The Assassin's Seven Principles of Manipulation

Chapter 199: Chapter 195 — Active

As Garrick entered the alleyway, he frowned at the figure standing ahead. Kastor.

Tch.

Without sparing him another glance, he walked past.

”...Is he okay?”

Garrick stopped. He shut his eyes for a moment, then exhaled through his nose before turning.

”If by him you mean Zephyrion, I suggest you get off your ass and go ask him yourself.” He jabbed a thumb toward the mansion behind him. ”He’s right fucking there.”

Kastor remained silent, simply staring at him. Yet he made no move to leave.

”Typical.” Garrick sneered. ”You know, I still wonder if you were adopted. There’s just no way that spineless streak came from our blood.”

Silence answered him. Garrick shook his head and turned away.

”Ah, right.”

He paused and glanced back over his shoulder.

”In case nobody’s told you, your son is currently at Mark Six and is a freakishly goddamned gifted little monster. It’s way past time for him to learn the house secret art. I’m only saying this because, despite being a spectacular excuse for a father, you’re still technically his father.”

He resumed walking.

”If you somehow find a way to run from this too, I’ll teach him myself.”

”...”

Kastor watched his brother disappear down the alley, his face an expressionless mask.

Yet behind his back, his clasped hands had tightened into fists so hard the surrounding air trembled faintly around them.

A moment later, his gaze shifted toward Zephyrion’s mansion. Something flickered across his eyes, then vanished almost as quickly as they appeared.

Then, like a mirage fading beneath the sun, Kastor disappeared from the alleyway.

...

Laying on his bed, Zephyrion stared blankly at the ceiling.

He was trying to think, to make sense of his current situation, but the persistent gaze of the petite girl beside him was becoming increasingly distracting.

He turned toward Lumi.

”What?”

Lumi’s large eyes blinked, startled. Then she pointed at him, wrapped her arms around herself, and shivered dramatically.

Zephyrion frowned.

”...I’m not scared.”

Lumi tilted her head, giving him a look.

Then she hopped off the bed and began pacing across the room while wearing one of the deepest frowns he had ever seen on her face. Her cheeks were puffed out so much they looked ready to burst.

”I said I’m not scared.”

Lumi released a long-suffering sigh.

Then she walked over and gently patted his arm, offering him a reassuring smile. The gesture was oddly practiced, as though she were comforting a frightened child.

Zephyrion furrowed his brows at the strange thought and quickly pushed it aside.

A moment later, Lumi backed away and raised her slim arms in what was clearly supposed to be an intimidating pose. She nodded confidently at him, making it clear that she would protect him.

It was quite a sight. Like watching a kitten square up against a lion.

Zephyrion chuckled. The sound caught him completely off guard. He sat upright, wondering where the hell that had come from.

Across from him, Lumi narrowed her eyes. One hand planted itself firmly on her waist while the other pointed straight at him, asking if he was making fun of her.

”...I wasn’t.” He lied.

Lumi immediately folded her arms. Her stare made it abundantly clear she wasn’t buying it. He knew that look. Zephyrion sighed. He honestly couldn’t see why he needed to apologize.

Then he remembered everything that had happened so far. Everything she had lost. Everything she had been forced to endure. And before he could stop himself, his mouth moved.

”...I’m sorry.”

Lumi broke into a contented smile. As though he had never committed a crime in his life, she walked over and curled up beside him. He allowed it, feeling the warmth of her small body against his side.

Sometimes, Zephyrion found himself wondering what went on inside Lumi’s head. The Sarakhel had killed her mother and ruined her life. Just thinking about it made him want to burn the entire church to the ground.

Yet Lumi sat beside him, smiling as though the weight of it all had never managed to settle on her shoulders. Did she never think about revenge? Or perhaps she simply didn’t understand it...

Zephyrion dismissed the line of thought. There was no point speculating. He leaned back against the bed and stared at the ceiling once more. This time, with nothing distracting him, his thoughts finally began to move.

”Mind map.”

The scene of the explosion replayed itself across the ceiling. The streak of light. The deafening boom. The yawning crater. The snowflake. He watched it again. And again. And again. Eventually, he stopped.

He hadn’t missed anything. Frost had waited until he was close enough to witness the attack. He had wanted him to see it.

Why?

A display of power? A reminder that he was watching? That the freedom Zephyrion currently enjoyed existed only because Frost allowed it? Or perhaps he wanted him afraid...

’No.’

Zephyrion immediately discarded the thought. There was no point. What would fear accomplish? Besides, if Frost truly wanted that, he could have simply erased Calderalth.

The idea was too narrow. Too self-centered. He had instinctively assumed everything revolved around him. What if Frost had a reason for eliminating Ferravyr? Something Zephyrion simply wasn’t aware of.

