“You’ve failed me twice now! How much do you think I’ve paid you!”
The woman shrieked, her voice high and hysterical as she threw a teacup at the boy.
Even though thrown by the woman, the teacup, unleashed at close range, struck the boy’s forehead and shattered. The boy bled from his forehead from the fragments, but showed no signs of concern, remaining unfazed.
The woman felt an eerie sensation from the boy’s composure and regained her own.
“A third failure will not be tolerated.”
Straightening her dishevelled breathing and hair, the woman said calmly. The woman, who appeared to be past forty, kept her beauty, polished with money, contorted. While her appearance could be mistaken for aging gracefully with her beauty intact, an ugliness seemed to seep from within her.
“I understand.”
“If you fail again, I will cancel the request and hire someone else.”
“If I may interject, there are no assassins on the continent as skilled as those in our organization.”
“Then why have you failed twice!”
The boy spoke calmly to the woman, who had raised her voice again.
“I cannot excuse the failures of my predecessor. However, as long as I am on this mission, the target will be eliminated without fail.”
“You won’t go back on your word?”
“By the name of our Waalthe.”
Sharp eyes peered out from between his dull blue hair.
The woman, for the first time, recalled that this boy, who was not much different in age from her own son, was an elite member of an assassination organization.
“Fine. I don’t care who does it, as long as that detestable, troublesome woman is gone. However, I absolutely must not have any evidence left behind. If my husband finds out, everything will go up in smoke.”
“Of course. We assassins do not leave behind evidence.”
“Then it’s fine… But even if you fail, please don’t leave any evidence that could lead back to me!”
Satisfied with the boy, who bowed deeply in reply, the woman recalled new information about the target.
“Speaking of which, there is a magician near that woman.”
“A magician, you say? Do you know their identity?”
“It happened so suddenly that I don’t. But, I heard… that they are a sixteen-year-old magician. Apparently, they are quite skilled for their age? I don’t want to assume that you are the same as your predecessor who was outmatched by a mere maid, but can you really counter a magician with something like that?”
The woman’s gaze fell upon the bow and arrow placed beside the boy.
The Assassination Organization Waalthe was renowned for training weapon specialists and ensuring that no target would escape. What was common among the elites of their operational units was that each specialized in a particular weapon.
They seemed to believe in killing with weapons rather than relying on magic power or magic, even if they possessed magic. The blue-haired boy was a wielder of a bow and arrow.
However, no one believed that a bow and arrow could defeat a magician.
The former assassin was a swordsman, but was defeated and killed by a maid who used magic. It was only natural for the woman to be concerned.
“Please do not worry. We Waalthe will defeat them, even if they are a magician.”
“How I wish I could trust those words at face value.”
Given the predecessor’s failure, she couldn’t entirely trust the boy’s words.
He was, after all, just an assassin, someone whose livelihood was killing. In other words, a brute who could only kill. That was all the woman thought he was capable of.
In terms of sheer ability, it would probably be faster to use her own trained knights or magicians. However, those methods carried a risk of leaving a traceable connection, so they couldn’t be used. She was internally frustrated by this dilemma.
She intended to kill the boy, now that he was no longer needed, once the assassination was successful, to ensure he wouldn’t reveal anything about this matter.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. As long as you succeed, I will generously increase the success reward, so kill that woman by any means necessary!”
“Yes. If it’s not too much trouble, since my predecessor lost it, could you please provide me with a new photograph of the target?”
“You mentioned something about that. I have it ready, here.”
Taking out a photograph from a drawer in her vanity case, the woman handed it to the boy.
“Honestly. Losing the target’s photograph, what was that predecessor of yours doing?”
“He died.”
“—Huh?”
“To be precise, he died as a punishment for failing twice. Instead, I will carry out the request.”
“I-I see. My condolences.”
The woman’s voice wavered with fear at the boy, who spoke of his comrade’s death without the slightest hesitation, and at the organization’s response of calmly killing their own members for two failures.
It was here that she finally understood the reason why the boy, who claimed to be the replacement, had appeared.
“Thank you. I am sure he will appreciate your concern in the afterlife.”
Saying only that, the boy, without bothering with the frightened woman, intensely gazed at the target’s photograph.
The photograph showed a woman with blond hair tied back with a barrette, wearing a gentle smile. She appeared to be in her mid-thirties, but the intel indicated she was older.
—She looks kind.
The boy felt a slight pity for the target. However, he had to do what he had to do.
Even if it was the result of a mere woman’s jealousy, as a member of an assassination organization, the request had to be fulfilled.
“What is this target’s name?”
“Hannelore Alway.”
