Episode 103: The Night of Purge (2)
It was a long night with a long time left until daybreak.
“⎯Haam, I’m tired.”
A man wearing heavy armor yawned with his mouth wide open. His eyes were filled with deep fatigue and exhaustion. Suddenly, he poked the man next to him with his elbow.
“Hey. New recruit.”
“New recruit, Kim Pil-su!”
A loud voice echoed through the bright hallway.
“You little brat, did you boil the pot and eat it? Why is your voice so loud?”
“I will correct it!”
“Oh, that’s enough. Why do these kinds of idiots always show up every time a new recruit comes in? It’s not fun.”
The senior frowned and shook his head. The rookie looked at a helpless expression on his face and didn’t know what to do.
“How did you end up in the Senior Guard?”
“… That, that… I, I came to assist the noble elders!”
“This kid is a total FM. Oh my, our new soldier came here to assist the noble elder?”
“Yes, that’s right!”
“Stop talking nonsense and be honest. This is why you came here.”
The senior curled his thumb and index finger into a circle.
The new recruit shook his head at first, but he reluctantly nodded as the questioning continued. Only then did a satisfied smile appear on the senior’s lips.
The recruit lowered his eyes. He felt embarrassed as his worldly thoughts were revealed.
The senior who was watching the reaction said with an ambiguous expression.
“You and I are both already dirty people who have been splattered with shit.”
“…dirty.”
That one unpleasant word lingered in my mouth. It had been two months since I enlisted.
The recruits have seen and experienced too much here.
The senior group was the envy of the world, and when new recruits first enlisted, they felt proud of assisting such a senior group.
But my admiration for the veterans was shattered within a week of enlistment.
The world will never know how ugly the Elders are.
Those who have no qualms about throwing things away if they judge that they are being bothered, and treat people like objects.
When I first saw the other side of it, the image of him holding onto the toilet bowl and vomiting came to mind.
The new recruit was in distress.
However, the pain was not only caused by the disgust of the elders.
Before I knew it, I was sick of seeing myself compromising and joining in with reality.
“… … .”
The senior glanced at the new recruit’s dark expression. He scratched his eyebrows and moved his mouth.
“Well, anyway, we’ll just keep sucking up money.”
Before the senior could finish speaking, an artificial shadow rippled behind his back. Immediately, the blade of the sword flashed in the moonlight.
Crunch! Thud!
A fountain of blood gushed out from his empty shoulder.
The smell of blood in the hallway brought back the sense of reality. A headless body fell backwards.
Crunch.
The sound of iron hitting the floor permeated the room.
The new recruit looked up at his senior.
“… … !”
Shadows of people crawling out through the darkness where the moon does not shine.
A completely undetectable blocking of sound, red eyes flashing ominously against a pitch-black background.
Just two clues. That allowed the recruit to figure out who they were.
The assailant who took the senior’s life wiped the blood from the blade.
He looked down at the headless corpse and hummed softly.
“Choi Man-soo, I condemn you for your involvement in the affairs of Elder Claude for nearly five years. Rest in peace.”
As the assassin spoke, he made the sign of the cross over the corpse. The recruit simply watched the scene in bewilderment.
‘Ah, Auditore… …!’
The new recruit gathered strength in his frozen hands and barely managed to grab the handle of his sword.
But isn’t it true that you can’t just stick your neck out and die?
Thud, thud.
Amidst the thick smell of blood, footsteps could be heard from across the hallway. Then, shadows all at once clung to the walls, making a path.
As the sound got closer, a chill ran down my spine. As the clouds moved to the side, a bright full moon illuminated the hallway. Soon, a new doll came into view.
A black-haired man with a leisurely expression, his hands deep in his pockets. It was Kang Geum-ma.
Soon, the strong sword horse stops right in front of the new recruit.
He looked down at the new recruit’s hand reaching for the hilt of the sword, moving only his eyes.
“… … .”
Kang Geum-ma stared blankly for a while before passing the new soldier.
Then the lionesses slithered into the shadows like magpies.
Bam.
The new soldier’s hand, which was gripping the hilt of the sword, slipped from the hilt.
The recruit’s eyes never looked back. He kept his eyes fixed straight ahead until the sound of footsteps died down.
* * *
Thirty minutes had passed since I had been wandering around the annex.
Auditore cut down the sentries blocking the road without hesitation.
There was no screaming, only the smell of blood flying quietly.
Assassins who cut off your vocal cords before you can even scream.
Unless you’re quite skilled, it won’t be easy to kill someone with one blow.
Coming out of the shadows without warning.
It broke my life and disappeared like a blizzard.
I stuck out my tongue inwardly at a scene that seemed like it came straight out of a movie.
Their hands were cruel and merciless, but they were not indiscriminate slaughterers.
They only selected those who needed to be killed.
He kindly recited the reason why each of them died, and ended with the wonderful comment, ‘Rest in peace.’
It may be a bit like a second-year middle schooler’s syndrome, but watching it on site really touched my heart as a man.
The liver is universal.
‘…by the way.’
Perhaps because it was the elder’s annex, it was extremely spacious.
I felt like I had been wandering around for quite some time, but I had a hard time finding my bearings.