But then another question arose.

Why now?

Ferravyr had always been there, hidden within that forest. So why wait until today? Unless...

Zephyrion narrowed his eyes.

At the end of the day, it seemed it really was about him. Frost had taken out the Metal Calamity because he was going to see it. He was the variable.

Why?

What danger did him meeting Ferravyr pose that would force Frost to act? Zephyrion turned the question over repeatedly, but it was a fool’s errand. He barely knew Ferravyr. He knew even less about Frost. There simply wasn’t enough information.

His gaze drifted toward the rod resting nearby.

’He might know.’

He reached out to the ancestor he had been subconsciously restricting all this time. Nothing.

Zephyrion tried again. Still nothing. He frowned. He reached out a third time. The silence remained.

Zephyrion sat upright, his eyes locking onto the rod. He tried several more times, but there was no response whatsoever.

’What happened?’

After a few moments of silence, he gripped the rod and pushed his will into it. It recoiled back. Pain exploded through his head, causing him to jerk. The sudden movement immediately caught Lumi’s attention. She looked up at him in alarm.

”I’m fine.”

Suppressing the lingering ache, Zephyrion gave her a reassuring nod. Lumi narrowed her eyes suspiciously, clearly unconvinced. He nodded again.

Eventually, she seemed to accept it, though she shifted even closer to his side. Zephyrion allowed it.

A deep frown settled on Zephyrion’s face as he stared at the rod. It had just rejected his attempt to enter. Had he missed something? This was bad.

’Mind map.’

He replayed everything from the explosion until now, yet nothing stood out. The last time he had seen the ancestor was only moments ago, before he spoke with Garrick.

The only thing Zephyrion had done since then was restrict him so he could think. Was this... some sort of tantrum?

Zephyrion immediately dismissed the idea. Unlikely. He held control over their arrangement. If anyone should be capable of cutting off contact, it should have been him.

So then what the hell was this?

...

Zephyrion spent more than an hour trying to enter the rod, but failed.

The only thing he managed to do was manipulate the metal itself, molding it into any shape or weapon he desired. Even so, the rod remained incredibly useful.

Unfortunately, what he had lost was far too much. Without a connection to the rod, he could no longer see the source rune of other ascendants.

Zephyrion’s frown gradually deepened into a scowl. What could have possibly caused this? Was there some sort of downtime Demorian had neglected to mention? The thought of not knowing was irritating.

Zephyrion closed his eyes and drew in a slow breath. When he opened them again, the frustration was gone.

He would deal with it later.

Right now... Frost.

The thought of someone casually unleashing attacks capable of ending calamities was frightening, but that wasn’t what bothered him most.

If he could do such a thing, why hadn’t Frost come for him yet?

It made no sense.

Perhaps it was all a game to him. Perhaps he was simply watching Zephyrion struggle and grow until he decided the time was right.

Yet Zephyrion doubted it. One did not survive that long while remaining foolish. Such a being would be meticulous. Patient. Cautious. Not playful.

’It’s something else.’

Something else was preventing Frost from coming after him directly. Zephyrion had no idea what it was, but that hardly mattered.

At least not right now. What mattered was that he still had time. Time he needed to use wisely.

He had to become strong enough to stand against Frost before whatever was restraining him disappeared.

It was time to stop reacting. From now on, he needed to move first.

Zephyrion sat cross-legged and retrieved the mid-grade Mind Cognition Elixir he had received as a gift.

After securing the room, he uncorked the bottle and swallowed its contents in a single gulp.

...

As morning arrived, Zephyrion checked his progress and discovered that not even a quarter of the fog leading to Mark Seven had been cleared.

Unfortunately, the higher one’s rank, the denser and more stubborn the fog became. A mid-grade elixir at Mark Two would have cleared most of it, if not all.

Still, Zephyrion remained undeterred.

Moments later, he gathered all the gifts he had received, including the various elixirs, and summoned his maid, Kilo.

Following Betty’s rather ’surprising’ disappearance, Kilo had been promoted to head maid of the household. She now wore a white cap trimmed with black alongside a long-sleeved uniform befitting her new position.

The moment she entered, Kilo dropped to both knees, her expression a mixture of fear and reverence.

”I want you to sell everything. Get a good price for each item and return with the money.”

Kilo blinked. Then she followed his gaze. And blinked again.

A mountain of gifts occupied a large portion of the room.

For a brief moment, she genuinely wondered whether her young master had mistaken her for an entire merchant guild.

”Do not fail me. Understand?”

Kilo flinched beneath Zephyrion’s cold gaze. Any thoughts of protest died instantly and she nodded so quickly it was almost frantic.

”Y-yes, my lord.”