NOVEL NEXT Chapter 60 - 20. She (2)
“Uuurgh!”
However, it didn’t land on Fanora smoothly this time. She casually feigned outstretched in fear and gave the oncoming man a hard push. As her agility developed thanks to the training and the power of the holy relic mixed to the point where it wasn’t obvious, the man fell backward ridiculously.
“Don’t do this!”
Fanora thought as she widened her distance before the man she had knocked over stood up.
I don’t have anything to give them in my outfit right now, and even if I give them money, they won’t respond. Don’t tell me…
Soon after, she learned from the man’s conversation that her concern was correct.
“What are you doing?”
“No, she’s stronger than I thought…”
“I told you not to play with it.”
They lowered their voices and talked a few words. What followed was a shocking statement.
“Kill her quickly and put her corpse in it. Four people came for a simple job, so don’t drag it out.”
Their purpose was to kill Fanora Celsius.
Assassins?
The identity of men wasn’t bandits aiming for her valuables. Fanora was confused at the moment.
Why? Who would send assassins to me now? What should I do? What should I do!
But there wasn’t much time to ponder. It was because all four assassins rushed to kill Fanora and Cecil right after that. Now that things had gone this way, Fanora eventually gave strength to her grasp.
Io…
After that, she covered her body with the unique feeling she got when she drew power from the holy relic. Like the sound of a drum, the palpitation of her heart increased, and at the same time, a loud voice was heard in her ears.
“Hieeeek!”
It was the high-pitched cry of a horse made when the rein was hurriedly pulled.
“…?”
Why was there a sound like that? At the sound, everyone turned their eyes reflexively. Eventually, Fanora’s eyes widened even more as she saw the human at the end of her gaze.
“Uh? Lady Fanora?”
The man riding a horse got off the saddle quickly. His hair, which had been burning like a flame, lost its color when it was submerged in the dark sky, and now it really looked like human blood.
“I came here because I heard a fight.”
There was no need to identify who this person was now. Red hair and red eyes. Carl Andras appeared there.
“…”
“…”
The assassins quickly exchanged glances over the unexpected situation.
“Anyway, you’re fighting 2:4 right now?”
But alas, Carl’s actions were quicker than they came to their conclusions.
“Count me in too!”
Since he was a gentleman who knew justice, it was natural that he would take the side that was outnumbered.
“Only kill the target and retreat…!”
While the leader of the assassins, embarrassed by Carl’s appearance, urgently ordered, in an instant Carl jumped to them. And by witnessing this scene, Fanora came to know why Carl would make a huge contribution later.
“Ugh!”
Pow!
Was that the sound of someone’s fist touching or head exploding? They could have done the order once, but one of the assassins’ facial bones sank, and his body collapsed. Without even a second to be surprised by his colleague’s fall, Carl grabbed the man with a dagger by the robe and immediately thrust his fist into his stomach.
“!”
What followed was the figure of an assassin who vomited gastric juice with an ugly gurgling sound. The fight that followed was Andras’s one-sided assault that she didn’t even have to watch anymore.
“Cecil, come here.”
Fanora looked around and stepped out of the corner with her servant. And until Carl had taken care of everyone, she held his breath, looked at his profile, and thought quietly.
I’ve never considered him barbaric while keeping him by my side until now.
Carl relentlessly trampled on the assassin, who had already become bloody and couldn’t get up. When one of them tried to run away, he caught that person and inflicted the most brutal assault on him.
I think I can understand why such rumors follow him.
He laughed heartily under the moonlight as if he was having fun with the whole fight.
Seeing that naive face turn into bloodthirsty, Cecil became afraid, as if she was seeing a madman.
* * *
In a little while.
“How did you pass by here?”
“I like horseback riding on the days when the moon is beautiful. I took the head of the family’s words and went for a walk alone, then I heard the sound of fighting.”
“Anyway, I think they will die.”
“They’re assassins terrorizing two powerless people, so they can die.”
“…”
“Still, I’m glad there are many criminals like this in the world! Thanks to them, I become innocent even if I fight to my heart’s content!”
All sorts of bloodstains and messed up assassins were scattered in the colorless streets in the night. She thought winning in a one-to-many fistfight would only appear in novels, but it seemed that wasn’t the case.
“But, what’s going on, Lady Fanora? An attack by assassins?”
When Carl turned around with a relieved face, Fanora answered right away. “I don’t know either.” She meant her words. She didn’t have any clue. She was still young if it was instructed by Hanar. And it seemed strange if someone held a grudge against her because she was caught murdering someone.
As Fanora was touching her injured shoulder with a sunken face, Carl turned his head to look at the assassins on the ground.
“Uuurgh…”
Since they were all unconscious, questioning them would be difficult. However, Carl pointed to the fallen assassin, wondering if he knew anything.
“I think we can find out who commissioned it.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Human beings who make money by killing people/ You know, it’s not really great.”
“Yes?”
“I mean… most of them don’t kill themselves by eating poison just because they failed their mission like you imagined.”
Rustle.
As he continued, he rubbed his blood-stained hand on the assassin’s clothes. “These people. Looking at their skills, they’re not first-class, right? These cheap assassins just kill people for money. But what if the client doesn’t pay for their success?”
“What happens?”
“They have something prepared if that happens. Because they only work for money, not a sense of duty.”
