abcnovels
Chapter 142
Chapter 142
————
Chapter 142: False Appearance (3)
The mercenaries, after meeting their target’s gaze, silently exited the academy grounds.
In the secluded forest where few ventured, they paused for a moment, breathing heavily as if they had been holding their breath.
“Pant, pant!”
These were no greenhorn amateurs.
They were seasoned mercenaries who had seen their fair share of bloodshed and battles for at least a decade.
Yet, the current situation felt incredibly unfamiliar to them.
While they had felt danger during previous missions and had retreated, they had never experienced such fear or panic that led to fleeing.
Their current actions were undoubtedly not a strategic withdrawal but outright flight.
They couldn’t easily shake off this strange feeling they had never experienced before.
“I have a bad feeling about this! For now, let’s retreat and observe the situation for a while! We might need to reconsider this mission.”
Leader Gerrick’s face was contorted with worry, perhaps sensing the danger in the current mission.
To this, Jason chuckled strangely and said.
“Why? We’ve already been spotted, haven’t we? So what’s there to think about? Didn’t we agree to strike while the iron’s hot? Let’s just go and attack them now!”
“Get a grip, Jason! We still need to assess the situation…”
“……!”
Suddenly, the mercenaries, all feeling a strange presence, turned their heads in unison.
About ten steps away from where they stood, partially concealed among the thick branches, they saw the figure of a young boy.
The moment they realized the boy’s identity, the mercenaries froze in place.
“W-What… How did he…?”
The target of their mission, Cyan Vert, the youngest son of Duke Vert, emitted a strange red aura as he stared at them.
“……”
However, he remained silent, just observing them without a word.
After a minute of silence, one of the mercenaries, Jason, broke the silence.
“Looks like the noble young master has a good sense. Not only did he spot us from a distance, but he’s come to us personally. I’m not sure what to make of this.”
“Jason!”
Despite objections from the leader and his comrades, Jason continued to approach the boy slowly.
“I suppose you’re curious about our identity, right? Let me tell you straight. We are mercenaries hired to kill you, the youngest son of Duke Vert. I don’t know why, but some royal family members wanted you dead, and they asked us to do it. And not just any death… they wanted it to be particularly brutal…”
While revealing their identity, Jason also spat out harsh words, but the boy didn’t bat an eye.
This only piqued Jason’s interest further as he continued to move closer.
“Bit random, but can I tell you one of my hobbies? Before killing someone, I like to peel off their skin and inspect their flesh underneath. It’s fascinating to see the inner beauty that people hold. It’s not just about appearances. Others might think it’s bizarre and grotesque, but I always want to see the inner beauty a person possesses. Of course, I’m not interested in just anyone. I’m only interested in men.”
Approaching the boy until they were face to face, Jason grinned eerily.
“Moreover, if someone as perfect as you on the outside, I can’t wait to see the beautiful flesh you have underneath… I’m really excited, I can’t hold back anymore.”
– Snicker
Suddenly, he stuck out his tongue, almost as if tasting the air, and even just looking at his eyes, it seemed like he was no longer in his right mind.
But then, he laughed.
The boy, who had been standing there like a doll, finally opened his mouth wide and smiled.
It was a very childlike smile, not fitting with his indifferent yet sharp features.
“You’re laughing? You’re smiling? Wow? This is something new! Aren’t you scared even if I say this?”
Jason showed a reaction to this friendly response he encountered for the first time in his life.
Whether he intended to or not, he started sniffing around with his pointed nose.
“Smell…”
The mercenaries were puzzled.
The first words coming out of the boy’s mouth were about smell.
They couldn’t yet understand the intention behind his words.
“Smell! Smell! Bad smell! Evil and wicked smell! Yet…”
The boy extended his tongue and licked his lips.
“A very delicious smell…”
– Bang!
At that moment, with an inexplicable sound, smoke rose from the boy’s body.
As the smoke dissipated, the boy who had been concealed reappeared, but…
“……?! ”
What appeared from the smoke wasn’t the boy they knew.
It was a girl of a similar age, but some mercenaries were so shocked that they either sat down or took steps backward.
“Horns?”
She had unfamiliar and strange body parts that humans shouldn’t possess.
Some of the mercenaries were so frightened that they couldn’t move, and others started to retreat.
“How should I eat it? Swallow it whole? Chew it thoroughly? Or suck on it like candy?”
She looked like an innocent child contemplating how to eat delicious food right in front of her.
Witnessing this right before his eyes, Jason couldn’t bring himself to speak, and his trembling lips were the only movement he could make.
His feet were stuck to the ground, and he could only tremble, overwhelmed by fear and helplessness that seemed impossible to escape.
Even someone like him, who had killed and ravaged countless humans, could do nothing in this moment.
He could only ponder why this situation had occurred.
The expression on his face mirrored those of the countless humans he had preyed upon just before their deaths, now reflecting on his own face.
“Well then, bon appétit~!”
– Swoosh!
With a merciless sound that sliced through the flesh, half of Jason’s body disappeared in an instant.
“Eeek!”
The remaining mercenaries screamed in a panic, and without any order, they all started fleeing in haste.
“What, what’s happening? Why are there monsters like that in the academy?”
“Abort the mission! Stop daydreaming and get out of here now! There won’t be any more missions for a while! Disperse!”
Gerrick shouted at the fleeing mercenaries, but they didn’t hear his voice.
