<CHAPTER 07>

“Possession is just a job scam!” Episode 007

The strength drained from my hand, and the employee called Yulian took Jae from me.

I looked carefully at the assassins again.

“Typical face of the La Roen Principality.”

Pale body hair, blue eyes, a high nose bridge, and deeply set eyes with sunken eyelids.

Neighboring regions like the La Roen Principality and the eastern territories mostly had light body hair.

The ones mainly in conflict with His Majesty the Emperor were the western regions led by Grand Duke Cardena, or the La Roen Principality.

“His Majesty the Emperor has a lot of enemies.”

Lucas pointed at the bound men.

His eyes were as cold as a winter lake.

“………………Does this kind of thing happen often?”

“Why, are you thinking of quitting if it does?”

“……I briefly had that thought.”

“It’s not frequent enough to quit over. Maybe once every few years.”

Lucas answered casually and stared at me.

“More importantly, are you hurt?”

“Huh?”

“Everyone’s on edge because of assassination attempts. Yulian overreacted. No matter how threatening it looked, he shouldn’t have thrown you without even checking who you were.”

“Ah. I-I’m okay.”

I was indeed a bit frightened, but after hearing about the Emperor’s assassination attempt, it completely faded.

It was a relief I hadn’t been taken in for interrogation.

“Connections really are useful.”

If I hadn’t known Lucas, things would have gotten much more complicated.

Even now it was only resolved with a few words.

At least I would’ve been locked up for days under relentless interrogation.

I was already unlucky, so this level of misfortune didn’t even upset me.

I was just relieved it didn’t turn into something worse.

“Pfft, we don’t usually intimidate civilians like this.”

Lucas leaned closer and inspected me.

His gaze was so intrusive it felt uncomfortable.

“You don’t seem hurt, but anything else bothering you?”

“I’m really fine. I’m not hurt at all.”

“Tell me if it starts hurting later.”

Lucas took a handkerchief from his pocket.

“Your hands are dirty. Wipe them.”

His well-shaped hand brushed past his waist and touched his sword.

It was the sword he always carried on his left hip.

A faint pattern engraved on the handle still held traces of grass stains from the maze garden last time.

I looked at it and asked.

“What will happen to those people?”

“That’s something we’ll have to figure out now.”

“Who on earth would do something like this in the palace…?”

“There are too many suspects to guess. It could be Cardena in the west, or La Roen, or plenty of others.”

He shrugged.

“And from experience, even if we interrogate them, the chances they’ll reveal the real mastermind are low.”

Lucas clicked his tongue in irritation.

“Even if we find something, it’ll probably just be a discarded tail.”

It was a strangely realistic prediction.

Like he had experienced it many times.

I was about to ask if I would also be interrogated when it happened.

Everything unfolded in an instant.

One of the subdued assassins grabbed a branch and stabbed a knight’s thigh.

Using the opening, he pulled a thin dagger from his chest.

“Edward Velasquez!”

The assassin’s eyes flickered like fire, filled with thick hatred like burnt candle oil.

Time felt painfully slow.

Lucas pulled me behind him and reached for his sword.

But before he could even draw it—

The assassin threw the dagger at Lucas.

“For Velasquez.”

The blade sliced through the air with a chilling sound.

I didn’t know what came over me.

I threw myself in the opposite direction of the blade while holding onto Lucas.

Without time to process anything, I spat out the disgusting taste of dirt and stood up.

“Lucas!! Are you okay?!”

Lucas blinked blankly, then frowned and held his head.

“Ugh, my head.”

“Are you hurt? Are you injured anywhere?”

“No… I don’t think I’m hurt.”

Not hurt?

“There’s blood on your face! Blood!”

I grabbed his chin and turned it aside.

A cut from the blade had left a wound on his left cheek.

I couldn’t help but worry seeing such a handsome face injured.

“It better not leave a scar.”

Lucas clicked his tongue and grabbed my hand.

“Sorry, but your hand is the same.”

It really was.

I looked down belatedly.

My left hand was deeply cut and bleeding heavily.

Even though it was serious, I didn’t feel pain due to the shock.

Lucas grumbled.

“So why would you jump in like that? That was dangerous.”

“I’m sorry… I thought you might get hurt.”

“Do you think I can’t dodge something like that? Why is a civilian worrying about a knight?”

But it was too close.

And I didn’t have time to calculate.

It was purely instinct.

“If I’d reacted even a bit slower, you would’ve been seriously hurt.”

His tone was rough, but it was clearly advice not to do something so reckless.

Then—

“Ahahaha… hahahaha!!”

“What now? This guy finally lost it?”

The restrained assassin suddenly burst into laughter.

He was pressed into the dirt, yet he laughed wildly as the knights pinned him harder.

Lucas stepped forward indifferently.

“Where were you sent from?”

There is no name to tell an enemy.

Lucas sneered.

“Your tongue is long. Is that an assassin trait?”

He kicked the man lightly.

“Answer me. Cardena? Rosario?”

He pressed the man down and placed his sword at his throat.

A chilling silver blade radiated killing intent.

“Or is it the La Roen Principality?”

Silence fell like death.

The man spat blood and laughed.

“O arrogant Edward, suffer sixty-six days of agony and regret it…”

His bloodshot eyes trembled with madness.

A grotesque prayer poured from his lips.

“Everything is for Velasquez.”

The Emperor’s assassin claiming it was for the Empire—how ironic.

Then it happened.

The world tilted to the right.

The distant palace spires of the Dupey Palace leaned like the Tower of Pisa.

Right, then left.

Everything collapsed.

…Dizzy.

I staggered and grabbed a nearby tree.

Rough bark filled my palm.

Why… am I dizzy?

I wasn’t injured badly enough for this.

Blood loss wasn’t significant.

And yet my head felt like it was being squeezed, my vision blurring violently.

A thought crossed my mind—more instinct than reasoning.

Why did the assassin call Lucas “Edward”?

That’s right.

Edward is the Emperor’s name.

And after that—

Everything went dar