The Assassin's Seven Principles of Manipulation-Chapter 17 - 16 — Over

’Hm. They’re all dead.’

Noss calmly swept his gaze across the cavern. The Calderalth warriors who had been fighting against the ambush now lay lifeless, plunging the entire space into an eerie stillness.

’What about him?’

He hoped that bastard was still alive. After the humiliation he had suffered at his hands, his death couldn’t be allowed to be so simple.

Thud.

’Hmm...’

Scanning the cavern, he caught sight of Zephyrion’s ward collapsing to the ground, unmoving. A moment later, Zephyrion slowly rose from behind the massive backpack.

’Good.’

Noss smiled faintly and quickly gestured for the assassins not to attack.

With a cold gaze, he walked toward the young heir.

"You’re still calm. It seems you don’t quite understand the situation you’re in."

Zephyrion met his gaze without a hint of panic.

"I do. But it doesn’t matter. You’re not going to kill me."

A frown replaced Noss’ smile. Despite the situation, Zephyrion’s gaze somehow still carried the same calmness he had shown the night before.

The same damn look.

’I’ll wipe that look from your eyes.’ 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Clenching his fists, he forced himself to calm down.

"Oh? And what makes you so certain?"

Zephyrion gave a small nod.

"The drugged tea was one thing. But you’re not foolish enough to go this far. Do you understand the consequences of laying a hand on Calderalth blood?"

House Calderalth was known across the entire continent for never tolerating any insult or attack against one of their own. It wasn’t uncommon for entire lineages to be wiped out because of the foolish actions of a single man.

Though the mention of the spiked tea made Noss’ fists tighten, he forced himself to remain calm, unwilling to give Zephyrion even the slightest satisfaction.

Now he understood why the boy remained so composed despite the situation.

’He thinks he can intimidate me with the Calderalth name.’

Noss slowly shook his head, a grin spreading across his face.

"What consequences? Everyone who knew I was among your escort is lying dead in this cave. And the Herald will soon join them. As far as the world is concerned, I was never here."

Zephyrion’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"You’re Commander Denmar’s subordinate, are you not? When he begins investigating—"

Noss let out a sharp laugh, shaking his head.

"You really are clueless, aren’t you? Do you honestly think something like this could happen without his approval? Why do you think he had me accompany you in the first place?"

"...."

Noss slowly curled his fists as he noticed the darkened look on Zephyrion’s face. Finally, the bastard was beginning to understand his place.

"So Denmar is behind this..." Zephyrion muttered. "Then when the Sarakhel begin their investigation, he won’t be able to escape it."

"Hah..."

Noss shook his head with a sigh.

"You still don’t understand the situation, do you? The Sarakhel have been preparing for years. Did you really think they would—"

"That’s enough."

Noss frowned as one of the assassins suddenly interrupted, throwing him a hard stare.

"Tch."

He clicked his tongue. He had wanted to savor the sight of Zephyrion losing all hope, to witness the moment the boy finally broke. If he was lucky, he might even see Calderalth’s heir drop to his knees and beg.

’Turns out he was just trash after all.’

He had noticed Zephyrion’s shock the moment he mentioned his master’s involvement. The boy hadn’t even suspected that Denmar was behind this.

Because of the floor collapse and the tea incident, Noss had initially thought the boy was someone to be wary of. However, he had been wrong.

Noss shook his head, irritated that he had gone this far and even lost his composure over someone like this.

"Kill him."

He waved a hand, gesturing toward the assassins. Metal spikes began forming along their arms as they stared at Zephyrion with cold eyes.

"Hm?"

Noss raised an eyebrow as Zephyrion suddenly lifted his arm.

He laughed.

"Are you trying to fight? It’s hopeless."

There was no way Zephyrion, who was only in the First Mark of the Vessel Rank, could stand against warriors in the Fourth Mark.

However, through the faint flickering light, he saw an orb of formless air form above Zephyrion’s palm.

"What!?"

Noss’ eyes trembled, but the orb burst before he could react, releasing a blast of air that snuffed out the flickering flame and plunged the space into absolute darkness.

’He’s trying to escape!’

"Kill him! Attack now!"

Noss barked the order, forming a blade and shield from metal.

The assassins reacted immediately, launching a barrage of metal spikes toward where Zephyrion had been standing. But they struck nothing, crashing harmlessly against the cavern wall.

’Did he run?’

Forcing down his shock, Noss was about to rush for the exit when he caught the faint sight of a blur.

Whoosh.

Shelch!

The wet squelch of flesh being pierced reached his ears, and multiple dull thuds echoed through the pitch darkness as bodies hit the ground.

"No..."

Noss’ eyes widened.

Zephyrion hadn’t been trying to escape... he was attacking them.

"He’s just one person!"

"He’s here!"

"Kill him—ark!"

The assassins desperately tried to fight back, but it was useless. Bodies continued to drop in a brutal rhythm.

’How is he doing this?’

A Ferran using the air element was like a pig flying as a bird. A lion swimming as a fish. It should have been impossible.

So what the hell was happening!?

Noss tightened his grip on his blade, forcing himself out of his shock. The air element made Zephyrion faster than them despite their higher rank, yet the cavern was plunged into total darkness.

How could he possibly fight like this?

Noss swallowed.

’I was wrong...’

Everything he had concluded about Zephyrion had been utterly wrong.

He wasn’t some worthless trash.

He was a predator.

With this power, Zephyrion could have killed them from the very beginning. Yet he had allowed them to slaughter the other warriors.

Noss gritted his teeth.

’So it was all his plot...’

Approaching him last night to apologize, pretending to be weak, it had all been a scheme to make him talk.

Because of last night’s humiliation, Noss had made it his mission to wipe that look from Zephyrion’s eyes. And because of that, he had foolishly revealed sensitive information, believing the boy was already at his last leg.

’I have to report back.’

Taking a deep breath, he hastily turned and made for the exit. He couldn’t win in this darkness. The best thing he could do was retreat and report everything to his master.

’Almost there...’

Mount Ferravyr was filled with countless interconnected caves. He was far more familiar with this terrain. Once he reached the deeper passages, Zephyrion would never be able to find him.

’The third time... I swear I’ll make you regret this.’

Noss gnashed his teeth, his eyes burning with fury. He reached the exit a moment later and was about to burst through when a cold voice froze his spine.

"You served your purpose."

’Hah...’

Through the abyssal darkness of the cavern, Noss’ eyes widened as a faint pair of icy purple eyes stared back at him.

’...it’s over.’

A metal spike pierced through his neck the next moment, plunging his world into darkness.