Chapter 27: Anna Margret III (part 1)

When Anna woke up, memories of the past suddenly came rushing back.

[I am the eldest daughter of the House Rogelia. No matter what happens, I can’t show weakness.]

At the time, it seemed absurd to Anna that a girl not even five years old would say such a thing. 

And yet, Reina had acted as if those words were a command she had to uphold at all costs.

She silently carried out tasks far too burdensome and unreasonable for a child, never once complaining.

That was the first time Anna met Reina—their first encounter as assassins of Avatar.

Back then, Anna’s mission had been clear: assassinate Reina, the eldest daughter of the Rogelia Duchy.

But the assassination had taken far longer than anticipated.

As the duchy’s heiress, Reina was always surrounded by guards.

Of course, if Anna had been determined, she could have broken through the escort and finished the job. But she had no guarantee she’d survive the escape afterward.

So instead, Anna chose to plan carefully. She would wait for the perfect moment.

More than a year passed since Anna had infiltrated the Rogelia Duchy.

Recognized for her diverse talents, she rose through the ranks and was eventually appointed as an official employee.

She was close—so close—to completing her mission and returning.

Or so she believed.

The fateful day arrived.

“You must be tired, Captain.”

“Oh, May. Is it that time already?”

Back then, Anna was using her alias—Mei. Her real name had long been buried.

Raised in Avatar from childhood, she had always lived under a pseudonym.

“What about Lady Reina?”

“She’s asleep. You’ve got the next three hours.”

That day, Anna had been assigned to escort Reina during the early morning hours.

The night escort was responsible for checking on Reina’s condition midway through their shift to guard against any unexpected emergencies.

Anna’s plan was simple: during that routine check, she would silently end Reina’s life. Then, she’d switch the body with a disguised corpse she had prepared in advance. Finally, she would set fire to Reina’s room and escape.

It was an easy enough plan—but the preparations had taken far too long.

Standing alone in the dimly lit corridor, Anna sighed.

“… Shall we begin?”

The wall clock pointed to 3:00 a.m.

It was time.

Creak!

The door opened with a soft groan.

Moonlight streamed into the dark room, casting a pale glow over everything.

And there—sitting upright on the bed—was Reina, staring directly at her.

“My lady…?”

“Is it already three o’clock?”

“…Shouldn’t you be asleep by now?”

“I heard you were my dawn escort today. I wanted to talk for a bit.”

Reina gave a gentle smile as she spoke.

Something in her hazy, violet gaze rooted Anna in place. She couldn’t move.

“Am I going to die now?”

At those quiet words, Anna dropped to her knees—before she even realized it.

***

Early morning. 

The fog had yet to lift.

The tavern was closed.

An older bartender was inside, clearing tables.

“Excuse me.”

“We’re closed.”

“I’m not here to drink. I have a request.”

“…Come in, then.”

The bartender paused his cleaning, opened the inner door, and stepped inside.

I followed casually—then grabbed him by the nape of his neck with both hands.

“Wha—ack!”

Before he could cry out, I snapped his neck cleanly.

There was a sickening crunch. I could feel it in my hands.

The bartender’s eyes froze in astonishment as the life drained from them.

Frowning, I tossed the corpse onto the floor and headed toward the back door of the tavern.

It creaked open to reveal a stairway descending into the basement.

Fortunately, the basement had plenty of places to hide.

I had a strong feeling that this passage was a way out—a route I could use to escape this place at any time.

Thanks to that, I was able to move freely without bumping into anyone.

“…By the way, that person. Aren’t you a little scared?”

“A01?”

“Yeah.”

While I was quietly searching for Anna, I overheard a conversation and instinctively listened in.

“It’s already been over three years. How can she endure t0rture every single day and still not say a word?”

“It’d be easier to just kill her.”

“You know that’s nonsense, right? She’s the finest masterpiece the Boss raised from scratch. We have to get her back somehow.”

“It’s still too hard to erase the influence of that girl from Rogelia.”

“That’s true.”

There it was.

It was clear they were talking about Anna.

Considering they mentioned t0rture, she must be in the basement.

T0rture chambers are usually underground.

“But what about the rat?”

“…we’ll have to kill it.”

D*mn it!

In an instant, the wall I was leaning against collapsed, and a massive cloud of dust swallowed my vision.

I immediately surged my mana, drew Neia, and swung it.

The sound of metal clashing echoed around me.

I managed to block part of the attack, but not all of it. Shallow wounds slashed across several parts of my body.

As the dust cleared, I saw countless daggers embedded in the surrounding walls and floor.

“What should we do?”

“Intruders are to be eliminated. There’s no need to keep him alive.”

I’d heard only two voices behind the wall, but now, I was surrounded by a group of masked assailants.

“…Someone is looking for her. Can you give her to me?”

No answer.

Things weren’t going the way I’d hoped.

I had planned to go guerrilla-style, striking fast and moving quickly. But the moment I saw those daggers flying at me from all directions, I knew this was going to be different.

I could only blame Anna for abandoning Reina like that.

With that thought, I steeled myself.

“Ha… ha… ha…”

I took a deep breath and scanned my surroundings.

No assassins were left standing.

“This is so d*mn hard.”

I never intended to avoid a head-on fight, but there were just too many of them.

More than thirty assassins moved in perfect coordination. 

I couldn’t keep up with all of them. But still, I managed to end them somehow.

Their daggers must have been coated in poison—my stabbed left arm had gone almost completely numb. Even channeling my mana to administer first aid only dulled the pain; it didn’t fix anything.

There should be still close to fifty left somewhere in this place.

I needed to rest before I moved again—

“What happened here?”

A heavy voice, like it was echoing straight through my bones, came from behind me.

“Are they all dead? Useless trash.”

I slowly turned around.

A man stood there, towering at least two meters tall.

He had a long scar running down his right cheek and wore a jet-black suit that clashed with the bloody scene—and with his own ominous presence.

“So, what’s your purpose?”

He didn’t seem even slightly bothered by the sight of his fallen subordinates.

“This happened because someone was looking for her,” I answered.

What I got in return was a cold, unblinking stare.

Not a trace of emotion.

“So,” I continued, “I’d like you to give her to me. Mr. Black Wolf?”

“Not even remotely funny.”

He slowly drew the massive sword from his back.

It was more than just a greatsword—it was enormous.

“Die.”

Despite wielding such a massive weapon, his movements were incredibly fast.

He closed the distance in an instant, slashing at me with terrifying force.

I had no choice but to retreat.