The Assassin's Seven Principles of Manipulation

Chapter 348: Chapter 343 — Spy

Zephyrion suppressed the urge to frown. Then, after a brief pause, he answered, ”...I was considering how useful Ferravry could be to us once he wakes.”

Demorian stared at him strangely for a moment, and Zephyrion calmly held his gaze, maintaining his usual cold expression without allowing even the slightest hint of emotion to leak through.

Then, a moment later, Demorian grinned.

”Exactly! Now you’re seeing the fucking vision!” Demorian slapped his chest proudly. ”Honestly, I don’t mean to brag, but that bastard was basically my sidekick back in the day, both on the battlefield and with the ladies. Mostly the battlefield, because obviously I needed no assistance with the ladies.

”But Ferravry? He’s a real one. And even better, he hates Frost almost as much as I do! That bastard took his best friend from him.”

Demorian grinned confidently.

”So relax, protege. When he wakes up, I’ll do all the talking. He’ll help us.”

Zephyrion barely managed to keep his brows from twitching.

”...wonderful.”

”Exactly! So stop torturing that poor brain of yours. This ancestor will handle everything.”

’Perfect. Of all the things you could possibly do, do exactly the one thing I don’t want you to do.’

Zephyrion nodded, forcing a small smile.

As Demorian laughed and began rambling about his past adventures with Ferravry, Zephyrion took it as his cue and promptly left. Opening his eyes beneath the tree in the dark forest, he couldn’t help but sigh.

He’d hoped Demorian’s news would help take his mind off Ingrid, only for the ancestor to somehow add even more burdens to his shoulders.

’I need to deal with this before Ferravry wakes up. But after Ingrid...’

He’d told enough truths for one day already. As annoying as it was, there was no choice but to leave the matter for later.

Yet the moment he reached that conclusion, his thoughts inevitably returned to the confrontation ahead, and the anxiety he’d managed to suppress slowly began creeping back in.

’...why isn’t she here yet?’

It had been almost fifteen minutes already. Or... was she simply not coming?

Zephyrion drew in a deep breath, deciding to use the one thing he believed could actually help him calm down in this situation.

’Metal Trance.’

His eyes flushed white, and the world around him took on a faint, shimmering luster.

It was a subset of the Eryndor art that Zephyrion had figured out the moment he first used it. Though it wasn’t obvious at first, the Eryndor art was actually composed of two powerful arts working in tandem.

First came the trance, and then the dance.

The trance allowed the user to connect to the rhythm of metal through the WorldPulse, almost as though their consciousness had become attuned to every piece of metal within the world around them. The dance then allowed them to interact with that metal and control it.

This time, however, Zephyrion used only the trance.

His mind entered an ethereal, static state where thoughts ceased to exist and there was only metal.

Zephyrion loved the peace.

Then, without warning, he snapped out of the trance.

He was on his feet in an instant, the rod morphing into a blade as his gaze locked onto a tree several meters away. Or more precisely, the space just beneath it.

”Come out. Now.”

Nothing but silence answered him.

Zephyrion’s fingers twitched, and metal rapidly formed around him, taking the shape of gleaming spikes that glinted beneath the silver moon.

”I won’t ask again.”

”Haha, alright, alright. You found me. Stand down, Prime, no need to turn me into a pincushion.”

Pitch darkness suddenly swallowed the spot before bursting apart, revealing a figure of average height with sharp eyes stepping out from within.

”How’s it going?” He smiled, even raising a hand in greeting. ”Prime.”

Zephyrion’s eyes gradually turned cold.

”Horus...”

The innocent, endearing and energetic cadet he’d spent the past few months with. Horus had always been eager and helpful, ready to listen to practically every order Zephyrion gave him.

But now, there wasn’t a trace of that innocence on his face, only coldness and calculation.

It was like Zephyrion was looking at an entirely different person.

”Oh, come on, Prime, don’t give me that look.” Horus gave a small smile. ”You had to suspect something. I left you hints and everything.”

The strange words Horus had said just after Zephyrion handled Lumi’s matter, along with that odd question at the table. Both were moments Zephyrion had every intention of investigating eventually, but he’d never imagined the answer behind them would carry this much significance.

’Ignore the surprise. Find out what he knows.’

He forced his thoughts back under control. Right now, he needed to take control of the conversation.

”...I almost didn’t sense you. You got surprisingly close.”

A question that wasn’t quite a question. Suggestive enough to get him talking.

”Almost?” Horus chuckled. ”Prime, you weren’t supposed to sense me at all. Honestly, I’m a little offended that you did. Then again, you never noticed me the other times, so I suppose the relic still deserves some credit. You really are a frightening bastard, huh?”

’Other times. So he’s done this before.’

Terrible.

That meant there was simply no telling how many of his secrets Horus had already discovered.

”Well, since you’re obviously dying to know, it’s because of this.”

Horus raised one hand and gestured towards a pitch-black ring wrapped around his finger. Zephyrion had almost missed it against the darkness of the night, but the moment his gaze settled on it, a chill ran down his spine.

A strange energy continuously swirled around the ring. It was undoubtedly a relic, but...

’What the hell is that element?’

The only element Zephyrion knew that was associated with darkness was Shadow. But he’d fought his fair share of Shadow Ascendants before. He knew what the element felt like, the absence of light, something cold and deathly, but this...

This wasn’t it.

This felt like... nothingness. Silence and absence.

Horus caught his narrowed stare and grinned. ”Let me guess. The great Prime finally found something he can’t figure out?”

”....”

”Haha! That face says everything.” Horus looked unbearably pleased with himself. ”Of course you don’t know. My master gave it to me, after all.”

”Frost.”