I, who was eager to retire, became an Imperial General.

Chapter 305 The Surging Undercurrents, the Restrained Assassin

"Tap, tap!"

In the deep of night, two fast horses galloped swiftly along the road, while the two figures sitting on their hindquarters kept glancing back, their expressions showing lingering fear.

The two men were Count Zeke and his second-in-command Ellit, who had just escaped from the skirmish.

Just thinking about how that mysterious assassin had instantly crushed his six knights, and how his trusted men had been hacked into countless pieces by the assassin's terrifying power before they could even utter a cry of pain.

Jike couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine. At the same time, he desperately raised his whip and lashed it against the rump of his warhorse, trying to make it speed up and get away from the terrifying battlefield.

After galloping at full speed for a full half hour, his warhorse reached its limit due to the prolonged sprint. Just as it was about to foam at the mouth and collapse, he had no choice but to stop whipping the horse and slow it down. At the same time, he wiped the cold sweat from his brow, still shaken.

"Your Excellency, are we heading back to the manor?"

Seeing Zeke slow down, Elliott, who was also somewhat frightened, quickly sought his opinion.

Upon hearing this, Jike's face turned green, and he felt an urge to whip the other person across the face and angrily rebuke him for not listening to the nonsense he was spouting.

After all, even his plans to travel to the temple to hold a secret salon with his colleagues were known to the assassins in advance, who then carried out an assassination attempt on a key part of his journey.

Even a fool would know that the other party would have prepared a trap in his manor beforehand.

Even now, the guards he has stationed in the manor have probably already been killed and replaced by assassins.

Returning to our hideout now would be like throwing ourselves into the lion's den, a death sentence.

"As expected, a commoner is a commoner. No matter how talented they are, without inheriting noble blood, they will never have the vision that a true noble should have."

"I'm incredibly stupid to expect this idiot to give me any useful advice."

Jike cursed inwardly, but considering that the other party had indeed done a lot of dirty work for him as his front man, and that the other party was the only person he could use now.

He suppressed his emotions and, after a brief moment of thought, spoke to the other person:

"No, based on my experience, the manor has probably already been infiltrated by assassins. Going back now will only mean certain death!"

"My lord, in your opinion, what should we do next?"

"Go see someone who can truly save us."

Jira slowly turned the reins, his eyes fixed on the brightly lit capital city of Eleno ahead. His gaze flickered with a mixture of aggression and awe, but more than anything, it held a fear that Ellit couldn't decipher.

It was as if, compared to being a savior, the lifeline the count spoke of was more like something that would push them into an infernal hell.

And that is indeed the case. If his lifeline hadn't been controlled by the other party, with his intelligence, he would never have done such a foolish and self-destructive thing, nor would he have been targeted by the bigwigs of the reformist faction.

In order to deal with this rising star of the opposing party who dared to frame him, the other side actually sent a terrifying assassin with at least superhuman strength to kill him, a count!
Damn it, these crazy reformers, didn't they ever think about the negative consequences that would come if they were exposed for carrying out such a blatant assassination?

Or perhaps the other party simply saw that he, a local nobleman from a remote town, had not been formally included in the true inner circle of the conservative party's upper echelons.

Even if they die, no party member will care; they might even be eager to seize the power they possess, which is why they dare to be so unscrupulous.
They're a bunch of lunatics!
If I had known this would happen, I should have been more assertive and refused that rude request.

Otherwise, how could things have developed to this point!

Jike was filled with resentment, but when he thought about the intelligence capabilities of the unknown organization behind that person, which seemed to be even larger than the Ravenbeak Surveillance Force under His Majesty William, he was filled with righteous indignation.

Even the specific amounts and types of transactions he made to bribe several members of the conservative party in order to obtain a position in the capital were thoroughly investigated by them.

He couldn't help but feel an unprecedented sense of apprehension and fear.

But Zeke also understood that since the other party possessed such terrifying intelligence capabilities, the behemoth behind them must be either His Majesty William or Prime Minister Wolf.

