NOVEL WEB Chapter 104
104.
“This… this is what…?”
It must be unbelievable.
Though not something to boast about, Nadil still believed his combat skills ranked as some of the best.
Yes, to be more honest, he might even be in the upper echelons.
The kind of mercenary acknowledged by capable mercenary companies, or a trusted knight of a royal knighthood.
To put it plainly, Nadil had confidence in his own abilities.
After all, he endured the training of the Rial Company and dropped out.
Among the brothers and sisters who managed to endure the training alongside him, Nadil showed quite impressive skills.
The approval of Flabber Rial, the boss of the Rial Company, was proof of that.
Flabber Rial is a terrible person.
His mind is composed purely of a dichotomy that divides things into profit and non-profit.
His heart has decayed black; expecting human kindness from him is worse than rising from the dead.
In other words, there’s an underlying distrust of people.
Therefore, remaining close to him and handling important tasks for a long time is, in its own way, symbolic of trust.
It means you’re a tool that can be used comfortably for important tasks.
But that was enough for Nadil.
Flabber Rial calls those he raises as “children.”
And these orphans, who were raised through brutal training, become something Flabber Rial can freely use whenever he wishes.
The Rial Company signs contracts with mercenaries who are in good standing, but in truth, it’s hard for them to be used for just anything.
The “children” of Flabber Rial are the true strength of the Rial Company.
Among Flabber Rial’s “children,” the most outstanding tool, Nadil, couldn’t believe what was happening right before his eyes.
Even if you are confident in your skills, it’s still the same.
Even considering the status where Nadil is part of Flabber Rial’s core power—this is still baffling.
Swoosh!
Nadil’s dagger slashes horizontally in the air.
However, the boy who should’ve been cut was already avoiding the attack and regaining his stance.
He shouldn’t have awakened magic ability. Magic is practically a monopoly of the nobility, though there are some among commoners who do awaken it.
But it’s incredibly rare—in fact, it’s nearly miraculous.
However, the Rial Company’s immense wealth forced that miracle to occur.
Magic tutors were provided to a select few talented “children” personally chosen by Flabber Rial.
Nadil wasn’t a genius when it came to awakening magic, but he excelled at accepting and learning what was taught.
The Transparency Magic was one such achievement.
Eliminating the successor of a rival company or killing skilled mercenaries protecting them—Transparency Magic has played a crucial role in completing Flabber Rial’s tasks.
So, the boy should have panicked under the invisible attack and been subdued…
Gasp!!
It’s completely out of reach.
An inexperienced person might think the boy narrowly avoided the attack by the skin of his teeth.
But those skilled would know—it’s the opposite.
Such a close and minimal avoidance signifies a vast gap in skill.
Nadil, who has successfully completed countless assassinations and battles, knows what’s the most important in combat.
Especially in life-or-death battles.
Remaining calm.
In that sense, the boy was frightfully composed.
Perhaps it’s even fair to say he was elegant.
With an unwavering calm gaze since the beginning, he read every sword movement and minimized energy loss with precise motion.
The most astonishing thing was that according to Nadil, this boy was a mage.
He didn’t have a sword and wasn’t using one—wasn’t he using ice spears earlier to attack his siblings?
The boy…
has been doing nothing but dodging attacks so far without using magic.
Darkness has always been on Nadil’s side.
It’s enough to unnerve anyone to be targeted by stealth assassination under the cover of darkness.
However, today for the first time, Nadil felt as if the darkness wasn’t on his side.
The difference was it wasn’t a dark night.
Sure, it was an assassination, but other reliable siblings who came together on Flabber Rial’s command were also helpful.
That awkward tension and sense of relief.
Nadil unconsciously tightened his grip on the dagger.
Swoosh!!!
Nadil’s dagger slashed the air again.
*
“…None left, it seems.”
Swoosh!
Swoosh!
Kalen evaded the sword with leisurely ease, contemplating.
There was likely no one coming to aid this person anymore.
If there were any reinforcements, they wouldn’t have left this situation as it is.
Even though this person in front of him keeps turning invisible, he’s evidently skilled.
The only person who avoided the surprise attack with 3rd-tier combat magic in the alley earlier was this one.
Had there been others, they would have already tried to help, given how this situation clearly favors the other side.
In that case, there’s no more reason to hold back.
The reason for deliberately dodging the attacks so far was to check if there were any others left.
Going around one by one would be inconvenient and bothersome.
That invisibility magic is impressive, but still, it’s 1st-tier combat magic.
To Kalen, who has reached the 5th-tier, it’s nothing more than an optical illusion.
