Chapter 103: The Night of the Purge (2)

There was still a long stretch of night before dawn.

“Haam… I’m tired.”

A man in heavy armor yawned widely, clear signs of exhaustion in his eyes. Suddenly, he elbowed the man standing next to him.

“Hey, recruit.”

“Recruit, Kim Pil-Su!”

The voice echoed loudly in the dimly lit corridor.

“What the hell? Did you swallow a pot of rage? Why are you shouting so much?”

“I will correct it immediately!”

“Bah, forget it. Why do we always get such dull recruits? What a hassle.”

The veteran frowned and shook his head, visibly annoyed. The recruit, feeling uncomfortable, didn’t know how to react.

“What did you do to end up in the Elder’s Guard?”

“E-Ehm… I am here to serve the noble Elders with honor and devotion.”

“Wow, this guy is completely brainwashed. Oh, our dear recruit comes to protect the noble Elders out of pure devotion!”

“Yes, that’s right!”

“Stop lying. Come on, say it honestly—you came for this, didn’t you?”

The veteran made a gesture with his fingers, forming a circle with his thumb and index finger.

At first, the recruit shook his head quickly, but under the veteran’s pressure, he ended up timidly nodding. A satisfied smile formed on the veteran’s face.

The recruit lowered his gaze, feeling ashamed that his true motivation had been exposed.

The veteran, watching him with an unreadable expression, said,

“You and I are already filthy with this garbage.”

“…Filthy.”

That unpleasant word echoed in the recruit’s mind. He had only been in this position for two months and had already seen and experienced too much.

At first, he had felt proud to serve the Council of Elders, revered by the world. But that admiration didn’t last more than a week after joining.

The public had no idea how repulsive the Elders truly were.

If they considered something an obstacle, they eliminated it without hesitation and treated people like disposable objects.

Just remembering the first time he saw their true nature still made him feel sick.

The recruit felt tormented. But the suffering didn’t come only from the Elders’ vileness.

What truly made him feel nauseous was seeing himself giving in and becoming part of their corrupt system.

“…….”

The veteran glanced at him sideways, noticing his dark expression. Scratching his forehead, he opened his mouth to speak.

“Well, in any case, we’re just here to make some money from this⎯”

Before he could finish, an artificial shadow appeared behind him. Instantly, a blade gleamed under the moonlight.

Shing—Thud.

His head was severed from his shoulders, sending a jet of blood spraying across the corridor. The headless body fell backward with a dull thud.

Clang!

The sound of metal hitting the floor filled the air.

The recruit, staring at his superior’s corpse, slowly lifted his gaze.

“……!”

From the shadows, figures began to emerge, gliding forward as if they were part of the darkness itself. There had been no trace of their presence before, and their crimson eyes gleamed ominously in the blackness.

With just these two clues, the recruit knew exactly who they were.

The assassin who had decapitated the veteran calmly wiped the blood from his sword. Looking at the body, he murmured,

“Choi Man-Soo, guilty of collaborating in Elder Cladi’s crimes for five years. Rest in peace.”

The assassin made the sign of the cross over the corpse. The recruit, unable to move, watched everything with wide eyes.

‘Auditore…!’

Terrified, the recruit gathered strength in his trembling hand to grip the hilt of his sword. He had no intention of surrendering without a fight.

Step, step.

Footsteps echoed in the blood-scented corridor. The shadowy figures parted, clearing the way.

As the steps drew closer, a shiver ran down the recruit’s spine. The moonlight, now free from the clouds, illuminated the hallway, revealing a new figure.

With his hands in his pockets and a serene expression, Kang Geom-Ma appeared.

He stopped in front of the recruit and stared at him. His eyes settled on the young man’s hand, which gripped the hilt of his sword.

“…….”

Kang Geom-Ma observed him in silence for a moment, then continued walking without saying a word.

The shadowy figures followed him, fading into the darkness like ghosts.

Tap.

The recruit’s hand, which had been gripping his sword tightly, slowly loosened until he released it.

His gaze didn’t follow the retreating footsteps; instead, it remained fixed straight ahead until the sound completely disappeared.

***

Thirty minutes had passed since we started roaming the mansion.

The guards who stood in our way were eliminated without hesitation by the Auditore members. The scent of blood quietly permeated the air, yet there were no screams.

Before they could utter a sound, the assassins severed their vocal cords. Delivering a lethal strike on the first attempt is no easy feat without an extremely high level of skill.

These assassins emerged from the shadows without warning, took a life, and vanished like a mirage.

It was a scene straight out of a movie, and I couldn’t help but let my mind murmur in admiration.

Although their movements were ruthless and devoid of mercy, this was not an indiscriminate massacre. They carefully selected their targets and executed them while murmuring the reasons behind their actions, concluding with a solemn: “Rest in peace.”

While it sounded like something a teenager in their most dramatic phase would say, witnessing it in person struck an emotional chord as a man. The style and presence behind those movements were universal.

‘…But putting that aside.’

Cladi’s mansion was absurdly large. We had walked a considerable distance, yet navigating it was still difficult. Although the Auditore took care of silencing any enemies that appeared, if we continued like this, we would eventually be discovered.

