Chapter 121: The Hider (Middle)

Black-on-Black, or reaping the benefits when two parties fight, was not a strange thing in any place or at any time. In fact, most of the time, those who walked in the Shadow considered it a stroke of luck.

However, Dean did not think his previous situation fit the description of Black-on-Black—

First of all, his previous performance had not been damaged by the battle.

One could even say he was unscathed.

Secondly, his battle with the Brotherhood’s stalker was very sudden and did not reveal any special items or treasures.

One side was unscathed, displaying undamaged Strength, and possessed no items or treasures worth coveting.

Undoubtedly, anyone wanting to attempt Black-on-Black would not choose such a target.

Unless… they held a grudge.

And the Dean of this moment was definitely not the Dean of his previous life—the Dean of his previous life had enemies everywhere, but now, there seemed to be only two people Dean could call his enemies.

Setting aside the one far away in the Capital of Emerald.

It seemed only the Nephew of Baron Defendi, who had traveled with him, remained.

And even more coincidentally, the other party was a Wizard.

One coincidence could still be explained as an accident.

But what about two?

That left only inevitability.

The identity of the remaining hider seemed to be locked in.

Then the next question appeared—what was Churde Defendi doing there?

Dean certainly would not believe the other party was waiting there specifically for him.

After all, all signs indicated that their meeting was an accident.

“Perhaps I should ‘repay’ that Nephew of Baron Defendi…”

This thought instinctively surfaced from the bottom of Dean’s heart; however, before that, Dean had other things to do—

[Warrior Lv2→Lv3]

[+0.2 Strength, +0.1 Constitution, +0.1 Agility, +0.1 Perception, +0.1 Will]

After consuming 144 XP, his professional level rose again. Since it was an odd-numbered level, the Warrior profession’s characteristic allowed Dean to gain an extra 0.1 in Perception and Will.

[Strength: 3.02; Agility: 2.80; Constitution: 3.30; Perception: 2.60; Will: 3.20]

Dean glanced at his current attributes, and then, he was once again submerged by the pain surging from the depths of his Soul.

Pursing his lips tightly, Dean swallowed all his groans caused by pain and soreness.

When all the pain and soreness had vanished, Dean stood up again. Feeling his body move without a hint of lag, he quickly changed out of his sweat-soaked underwear. After putting on his Assassin inner lining, coat, and cloak, Dean vanished from the room once more.

…

The Nephew of Baron Defendi was not in his room.

This allowed Dean to confirm his guess from another angle.

Then, without hesitation, Dean returned the way he came—

The soldiers patrolling back and forth in the distance explained why Churde Defendi had not returned for so long.

Clearly, the two Corpses that had not yet been dealt with had been discovered by those patrolling soldiers. In plain sight, it was obviously not appropriate for Churde Defendi to appear.

After all, a Noble from a subordinate territory appearing at the scene of a murder was definitely not a good sign.

Both the public and Marquis Vauban would harbor suspicions.

And this was definitely not something the Nephew of Baron Defendi wanted to see.

Moreover, Dean could be certain that Churde Defendi leaving his residence in a hurry under the cover of night and appearing in the Lower District was not without reason; there must be some ‘connections’ involved.

And once these ‘connections’ were discovered by Marquis Vauban, it would put the other party and his uncle, Baron Defendi, in a very passive position.

Dean naturally did not mind making use of these ‘connections’.

However, the prerequisite was that he needed to figure out the ins and outs of the matter—

Dean watched as the patrolling soldiers began to move the corpses. He was sure these patrolling soldiers had already questioned people everywhere, yet Churde Defendi and the person he was meeting had not shown up; otherwise, the number of soldiers on the street would certainly not be just this many, but at least double.

After all, Churde Defendi was a guest invited by Marquis Vauban, so he had to be treated with caution.

As for the person Churde Defendi was meeting?

Dean saw a carriage parked in the courtyard next door not far away—although it was covered with black cloth, the appearance of a carriage in the Lower District was a strange thing in itself.

Therefore, Dean could be certain that the person the other party was meeting also had a rather extraordinary status.

At least, that was the case within Vauban City.

