En route to Viscount Howlingwinds' safe house, Sitana was forced to listen to the captain of the guards sing praises of Hydra all the way, which made her skin crawl.
The most crucial aspect was that she could clearly sense a difference between these praises and the flattery that nobles usually showered upon Hydra. This was genuine, heartfelt admiration, truly seeing Hydra as the perfect individuals he described, something Sitana found utterly unacceptable.
Fortunately, halfway through the journey, others stepped in to take over the reception duties. The small captain wasn't anyone of great importance, just a regular captain in the Howlingwinds City Guard. As soon as word got out about Anselm's arrival, the appropriate welcoming team swiftly made their appearance.
The person who came to greet Anselm was a strikingly elegant and bewitching butler, whose swaying hips and twisting waist made Sitana very uncomfortable to watch.
—Your lord's barely clinging to life after being assassinated, and here you are, wiggling your butt for strangers! You wench!
"The situation of the Viscount is currently stable," the female butler told Anselm, "but we have yet to apprehend the mastermind. Lord Hydra, I deeply apologize for involving you in this..."
Anselm responded calmly, "It's alright. Since I am here now, no one will be able to take the life of the Howlingwinds Viscount from me. You can rest assured, Madam Selam."
"As for the death of Viscount Lundbeck... I can only express my regret."
The young nobleman sighed softly, "We were just a step too late."
Too late, huh... too late.
It took them about half an hour to gather the belongings and make their way from the mansion in Scarletfrost City to the teleportation chamber.
Anselm's decision to depart immediately was prompted by a reminder from Savile, who had informed him half an hour earlier that both the Lundbeck Viscount and the Howlingwinds Viscount were feeling anxious.
In other words, within the span of just one hour, the Lundbeck Viscount was assassinated upon arriving in Howlingwinds City, and soon after, the Howlingwinds Viscount also became the target of an assassination attempt.
It was all happening so quickly... it was almost laughable.
Anselm, with his fingers lightly caressing the handle of his cane, barely acknowledged the seductive female butler in front of him. His eyes held a glimpse of the future, refined from his experience, wisdom, and most importantly, the disparity in intelligence that only he could see.
If he could make good use of this chaos, perhaps...
The young man turned to look at Sitana, who was looking around with her luggage in hand, and abruptly raised his cane, gripping the lower end. He used the snake-head handle to hook onto her collar, yanking her swiftly to his side.
Before the young wolf could bristle, Anselm whispered in her ear:
"Sitana, I suddenly feel like giving you a trial."
"If you manage to pass this trial, I'll give you a full week of paid leave. You can bring Malena with you to visit your parents in your village and brag to your old friends about your current accomplishments. And, of course, I'll keep supplying you with the beyonder characteristics you need to hone your skills."
Hydra's excitement overrode her annoyance with Anselm's earlier behavior. She practically yelled, "Really... ah, I know it must be true, so what's the gig? You want me to kick the crap out of those assassins and capture them?"
Madam Selam, the female butler, maintained a commendable level of professionalism, keeping her eyes forward and continuing to lead the way, pretending as if she hadn't heard Sitana's words at all. However, the expressions on the surrounding guards were somewhat peculiar.
"No, it's just a very simple trial."
Anselm whispered leisurely in her ear, "Before we return to Scarletfrost City, you must ensure that I do not take the initiative to engage in any combat—not even the simplest level of engagement, which means using Gleipnir as a hand cannon is also not allowed."
Gleipnir was the name of Anselm's almost never-parted-with cane. Although Sitana didn't know this, she was well aware of what a "hand cannon" was and had witnessed the commotion when Anselm fired it.
Upon hearing Anselm's words, she became even more delighted, realizing that it was essentially the same work she usually did!
As if this jerk ever took the initiative to engage in combat!
"You have three chances. After I engage three times, your trial will be considered a failure, and you will have to accept my... punishment."
The young Hydra smiled and flicked his tongue, his venomous fangs faintly visible.
The word "punishment" sent a jolt through Sitana's heart, and the humiliation from that moment made her blood boil. A sense of wanting to retreat and an indescribable feeling of foreboding started to creep into her thoughts.
And it was this inexplicable timidity that made Sitana extremely angry—what was she afraid of? Why should she be afraid? If she were to back down now, wouldn't that mean she couldn't even do her current job well? Not to mention the generous reward!
