Chapter 42
“Right. He said he was doing business with Marquis Pegimule, but I guess he got dumped, huh?”
As Laine said, the quality of the assailants matched just that level—hitmen that could be mobilized by a viscount family. It was almost too obvious to be used as credible evidence.
“They even prepared a scapegoat family to cut ties with. Seems like they planned a lot. But what are they trying to achieve with such a meaningless attack?”
What bothered Kazar was that the attack had separated the Spes Knights from Eluana. However, there were still soldiers remaining by her side.
They were Spes family’s private soldiers—stronger than most mercenary bands. Even if there was another ambush, they only needed to buy time until the Spes Knights returned. If Kazar and Laine joined them, it would be more than enough to protect Eluana.
The same applied to Rui. There was no way the six knights from the 1st Spes Order couldn’t protect one person.
“It should be fine, but… I’ve got a bad feeling.”
Kazar moved with a sense of unease. Was it the Empress? Or Marquis Pegimule? Whoever it was, they wouldn’t plan something this sloppy—especially not against the Duke of Spes.
Which meant…
“There’s something more.”
Kazar muttered.
It wasn’t suspicion—it was certainty. If there was something more, then these attackers were just bait. And their skills matched what bait should have.
Bait is meant to lure.
And right now, Eluana was alone.
A foreboding sensation tickled his nose. Kazar began heading toward where Eluana had been. As he moved decisively, Laine turned quickly and shouted urgently.
“Where are you going?! If the Spes Knights come back and you’re gone, it’ll be trouble. They’ll return soon—the castle’s just ahead!”
“I know.”
He could be suspected of being behind the ambush. Just being here would be enough for the Duke of Spes to interrogate him. But Kazar’s instincts—honed by years of surviving assassination attempts—were screaming at him.
Something was about to happen.
When he reached the area where Edelweiss informants should’ve been hiding, Kazar frowned. The spot where five people should’ve been lying in wait was completely empty.
“It’s already begun.”
Kazar’s pace quickened. He ran toward the graveyard where Eluana was last seen. But when he arrived, there were no soldiers, no subordinates—no Eluana.
If there had been an attack, there should’ve been some signs of struggle. But all he found were the neatly arranged corpses of the initial attackers.
Laine, who had followed him, looked around and then stared at the ground. Countless footprints were leading in one direction.
“Look at this.”
As if being lured, Kazar dashed ahead, following the tracks.
He had received the last report only minutes ago. It wasn’t too late yet. Running frantically through the forest path, he soon saw the backs of his subordinates stumbling forward.
Their eyes were vacant, as if in a trance, walking aimlessly.
“Wake up!”
He grabbed one by the collar and slapped them, but it was useless. All of them kept stumbling forward as if possessed by the idea that they must continue moving.
Laine knocked them unconscious one by one with strikes to the back of the neck. As the soldiers collapsed into the grass, she muttered,
“What the hell possessed these guys?”
“LaPlantpia. You can already smell it in the air.”
Kazar answered, covering his mouth with a handkerchief embroidered with the Russell Viscount family crest.
Laine finally realized why she and Kazar were unaffected. It was because of their aura. Only aura users or 3rd circle mages could resist LaPlantpia’s illusions.
LaPlantpia was a plant-type monster that lured prey by showing illusions. Due to the decomposing bodies it left behind after digestion, it always reeked terribly near its habitat. For such a creature to suddenly appear in the Aden territory—when it rarely relocated—was highly suspicious.
“Come on.”
Kazar, still covering his mouth, sprinted ahead. It was easy to follow the overwhelming stench of rotting flesh.
As they ran, they spotted soldiers stumbling forward—and Eluana, holding a black veil in her hand.
Kazar struck the back of her neck, knocking her out. Her golden hair fluttered as she collapsed into his arms.
Laine followed and knocked the soldiers unconscious as well, letting out a shaky breath. Then she covered her face again with her sleeve and murmured,
“It reeks. I might pass out from the stench before I even fight this thing.”
“Let’s move them to safety before dealing with it.”
As Kazar lifted Eluana, her lustrous golden hair waved. When her face became visible, Laine’s eyes widened.
“Whoa. She really looks exactly like Princess Stella. What’s the Duke of Spes planning?”
“He must have something in mind.”
Just as Kazar turned to move—
The bushes rustled, and two thin vines flew toward Eluana. Laine drew her twin swords, The Night of Mortality and The Silence of the Black Sun. With a surge of aura, she sliced the vines.
