights do, especially when I can curbstomp any opponent, thanks to my overpowered Dark element. I miss the spine-tingling action, the trading blows and the tactical retreats that can allow for the weaker party to gain the upper hand… It’s so much more exciting.

The sword really is what I prefer, to be…huh? Hang on, I think I see someone over there… Are they watching me?

I turned, but the watcher panicked and ran the moment our eyes met.

That purple-haired girl…I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere before? Or maybe I haven’t… Maybe she just looks familiar because she’s also in the first-year class?

Hm. Not that I particularly care who she is, anyway.

“Hey there! Luke!”

Someone called out to me from the opposite direction, and I turned to see the root of all my current worries standing there—Polpon.

I gritted my teeth and turned away.

“Ah, hey! Wait up!”

I think he irritates me in the same way Abel does. No matter how many times I knock him down, he just ignores it and gets right back up… Ugh, I’m sick of dealing with this damn prince. I mean, that day he went crazy and started asking to be one of my pawns, I turned him down. At least, I think I did. I tried to…but he hasn’t stopped following me around. He doesn’t know when to give up.

I swore a bit under my breath thinking about it. Then again, maybe I brought this on myself. I was just a little bit curious about what was going on in his unpleasant little mind, so I asked him what he would do if he actually became king. His answer was…well, it sure was something.

“What a good question! First, I would purge all the incompetent aristocrats in the kingdom, being careful not to remove so many at once that it affects the functioning of the state. I don’t know how many years that process would take, but unless this country comes together as one, I really don’t think I can make anything else happen. So…for starters, I’m fine with ruling by fear.”

That was his answer, and he seemed pretty cheerful when he was talking about it. He used the word “purge” like it was some normal, everyday activity, like it wasn’t a completely unhinged thing to say.

I guess what he means is that he’ll strip the titles of all the incompetent nobles and not allow any dissent. That’s real ruthless stuff, honestly. I never expected any of that from him. Unfortunately, I couldn’t help being just a little impressed by him… That was my biggest mistake because it just made him even more persistent.

I sighed.

“What’s the matter, Luke? Are you tired?”

“…”

It wouldn’t be all that simple, anyway. He’d need a wildly powerful military force to subjugate those nobles—it’s not like they’d just roll over and go down without a fight. That means the royalist faction would need to gain more strength, which takes time… Really, everything he’s suggesting would take years to come to fruition. But still, his heart must be made of ice-cold steel to be so sure of himself and so willing to take the lives of others for his country. That’s a bit interesting, I suppose…

I couldn’t help but think so, at least privately. But Polpon was perceptive, and, sensing that he was making progress, he began to follow me around.

I sighed again, more forcefully.

“Luke…? You look really exhausted. Are you sure you don’t need me to become one of your pawns? You wouldn’t be so tired out if I w—”

It’s your fault I’m like this, dumbass, I thought, tuning out the rest of his sentence.

“Ah, come to think of it,” he exclaimed suddenly, “the number one girl in the hierarchy is coming back from her magic division training soon. You know her pretty well, right? I mean, she is the daughter to House Godwin.”

“Eh…?”

Eleonora… That name didn’t consciously ring any bells, and yet it seemed vaguely familiar. For some reason, for just a brief moment, I felt like I knew her.

***

“Come back tomorrow, okay Canis? You too, Ferris!”

“Sure, and thanks for the awesome grub, master! See you around!”

“…Thanks for food.”

Canis and Ferris made a somewhat visually striking pair—Canis was a particularly tall man, and Ferris was a young girl who was quite small in stature. Both wore turbans wrapped around their heads in the same style.

“Ahhh!” Canis exhaled with satisfaction. “That was good stuff!”

“…”

“Huh? What’s up, Ferris? You seem down.”

Ferris didn’t answer.

“Hm…you’re thinkin’ real hard about somethin’, eh?”

“No progress,” she said finally. “Nothing. Not since that day.”

“What? We’ve totally made progress.”

“Explain.”