And the only one who can resolve the predicament I am currently facing is the other party.

Even if he has to pay the price for the trouble the other party has caused him.

But as long as we can successfully resolve it, then it will all be worth it!
Thinking of this, Zeke immediately stopped hesitating and gritted his teeth, ordering Ellit, who was deep in thought, in a low voice:

"We're going to meet someone in a bit. When we get there, don't say a word. Just follow my instructions. Absolutely do not speak rashly, absolutely, understand?"

"Understood, I will absolutely keep quiet about it, please rest assured, Your Excellency."

"very good!"

After Elite solemnly assured him, Zeke did not continue speaking, but instead looked worriedly at Eleno, who was shrouded in dark clouds.

At that moment, for some reason, he suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

But surely it must be just my imagination?
"despair!"

……

The darkness of night enveloped Aereno in an unprecedented silence.

Near the port on the north side of the city, Count Jek Emmentalout looked around nervously, then, escorted by his only trusted lieutenant Ellit, sneaked into a seemingly abandoned warehouse.

At this moment, the count's clothes appeared somewhat disheveled, and his face was replaced by a deep-seated fear, having long since lost its usual majesty.

"Grubber! Hans Gruber! I know you're here!"

In the empty warehouse, Zeke roared excitedly, with a hint of hysteria:
“I did as you said, but I was assassinated by those lunatics because of it. You have to give me an explanation for this... We have already shown our loyalty to you, and as allies, you can't just stand by and watch us die!”

Jike's furious roars echoed throughout the empty warehouse, creating a series of reverberations.

However, all that responded to him was a deathly silence.

It was as if he and his adjutant Ellit were the only two living people in the warehouse.

Just as Zeke was becoming increasingly agitated by the eerie silence, a faint sound of footsteps suddenly emerged from the darkness at the far end of the warehouse:
"Tap, tap!"

Accompanied by crisp footsteps, a man named Hans Gruber slowly emerged from the shadows.

The other person was somewhat plump, with a harmless businessman's smile on his chubby face.

But in the dim light, it looked somewhat eerie.

“Count Jik, relax, my friend.”

Gruber's voice was steady, with a unique accent that carried a regional flavor, yet it sounded like gentle sunshine. Combined with his rather comical physique, it inexplicably gave people a sense of comfort.

He smiled as he looked at Count Jike, whose ugly state was now fully exposed, and slowly spread his thick hands, making an embracing gesture:

"Once you arrive here, you are safe. As a partner of 'Shadow Alliance,' we will naturally protect your safety, so you can rest assured that no outsider can harm you here."

"Relax? How can you expect me to relax? After carrying out that damned order you assigned me, I encountered an unprecedented assassination attempt half an hour ago. The other side even dispatched a powerful expert whose strength was no less than that of a super-ranked expert, no, it's even very likely that he was a quasi-Grand-ranked expert!"

"My six mid-ranking knights didn't even have the chance to fight back against that monster. They were cleaved into pieces, man and horse alike!"

"This is all your fault, you have to give me an explanation!"

Jike angrily rebuked the representative of the Shadow Alliance branch in front of him, but seeing the other party's forced smile, he seemed to realize something. He paused slightly, then suppressed his feigned anger and instead added, pretending to be timid:

"At the very least, you must find a way to help me deal with any potential assassinations. Otherwise, if things continue like this, I'm afraid it will be difficult for me to continue working for the Shadow Alliance. Please consider my past diligence and dedication to the Shadow Alliance, I'm begging you!"

After speaking, Zeke looked at Hans with a flicker in his eyes, waiting for the representative's reply.

"A mage beyond the rank of rank, or even higher, is truly surprising..."

Upon hearing Zeke's words, Hans first raised an eyebrow in surprise, then his gaze inadvertently swept over Elliott, who stood silently behind Zeke like a shadow.

