In the next instant—
A man with red hair appeared inside the room. His build was lean, his cheeks and chin framed by a scruffy beard, and his face carried the weary, weathered look of someone who had seen far too much.
Yuuki studied his reflection in the mirror and nodded in satisfaction.
The face he now wore belonged to none other than the former Diamond Kingdom commander—Fanzell.
With a casual slash through the air, Yuuki opened a spatial portal. He stepped into it and vanished from the room.
On the outskirts not far from a town called Hachi.
This area was still considered part of the capital's surrounding towns, just a little farther out and more remote. Under the cover of night, everything lay silent.
Hidden in the shadows, figures clad in gray robes concealed themselves among bushes, behind rocks, or high up in dense trees.
Each of them suppressed their breathing and magical fluctuations to the absolute minimum, their eyes locked tightly onto the simple wooden cabin at the center of their encirclement.
Farther away, on a thick tree branch, two figures stood overlooking the scene.
One of them was Mariella.
"There's no movement at all," an annoyed voice came from the other figure beside her. "Are you sure your intelligence is reliable?"
"Please rest assured, Captain," Mariella replied immediately, her head lowered.
"That wooden cabin may look old and worn, but it hasn't been standing for long. It was most likely artificially aged."
"Teacher Fanzell has always been extremely cautious with his movements. If I hadn't accidentally discovered his trail in town, I wouldn't have reported it."
Standing beside her was the man currently commanding the Assassination Division operatives hidden throughout the Clover Kingdom—the mid-level commander, Galeo.
"Hmph. Teacher Fanzell, you say?" Galeo snorted, his voice laced with mockery.
"So you still remember the kindness your 'teacher' once showed you. Don't forget—if it weren't for his defection, all those companions and friends of yours wouldn't have been slaughtered."
Mariella kept her head lowered, remaining silent.
"I hope your information is correct," Galeo said coldly.
"The Royal Capital was just attacked. Everyone's already on edge. Mobilizing this many people under such circumstances—if we come back empty-handed, you know what will happen."
He shot Mariella a frosty glance as he spoke.
"My judgment is that Teacher Fanzell eats and conducts his activities far away from the cabin," Mariella said evenly, her tone still calm.
"That way, it's safer—and it also creates the illusion that no one lives near the wooden house."
"…It had better be," Galeo replied, suppressing the irritation bubbling in his chest as he continued to wait in silence.
Thankfully, the wait didn't last long.
About ten minutes later, the sound of footsteps echoed faintly through the forest.
The atmosphere froze in an instant.
Yuuki—disguised as Fanzell—emerged from the woods, his shirt hanging open, a fishing rod in hand as he yawned lazily.
Fanzell was known for his habit of barely wearing clothes. Yuuki had no intention of copying that entirely—leaving his chest open was more than enough.
The moment Yuuki appeared, the irritation on Galeo's face vanished, replaced by barely contained excitement.
"No one move," Galeo whispered urgently into a headset-like magic tool, relaying his command to every assassin hidden in the shadows.
"Wait until the target enters the designated area."
After giving the order, he turned to Mariella.
"Well done."
Mariella remained silent, her head still lowered, her expression unchanged.
Galeo didn't mind. His gaze was firmly fixed on Yuuki as he continued approaching the cabin.
Beside him, Mariella's seemingly emotionless face briefly revealed a hint of relief.
To be honest, this had been a huge gamble.
If Yuuki hadn't shown up, Mariella knew exactly what awaited her. For someone who trusted no one, this operation had been nothing short of a wager.
Looks like I won, she thought quietly, her eyes following Yuuki—still disguised as her former teacher.
The instant Yuuki stepped into the ambush zone, Galeo let out a low roar.
"Move!"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Several assassins burst out of the shadows at once, surrounding Yuuki from all sides.
The next moment—
Boom!
With a thunderous roar, vast amounts of earth and sand erupted from the ground, surging upward to form a massive cage that sealed Yuuki inside.
Seeing that Yuuki hadn't escaped, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
This was the kingdom's former commander—no amount of caution was excessive when dealing with someone like him.
"We've got him!" Galeo exclaimed, excitement flashing across his face as if he could already see merit and glory waving to him.
As long as Fanzell was confined within a fixed area and prevented from escaping, Galeo was confident their numbers would be more than enough to take him down.
"What a shame," Galeo muttered irritably.
"For some reason, the kingdom canceled Dominante's bounty. Otherwise, that would've been another fine piece of merit."
He then raised his voice and barked out an order:
"All units, close in! Don't give him even the slightest opening!"
One after another, figures emerged from the darkness, forming a tight ring around the earthen prison. Magic power flickered around them as they stood ready, awaiting the command to storm inside.
"Captain Galeo," Mariella said calmly, "please open a spatial gate and send me into the cage first. I'll make the initial move."
The sand-and-earth prison had strong magic-sealing properties and was extremely sturdy. Entering or escaping it by normal means was exceptionally difficult.
That was precisely why it existed—to prevent Fanzell from fleeing.
And because Galeo wielded spatial magic, he could freely send people inside, completely controlling the initiative.
In Galeo's eyes, even if Fanzell's wind magic was powerful, forcing his way out would take time. With their overwhelming manpower, capturing him was inevitable.
"You want to see Fanzell one last time before he dies?" Galeo laughed loudly.
"Very well, then go. And don't hold back—remember whose 'kindness' allowed you to survive in the first place."
With a wave of his hand, a red spatial portal opened.
"I won't forget," Mariella replied, her voice slightly subdued. As soon as she finished speaking, she stepped into the portal.
In the next instant—
She appeared inside the sand-sealed prison.
And the first thing she saw was Yuuki, who had already reverted to his original appearance.
"My lord," Mariella said immediately, bowing respectfully.
"Oh, you're here already," Yuuki replied with an easy smile, utterly relaxed.
(End of Chapter)
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