With a strange screech, LaPlantpia revealed itself. A giant red flower, larger than a grown man, dripping with sticky green sap from its severed vines.
Laine stared at her sword, now stained, with awe. Aura still shimmered at the tip.
“Amazing. This sword is incredible. Let me take care of this thing.”
Unlike Laine, who was fired up by the sword’s performance, Kazar’s face was tense.
It was strange for LaPlantpia to move on its own. It wasn’t the type to go looking for prey if they didn’t arrive quickly. Normally, it stayed rooted in place unless a wildfire drove it away.
Kazar looked down at the unconscious Eluana in his arms. Just in case, he darted in the opposite direction—and again, the vines shot toward Eluana. Their movement was desperate, as if it had to catch her.
As Kazar jumped back, Laine slashed the vines again. LaPlantpia screeched and moved its roots toward Eluana, ignoring everything else.
“What the heck? Why does it keep moving? Is this some kind of mutation? Wait, don’t tell me—”
Laine muttered in disbelief. Kazar smirked.
“Looks like it’s targeting her, right?”
A monster deliberately targeting a specific person? That was unheard of.
Normally, humans were just food to monsters—nothing more. Yet LaPlantpia ignored the easy prey—unconscious soldiers in the bushes—and went after Eluana alone.
Laine ruffled her green hair in frustration.
“This is insane. We need to get rid of it. Let’s lure it away from the people.”
Just as Laine infused her sword with aura again, Kazar sensed something and turned around.
“We’re surrounded.”
“What?!”
“These are the real assassins this time. They put some effort into this.”
Kazar slowly scanned the surroundings. The soldiers and subordinates showed no signs of waking. Facing assassins while having civilians to protect wasn’t ideal.
“You’re a real handful, you know that?”
Kazar muttered toward Eluana, then looked at Laine.
“Laine, take care of LaPlantpia. Can you handle it?”
“Huh? Yeah.”
“Once you’re done, regroup with the Spes Knights. If something happens, use this. You’ve got about an hour.”
“What about you?”
“The Duke of Spes gave me something.”
Kazar tossed her a stealth artifact and slung Eluana over his left shoulder like baggage, freeing his sword hand. Then, he dashed into the forest at full speed.
By the time Laine blinked, he was already gone—without a trace.
*
Of the five senses, the first to return was hearing. A sharp clang of metal jolted Eluana awake. She knew that sound well—it was the sound of swords clashing.
Again, a clang. Closer this time.
Why? Why was she hearing this?
Ka-kang! The sound of metal scraping followed. Not knowing what was going on was frustrating. An ambush? There had been an ambush at the graveyard too. Could there still be enemies left?
Where’s… Dad?
Her heart pounded violently. She had clearly seen Ron. Was it an illusion?
Eluana had been the one to secretly bury Ron a year ago after confirming his body. There was no way he was back. But remembering that glimpse of Ron at the graveyard made her head throb with pain.
Just then, another clang sounded—much closer this time. A faint groan followed—it was a man’s voice.
Next came the sense of touch. A sharp wind grazed her cheek. Then, she realized her body was in a strange position.
She snapped her eyes open and saw a white shirt fluttering—someone was carrying her like baggage while running. When she lifted her head, she saw men dressed entirely in black, leaving only their eyes exposed.
Assassins.
Eluana instinctively held her breath. The assassins exuded murderous intent, their presence alone making her skin sting. Her long hair fluttered wildly, obscuring her vision as the man carrying her moved. She could just barely register that they were in a forest.
The man leapt, and a wave of nausea hit her. Birds scattered into the sky from the commotion.
What is going on?
Eluana’s face turned pale. Fearing she might bite her tongue, she clenched her jaw and grabbed the shirt of the man carrying her for support.
Maybe some of them survived.
This group felt completely different from the sloppy attackers from before.
Was this the real ambush?
Maybe the man carrying her was just one of the soldiers. He wasn’t in the Spes Knights uniform, so it wasn’t one of them.
What happened to the others? What about Rui? As she lifted her head to get a better look, she spotted a dagger flying straight at her.
“Kyahhh!”
She screamed instinctively, and her body spun around. The man carrying her deflected the dagger midair and muttered lowly,
“You should probably pass out again.”
A voice she didn’t recognize—but felt strangely familiar—was the last thing she heard before the pain in her neck returned and her consciousness faded once more.
Eluana dangled from Kazar’s shoulder like a paper doll.
