Chapter 36 - Assassins

[Translator - Peptobismol][Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 36 - Assassins

In the night lit only by the faint crescent moon, shadows moved through the darkened potato fields.

Swish, swish.

The sound of cloth brushing against the ground could be heard.

One particularly agile figure darted swiftly along the edges of the field.

“Kyaa!”

A girl who had been chasing after the figure tripped and fell. She would have been seriously hurt if a man hadn’t caught her in time.

“Th-thank you, village chief.”

“Be careful. There are not just vines in the fields but also farming tools, so you must always watch your step, especially at night.”

“I-I’ll be careful. How can Lloyd see so well in the dark?”

“Shh.”

Lloyd raised his hand, signaling everyone to quiet down.

He needed to focus now.

He crouched down to the ground.

“It’s definitely black.”

In the dim light, the stems visible in the field were darkened.

It wasn’t just the potatoes that were blackened; the entire plant seemed affected.

He carefully touched the end of one stem, and it crumbled into a messy pulp.

Anyone could see that it was diseased.

“No. It’s unlikely to be a disease.”

Lloyd boldly dismissed that possibility.

He had a few reasons for this.

First, there was Jenna’s search radius.

She had taken these potatoes to every guild in Eastan but hadn’t found any answers.

Of course, it was possible that the agricultural guilds in Eastan were incompetent.

“They probably couldn’t find anything because it’s not really a disease.”

That explanation seemed more likely and reasonable. After all, the villagers here were experts when it came to potatoes.

“Besides, diseases take a long time to spread.”

As Lloyd was deep in thought, the village chief approached and asked.

“Take a long time to spread... You’re suggesting that someone deliberately caused this to happen to the potato fields?”

Lloyd glanced at him.

Yulia and Jenna were sitting a little way off.

It should be fine to have a more serious conversation.

“Be honest with me. Has there been anyone targeting this village recently?”

The village chief took a shallow breath.

That was as good as confirmation.

“...What makes you think that?”

“There are many reasons. Your extremely defensive attitude. The traps set up all around the village. And most of all.”

Lloyd glanced around.

The vast plains stretched out to the distant hills.

“There must be some kind of treasure buried here.”

“You.”

The village chief’s voice dropped ominously.

Lloyd calmly raised his hands.

“Of course, I’m not here to steal anything. I’m just here because I was hired to be.”

“How much do you really know?”

“Honestly, not much. I’m just guessing that something important or valuable might be here.”

The village chief’s eyes glowed a cold blue even in the dark.

He was clearly no ordinary man.

Given his physique, he was likely someone skilled in physical enhancement.

“Even if I did know something, it’s not like I could steal it, right?”

“...Hmph.”

With a sigh, the village chief lowered his fist.

He muttered under his breath.

“When Jenna mentioned some ‘damned research institute,’ I thought she’d been tricked again. But it seems like she’s brought some competent people this time.”

“Good call.”

“Alright. What do you want to know?”

“Is there anyone who’s been regularly visiting this village from outside?”

“No. Do I seem like the kind of person who’d allow that?”

“No. But there must be someone. Maybe someone who brings seeds, delivers mail, or something essential that lowers your guard.”

The village chief fell into deep thought.

Then, he suddenly clapped his hands together.

“There’s a guild we’ve been trading with for a long time. Lately, we’ve been buying food from them, so they’ve been coming by two or three times a month. They were just here yesterday.”

“Yesterday.” sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ NʘvᴇlFɪre.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

Lloyd muttered as he glanced around.

The faint light, the darkened landscape.

And the soil that faintly shimmered under the moonlight.

“I’ve heard that really good farmers can taste the soil to tell its quality.”

“What? Well, there were some old folks in our village who did that, but we don’t do that anymore. Besides, with all the fertilizers and such, the soil isn’t exactly clean.”

“Yeah, I figured.”

Lloyd grinned as he scooped up a handful of soil.

Glint.

A white powder shimmered on his fingertips.

“Wh-what are you...!”

Before the village chief could stop him, Lloyd put the soil in his mouth.

“Ugh. It’s bitter.”

“Of course it is! Spit it out immediately!”

No.

There was no need to.

Instead, Lloyd slowly savored the taste.

The ordinary gritty texture of sand.

A bitter, astringent flavor that he didn’t even want to identify.

And.

‘A calming effect.’

It was a familiar taste.

The anxiety that had been gnawing at him while he expanded his senses settled down.

Of course, the effect was minor.

It was less than 1/1000th of the potency of the sedatives he usually used.