As if struck by a sudden thought, he subtly interlaced his fingers, making a seemingly ordinary gesture, while watching the other man's narrowed pupils. Then, he grinned at Zeke, who was staring at him.

"Although it is unexpected that you would be assassinated by such a powerful person, considering that you brought this trouble upon yourself while completing our mission, as partners, we naturally have an obligation to eliminate this potential threat for you. Therefore, Count Jik need not worry, we will completely 'solve' this matter for you and ensure that a similar situation will never happen again."

"That's good, that's good, haha, I knew it, the people of the Shadow Alliance wouldn't..."

Just as Zeke's nerves relaxed slightly due to the other party's assurance, a smile bloomed on his face.

The next second, however, a sudden change occurred!
Elite, who had been merely a background figure, suddenly had a glint in his eyes, and the hand that had been resting on the hilt of his sword moved! His movements were lightning fast, without the slightest hesitation.

A cold sword light suddenly appeared in the arena, but it was not aimed at Gruber in the distance.

Instead, it pierced directly through the back of Count Zeke's heart!
The special alchemical toxin coated on the blade took effect instantly.

Jik, who was pierced through the heart from behind, didn't even manage to let out a scream.

He suddenly widened his eyes and turned his head, his face frozen in disbelief, astonishment, and utter bewilderment. His gaze was fixed on Elite, who had suddenly betrayed him, filled with confusion and resentment.

But as the opponent withdrew the sword, his body fell forward uncontrollably, crashing to the ground with a dull thud.

"Boom!"

Crimson blood gushed from the wound, eventually pooling on the ground to form a pool of blood that reflected Zeke's unseeing expression in death.

Even in death, Zeke couldn't understand why his most trusted confidant had betrayed him without warning during this plea for help.

"Clap!"

Elliott, having completed the backstab, expressionlessly wiped the blood off his sword and calmly sheathed it.

He then looked at Gruber in front of him, his voice cold and hard:
"Your mission to eliminate the target has been completed. Respected Inspector, please identify yourself immediately."

Ahead, Gruber looked down at Zeke's corpse, his face showing no surprise. Instead, he clapped his hands and exclaimed in astonishment:

“Brilliant, clean and efficient. As expected of the sharpest weapon among His Excellency the Duke’s many hidden agents, Elliott, or rather, ‘Special Agent No. 014’.”

The moment the title 'Commissioner No. 014' was uttered, Elliott's cold expression instantly shattered.

His pupils began to contract sharply, and a chill ran up his spine and straight to the top of his head!

This was his direct code name, given to Duke Mosilis, and there was absolutely no way a second person could know it!

According to the regulations of his department, Hans Gruber, who had just shown him the hand signals for a decapitation order and subtly revealed his identity as an inspector, should not have known this at all!
In other words, the other party is not the monitor he knows at all!
"Who are you, this guy?"

Elliott's face turned ashen, and his right hand instantly pressed back onto the hilt of his sword, his killing intent firmly locked onto Gruber in front of him.

Gruber, however, simply waved his hand dismissively, his face still bearing that harmless smile.

"Don't be nervous, Agent 014. The reason I disguised myself as an inspector just now was simply to test whether you, as His Excellency's blades, are as loyal as rumored."

"And the facts do match the results of our Shadow Alliance's investigation. I must say, your methods just now really surprised me. After all, at first I thought you would have some loyalty to your master whom you have served for eight years and would hesitate."

"But it seems that your loyalty to the Duke far exceeds that of the master required for this mission~"

Ignoring Elliott's ashen face, Gruber clapped with a smile, and before the murderous-looking Elliott could launch an attack, he added meaningfully:

"Furthermore, our Shadow Alliance harbors no ill will towards you or your biological mother, who resides in the Northern Monastery under the alias 'Maria.' Please believe this."

"!"

Upon hearing this, Elliott was struck dumb, frozen in place.

He was trained by the Duke to be a loyal follower from a young age, and his background was completely erased.

