Chapter 266: Gift from the King (1)
kPHYVYKThe walls surrounding the royal palace of Briol were towering high, crowned with sharp spear points.YvDM8
iYHv4xUFor most, even thinking of crossing them was unthinkable—but for an assassin like Hasan, they posed no problem at all.sG3R
uGF4MLeading ten assassins, he vaulted over the wall in an instant.VDl
Wbum0The view of the royal palace of Briol spread out before his eyes.AkFp
Gc75Lanterns placed along the paths lit the grounds, though most of it remained in darkness. Hasan hid among the shadows.wTgFW
ayz6The royal guards patrolling inside had no sense of his presence whatsoever.MUzcf
ThSmDfWith hand signals, he conveyed his orders.91CCM
kZlF9Jy“I and two others—the rest will move separately.”4ivZge
1k5FmSThe assassins with him weren’t mere shadows moving in silence.ZpFyU
h9WfB8They had been modified with black magic, gaining far greater strength, at a level comparable to sword masters.iYVk
7a9Ten fighters of such caliber followed him.pOnzKC
yH1fbIf one added the nature of assassination to that power, they could break into not only Briol, but also the royal palaces of other kingdoms.r5MUkcV
IlEmJLIf they killed all the kings, perhaps everyone would end up kneeling before the Empire.xRcC0e
WFdySmiling to himself, Hasan advanced.EK5lQT
fYlN88EThe two moving with him followed in silence.7ggh
JRR8uGThere was a reason for dividing the group into two—him and two others, and the other eight.77oRJUW
41AThat way, strength was balanced in both teams. It spoke to how strong he himself was.kj4cyMm
hASRHasan headed toward his target—the King of Briol, Joshua Briol.LQOis
6okThe royal residence stood in the heart of the palace. The deeper they went, the more often guards appeared along the way.PWT1
krNmXyHowever, none were able to detect them.y3K
k7u5Not only did the assassins move stealthily with the help of black magic, they had erased their presence as much as possible.FAS790
XzUVery few guards would have senses sharp enough to discover them.Cm17v
i2q5NSAWhen a group of guards passed by, Hasan slipped through the shadows of the buildings until he stood before an area from which he could see Joshua’s residence.P8s
IqC1aHe glanced around.9Xb4QYd
chpBTotal silence.GBl8E6i
p1xsOvGSensing the wind’s direction, he prepared to enter—but his feet wouldn’t move.EX4X
p4KThe other two had also stopped, looking at him.s3Y
1oaJHe turned his head.3Jb
k44wy1In a clearing they had passed through, thinking it empty, someone was sitting calmly.1Gk
qOFOnly now did Hasan notice.qosV7Pv
PQaR“Prepare to fight.”5ZNGY
bhw4M7If there had been any sound, it meant they had already been detected. The two assassins drew their weapons immediately.477
yr4jHasan stepped into the center of the clearing.gkwFWJT
xoduQhw“Why did you wait until the guards left?”L1uax
IZ7EHe wanted to understand that man’s intentions.fvW6293
pCtM8EJ“Were you planning to stop us by yourself?”mhbklj
K4kRThough he had had the chance to alert them, that man had simply observed and revealed himself only once they were alone.EBbpamA
YNqbAn arrogant thought.If2
cHncP6r“Who knows.”nVW0wWE
xo80yThe stranger stood.1YV7F
iITEBv“Well, well… and here I thought assassins would be able to detect me.”Xnp
rPeHasan frowned.x91
tbPSHe was right—they hadn’t sensed him until he chose to reveal himself.esiz7
1Wd6StA grave mistake for an assassin.TZGJMNd
JhXThe other man went on.Jq33Tgt
2xlXlHf“And I didn’t think that, after being discovered, you’d come straight to fight.”ZAxm
bVwDcuIt was an accurate observation.9KMuuto
PddBut in truth, Hasan wasn’t a pure assassin.wlKE
