Chapter 68: Chapter 068
At that moment, the thought of Aris and Jenny back at home flashed through my mind.
'Are they targets too? Will they be safe?'
My body trembled with anxiety for their safety.
"Jazlyn, my people live at my house. I need to check on them. Could you go ahead?"
"Please do."
Jazlyn glanced at Paris and gave her orders.
"Paris, follow his people and make sure they survive."
"Yes, my lady."
I gave Jazlyn a deep bow.
"Thank you! I swear my continued loyalty to you!"
"Go quickly."
Paris and I ran without stopping until we reached my house.
"Huff... gasp... gasp..."
Paris was fine, but I was completely out of breath. He unsheathed his mace, his face suddenly tense.
"I smell blood."
Panicked, I kicked the door open and yelled out.
"Aris! Jenny!"
Aris appeared from within, smiling calmly.
"Zeon, you're back."
"Aris! You're alive!"
"Huh? What happened?"
"I was attacked by an assassin in the park."
"What?! Are you okay?"
Aris immediately scanned me with concern.
"I'm fine! Jazlyn and Paris saved me!"
Aris turned to Paris, bowing her head in gratitude.
"Thank you so much for protecting Zeon!"
"No need for thanks. Zeon, it seems things are secure here. I'll take my leave now."
"Thank you! I owe you greatly!"
"Repay Jazlyn with loyalty from now on."
"I will."
With a curt nod, Paris turned and left. I rushed inside the house to find Jenny, who was busy cleaning bloodstains from the floor. She greeted me with a bright smile.
"Zeon! Welcome back."
"Hi. I was attacked by assassins at the park."
"What?! Assassins? I'll rip them apart!"
"But thanks to Jazlyn and her group, I was saved."
"I'm so glad."
"What about here? What happened?"
"Thirteen assassins attacked the house."
"So, what did you do?"
"I killed all but one."
"None of them got a chance to bite?"
"I yanked the jaw clean off before they could try."
"Oh, I see. So, where's the last one?"
"In the basement. Want to have a look?"
I nodded and followed Aris and Jenny down into the basement. There, a mangled figure hung from a hook, its body far from resembling anything human. The lower jaw was pulled out, legs gone, and the skin peeled back from the stomach. Despite everything, the figure was somehow still alive, breathing shallowly.
A basket full of flesh and bone fragments caught my eye.
"What's that?"
Aris replied this time.
"I cut him down, piece by piece, starting from the toes."[T/N: Ohhh, savage...]
"He must've felt a lot of pain."
Though slightly taken aback, I was already accustomed to Aris and Jenny's brutal methods. The sight no longer shocked me. Silently, I offered a prayer for the unfortunate soul who had survived.
"So, did you get any useful information?" I asked.
Jenny answered, "Yes. He's from the White Viper, an assassination group. But he's low-ranking, so he didn't know much more. However, we did get the exact location of their base. We should go tomorrow and wipe them out."
"Good idea. I'll pass on the intel I gathered."
I relayed what I had learned to them. When I finished, Jenny's face twisted with fury.
"Then we should kill Black Mud and Durin too! I'll tear them apart and turn them into fertilizer!"
I shook my head.
"Let's not take it that far. Jazlyn said she'll handle it through political channels. If we overstep, we might make more enemies than we can handle."
Jenny sighed. "Fine. I'll follow your lead."
Aris nodded in agreement. "I'll do whatever you think is best."
Feeling a wave of exhaustion wash over me as things began to calm down, I glanced around the bloodied house.
"Do we still need to clean up all this blood?"
"Zeon, you can rest. We'll handle it," Jenny offered.
"No, let's clean it together. By the way, where did you put all the bodies?"
At my question, Aris and Jenny exchanged a glance and then smiled, the kind of smiles that sent chills down my spine.
"Hehe, do you really want to know?" Jenny teased.
"Zeon, do you really want to know?" Aris echoed.
A shiver ran down my back. "Uh… no, never mind."
But Jenny moved toward one corner of the basement and pressed against the wall. A hidden door slid open, revealing a scene of horror.
Inside was a large pit teeming with mealworms, gnawing on chunks of flesh. From what I knew, mealworms consume corpses, leaving behind only bones.
"Wow… so this is how you deal with the bodies."
"Hehe, I'll be sending that guy over there soon," Jenny replied, pointing to the mutilated figure hanging on the hook.
"Well, as long as we don't get caught. What about the clothes and bones?"
"The clothes were burned in the furnace, and the bones will be ground up and used as fertilizer in the yard."
There's a torture chamber and a body disposal pit in the basement of my house. Have I become so numb that I can accept this without flinching?
With those unsettling thoughts swirling in my mind, the three of us cleaned the house before finally falling asleep.
****************
As Paris left Zeon's house and made her way back to the academy, thoughts of him filled her mind.
'How did Zeon, the second son of a mere baron, come to possess such a magnificent house?'
