"Yeah! Why did I assume it was just one person? Instead, that bastard Ratak and the Dirita must have set a trap and taken out Tallman, who was coming for the Dirita's neck! Yeah! That makes sense. It... kind of... does..."
For a brief moment, Hadin felt a surge of joy at his interpretation of the recent events, which seemed to fit together somewhat. But then, something nagged at the back of his mind that he couldn't quite place.
"But who in the gods' name—or rather, what kind of people—did that to Tallman...? The old man Vanas might be skilled with a sword, but he's way too old. Hmmph."
-Grrrrr-
Pondering over this unsolved puzzle had apparently made his stomach growl with hunger. He poured more of the white wine's pale glow into his glass, then reached for the pork leg dish that the airship's chef had brought along with the drinks. Grabbing it with his hands, he tore off a chunk and shoved it into his mouth.
"Mmm!"
As the chef had said, the tangy sourness of the white wine neatly cut through the greasiness of the pork, sliding down his throat in a refreshing wave. Each chew of the mouthful released bursts of juicy flavor that tingled delightfully under his tongue.
Just as Hadin reached for the plate again to savor that taste once more...
-Clang! Crash!-
The room, filled only with the humming of the airship's mana stone devices and the whistling winds of the high skies, was suddenly pierced by the sound of metal clashing.
It sounded like iron armor colliding with something. Hadin held his breath for a moment, waiting, then shouted toward the door outside.
"What's going on! I just heard a loud noise—come in and explain!"
-Click-
The door opened, and a stranger entered, waving a hand in greeting toward Hadin. The unfamiliar intruder was draped in a black cloak, with a hood pulled over to hide their hair, and even their face was concealed by a black mask.
"He~llo there. Lord High Treasurer Hadin Kavil~!"
The masked man who entered the room wrapped his right hand around his left shoulder, bowed slightly, and greeted Hadin in a cheerful voice.
"Who are you? You know who I am, and yet... Guards! What are you doing? Why did you let him in?"
Hadin yelled toward the outside of the room.
"Those guards? We've taken care of them all."
Another intruder, with a bright voice and a mask painted with blue and green insect patterns, answered Hadin as they stepped into the room. With heels barely touching the ground, Tiger Beetle sauntered lightly and slowly in a peculiar gait, then knelt on the nearest chair by the door, gazing out the window while continuing the conversation with Hadin.
"Two at the entrance, one munching on food in the galley, and five more in the guest quarters. All handled, so no matter how much you shout, you won't get a response."
"What? How...? Who sent you bastards! You know who I am, and yet you dare such a thing!"
Tiger Beetle's words made Hadin grind his teeth so hard they audibly scraped, glaring at the two masked figures with bulging eyes as he roared.
"We know exactly who you are—that's why we're doing this. And we're here because... um... Black... what was it again?"
"Griffon. Black Griffon."
Tiger Beetle rose from the chair, approached the black-masked one who had led them onto this airship, and whispered the forgotten name in a low voice.
"Ahem! We're hired by this Black Griffon here. Oh! And there were guards in the cargo hold too, but you shouldn't count on them either. My partner probably took care of that side by now."
Tiger Beetle, with eyes sparkling behind the mask, turned back to Hadin and shared details about Black Griffon and the unseen partner.
"But don't worry, Hadin. Not a single one was killed. Bloodstains on the airship's decorations and fancy carpets would be a mess, so we used paralytic poison. These two I borrowed from a new acquaintance know how to handle all sorts of poisons."
Black Griffon approached Hadin closely, sat on a nearby sofa, and spoke.
"So? What do you want? If the stuff in the cargo hold isn't enough, I can toss you some more."
Hadin, scowling with sneering lips, reached into his bosom and rummaged as he addressed Black Griffon.
-Click- -Whoosh-
With a smile, Hadin drew a small hand crossbow from the folds of his upper garment, and the sharp snap of the trigger echoed as a tiny bolt flew toward the neck beneath Black Griffon's seated mask.
-Splash!-
In an instant, a water dagger formed by Tiger Beetle collided with the incoming bolt, scattering tiny droplets around. Then, the dispersed droplets gathered back toward the water dagger gripped in Tiger Beetle's hand.
Seizing the brief opening, Hadin hurled himself toward the secret escape mechanism leading to the cargo hold. Pushing one wall of the room revealed a hidden door, opening to stairs descending below. Without a moment's hesitation, Hadin dashed down the stairs.
-Clang! Crash!-
A sudden noise from the cargo hold made Hadin halt and hold his breath. The airship's interior was still filled with the humming of the mana stone devices and the external wind, but woven into those sounds was someone's footsteps.
'What the...? Is that their partner from earlier?'
Hadin paused his descent, cautiously peeking his head out to survey the cargo hold. In the dim light, a shadowy figure stood. Right in the middle of the cargo hold, the figure held a long, sharp sword in one hand, with a menacing killing intent swirling around.
"Huh? What's this? Was there one i missed?"
The figure slowly lifted their head and looked at Hadin. The gaze felt from behind the mask sent a chilling terror through Hadin's body, as if he were frozen solid in an instant.