But it was there.

A strange expression crossed Lloyd’s face.

The village chief, who had been watching him closely, asked urgently.

“Wh-what did you feel?”

“Hmm.”

Lloyd smacked his lips.

“Tastes awful.”

Thud.

The village chief’s legs nearly gave out at the absurd response.

“That’s why I told you not to eat it...!”

“And.”

“What?”

“Village chief, are you good in a fight?”

“...?”

Lloyd grinned and popped a sedative into his mouth as he pointed ahead.

“There. Someone’s been watching us this whole time.”

—Fwoosh!

The figures hiding among the furrows in the field bolted as Lloyd pointed at them.

◆

In the vast potato field.

One of the figures, who had been hiding in the shadows and sprinkling something in the field, muttered.

“This mission is too easy.”

“I was a bit worried about that village chief, but it seems like he’s lost his edge.”

“Tch. It’s the ones who assigned the Seven Kill Squad to a mission like this who’ve lost their edge.”

The Seven Kill Squad.

A group known to those familiar with Eastan. Their missions ranged from tailing to assassinations, and they could do anything that required stealth. The only downside was their high cost.

“Well, it’s easy money for us, so I’m not complaining.”

“Ha.”

As they carried out their task without a hitch.

“There’s someone coming!”

“Hide. One of them is the village chief... but the other three are... Hm?”

The figure monitoring the situation, known as Six Kill, frowned.

“What is it, brother?”

“Nothing. I must have been mistaken.”

For a moment, a shiver ran down his spine, something that hadn’t happened since he’d brushed past the Purple Commander, the ruler of Eastan.

‘It must be my imagination.’

What reason would someone of her caliber have to come to a place like this?

He must have been tired.

That’s what he thought as he crouched down into the ditch.

“How much more do we have to do?”

“Just that field over there, and we’re done.”

“There’s no way they’re here to work in the middle of the night. Let’s wait for a bit, then finish up and leave.”

“Got it.”

The quiet night.

The sound of the village chief and the young ones talking could be heard from a distance.

Just as he was about to let out a small yawn.

“What’s that kid doing?”

Seven Kill frowned.

Six Kill’s gaze followed his companion’s gesture.

Under the faint moonlight, a boy was putting dirt in his mouth.

Six Kill unconsciously tensed his legs.

His old instincts were warning him.

It would be wise to run.

‘...But why?’

Six Kill was baffled by his own instincts.

No matter how he looked at it, the boy was just an ordinary kid with no special abilities.

Six Kill had survived in this harsh world for decades.

His instincts were based on years of accumulated experience.

But this time, it was hard to trust them.

He couldn’t believe he was intimidated by a mere boy.

How could that be?

Even so.

“Get ready to run.”

“...What?”

Seven Kill was stunned.

But Six Kill had experience.

He knew that following your instincts was the key to survival.

His instincts had now warned him twice about this boy.

No matter what his eyes were telling him, it was safer to trust his instincts...

—There are people watching us.

The Seven Kill Squad were experts in extreme stealth, to the point where even the Imperial Guard Captain would struggle to detect them. This was why their name was known throughout the Empire, beyond just Eastan.

‘But that boy noticed us?’

“Run!”

His instincts’ third warning matched his rational thinking.

Six Kill bolted without looking back.

Fortunately, he didn’t sense any magic being used.

He had briefly worried that the boy might be a mage, but it seemed that fear was unfounded.

‘Embarrassing, but at least I’m safe.’

Survival.

That was more important than pride.

Six Kill spoke to Seven Kill, who was running alongside him.

“Let’s keep running for another minute before assessing the situation.”

“Got it.”

“Did you notice anything strange?”

“The taste.”

“...What?”

Six Kill turned his head.

The boy was running alongside him.

“Aaahhh!”

Six Kill tumbled to the ground in shock.

This was a rare occurrence.

A veteran like him, with years of experience, falling during a mission.

And during a simple task like sprinkling something on a field.

At the same time, he was acting.

Pretending to be weak, he shot a concealed weapon.

A dagger shot out from his hand as he rolled on the ground, aiming straight for the boy’s vital spot.

‘He won’t dodge this.’

Strength hidden behind weakness.

That was how Six Kill had survived for so long.

He trusted his secret weapon.

‘I didn’t want to shed blood, but...’

He’d have to charge more for this job.

“Whew.”

Six Kill exhaled and looked up.

In the moonlit forest, the boy stood, silhouetted by the light.

Grinning.

The boy, holding the dagger in his teeth, whispered.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]