Still, the disappearance and reappearance thanks to the invisibility were bothersome, and the position wasn’t fixed.
Kalen gathered energy at his fingertips and created an ice spear.
He gripped the ice spear firmly.
Nadil couldn’t understand Kalen’s actions.
Close combat is the domain of assassins, of course.
He may be less capable than a knight, but with the speed gained through invisibility magic, Nadil thought he had the upper hand.
The terrifying aspect of a mage is their range.
Even in a peaceful era, due to the nature of merchant houses, they travel far and wide.
Among them are no few mages, so getting close to them during fights was always the hardest part.
Yet, the boy in front of him actually held an ice spear and charged.
The mage’s physical body can’t compare to an assassin’s—they would surely be lacking in speed.
Despite knowing this, Nadil’s body reacted instinctively.
The scenario of a mage wielding a weapon and charging.
An unconscious awareness of his advantage momentarily slowed down Nadil’s body.
Simultaneously, Kalen’s ice spear surged forward at an incredible speed.
Surprised, Nadel quickly pulled back, but the spear was too fast, and it pierced his shoulder.
Puuuk.
“Ugh…?”
A cry of disbelief.
It’s natural for Nadil not to understand.
The fact that a mage can handle composite elements is akin to simultaneously drawing a complicated blueprint.
Even though Kalen had used an ice spear—a combat magic skill—Nadil can’t comprehend the sharp wind wrapping around the boy’s spear.
As Kalen’s extended ice spear pierced through Nadil’s shoulder and its triangular end hooked his flesh, Kalen pulled it back.
Nadil, being dragged toward him, swung his dagger, but—
Chaing!
Kalen, who by now held another wind-infused ice spear in the opposite hand, deflected Nadil’s dagger.
And as it was, he corrected his position with the straightened spear and thrust it toward Nadil, who was being pulled in.
With the ice spear lodged in his shoulder, invisibility magic was useless.
No matter how skilled an assassin, Kalen was an extraordinary existence.
If this continued, Nadil would surely be pierced by the ice spear and die.
That realization drove Nadil into panic.
All the struggles he endured under Flabber’s training were to survive.
He didn’t want to die like this.
In this tense situation,
Nadil yelled with his eyes closed.
“Hold on…! I’ll tell you everything!”
Hwiiik!
Kalen’s ice spear extended sharply.
Soo…
“Haa… Haa… Haa…”
A quiet silence.
Only the sound of the dust-clouds Nadil himself might have caused and the sigh of relief from someone who faced death linger in the air.
Slowly opening his eyes, Nadil realized he was sprawled on the ground.
Looking down at his trembling head, there was no hole in his belly.
The pain in his shoulder and the bitter dust filling his mouth informed him that he was still alive.
Before he could feel relief over being alive, he turned his head.
Puuuk!
“Ugh…”
Another sharp pain was felt in the relatively unscathed shoulder on the opposite side.
Looking over, Kalen’s ice spear had pierced through the other shoulder.
And now he could feel the heavy presence behind his back.
“With your mouth still intact, you can talk, right?”
“Haa… Haa… I’ll… I’ll tell you everything… Everything… Please let me live…”
“…”
Kalen, while pressing Nadil with his foot, was lost in thought.
Subduing him wasn’t particularly difficult, but neither was interrogating him.
He realized these people were enemies of Laris, recalling what Laris had mentioned about the Rial Company.
So Laris would know more about what’s happening.
Kalen manifested an ice spear above Nadil’s head.
He had no intention of killing from the start.
He didn’t think his character was bad enough to kill someone he wasn’t certain about.
Generally, assassins chose death when captured by their enemies rather than pleading for their lives.
This assassin clearly had a strong will to live, so threatening him like this should be enough to extract information.
Calen looked up expressionlessly.
“Miss.”
“…”
“Laris Miss.”
“Ah… Ah. Sorry, Kalen.”
“As I saw earlier, seems like someone you know, right? If you have any questions, ask now. I need to fetch the others I subdued earlier.”
“…Shouldn’t Kalen ask directly?”
Kalen shook his head slightly.
“I prefer to hear from you, Miss.”
Laris knows best in most cases.
He doesn’t want to know the complicated relationships, just needs to know the situation.
It’s better to hear from Laris than struggle to understand the nonsense spouted by subdued assassins.
“Move a bit and let out a shout. I’ll drop this spear immediately. Got it?”
“…”
Laris didn’t answer.
She just bowed her head slightly and nodded.
Kalen, after watching her, turned around without hesitation.
If the subdued captives escape, it would be a headache.
So he left.