Chapter 182 - Assassin Duo

  Eliza:

  Ricardo and I were passing through the city checkpoint after pig up our 'package.' I settled o him in the carriage as he steered the horses.

  “Stop,” the guard called to the carriage ahead of us.

  I took the opportunity to unbutton my blouse, revealing more cleavage, and prepared for our turn. When the guard finally approached, I leaned forward slightly.

  “Reason for leaving?” he asked.

  “We just finished a sightseeing tour of the city,” I replied, moving a bit closer to the guard with a suggestive smile.

  “What did you enjoy most about our city? I hope you liked Apsalon,” he said, with a curious look.

  “I liked the soldier talking to me the most,” I winked, watg him get flustered.

  I pulled back a bit, giving him a moment to recover.

  “It’s an honor to be plimented by a beautiful dy,” he said, still smiling, clearly fttered.

  “Eliza, I hope you’re not b the gentleman. He must be very busy, my niece,” Ricardo interrupted, pretending to be ed.

  “Sorry… uncle,” I replied sweetly.

  The guard smiled again, shaking his head.

  “No worries, sir. You may go,” he said, signaling Ricardo to proceed with the horses.

  As we moved away, Ricardo couldn’t help but ent, “That trick always works.”

  “Having a pretty face does have its perks,” I replied, chug softly.

  Ricardo:

  Two hours passed on the road, and we didn’t exge a word. We were alert, watg for any approag carriages or riders. Eliza kept a friendly smile, but her eyes were sharp, always vigint.

  Eliza gnced back through the small window ihe carriage.

  “In three hours, we’ll stop and give the boy another dose. This time, we’ll make him drink it,” I said firmly.

  “You want to give him another dose in three hours? Are you crazy? This drug keeps someone down for at least eight hours.”

  “I prefer to be cautious,” I replied, keeping my eyes on the road.

  She didn’t argue further. What we had done was a grave crime. No one dared to touch a high noble, let alone kidnap ohiy. Apsalon was known as a city solely inhabited by nobles. itting a crime there meant fag a death senten all three kingdoms, especially against a high noble.

  “It’ll be a sdal when he dies…” she muttered, sidering the sequences.

  “For the amount of money we’re getting, I could retire in a distant kingdom and still secure my grandchildren’s future,” I said.

  The reward offered by our t was immense, an unfathomable fortu was enough money for me to live a vish life until my death and still not spend it all.

  “Why don’t we kill him now?” I asked. “We’re far from the city, and we could stage the boy’s death.”

  “He wants to do it himself to ehe boy’s death. We’ll cover it up as a sudden demise in some brothel.”

  "What a shame, I thought you’d y head and take it with you," a voice suddenly interrupted from behind us.

  “SHIT!” Eliza screamed, while my heart pounded.

  “The boy!” I shouted, turning around to look.

  BOOM! A violent impact rocked the carriage, sending us tumbling down a steep hill. We rolled untrolbly, crashing into the forest below.

  Eliza:

  My body was thrown around, colliding with the ground and smming into trees. When I finally came to a stop, every muscle ached, pain radiating through my limbs.

  “Damn it!” I muttered, trying to stand as blood trickled down my face.

  “Don’t worry about the horses. I just made the carriage fall; they’re fihe boy said, sliding down the hill with an uling calm that only heightened our tension.

  Ricardo appeared beside me, panting and fused. “How are you even moving? The drug should have knocked you out!”

  The boy fshed a cold smile. “My family made me eat all sorts of pnts since I was five. Ahetic drugs don’t work on me anymore. Unfortunately, that means if I ever need medical treatment, I’ll have to ehe pain, as nothing dull it. That’s the side effect of iing poisons and ahetics for ten years.”

  Immus? What kind of freak is this kid?

  “Even so, your reflexes should be slower,” I pointed out.

  He raised his arms, and blue sparks crackled along his skin.

  “True, it would slow me down a bit. So, I’m just stantly shog myself to keep moving.”

  “Then we’ll just have to break your arms and legs,” Ricardo growled, trying to intimidate him.

  “Feel free to try,” the boy replied, crag his neck with a nont expression. “Holy, I was looking food workout.”

  He raised his palm, which began to glow with lightning.

  Ricardo chuckled, summoning a stone armor around his hand. “We’re mages too, kid. Your element ’t shock me.”

  “If I increase the voltage, your earth defense will crumble,” the boy tered, maintaining a calm demeanor.

  This kid is strange. He should be running by now. Is this the differeween a noble mage and us?

  I was still trying to process the situation, but somethi off.

  “Did you know?” I asked, suspi clear in my voice.

  “Know what?” he asked, feigning innoce.

  “Don’t py dumb. I’m asking if you knew I was an assassin from the mome.”

  “Of course,” he answered without hesitation.

  Ricardo ughed. “He’s bluffing.”

  I stared ily at the boy, searg for any sign of doubt. But he was pletely calm, as if all of this was just a game.

  “He doesn’t seem to be lying,” I admitted, a chill running down my spine.

  “Actually, I lured you into a trap,” he revealed with a sinister grin. “That was my pn all along. I you to a pce where I could let loose a bit.”

  “If that were true, this pce would be swarming with soldiers to kill us,” Ricardued, trying to keep trol of the situation.

  “I’m all it takes,” the boy said, his fidennerving. “Why do you think I bought this bck coat?”

  Ricardo and I exged fused gnces.

  “It's so I be properly dressed for your funeral,” he said, his blue eyes glinting with a chilling, deadly calm.

  “You bastard,” Ricardo growled, readying himself for an attack.

  With a swift movement, the boy drew a sword from his ste bracelet.

  “When did you get that?” Ricardo asked, shocked.

  “Does it matter?” he replied nontly. His hand began to glow fiercely with lightning, while I readied my two daggers, feeling sweat trickle down my forehead.

  “I’ll kill you, boy. I don’t care if I have to take just your head; that will be enough,” Ricardo vowed.

  Ricardo and I sprioward him, attag in perfect sync.

  “Bzing Breeze!” I shouted, unleashing a massive wave of fire from my daggers in his dire.

  “Thorns!” Ricardo stomped the ground, sending two massive earthen spikes flying toward the boy.

  “Time to let loose a bit,” I heard him say.

  Before I could eveer what happehe boy made a tremendous leap, dodging our attacks with frightening agility.

  “May the best assassin win!” he taunted, and in the blink of an eye, something blue and luminous hurtled toward me, striking with brutal ford sending me flying.