Chapter 11
Darkness settled over the Nebla ducal residence.
The mansion's desolate corridors were filled with nothing but silence, without even a servant in sight.
Click, click.
Mist walked through the residence in the dead of night.
After walking for some time, she arrived at the Fifth Library, one of the many libraries in the mansion.
Without hesitation, she opened the library door and entered.
She arrived at a bookshelf inside the library, avoiding every security spell installed on the floor as though she knew their locations by heart.
With a familiar gesture, she pulled one of the books on the shelf out at an angle.
Clack.
The moment she touched the book, her sensitive ears heard what sounded like gears meshing.
The mechanism was activated only when the angle, height, and mana manifested while gripping the book all matched perfectly.
Creak, creak.
Clack.
The bookshelf slowly began sliding backward, revealing a secret passage where it had stood.
With a practiced movement, she walked into the secret passage.
Rumble.
Once she had completely disappeared, the library's scenery transformed into that of an ordinary library, as though nothing had ever happened.
***
She continued walking through the pitch-black secret passage until she arrived at a rather quiet space resembling a café.
Soft ballad music that put both body and mind at ease played quietly,
and the gentle scent of coffee, teasing her nostrils like a playful touch, filled the air.
As Mist glanced around, she soon spotted a head in the distance and slowly approached it.
"Ah, here you are! Here!"
Perhaps he had sensed Mist approaching, because the man who had been sitting quietly and enjoying his coffee waved to greet her.
"Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it?"
He was Charon, the butler assisting Kaizen, one of the illegitimate children.
He was the man Kaizen had described as so irritatingly smug that, if he fell into water, only his mouth would float to the surface.
"How have you been this past month? The Kaizen I brought here is soooo hot-tempered, so assisting him has been quite difficult."
"..."
"You said Lord Abel, right? So, how is he? I've never spoken with him, so it's hard to judge him... Is he hot-tempered? Or cold? If not, impatient? What kind of personality does he have?"
Whether Kaizen's assessment was accurate or not, Charon began chattering incessantly before she had even taken her seat.
An ordinary person would have been exhausted by now, but she took a sip of the coffee waiting at her place as though this situation were familiar to her.
"Ahh, that's too cruel. Why is there no one around me who listens to what I say?"
Perhaps it was because she had been traveling with Abel.
Before she knew it, she had picked up a habit from Abel: taking a sip and savoring the aroma.
She enjoyed the nutty flavor unique to coffee.
Watching her, Charon spoke while making a gesture as if wiping away tears.
"Sob, sob. I really am pitiful. Even my colleague ignores me. Ah! Your Grace! What should I do?"
Charon launched into an impassioned speech with exaggerated gestures and a tone of voice, as though he were performing in a play.
But she knew.
Both those exaggerated gestures and that manner of speaking were nothing but an act.
The exaggerated gestures were meant to make his opponent lower their guard,
while that irritating manner of speaking was entirely meant to get under their skin.
Not a quiet assassin, but a loud assassin who resembled a ridiculous clown. That was the man known as Charon.
Grin.
Just look at him now. Look at those eyes staring at her in the middle of his exaggerated gestures, as though dissecting her.
He was the sort of man who would probably pounce the instant she let her guard down, even slightly.
"Have the others not arrived yet?"
"Pardon? Ah, yes, that's right. The others haven't arrived yet, have they? Honestly, I think everyone should be punctual."
"..."
"Ah, ignored again."
She quietly listened to Charon's incessant chatter for a while, then set down her nearly empty coffee cup and looked toward an entrance other than the one through which she had entered.
There were five in total.
That was the number of passages leading into this secret space.
It was a place whose security lay in informing each of the ducal house's five elite assassins of one entrance, while changing those entrances constantly.
Click.
Before long, another woman in a maid's uniform appeared.
She was Nella, the maid assisting Bella, one of the illegitimate children.
Click, click.
With an expressionless face similar to Mist's, she slowly approached the two of them.
She eventually sat in the seat where her favorite coffee was waiting, then immediately lowered her head and let out a deep sigh.