"Alright, I accept!" Sitana declared, lifting her head high. "Just get ready to hand over those magic crystals!"
Anselm, already contemplating how to "punish" Hydra, wore a pure and innocent smile. "I look forward to it, Sitana."
"Wait, what’s with that sly smile, you're not planning to sneakily fire three blanks from a corner and then count it as...um um um um—"
To prevent Sitana from spouting any brainless remarks that would result in her being zapped harshly, Anselm decided to give the girl a little shock beforehand, showing his thoughtful intentions.
Under Selam's guidance, Anselm and Hydra finally arrived at the safe house where the Howlingwinds Viscount was currently residing. The Viscount's residence was a castle.
Within the black network of interests constructed by the Scarletfrost Earl, the Howlingwinds Viscount, who was in charge of the plundering routes in and around Scarletfrost, was a tall and robust man. Unlike the obese Scarletfrost Earl, he appeared more like a burly warrior, which was indeed the case.
The third stage of the Pathway of Heaven, Imperial Throne.
The muscular man lying on the bed, eyes closed and breathing steadily, was a formidable individual who could independently absorb and utilize beyonder powers without relying on rituals or tools.
"...Lord Hydra."
As Anselm approached the large bed of Viscount Howlingwinds, the man with bandages wrapped around his upper body wearily opened his eyes. He looked at the young, handsome golden-haired nobleman in front of him and sighed in relief.
"You've arrived. I apologize for not being able to get up to greet you. But... it seems it's no longer necessary."
His eyes were filled with both fear and a sense of release.
"You will keep your promise and grant me your mercy, won't you?"
Anselm, supporting himself with Gleipnir, smiled and said, "I will, Viscount Howlingwinds, but before that... I need to clarify one thing."
"Who killed Viscount Lundbeck, and who wanted to kill you—I'll also need to examine the poor Viscount Lundbeck's body later."
"My lord—"
"I promised you," Anselm interrupted Viscount Howlingwinds, "Since you have fulfilled my requests, I will also bestow upon you the mercy I promised."
"And now, someone has prevented me from fulfilling my promise."
The composed and calm young man spoke softly with his eyes lowered, but the Howlingwinds Viscount could sense the roar of thunderous fury hidden beneath his unruffled, indifferent words.
—His anger is real, Viscount Howlingwinds thought.
"This is an unacceptable disgrace for Hydra," Anselm stated. "Therefore, I must uncover the truth. Once I do, I will grant you mercy. Until that moment, your life is under my protection, and no one can take it away."
Sitana, not understanding what Anselm was talking about, looked bored and tilted her head. Without any intuitive warnings or senses of hostility, she simply felt lazy and bored, with nothing to do.
"Thank you for your... grace," Viscount Howlingwinds forced a smile, "I will do my best to assist."
"Well, it seems your current condition is stable, so I'll go and see the remains of the Viscount Lundbeck now."
Anselm nodded and turned to leave.
Seeing that Anselm was about to leave, Sitana turned around and walked away ahead of him.
Then, in an instant, she heard a deafening explosion right by her ear.
"..."
The girl stiffly turned her head and saw that Anselm was still in the posture of turning around, but his arm was extended backward, and the muzzle of Gleipnir, transformed into a hand cannon, was still smoldering with gunpowder smoke.
And the direction in which the hand cannon's muzzle was aimed was just above the shadow of Viscount Howlingwinds projected on the ground.
—There was a "person" there whose entire upper body was almost completely blown apart, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.
There was no blood and gore, no flesh flying everywhere; the unique aesthetic of violence belonging to Hydra did not allow for killing to become such a messy affair.
The remaining parts of the assassin's body that hadn't been obliterated lay scattered on the ground like toy building blocks, both absurd and terrifying.
"As I said, Viscount Howlingwinds,"
The young Hydra, with a light laugh, transformed the hand cannon back into a cane and gently said, "No one will be able to take your life so easily anymore."
"Because I do not allow it."
In the silence, Anselm turned his head again and raised his index finger to Sitana.
One time.
This is no joke of an assassination like that day, Miss Sitana.
Anselm smiled cheerfully as he looked at Sitana, whose expression was even more stunned than the Howlingwinds Viscount's.
Are you ready to accept the punishment?
Author's Note:
ps:
Mom is much better, and I should be able to return to the normal update schedule tomorrow, probably one update at noon around 12 PM and another at 6 PM?
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