Chapter 71: Shadows in Broad Daylight
Chapter 71: Shadows in Broad Daylight
The streets of Nightfall City remained as lively as ever.
Merchants called out to passing customers while horse-drawn carriages rolled steadily along the stone roads. The cheerful bustle of the marketplace continued around them.
Andras and Lyra walked side by side at an unhurried pace.
Suddenly...
Echo Resonance stirred.
A faint ripple spread through Andras’s senses.
Someone was following them.
Not one person.
Several.
Their footsteps were careful. Their breathing was controlled. They blended into the flow of pedestrians with remarkable precision.
Professionals.
Most ordinary people would never have noticed them.
A faint smile touched Andras’s lips.
Without changing his expression, he spoke casually.
"Lyra."
She looked at him.
"Yes, Young Master?"
"I suddenly feel like smoking my Pipe-Weed."
He lifted the wooden case slightly.
"Let’s find somewhere quiet."
Lyra nodded without suspicion.
"As you wish."
The two gradually left the crowded streets behind.
Before long, they arrived at a quiet corner of the city where only a few old stone benches rested beneath the shade of towering trees.
Hardly anyone passed through the area.
It was peaceful.
Exactly the sort of place Andras had been looking for.
The two sat down.
Andras calmly removed the ebony pipe from its velvet case.
With practiced movements, he packed a small amount of Pipe-Weed into the bowl before lighting it.
A thin stream of fragrant smoke slowly drifted into the air.
He took a long, unhurried draw.
The familiar warmth spread through him.
For a brief moment...
He closed his eyes.
A feeling I haven’t experienced since coming to this world...
Meanwhile...
The people following them quietly took their positions nearby, concealing themselves behind trees, walls, and abandoned buildings.
They were waiting.
Andras continued smoking as though completely unaware of their presence.
How long are you planning to wait?
If you’re going to attack...
Do it already.
The answer came moments later.
A faint whistle sliced through the air.
Lyra’s eyes widened.
"Young Master!"
Without a moment’s hesitation, she threw herself toward Andras.
Thud!
A sharp knife pierced her shoulder.
"...Ah!"
Pain flashed across her face.
Blood slowly stained her maid uniform crimson.
She stumbled into Andras’s arms, her breathing becoming uneven.
"You...Young Master..."
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
Andras caught her before she could collapse.
His expression remained perfectly calm.
The pipe still rested between his fingers.
Not a trace of panic appeared on his face.
His gaze slowly lifted toward the surrounding shadows.
His violet eyes became cold.
"You’ve been hiding long enough."
His voice was quiet.
Yet it carried unquestionable authority.
"You can come out now."
Silence lingered.
Then...
Three figures emerged from the shadows.
Each wore dark assassin garments that concealed their identities.
Only their cold eyes remained visible.
Andras studied them for a brief moment.
Assassins...
Without taking his eyes off them, he spoke inwardly.
System.
Show me their status.
[Ding!]
Target One
Name: Kael Voss
Race: Human
Class: Mage
Realm: Low Fourth Circle Mage
Talent: Shadow Veil (B-Rank)
---
Target Two
Name: Daren Holt
Race: Human
Class: Warrior
Realm: Peak Third-Star Warrior
Talent: Steel Body (C+ Rank)
---
Target Three
Name: Vex Rowan
Race: Human
Class: Warrior
Realm: Peak Third-Star Warrior
Talent: Silent Fang (C+ Rank)
The transparent screen disappeared.
A faint smile appeared on Andras’s face.
Only this much...?
Easy.
He looked calmly at the three assassins.
"I don’t know who hired you..."
"...or what gave you the courage to target the son of the Duchess of House Darkmoor."
His voice remained composed.
"Even if you somehow succeeded..."
"...none of you would leave this city alive."
Silence.
The three assassins did not react.
Then Andras chuckled softly.
"Although..."
"I suppose that was a pointless thing to say."
He slowly exhaled another stream of fragrant smoke.
"You’re merely tools."
"You obey orders."
"Whether you live or die means nothing to you."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Am I wrong?"
Not one of them answered.
Their silence was answer enough.
The leader raised his hand.
Instantly—
The three assassins moved.
Like shadows breaking free from the darkness, they charged toward Andras from three different directions, killing intent erupting without the slightest hesitation.
The three assassins burst forward simultaneously.
The mage remained behind, his hands already weaving intricate spell formations, while the two warriors split apart, attacking from opposite directions to trap Andras between them.
A textbook pincer attack.
Fast.
Efficient.
Against most Third-Circle mages...
It would have been enough.
Andras remained seated.
Another slow breath of fragrant smoke drifted from the ebony pipe resting between his fingers.
Echo Resonance quietly expanded.
The flow of mana.
The shift of muscles.
The rhythm of breathing.
Even the subtle scrape of leather boots against stone.
Everything entered his perception with crystal clarity.
Their movements slowed.
Not because the assassins had become slower...
But because Andras had already predicted them.
The warrior on the left swung first.
A short blade flashed toward Andras’s neck.
At the very last instant, Andras leaned back.
The blade sliced through empty air, missing him by barely an inch.
Without looking, Andras lifted one foot and calmly kicked the assassin’s wrist.
Crack.
The sudden impact forced the blade off course.
The second warrior struck immediately, aiming for Andras’s ribs.
Andras twisted his body with the smallest possible movement.
The dagger skimmed across his coat without touching his skin.
Using the assassin’s momentum, he drove his elbow into the man’s chest.
Boom.
The warrior staggered backward several steps, gasping for breath.
At that exact moment—
The mage completed his spell.
Three dark mana spears materialised in the air before shooting toward Andras like bolts of lightning.
He calmly took another draw from his pipe.
Then stepped sideways.
One spear struck the stone bench behind him, reducing it to splinters.
The second pierced the ground.
The third narrowly missed his shoulder before exploding against a nearby wall.
Fragments of stone scattered through the air.
Not once did the pipe leave Andras’s hand.
The leader’s eyes narrowed.
"This isn’t the intelligence we received."
Andras smiled faintly.
"Outdated information can be rather dangerous."
Before the assassins could regroup, he moved.
His speed exploded.
Like a phantom, he slipped between the two warriors before either could react.
The heel of his hand struck the first assassin beneath the chin.
The man’s vision blurred as his body stumbled backward.
Without pausing, Andras pivoted.
His knee slammed into the second warrior’s abdomen.
Air burst from the assassin’s lungs as he doubled over in pain.
Andras calmly walked past them.
Another stream of smoke escaped his lips.
"I expected professionals."
His violet eyes settled upon the mage.
"So far..."
"I’m disappointed."
For the first time since revealing themselves...
A flicker of unease appeared within the assassins’ eyes.
The young master they had been sent to kill...
Was treating the battle as though it were nothing more than an inconvenience.