Chapter 41: Test of Faith IV

Alicia sprinted up the stairs as fast as she humanly could, but by then the Baron’s screams had gone silent.

The doors to his study stood open, and inside, Baron Eisenbran was suspended above the floor with a sword driven through his chest.

His trembling hands clutched at the blade, blood pouring between his fingers as his eyes stared desperately toward Alicia.

Fire spread across the area, emitting a thick smoke that seemed to forcefully crawl into the lungs and a heat that seared skin with just one touch.

Standing behind him was a guard dressed in heavy armor, more heavy-duty and thick-looking than the others.

With one effortless movement the man pulled his sword free and threw the Baron across the room like a toy he wanted nothing to do with anymore.

’Damn it...it’s too late.’

The Knight flicked the remaining blood from his sword as he turned toward her. He wore no helmet, but a strip of black cloth concealed the lower half of his face.

"You killed the men downstairs."

An acknowledgement, rather than a question.

Alicia’s eyes moved around the study, trying to find a motive for why this all happened.

Several cabinets had already been forced open, their contents scattered across the floor. Various documents, accounts, and records had become nothing but char.

’Destroying evidence...Master Rian was right once more.’

Seeing that Alicia was off-guard, the knight lowered himself, preparing to dash toward her and end the fight immediately.

Yet, it was Alicia who moved first.

CLANG—!

The dagger struck the side of his neck. The man’s sword just barely managed to intercept her blade before it reached his skin.

Alicia twisted her wrist, sliding her dagger along the flat of his weapon before aiming for his eye. The man leaned away, and drove his shoulder forward.

BANG—!

Caught in mid-step, Alicia couldn’t brace herself against the man’s greater weight. The impact threw her back into the corridor.

Though just before her feet touched the railing, Alicia had already done a mid-air flip, reorienting her legs back onto the floor.

And just a second later...she launched herself right back into the fray.

CLANG—! CLANG—! CLANG—!

Their blades collided against each other, the sound of steel ringing more akin to a church bell than anything else. Sparks scattered across the corridor, joining the ever-growing flames.

Alicia aimed for the gaps beneath his arm and between the plates covering his waist, knowing that was the best way to kill an armored opponent.

Yet the knight was equally as skillful, as he defended each of her attack with the smallest movement, never allowing his sword to stray far from his body.

’Tch...he’s experienced.’

But more importantly, he was fast. Not as fast as her, but close enough in terms of speed that her advantage wouldn’t work well enough.

With one final strike, Alicia decided to take a step back to reassess the situation.

From their exchange earlier, Alicia could clearly sense that he was just a single Magic Circle below her. But experience-wise, he probably had a whole decade on her.

Alicia had always been taught that assassins needed to "finish the fight before it even began, before the enemy even knew you were there," but with that option out the window, she was clearly inferior in a head-on fight.

That did not mean she would lose.

It just meant she just had to use her brain a little.

The armored Knight stepped through the doorway, his sword held close to his body. He didn’t rush after her recklessly. Instead, he positioned himself between Alicia and the burning study.

He knew what she wanted.

Behind him, flames crawled across another pile of documents.

"You’re not here for the Baron," he observed.

"Not anymore."

Alicia’s eyes moved past him.

Most of the documents nearest the Baron’s desk had already been reduced to ash. However, a safe had somehow managed to remain intact. And Alicia knew that would be her only option to get anything out of this—still something left to save.

She turned her attention back to the man, at his stance, the way he moved and how cautious he was...They were all the signs of someone who had fought an assassin before.

And judging from the amount of Magic Circles he had and the armor that he was wearing...

’This might really be Eisenbran’s Knight Captain...’

Through her intense training, Alicia was made to memorize every important figure within Eidelgard. One of which was Eisenbran’s Knight Captain, Don Leyen.

After rising to the position of Platoon Leader within Eidelgard’s National Army, he quickly lost his title due to an extramarital scandal. Now, someone who was once well-respected as a 5-Star Knight was relegated to being Knight Captain in a Tier-2 city.

Though knowing this information really didn’t change what Alicia needed to do: Follow her master’s orders.

With just a few steps, she made it over to him. The man remained vigilant, but Alicia moved in so close that he had no choice but to stop her with his blade.

And at that exact moment...he had fallen into the trap.

Just before his blade reached her, she stepped into her own shadow, causing the Knight Captain’s sword to pass through empty air.

Emerging from right behind him, her dagger slipped right through the gap beneath his breastplate. Though the man twisted at the final moment, preventing the blade from reaching his heart—

He was still sliced right through the back.

Alicia didn’t allow him to recover, kicking the back of his knee and forcing him down before wrapping one arm around his neck. Slipping the dagger right up to his neck, she spoke calmly.

"Did Felix order you to do this?"

He remained silent.

Seeing no other option, she pressed the blade closer. The Knight Captain tried to resist with all his might, but Alicia had superior position and leverage.

Yet, just as a thin line of red appeared under the dagger’s edge, a loud vibration and sound swept through the entire city.

RUMBLE—