‘We need to find Cladi’s room as soon as possible.’

Rustle—

Suddenly, I felt a presence behind my neck—something that hadn’t been there before.

A human-shaped shadow appeared out of nowhere, completely silent.

Turning around, I saw Altair emerging from the darkness, leaning on his cane while limping slightly.

“This place is even bigger than I expected,” he remarked, stroking his beard thoughtfully.

“…Don’t you usually conduct prior investigations before coming? With the level of intelligence the Auditore possess, I thought you would have the entire layout memorized.”

“It’s flattering that you hold us in such high regard, but even our access to information has its limits. Especially when it comes to places like the residences or facilities of the Elders; they are secrets within secrets.”

“I see.”

“Be patient. Our guys will find the location soon.”

That made sense. If the residences of the Elders—who were of the highest noble rank—were public knowledge, that would be even stranger.

Given how meticulous they were with their security, they must have taken extreme measures to protect their locations.

I set aside those thoughts and continued walking. Altair followed, walking beside me with a calm smile.

“Ugh.”

“Ack—!”

“Ugh.”

“Argh!”

Short, muffled cries echoed from all directions.

Wherever we passed, lives were taken one after another. The same pattern repeated as we advanced.

Guards clad in gleaming armor fell to the ground, while the Auditore assassins flicked the blood off their weapons and made the sign of the cross.

The guards attempted to fight back, but against a surprise attack, they stood no chance. Those whose heads remained intact lost an arm or a leg.

It was a long night, still far from dawn.

I walked lightly through the blood-soaked hallway. At one point, my curiosity led me to ask Altair,

“Aren’t you worried about attacking a council member, head of the family?”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

Altair looked at me with a puzzled expression, as if he didn’t understand the question.

“I assume the repercussions will be severe. Even with conclusive evidence, attacking a council member is still a risk for the Auditore family, isn’t it?”

Altair burst into laughter, clearly amused.

“Ha ha ha! I knew you were a peculiar young man, but it seems you think beyond your years.”

Then, calmly, he replied,

“If I were worried about that, I wouldn’t have come to Korea in the first place.”

“…”

“Besides, with clear evidence in our hands, it would be an even bigger issue if we, the family of order, didn’t take action. Our family has carried this duty for centuries. We are not so fragile as to waver just because we are punishing a council member.”

Suddenly, Altair patted my back and said,

“And even if there were repercussions for us, what does it matter? You, the next member of the Seven Stars, are with us! Though I am neutral, it seems my heart leans toward you, ha ha ha.”

“Ah…”

A sigh escaped my lips.

The determination I had shown earlier now felt somewhat embarrassing.

‘I am the successor of the Sword Master among the Seven Stars.’

I had said it with conviction, but remembering it now, it sounded too pretentious.

My odd expression did not go unnoticed by Altair, who looked at me with a knowing smile, as if he understood everything. Though he misinterpreted my thoughts, I felt no need to correct him.

‘Sometimes, it’s better to let someone like him imagine whatever they want.’

As we continued forward, one of the assassins suddenly appeared in front of us. From his presence alone, I knew immediately that it was Knox.

Knox nodded toward Altair before speaking.

“About a hundred meters ahead, there’s a fork. The room on the right is where Cladi is hiding. Everyone except me is waiting in front of the door.”

“I see. Understood.”

“Head of the family.”

“Is there anything else to report?”

“Well, it’s different…”

Knox hesitated, his face showing slight discomfort.

Finally, he answered.

“I’m not completely sure due to my inexperience, but I sensed a strange presence on the other side of the door.”

“A strange presence? You can’t identify it even with your aura detection?”

“No… It was something vague, but it felt similar to magical energy.”

At those words, Altair and I exchanged glances. We both seemed to share the same unease.

Silence took over the hallway, leaving space for an unsettling premonition. Altair was about to say something when a chilling scream broke the stillness.

“Aaaaahhhhhh!”

Instinctively, the three of us turned to the right. A strong scent of blood filled our nostrils.

As we blinked, trying to process what we had just heard, Altair and Knox’s expressions tensed.

“Head of the family, that was definitely…”

“One of ours.”

Before he could finish his sentence, Altair and Knox disappeared like shadows, leaving only a faint trace behind.

Without hesitation, I quickly followed them.

With agile movements, we reached the designated location. My lungs begged for air from the exertion, but I managed to steady my breathing before looking up.

The first thing I saw were the backs of Altair and Knox, leading the way.

They were frozen in place, staring straight ahead.

In front of them, a massive door stood wide open. There was no trace of the assassins who were supposed to be waiting there.

“AAAAAAAHHHHHH!”

Another bloodcurdling scream rang out from the other side of the darkened room.

The sound of blood splattering mixed with the noise of something being torn apart.

A severed arm rolled to a stop at Knox’s feet.

“……!”

With trembling hands, Knox picked up the arm.

On it, the emblem of the Auditore family was engraved.

His face paled as he stared into the room.

From the deepest shadows, something began to emerge.