“What on earth is that thing supposed to be? It’s not a human, it’s like a dragon…!”
– Swoosh
As the chilling sound of flesh being sliced echoed, their footsteps abruptly halted.
As the mercenary at the forefront stumbled and collapsed, his neck twisted grotesquely forward.
“…”
A strange black mist, from an unknown source, brushed against their skin, causing cold sweat to trickle down between their chests and backs.
Suppressing their surging fear as best as they could, the mercenaries slowly raised their heads.
– Swoosh
In the brief moment when the sweat trickled down their backs and reached their tailbones, preceded by a sound of devastation, the heads of the mercenaries ahead began to fall like rain.
Gerrick, the leader of the mercenaries who were now left alone, his strength drained, collapsed to his knees.
The woman with the black mask whispered to him.
“Take him away.”
– Thud!
Before long, a dull impact struck his head, and he collapsed unconscious.
* * *
“Th-the leader! How should we even begin to assess this…?”
Even the assassins, who had experienced countless situations, couldn’t help but gape at the scene before them.
If they were ordinary civilians, they wouldn’t even be able to bear to keep their eyes open.
“Did I become complacent? Or was I ignorant?”
Silica grimaced bitterly, her expression filled with discomfort.
The bodies of the mercenaries had already disappeared, leaving only scraps of flesh and bone scattered with blood in their place.
In the center of it all, Nana sat, smiling contentedly as if she had just finished a meal.
“Hehe…”
Her bloodshot eyes and trembling pupils made it clear that she was no longer in her right mind.
She was not the innocent and cute human girl she once seemed to be, but a vicious dragon awakened by her dormant appetite.
Just looking at her was enough to evoke an overwhelming sense of aversion.
“First, dispose of the bodies, and erase all traces from the surroundings. Not a single drop of blood should remain.”
“What about that dragon?”
Silica stared intently at Nana’s face, filled with a happiness that bordered on madness.
She wasn’t just a delicate and tender little being.
If left unchecked, she could pose a very dangerous threat, so she must not be left alone near Cyan.
“I’ll handle it. Focus on disposing of the evidence and covering our tracks.”
“Yes! Understood!”
The enlisted members immediately began the cleanup.
As Silica approached Nana with determination, ready to act, a voice interrupted them.
“Hey, who’s there?”
“…!”
A strange voice, followed by the voice of a young girl.
“It’s dangerous if you go alone, Arin!”
She wasn’t alone.
Behind her, there were signs of a girl presumed to be a student, followed by heavy footsteps that suggested several knights.
“Leader! Someone’s coming!”
“Cease all activities and retreat immediately!”
Without any hesitation, the members began to leave.
As Silica, the last one remaining, approached the sitting Nana to pick her up, she muttered softly.
“This situation is getting messier.”
And so, all the assassins vanished, leaving only the empty silence in the forest.
Gradually, the sound of rustling bushes revealed the figures of Arin and Ressimus.
“Could it have been a misunderstanding? Is there really something in this forest?”
“W-well, it seems like it, but… I’m not sure either. I just felt a presence, like a hunch…”
After parting ways with Nana and returning to the dormitory, Arin suddenly sensed a strange presence in the middle of the forest.
Leading the curious knights, she ventured into the forest, but found nothing visible.
As they were about to turn back with puzzled expressions…
“…!”
A thick liquid-like substance touched her foot, causing her gaze to instinctively turn towards it.
Though the identity of the liquid was still unknown, the reddish hue reminiscent of blood sent shivers down Arin’s spine.
Before long, as they followed the trail of the liquid, they witnessed something horrifying.
“Kyaaaah!!”
A scream tore through the entire forest as if it were being torn apart.
* * *
“So far, a total of four bodies have been found. One of them is so mutilated that it’s barely recognizable as a body. These were members of an imperial merchant group that arrived in Luwen the day before. According to the investigation, they were mercenaries registered with the Continental Mercenary Guild.”
The instructors who received the report couldn’t hide their astonishment.
“Why would mercenaries infiltrate the academy?”
“If we speculate, they may have been sent to monitor or assassinate a specific target. Whether that target is a student or a staff member, we can’t be sure. But regardless, it seems like they were involved in a significant operation.”
The instructors nodded in agreement.
“As we continue the investigation to find the one person whose whereabouts are still unknown, what we should focus on most…”
“Is who killed those mercenaries.”
Silica, who had remained silent throughout the emergency meeting, finally spoke up.
“After the incident was first reported, the administration immediately informed the Chancellor, and we just received his response a while ago.”
Vice Chancellor Satwell wasted no time in presenting the Chancellor’s response to the instructors.
“As of now, all classes are suspended, and all students are to remain in their dormitories until the situation is resolved. All outdoor activities, including exercise and sparring, are strictly prohibited, and students are not to have any contact with other students or instructors.”
The measures were more stringent than expected, leaving everyone surprised.
Silica watched the situation closely, swallowing her dry saliva.
“Is the Chancellor returning now?”
“He seems extremely displeased with the recent unfortunate events at the academy. Furthermore, it seems like he suspects someone from within the academy as a key suspect in this incident.”
“Someone from the academy?”
“Yes, particularly…”
A slight tremor ran through Silica’s pupils as she sensed a sudden unease.
“He instructed us to keep an eye on the area near the Royal Quarters where the royal students are staying.”
————