The Assassin's Seven Principles of Manipulation

Chapter 236: Chapter 232 — Off

The settlement was smaller than Zephyrion expected.

The imposing walls stretching far into the horizon seemed to encase the forest more than the settlement itself. The settlement sat in the middle of it, lone and abandoned. Spanning about 500m of land, standing at the edge, he could see the end from where he stood.

The houses were built from old wood reinforced with iron. The ground was unpaved. It was eerily silent, not a single person in sight.

Not long after, he ordered Horus and his crew to spread out and secure the area. He could feel the exhausted and impatient cadets behind him. Many had slumped to the ground, clawing desperately for air, while others had even dozed off.

Zephyrion couldn’t help but stare at the horizon with narrowed eyes. A crimson flare still pierced the sky. Their current state was as bad as it could ever be. These cadets wouldn’t survive an attack.

A sudden tap drew his gaze toward Lumi. She was smiling at him, flexing one arm. Then she lightly brushed a hand across her chest, telling him to calm down.

’She noticed.’

Feeling suddenly apprehensive, he glanced around, worried someone else had noticed too, then inwardly sighed in relief when he found no one looking his way.

As leader, any hint of weakness would be detrimental.

’It’s only her.’

He stared at Lumi, struggling to stop the corners of his lips from twitching. Clearing his throat, he turned away before they could betray him.

She always seemed so clueless about so many things. Ignorant of even the most obvious societal nuances. Yet somehow, she always seemed to know exactly how he felt, when he felt it.

Luckily, Horus arrived not long after, pulling him from the unusual thought.

"Prime! The area’s secured. No one in sight. And... and..." Horus looked exhausted, yet broad smiles stretched across his face and those of the others.

"And what?"

"Supplies, Prime! We found supplies! Food, water, lots of it!"

The words rippled through the cadets. Even the Tier Ones sprang to their feet.

Horus grinned from ear to ear.

"Come! There’s more than enough for everyone. I’ll lead you!"

...

Horus’ words had been accurate. Within this small village, there were enough supplies to feed a small town. For a hundred and something cadets, it was more than enough, enough to last for days if rationed properly.

Through this, Zephyrion was able to get a proper look at the settlement. The brick houses were moderately sized, save for the mansion standing at the center of the settlement, and the conspicuous, massive, unlit bonfire before it.

Each house was fully functional, fitted with runic technology. Dry food lined the cupboards, more was stored in rune fridges, while the kitchens were well fitted with running water. Even the hot showers worked. Many rejoiced at that last discovery.

The next few hours were spent as carelessly as any army should ever allow. After greedily devouring food and downing countless bottles of water, many rushed into the bathrooms for a hot shower.

Zephyrion found himself walking through the settlement sometime later, Lumi by his side, a deep frown on his face.

’What is this place?’

Everything about this place seemed far too perfect. Food. Water. An astronomical supply, just like that. He’d sent Horus and his group to scout the walls some time ago. As it turned out, the crimson flare on the horizon hadn’t moved for a while now. Their pursuers had somehow stopped chasing them the moment they reached this settlement.

’Something’s off.’

Something he just couldn’t put his finger on. An empty village. Endless supplies. The enemy’s unwillingness to approach...

As his mind spun, whispers suddenly drifted toward him.

"Hey... you think they might be using beasts in this test? Might be what’s chasing us?"

"I really hope not. Smart beasts are the worst. And usually the creepiest."

"Uuh, I’ve read about some truly terrifying ones. Just thinking about them gives me chills."

"If it’s really beasts, then my money’s on Picker. Freaking things are fast and nimble. First thing they do is gouge your eyes out, swallow them whole, then grow them amongst the hundreds they already have! I even heard one grew a dick once."

"Tch, not as scary as the Shrike. My father read about them to me when I was six. They’re nocturnal, means they only come out at night."

"I know what nocturnal means."

"Pff. Just making sure. Relax."

"Fucking bitch."

"Alright, alright. So they only come out at night, right? That’s the creepy part. They’re smart too. Like, really smart. They build entire settlements. My father once read me this story about two travelers who wandered into one of their caves. It was daytime, so neither of them realized they’d walked into a Shrike nest. Then night came. The Shrikes crawled out, tied them upside down, and slowly drained them dry."

"Really? Damn... that’s sick."

"I know, right? The Shrike are—"

"No, no. That’s not what I meant."

"...What?"

"I meant... what kind of parent reads that to a six-year-old?"

"...Yeah."

"Prime!"

