Assassin Cult.
They were a religious group whose profession was assassination.
They knew the secretive methods of slipping through shadows, and through those methods, they took countless lives, seizing both wealth and infamy.
But not just anyone could wield such secret arts.
They brought in orphans, trained them in environments akin to poison cults,
yet only a very few could become assassins.
The rest of the candidates were discarded.
Because of that, the truth of the Assassin Cult had long remained buried in darkness.
How exactly they traveled through shadows, how they could kill so silently, was known only to a few high-ranking members within the cult.
And now that the Assassin Cult had disappeared, there was only one person left who knew the truth about it.
Asana.
She stepped onto the shadow.
Then, it spoke to her.
'Will you accept the darkness...'
Her body began to sink beneath the shadow, as if falling into a swamp.
The Assassination God spoken of in the Assassin Cult truly existed, unlike ordinary gods.
But Asana regarded it not as a god, but a monster.
The training in the Assassin Cult was nothing more than amusement to please that Assassination God.
Through endless repetition of torture-like training, the power was bestowed upon whoever happened to draw the attention of that capricious monster.
Even among the entire history of the Assassin Cult, Asana was considered one of the most favored by the Assassination God.
'You'd best not go...'
"Shut up."
Asana did not treat the Assassination God with reverence.
'It's dangerous...'
"A god afraid of a human?"
'...'
The Assassination God was reluctant to enter the Imperial Palace, as if it were afraid.
The time Asana had spent away from Yuri under the pretense of training was actually spent persuading the Assassination God and drawing more of its power into herself.
Thanks to that, she could now approach even deeper darkness.
'Tread carefully...'
"I told you to shut it."
'Heh, heh, heh...'
The Assassination God's voice echoed in her mind as though it were injected directly into her brain.
'You damn wench...'
"Then get lost."
'I have no choice. You're all I've got left now. Heh, heh, heh...'
Some had speculated this being was a spirit.
But Asana had no interest in the Assassination God's true identity.
She was simply using it because her employer, Yuri, needed her help.
Asana swam through the shadows and slipped past the palace perimeter.
'This place is ominous. You cannot bear what lurks here...'
The Assassination God kept babbling.
Asana ignored it.
She had been aware of the danger from the beginning.
Ever since nearly being dragged out from the shadows back in Euzeth, she had known that black magic might be able to sense her.
So, she had to move even more silently, even more carefully.
And that was what she was best at.
Even without the power of the Assassination God, her skills were considered the most exceptional in the history of the Assassin Cult.
'So this is where the human Emperor lives...'
Letting the Assassination God's words pass in one ear and out the other, Asana crept deeper into the palace.
The spaces between corners, the ledges where doors met their frames, every shadowed spot became her path.
Eventually, she arrived at her destination.
This was the first time she had come this far.
"Today's stew is salty. Did I over-season it?"
"My apologies. I'll inform the cook."
"No need. I like salty food."
In the Grand Hall draped with crimson cloth, the Emperor was enjoying a solitary dinner.
On the glass table so pristine it looked like it had legs of gold, a lavish spread of dishes was laid out endlessly.
The Emperor took one bite after another, savoring the food.
The Assassination God chuckled.
'The human Emperor is a gourmet. Heh, heh, heh...'
Remaining in the shadow cast by a statue, Asana carefully observed the Emperor Ibarra.
She had not yet found any trace of what her employer had hoped to uncover.
The Emperor chatted casually with a bowing attendant as he ate.
"What kind of meat is this?"
"Beef, sire."
"I know it's beef. What cut is it?"
"Round...."
"You're feeding me butt? Cow butt? Hahaha...."
"My apologies."
"Nothing to apologize for. It's delicious."
Though he acted picky, he didn't seriously scold or summon the chef.
Asana thought the Emperor didn't seem like that much of a villain.
In this world, many people changed once they held power. And yet, wasn't this Emperor—who ruled the entire continent—rather tame?
He kept teasing the attendant like a playful child.
'You risked your life for that? Heh, heh, heh...'
Asana waited until the Emperor finished his meal.
The many dishes, barely touched, were cleared away, and before Ibarra now sat a white dessert that looked like ice cream.
He scooped a spoonful and ate it.
"Oh, it's my first time trying this. It's sweet and soft. What's this called?"
"The chef created it for Your Majesty. It hasn't been named yet. If Your Majesty would give it a name, it would be a great honor."
"Not even named, huh. Haha, developing food just for me—being Emperor was a good choice. Let's see now..."
Ibarra chuckled and moved the teaspoon again. Just as he took two more bites, with a smile still lingering near his eyes—
His spoon stopped.
The smile vanished from his face.
"You expect me to name it, too?"
"Sire?"
He rose from his seat.
"You dare give me orders?"
"P-pardon? Th-that's not what I meant..."
"You wretched little worm!"
Ibarra shouted and hurled a dish from the table. It shattered against the attendant's forehead, drawing blood.
The change was sudden.
The royal guard, stationed outside, rushed in.
"Sire?"
Ibarra didn't stop. Still holding the teaspoon, he stood again. The bleeding attendant collapsed flat on the floor.
Ibarra grabbed the attendant by the hair and forced his face up.
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty. Please, forgive me."
"If you're sorry, don't do things you'll be sorry for."
What followed even made Asana, who had been watching, frown.
"AAAAARGHHHH!"
Just like mixing ice cream, Ibarra shoved the teaspoon into the attendant's eye and stirred it around.
Blood and vitreous fluid gushed from the destroyed eye.
