Overwhelming Firepower

Lucen and his men had captured several other assassins, each of whom had no idea who their true employer was.

The man Lucen had personally captured had been telling the truth when he claimed to be alone. He had entered the capital by himself and believed he was the only person hired to kill the king.

The others had believed the same thing.

They came from different kingdoms, accepted their contracts through different intermediaries, and had never spoken to one another. Each had also prepared a different method of assassination.

One carried arrows coated with a poison that weakened aura. Another possessed an artifact capable of concealing the mana gathered before a spell. A third had disguised himself as one of the merchants permitted to approach the soldiers during the inspection.

None of their weapons shared the same maker, and their advance payments had been made using coins from several kingdoms.

They were all highly skilled assassins, and surprisingly, the weakest of them was at the third aura mantle.

Third-mantle aura users were not common criminals who could be hired inside some filthy tavern. Each one could have earned a comfortable position beneath a noble house or served even as a commander in a smaller kingdom.

’These people really wanted to kill the king? With their strength, did they really think they could get away? Even if I wasn’t here, the second they caused a commotion, one of the Tower Mages in the city would have apprehended them. There was also Baldemar Gudric, the captain of the royal guard, who was always beside the king. Even the two strongest assassins, the fifth-mantle aura user and the fifth-circle mage, would have difficulty getting past him’

Lucen paused for a second and thought, ’I’m guessing their employers never meant for them to escape. Still, these guys are professionals; surely they had investigated their target and already knew this.’

Lucen asked each assassin a similar question, and the answer they gave was mostly the same.

Each assassin had been questioned separately. None had been allowed to hear what the others revealed, yet all of them had been promised that something would distract the guards, giving them the chance they needed to kill the king and escape.

They didn’t know what that distraction would be, but all they needed to do was wait for it. If the distraction never came, then they would just leave, as they were already given half of the payment anyway.

’They might all have been hired by the same person, with each assassin serving as a distraction for the others. They might also have been hired by different people. A separate distraction could have been planned, but my pursuit forced the first assassin to act early, and the others mistook his smoke bomb for their signal.’

Yes, Lucen had intercepted the first assassin even before the king passed by. Once the smoke bomb incident occurred, the assassins came out from their hiding, most likely thinking that was the distraction they were waiting for.

Lucen had already placed Thornefang members in locations where the assassins would most likely appear, and as he expected, they appeared in most of the places he had guessed.

It took a bit of effort to capture several of the assassins. Not only were they strong, but their skills far exceeded those of most people at the same rank.

The fifth aura mantle assassin was quite a headache to capture; Lucen needed to personally subdue him. There was also the fifth-circle mage that Sir Thelwin dealt with.

Capturing them alive had made the situation considerably more difficult. Killing them would have required far less effort, especially once they began using their aura and mana.

However, that difficulty also demonstrated how useful they could be. Lucen looked over the information gathered from their interrogations.

The fifth-mantle assassin was actually someone at a high level, not as good as Baldemar but still stronger than most fifth-mantle aura users.

The fifth-circle mage had mastered the art of non-verbal chants. She used spells while gathering the least amount of mana needed. She specialized in wind spells.

The assassin who had disguised himself as a merchant was not among the strongest, but his false identity had survived several inspections before the parade. He had altered his appearance, copied the merchant’s mannerisms, and even learned enough about the man’s business to answer questions from people who knew him.

The assassin carrying the poisoned arrows was also an accomplished alchemist. He possessed several poisons capable of affecting aura users, along with antidotes for most common toxins.

Then there was the crossbowman Lucen had chased through the alleys. His aura-mantle was on the lower side among the assassins, but he was the best at long-distance shooting. He would be an amazing sniper with a rifle.

Each one of them was a problem. Normally, after getting the information he wanted, Lucen would have them hanged, but this time he hesitated.

It was true that they were assassins who wanted to kill the king, but they were too good to waste by simply killing them.

’Instead of killing them, I can use them. Yeah, that’s it what did she say... Oh right, it was. I wanna build a team of some very bad people who I think can do some good. This is it a Fantasy Suicide Squad.’

The thought nearly made Lucen laugh. A group of dangerous criminals with different abilities, sent on missions that ordinary soldiers would have little chance of surviving.

In exchange, they would receive reduced sentences and the possibility of eventually regaining their freedom. The similarities were difficult to ignore.

’Yeah, and instead of an explosive bomb inside the neck, I’ll use a contract with the Goddess of Justice and Judgment. Either they die now or do several impossible missions, giving them a chance for freedom.’

A divine contract would be far more reliable than any explosive collar.

Once witnessed by the Goddess of Justice and Judgment, the agreement could not be broken without consequences. The assassins would be unable to escape, betray Norvaegard, or deliberately abandon their missions.

However, the goddess would never recognize a completely one-sided agreement.

As their captor and the commander who had uncovered the assassination plot, Lucen possessed the authority to pass sentence on them himself.

It needed to be vague enough that they could continue on indefinitely, but it should be honest enough that the Goddess would allow the contract.

’Maybe I can say that they will be released once I determine they have paid for their crimes.’

Lucen would be named as the one responsible for judging their service. After every mission, he would formally review their actions.

If Lucen declared that an assassin had sufficiently repaid their crimes, the contract would end, and Norvaegard would be required to release them.

Until then, each of them would remain a condemned criminal.

The contract would also protect them from outright exploitation. Norvaegard would provide the equipment, information, treatment, and support necessary for every assignment. Honest failure would not be considered betrayal, and they could not be ordered to die without accomplishing a legitimate objective.

’Well, I guess this isn’t exactly the same as the Suicide Squad... I also need to change that name for later.’

With the basic terms decided, Lucen wanted to see whether any of them would accept before troubling the temple.

He entered the holding room where the fifth-mantle assassin had been confined. The man’s wrists and ankles were restrained by enchanted chains, yet his posture remained relaxed.

He raised his eyes when Lucen entered. ”It’s you again, ruby-eyed monster. What do you want this time?”

”I’m here to give you a choice. You can be executed for attempting to kill the king, or you can work for me.”

The assassin laughed. ”Hahaha! The ruby-eyed monster wants to hire me as an assassin? So who do you want dead?”

”No, I don’t need you just as an assassin. I need you as a fifth-mantle aura user. I’m planning on forming a group of you and your fellow assassins, and I plan to make you do missions that would normally be considered suicide.”

The assassin’s laughter stopped. He looked at Lucen for a second and spoke. ”So rather than kill us outright, you want us to attempt a few impossible missions. If we somehow survive, you’ll release us..”

”Correct, so what do you say? Do you want to die now, or have a chance for survival?”

The assassin studied Lucen, searching his expression for deception.

”What guarantees you’ll keep your word?”

”We will use a contract signed under the eyes of the Goddess of Justice and Judgment. So what say you, assassin?”

”... Will I die today or hope that I may survive tomorrow?” The assassin asked the question to himself as he fell silent before a smile returned to his face.

”There’s nothing to think about. Bring me the contract, ruby-eyed monster. I would rather gamble with death than simply wait for the rope.”