Chapter 62: Good News

Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Good News

On hearing this, Morion nodded repeatedly. One of the captives they’d caught was already dead. If this one died too, they would be in serious trouble.

"Go find a carriage. We’ll put her on it in a moment."

Morion ordered a Personal Guard. Though she was a criminal who had tried to assassinate the Baron, she was of immense value and couldn’t be allowed to die. If they just threw her on a horse, the ride might jolt her to death.

While they waited, Morion turned to Vili and asked, "Vili, how did you realize there was something off about them?"

Vili smiled but didn’t answer. Instead, he walked to a wall on the other side of the room, reversed his grip on his Cross Sword, and slammed the pommel against the wall’s surface.

CLATTER, CLATTER. The wall tiles fell away. Behind them was a small, hidden space containing a bundle wrapped in smooth oilcloth. The bundle was tightly bound with a dense web of hemp rope.

"What is this?"

Morion looked at Vili in astonishment and hurried forward a few steps.

Vili met his gaze but said nothing.

"You, go open that bundle."

Morion commanded, pointing at one of his Personal Guards.

The Personal Guard acknowledged the order, walked over to the bundle, and crouched down. He used a Cross Sword to slice through the hemp rope, which was wound into a tight ball, and began to peel back the oilcloth.

"Hm?"

As just a corner of the oilcloth was lifted, Morion caught the faint scent of blood.

The Personal Guard also had a look of revulsion on his face, but bound by Morion’s command, he had to steel himself and open the bundle.

"Gag..."

When the bundle was completely unwrapped, the Personal Guard who opened it was overcome with nausea. If not for his rigorous training, he probably would have vomited right then and there.

Inside the bundle were neatly arranged, uniformly cut pieces of flesh. A quick glance suggested they belonged to a man and a woman.

"Wrap it back up! Wrap it up!"

Morion yelled, stumbling back several steps.

Fighting his nausea, the Personal Guard scrambled to wrap the oilcloth back around the remains.

Only then did the stench of blood in the air begin to fade.

"How did you discover that?"

Morion stared at the unfazed Vili, inwardly aghast.

The oilcloth was an excellent sealant. On top of that, the body parts were wrapped in several layers, tied with rope, and hidden behind the wall. When they had first entered the room to search, neither Morion nor the other Personal Guards had smelled any blood.

"I used to be a Hunter, so I’m sensitive to the smell of blood. I noticed it the moment I walked in, though I couldn’t immediately tell it was Human blood. It wasn’t until I stood by that wall for a moment that I was certain it was the scent of a recently deceased Human."

Vili replied to Morion.

"Does Human blood smell different from animal blood?"

Morion had apparently never considered this. In his mind, the blood of an animal and a Human should smell the same.

To an ordinary person, it was indeed impossible to tell the difference. But Vili was different. He not only possessed the Junior Hunter title but also the Junior Assassin title; distinguishing types of blood was a simple matter for him. After combining this with the knowledge of animal behavior granted by his Middle Level Beast Tamer title, Vili could even roughly identify the species of an animal just by being near a Bloodline.

"They’re different."

Vili didn’t elaborate.

"But how were you so sure they were the assassins? What if they were just murderers who committed a home invasion robbery?"

Morion retorted.

Vili shrugged. "I wasn’t certain. But even if they were just robbers, my actions weren’t exactly excessive, were they? Besides, it turns out my guess was right—they really are the assassins. To kill someone and then hide out in a civilian home with their level of skill... only the assassins who attacked the Lord Baron would have that kind of ability and motive."

"What unlucky bastards, running into you of all people..."

Morion gave a derisive laugh. In the beginning, if the male assassin had just fled, Morion wasn’t even sure he could have caught him given his skill. But in order to lay low in Diamond Town and evade the impending city-wide manhunt, he and the female assassin had faked an adulterous affair, hoping to bluff their way through by playing the old "the most dangerous place is the safest place" gambit.

Their acting had been convincing, too. If it hadn’t been for Vili, no one would have seen through their ruse.

Just then, the Personal Guard who had been sent out returned, having found a carriage from somewhere.

"Get her on board. And the man’s body... along with that oilcloth bundle."

Morion commanded.

His men moved quickly, carrying out his orders at once.

"Let’s go. We’ll report to Lord Olay."

Morion felt a wave of relief. Even though one assassin had committed suicide, capturing one alive meant the merits far outweighed the failures.

Olay was already back at the Personal Guard Bureau, waiting in a state of extreme anxiety for any news.

"Lord Olay."

Another of the Messenger Soldiers entered Olay’s room.

Olay glanced up at the Messenger Soldier without a hint of expectation. So far, every report from the Messenger Soldiers had been bad news.

"Captain Morion has captured one of the assassins alive."

The Messenger Soldier’s voice echoed in Olay’s ears.

"What did you say?! You’ve caught one?!"

Olay shot to his feet, a sharp glint in his eyes.

"Yes, sir. They’re downstairs right now."

The Messenger Soldier answered respectfully.

Olay let out a great laugh and strode down the stairs.

As soon as he reached the bottom, he saw Vili and Morion standing before a carriage.

"Teacher."

"Lord Olay."

Vili and Morion greeted Olay with a bow.

"Where are they?"

Olay had no time for pleasantries, his mind focused solely on the captured assassin.

"In the carriage."

Morion pulled back the curtain of the carriage door.

Olay raised an eyebrow.

A woman covered in blood, a Long Spear protruding from her chest, was propped up inside. Next to her lay the corpse of a nearly naked man and the oilcloth bundle.

"A woman?"

Olay wasn’t surprised. During the assassination attempt on the Lord Baron, all the attackers had been masked and dressed in black, making it impossible to tell their gender.

"What’s all this about?"

Olay didn’t understand the presence of the corpse and the oilcloth bundle.

Seeing this, Morion quickly recounted everything that had happened, leaving nothing out. He confessed his own mistakes and oversights and even deliberately exaggerated Vili’s contribution.

’A smart man...’

Vili stood to one side, listening with a smile but saying nothing.

"Well done, Vili!"

Olay clapped Vili hard on the shoulder, making it ache slightly.

This student of his had already given him so many surprises.

Olay felt more and more certain that Vili might even surpass that prodigy from Blue Whale Town, the Knight Jarvis.

"Morion, you made mistakes, but your contribution is greater. I will be sure to commend you for this before the Lord Baron."

Olay’s expression turned serious again. "Men! Find someone to treat the female assassin. I want to pry everything I need to know out of her mouth!"