The Assassin's Seven Principles of Manipulation

Chapter 359: Chapter 354 — Epitaph

”Babe, I’ve searched everywhere, but I can’t find the Epitaph.”

Cassian stood before the live projection of Genova, a grim look on his face that was immediately mirrored by his wife upon hearing his words.

”That’s impossible! It has to be there. No one should even be able to find it unless they know exactly what they’re looking for!”

”I know, honey. Believe me, I know. But... it’s not there.”

Genova’s expression twisted with rage, and she slammed her hands against the armrests of her chair.

”Dammit! You fucking incompetent oaf! You were literally there! Right there, and you couldn’t do a damn thing! If you took something seriously for once in your life, you could have saved her!”

Cassian’s expression darkened, but he merely clenched his fists, remaining silent. After all, in a sense, she was right.

A few days had passed since Genova ordered Sera to watch Zephyrion, and it was only yesterday that they noticed her unusual absence and immediately moved to investigate.

Cassian had naturally searched the academy, only to discover that she was no longer within its grounds, which led Genova to confront a terrible possibility.

Every important member of the Eryndor household was fitted with a powerful relic called Epitaph, which was connected to their heart and mind.

Its primary function was to alert the household of their demise, and more importantly, record their final moments so the family could determine who was responsible for their death and decide whether or not to seek retribution.

In a frightening turn of events, Genova had confirmed Sera’s death and immediately ordered Cassian to retrieve her Epitaph.

The Epitaph was a powerful relic, but to maximize its effectiveness and prevent enemies from discovering it, it had been designed to conceal itself upon its owner’s death, remaining hidden somewhere near the location of their demise. ℯℯ𝘭.

Now, the problem was, well, the Epitaph was one of the Eryndor household’s deepest secrets, and no outsider should even know of its existence.

Furthermore, its concealment was so powerful that even early Dominion-rank Ascendants would be unable to detect it, while those in the later stages could easily overlook it if they didn’t know exactly what they were searching for.

Yet, after more than 24 hours of searching, Cassian hadn’t been able to find even the slightest trace of the Epitaph.

”...it’s him,” Genova growled after a moment. ”That boy. I knew there was something wrong with him. He must have figured out Sera was watching him and somehow had her killed.”

”...honey, as much as I’d love to agree with you, that’s a bit of a stretch. I’ve trained Sera myself. She was no pushover. And let’s not forget, Zephyrion only advanced to Herald an hour ago.”

The academy was still reeling from the shocking breakthrough, and practically everything Cassian heard across the entire school was about the Lightning Prince.

An eighteen-year-old Herald! Such a thing had never occurred in history!

Even the greatest of prodigies had crossed into their twenties before ever touching the rank. Arcturus had been expected to shatter that record by reaching it in his late nineteenth year, but Zephyrion had beaten him to it by an entire year!

Both king and queen would have been engulfed in utter shock right now were it not for the current crisis.

”He couldn’t have killed her. At least, not without causing enough of a commotion for the entire academy to notice,” Cassian continued. ”His sister, on the other hand... her sudden departure yesterday is rather suspicious, but...”

”Exactly. But what? Without the Epitaph, we can’t confirm a damn thing!” Genova spoke through gritted teeth, her eyes burning with barely restrained fury.

Cassian couldn’t help but let out a quiet sigh.

Though his wife could appear cold, she actually had a soft spot for those she considered family. While Sera hadn’t been their biological child, Genova had raised her since childhood, and Cassian himself had trained her on several occasions and come to consider her one of his own.

Genova, however, had always held her even closer, and Cassian could only imagine what she was going through right now.

”Keep searching for the Epitaph,” Genova said after a moment. ”And don’t you dare rule out that boy just because he’s eighteen. We know next to nothing about him, Cassian. Nothing about his secrets, nothing about what he’s truly capable of. And his sister... I haven’t forgotten about her either. But first, find that damn relic. Without it, we have no proof, and without proof, we can’t demand answers from anyone.”

”...alright, honey.”

A moment later, the call ended.

Cassian sighed deeply, turning his gaze towards the distant column of smoke still rising from the wreckage of a building, reduced to ruins by the impossible breakthrough of an eighteen-year-old boy.

”Kid, for your own sake... I really hope you had nothing to do with her death.”

His fists tightened at his sides, and after a long exhale, he vanished to continue his search for the Epitaph.

...

Despite the enormous distance the carriage had traversed, Severin’s eyes remained fixed on the smoke curling up into the sky.

’What happened?’

His eyes narrowed as countless possibilities ran through his mind. However, he set them aside when Valdric suddenly appeared before him, bowing respectfully.

Severin didn’t take his eyes off the rising smoke.

”Did you get it?”

”...I did.”

Valdric brought out a circular device and handed it to Severin. Its surface was smooth, with countless intricate runes engraved across it.

Severin examined the runes with interest. Then, after a moment, he reached into the World Pulse and established a connection with the device.

Its surface immediately flared, and images began flashing before his eyes, revealing a sword piercing someone from behind, followed by a rather shocking revelation.

Eventually, Severin stopped the process, letting out an amused chuckle.

”Tell me, Valdric. What do you think is the most important thing when it comes to ruling an empire?”

Valdric frowned, considering the question for a moment.

”...power?”

”Ha! Not a bad answer. But power can only get you so far. There’s something far more... useful.”

Noticing Valdric’s curious expression, he smiled.

”Information.”