Volume 3 Chapter 55: What the heck is that guy doing!?【Assassination Organization Arc】

The Apophis Territory is a frontier land, ruled for generations by the noble Apophis family.

“Really, it doesn’t have any distinguishing features…”

Just as Number 2 said, it isn’t a territory with anything special.

It isn’t a land bordering another country, and being far from the center, it isn’t well known outside its own inhabitants.

It doesn’t boast a large private army, nor is it famous for any particular specialty.

It’s ordinary… a typical territory utterly lacking in merit.

“Well, the previous lord’s abilities were pretty decent, huh? Public order wasn’t bad either, and his reputation was good.”

For Number 2, this was of little consequence, but it appeared that the late previous lord had managed things well.

His reputation among the locals was favorable, and even walking through the town, the security wasn’t any worse than in the royal capital.

“Well, you can’t just die without properly dealing with the succession issue, can you? He’s left everything in a complete mess.”

It was Marcel—his younger brother—who had approached Number 2 and her group to request the assassination of the current feudal lord, Balor.

This was because Marcel was completely dissatisfied with his older brother assuming the role of lord.

In other words, the problem was that the previous lord hadn’t properly explained things or made the necessary preparations.

“I really don’t care, though.”

Number 2 laughed heartily.

From her perspective, neither the target—Balor—nor Marcel, whom she had never even seen face-to-face despite his request, mattered at all.

Someday, she would probably end up dying a miserable death.

That she wouldn’t have a proper death was obvious to someone who made a living as an assassin.

So until that day comes, she might as well enjoy life to the fullest.

And let that be her sustenance.

That was about all Number 2 thought regarding her assassination target.

“Now then, show me a weakness already. Watching you all the time is no fun.”

Number 2 was in the Apophis Territory.

She was watching the situation from the shadows of a building—specifically, the feudal lord’s mansion.

When it comes to assassinating a noble, every detail of the preparation must be meticulously planned.

Observation is absolutely crucial.

How many bodyguards are there?

How strong are they?

When might a gap in the security appear?

And when is the target most likely to let his guard down?

It was to gather such information that Number 2 was spying on Balor from the cover of darkness.

“Oh, he finally came out, nya. You’re not exactly known for your patience, so you should pay more attention to him, nya.”

Number 2 said such cruel things to someone who didn’t even know he was being watched.

Her gaze was fixed on Balor, who had stepped out from the mansion.

He was still young.

One might say he was in that in-between stage of youth and manhood.

Since the previous lord hadn’t died of old age, that was understandable.

“Can a little brat really manage being a lord, nya? Well, whatever.”

Though she was quite young herself, she didn’t hesitate to pass judgment on Balor, disregarding her own age.

Being part of an assassination organization—and not exactly having her birthday celebrated—meant she was largely indifferent to her own age.

“Even so… his bodyguards aren’t those, are they?”

Number 2’s eyes fell on two maids standing by Balor’s side.

One of them was very short.

She didn’t strike one as being particularly cut out for combat.

However, her eyes were shrouded in a pitch-black darkness so profound that even Number 2, who was well-versed in the underworld, would have found them terrifying.

And the other was a woman of a different ethnicity.

If it’s an ethnic group known for superior physical abilities, then having her as a bodyguard made sense.

“Hmm… I thought that having maids as bodyguards meant the lord was an outrageously profligate idiot, but maybe not? At least, if I attack now, the assassination’s success would be dubious, nya.”

If they were ordinary maids, they would’ve been ambushed and Balor would have been killed on the spot, after which they’d have gone underground.

But the foreign maid was carefully keeping watch over her surroundings.

Presumably, even if an attack were launched, the initial strike would be thwarted.

The shorter maid, however, showed no signs of being on high alert.

However, those black eyes—even radiating a fierce, almost intimidating aura—made Number 2 hesitate.

“Well, I don’t have to finish it today, so I’ll take my time, nya.”

There’s no strict time limit. With careful observation, a vulnerability will eventually appear.

No human can stay on high alert all the time. The moment those two maids’ protective formation loosens will be Balor’s final moment.

“Until then, you better enjoy yourself, nya. I’ll keep watching you, nya.”

Number 2’s golden eyes were fixed intently on Balor.

◆

Number 2’s observation continued. It was impressive that Ashvin—who had possessed a keen sense of presence even then—remained unaware of her.

After several hours of stealthily watching Balor without being detected, Number 2’s impression was…

“Is that guy an endless idiot, nya?”

She muttered that with an expression of utter disbelief. This was Number 2’s evaluation of Balor.

In her eyes, he had earned the title of an unbelievable fool. The reason was simple.

“He reaches out his hand to everyone…”

When walking through town, you see people in need. Yet, few actually make the effort to help.

First and foremost, one should prioritize oneself. That’s just common sense.

No one would be blamed for that. But…

“Grandma, are you alright? Let me help you with your bags.” 

“Did you scatter the groceries? I’ll collect them.” 

“Lost? Then, shall we look for your mother together?”

Those were the words flowing effortlessly from Balor’s mouth. Whenever he saw someone in trouble, he never hesitated to lend a hand.

“I just don’t get it, nya.”

Knowing that it was the feudal lord—a noble—doing this made it all the more baffling. Why would he do such a thing?

It’s unthinkable for a noble to stand on the same level as ordinary citizens and offer help without sparing any time. Nobles are meant to resolve far greater issues when petitions are brought to them.

And yet, what he was doing was nothing short of charity. It isn’t the norm for a feudal lord—the head of a nation—to behave that way.

The people he helped, regardless of age or gender, were all smiling happily.

I see… so he’s the kind of feudal lord who even had his own younger brother request his assassination, yet he’s adored by his subjects. Being so well-regarded at such a young age must be a result of his constant efforts.

Seeing Balor like that, Number 2…

“I’m totally flabbergasted, nya.”

She was simply amazed—without admiration, without burning anger at his hypocrisy.

Just utterly astonished. After all, he was bound to die eventually.

Considering that someone was after his life—and that a certain death loomed in the near future—it was maddening how he spent his precious, brief time helping people. How utterly boring that was.

“It’s your own life, so how do you expect to live it if you don’t use it for yourself, nya?”

As she casually surveyed the scene, even the maids assigned to his security were caught up in the commotion. …Well, the only one visibly struggling to handle things properly was the foreign maid, while the one with those peculiar eyes was busy stuffing her face at a food stall.

They were slacking off.

“Ugh… I just don’t get it, nya…”

What on earth is with a maid blatantly slacking off so far from her assigned post? However, this was also an opportunity.

The distance wasn’t that great, but the tight formation of her initial security was no longer present. Even a few steps apart was enough of a gap for Number 2.

Killing Balor and escaping might even be possible now. But…

“…I’ve just lost my drive, nya.”

She was so fed up that she lost the will to kill. This was the first time she had an assassination target like this.

Especially since she had executed the assassination of challenging nobles many times before—and those nobles never once stooped to offering a helping hand like ordinary citizens.

“…If I kill him now, it’ll make me look like the bad guy, nya.”

Though her livelihood was built on illegal assassinations, Number 2 still fretted over such odd details. Besides, there was no need to kill him today.

If she wasn’t feeling up to it, she could always wait for another day. With that thought, she looked at Balor…

“What the hell are you doing!?”

Separated from his security maids, Balor was confronting a group of shady characters in an alley—and without his usual “nya” flair, she was utterly astonished.