Chapter 54: A Zone of Silence

"See you tomorrow, Reyn. I’ll be expecting a gift from you soon, okay?"

"Of course, but don’t expect it too soon."

"As long as I get one, I won’t mind."

I waved Anna off as I dropped her by her estate. By now, the guards at the gate had grown used to my presence. One of them even bowed the moment I left.

A massive step up from the usual glares I used to receive.

"Trish should still be helping Father by now... which means I have pretty much nothing to do. Maybe I should stop by the training room to talk to Yuria—"

I stopped as I heard a commotion in a nearby alley. Well, it wasn’t exactly a commotion, but to my hearing, I supposed it counted as one.

By now, my mana had grown so much from passive training that even the assessment version of me would struggle to match it. And not just my reserves; my control had improved as well.

Definitely not on the level of the novel’s top tiers, but refined enough that I could nearly perfectly regulate the mana around my ears. Enhanced hearing, but not so sensitive that the slightest noise could destroy me like before.

Like how Aqua’s footsteps hadn’t shattered my hearing despite my senses being keen enough to hear sounds from John’s room.

"Who’s there?"

I turned around, slinging my briefcase behind my shoulder as I tapped my foot. If someone wanted to bother me, they should just get it over with.

TWANG!

The sound of a bowstring releasing caught my attention as I stepped back, an arrow planting deep into the gaps of the cobblestone road.

"An ambush...?"

I turned to look at the source of the arrow.

Then multiple footsteps rushed at me. Whoever they were, they were efficient. They didn’t even bother giving me the classic ominous shadowy silhouette.

They were in it for the kill.

I turned around, catching the first ambusher by the wrist before enhancing my entire body with mana.

CRACK!

I snapped his elbow before kicking him straight into a nearby brick wall. The next one arrived just as quickly.

BOOM!

A point-blank blast from an overloaded light orb sent him flying without issue. But as if that wasn’t enough, three more bowstrings being pulled echoed from the rooftops.

Each archer was like a living shadow, either dark magic users, or they were using some artifact or potion.

I couldn’t describe them even if I wanted to.

SNAP!

A dozen radiant chains erupted from where my left foot was, each one launching toward the archers on the rooftops and dragging them to the ground with a sickly thud.

Likely breaking bones from the landing.

"I’ll spare you guys if you just tell me what’s going on."

I said with a smile, snapping my fingers as I twisted the chains, using the incapacitated archers like flails to smash through the ground attackers, sending each one flying.

THUD!

THUD!

THUD!

One by one they crashed through crates and walls. Honestly, I had no idea why no one had woken up yet to call the guards.

That was something to be suspicious about as well.

"They weren’t exaggerating."

A particular voice rang through my ears beyond the chaos. Beyond the grunts and silent screams of the trained assassins...

It was John’s voice, in a tone that was likely meant only for him. He was speaking out-loud, not expecting anyone to hear him at all.

Was he the one who planned this?

"Come out!"

I yelled, converging my magic into the spot beside me as all the chains collapsed into the tiny space, dragging both the archers and the ground attackers into a pile in the center of the street.

If I had to guess, there were dozens of them.

But to be honest...

Lucius, Celeste, and Aqua were worth more than all of them combined.

The pile of bodies groaned and shifted, but none of them rose. Whoever these attackers were, they’d been trained for silence. The chains held them tight, radiant links pulsing with enough mana to keep even a mage of decent rank pinned.

I turned toward the source of the voice, the alley mouth just ahead where the shadows seemed to gather a little too naturally.

"You know, most people just send a letter if they want to talk. John."

John Ferrum stepped out of the darkness. He wasn’t hiding anymore. His posture was relaxed, hands in his pockets, but his sharp eyes were fixed on me with an intensity that didn’t match the friendly transfer student act.

"Lord Brimstone. I was hoping we could have a conversation without all this."

He gestured vaguely at the groaning pile of assassins.

"Then maybe you shouldn’t have sent them first. Also, not to be rude, but it’s kind of dumb showing yourself after I just defeated a dozen people."

"It’s no use. You already heard my voice, didn’t you?"

Oh?

"You could tell?"

"Hard not to."

I clicked my tongue, tapping my foot as I summoned three radiant chains, their sharpened tips aimed behind me before I unleashed them.

SLASH!

SLASH!

SLASH!

They struck three assassins deep in the knee, and they crumpled immediately, curling in pain on the ground. But just like the others, even their agony was absurdly quiet.

And after that, I could see John starting to sweat.

Whatever I’d just done, I was guessing I wasn’t supposed to hear them.

"Your hearing... they never told me about that."

He said it more to himself than to me, but I was already preoccupied with something else.

No one had woken up from the commotion. Not a single window had lit up. Not a single guard had come running.

Half curious, I removed the enhanced hearing from my ears for just a second.

And immediately, all I could hear was...

Well...

Absence.

Everything was silent. I even muttered something to myself, just to test it, and I couldn’t hear my own voice.

This entire place was compromised.

They were more prepared than I thought.

But that didn’t matter. Whoever this John Ferrum was, I doubted he could fight me in a straight battle. That meant he either had a trump card, or he was overconfident and overestimating himself.

The latter was far more preferable. Maybe I could borrow the Anna strategy and allow myself to get subdued, see how Trish would react.

Knowing her, she’d panic at my disappearance, connect the dots between the new transfer student and the Bank of Aurion, and then—

Well, that was a thought for later.

I returned my enhanced hearing.

"And I wasn’t exactly told you’re the type to have assassins. Or whatever these things are. So I guess we’re both equally in the dark."