Vol 1 Chapter 25 – The Triumphant Smile

Taris, the noble who governs these lands.

He was once allied with Ludrick—one of the Demon Lord’s Four Heavenly Kings—but after a “minor accident” the other day, their contract has been effectively nullified, even if neither has spoken of it openly.

Taris is troubled by this.

Ludrick had been his powerful enforcer.

Losing the man who handled all his rough and dirty work single-handedly is a severe blow.

Still, there’s no way to contact Ludrick now that he’s returned to demon territory.

So Taris sought another pawn of comparable might.

But such a rare talent isn’t just lying around in the countryside.

Therefore, he resorted to underhanded methods.

Well, given that he’d been consorting with demons to begin with, “underhanded” hardly feels like a downgrade.

“Congratulations on finding your way to me.”

A man stood before Taris.

From the voice, he was clearly male, but his face was hidden beneath a hooded robe.

His tone was flagrantly disrespectful toward a noble—but Taris didn’t mind.

After all, this man wasn’t one of his vassals, nor was he a law-abiding citizen.

“You know why you’re here, of course. Consider this an introduction. There’s no way I could have reached you with my own strength alone. I’ll get my hands dirty—but I delegate the dirty work.”

Through his noble connections, Taris had arranged this meeting.

Had that not been the case, he’d never have laid eyes on this man.

At Taris’s words, the robed figure let out a low chuckle.

“‘Dirty work,’ huh? That’s quite the thing to say when you’re about to have us do it for you.”

“I thought you prided yourselves on knowing how dirty your work is—an assassination syndicate by trade… or was I mistaken?”

As Taris had said, the robed man was indeed an assassin.

One of the most feared names in the underworld, with skill to match.

Otherwise, Taris would never have tolerated such impertinence.

Even so, a flicker of irritation passed through him.

And with just a bit of pushback, he might have cracked a sarcastic retort…

“……?”

The hooded man who had been standing right in front of him vanished in the blink of an eye.

Taris’s eyes darted around until he realized a knife was pressed against his throat—sending a chill down his spine.

“shudder”

“You’re quite the talker for a noble. But you’d do well to keep your tongue in check. If you get too noisy, I might just lop it off.”

“S-sorry… just—please, lower your sword.”

Whispered in his ear, the threat left Taris feeling more alive than ever, in the worst way.

As a noble, he was used to deference and courtesy in everyday life.

He’d never once feared for his life—only deepened his terror now.

The assassin seemed to find the moment entertaining enough and sheathed his blade.

Steadying his ragged breath, Taris said, “…I didn’t even see that move.”

“If you can only manage motions that an amateur can read, you’d be culled and killed in our world in no time.”

“I see. Indeed, entrusting this to you feels like the best choice.”

Taris found himself unable to answer back the assassin’s mocking laugh.

He was right: the underworld must be far harsher than the surface.

No incompetents could hope to survive there.

Only those with proven strength endure—and earn the trust to receive jobs that can never see the light of day.

“So, who’s the target?”

“This woman.”

Taris handed over the crystal he’d prepared, in which Hannah’s image floated.

The assassin studied her carefully, as if appraising livestock.

“Hmm… is she strong?”

“No. Not especially. And this isn’t a kill contract—I want her kidnapped.”

He couldn’t allow Hannah to be killed.

She was an exceptionally talented alchemist.

Worth her weight in gold, a literal money tree to keep at his side.

Though it might seem odd to ask an assassin for a kidnapping, such requests weren’t uncommon.

The man didn’t particularly enjoy this kind of work, but had little choice once hired.

With a sigh, he spoke.

“Understood. Not exactly rare, but holding someone alive is considerably harder. The fee will be higher than for an assassination.”

“I don’t care. Money is no object.”

“I do like clients who pay well. Rest easy—I’ll deliver what you want soon enough.”

The assassin already believed the job was done.

It wasn’t complacency—just the unwavering confidence earned from past successes and exceptional skill.

Hearing that Hannah wasn’t much of a fighter, he laughed that this would be an easy task.

“Fine, then… and one piece of advice from your client.”

“Advice?”

The assassin’s brow furled beneath his hood.

Advice from some pampered noble boy who never got his hands dirty?

He barely contained his rage—killing Taris would cost him a valued client, after all.

An assassin who murdered his employer lost all trust.

In this line of work, trust was everything—if you struck back at your target in a moment of anger, you’d be finished.

Unaware of this inner turmoil, Taris spoke in genuine goodwill.

“There’s a man of considerable skill near that woman. Even my best pawn likely couldn’t have taken him down. Though he did leave him severely wounded.”

“You can keep your advice.”

The assassin dismissed Taris’s concern in an instant.

“Losing to a wounded man is impossible. Besides…”

The assassin let out a derisive laugh.

“No one can overthrow me—not unless you bring me a hero.”

“Heh. That’s reassuring.”

Taris laughed.

Naturally, the skilled man he referred to was none other than Ludrick, one of the Demon Lord’s Four Heavenly Kings.

But there was no way he’d admit that honestly.

A clear betrayal of humanity—and of all people, to blurt it out to an untrustworthy assassin.

Had the man known that, the entire premise would have collapsed—he wouldn’t have taken the job, or he’d have prepared far more thoroughly.

After all, the Four Heavenly Kings were as formidable as any hero.

Had this information leaked, the assassin might never have failed.

“So… bring Hannah to me.”

Unaware of such a future, Taris allowed a triumphant smile to spread across his face.