Hadin began ascending the stairs again. The pursuing footsteps echoed in his ears as they followed up the stairs. Hadin's breath came in ragged gasps, and sweat beaded on his forehead.
"Realized there's nowhere to run, huh?"
Tiger Beetle spoke again, gripping the water dagger once more.
Hadin now fully grasped that he was completely cornered. He had no place to flee, no one to call for help.
"The... the cargo hold..."
Wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, Hadin stammered, pointing toward the secret escape door, feeling that staying with Black Griffon and Tiger Beetle would be far safer.
"Heh heh heh. Looks like you met Dragon Fly? He hates heights, so they're extra on edge today..."
Tiger Beetle chuckled, retracting the water dagger.
"That was close earlier. Partly my fault for letting my guard down, but I didn't expect you to have a weapon like that hidden in your garment..."
Black Griffon, wiping sweat trickling down from the masked face along the chin with a sleeve, resumed the interrupted conversation with Hadin after sitting back down.
"What I want isn't money or goods. And I'm not fool enough to handle the aftermath of killing the kingdom's Lord High Treasurer, so relax a bit."
Black Griffon opened the cork of the wine bottle on the table beside the window seat and poured into an empty glass. Bringing the half-filled wine glass to the lips, Black Griffon noticed the mask had no openings besides the eye holes, so they pulled the hood deeper, turned their head, lifted the mask, and took a sip of the wine.
"Kah. Tastes good. Quite the premium stuff."
Adjusting the mask back in place, Black Griffon turned with the empty glass and continued.
"So what do you want!"
"It's to deliver a warning."
"What? A warning? Just for that crap..."
"Yes. As you're well aware... it's about what happened in Ves-Dinas this time. You pulled off quite the bold move. Hiring Tallman, the most skilled assassin in Ixtarn, to take out the prince—who was staying alone in the city of House Vanas, that thorn in your side. It must have seemed like the perfect opportunity. Haha!"
Laughter echoed from behind Black Griffon's mask, but the narrowed eyes behind it never lost their vigilant gleam toward the opponent."Hah... So you're lackeys from Vanas. Sent by Ratak? Or maybe his sister, B
asilisk."
"Trying to probe subtly? Sorry, but I won't answer that. Instead, I'll broaden the scope of suspects for you. First off, there's the count houses east of Vanald: Norend and Nothhill, plus the House Diat. All under Grand Duke Vanas, so I could be from one of those three."
Black Griffon rose from the seat again, gazing out the window as the words continued.
"What about House Finnard? They're supposedly under House Kavil, but... is the leash still tight? Or how about Count Baramore of Raswabi? How long will they guard the gate to the kingdom's heart? Marquis Tristen of Tislo? They've been quite active in exchanges with House Vanas lately."
"Hmmph."
"There are more forces that oppose or want to oppose House Kavil than you might think. So, once you return to Drasnarr, think it over carefully. Who could protect the prince from the continent's top assassin and sneak onto the airship of the kingdom's Lord High Treasurer, Hadin Kavil, to deliver such a rude warning."
"I'll remember your voice clearly. That gait, those gestures—if even once my ears or eyes catch a glimpse of you like this, I'll lay hands on you then and there... and scatter your entire retinue like ash upon the wind."
Hadin snarled like a growling beast, his nose wrinkled deeply and jaw clenched tight.
"Hmm! I'll look forward to that day. Ah, come to think of it, I had something for you too—been carrying it in my cloak all this time."
Black Griffon reached into the cloak and rummaged.
"I don't carry weapons in my bosom like you do, so no need to tense up. Haha! Oh? Here it is."
What Black Griffon pulled out was Tallman's mask, smeared with black soot.
"Since you spent so much gold, you deserve at least one souvenir. And this mask proves that we dealt with the Tallman you sent."
"You... you bastards! Argh!"
The moment Hadin confirmed the mask in his hands and tried to rise from his seat with a shout...
At Black Griffon's nodding chin signal, a tiny needle shot from Tiger Beetle's fingertip, embedding in Hadin's neck and halting his attempt to stand.
"Sweet dreams, then, Lord Treasurer. Time for us to head back too. Looks like Dragon Fly is coming."
Confirming Hadin slumped asleep in place, Black Griffon moved to leave the room.
"One fat guy came up to this room? Huh? What's this, asleep?"
"Yes! But Black Griffon, is Tallman really dead? By whom? Can you tell us?"
Tiger Beetle waved a hand in greeting to Dragon Fly ascending the stairs, then asked Black Griffon walking alongside.
"Hah hah hah. Well... if you say you're working fully for me, not Selldagger, then maybe I'll tell."
Black Griffon laughed heartily, brushing off Tiger Beetle's question.
"Heh. With skills like that, it'll come out naturally. Dragon Fly~, Tallman is dead~."
"Huh? Tallman got taken out by whom? When? In Ves-Dinas?"
"Who knows~ Black Griffon won't spill."
That day, Baron Lizston's warning to Hadin was delivered perfectly.