Both voices vanished. There was a scramble of feet before the two cadets poked their heads over the top of the wall, only to freeze the moment they saw Zephyrion standing there in silence.

"P-Prime!"

"Yo-you’re here..."

The two gulped beneath Zephyrion’s cold gaze. They were supposed to be keeping watch and warning everyone at the first sign of trouble, yet they had been busy chatting instead.

"We-we were just—"

"Save it," Zephyrion said. "Don’t forget we’re all being observed at all times. Everything you do is being judged."

Both cadets paled as realization struck.

"Don’t let this happen again."

They both nodded immediately, straightening where they stood.

’There’s still so much left to do.’

The cadets were far too lax, far too amateurish and unprofessional. Warring with people like this was a fast way to die. He would have to change that.

With that settled, he turned toward the source of the earlier shout and frowned. Horus was hurrying toward him with panic written across his face.

"P-Prime!"

"What is it?"

"It’s Lord Vaelor and Lucien, Prime! They’ve taken over the main building! They took most of the food and they’re refusing to let anyone else have it!"

"...What?"

"Yes, Prime! Lord Kaelio, Kaiden and the other Tier Ones are trying to stop them right now! They’re about to start fighting! You have to come, Prime!"

Zephyrion’s eyes turned glacial.

"Take me there."

...

With Horus leading him, Zephyrion crossed the settlement and arrived at the mansion a few minutes later. There, a crowd of cadets had already gathered outside the entrance, shouting over one another.

"Hey, this is bullshit!"

"Yeah! The food’s for everyone!"

"You can’t just take everything!"

Horus hurried ahead, and the confidence he’d lacked before suddenly returned.

"Move! Make way for the Prime!"

"The Prime?"

"Ah! The Prime’s here!"

"Prime! Please teach them a lesson!"

The cadets quickly parted, cheering as they made way for Zephyrion. He entered the mansion.

’They acted sooner than I expected.’

After Vaelor and Lucien’s attempts at turning the cadets against him failed, he had expected some sort of retaliation, but not this soon.

’I made an error.’

Zephyrion’s fists slowly curled. He had been too preoccupied trying to figure out what unsettled him about the village that he overlooked the obvious.

Food. Water. In this test, whoever controlled them basically controlled the cadets. It was an obvious target, and he should have secured it the moment they entered the village.

Horus led him along a stone pathway and through a large double door into a vast dining room. The heavy atmosphere struck him first, followed by the cold voices.

Nedra Heno was saying,

"You don’t seriously think we’d let this shit slide, do you? That food and water are for everyone! You pigs can’t just hog everything because you feel like it. Typical cock-sucking males. Always think the world’s yours."

"Vaelor! Stand up and face Draven! I’ll show you want a real man is!"

The dining hall was chaotic, with voices erupting from every direction.

Nedra stood beside the shirtless Draven, along with members of their household, glaring through the wall of cadets from the Ocren and Donvaire households at Vaelor and Lucien.

Vaelor sat calmly at the head of the table, a myriad of dishes sprawled before him, far too much food for any cadet to be eating given their situation. But he wasn’t alone. Lucien sat beside him, wolfing down food at an astonishing pace.

From the corner of his eye, Zephyrion caught a strand of drool slipping from Lumi’s slightly open mouth and nudged her with an elbow. She flinched, hastily wiped the corner of her lips, then scratched the back of her head with a sheepish smile.

Her obsession with food genuinely needed to be studied.

That wasn’t all. At one side of the room, Kaelion stood over Kaiden, whose mouth leaked blood, glaring across at the wall of cadets. Tobias and Fiona stood beside them with clenched fists, their gazes no less hostile. Kaelith Korrath leaned against the far wall, silently watching everything unfold.

Zephyrion’s entrance went unnoticed for only a second before all eyes turned toward him.

"My lord!"

"Zephyrion!"

Zephyrion didn’t stop, nor did he utter a single word. He continued walking toward the wall of cadets. Without needing a single instruction, Tobias and Fiona immediately fell in behind him.

Whether it was the coldness in his eyes or the unwavering confidence in his stride, it was hard to tell, yet even Nedra and Draven stepped aside, both narrowing their eyes.

"Who did that to Kaiden?"

Tobias pointed without hesitation.

"It’s that idiot! The one with the ugly haircut!"

A cadet standing amongst the wall of cadets narrowed his eyes.

"Yo—"

Bam!

He was already hurtling into the wall before he could finish the word.

As the crack of bone finished reverbating, the hall fell deathly silent.