The Assassin's Seven Principles of Manipulation

Chapter 246: Chapter 242 — Night

"Harun!"

Horus stared at the boy with trembling eyes. Beside him, everyone else wore dark expressions. A moment of silence passed before Zephyrion gestured toward the cadet.

"Cut him down."

Snapping out of their daze, Horus rushed forward, cutting Harun free before hurriedly moving him to receive whatever semblance of medical attention they could provide.

""Again...?" Fiona murmured, her face paling. "Who would do something like this?"

"Fuck." Kaiden ground his teeth, while Kaelion, Nedra, and Draven silently narrowed their eyes.

Zephyrion’s mind was elsewhere.

’It’s the same as the last one.’

The two cadets in the settlement had also been beaten and left the same way. Without question, it had been done by the same person.

The saboteur.

A moment of silence passed before Zephyrion turned to the others.

"Gather everyone."

The words drew frowns from the others, but they still nodded.

Moments later, Zephyrion stood before a crowd of riled-up cadets. Many whispered among themselves. Word of what had happened had already spread, and he could feel their unease from where he stood.

The moment he stepped forward, the cadets fell silent.

"I’m sure you’ve all heard what happened to Harun. He was beaten and nailed to a tree. We don’t know who did it yet. But we do know one thing."

He let the silence linger.

"The person responsible is one of us."

Many cadets went pale. Zephyrion had just confirmed their worst fears. Someone among them was torturing fellow cadets. The fact that they had no idea who unnerved them. Barely a second passed before cautious glances began darting from one cadet to another.

’There’s no escaping this.’

It was a natural reaction, yet it was necessary. Back when he’d first entered the academy, he’d allowed the saboteur to steal the narrative from him, convincing the cadets to hate him.

However, it had been a useful lesson.

Now, he would shape the narrative before it could spiral beyond his control.

"I have no doubt their goal is to divide us. We will not let that happen. We’ll find whoever is responsible and make them answer for what they’ve done."

The mood visibly shifted. Some nodded with renewed resolve. Some remained unconvinced, their eyes still filled with caution. Others wore grave expressions. Others, cold ones.

Zephyrion burned every reaction into his mind. It could be any of them, for any reason. As far as he knew, everyone was a suspect.

Well, except one.

"In the meantime, this ends now. From this moment onward, no one moves alone. You travel in groups of at least three. Choose your own groups."

After that, the cadets’ mood grew noticeably more somber. The fact that someone that dangerous was hiding among them made it difficult for any of them to truly relax, even for a moment.

Somewhat rested, they continued their journey.

The forest proved to be a far better place than the burning desert. Though the sun’s rays pierced the canopy in several places, the towering trees offered plenty of shade. Aside from the constant obstacles along the way, the journey was otherwise smooth.

They covered an astronomical distance before the sun dipped beneath the horizon. Then Zephyrion gave the order to camp for the night.

As the cadets wound down, Zephyrion quietly vanished from his place of rest and slipped into the darkness of the forest.

Hidden among the trees, he observed groups of three as they patrolled the area. Several were cadets he recognized but had never really interacted with. But that didn’t matter. Not tonight.

On a distant tree, Lumi was likewise concealed within the darkness. Judging from the constant direction of her gaze, he could only hope she was actually focused on her task rather than sneaking glances at him.

The saboteur would strike tonight. Of this, Zephyrion was certain.

His earlier speech had been meant to instill hope in the cadets. With everyone moving in groups of three, they believed there would no longer be any victims. Considering the saboteur’s goal of sowing discord, they would want to shatter that hope immediately, plunging the cadets into even deeper despair.

Tonight was the perfect opportunity.

Zephyrion shut his eyes and focused. It had been a while since he’d truly connected with the world’s pulse. It felt surreal, like a warm embrace. The forest faded into silence. He entered a trance.

For an unknown period, he remained utterly motionless. Several patrols passed by, yet his concentration never wavered.

Then, from a distance, he felt a ripple, followed by a sharp hum.

His eyes snapped open, and he vanished into the night.

It took him less than a minute to reach the source, but the altercation was already coming to an end. A figure was curled up on the ground as a rain of blows and kicks fell from the three masked cadets surrounding him.

Holding back a frown, Zephyrion leapt, crossing the distance and landing between them a moment later.

The cadets’ eyes widened behind their masks, but it was too late. To them, the movements of a Mark Seven bordered on teleportation.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Three heavy impacts. Three crushed throats. The cadets collapsed to the ground, clutching their necks as they desperately clawed for air.

Zephyrion lowered his gaze to the figure lying on the ground, and his expression darkened.

’Why?’

Spiky hair, a battered face, yet fierce eyes. It was none other than Kaiden.

Kaiden ground his bloodied teeth before lowering his head in shame.

’So that’s how it is.’

Understanding what had most likely happened, Zephyrion turned toward the cadets writhing on the ground, an unexplainable heat rising in his chest.

He approached them, his arms moving like bullets, leaving their limbs limp. They stared up at Zephyrion with horror in their eyes, unable to move, unable to speak.

Zephyrion ripped the masks from their faces. Then, he frowned. He’d expected this. None of them were cadets he’d dealt with personally, nor were any of them particularly significant.

Two Tier Ones. One Tier Two. One from House Heno, another from House Ocren, and the last from a house he wasn’t certain of.

Given everything, the conclusion was clear.

’They answer to someone else.’