Chapter 151: Arachne (3)

Carlyn’s Winds extending through the passage were cautious yet swift.

While he had studied the internal structure through the drawings provided by Ju Rina, reality differed from the illustrations.

Through the information gathered via his Winds, a new map of the Arachne base was being updated in Carlyn’s mind.

There was one approaching individual. Avenne, the Starlight of the fourth Star. However, his companions did not know who she was.

The one detected by the magic barrier would come to check according to their turn.

They knew she was a Starlight.

Since the Stars entered through different entrances, this side’s inspection was solely the Starlight’s responsibility.

There were mana lamps embedded in the passage, but they were not very bright, providing just enough light to make out shapes.

‘The structure is unique.’

The secret base, entered through an underwater cave in a hillside well, had a rather complex structure.

There were currently 7 people residing there.

The Stars did not always stay with their subordinates. In any case, it was within the expected range.

Carlyn deemed it not too bad. He had anticipated a maximum of 10 people.

He unsheathed a short sword using Winds.

One Starlight was approaching through the preceding passage.

Carlyn, advancing stealthily, stopped and signaled with his right hand.

-1 approaching. I’ll handle it.

Though he could control sound with Winds, this was practice for communicating with Rina in the future, as they would be moving together, and he needed to become accustomed to such methods.

Carlyn drew two short swords with his left hand. The silent short swords rushed along the floor.

In the blind spot of the dim light.

The short swords aimed for Avenne’s neck as she approached. Her throat and nape were simultaneously pierced.

“...?”

Avenne died without a sound. Carlyn caught her collapsing body with Winds to prevent any noise.

Upon Carlyn’s signal that he had dealt with her, three others swiftly advanced. Soon, the corpse came into view.

The woman in her early twenties wore a thin, revealing slip, her skin flushed slightly red and her hair disheveled, indicating what she had been up to.

Ju Rina let out a small sigh upon seeing the dead Avenne. They had been close friends once, a long time ago.

Denif, on the other hand, had a different thought.

“Well, damn.”

“I told you not to say anything.”

“You would’ve just blocked it with Winds anyway.”

Carlyn shook his head in exasperation.

“Why are you suddenly getting irritated?”

“It’s just so unfair.”

“What is?”

“For some, using Winds to launch short swords counts as assassination, but for others, they have to sneak in and put on a live show.”

When Denif had worked with Carlyn before, his Winds had not been this precise. It was the result of his efforts in honing the skill.

In any case, to Denif, the assassination seemed too easy.

It wasn’t an incorrect observation.

Carlyn’s Winds was a power that any intelligence agent or assassin would desire.

“It’s not that simple, though.”

“Still, it’s better than doing it directly, isn’t it? Can’t you just admit it?”

“......”

“Shouldn’t that strange date of yours be over by now?”

Suddenly, what was he talking about? Carlyn was momentarily perplexed but soon understood.

It was Denif’s burning desire to win.

Before leaving the Chief of Intelligence’s estate, Denif had held the upper hand over Carlyn.

Except for the occasional good days when his condition was peak, Denif would usually emerge victorious.

That’s why their last bout came as quite a shock to him.

It had been partly in jest, and Carlyn hadn’t intended to kill, but they had engaged in earnest swordplay. Yet Carlyn had surpassed him.

Denif could no longer be certain of victory.

It hadn’t been one of those strange days, and he hadn’t been complacent either.

Their talents were considered evenly matched in terms of potential.

Carlyn’s bouts with the Sword Master and real combat experiences had helped him catch up to the gap.

More than an inferiority complex, it was a hunger for victory. That’s why Denif had insisted on challenging Carlyn again.

To spar with Carlyn and further improve himself.

“Huh? Wouldn’t that be fairer, then?”

“What are you saying? But you know I don’t always have good condition.”

This was another point of concern for Denif. Carlyn had been on par with him while exerting only half his strength.

Carlyn turned his gaze towards Ju Rina.

“Anyway, you can speak now. I’ve blocked the sound with Winds.”

“Avenne. She was the fourth Starlight.”

“The fourth means she was a subordinate of that mage?”

Ju Rina nodded solemnly. Avenne’s death wasn’t something she felt entirely good about.

Avenne had been a friend who suffered the same torment.