"S-Sire…"
Even the royal guards froze in shock, but none dared to stop the Emperor.
Ibarra let the nearly unconscious attendant fall to the ground and casually tossed the bloodied teaspoon aside.
"Bring me a new teaspoon."
"…Excuse me?"
"Do I need to say it twice?"
At his glare, the two royal guards quickly bowed and left the room.
The attendant lay convulsing on the floor, but no one paid him any mind.
'Heh, heh, heh...'
Only the Assassination God chuckled in amusement.
Asana said nothing as she silently observed the scene.
When the royal guards returned with a new teaspoon, Ibarra resumed eating dessert as if nothing had happened. The royal guards now stood by his side in place of the injured attendant.
"Delicious."
He closed his eyes, as if savoring the taste. It was hard to believe this was the same man who just gouged out someone's eye—he looked perfectly serene.
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Ibarra spat out the dessert he had just eaten from the table.
It was mixed with blood.
"Huh?"
He stared blankly at it for a moment, then vomited blood.
"Khak...."
A royal guard rushed to his side, supporting his body as he shouted,
"Priest! Call a priest! It's poison!"
"Poison!"
Chaos erupted in an instant.
The royal guards came flooding in, and the Emperor, leaning against them, was foaming and bleeding from the mouth.
The word "poisoning" echoed repeatedly throughout the grand hall.
'What a day to visit—turns out to be quite a show. Heh, heh, heh...'
Asana asked the Assassination God,
"Will the Emperor die?"
'He won't. His life force is still strong...'
"Is it really poison?"
'That, I don't know.'
As Asana watched the Emperor being carried out of the hall on a stretcher, she let out a long sigh.
She had no idea how to interpret what she'd just seen.
Either way, it was time to leave. Due to the magical barriers surrounding the palace, the Assassination God's power had been unusually quickly depleted.
'Leave.'
Right at that moment, the Assassination God's voice sounded urgent.
'You must leave...'
"What?"
'Something… is here.'
The Assassination God said no more.
Instead, Asana's body sank even deeper into the darkness.
It was a sign that he was exerting his full power.
Asana moved immediately.
'Quickly.'
Retracing her infiltration route in reverse, she dashed through the path of shadows leading out of the palace.
Now, even Asana could sense something chasing behind her.
A dark, ominous energy.
'Don't look back. Don't look back...'
The Assassination God warned.
But Asana ignored the warning and turned around.
And was struck by a shock that nearly stopped her heart.
Something grotesque, with blood-red eyes, was running alongside her in the path of shadows.
Its shape constantly shifted, like a flickering shadow cast by a campfire, but its eerie eyes remained locked on her, glaring with unchanging clarity.
Her body wouldn't move properly.
Even the shadows that usually aided her now clung to her like a swamp, hindering her movement.
'Snap out of it, you damn wench!'
The Assassination God shouted sharply. Only then did Asana shake off the strange sensation, as if waking from a trance.
'Run!'
Asana sprinted with everything she had.
She was certain—if that thing caught her, she would not die peacefully.
Eventually, she reached a narrow gap of shadow at the edge of the outer wall.
This was both the entrance and exit to the Imperial Palace.
Asana dashed through that passage.
"Haa..."
Outside the palace, the paths of shadows stretched in all directions.
Asana immediately grabbed onto any of them and pushed forward. There were so many branches that the mysterious pursuer couldn't follow her any longer.
Even afterward, she continued flitting through shadow after shadow.
Only when she finally felt truly safe did she emerge into the open.
"Ah..."
A filthy back alley.
With no strength left, she collapsed to the ground.
After using this much of her ability, she'd need to lie down and rest for a while.
The Assassination God seemed to be saying something, but since she was no longer inside the shadows, she couldn't hear him clearly.
She let out a long breath.
She had no idea where she was. Even trying to get up was beyond her strength.
Then, she heard footsteps approaching from afar.
Asana, alert, placed her hand on the hidden dagger she carried.
This was the abandoned district of the Imperial Capital. Nothing that happened here would be surprising.
"Well, well. What's a lady doing lying here...?"
It wasn't just one.
Several jeering voices echoed toward her.
Asana tried desperately to rise, but the exhaustion held her down. It was the cost of having recklessly overused the Assassination God's power.
"Did she take something and pass out?"
"This place is dangerous, y'know. Heh heh..."
She took a deep breath.
She prepared to release all her remaining strength in one explosive burst.
"Guess we'll have to help her out, right?"
"No choice. Kekeke..."
"Gotta help each other in this world, eh? Hoohoo..."
"Shhh. The lady's scared, don't y'all see? Heehee..."
"Well, looks like it's been a while since we did a good deed. Ehehe..."
The moment one of them reached out to touch her—
Asana sprang up, pulling a dagger from her coat and slashing it.
Her head spun from the forced movement, but she couldn't just lie there.
But—it was blocked.
"Now, now..."
A black-gloved hand caught her wrist.
"I think you've got the wrong idea."
Beyond it was a familiar face.
"Isn't that a bit too pessimistic of a worldview, Miss Asana?"
"You are..."
It was Gorio.
And behind him stood his subordinates. They were holding placards with slogans like:
「Let's drive drugs out of our streets.」
「Drugs turn people into fools.」
「Medicine belongs to pharmacists, drugs to the peacekeepers.」
「Drugs, the road to self-destruction.」
「Do drugs, die fast.」
He helped Asana to her feet and said,
"You didn't start using drugs while you were gone, did you?"
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