Auditore silences every enemy they encounter, but if they continue like this, they will be discovered in no time.
‘We need to find a room for Claude to stay in as soon as possible… … .’
Ss …
At that moment, a strange sound emerged from the back of my neck.
A shadow of a human figure that appeared out of nowhere.
It was Al’Tair who had been chasing after him, completely blocking out any signs of movement. He limped out of the darkness, leaning on his cane.
“Wow, it’s a lot bigger than I thought.”
Al’Tair stroked his beard and spoke.
“… Don’t you usually do some preliminary research before coming? With Auditore’s information power, I think he would know any place like this.”
“I appreciate your high evaluation of us, but we also have limitations in terms of information we can gather. Especially in the case of institutions or villas where the elders reside, it is a very confidential matter.”
“okay.”
“Even if it’s frustrating, just bear with it for a little longer. Our children will find it soon.”
Of course, it would be stranger if the location of the residence of the Elders, the highest nobles, were made public. Since they are sensitive about their personal safety, they would have taken measures to prevent anyone from digging into it.
After finishing my thoughts, I continued walking. Al’Tair followed me with a sly smile.
“100 million!”
“Ugh⎯”
“urg”
“evil!”
Short screams rang out from all directions.
Here and there the candles of life were going out.
As he continued to walk, the same situation occurred. The shiny heavy armor fell, and Auditore wiped off his blood and made the sign of the cross.
The guards also tried to counterattack, but were helplessly knocked back by the ambush.
If the neck is not cut off, the arms or legs are cut off.
I lightly crossed the blood-splattered corridor. Then, suddenly, I became curious and asked Al’Tair.
“It’s a matter of striking the elders, aren’t you worried, Your Majesty?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Al’Tair asked me back with a face that said he didn’t understand English.
“I think the aftermath will be severe. Even if the evidence is clear, punishing the elders would certainly be a risky burden for Auditore.”
“Hahaha! I’ve been feeling this way for a while now, but you’re really deep for a young person.”
He burst out laughing and answered leisurely.
“If I had worried about that in the first place, I wouldn’t have come to Korea.”
“… … .”
“Furthermore, if we, the family of order, do not take action when solid evidence has been secured, wouldn’t that be a bigger problem? This is a family affair that has been passed down for a long time. We are not so light as to be shaken by dealing with just one elder.”
As he spoke, Al’Tair suddenly tapped me on the back.
“And what if it causes repercussions for us? You, the next Chilseong, are with us! I’m the only one who maintains neutrality, so why do I feel sorry for you, hahaha!”
“ah…….”
A sigh came out on its own.
Unlike before when I spoke with interest, I felt embarrassed later.
‘I am the next Chilseong to succeed the Emperor.’
At the time it was a declaration of determination, but when I think back on it, it’s a damn cringe-worthy line.
At my strange expression, Al’Tair pretended to know everything. He seemed to have misunderstood my intentions, but he did not bother to add anything.
‘It would be better to give this quick-witted old man some room to imagine.’
As we continued to move like that, an assassin suddenly appeared before our eyes.
I could tell who it was just by the sound. It was Knox.
He bowed to Al’Tair and then opened his mouth.
“Go 100 meters further and you’ll come to a three-way intersection. The room on the right is where Cladi is staying. Everyone else except me is waiting in front of the door.”
“I see, I understand.”
“Your Majesty.”
“Do you have anything else to report?”
“That’s it, it’s nothing else… … .”
Knox hesitated to speak. When the party leader asked, “Why?” Knox answered with a subtle expression.
“I don’t know exactly because I don’t have much experience, but I felt a strange sensation on the other side of the door.”
“Heterogeneous? You mean it can’t be identified even by presence detection?”
“Yes… It was vague, but that energy was like magic.”
At those words, Al’Tair and I looked into each other’s eyes. It seemed as if the same question had crossed our minds.
A silence briefly engulfed the hallway. It was a stillness that made me feel uneasy.
It was when Al’Tair became serious and was about to open his mouth.
“Euaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
A long, drawn-out scream was heard.
At the same time, as if we had made a promise, the three of us turned our gazes to the right.
Then, a strong scent of blood tickled my nose.
The eyelids blinked blankly for a moment. Then, soon, cracks appeared on Al’Tair and Nox’s faces.
“My lord, this is definitely… … .”
“These are our kids.”
As soon as they finished speaking, the two ran away, leaving only Ajirang behind.
Likewise, I also quickly stepped forward.
With nimble footwork, we quickly reached our destination.
The sudden rush of running left me breathless. I took a moment to catch my breath and then raised my chin.
The first thing that was visible was the back of the heads of Al’Tair and Nox, who had been in the lead.
The two of them stood there, staring straight ahead. I raised my eyes a little more.
The large door was open as if it were a surprise. There was no sign of the assassins who were supposedly waiting.
“Ewww!”
Another scream echoed through the darkened door.
Pak- followed by the sound of blood spurting out of flesh.
One of the arms rolling towards Degururu soon hit Knox’s feet.
“… … !”
Knox picked it up with trembling hands. It was a dagger with the emblem of Auditore.
Knox’s face turned pale as he stared into the door.
A darkness darker than Auditore’s shadow.
It was appearing from beyond.