At the same time, Dean could also determine that the carriage’s presence here required a reasonable explanation—after all, those patrolling soldiers couldn’t have missed such a large object.

“Some Big Shot’s coachman…”

Dean pondered silently.

And undoubtedly, the person Churde Defendi was meeting was this Big Shot.

As for what for?

Dean already had some guesses in his mind; after all, such things were common in Noble circles.

To build a good relationship with one’s County King, or even to know some trends, winning over the people around the Lord was too common; almost every Lord within the County did similar things.

Even the Tier Territory was no exception.

At least, during the banquet, Dean clearly saw that the Miss from the Baron’s family seemed very familiar with some of the people beside Marquis Vauban.

Clearly, this was a level that required long-term friendship to achieve.

There was no problem with mutual recruitment between them.

But meeting late at night, right after the banquet.

This situation forced Dean to think a little more.

However, what Dean was thinking about more at this moment was the ‘method of handling’ Churde Defendi—an accident was obviously not enough to cover it up.

After all, he couldn’t know if there was anyone else beside Churde Defendi when he made his move.

If the person who was conspiring with Churde Defendi was also present, then this accident would obviously expose him completely.

So, if he wanted to do it without anyone noticing.

The Big Shot who was conspiring with Churde Defendi also needed to be ‘handled’.

Dean would not feel apologetic about this.

After all, an enemy’s ally was an enemy to him.

Slowly, Dean moved silently through the Shadow, gradually approaching that building.

Churde Defendi’s identity as a Wizard forced Dean to be extra cautious—some of a Wizard’s methods were truly mysterious and unpredictable. Dean, who had suffered losses several times, absolutely dared not let his guard down.

And in the next moment, Dean felt lucky again for his caution.

Within his line of sight, in the corridor of that building, a thumb-sized Magic Crystal was quietly emitting an abnormal glow—not that eerie blue, but black.

Even relying on his excellent [Perception], Dean could see that this black Magic Crystal was not embedded in the door, but was suspended in mid-air.

“Magic Alarm!”

Dean recognized this Spell with familiarity, and then he slowly retreated at the same speed as before—with [Magic Alarm], anyone or any creature approaching would be recorded and trigger that Spell.

And once triggered, the people in the room would naturally receive an alert.

Therefore, the front of this building absolutely could not be approached.

At least, with Dean’s current Strength, approaching would definitely result in detection.

So, after taking a detour, Dean appeared at the back of the building—

A person dressed as a servant was guarding there. The Longsword at his waist indicated that he was no simple servant.

His walking pace, the aura he inadvertently revealed, and his strong physique all pointed to his Knight-rank status.

“A Knight’s servant…”

Dean’s interest in the person Churde Defendi was meeting rose once again.

After all.

Even within Vauban City, having a Knight-rank servant or bodyguard was definitely not common, and if placed among the various Lords under the County, this would be the treatment of a Lord himself.

Coupled with the carriage from before, Dean naturally placed the other party’s identity at a high-ranking position in Vauban County.

Thinking about the changes that might occur in Vauban City after getting rid of such a guy, and the impact on himself, Dean gripped his sword hilt tightly—although there would be some changes, with the identity of the Ferrchelen Knight Order Regiment Commander of the Tier Territory as a cover, Dean didn’t think he would be in trouble.

At least, it wouldn’t be much worse than the current situation.

Although he had done nothing special in the Black Market before, merely mailing letters, the fact that he had killed people from the ‘Brotherhood’ afterwards was a reality.

Once Churde Defendi leaked this news, he would undoubtedly face the pursuit of the ‘Brotherhood’.

The only lucky thing was that he hadn’t killed any soldiers of Vauban City.

Otherwise, Marquis Vauban would definitely appear on the list of those hunting him.

And it would be the relentless kind—for any County King, the ‘insult’ of killing one’s own soldiers was obviously intolerable.

Therefore, whether to evade the ‘Brotherhood’s’ pursuit or to eliminate future trouble.

Dean needed to get rid of Churde Defendi and his ally.

Silently, Dean approached the Knight-rank Guard. He aimed at the opponent’s back, ensuring he could cover the opponent’s mouth in the first instant.

Dean made his move!