Chapter 97: Chapter 97: Carolina’s Revenge
After all was said and done, the four Rons—the real one and his three mirror images—let out a long sigh of relief. He quickly pushed open the conference room door and headed for his room.
What Ron didn’t notice was that in the shadows behind him, an assassin lay in a corner, their neck and limbs all broken. Meanwhile, a figure with a long tail quickly vanished into the darkness.
"Get ready. He’s about to go in. That’s right, the assassin in the conference room failed the mission."
The Tiffling held a strange stone in his hand, murmuring to someone on the other end. As soon as he was done, he immediately rushed to the next room.
Ming Datiss blamed the Slave Capture Team’s failure entirely on the incompetence of some individual with dark circles, so for this assassination, Quest had joined the operation as a supervisor and coordinator.
He had been highly active, winning their trust with his skill and experience as a former Spy. It was predictable, however, that the assassins would suffer another humiliating failure, due to their own incompetence and the heightened vigilance of Ron’s group.
CLICK.
Ron pushed down the handle and entered his bedroom. It was pitch-black inside, with no light at all.
This world had Magic Lamps, but Ron and his group’s finances during their renovations clearly hadn’t been enough to afford them. Thus, they still had to light their own lamps. One of the few ways Ron differed from the others was that he didn’t need to lower the chandelier to light the candles—a simple cantrip could solve that problem for him.
But just as Ron snapped his fingers, conjuring a tiny flame, a fierce rush of air came at him from behind!
Even though Ron was on high alert, he still couldn’t react in time!
SHINK!
The pair of gleaming daggers were sharp enough to slice through steel. Combined with the attacker’s superb skill, a single blow would have been fatal. However, the assailant had misjudged Ron’s position for the killing strike; the daggers merely tore through one of Ron’s Mirror Images.
"Who are you?!" With a flick of his wrist, Ron retracted the hand he’d used in a feint to create the light. He pressed his thumbs together and splayed his fingers. A jet of flame shot out, and a Burning Hand instantly set the door ablaze. It also ignited the assassin, who had just swung a third time, only to miss again due to the interference of Foggy Magic.
"The man who’s come for your life!"
The assassin ripped off his burning black outer coat, revealing the leather armor underneath, and lunged in again, daggers flashing.
The assassin shredded Ron’s Mirror Image Magic in an instant. Thanks to the protection of a False Life spell, the one blow that landed amidst the flurry of attacks struck illusory flesh. Ron only suffered a minor flesh wound.
Seizing the opportunity, Ron rolled away to dodge the next strike. As a small, straight iron rod in his hand crumbled to dust, the assassin froze mid-swing. Ron used the chance to bolt through the door, shouting for help!
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to fight back. But in the cramped confines of the bedroom, after seeing the assassin’s skill, Ron had made a swift judgment: ’I don’t have a chance to counterattack!’
"Trying to run?"
The immobilization spell could last for a minute at most, and Ron clearly wasn’t that lucky. He hadn’t gotten more than a few steps before the assassin was on his heels. "You’re not going anywhere. Prepare to die!"
Seeing the assassin rapidly closing in, Ron dove forward, narrowly avoiding a backstab. As he turned, he used a Poison Spray cantrip to force his pursuer back a few steps.
"You Mages have so many tricks up your sleeves."
Some of the poisonous gas got into his mouth. The assassin spat on the ground twice and advanced on Ron with a vicious grin. "Too bad for you. It’s useless!"
"My employer wants you dead tonight. You won’t live to see the morning sun!"
With that, the assassin raised his dagger high and plunged it toward Ron’s heart!
The sharp dagger instantly pierced skin and flesh, striking the heart with precision. With a twist of the blade, the surrounding blood vessels were severed.
Yet as blood spattered onto Ron’s face, he felt no pain at all.
After all, he wasn’t the one who had been wounded.
Only after the man behind the assassin closed the dead man’s eyes and gently laid him on the ground did Ron once again see that fiendish face.
"Sorry for using you as bait," Quest said with an apologetic smile. "These assassins from Carolina all have Enchantment tattoos that record their final moments through their own eyes."
"This guy’s ambush position was too tricky. I couldn’t take him out silently like I did the other one."
Quest gestured toward the corpse at the conference room door.
"Thank goodness you were here, or I wouldn’t have even known what killed me," Ron said, getting to his feet with Quest’s help. "They didn’t need to go to such lengths just to kill me, did they?"
"They didn’t. Their target is all of you," Quest said, glancing worriedly toward the other bedrooms. "I’m sorry, I could only focus on your safety. As for the others..."
BANG!
"Ron!" A door was kicked open, and Ron and Quest saw Aive rush out, Longsword in hand. Her nightclothes were soaked crimson with blood, and her expression was frantic as she looked their way.
"Thank the Gods, you’re all right!"
Aive glanced at Quest and the two corpses on the floor, her tense heart finally easing. "I heard you shout for help, but these bastards are clearly no ordinary assassins. It took some work to deal with mine!"
"Are you okay?" Seeing Aive covered in blood, Ron rushed over to check on her.
"Hey! Hey! Don’t get handsy!" Aive quickly pushed Ron away. "It’s nothing serious, just a slash on my arm. It won’t slow me down. How is everyone else?"
"I’m fine!"
Delaford’s and Victoria’s doors opened at almost the same time. Victoria’s expression was serene, showing no signs of panic.
"I have a habit of praying before bed, so I noticed the assassin as soon as he entered," the Priest said, holding a blood-spattered Heim’s Divine Statue. "His dagger couldn’t get through my armor, but it still took me a while to find an opening to finish him in one blow."
"You still wear Scale Armor even when you’re at home..." Aive clicked her tongue in amazement. "What do you do when you sleep?"
"I change into leather armor," Victoria replied, as if stating the most obvious fact in the world. "Scale Armor is indeed uncomfortable."
"What about you, Delaford?" Ron asked, looking at the goblin. A horde of rats streaming out of his room seemed to confirm his safety, but it was best to check.
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