E1ElHe carried out missions as ordered, with the mindset of a knight who wields his sword head-on.FwgLXR
4sdPLH“Who are you?”FOpVf
bgHx“Does it matter?”UEWn4H
mUZp“I have to report who I kill.”VZY
MVmRVFinally, they faced each other directly.sj4
d6ojIBy the distant light of a lantern, Hasan made out the face.sfM
2a5“I’m Bernard.”AdnT2L5
dvh2prTHasan remembered—Yuri Briol’s sword master.aT7
uKI1XHe knew he had trained the princes as children, but not that he still resided in the palace.sYzYv
TSkEven so, he didn’t care.qvFH
hJwWEven if he was skilled, he wouldn’t be able to stand against them, strengthened by black magic.ULhfIzp
aWfVqTwo assassins moved to position themselves behind Bernard, forming a triangle to surround him.4oe
Ogi“Better kill you quickly.”cyv
87w80C“Did you come to kill Joshua?”lDMB
BnOI“Not your business.”AkH
glj1Su“Oh, really?”Ycj
exvQMBernard drew his sword.LZAylck
GD5Hasan felt a chill—something had changed.g9RVY0f
FrwiaHe no longer seemed like an ordinary man in a nighttime clearing, but a predator before its prey—no, something more unreal, almost ghostlike.YD2zhOF
mANKzA cold sweat dampened Hasan’s palms.ZKs
LB2P9He didn’t understand why he felt such pressure, but with every step Bernard took, the distance closed in an instant.myiC7F
RkYUJ“You know something?”pD7GO
sy5Bernard stopped, tilting his chin up in invitation to speak.UUHdq
vQhW“We split into two groups.”SndmvS
u03Q63He said it to distract him, instinctively sensing this was a formidable opponent.Xa4nD0
FuTuCQjHe had heard that Bernard had once been called the “Demon of the Sword” in the past, though that was long ago.1mCc66
eHNiVqBut the man before him had not lost strength—he had increased it.PPdhZNb
TNiJI“Even if you stop us, Joshua will die anyway. You shouldn’t waste your time here.”6CX6D
cUC5M“Of course.”rRAOz
UYjXBernard’s expression did not change at all.i5B
u1IqAvU“Then there’s no helping it.”K1tWO
gEJFMF4“What?”YnCMKPv
e27ZC“I don’t care.”aaT1u7A
XKJwuvK“A guest of Briol talking like that…?”QInfnU6
okQ“I’m a guest, not a vassal. Protecting the king isn’t my duty.”ya0
lWZBsBernard raised his sword again.WsQz
pX2“That’s the job of the royal guard.”QzxZ
DTr“Oh, is it?”mdu7
5osa7FHasan smiled and nodded.g5PHSS
O70tWith that attitude, all the better—he had split his forces precisely for situations like this.4Ly
rWUzQlzIf one group was stopped, the other could complete the mission.7pwg
7Jk“I hope that royal guard is competent.”FVJFXK8
mt4gLS7“So do I.”NEMW
dCAPNThat was the start.rmcvS
9k44bHBernard’s sword came down. Hasan barely managed to block it.rCu
QIvnJj‘He’s too fast.’basS5Bi
NVa1The steel, light as a butterfly in flight, suddenly twisted in its path and shot forward like an arrow.u89RLq
QF8vIt was so fast that a moment’s carelessness would be enough to be run through.9gfcx
oKfZ2Hasan clenched his teeth, blocking strike after strike. He hadn’t expected to meet someone of this level in the palace of Briol.rl6Pb
Olu7srAt his signal, the two assassins attacked from behind. The three blades danced around Bernard.orWURMx
eVzKhBlood sprayed into the air.12bCyy0
sWh“Hahahaha…”5Aof9Vl
wKMhHasan smirked to one side.VttIv
Y0CbBernard had blocked Hasan’s strike and that of one assassin, but not the third’s.j3Jp
iwsThus, a wound appeared on his chest.G0XW6y
sx6pIt wasn’t deep, but the mere fact of making him bleed was already a gain.jNZ
G1cxvWn“…”zu473J
82hBernard looked at his chest with a calm expression. Then he tore his shirt and tossed it aside.oS9vo
rilNHis bare torso showed a well-trained body, but his skin was covered with scars.Y4lwSdn
MZDjsHasan scoffed at the sword marks on his chest and abdomen.DlCKfi
