Chapter 170- Outside World (Part 2)
"Blood manipulation, you say?" Rin murmured as he looked down, deep in thought.
"The power to control blood is extremely powerful, almost incomprehensible. It's also one of the main reasons why the demons lost the war at the time. This power, from the few things we knew about it, is something that only existed in the founder's dagger. I have been searching for it for a while now and it coincidentally ended up being in the hands of my next target whom I was sent a request to assassinate." Evelyn continued explaining.
It was slightly odd how easily she was talking about murdering someone. It goes to show that killing was as easy as breathing for her.
"Who is this target?" Rin asked.
"Hmm, In a neighboring country, right north of Avarision kingdom, there is another empire that is politically on friendly terms with it. However, because of a particular city at the border between the two countries, there is a lord that seems to be wreaking havoc among these citizens and even mistreating the merchants that cross the border from there. He is threatening to worsen the relationship between the two kingdoms. So, I was asked to eliminate him."
"Why did this kingdom just fire him or something?" Rin asked.
However, Evelyn shook her head in refusal as she said.
"That's not how it works. Most cities in the world are ruled by small lords that are under the direct supervision of the king or queen. However, most if not all cities are ruled by bloodline heritage going down generations of the same family. They couldn't simply change that. Our job is to merely eliminate the annoying insect and then let his son become the lord in hopes of him being a better one in the future."
"I see…" Rubbing his chin, Rin thought carefully about the offer.
On one hand, getting a second dagger will be a great boost to Rin's strength and with the blood element added to it, he can basically make a huge leap and even a breakthrough. However, on the other hand, there were risks to this mission after all.
The main one is obviously Evelyn herself. She is, for the lack of a better word, quite a tricky person and what just happened with Aria was a good example of that. Was it not for Rin's mind being perceptive, he could've easily missed that detail. The fact that she had planned that interaction exactly how she wanted was quite scary.
But, for better or worse, this woman didn't show any signs of wanting to harm Rin. In fact, in the past month or so, Rin felt that she started acting more 'genuine' around him even though it was a rare thing.
Even now, as she was smiling at him, he could see that there was no mischievousness in her eyes. In fact, he could swear he was seeing a little bit of nervousness flashing through her pupils from time to time.
'Ugh, I mean, the bigger the risk, the greater the rewards, am I right?' Rin thought as he found himself falling to the charm of a second dagger.
All this time, he had been fighting with one dagger and his style relied on two. So, he had been searching for another good dagger that can keep up with the fragment of the shadow monarch dagger he had now.
But, no matter where he searched, there wasn't a satisfactory choice that caught his interest.
"So, what do you think? Are you going to humor your lovely Evelyn?" The seductive woman asked.
"Ugh, fine, but, before that, how do you prove that the dagger is really there?" Rin asked as he read the scroll again, searching for any indications that it was at that exact location.
"Well… I have my connections. I'm very certain that it's in the possession of the current lord." She said.
Squinting his eyes, Rin looked at Evelyn silently for a long while. The woman was quite surprised that she couldn't read his eyes at all. Because of the nature of her job and even her powers, Evelyn was an excellent mind reader that can easily discern the feelings people are going through with a mere glance.
However, at this moment, staring at Rin, she could only see a neutral expression and an extremely calm state of mind.
"Fine… I accept your offer." Rin said as he closed his eyes and sighed.
"Really?" Evelyn's eyes blinked a few times adorably as if she couldn't hear him the first time.
"Yes, I decided to take the mission. I need that dagger and if it's really there, then I have to get it." He said.
"..."
The woman opened her mouth to speak but ended up merely staying silent. Rin noticed this abnormal behavior of hers as he asked.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"Yay!!!" Suddenly, Evelyn sprung to her feet as she jumped on Rin, and hugged him tightly.
"What?!" Rin backed off as he carried Evelyn in his arms. That latter had put all of her weight on him and even tightly wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Thank you!!!" She shouted.
"Why are you thanking me?!"
"I mean, I thought that you will 100% refuse even when I offer that dagger."
"Huh? Wait… you were still unsure whether I will accept or not?"
"Y-Yes…" Evelyn said awkwardly.
"..."
'This woman.' Rin sighed as he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Fine, just release me."
"Oh, right." Realizing her blunder, Evelyn quickly retracted her arms and looked down with a cough.
The way she was acting now was drastically different than her usual playful, naughty character which gave Rin a weird feeling.
'Was this her true character?' He thought to himself confusedly.
He couldn't say for certain since Evelyn could easily act as a genuine person if she wanted to. So, he shook his head and put this matter to the back of his head.
"So, when are we going to leave?" He asked.
"Oh, tomorrow morning. I already chose a good mission for you as an excuse for leaving. We can quickly finish it as we are going back." She said.
"Oh, you work fast," Rin said.
"Of course! Fufufu, it would've been awkward if I had to return the mission."
After that, the two discussed some details about the mission and where exactly will it be before Evelyn left.
***
The next day, in front of the gates of the academy's fourth floor, three people stood motionlessly.
"Sooo, darling, can you tell me why is this girl here?" Evelyn asked as she smiled at Rin. However, her smile wasn't the usual amused one but instead was filled with a cold aura that poked Rin's face and made him avert his eyes.
"O-Oh, you see… I couldn't hide this from Elise." The young man broke a sweat from the glare.
On the other hand, Elise seemed to be busy with something as she kept tapping on her bracelet.
"I won't let Rin go alone." She said in a cold tone.
Last night was long as Rin had to deal with a very angry Elise. She didn't like the fact that Rin had Evelyn's existence from her and he had to keep explaining the reason for that. However, in truth, Rin did feel bad that he hid it from his partner even though he did tell her about Evelyn before, albeit not in detail.
'At least help me here!' Rin screamed in his head.
"Sigh, it's fine. The more the better, I guess." Evelyn said.
"Ehem, yes, Elise can make it easier," Rin said as he laughed awkwardly.
"So, how are we going to travel?" Changing the topic, he tried to make Evelyn focus on the mission instead.
"We are going to use the portal to get us to the border and then it's on foot since it's not that far. We can reach there in one day if we keep a steady pace." Analyzing the plan in her head, Evelyn nodded her head as if she was approving of it again.
"I see… well, let's go."
The three then walked out of the gates and then stood up on the platform that leads them down from the sky island they are on.
Looking back, Rin admired the amazing scenery of the academy from the outside. This place never seizes from amazing him with its odd structures and impossible feats like the fake sky above them.
'It's a weird feeling to leave after the weeks I spent here. Well, I will be back soon, I guess.'
However, what Rin didn't know was that this simple mission that seemed like a mere walk in the park will turn out to be the pivotal point where his whole destiny will change. A change that will totally divert Rin's path. Whether that path will be good or bad, no one knows. Only fate will tell.
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