* * *
Instead, Ebony was visible in my peripheral vision, which I had averted to the opposite side.
He quietly kept his eyes downcast, as if what was happening right now could neither be seen nor heard by him.
It seemed he had no intention of stopping Klen.
“W-What did you call Ebony for?”
I quickly changed the subject before the atmosphere could get any more strained.
The hand that had tightly gripped my chin slowly released its strength.
He gently stroked my cheek with the back of his hand before letting go.
“I asked him to observe the people who frequently pass through the forest.”
“…!”
I could feel my ears naturally perking up.
I was about to shift my focus from the forest to preparing countermeasures and defenses for the potential crisis ahead.
Nevertheless, this matter was important.
The spies needed to be caught, after all.
“Based on my past memories and recent investigation, I have selected the faces that appeared frequently, but since I don’t know their names, I’ve only marked them.”
“It shouldn’t be hard to find their names?”
People who frequently visit that place must be residents of this castle or city.
It would be easy enough to find out their names with a little background check.
He nodded slightly, agreeing with my point.
“Yes. However, I didn’t have time to investigate if there were people with the same name or similar pronunciation nearby. My mission is also to guard the area near the forest. So, I thought marking the person would be the fastest method.”
“Hmm. I see.”
Unless I went with him and pointed them out directly, there would always be variables.
It was better than wasting time tracking down the wrong person or wrongly accusing an innocent one.
Ebony took something out of his pocket.
“What is that?”
What he presented was a small glass bead.
But it had no special color.
It was dull and opaque, the kind of object one would overlook if it lay on the floor.
“It is an object that allows you to see the mark I left. You can only confirm it while holding this. Be careful, however, as it will break once all the targets have been confirmed.”
“Something like that existed?”
A bead that breaks when someone confirms the hidden marks?
Doesn’t that sound like destroying evidence before a situation can occur?
Moreover, the word ‘target’ was strangely unsettling.
“It is natural that you wouldn’t know. Such things are special items traded among assassins.”
“…Assassin?”
My head, which hadn’t turned even when my chin was grasped, moved slowly, as if groaning.
The amber eyes I met shone coldly, sending a chill down my spine.
His lips crooked up into a smile.
“Do not worry. I do not give such commands.”
“……”
“There is no one I wish to kill, but if it came to that, it would be better to personally cut their neck.”
An ominous sound reached my ears.
But that seemed plausible for Klen.
He would surely coldly corner his enemies and finish them with his own hands rather than entrusting it to others.
The novel never mentioned Klen employing assassins.
Klen Valuncio was merely the protagonist’s helper.
He provided all sorts of conveniences and sent knights when needed.
However, he was not a character of enough importance to frequently feature him taking direct action.
‘So, I understand the lack of detailed explanation…’
‘An assassin.’
The moment that word reached my ears, my heart nearly leaped out.
‘No. Impossible. But… ah, no. That can’t be it.’
My confused mind started creating the worst-case scenario on its own.
I had no choice but to pour all my concentration into chasing those thoughts away.
If I didn’t, that scenario felt like it would rush to completion in an instant.
‘An assassin, of all things.’
For me, who has the future of dying by assassination following me like a fixed fate, there is no more terrifying resonance than that word.
However, he said that item was traded among assassins, not that he himself was an assassin.
That alone gave me a sliver of hope.
“And since they are all staying in this castle, you will find them easily.”
“Thank you for your effort.”
A few more things passed my ears, but they didn’t seem important.
After the conversation ended, Klen gestured, and Ebony left through the window again.
His footsteps were as light as feathers, and he was skilled at hiding his presence.
I thought he was amazing. And I was uneasy.
If he sneaks in, will I be able to notice him right away?
“Is something wrong? Your face is pale.”
Klen placed his hand on my cheek and gently felt it.
His hand didn’t feel as cold as before. In fact, it felt warm.
Was I that pale?
No, of course I was.
Death had just taken a large step closer to me.
Wasn’t one of the reasons I was trying to stop this war to save my own life?
“How did you come to know Ebony? You don’t seem to be acting in front of him.”
“He was originally a person I intended to kill.”
“…What?”
Today, my ears had to confirm they were functioning correctly several times over.
What was this now?
Klen’s expression was cold, as usual, showing no emotion.
But the words that flowed from his mouth, being slightly different, made the atmosphere feel distinct.
“He was sent to assassinate me by someone else’s request.”
“!”
My body, startled with a twitch, completely froze.
The words were not entirely unexpected.
But the confirmation that Ebony was an assassin came with surprise.
What was even more astonishing was that he was the person who had come to assassinate Klen.
Was he now employing the person who had nearly killed him?
But Klen continued speaking as if it were nothing.
“I intended to reveal the mastermind and kill him, but… it was his first mission, and he was lamenting that assassination just wasn’t the right fit for him.”
“……”
An assassin caught by his target, lamenting his fate.
I no longer knew how to follow this story.
Was Ebony that kind of personality?
I wished I could take back the fear I had briefly felt for him.
“While my hand was paused for a moment, he began a long speech about how good it would be to hire him.”
“Can you trust a person like that?”
“As you heard a moment ago, he seemed to be poorly treated on their side. And I thought it wouldn’t be bad to have someone who knows about assassins.”
Did he mean that ‘worse situation’ he mentioned?
No, there must have been more than that.
“Did he tell you who the client who ordered the assassination was?”
“He said he couldn’t disclose that, as it goes against the assassin’s vow.”
“……”
Wasn’t he no longer an assassin once he became Klen’s subordinate?
Moreover, was the rule against revealing the client more serious than betraying his former associates?
Betrayal, of all things?
Was it that I wasn’t an assassin, so I couldn’t understand their world?
“You don’t need to worry, Adrian. He is bound by a covenant that his life will immediately be cut short the moment he betrays me, without achieving his goal.”
“You made a covenant?”
“I didn’t make it. It’s a leash he put on himself to show his loyalty.”
A person who betrays so easily is hard to trust.
That’s why Ebony gave his life’s thread to him, I suppose.
Was he confident that Klen would not order an assassination?
Indeed, Klen was only using him to guard or investigate the forest.
Klen’s expression showed no change.
* * *
