The Assassin's Seven Principles of Manipulation

Chapter 32: Chapter 31 — Three Weeks

Zephyrion exhaled deeply, steadying himself.

’Let’s see if it was worth it.’

He entered his mind space and focused on his metal rune. A faint smile appeared on his face.

Compared to before, a significant portion of the rune was now free, though it had yet to fully reach the next mark.

’More than half.’

It would have taken him three months to clear the third mark of the metal rune, but now he estimated it would take, at most, three weeks.

’Good.’

A flicker of satisfaction rose within him, born partly from his advancement, and partly from the confirmation of his theory.

He could use elixirs to accelerate the clearing of the fog.

Now, slow advancement was no longer an immediate concern. With this, his problem was, for the most part, resolved.

Well... partially resolved.

’I still need more.’

He had been fortunate to find this one when he did, but he couldn’t rely on such luck moving forward.

’As expected, nothing came.’

In the past, many of the high and lesser houses would have showered him with gifts in an attempt to gain his favor.

However, while he had received numerous letters and visitors congratulating him on his return, he hadn’t received a single resource or offering.

It was understandable. Doing so would be a clear declaration of support, one that could easily earn them the ire of his sister.

’They’re still observing.’

Having only just returned after seven years, none of the houses were certain of his current strength or potential.

In a situation like this, supporting Ingrid, the head of a great line was the safer and more reasonable choice.

And he couldn’t rely on the house either. Though Calderalth possessed an immense amount of resources, its core doctrine was simple; strength through tempering. They raised their descendants like blades, pushing them to their limits until they became unbreakable steel.

It was not a house that gave freely. From his past experience, the only way to obtain anything in Calderalth was through results... through proving one’s worth.

Back then, when he had awakened at five and risen to vessel rank, a flood of valuable resources had been poured into him. However, now that he had only just returned, it was highly unlikely anything would be given so easily.

’Then I’ll have to prove my worth.’

Given the current situation, there was only one place that came to mind.

’The training grounds.’

Coming to this conclusion, he decided to stop his training for now.

He fixed his gaze on Lumi. The small girl was still standing in the exact spot she had taken before he began his training. She hadn’t moved an inch.

”Lumi.”

Lumi turned to him, then blinked. Her eyes instantly lit up as she pointed at him and waved.

”Yes. I’m done.”

She ran up to him with a bright, kitten-like smile, only to stop just before him. Her brows slowly furrowed as she stared intently at the bed, a small frown forming on her face.

’What’s she looking at?’

She turned to Zephyrion with a firm gaze, pointed at the bed, then at him, before mimicking what he could only interpret as someone peeing.

Zephyrion tilted his head slightly. Did she... did she just call him a bed wetter?

”What are you talking about? I didn’t—”

As his gaze dropped, he froze at the sight of the large wet patch spread across the bed beneath him.

”...Ah.”

Zephyrion nodded faintly, realizing the situation.

’It’s sweat.’

He had sweated so much during training that it had pooled across the bed. He simply hadn’t noticed, already drenched as he was.

He frowned as he felt something gently brush against his hair.

Lumi had climbed onto the bed despite its dampness and was carefully brushing through his wet hair, nodding softly with a gentle smile, as though trying to reassure him.

For a brief moment, Zephyrion found himself without a response. He let out a quiet sigh.

”It’s not pee. It’s sweat.”

As Zephyrion rose from the bed, he saw Lumi shaking her head before brushing her palm across her chest, as if insisting otherwise.

Zephyrion frowned.

”I’m not lying.”

Lumi only smiled and shook her head again.

Zephyrion exhaled slowly.

’...Why am I even explaining this?’

He fixed his gaze on her, then glanced at the damp bed, a thought suddenly forming.

”Then smell it.”

Lumi’s eyes widened instantly, her face scrunching up in disgust as she took a step back, shaking her head vigorously.

At that point, Zephyrion’s glare could have pierced through steel. He turned away, muttering under his breath about why he even cared, and headed into the bathroom to freshen up.

Several moments later, he stepped out to the strange sight of Lumi quietly sniffing the bed.

He frowned.

”What are you doing?”

Lumi flinched and quickly straightened. She turned toward him and began shaking her head frantically, but the moment her eyes landed on him, she froze.

”...Why are you looking at me like that?”

Her eyes widened further, and a deep flush began to rise up her neck. She hastily covered her eyes with both palms.

A moment later, her fingers parted slightly as if to peek. The redness on her face deepened even more, as though heat was rising off her in waves. She shook her head fervently and turned away at once.

Zephyrion watched the entire display with a deepening frown. Because of his appearance?

At the moment, only a towel was wrapped around his lower body, leaving his chiseled, scarred upper body fully exposed.

Though Lumi had always stayed close to him, even back at the Order, he realized she had never seen him bare-chested before.

Dismissing her reaction, Zephyrion finished cleaning himself and changed into a set of comfortable clothes.