Shiing-!
The longsword made a terrifying sound as it was pulled out of the sheath. The blade shone eerily in the moonlight. Sword in hand, he approached the bedside to pinpoint the exact location of the target.
“…A young lady?”
As soon as he confirmed the target of the assassination, his stomach plummeted.
It was a girl who looked about sixteen years old. She lay asleep on the enormous bed. Her long, lustrous hair glistened in the moonlight, spread over her pillows.
“Safiro, you son of a bitch-” Uriel cursed to himself. He’d only been told about the location of the target, just as usual. But this was more than just an ordinary unpleasant mission. For him, killing was a familiar thing. That was what he’d been created to do. Yet he, who had slaughtered rival assassins and massacred enemy hideouts, had never before swung a sword at a defenseless girl. He glanced down at the poor girl, unaware of her fate, and sighed.
“I don’t know what the hell you’ve done to make Petra Liefer despise you so much…”
His face was filled with rare compassion.
“I can’t help it. You just have bad luck.” Uriel sighed again. He’d made up his mind.
“If I don’t kill you, I’ll die more painfully than you could ever imagine. I’m sorry, but your life is not more important than mine.” His eyes glowed coldly. The compassion that for a moment had been reflected in it vanished.
“May you rest in peace.” The sword in his hand glistened cooly in the moonlight. It swung into the air and plunged towards the girl’s hapless body.
Shing-! Thud-! But just before the sword touched her neck, the sword crashed into something invisible and bounced off.
“What…” Uriel frowned. It was strange that his blade wouldn’t move as he wished. Once again, he lifted his sword and drove it into the girl.
Shiing-! Thud-! The blade bounced off her body. It didn’t take long for Uriel to realize that something on this mission had gone horribly wrong.
“It’s useless.” At that moment, a low, calm voice pierced the silence. As he turned towards the sound, thinking he must have heard it wrong, he noticed it. The girl who had just been sleeping soundly – she was now awake and staring straight at him.
As soon as their eyes met, the air surrounding him began to vibrate. Uriel tried to back away, but he couldn’t move. There was… something that kept him stuck in place.
“You’re the one who needs luck.” The girl’s red eyes shone mercilessly in the dark.
His body jolted. He tried to move back towards the window, but his body was blocked by an invisible wall.
“It’s a barrier. I don’t know who you are, but your sword won’t be able to cut through it.”
The girl sat up. He could see that she had radiant golden hair and ruby eyes. When he looked closer, her eyes were tinted with a subtle golden hue.
Was she… a member of the imperial family? No, it couldn’t be…
She stared at Uriel, as if she were peering into his soul. Her gaze was overwhelming. Yet there was no hint of malice or resentment towards her would-be assassin in it.
Her eyebrows were tilted down with concern, and her slightly upturned lips seemed to contain a little bit of compassion. Just as his had, only a moment ago.
She was waiting for him to give up.
She was acting as if she were in control of Uriel. He usually never lost his cool during a mission. Yet his mind was overwhelmed with rage. He saw red.
Uriel wanted to crush that arrogance. He hated that feeling, especially from this tiny girl who stared down at him, weaponless. He wanted to wipe that puny expression of sympathy off her face.
The sword will always follow the will of its master, no matter what.
The words of Safiro, the man he hated more than anyone, popped into his mind. If they were true, even a barrier couldn’t defeat him. He didn’t believe the girl’s insistence that the barrier couldn’t be broken. He had to finish this.
He adjusted his grip on the handle of the sword, and it flashed silver. He raised the sword and aimed it at the girl for the third time. His hands were steady.
Shiing-!
The longsword made a terrifying sound as it was pulled out of the sheath. The blade shone eerily in the moonlight. Sword in hand, he approached the bedside to pinpoint the exact location of the target.
“…A young lady?”
As soon as he confirmed the target of the assassination, his stomach plummeted.
It was a girl who looked about sixteen years old. She lay asleep on the enormous bed. Her long, lustrous hair glistened in the moonlight, spread over her pillows.
“Safiro, you son of a bitch-” Uriel cursed to himself. He’d only been told about the location of the target, just as usual. But this was more than just an ordinary unpleasant mission. For him, killing was a familiar thing. That was what he’d been created to do. Yet he, who had slaughtered rival assassins and massacred enemy hideouts, had never before swung a sword at a defenseless girl. He glanced down at the poor girl, unaware of her fate, and sighed.
“I don’t know what the hell you’ve done to make Petra Liefer despise you so much…”
His face was filled with rare compassion.
“I can’t help it. You just have bad luck.” Uriel sighed again. He’d made up his mind.
“If I don’t kill you, I’ll die more painfully than you could ever imagine. I’m sorry, but your life is not more important than mine.” His eyes glowed coldly. The compassion that for a moment had been reflected in it vanished.
“May you rest in peace.” The sword in his hand glistened cooly in the moonlight. It swung into the air and plunged towards the girl’s hapless body.
Shing-! Thud-! But just before the sword touched her neck, the sword crashed into something invisible and bounced off.
“What…” Uriel frowned. It was strange that his blade wouldn’t move as he wished. Once again, he lifted his sword and drove it into the girl.
Shiing-! Thud-! The blade bounced off her body. It didn’t take long for Uriel to realize that something on this mission had gone horribly wrong.
“It’s useless.” At that moment, a low, calm voice pierced the silence. As he turned towards the sound, thinking he must have heard it wrong, he noticed it. The girl who had just been sleeping soundly – she was now awake and staring straight at him.
As soon as their eyes met, the air surrounding him began to vibrate. Uriel tried to back away, but he couldn’t move. There was… something that kept him stuck in place.
“You’re the one who needs luck.” The girl’s red eyes shone mercilessly in the dark.
His body jolted. He tried to move back towards the window, but his body was blocked by an invisible wall.
“It’s a barrier. I don’t know who you are, but your sword won’t be able to cut through it.”
The girl sat up. He could see that she had radiant golden hair and ruby eyes. When he looked closer, her eyes were tinted with a subtle golden hue.
Was she… a member of the imperial family? No, it couldn’t be…
She stared at Uriel, as if she were peering into his soul. Her gaze was overwhelming. Yet there was no hint of malice or resentment towards her would-be assassin in it.
Her eyebrows were tilted down with concern, and her slightly upturned lips seemed to contain a little bit of compassion. Just as his had, only a moment ago.
She was waiting for him to give up.
She was acting as if she were in control of Uriel. He usually never lost his cool during a mission. Yet his mind was overwhelmed with rage. He saw red.
Uriel wanted to crush that arrogance. He hated that feeling, especially from this tiny girl who stared down at him, weaponless. He wanted to wipe that puny expression of sympathy off her face.
The sword will always follow the will of its master, no matter what.
The words of Safiro, the man he hated more than anyone, popped into his mind. If they were true, even a barrier couldn’t defeat him. He didn’t believe the girl’s insistence that the barrier couldn’t be broken. He had to finish this.
He adjusted his grip on the handle of the sword, and it flashed silver. He raised the sword and aimed it at the girl for the third time. His hands were steady.