Jad“Where did you take so many cuts? It’s a miracle you’re still alive.”2NW
6BgBAHiBernard nodded.wQnD
nyTzZn6“I suppose so.”rjq
oZ0As he raised his sword, his aura grew more ferocious. Hasan and the two assassins began circling clockwise, watching his movements.EpZ9KH
BvmxIPY“Now that I think of it—it’s you.”NpCIasH
Oc6v8D“What are you talking about?”zjKH
VpW“There was a lunatic who, every so often, gave me sword marks. Call it a royal gift? I stayed in Briol just to beat that man who didn’t even deserve to be called human—but thanks to you, I won’t be seeing him again.”PIhvJ
EHQ“What nonsense are you spouting…?”ZywQ
bIDBernard closed his eyes, then opened them again.Zp0
1kuThe moment Hasan met his gaze, he felt his chest lurch.5yUS653
FCAkThis was different from before.rH3qcl
P2ANow, the man standing before him was, quite literally, a demon of the sword.D3s0uX
S7EIt was like facing a perfectly honed blade, soaked in countless drops of blood.dQlTDyo
jviHis silhouette blurred.saZ8qs
fgiHasan lost sight of him for an instant—until he sensed a presence at his side and turned.rysWKn
18l8Bernard was already upon him, sword swinging.Ghm
7Or5“You…”8jUkXm
XyRckTo kill an enemy, many conditions aren’t necessary—having strength, being fast, or knowing how to strike at the opponent’s openings.BIW1t
1biAll that’s needed is to cut before the other does.hhz4
LvW2nvThat is the sword—that is assassination.7Kj
iG46JBut Bernard was different. He wasn’t just someone who used the sword as a tool; he was someone who had taken the very existence of being a sword to its absolute limit.W3jsaz
cbd6gNow Hasan understood why they called him the Demon of the Sword. That kind of person was dangerous.uks
UrvjMore dangerous than they appeared on the surface.RCTs6
ky0h“Damn…”O52S
0aHFxHasan deflected his sword with all his strength and retreated several steps.E85BzX
jYxVThen he forced a smile and said,408a
yzH1pU“Hey, Demon of the Sword. Aren’t you worried about your king? By now, they’ve probably already entered the palace. He could be dead. This isn’t the time to waste on a duel.”OGf
hzxrIt was meant to shake him. But Bernard didn’t stop.VFe
cT7fHe kept advancing, and a faint smile crossed his lips.iDHrgRl
DRYhMjp“You underestimate Briol far too much.”osiQ
FOE***tsq
OwpThe assassins who had split from Hasan infiltrated the royal residence in an instant.DfbjL
f9W9rUGThere were two royal guards at the entrance, but deceiving their senses was simple.o7aqGd
gh3The assassins’ bodies carried black magic—magic circles etched directly into their flesh by a dark mage, making them perfect killers.uSPrFg
xELmamBecause of this, no one could easily detect their presence.HtkKR0J
ul1PsMWith night fallen, the residence was in complete silence. Not a single servant stirred.A7i4vH
NuFFTIt was the perfect setting.OCT4Ae
BfzThe assassins moved without making the slightest sound. Eight men advanced, but there was absolute silence.e0gj2
WNkHasan had yet to appear, but that didn’t change the mission—whoever arrived first was to abduct the king.4q4
9MRnBe6If he resisted too much, they were free to kill him.ZBr07V
1NFThey soon found the chamber where the king rested.w096Scf
Va60But in front of the door, someone was sitting on the floor, leaning against it, apparently asleep.FfFX0Kv
ygcIt wasn’t surprising—they had expected to find a guard there. One less wouldn’t be a problem.CD2e6s
nY7As the assassins approached silently—EKlME
GxXMo“Hmm…”mx3I
Fci0pSBThe guard, arms folded across his chest, slowly let his hands drop and gripped his sword.lJ0
5Kmkkit“So, we have visitors.”NpQfVm3
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