The Assassin's Seven Principles of Manipulation

Chapter 16: Chapter 15 — Unease

’We’re fucked!’

Tobias could practically hear his heart pounding against his chest as he pushed through the dark caves.

They were currently entering a sacred place created by a being said to stand equal to the Ten Thrones!

A place normal people avoided.

A place sane people avoided.

And somehow, he had ended up walking straight into it.

”We have to go in deeper!”

The shout came from Noss, who led the group at the front, with the warriors moving at Zephyrion’s front and back. Their only source of light were the flickering fire sticks they had hastily lit when they entered.

Tobias stared at the dark tunnel ahead and felt his soul quietly trying to leave his body.

’Deeper...?’

His grip tightened slightly.

’Why in the Iron Father’s name would anyone want to go deeper?’

It was cold, eerie, and oppressive. With every step he took, Tobias felt an increasingly powerful urge to turn around and run in the opposite direction.

Eventually, Tobias forced his wildly beating heart to calm down and glanced back over his shoulder.

’They stopped following us.’

He could barely see anything behind them, but the presence of their attackers had vanished. Clearly, they had decided it wasn’t worth chasing them into the creation of a calamity.

’Whew...’

Tobias let out a relieved breath, his shoulders loosening slightly.

As the surge of adrenaline slowly faded, he suddenly became aware of the heavy weight pressing against his back. Glancing behind him, he grimaced when he noticed the massive backpack still strapped there.

’Ah, shit.’

In his panic, he had run with it without even realizing it.

For a moment he considered tossing the entire thing aside.

Then his eyes slowly narrowed as a thought surfaced in his mind.

’Hmm... this might actually work.’

With all the high-grade junk he had crammed inside, the bag was practically a portable wall. It might even block an attack once.

Well... as long as it wasn’t from a Herald.

He gulped.

Clearing his thoughts, Tobias let his gaze drift forward until it eventually settled on his lord. Even in this situation, the young heir looked calm and completely unmoved.

’What the hell is he...?’

He’d heard rumors about Zephyrion before his disappearance. The genius child who had shattered every record and was destined to become the next ruler of Calderalth. But the same genius had been presumed dead for seven years.

After shockingly being assigned to him, Tobias had spent the entire journey wondering what kind of person he was going to meet.

However, after everything he had just witnessed, it was hard to believe they were even the same age.

’Dynasty heirs really are built different.’

Tobias let out a quiet sigh before shifting his gaze again until it landed on Noss. His brows slowly furrowed.

’He looks like he knows exactly where he’s going...’

With nothing but the dim glow of their fire sticks, Noss continued leading them through the twisting network of tunnels without the slightest hesitation.

It didn’t look like the movements of someone fleeing for his life, but of someone calmly navigating familiar ground.

’Aren’t we deep enough already?’

Their pursuers had disappeared long ago. By now they should have stopped to regroup and recover.

Yet Noss continued pushing them deeper into the cavern.

’They’ve noticed it too.’

The other warriors were exchanging wary glances with one another before turning their attention toward Noss.

’I really don’t like this.’

Moments later, as they burst into a wide cavern, Tobias quickly squeezed his way past the warriors until he reached Zephyrion’s side.

”My lord... there’s something wrong about all this.”

He leaned closer and whispered.

”....”

Zephyrion simply gave him a silent look before turning away without saying a word.

’Didn’t he hear me?’

Tobias frowned, wondering if he should raise his voice. As a bonafide coward, his sense of danger had always been exceptionally sharp, and the intensity with which it prickled across his skin made the urgency of the situation painfully clear.

He was about to speak again when the Whitesteel warriors suddenly stopped.

”Hey. This is deep enough.”

”Yes, I can’t feel their presence anymore.”

”We must have lost them.”

The warriors seemed to have reached their limit, their gazes narrowing as they looked toward Noss ahead of the group.

The man, however, remained strangely silent.

”We’ll settle down here, young lord. We’ll send a scout to check the situation outside before deciding what to do.”

”Alright.”

As Zephyrion calmly nodded, the other warriors fanned out across the cavern, attempting to secure the area and make sure it was safe.

’Why is he just standing there?’

However, Tobias’ wary gaze never left Noss. Through the unsteady flicker of the firelight, he suddenly caught sight of the faint outline of a grin slowly spreading across the man’s face.

Tobias’ heart stopped.

Before he could even think, he threw himself in front of Zephyrion, using his massive backpack to shield them both.

”Now.”

Noss’ cold voice echoed through the cavern.

Swoosh!

Tobias only heard the sharp whizzing of projectiles slicing through the air before something slammed violently into his bag.

’Shit! Another ambush!?’

”My lord, take cover behind me!”

Tobias shouted with a panicked expression as he crouched low behind the backpack while attacks continued to slam against it.

He couldn’t help but silently thank the Iron Father that he had decided to drag this pile of junk along with him.

”Ambush!”

”Protect the young lord!”

”Take cover—ark!”

The warriors drew their blades and tried to fight back against the relentless barrage, but it wasn’t long before the heavy thuds of bodies hitting the ground reached Tobias’ ears.

’No! No! No! How!?’

Calderalth warriors were the elite of the elite, how could they possibly be losing!?

As more thuds followed, Tobias felt his mind spiraling. Had Noss been working with them all along? He knew something about that man had felt wrong the moment he saw him. A man didn’t have eyes that mean without being evil!

Tobias bit his tongue.

’We have to escape.’

The attackers were focused on the warriors. It was now or never. Fixing his gaze on the exit behind them, Tobias’ expression hardened with resolve. He glanced back at Zephyrion, who remained silently crouched behind him.

”Young lord, we have to—”

Thud!

Tobias froze as a warrior came crashing down right in front of him. A thick metal spike jutted from the man’s neck, warm liquid spilling freely from the wound.

”Uh... blood...”

A wave of dizziness struck him instantly and darkness flooded his vision.

He collapsed to the ground the next moment.