The Assassin's Seven Principles of Manipulation

Chapter 255: Chapter 251 — Maegorion

”Summon your inheritance. I want to talk to him.”

Kaelith’s eyes narrowed with caution. Then, realizing Zephyrion hadn’t even come for him, Kaelith’s expression darkened.

”Why the fuck would I do that? You think because I’m chained up you can just walk in here and start giving me orders?”

A smile slowly spread across his face.

”Hate to break it to you, but this? This is nothing. You can’t do shit to me. And in case you haven’t noticed, you’ve only made your own life harder.”

”I’m an heir. No matter how talented you think you are, I carry one of the strongest beings from the past. I’m destined to surpass you.

”And trust me... when that day comes... I’ll remember every second of this. I’ll make you pay for every—”

”He’s not talking to you anymore, is he?”

Kaelith fell silent. The look in his eyes was all Zephyrion needed.

”Understandable,” Zephyrion said. ”If I ended up with someone this incompetent as my heir, I’d ignore him too.”

”You...!”

Zephyrion paid him no mind.

”Show yourself, inheritance. I want to speak to you.”

No answer.

Kaelith let out a short laugh.

”What do you think this is? He only answers to me. I’m his heir. Yo—”

”You might be angry at your heir,” Zephyrion cut in, his voice calm, ”but you still need him. Every moment of this test is being watched by the academy. But here’s the problem; they’re relying on hidden relics. No matter how advanced they are... they’ll never compare to human senses.”

He raised a hand, the air around it shimmering.

”Relics can be manipulated. To the academy... I’m asleep on the other side of the forest. No one knows I’m here.” He met Kaelith’s eyes. ”Do you understand what that means? I could cripple your heir right now... and no one would ever know who did it.”

Kaelith’s face darkened.

Zephyrion continued.

”Every cadet here hates you. As far as the academy’s concerned... there are too many suspects, and too many important ones. They’ll bury it. Your heir becomes useless. And your legacy rots away for decades... until the fool finally puts himself out of his misery.”

Kaelith’s eyes trembled.

”You... you wouldn’t dare! You think you can get away with this?! Someone would find out! My father would never let this go! It’d be war!”

Zephyrion paid him no mind. An impossibly thin blade formed along his finger. He slowly brought it to Kaelith’s forehead.

”The Cognition vein is the pathway responsible for comprehension. One prick, and he’ll never understand another thing for the rest of his life. Not even his own failure.”

The blade slowly descended.

”You fucking bastard!” Kaelith glared at him. ”You think I’m scared?! You can’t do it! You don’t have the guts! My father will never let this go! The academy won’t either! You’re bluffing!”

Zephyrion never replied. The blade continued its slow descent. The instant its tip pierced Kaelith’s skin, drawing a thin trickle of blood... Kaelith froze. His eyes began to tremble. Before the blade could sink any deeper, a brilliant light burst from his chest. From it’s depths, a ghostly old man materialized before them.

”Boy... you’d better drop that thing. Now.”

Zephyrion calmly regarded the inheritance. The old man looked frail with age, his beard completely grey. However, the pressure rolling off him was immense, bearing down heavily on Zephyrion.

He simply retracted the blade.

”Old man! The hell are you doing?! I didn’t tell you to come out—”

”Shut the fuck up.” The old man shot Kaelith a glare. ”If you’d listened to me even once in your pathetic life, you wouldn’t be standing here looking like an idiot. I told you to learn the difference between the eyes of a killer and everyone else’s.”

”B-but... he can’t actually do anything to me...”

”Fool. I warned you to stay away from him.” The old man glanced at Zephyrion. More specifically... his eyes.

”There’s no pretending behind those eyes.”

Kaelith swallowed hard and fell silent.

A deep scowl settled across the old man’s face as he regarded Zephyrion.

”Well, boy... you’ve got my attention. What do you want? Make it quick. I’m not getting any younger.”

”What’s your name?”

”...The balls on you.” The old man’s brows twitched.

”Who the hell do you think you’re talking to, boy? I stood at the top of this world before your grandparents’ sperm ever found their eggs. Don’t you ever talk down to me again.”

Zephyrion simply stared back without saying a word. The moonlight glinted off the thin blade in his hand.

That alone did all the talking.

A moment later, the old man gritted his teeth.

”Damn brat... alright. Maegorion.”

’Maegorion...’

Zephyrion suppressed a frown. He’d heard that name before.

”So? What the hell do you want?” Maegorion asked.

”I want you to do something for me after this test.”

”Such as?”

”I can’t tell you yet. I only need your assurance that, whatever it is, you’ll do it.”

Maegorion frowned. After a long silence, he asked in an unusually serious tone,

”Would it involve me doing anything degrading?” He paused for a moment, then added; ”...Especially sexual?”

Zephyrion frowned. The hell did this man take him for?

”...No.”

”Abandoning my heir?”

Kaelith paled.

’Hmm...’

Acquiring the inheritance would certainly be a tremendous boost to his strength, but he’d have to kill Kaelith first. That wasn’t worth the consequences, at least not inside the academy.

”No.”

Maegorion remained silent for a while before finally nodding.

”...Alright. In exchange for not harming my heir, I’ll owe you one favor. You have my word.”

Zephyrion tilted his head.

”That’s not enough reassurance.”

”...Excuse me?”

”Your word means nothing to me. What’s stopping you from changing your mind after this test? I won’t be able to threaten Kaelith like this once we’re back at the fortress. I’m sure you already know that.”

Maegorion’s expression grew wary.

”...Then what do you want?”

”I want to engrave the promise onto your source rune. Show it to me.”

”IMPOSSIBLE!”

The roar whipped Zephyrion’s hair and clothes backward. He didn’t so much as blink.

”Do you have any idea what you’re asking, boy?! You might as well ask for my life! There’s no difference!”

An inheritance’s source rune was everything. Its memories. Its power. Even the coding that granted Maegorion sentience. Allowing someone else to alter it was no different from handing them control over his very existence.

It was insanity.

Once again, Zephyrion simply stared. Without saying a word, the thin blade slowly lengthened. Moonlight glided along its edge, its reflection dancing within Maegorion’s eyes.

The old man gritted his teeth. He understood; Zephyrion wasn’t giving him another choice.

Several long moments passed in silence. Then, finally... the old man lowered his gaze before giving a reluctant nod.

”...Alright.”