Dawn Era K416, Aressto Border, Renn Town.
“It’s raining…”
The girl in the dark alley slightly lifted her head, cold raindrops falling on her crown, trickling down her silver-white hair tips, and landing in the puddle of muddy blood at her feet.
She gazed at the gray, hazy sky, spacing out briefly before wiping the blood off her short sword and sheathing it.
“The timing is just about ripe.”
The girl murmured softly. She left the alley, leaving only a few lifeless bodies sprawled in its depths.
Dark clouds loomed over Renn Town, the pattering rain mingling with the noisy voices echoing through the streets, making the already chaotic roads even more tumultuous. No one noticed the undercurrents flowing in the alley.
…
“How did it go, Ileil?”
A burly man was leaning against the wall at the alley’s exit. When the girl emerged, he asked.
“All taken care of.”
The girl called Ileil said flatly.
“Good work. I’ll handle the cleanup. You can head back first.”
“…” Ileil stopped in her tracks. Unlike before, she didn’t leave right after completing the task. The usually taciturn girl unusually took the initiative to speak: “There was an unexpected discovery.”
“Those guys actually knew something?”
“Yes.”
Ileil’s words surprised the man a bit. He continued, “Tell me about it. I can relay whatever you want to say. Your job’s done.”
“No. I must see Gro personally. The later he knows this, the worse it is for him.”
Ileil turned her head to stare straight into his eyes, her tone brooking no refusal: “Kaze, you just need to tell me where Gro is, then do your part.”
The man named Kaze felt something off about Ileil’s unusual attitude. Kaze eyed her golden pupils suspiciously; her eyes were as still as a dead pond, revealing no emotional ripples whatsoever.
“…”
If it were a regular colleague asking about Gro’s whereabouts, he wouldn’t hesitate like this. Moreover, a request at this juncture made perfect sense.
But the one asking was Ileil.
The person Ileil wanted to see, Gro, was Kaze’s direct superior. But the relationship between Ileil and Gro wasn’t as straightforward as his with Gro.
—Gro was the one who killed Ileil’s father.
What puzzled him even more was that after killing Ileil’s father, Gro had actually kept Ileil by his side.
Kaze was one of the few who knew about the grudge between Ileil and Gro. To most in the mercenary group, Ileil was Gro’s absolutely loyal blade.
But that wasn’t the case. In the early days when Ileil first came under Gro, she had attempted to assassinate him more than once.
Kaze had warned his superior about Ileil’s danger multiple times, but Gro always dismissed it nonchalantly.
However, time proved Gro’s approach beneficial to him. Ileil was indeed a handy tool—in recent years, she hadn’t taken any actions against Gro.
Knowing the truth, Kaze found it hard to imagine what methods Gro had used to make Ileil retract her fangs of vengeance and tame her into an obedient dog.
…
“Don’t misunderstand. Conveying this information to Gro isn’t out of loyalty; I’m just fulfilling the most basic obligation.”
“Sigh… I’m the last person who wants to tell you his current whereabouts.”
Ileil’s cold words interrupted Kaze’s thoughts. Kaze looked at the girl who was a head shorter than him, and after some internal struggle, he ultimately chose to compromise with Ileil.
Renn Town, Duke’s Mansion.
“Oh dear, it’s raining again. Aressto’s autumn rarely has sunny days.”
The tall man with black hair and green eyes muttered to himself. He wore an ill-fitting formal suit, the bulging clothes seeming ready to burst from his muscular frame at any moment, giving an extremely incongruous impression.
He crossed his legs casually, sitting by the bay window in the luxurious reception room, boredly gazing at the town soaked in rain, his hand incessantly tapping the armrest.
“Big shot, huh, Duke Lokas? Leaving me alone in your mansion for this long.”
The duke’s mansion in Renn Town had only an old butler and a few servants tending to the residence. Upon learning that the duke who invited him would be delayed due to an accident, Gro had to begin this long wait.
“Whatever. Spacing out occasionally isn’t bad.”
He thought this peaceful time would last a bit longer, until the old butler’s voice pulled him back: “Sorry, Mr. Gro. Please allow me to interrupt your rest briefly.”
Gro looked at the elderly butler at the reception room door, tilting his head as he asked: “From your expression, Duke Lokas hasn’t arrived yet, right?”
“That’s correct, Mr. Gro. A young lady claiming to be ‘Ileil’ wishes to see you. She says she has important matters she must convey to you personally.”
“Oh, it’s her.” Gro, who had been somewhat drowsy, perked up upon hearing the girl’s name.
“Of course I know Ileil. Let her in quickly; she’s the good child I raised.”
“May I ask… is this lady named Ileil your adopted daughter?”
“Daughter? Well… half and half.”
The old butler had never heard rumors that the infamous ‘Black Edge,’ Gro de Morant, had family. Faced with Gro’s ambiguous reply, the old butler could only comply with the man’s request.
“I’ll arrange for Miss Ileil to see you immediately. I’ll take my leave then.”
Gro gazed at the end of the corridor outside the door, watching the old butler’s figure depart. Soon, a girl in a black cloak ascended the stairs, appearing in Gro’s view.
…
“Look who’s here? Actually seeking me out outside of work for once.”
Gro narrowed his eyes halfway, watching as Ileil removed her rain-dripping black hood and walked toward the reception room.
“I found this on them.”
The girl didn’t respond to Gro’s greeting; she revealed the object in her hand and got straight to the point.
Gro merely glanced at the necklace with a gold-embellished skull in Ileil’s hand, responding exaggeratedly: “Whoa, that’s really bad news! So the cultists of the evil god have truly infiltrated the town!”
This was expected news for Gro; he didn’t show much surprise. The man, as if anticipating something, asked with interest: “Your discovery is useful, but the results you want to show me surely aren’t just this, right?”
Gro spread his hands, a smile curling at his lips. His words seemed to carry deeper meaning.
“Yes. Besides this, I have another discovery.”
Ileil replied impassively. As she rummaged in her bosom for something, she approached Gro’s position with unhurried steps.
Clearly, Ileil was only a few steps away from Gro, but the girl advancing straight toward his gaze inexplicably felt a bit intimidated.
The previously noisy rain suddenly ceased in Ileil’s ears, yet she could hear her own heart pounding, as if time in the outside world had been stretched.
…
Ileil ignored the strange sensation in her body.
She knew the time for revenge was finally ripening.
The moment Ileil was only two body lengths from Gro—the girl drew the short sword hidden in her sleeve, bursting with astonishing speed to stab at the seemingly defenseless Gro.
But the poisoned short sword didn’t pierce the man’s flesh; what followed was the clash of metal.
At some point, Gro had a similar short sword in his hand, blocking her surprise attack.
“Impressive progress, Ileil.” The smile on Gro’s face grew even stronger as he said approvingly: “This is the closest you’ve come to killing me in these eight years.”