The Assassin's Seven Principles of Manipulation

Chapter 381: Chapter 376 — Chasm

’...I’m trying to focus.’

Demorian let out a long, exasperated sigh, sounding like a father who had finally grown tired of his son’s disappointing behavior.

’Fine, fine! Since you’re so determined to live like a damned monk, at least satisfy this old man’s curiosity. Why are you treating that boy like something you scraped off your boot? Wouldn’t it be easier to work your usual manipulative magic and get him on your side?’

Zephyrion considered whether he should explain himself, but after a moment, decided there was little point in keeping it from him.

’It’s better for me if he hates me.’

’Huh? Now how does that make any sense?’

’I need to enter Aerelith territory without anyone finding out, and having him around makes that difficult. Given our history, he wouldn’t hesitate to report anything suspicious to Greywatch. Even if I somehow convinced him to cooperate, I couldn’t trust him not to betray me out of spite. This mission is supposed to last two weeks. If I suddenly disappear, he might report me just to get me into trouble, and that could trigger a search.

’Greywatch sending powerful warriors to look for me would draw unnecessary attention to the border and possibly alert the Aerelith. Getting past their defenses will already be difficult when they aren’t expecting me. If they know I’m coming, it’ll be practically impossible.’

’Alright, alright, I understand that much. But how does treating the boy like crap solve any of it?’

’I want him to hate me enough to do something stupid,’ Zephyrion explained. ’If I’m lucky, he’ll try to kill me during this mission. That would give me sufficient grounds to kill him in return. Then I can slip away, complete my mission, and return to report what happened.’

’Ha! Since when did you start relying on luck? And what if the boy has enough brains left in that thick skull of his not to try anything?’

’Then I’ll kill him anyway and blame the Gravemaws. The way I’ve been treating him should’ve pushed him close to his limits by now. Even if he doesn’t intend to kill me, he’ll be desperate to prove he’s better than me. Which means he’ll probably rush forward at the first sign of danger, hoping to show me up. I can use that.’

Demorian fell silent for a moment, and Zephyrion could practically sense the old ancestor’s approval.

’Not bad, protégé. Not bad at all. But you’ve overlooked one rather important detail.’

Zephyrion frowned, his gaze shifting towards the town head trailing nervously behind him.

’Him.’

’Exactly! Him! Kill Possum, and that old fellow will be standing right there watching. You think kissing your ass has made him loyal enough to lie about witnessing a murder?’

’No...’

’Ah, there it is! That look! The famous I-don’t-give-a-damn-about-anyone look. Very convincing, protégé. Unfortunately, I’m not buying it.’

Demorian paused briefly before continuing.

’You can put on that cold face and manipulate people all you like, but I don’t think you have the stomach to murder someone truly innocent. Look at that poor old fellow. He’s spent his life minding his own business. Probably has a loving wife at home, a few children waiting for their father to return. You really think you can look a man like that in the eye and kill him in cold blood?’

’...you don’t know me nearly as well as you think.’

He’d taken lives in the Order, lots of lives. While it was true he’d never actually killed an innocent, having dealt mostly with scum and corrupt individuals, that didn’t necessarily mean he wouldn’t do so if the situation demanded it.

’Oh? Then tell me, protégé. When the time comes, what exactly are you going to do with that poor old man?’

Zephyrion stared at the town head, his gaze turning cold. After several seconds, he looked away and quickened his pace.

’I’ll deal with it when the time comes.’

’Of course you will, protégé. Of course you will. What a wonderfully reassuring answer!’

The smugness in the ancestor’s voice was starting to grate on his nerves. Zephyrion tuned him out, taking a slow breath as he returned his attention to the matter at hand.

’They’re close. I can feel it.’

The only problem was... where?

’Let’s see if this works.’

Zephyrion suddenly stopped and closed his eyes, allowing his senses to spread through the world around him.

’Thousandpulse.’

Like ripples spreading across a pond, the world around him gradually came alive to his senses. Since advancing to mark two, his connection with WorldPulse had deepened considerably, allowing him to perceive even the slightest disturbances more than a kilometer away with remarkable clarity.

He could feel the morning breeze sweeping through the valley, rustling the lush vegetation and tugging gently at his clothes. High above, a flock of birds soared in formation, their wings beating steadily as they chirped. Farther away, a snake suddenly lunged at its prey, sinking its fangs into it before beginning to swallow it whole.

’Come on... there has to be something.’

Zephyrion gradually narrowed the range of his perception, filtering out the countless disturbances around him until he finally detected something unusual. A faint ripple, coming from somewhere a short distance away.

Opening his eyes, he fixed his gaze on a large slab of rock lying inconspicuously at the foot of a small hill and quickly approached it.

There was nothing particularly unusual about the slab or its surroundings. In fact, unlike the other areas he’d examined, there weren’t even any signs of battle nearby.

Possum and the village head soon noticed his sudden change in direction. The former remained where he was, glaring daggers at Zephyrion’s back, while the latter hesitated briefly before cautiously approaching.

”My lord Lightning Prince... have you found something? Are the beasts hiding here?”

Frowning at the slab for several seconds, Zephyrion eventually spoke.

”Possibly.”

He drew upon the WorldPulse, enveloping the slab in Metal Aura before effortlessly flinging it aside.

The village head’s eyes widened in shock.

”W-what in the...!”

’So that’s where they’ve been hiding.’

Beneath the slab was a gaping, pitch-black hole that seemed to descend endlessly into the earth. Possum’s expression also shifted as he stared at the opening. After a moment, however, he clenched his fists and shot Zephyrion a cold, determined look.

Zephyrion glanced at both of them before taking a step towards the opening.

”Let’s head down—”

Suddenly, a thunderous shout erupted from the depths of the chasm.

”ASHRAEL!!!!”