"Just so we're clear—I'm only following the boss's orders. Otherwise, I wouldn't want to be in a team with you."
Mine looked reluctant.
"Yeah, yeah," Blayn replied casually.
Hearing his obviously perfunctory tone, Mine imdiately huffed.
"Mine, Blayn is stronger than you. If you keep acting like this, aren't you afraid he'll find a chance to get back at you later? Maybe grab you and bully you real hard~"
As she spoke, Chelsea mimicked a grabbing motion with both hands, her expression as sleazy as an old pervert.
"What?!"
Mine's face turned bright red as she hurriedly crossed her arms over her chest. She shot Blayn a furious glare. "Pervert!"
Blayn, looking helpless, waved his hands in denial. "No, no, no! I’d never do sothing like that. And Chelsea was the one who said it—why am I the one getting blad?"
"True, not everyone’s into airfields."
Chelsea covered her mouth, chuckling.
What she ant by "airfield" was obvious.
Mine instantly felt insulted. "Who are you calling an airfield?!"
"If little Mine wants to take it personally, there's nothing I can do about it."
Chelsea spread her hands innocently.
"You—!"
Mine was so mad her twin tails practically stood on end. But there was nothing she could do. She couldn’t outtalk Chelsea, and she definitely couldn’t beat her up—attacking a teammate wasn’t an option.
So all she could do was fu.
...
Blayn remained silent, deciding not to get involved in Mine and Chelsea's antics.
Still, despite her anger, Chelsea’s words had reminded Mine of sothing important.
Strictly speaking, Blayn wasn't really part of Night Raid. His ideals weren’t fully aligned with theirs; they were just temporarily working together.
Her teammates might tolerate her temper, but an outsider wouldn’t.
Maybe she really needed to watch herself.
"Seeing how close Mine and Chelsea are, I feel relieved," Najenda said with a smile.
"Hah? Where do you see us being close?!" Mine protested imdiately.
After so lighthearted banter, Blayn, Kuro, and the rest of Night Raid got ready to move out.
They split into two teams—Aka and Kuro were tasked with taking down Zanku the Beheader, while Blayn and the rest of Night Raid targeted Iokal, a relative of the Pri Minister.
…
Blayn and the others were making faster progress than Aka and Kuro since the two sisters wouldn't have a chance to confront Zanku the Beheader until late at night.
By now, they had already arrived near Iokal's estate—an enormous, extravagant mansion.
Located outside the Imperial Capital, the estate’s secluded position made it an ideal target for an assassination. However, Iokal's personal guards were no pushovers; they were all elite fighters from the Imperial Fist Temple. Without such protection, he wouldn’t have dared to build a mansion in such a place.
The estate itself was heavily guarded, making infiltration nearly impossible.
Blayn and Mine had already positioned themselves at a high vantage point—a hill not far from the estate—perfect for a sniper shot. From here, they had a clear view of most of the grounds.
"This is the best spot for a sniper kill. Once that bastard cos out, I'll take him down in one shot."
Mine had already set up her Pumpkin Cannon, eyes locked on the mansion.
"He's out," Blayn suddenly said.
"Huh? Where? I don't see him," Mine asked, confused.
"He just stepped out of his room. The angle is too obscure; he hasn’t reached the front gate yet. Wait until he gets there before you shoot—that’ll be the safest option," Blayn said calmly.
Mine was the designated sniper, yet Blayn seed to have an even sharper eye than she did.
"Tch, I don’t need you telling what to do."
She felt a sudden wave of irritation, as if her expertise was being challenged.
"He's coming," Blayn reminded her, ignoring her attitude.
Iokal was approaching the gate, surrounded by a group of maids dressed in elegant cheongsams. Two of them clung to his arms, making it significantly harder to take the shot without harming innocent bystanders.
Still, Blayn figured that since Najenda had entrusted the job to Mine, she must be more than capable. There was no need for him to say anything more.
"I know."
In an instant, Mine's entire deanor shifted—her focus sharpened, and her eyes burned with deadly intent.
"Watch closely—this magnificent shot!"
The mont her words fell, the Pumpkin Cannon fired.
A blast of energy streaked through the air in a perfect, unwavering line, piercing straight through Iokal’s forehead with pinpoint accuracy.
By the ti he registered the flash of light before his eyes, he was already dead.
His skull was completely obliterated, and as his lifeless body fell backward, the surrounding maids were still clueless about what had happened. The two won he had been holding remained unscathed.
A flawless assassination.
"What do you think? I am a genius sniper, after all," Mine boasted, her confidence unwavering. She didn't even bother to check her handiwork—she knew her shot was perfect.
"That was impressive. A perfect hit," Blayn praised without hesitation.
"...?"
Mine blinked in surprise.
She had made it abundantly clear that she disliked him. Most people would feel at least a little offended by that, yet Blayn didn’t seem to mind at all. Instead, he just outright complinted her without any hesitation or sarcasm.
"T-Thanks..."
She felt a little flustered.
But almost imdiately, she added, "Don’t get the wrong idea! I’m just being polite—it's not like I'm happy about it or anything."
Blayn tilted his head slightly. "...?"
He had no idea what she was trying to say, but he didn't dwell on it.
Now, their priority was to leave the area before reinforcents arrived. Sheele's group would handle the Imperial Fist Temple elites.
...
At that mont, several masked guards rushed out of the mansion.
"We have to capture the assassin at all costs! If we fail, Pri Minister Honest will have our heads!"
"The assassin can’t have gotten far—stay sharp!"
...
The Imperial Fist Temple guards charged in Blayn and Mine’s direction, but before they could get far, Sheele and the others intercepted them.
"Here they co~"
Leone cracked her knuckles, the sharp popping sounds echoing through the air as she grinned eagerly.
She was more than ready for a fight.
But then, they noticed sothing strange—there were supposed to be five guards.
Only four had shown up.
Where was the last one...?
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