Volume 3 Chapter 52: Don’t Look at Me【Assassination Organization Arc】

“Haa…”

A single sigh escapes.
A horde of enemies is closing in.

In battle, it’s all about numbers.
Artemis thinks so.

No matter how skilled a warrior is, if enemy forces keep arriving and you fight non-stop for three days, you’ll eventually be overwhelmed.
Quantity over quality.

And then there’s Artemis’s fighting style.
Her specialty is ambush and assault.

Usually, she strikes from the shadows when her target is alone—not in a one-versus-many scenario.
This time, however, Artemis found herself overwhelmingly outnumbered.

Her opponents far outnumbered her and weren’t particularly adept at combat.
She had no choice but to face them head-on.

“I’m exhausted. Why does Myaa have to do something like this?”

Artemis is capricious.
Maybe it’s because she’s a cat beastman, but she always puts her own desires and feelings first.

She never intended to take on such a troublesome ordeal.
That man who knows her past thinks that overwhelming numbers will win the fight.
And perhaps he’s right—it isn’t a flawed strategy.

In fact, if she were alone here, she’d have bolted long ago.
With so many foes around, disappearing into the crowd would be easy.

Given her physical prowess, she could have escaped.
But she didn’t—because Balor was right behind her.

“(No way, Myaa is staying in this dangerous situation for someone else. What he said might not be entirely off…)”

The man before me says I’ve changed.
And there’s no denying it.

Back when I was called “Number Two,” I never cared about anyone else.
I used everyone solely for my own benefit.
That was the way Artemis used to be, though…

“You’re unbelievably calm. Normally, you’d be freaking out.”

Balor, standing behind her, showed no sign of agitation.
Even as countless enemies closed in, I could sense his presence without turning around.

He wasn’t scared.
Even while facing so much murderous intent and hostility, he remained as cool as ever.

“(I’m absolutely sure I won’t die. Does that mean… I trust Myaa that much…?)”

Trust in others—something Artemis utterly lacks.
She believes that overcoming crises depends solely on her own strength.
Only she can carve her own path.
That’s why she always looked down on those who trust others.
But…

“It tickles, nya.”

Why does this warm, tingly feeling in my chest not upset me?

“(NUHOOOOOO! This is bad, bad, bad, bad! Hurry up and do something, Artemis!!)”

Even if Balor were silently screaming something petty inside, as long as no one knew, it was fine.

“Well, this is troublesome.”
“!?”

Upon hearing her words, Balor’s despair was evident.
For someone not exactly gifted in physical prowess, relying entirely on Artemis was like a death sentence.

Even though he intended to leave everything to her, her resignation felt like a death warrant to him.

“Master, can you hold your breath for a bit?”
“Leave it to me.”

He answered immediately.
Normally, Balor would balk at holding his breath for even two seconds, but when his life’s at stake, that’s another matter.
With a determined look, he nodded to Artemis.

“Then, this way.”
“Fugah!?”

I yanked him hard, and Balor let out a strange shriek.
Immediately after, a wave of black smoke swept across the area.

◆

“Ugh! So that’s how it is…!”

The man who noticed the billowing black smoke that filled his vision immediately closed his eyes and mouth, then held his breath.
On a battlefield, that would be suicidal, but with plenty of others serving as shields, it was fine.

Besides, at his level, even with his eyes closed, he could sense enemy positions by their presence.
And by processing sounds, he could react just as well as if his eyes were open.

“What is this? A blinding tactic?”

Those who hadn’t noticed spoke in confused tones.
They were probably keeping their eyes open and breathing normally even in the smoke.
What fools—they’re just a bunch of expendable numbers the boss shoved together, utterly useless.

“(There’s no way Number Two would use something as simple as a diversion.)”

After all, I’m the only one here who knows her past—how could they possibly guess?
I should warn them, but if I did, she’d do exactly what she wants.

And then, after a while…

“Gah, ha…!?”
“Eeeeek!!”
“Ahh, blood—blood!!”

The sounds that followed were screams—a stark shift from the earlier confusion.
I heard someone writhing on the ground, crying out for help.

Yet the man kept his eyes closed.
He did not reach out his hand.

That was his tactic—
Deliberately wounding rather than killing, so that when reinforcements arrived, he could attack them further.
That was Number Two’s specialty.

…………

Silence returned.
The earlier wails seemed unreal.
Finally, the man opened his eyes…

“Dead bodies everywhere, huh?”
He said lightly, as if it were someone else’s problem—even though all his allies had been rendered helpless in an instant.
The black smoke had already been dispersed by the wind.

“But you, too, were holding your breath? We’re alike, aren’t we?”
“Don’t say such creepy things, nya! Of course I have some resistance to the poison I use!”

Artemis’s face twisted in disgust.
She had used poison—a gas that affects a wide area and is extremely potent.
Even a small dose would inflict severe damage.
While it wouldn’t cause instant death, its effects were fast enough to leave one unable to stand.
Had he hesitated even a moment, without knowing Artemis’s ruthless methods, he would have joined those writhing on the ground.
Her calm possession of an antidote to that deadly toxin was remarkable.

“But what about Balor? He’s just a noble. I doubt he has any resistance to poison.”
Yes, we weren’t alone here—Balor was among us.
He probably doesn’t have an antibody, and since he wasn’t warned beforehand, he wouldn’t be able to handle this poison.
He always puts himself first and leaves others behind.
That’s the Number Two I knew—a top-notch assassin I wanted to keep as my pawn.
If the man who changed Artemis became irrecoverable, that would be perfect.
Of course, I can’t defy the boss’s orders, so I won’t kill him.
But as long as he suffers, that’s all that matters.