In the meantime, Fanora, unable to see Carl’s face as he was covered in blood, took out a handkerchief from her pocket. Carl nodded and wiped his face.
“They make sure to put the seal of the client’s family on the contract.”
After hearing that, Fanora realized what Carl was looking for. “They’re going to threaten the client with the contract later. If the client didn’t give them money, they would report the client for the crime of instigating murder.”
“Yes, that’s right. I will ask where the contract is. Hopefully, it’s not being held by a broker.”
“Can they really tell something important like that?”
“Their life is more important than their client. Surprisingly, only a few honorable assassins die to keep the secrets, so let’s hope they aren’t proper assassins from the Holy Kingdom.”
After wiping off his blood, Carl began to mount the fallen assassins on his horse.
“Carl, how could you know about it so well? Have you ever hired an assassin?”
“I’m against it. When my brother was almost assassinated, he caught and tortured the assassins, then they blew up trade secrets.”
Cecil, who had been listening to this conversation, turned blue and had an expression on the verge of fainting.
Torturing assassins for information? If so, it was obvious why Carl put the fainted assassins on the back of his horse.
“Then I’ll take these people and look into the contract.”
“…Yes.”
“Both of you were in trouble, so let’s go back to the mansion first.”
He escorted Fanora and Cecil to the mansion safely first.
“Oh my gosh! Cecil, what was going on?!”
“L-lady Fanora is more—”
“Someone call a doctor!”
Contrary to Fanora’s expectations, it was a bonus that the mansion turned upside down due to her shoulder injury.
* * *
It was the next day.
“This is a letter addressed to you, Lady.”
Fanora approached the silver tray brought by the servant and snatched the envelope. A wax seal showing a roaring lioness without a mane. It was a letter from the Andras family.
Carl sent it.
She tore the envelope open as if tearing it in half. Inside the envelope, the original contract was attached, along with a sentence stating a clue was found.
Who the hell was it?
It was difficult if the name of a commoner was written on it, but if the person who ordered it was a noble, there was no way she, who had seen countless seals, wouldn’t know it.
Did anyone notice I murdered someone? Or was it Hanar?
Fanora hurriedly examined the family seal stamped on the contract. But the red mark came out… with a fortress wall drawn in a square shape within a round frame. There was an insignia hanging over it, and the insignia pattern was none other than the embroidered sword placed ascended like a cross.
“…”
How could she not know the seal of this family?
…Jalier.
One of the 2 dukes in the Kasius Kingdom.
Duke Jalier’s family…
The seal of Duke Jalier was clearly visible.
[I’m sorry. One person died during interrogation. Apparently, the dead assassin was the one who witnessed the signing of the contract. The rest were his subordinates, so they didn’t know exactly who made the contract. The broker has already left the capital.]
“…”
Fanora skimmed through Carl’s message in the letter. With a bandage wrapped around her left shoulder, it was very uncomfortable to hold the letter.
Duke Jalier’s family sent assassins to me…?
However, it was her heart that was more uncomfortable than her arms. It would be better if the seal was from the Celsius family. When she found out it was none other than her fiancé’s family who tried to kill her, she felt stabbed in the back of her head.
“…”
Then, the only thing remaining was to ask ‘who’ of the Jalier family did it.
“Cecil, can you go down and tell the coachman to get ready?”
“Where are you going?”
Fanora said while crumpling the letter she was reading, “To the mansions of Duke Jalier.”
No matter whose hand this assassination request was made, she would make them pay the price for this assassination commission.
* * *
In the capital of Kingdom Kasius, the Jalier family mansion.
Scribe. Scribe.
The sound of a sharp pen nib sweeping through papers resounds. This was the mansion of Duke Jalier in the capital, prepared for the social season. It was the time when the young duke, who led the family in his study, was intently concentrating on his work.
“Duke, your fiancée is visiting.” A servant’s voice rang in front of the closed study room door.
Aloken, who only glanced at it, readily accepted.
“Let her in.”
In fact, he already knew she was here thanks to Fanora’s engagement ring, which the attendant had brought on a tray a few minutes earlier. Just like other nobles, he received a courteous notification of her visit, so it wasn’t surprising if Fanora suddenly entered his study.
“What brings my wife-to-be, who is so precious to see, to come all the way here?”
“…”
“Sit down for now. I’ll just take care of this and move to the parlor.”
Aloken faced Fanora, who came in, with a smile. Then he showed her the engagement ring, which was the object to announce her visit, which made Fanora approach him, get the ring back, and slowly put it on.
“Aloken.”
“Yes, yes, my love.”
But after a while. Aloken answers half-heartedly without taking his eyes off the papers. Fanora leaned toward the desk and gently approached Aloken’s face.
“…”
When Fanora’s face approached, he eventually stopped his pen. Seeing
this,
she whispered in Aloken’s ear. “Could you please tell the nearby servants to… go away?” On the surface, lovers seemed to exchange words, but the content was a completely different sentence.
“Hm?”
Fanora’s voice was sharp enough. However, Aloken didn’t realize that Fanora was upset. Still, he did as she wanted.
“Everyone, stay out.” At Aloken’s word, the butler who was by his side and the maid who was organizing the book left at once. Eventually, with only two of them left, silence fell in the study.
“Fanora, why did you suddenly—”
But it was then.
“Do you know what this is?”
“!”
Fanora threw the crumpled sheet of paper onto his desk. It was the assassination contract with the seal of Duke Jalier.