It wasn't jealousy, more like simple curiosity.
'Then again, the house isn't what's important. Aris... she's stronger than me. Her aura is almost on par with the Imperial Knight Commander's. And she's still young. One day, she might become the Empire's greatest sword.'
Paris couldn't help but feel uneasy about Aris.
From the moment they met, Paris had sensed Aris's latent power, and it made his nervous.
Knowing that Aris was on Zeon's side brought some relief, but something about the whole situation felt... off.
'A powerful lover like her? It doesn't make sense. And... was she really just his lover?'
There was another energy in the house too. Someone else strong, not on Aris's level, but still formidable. Paris felt certain that the two of them could have easily dealt with the assassins.
Normally, Aris and Jenny suppressed their strength, making it difficult for others to notice. But having just finished slaughtering their enemies, they hadn't completely concealed their power, and Paris had picked up on it.
A small seed of doubt took root in Paris's mind.
'Zeon... just what are you hiding? If you're using Jazlyn... I won't forgive you.' [T/N: Hehe, he will be doing much more than that...]
Resolved to keep an eye on him, Paris returned to the academy.
****************
It was now dawn at the headquarters of the White Viper assassination organization.
The leader sat in his office, arms crossed, waiting for his assassins to return.
'Why are they taking so long to handle just three people?'
Hours passed, and still no sign of his men. On a mission like this, timing was critical. If they failed or encountered danger, someone should have returned with word by now. But none of his 13 assassins had come back.
The leader of the White Viper knew that something had gone terribly wrong.
'When assassins don't return, it means they're dead or captured.'
As time dragged on, the deadline to report back to his superiors loomed ever closer. He began to feel the creeping fear of death. No matter how well-trained an assassin was, there was always the risk that one would be caught and spill information. And once that happened, retaliation wasn't far behind.
'Damn it. The target must've been far more dangerous than we thought. By now, even the higher-ups will have cut ties with us. I need to flee.'
He hastily began destroying important documents and packing up what he could. His name, his face, and even his identity were all fake. If he ran now, no one would be able to recognize him.
Once everything was ready, he climbed out the window, pausing only for a moment to look back at the organization he'd built.
'Such a waste... All the hard work, gone like this. But survival comes first. I'll lay low for a few years as an adventurer and return when the time is right.'
With that, he leaped into the night and vanished.
He left behind subordinates still unaware of the danger they were in. But their fates were no longer his concern.
****************
Today is Sunday.
Aris, Jenny, and I, Zeon, set out early in the morning to put an end to the White Viper.
Jenny was in her maid uniform, while Aris wore light armor and carried a long sword. Jenny practically bounced with excitement.
"It's so fun to go on a picnic with the three of us!" she said, grinning.
'It's more of a slaughter picnic, but...' I thought to myself but smiled in response.
"Yeah. It's great to be out with you two."
The White Viper's headquarters was located in a slum on the outskirts of Brisen City. We took a carriage and headed there. As we neared the slums, the coachman stopped and apologized.
"I'm sorry, but it's too dangerous to go any further."
The buildings were old, and the faces of the people who passed by were lifeless. Beggars littered the streets, while those with hostile, ugly expressions stared at us from the shadows of the alleys. This slum was a place even the local guards had long since abandoned. Once you stepped into this part of town, you were responsible for whatever happened. Places like these were breeding grounds for all kinds of criminal enterprises -slave traders, drug dealers, black marketeers, and assassins. Even wealthy nobles would sneak in here with their knights, looking for illicit thrills.
As we made our way through the slum streets, eyes were naturally drawn to us. It was only to be expected-how often did young boys and girls, not even 20 years old, wander around a place like this?
The headquarters of the White Viper assassins was located deep within the district, so we ventured further in.
Suddenly, Aris and Jenny stopped in their tracks.
"Zeon," Aris said quietly, "We're surrounded."
"Assassins?" I asked, already tensing for a fight.
"No," Jenny replied, her tone calm but alert. "Just some local thugs."
Before long, a group of scowling men emerged from the alleys, their clothes little more than ragged vests and threadbare pants. They spread out, blocking our path.
"Kihehehe! Look at this! A young woman! Let's have some fun!" one of them sneered.
"Woohyo~ I like men better!" another chimed in with a sickening grin.
"I'm not picky," laughed a third. "Any hole works for me! Haha!" [T/N: Epitome of hole is the goal.]
It was clear from their leers and crude remarks that they hadn't approached us with good intentions.
Leading them was a bald, hulking brute of a man, easily over two meters tall. He strode up confidently, sizing us up-or rather, sizing me up.
"Hey, if you don't want to die," the bald man growled, "Get down on your knees."
His eyes weren't even on Jenny or Aris. Instead, they were locked onto me, filled with lustful intent. A shiver ran down my spine as he licked his lips, staring at me with a twisted hunger.
Just as Jenny raised her arm towards him, ready to strike...
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