“We figured out that our target doesn’t just use magic, but he’s also an awesome swordsman. Well, guess we ain’t super sure if that’s true or not yet, but it’s valuable intel.”

“…”

“Come on, don’t look at me like that! You’re scaring m—”

Canis abruptly cut his sentence short as he saw a black-hooded man disappear into a nearby alleyway. From the way he walked and everything in his demeanor, Canis knew at once that they were in the same business.

Still, there was no reason for the two of them to interfere. It had nothing to do with them. Canis should have ignored the man, and yet he found his attention pulled irresistibly toward the stranger. Then, with his incredible hearing, Canis caught a snippet of their conversation:

“Execute the plan tonight. Capture the Dark.”

“Understood.”

This was a discussion that he couldn’t ignore. He could easily imagine what they meant by the “Dark”—and had to make sure that wasn’t the case.

“Ferris.”

“Yes. Heard them,” she confirmed. “Need to investigate.”

“Yeah. Just make sure you follow my orders. You got that?”

“…Got that.”

With that, Canis and Ferris both vanished, melting away into the night.

4

T HE HOUR WAS SO LATE THAT EVEN THE TREES were sleeping, as three hooded men dressed in black sprinted through the darkness, blending in with the night. They ran with such elegant discipline that their footsteps were almost inaudible.

“Final confirmation. This magic tool interferes with mana use in an area of effect. It only lasts five minutes. After that, it self-destructs to avoid anyone learning any more about it…that is all.”

“Then we can’t fail, huh?”

“Understood.”

“That’s right. We incapacitate the Dark within the time frame, get him in the Shackles of Mana Sealing, and get him out of there.”

“Yep, you got it!”

“…Understood.”

The group was headed toward the Aslan Magic Academy dormitories. Normally, the building was under the strict guard of several different magic tools that prevented intruders from gaining entry. But on that night, for some reason, none of them seemed to be working. The men arrived at the dorms, then made their way around to the rear of the building. One of them placed a hand on the back door handle, and it easily swung open.

“Just as the intel said.”

“Yeesh! This lot sure have gotten used to bein’ at peace, huh?”

“Quiet. Focus. We cannot fail.”

“Yeah, yeah. Sorry ’bout that.”

The man who scolded his comrade continued his lecture.

“So far, everything has been just as we were told. We don’t know what might happen in there, though, so we’re activating this magic tool the moment we enter the dorms. Keep your eyes on the clock, got it?”

“…Understood.”

“Yep. Five minutes on the dot. We’ll be in and out lickety-split.”

“…Agreed.”

“You really can’t give more than a one-word answer, huh?”

“Right. Let’s go.”

The man in front opened the door, stepped inside, and immediately activated the magic tool in his hands, just as he said he would. The drawback of the tool was that its effect also applied to the three men themselves—but they had all known that ahead of time, and so that wasn’t an issue.

The trio immediately sprang into action. First, they came upon the cafeteria, where they found two men that appeared to be guards lying suspiciously in the hallway. They seemed to be breathing, so they were clearly unconscious rather than dead.

“…”

The intruders didn’t appear to be surprised by the two guards. They spared them only a brief glance as they proceeded down the hallway. The dorms were cloaked in darkness, but the intruders’ footsteps were certain, as if they knew the place well. They stopped in front of the door to a certain room and exchanged glances.

This is the one , they agreed silently.

The door was locked, but one of the men made quick, well-practiced work of picking it open. After another glance to his comrades, he quietly pushed the door ajar.

“Oh my, welcome.”

“Wh—”

The man could not suppress a small cry of shock—it was the first thing to happen that night that he had not anticipated.

The room was illuminated by a faint little light, revealing a beautiful young girl with silver hair sitting leisurely on the bed before them. The man only hesitated for a split second, then quickly took action. If the girl were to scream, their mission would fail on the spot. She had to be killed. He had no idea who she was, but it didn’t matter—there was no other option but to silence her immediately. Swiftly, he drew his stiletto and held it in his right hand as he advanced on the silver-haired girl, a murderous glint in his eyes. He took another step closer…and then he dropped his weapon to the ground.