Inside the hut near the Eltis Shrine, Ragorth and Janus were still waiting for something to happen.
"It has been hours," Janus said.
"It has…," Ragorth remarked.
"I guess it was a bad intel, after all," Janus said. He moved away from the window. "I still have important things to attend to. I guess we will just deal with this assassin business another time. Anyway, it's good seeing you, again Master Ragorth."
"The feeling is mutual," Ragorth replied.
Janus used an item that caused the air in front of him to shimmer. A portal appeared. Janus stepped into this portal and disappeared.
Once the portal was gone, someone emerged from the shadow in the corner. It was an ethereal covered in a hood and cloak.
"The intel is indeed bad. Where do you get this intel, you said? The Themisphere king? You shouldn't have been so trusting of outworlders," the hooded ethereal said.
"Gruff trusts him. I trust Gruff's judgment," Ragorth said.
"The fact is, they are wrong. There are so many opportunities for him to act. Your back is exposed to him in more than one account. If he is truly the culprit, there is no way he let those chances go."
"… He probably sensed your presence," Ragorth argued.
"Are you underestimating me?" The hooded figure's tone carried unmistakable dissatisfaction. "I might not be the leader of my faction, but I am the deadliest assassin there is."
"You might be the leader soon. I heard your faction elders are convening to appoint Assassins Guild's new leader."
"I have no interest in that position. I am an assassin, not a leader. My current focus is to pay back the a*shole who have made my faction lose face by assassinating our leader. I thought I would get that chance today. Such a pity it was just a waste of time."
"You are as peculiar as I remember, Hashi," Ragorth said. "Whether today is a waste of time, I am not so sure about it."
"Why do you say that?" Hashi asked.
"You are familiar with my sixth sense, don't you?" Ragorth asked in return.
"It's a unique version of danger sense. You are the only native who I know to have that skill," Hashi replied. "What about it?"
"Most of my survival can be credited to my sixth sense. It is similar to danger sense but more refined. While danger sense warns the owner of an incoming danger, the warning comes without a sense of direction. My Sixth Sense gives me a clear direction where the danger is coming from. It can even warn me if someone much stronger than me is nearby."
"Are you saying…"
"Although Janus and I can't be called friends, we met a lot in the past. We are always on par with one another, to the point that we are being mistaken as rivals. Nevertheless, I do try to not get left behind by him. I believe he felt the same. Thus, we are always on the same level."
"My Inspect informed me Janus is a level 90 mythical grade. The same as you," Hashi said.
"Don't be too trusty of your Inspect," Ragorth said. "A mage of his caliber has a way to mask his information."
"Are you saying he is much stronger than his information indicated?"
"I don't know… But all the time when he stood beside me, my sixth sense never stopped urging me to move away."
"… Okay. Maybe he is stronger than he appears. Maybe he has a fortunate encounter. That still doesn't mean he is the perpetrator of the assassinations."
"That's true," Ragorth said. "Nevertheless, do you mind putting surveillance on him?"
"To be honest with you, our faction has a short list of the most troublesome people to keep track of. He is on that list."
"I will compensate your faction for the trouble," Ragorth said.
"Mm… All right. Just because we are old friends, you know," Hashi said.
Ragorth chuckled. "Thank you, old friend."
Hashi sunk back into the shadow and Ragorth couldn't feel his presence anymore. Ragorth went out of the hut and made a hand signal. Several people hiding not far away came toward him.
This operation had born no fruit, but Ragorth didn't think it was all a waste. One thing he didn't tell Hashi was that his sixth sense could also sense bad intentions from nearby people. Though it was faint, he sensed it when Janus was next to him.
He felt the cold on his back for quite some time due to exposing his back to Janus. He had been fighting his survival instinct to maintain a steady pose throughout all those hours. Even so, Hashi was right. This didn't prove that Janus was the assassin.
Nevertheless, this incident put him as a person of interest. Ragorth talked with his people once they gathered. He gave them instructions to look into the Order of Magi.
*
"Ma… Master Janus…?" Jack called. He took another look at the person inside the force field. It was indeed the real Janus. This one was not as young as the ones he saw frequently and not as old as the custodian at the mage academy.
"Mister Storm Wind! I called because I heard someone out there. I never expected it to be you. How do you come here?" Janus asked. His voice was muffled through the force field. But from this close, Jack had no problem hearing his words.
"Never mind me. Why are you imprisoned?" Jack asked. He sensed strong mana from the force field. He didn't dare touch it. "Who did this to you?"
"It's… It's a long story," Janus said. "We don't have the time for that. He can return at any time. You need to get out before that happens."
"Who? What do you mean?" Jack asked.
"There is no time! Go out and warn the others of this," Janus urged.
Jack's mana sense had been monitoring the room. He found the mana diagram regulating the force field. After a brief study, he said, "Not before I free you from here. I should be able to deactivate this diagram in around ten to fifteen minutes."
"You can?" Janus said with surprise.
"Hehe. My mana sense and mana manipulation had improved much since we last spoke," Jack said. "Sit tight. You will be out in no time."
Jack started working on the rune diagram. He noticed something as he moved the nodes around using his mana manipulation. There was a layer of energy below this rune diagram he was working on.
'There is another diagram in concealment!' He realized.
His mana sense was now advanced enough to notice, but not quick enough to warn him. The concealed diagram took effect. A surge of energy washed over him and forced his eyes to shut.
When he opened his eyes again, he found himself inside a force field similar to the one imprisoning Janus.
"Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in when the host was out."
Jack turned to the voice and saw another real Janus entering the room.
New novel 𝓬hapters are published on (f)reeweb(n)ovel.com