At some point, her mind had broken. Rina hadn’t been able to bring herself to tell the puppet-like Avenne to escape.

Despite it not being her fault, Ju Rina felt a sense of guilt. Carlyn read her expression.

“Were you close?”

“Once, a long time ago.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“...Yeah. I know.”

Before the infiltration stage, Carlyn had asked Ju Rina if there was anyone she wanted to save.

In such organizations, it wouldn’t be strange to have defectors.

“I was certain it would be a woman...”

As he spoke, Comin fell silent upon noticing the bloodied sword in Carlyn’s hand.

The tension thickened.

Carlyn rushed forth like lightning. The man tried to move, but Winds restrained his body.

Although spacious for a private room, it was a distance Carlyn could cover in the blink of an eye.

He technically struck the man’s right jaw with his sword-gripping fist.

The force was controlled, not enough to break the jawbone. Comin merely lost consciousness momentarily.

When the man opened his eyes again, he realized he was bound to a chair, his limbs restrained.

And in front of him stood Ju Rina, holding a dagger.

“You! You bitch! After how much I adored you!”

Either unable to grasp the situation or arrogance solidified by time, the man raised his voice first.

Rina silently gazed at him, fury smoldering in her bloodshot eyes.

“Adored?”

“Yes!”

“You call treating me like a slave adoring me?”

“That was unavoidable for obedience training! Things were different after that, weren’t they!”

His self-justification knew no bounds.

“Unavoidable?”

“Yes!”

“Then you experience it too.”

Rina stabbed the man’s fingertips with the dagger. One finger joint was severed.

“Aaaaargh!”

The man screamed, but under Winds’ control, not a sound escaped.

Rina’s revenge had begun.

Finger joints, toe joints disappeared one by one. She pulled out his teeth and pressed his eyeballs with her thumbs.

“How’s that? Feel like obeying now?”

“Ugh......”

Comin drooled incessantly. It was a rather cruel sight, but not unfamiliar to Carlyn and Denif.

Their eyes met.

-Not bad. Quite strong-willed.

Denif mouthed the words. Carlyn nodded, satisfied.

His subordinates were all cute and obedient.

Carlyn knew he couldn’t always do the right thing.

He could educate the kids, but there were things only people like Ju Rina could do.

“Feel like obeying now?”

Rina gently stroked the man’s jaw. Even in his deranged state, he nodded vigorously.

“But I’m not into fifty-year-olds.”

Rina drew the dagger. Blood gushed from the slit in the man’s neck.

Rina stood there for a moment before turning to Carlyn.

Her face was spattered with droplets of blood. A clear teardrop rolled from her bloodshot eyes.

Mingling with the blood, a pinkish tear trickled down her cheek.

“Huh......”

A foolish sound escaped Ju Rina’s lips. She seemed drained, or intoxicated by something.

People who witness the end of revenge react differently.

“...Thank you.”

But Carlyn wasn’t worried. Her next words carried a firm sincerity.

A positive signal.

“Really. Thank you. Sincerely.”

“You’re welcome. I’m glad you’re satisfied.”

“...Yeah.”

Suddenly, Carlyn’s senses detected another individual, someone who hadn’t registered before.

That meant a returner. Not the entrance they had come through.

He could discern another entrance the Stars used. The problem was an unexpected addition.

He didn’t know who it was.

But they were rapidly heading towards the fourth star’s room, their pace quite hurried.

‘Oh no.’

Even if they moved now, the distance meant they would be too late. This entrance was much closer to that room than Comin’s.

There was no choice. The stealthy infiltration ended here.

Still, three was a manageable number. Quietly taking out five was satisfactory.

“Hold on. One Star has returned. Heading straight for the body.”

The group’s mood shifted. Tension rising once more. Carlyn turned towards the exit.

“Prepare for combat.”

Simultaneously, the returning star’s mana field spread roughly throughout the base, a signal of the intrusion.

The others grimly gripped their weapons.

“Rina, stay as safe as possible. Remember?”

“...Yeah. I know.”

Carlyn sensed Arniel and her disciple stirring.

Not in a hurry. Walking calmly.

Were they that confident?

In any case, it was time for the final battle. Carlyn didn’t think it would be an easy fight.

Author's Thoughts

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