"Hwaaah. This is so hard."
Her expression began to melt away as though the blank look had been a lie all along.
Before long, Nella put on a teary expression and began sipping her coffee.
"Ugh, Bella works me way too hard. I'm just a nobody. Boo-hoo... Ah, it's sweet."
Nella took a sip of coffee and seemed briefly impressed, then began adding sugar cubes to it one after another as though something were still missing.
"Goodness, aren't you putting in a little too much sugar? At this rate, you're going to get diabetes."
One cube, two, three... Once more than ten sugar cubes had gone in, even Charon spoke to her in a concerned tone.
"Shut up. I've been so stressed out lately... Sob, sob. Why make a maid investigate information and conduct background checks on other administrators? Isn't that too much?"
"I agree with Lord Charon. I don't think relieving stress with sweets is the best idea, either."
"Quiet. I know that..."
Plop.
Nella dropped yet another sugar cube into her coffee.
By now, when she stirred it with a teaspoon, the sugar no longer dissolved, and a gritty sound could be heard.
'You know that, and you still take a sip before adding another sugar cube...'
'Shouldn't someone stop her? Seriously, she looks like she's going to get diabetes.'
'It's not as though she'd listen to me. Unless it's the boss or Lord Sebastian, all she ever says is that she understands.'
After conversing through those secret signals, Mist and Charon looked at Nella once again.
Scrape, scrape.
Could that really be the sound coming from someone drinking coffee?
With the sugar not even dissolving, and that crunching sound coming from the cup, was it really coffee?
By this point, even Mist, who had little interest in anyone but Abel, whom she had chosen to serve, was beginning to feel bothered.
"Heh heh heh. Miss Nella, perhaps you should show a little restraint?"
The kind voice of an elderly man reached the ears of the three of them.
Sebastian was standing at the coffee bar, calmly making hand-dripped coffee, and smiling wryly.
Trickle.
After slowly pouring hot water over the filter and extracting the coffee, Sebastian carried it over to the three of them and took his prepared seat.
"You must think of your health."
"Boo-hoo... But..."
Smile.
"All right..."
Sebastian looked at Nella, who had lowered her head in defeat, then at the three people gathered here,
or rather, at the members of the ducal house's elite assassin corps, [Shadow], including himself.
"Now then, shall we hear how the past month went?"
With Abel being the last, none of the other illegitimate children had passed their tests yet.
They had all died partway through, unable even to endure the basic one-year assassination test.
That was why Sebastian had begun heir training for the illegitimate children the day after Abel arrived.
And today was the day they would receive a report on the results of the past month.
"Yes, yes, yes! Me, me! I'll report first!"
Charon energetically raised his hand.
"Yes, then please do."
Sebastian gave the floor to Charon with a gentle smile.
The moment Sebastian finished speaking, Charon immediately stood up and began talking.
"Ahem. First, Lord Kaizen has attended the lessons for becoming head of the family with great enthusiasm over the past month. However, perhaps because his comprehension is slightly below average, his grades have not been very good."
Watching Charon, Nella and Mist both had the same question.
Why did he insist on standing up to speak? It was a highly reasonable and obvious question.
"Instead, Lord Kaizen has been building rapport with the knights! He seems to have decided to win their favor by joining them for light sparring sessions and training."
Of course, Charon casually ignored the gazes of the two women and continued his report.
"Overall assessment. Judging by his poor comprehension, he's stupid. However, the fact that he recognizes this and is trying to build a support base by meeting with the knights means he isn't completely stupid. Therefore, overall, out of ten..."
Charon curled up both corners of his mouth and smiled like a clown.
"Three points. That is all!"
"Yes, I understand. Next, what is Miss Bella's evaluation?"
"Eeeek! Y-yes! I'll present it!"
When her turn came, Nella immediately recoiled, but then continued speaking normally as though nothing had happened.
"First, Miss Bella's comprehension is excellent. The teachers conducting the heir training had nothing but praise for her."
Her voice and expression were utterly emotionless, as though she had become an entirely different person.
