The Assassin's Seven Principles of Manipulation

Chapter 245: Chapter 241 — Scream

Zephyrion and the cadets ran for what felt like an eternity.

Even when their lungs burned and their aching legs begged them to stop, the murderous shrills of the Shrike colony kept them moving. With their queen dead, their desire for vengeance burned deep. There was only so much the burning forest could do. After circling around the damning light, they resumed their hunt.

However, like Zephyrion had anticipated, they were unorganized. Several hung back warily, fearful of the few lights still with the cadets, while others, lone Shrikes, charged without a care. Zephyrion and Lumi dispatched them without incident.

Regardless, the Shrikes were no longer one force, but several fragmented ones. Handling them became child’s play.

It was only when the first golden rays pierced through the forest that the Shrikes’ murderous shrills finally faded. And when the sun fully claimed the sky, Zephyrion finally gave the order to stop.

The cadets collapsed where they stood, gasping for breath. Tobias was unapologetically among them, sprawled flat on his back, while Fiona leaned heavily against a tree, breathing in ragged gulps. Only Kaiden, Kaelion, Nedra, Draven, Kaelith, and a handful of Tier Ones remained standing, yet even their breaths came hard and their bodies glistened with sweat.

Vaelor stood near the back alongside the Ocren youths, an unreadable expression on his sweat-drenched face. Zephyrion caught his glare, but Vaelor immediately looked away.

In a nutshell, the fact that he’d followed them despite everything was a good thing.

Zephyrion gave everyone a brief moment to recover, his eyes slowly sweeping across the quiet forest before he finally spoke.

"At attention."

No one moved. The cadets exchanged puzzled glances, convinced they’d heard wrong.

Zephyrion raised his voice, letting a hint of pressure seep into it.

"At attention."

Horus and his group sprang upright almost instinctively. Though still drenched in sweat and breathing raggedly, there was unmistakable reverence in their eyes. The other cadets followed more reluctantly, slowly pulling themselves to attention.

Nedra, Draven, and Kaelith remained where they were, each resting against a tree, making no effort to hide that they answered to no one.

The cadets’ ragged breathing filled the forest. Then Zephyrion spoke.

"We might’ve barely escaped the Shrikes, but the test isn’t over. No matter what happens, don’t let your guard down."

The cadets swallowed and nodded. The suddenness of the Shrikes’ ambush was still fresh in their minds. If not for Zephyrion, none of them would be here.

Zephyrion noted their eyes shifting from caution, to realization, to reverence. He inwardly nodded. By reminding them of what had just happened, he made them relive everything he’d done. Now, despite their exhaustion, they waited for his orders like obedient puppies.

"From this point on, we need three roles. Scouts—they move ahead and report anything unusual. Hunters—they gather food and water. Watchers—they keep watch while everyone else rests. Every role will rotate. I’ll be assigning every group myself."

Like with their formations, he divided each role into groups of thirty, leaving the rest to recover until it was their turn to take over. After that, he assigned Horus and his crew to stand watch while the others rested.

Some time later, after most of the cadets had finally caught their breath, Zephyrion found himself surrounded by Tobias, Fiona, Kaiden, and Kaelion. Lumi rested against his shoulder.

"My lord... you were incredible! I got goosebumps when you threatened the Queen." Tobias puffed out his chest, trying his hardest to mimic Zephyrion’s cold expression. "’Let us pass... or you die.’ Holy iron!"

"I was more surprised by the insults." Fiona laughed. "I always thought Zephyrion was too serious for something like that. Didn’t know he could roast someone so thoroughly."

"Right?!" Tobias nodded. "Seriously, my lord, where do you even come up with that stuff? I was scared absolutely senseless..." He shuddered dramatically. "Meanwhile you’re out there verbally bullying the Queen."

Kaiden rolled his eyes.

"What a surprise."

"Hm?" Tobias blinked. "What’s that supposed to mean, Mister-I-Clench-My-Fists-And-Grit-My-Teeth-Every-Five-Seconds? During that fight, I was honestly more worried about your teeth than the Shrikes."

"That was because I wanted to fight." Kaiden narrowed his eyes. "If you hadn’t kept yelling at me to retreat, I would’ve."

"Eh?" Tobias scratched the inside of his ear with a finger. "But... I wasn’t holding you down. If you wanted to fight that badly, you could’ve just... fought."

"You...!"

Kaelion let out a quiet scoff.

"Pathetic."

The group turned toward him.

"Did none of you learn anything? If this incident proved one thing, it’s how weak we are. Look." He nodded toward Zephyrion, who still hadn’t opened his eyes. "He carried this entire operation, and the first thing he’s doing is reflecting on everything that happened. He’s probably searching for mistakes he made. Meanwhile, the rest of you are wasting your breath talking."

Kaiden’s face tightened, but he simply looked away with a click of his tongue.

Tobias frowned.

"Eh? But... aren’t you also wasting your breath talking to us—"

The words died in his throat the instant Kaelion looked at him.

Tobias immediately straightened.

"...Never mind."

Kaiden might be a fellow house member, but Kaelion was the closest anyone outside the primary line could get. His authority wasn’t something Tobias could casually challenge.

Silence settled over the group after that, though Zephyrion barely noticed.

As Kaelion had guessed, he was replaying the past events in his mind—the desert run, the settlement, the Shrikes—making sure he hadn’t overlooked anything.

Several moments passed like that as his companions gradually drifted away to tend to their assigned tasks.

The clearing soon fell into a peaceful silence, one that felt almost therapeutic.

Then a scream tore through the forest, snapping him out of his thoughts.

...

Zephyrion opened his eyes to several cadets already waking from their slumber, staring tensely into the depths of the forest where the scream had come from.

Amid the endless whispers, he rushed toward the source. Moments later, Zephyrion and several others stood before a gruesome scene.

The one who had screamed was one of Horus’ crew. A short girl with braided hair and sharp eyes. Yet those sharp eyes were now filled with horror. A cadet, also one of Horus’ crew, had been nailed to a tree.

Blood trickled from his wrists. Yet it was nothing compared to the horror of the rest of his body. His face was battered and swollen, his clothes hung in tattered strips, and low, agonizing cries escaped his lips.

There was no doubting the pain he was enduring.