Chapter 292
Whats it like to kill someone?
Yozens head snapped around at the dry question. No further words came from the questioner, only the diligent flipping of papers.
Yozen stepped in front of him, his gaze meeting Cadels. Cadels heartbeat remained steady despite the proximity of the notorious assassin.
Is there someone you want to kill?
Well. There is someone Id like to see disappear forever in front of my Knight Order.
Yozen reached out and cupped Cadels face, his fingertips touching the soft skin that trembled under his touch. He traced the contours and inferred the expression. A shallow breath of mild panic.
Nothing much.
You can say that because youre used to it. It must have been different the first time.
The first time?
Even an assassin has a first time.
Yozen tilted his head as if reminiscing for a moment, then removed his hand from touching Cadels face, and spoke in his usual matter-of-fact voice.
Its refreshing, like a layer of filthy oil has been lifted from the world.
It was a very assassin-like answer. If you cant make that kind of impression on your first kill, you dont have the talent. After a moments thought, Cadel gathered up the papers hed been reading and placed them on the desk. Then he looked at Yozen, who stood close in front of him.
It doesnt matter where your target lives, does it?
I usually pick from Dunkelhai, but I dont care.
What is the Mainue Kingdom?
Ive killed a few.
Shaking his head slightly, Cadel unconsciously reached out and fiddled with the buttons on Yozens uniform. Currently, he was dressed in his Knight Orders uniform, rather than his usual jet-black robes. Cadel had taken Yozens measurements himself, as Yozen didnt like to be seen in public, and Cadels fears of getting the wrong size had been unfounded.
Personally, Cadel thought Yozen looked better in the black robes than the pure white ones, but the combination of proportions had its own charms.
Yozen, do you know Froch Dominic?
I know.
What do you think of the Marquis?
Hes Lumen Dominics father.
If you take Lumen out of the picture, whats your thoughts?
Catching the hand that was fiddling with his own buttons, Yozen gently stroked the back of Cadels hand, which had fallen away from his uniform, and he chuckled low.
Someone worth killing.
Hmm. Really?
Hes not a target yet, there are plenty of dirtier pigs out there, and Im way overdue.
I see.
Is he your target?
He felt strength going into his clasped hands. Cadel took a short breath and then smiled brightly and pushed Yozen away. He naturally released his hands and stood up, passing Yozen and saying regretfully.
I dont think Id feel exhilarated by killing people. Sure, Id love to kill him, but that would complicate things too much.
You can ask me to do it.
I told you Im not going to make you do that.
Even though its not a big deal to me?
Thats right.
Cadel cut him off firmly, and Yozen didnt ask anymore. Just because he didnt get his hands dirty didnt mean he wasnt responsible. Cadel wasnt about to add another responsibility to the many that weighed on him.
Ill do it my way. To prevent that man from meddling in Lumens life, I will completely extinguish his influence.
Im curious to see how you do it. I look forward to it.
I look forward to it. He didnt mean to tell me that he was going to watch me take on Froch Dominic, right? Cadel turned around with a growing sense of unease, and sure enough, the Yozen hed been talking to earlier was nowhere to be seen.
Cant you at least say goodbye on your way out?
One would think he was a madman talking to himself. With Yozens stealthy disappearance, leaving no trace, Cadel lay in bed with a heavy sigh.
As he rubbed his heavy eyelids idly, his blackened vision flashed back to the pile of problems that had been piling up.
Froch Dominic, of course, the summit in a few days, the forthcoming main quest, the outbreak of the Demon War, information about the demons to be dealt with, and.
How is Van doing? Maybe I should have asked Yozen. No, no. If he needed help, Yozen would have told me first. Vans doing fine.
Since regaining consciousness, he had kept himself busy, but he couldnt stop thinking about Van. Whenever he closed his eyes, a system window would pop up, telling him that Van had left, trapping him like an iron cage. He wished Van all the happiness in the world and hoped that he would remember him, if only for a moment.
With Van gone, theres now a spot open in the Knight Order.
The Demon War is upon them. It was not a quest that could be faced with one man short. With Van gone, it was only right to bring in a new knight. Rationally, it made sense.
But Cadel couldnt bring himself to bring in a new member. There was no knight he wanted to bring with him, and he didnt want to let a new knight take Vans place. With Kunras blessing, he could only hope that one knights place would be filled somehow.
Forget it, Ill think about this later.
How could he think of bringing in someone new just because Van had been gone for a while? Displeased with himself, Cadel rolled over and buried his face in his pillow.
People couldnt take on everything at once. One thing at a time, starting with what was at hand. That was the order of things.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