He thought he had no more attachments in this world, and his mother, according to the instructor, had already "died of illness."

And these were the only beliefs that sustained him as a ruthless tool.

As if anticipating Elliott's reaction, Gruber slowly took out a small hairpin inlaid with a simple pearl from his pocket.

He gently placed it on the wooden box beside him, then smiled and said:

"Look, we can even guarantee she'll receive the best care, far away from the storms of the Eastern Region and any accidents~"

Looking at the hairpin that vaguely reminded him of his childhood, Elite's strong inner defenses crumbled instantly.

The other party not only knew his top-secret code name, but also knew the hand signals that should not have been leaked within their organization, and even grasped his most fatal weakness that he thought no one in the world knew.

This terrifying, all-knowing power of infiltration far exceeded his imagination.

"What... exactly do you want?"

Elliott's voice was dry and hoarse, and his hand on the hilt of his sword trembled slightly.

He realized that he seemed to be caught in a huge vortex, but for the safety of his birth mother and his longing to reunite with her, he simply could not refuse this devil's request.

"It's very simple."

Gruber's voice possessed an undeniable magic, like a devil tempting humanity to fall:

"We need you, who failed in your mission, to return to Duke Mosilis's service and continue as his most loyal 'Agent 014,' awaiting new instructions."

"It's just that at certain crucial moments, we need you... well, to look at things from a different perspective."

"To reiterate, this doesn't mean betrayal; it's simply seeking a more lasting 'security' for you and your mother, isn't it, my dear friend?"

Gruber spoke gently, making no threats or promises of any benefits.

It was only in words that a despairing, all-encompassing sense of control was subtly revealed.

It's like a real abyss!
"..."

Upon hearing this, Elliott fell into a deathly silence.

At this moment, considering Zeke's hopeful yet fearful expression before arriving, and the almost omniscient intelligence-gathering ability that the other party displayed,...

He then realized that he was not facing a faction within the Empire, but a terrifying entity that was unfathomable and might not even be known to Duke Mosilis.

Refusal meant that the mother and son would disappear silently immediately.

If one accepts, one becomes a pawn of this unknown behemoth, and under its influence, becomes a traitor within the organization, betraying the Duke to whom one is loyal, and dies in the purge of traitors by one's comrades.

But at least... my mother survived.

Thinking of this, Elliott took a deep breath, the struggle in his eyes subsided into deathly stillness, replaced by a coldness deeper than ever before.

He bent slightly, picked up the hairpin, clutched it tightly in his palm, and then spoke to the other person in a hoarse voice:

"I understand. I will act according to your instructions. In return, I need to confirm my mother's safety. I must see it with my own eyes. You can do that, right?"

"Of course, my dear friend. Shadow Alliance never refuses reasonable requests from its partners; this has always been our principle. You'll understand later."

At that moment, Gruber's face revealed a genuine, satisfied smile.

He already knew from Elliott's performance.

A new, stronger chain has been voluntarily fastened around the neck of the other party.

And the other party will become a loyal dog of their side without complaint under this rope called kinship, until the other party is drained of all value and dies alone.

But who cares what happens to the weapons?
Gruber's smile grew even brighter, but his eyes were filled with an unprecedented coldness and cruelty.

After glancing contemptuously at Zeke's cold corpse on the ground, Gruber paused slightly, as if recalling his superior's instructions, then smiled and spoke to Ellit, whose expression was complex:

"While we would love to fulfill your urgent need to see your birth mother immediately, for safety reasons, we are afraid we need to take some time to ensure the safety of this meeting in order to avoid any regrettable accidents."

"So, before that, let's talk about something else."

"In fact, we have already constructed a perfect script for the ending of Count Jike, and the performance of this script is to be conveyed to the outside world and to your Duke as a 'witness'."

"Therefore, I hope you will listen carefully to my explanation and keep it in mind, Your Excellency Earl's Deputy, Mr. Elliott Giger."

……

(End of this chapter)