"Comprehension: outstanding. As befitting a mage, she has an excellent mind. She is also trying to build relationships with the ducal house's administrators and other influential nobles."
Nella finished her report with an impassive expression.
"This is Miss Bella's evaluation. Her comprehension is excellent, but her elitist attitude is noticeable in the way she discriminates, knowingly or otherwise, against the knights and other commoners. Two points out of ten."
Most of the points she had lost were probably because she discriminated against one side despite being a candidate to head the family.
Sebastian thought so inwardly as he smiled faintly at Nella's evaluation.
"Yes, thank you. That was an excellent report."
"Hweeeee."
The moment Sebastian finished speaking, Nella collapsed into her chair like a deflated balloon.
Finally, Sebastian looked toward Mist, who had been quietly keeping both eyes closed.
Abel.
A monster who had fought the duke on equal terms—or, judging solely by the circumstances, had defeated him.
Sebastian had been unconsciously focused on the woman assisting that monster at his side.
"Then, Miss Mist, your final report, please."
Click.
After drinking the last of her coffee, she lightly opened her mouth and began speaking about Abel.
She spoke only of purely objective facts, with all personal bias removed.
"Lord Abel has not attended the heir training even once. Therefore, it would be difficult to assess his comprehension."
After all, Lord Abel had no great attachment to this ducal house to begin with, so it was only natural.
"Furthermore, he has not formed ties with any faction whatsoever."
The ducal house's two major factions were, simply put, the knights, who represented military power, and the administrators and other nobles, who made up the civil faction.
Of course, Abel had not become involved with either organization, and aside from occasionally going out for walks, he had not engaged in any outside activities during the past month.
"Therefore, his objective evaluation is..."
As Mist continued speaking, she smiled faintly at the sight of Abel she had observed while attending to him over the past month.
"I would say zero points."
It was a truly objective score.
"..."
After hearing those words, Sebastian smiled faintly and looked at Mist, who had finished speaking.
For a moment, Sebastian considered changing the question and asking what score Abel would receive if she gave a subjective evaluation instead of an objective one, but he soon shook his head and spoke with his usual smile.
"Thank you. Miss Mist, please continue assisting Lord Abel."
Once the three of them finished evaluating the illegitimate children and left their seats, Sebastian thought of the duke, who was currently lying down with internal injuries.
Because of his fight with Abel, the duke's condition was rapidly deteriorating; he had been expected to last at least three years, or five at most.
Few illegitimate children had passed the test, and even their evaluations after passing were this poor...
"I may have to bring out the last resort..."
For now, the other two, Kaizen and Bella, were out of consideration.
They had clearly been born with exceptional talents.
Both had only just reached adulthood, yet there was no doubt that each was someone who stood out in a particular field.
However, they were not looking for someone who excelled in one area, but for a head of the family who could lead the house forward.
"Lord Abel..."
In such a situation, Abel's arrival was like refreshing rain during a drought.
The only problem was that, according to Mist's report, he did not seem to have much interest in becoming head of the family.
"Sigh..."
Sebastian sighed at the frustrating situation and thought of the leader of [Shadow], who was not here.
"I'll contact him first."
The most secret of secrets. Information known only to a tiny handful of people, not even the other assassins.
By an old tradition, only someone who carried Nebla blood could become the leader of the ducal house's elite assassin corps, [Shadow].
It was a kind of insurance the ducal house had prepared so that, in the event of the worst-case scenario, the leader of [Shadow] could be elevated to head of the family.
"..."
Sebastian immediately began moving to prepare for the truly worst-case scenario.
***
Rumble.
"Ah, as expected, the air outside is refreshing."
"..."
"Oh? Miss Mist doesn't seem very happy about going out with me. Why is that?"
"...May I ask why you're moving together with me?"
At Mist's question, Charon smiled brightly, then opened his previously smiling, narrowed eyes wide and looked at her.
"I was just curious. Miss Mist, by any chance..."
[Did you swear loyalty to Lord Abel?]
Charon's expression turned blank, and his face was as cold as a drawn dagger.