TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun
Illustrations: Here
"She's tied up."
Jang Woohee, who brought lon secured with rope, looked at .
"Um, good work," I responded, my eyes resting on the unconscious lon that was now tightly bound.
······She was thoroughly tied up.
Not just her hands and feet, but even her thighs and shoulders were tightly tied with no room for wriggle.
She resembled a cocooned insect.
Noctar seed impressed.
"Ho, even an orc can't move if it's tied up like that. But when will she wake up? It doesn't look like it'll be any ti soon."
"She should remain in this state for at least ten minutes," I said, looking down at her with indifference.
She wasn't unconscious due to external injuries.
Assassins are usually accustod to enduring pain, possessing high tenacity stats.
A seasoned veteran like lon wouldn't faint from just a slight cut on her thigh or a superficial knife wound in the abdon.
The cause of her fainting was the special effect of Moonflower's 'Moon Explosion'.
It induces a random abnormal state in the opponent when after a certain number of attacks or after dealing a certain level of damage.
The current abnormal state afflicting lon is 'unconsciousness'.
'Of course, this is not the true ability of [Moonflower].'
An effect of this caliber isn't enough to consider it a legendary weapon.
Even in the original ga, Moonflower is a legendary weapon bordering on the mythical grade.
There is another special effect.
Moon Murder.
An ability that can only be used once a year.
After reaching a certain number of attacks or dealing a certain level of damage, it literally 'destroys' the target.
Though it's overwhelmingly powerful, I cannot use it.
Only individuals with a special bloodline can wield it.
In this regard, only Jang Woohee and her father—the leader of Equilibrium—can use it in the original ga.
The reason why the leader of Equilibrium earned a reputation as the best assassin on the continent was, to so extent, due to Moonflower.
······I say 'to so extent' because Jang Woohee's father is a monster, even without Moonflower.
The special effect of Moonflower only matters if it lands on the opponent; if it misses, it's worthless.
Even without Moonflower, the man could take on a top-ranking hero team solo.
"Uh, ugh..."
lon woke up.
She quickly surveyed her condition, glanced at our team, and mumbled with her head hanging low.
"······Are you going to kill ?"
"Yes," I replied, crossing my arms and looking down at her.
"There doesn't seem to be any mages around. What trick did you use? That flash of light before my eyes-"
"Too much talking," I interjected, cutting off lon's words.
lon let a resigned sigh.
"······sigh. I thought if I were ever caught, it would be by the professors or third or fourth-year students from the Hero Departnt. Yet I'm caught by five first years..."
lon, resigned to her fate, continued to mumble.
Despite facing death, she kept talking.
'Hmm. Just as expected.'
Just like in the original ga, lon wasn't a high-ranking mber of 'Turning White'.
Her position was only slightly higher than Francis'.
'It would be better to spare her life.'
In the original ga, Neike accidentally killed her.
But things are different now.
Most importantly... taking lon's life now wouldn't be beneficial.
On the contrary, it could lead to bigger problems.
If lon was cut off from 'Turning White', they might send soone stronger to the academy.
lon kept rambling.
"······sigh. I should have just stuck to what I was doing. I got involved in this thinking I would beco rich-"
"We can let you live," I cut her off.
"······what?"
lon looked up at , eyes wide.
"Of course, it's up to you. Are you interested?"
"······."
lon's gaze darted back and forth.
"Answer ."
But no matter how much she mulled it over, the answer would remain the sa.
Nothing is more important than life.
In this situation, there's only one answer.
"······Spare ."
"······."
I calmly stared at her.
However, a powerful aura emanating from both my enhanced [Twisted Noble's Dignity] and [Natural Power] burst forth.
Even Jang Woohee and Amy, who were on my side, were taken aback.
lon cried out with a terrified expression.
"Spare . Ah, no. Please spare ! I... I don't want to die yet. As I said before, I only joined because they promised a lot of money. I had no ill intentions! Please, please... save . Huhuhuk······."
lon sobbed violently, writhing in distress.
I furrowed my brow.
"······You're noisy."
"I-I'm so, so sorry. Huhuk. But... please, please... show rcy. In fact, since being deployed at the academy, I haven't killed anyone."
A tear hung from her lower eyelid.
Of course, I didn't believe in such tears.
What mattered was whether she could be of help to .
"Where is your hideout?"
"Ah. Th-that... If you, if you walk north for about 5 minutes, you should see a big tree───”
lon imdiately disclosed its location.
It was exactly where it was in the original ga.
I arrived at lon's hideout without delay.
It was a run-down log cabin, hidden by tall trees and overgrown grass.
The reason for coming here was simple.
'There should be sothing worth taking.'
Since Francis had the [Amplification Orb], it was highly likely that lon possessed sothing comparable.
In the original ga, she t an accidental death by falling off a steep cliff, so the item was never revealed.
I'd checked her earlier without success, so it must be here.
"Hmm."
I inspected the cramped log cabin carefully with my enhanced [Observer's Eye].
Shortly after, I noticed an oddity on the floor.
'There it is.'
A small irregularity that would've escaped an ordinary [Observer's Eye].
Creak--
I gently pried open the wooden cover on the floor.
Inside lay two small daggers.
I recognized them instantly.
'Roo' and 'Juliet'.
A pair of daggers crafted by a famous dwarf artisan.
This ga does love its references, even when it cos to naming daggers... Haaah.
Anyway, these paired daggers are sturdier and sharper than ordinary ones.
However, their true value shines when used for throwing.
As one can guess from their nas, these daggers do not like to be separated.
So, a magic has been cast on them, allowing them to return to each other.
Of course, you need to charge it with magic power exactly like [Magic Cartridge].
'So, it was here.'
I pocketed 'Roo and Juliet'.
A quite useful item.
Though it's a hero-grade item, it can be handier than most legend-grade items, depending on how it's used.
Perfect for exploiting an enemy's weak point.
An unexpected dagger throw could catch an opponent off guard.
Sure, for others, mastering throwing might be a challenge, but I have the [Observer's Eye].
Around , there is Jang Woohee, Amy, and Eshild who possess excellent throwing skills.
By observing and practicing their skills, I can apply them in combat in no ti.
'It's a sha I can only use these when no one's watching.'
Bringing external items or artifacts is only permitted from the third year onwards.
The [Amplification Orb] I frequently use is small and less likely to be found... but 'Roo and Juliet' aren't as easy to hide.
Yet, they're too valuable to leave behind.
Either way, I've hit the jackpot.
Creeeeak...
With a bounce in my step, I erged from the hideout and reunited with my team.
"······What happened?"
lon lay curled up at my feet.
"Oh, Theo's here? After you left, she kept babbling about offering us a treasure if we untied her. So, I made sure she couldn't talk."
Noctar grinned proudly.
lon lay unconscious, drool trickling from her mouth.
There were no visible injuries.
She probably received a solid orc beating.
"······I see."
...
"Let's go back. Jang Woohee, tightly tie her behind the tree."
"Understood."
So, we securely bound lon and boarded a carriage back to the Academy.
'I need to et Rok.'
I have to persuade lon so that 'Turning White' believes nothing happened, but we can't keep her bound like this.
***
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