8 Assassination [2/2]

Albert moved quietly inside the headquarters.

Although he did this, it was still a challenge for him to move as a knight would pass by every few seconds.

Currently, he was hiding in the bathroom.

But of course, he was not there JUST for hiding, but for an opportunity.

He was waiting for a group of knights to pass by.

Blending— a type of stealth that was taught to Ezio when he was young.

He intends to use this to walk around with the knights.

This is not the first time that he tried this. He used it frequently when walking with patrolling Hilichurls in the wild, a crowd of people, and a group of knights.

So he was quite confident that he won't be found.

"Hah... I know right?" Suddenly, a voice outside was heard. "Honestly, it's a pain."

"Searching for that DarkNight Hero guy..." The knight complained.

"Tell me about it." Sighed another person. "He hasn't been seen for a few weeks now, I wonder what he's doing?"

"Do you think he croaked?" Another person said.

"Doubt it." The other person scoffed. "The DarkNight hero is a cunning one. Those type of people doesn't easily kick the bucket."

They were a group of four people. However, there was something amiss.

The four of them continued walking, without noticing a fifth person walking behind them wearing a hood.

'It worked.' Albert smirked.

He did not try to break the momentum. He continued walking with them as if he was part of them.

Interestingly enough, the four knights know that someone was walking with them, but chose to ignore him and regarded him as another knight.

He continued walking calmly until he finally saw a door with a sign saying "Inspector".

Seeing this, Albert decided to separate from the group at the right moment.

Albert continued to walk calmly. A few knights saw him and stopped what they were doing for a moment.

"Huh? Who's that?" Asked a person who was talking to another knight

"Must be someone from the high ranks." The person he was talking to replied. "I mean, if he's not, what could give him the balls to walk leisurely here?"

"You're probably right." The knight hummed in agreement.

Ignoring their talk, Albert continued to walk towards the door he has his eyes on.

Approaching the door, he listened keenly behind.

"These damn fools!" A person angrily said inside. "I'm doing all of these for the sake of the Knights!"

"Tch." The person clicked his tongue. "No matter. As long as I follow Il Dottore's plan..."

'Dottore?' Albert recognized the name. 'The second of the eleven Fatui Harbingers? What's his connection with Eroch?'

Having thought of this, Albert thought of various ways to meet Eroch.

But in the end, he decided to just approach him in a simple way.

Tak*

The wooden door that was locked by Eroch opened.

"...Huh?" Eroch, who was talking to himself in rage, looked at the person that entered the room. "Who're you?"

However, the hooded person did not reply and merely closed the door behind him and locked it.

"I'm asking you!" Eroch said, irritated. "You are entering without permission! Don't you know who I am?! I—"

However, before he could finish speaking, a throwing knife was sent toward him.

Seeing this, he quickly reacted and took his sword out that was hanging on his waist, intending to block the blade.

Ting!*

Eroch managed to block the blade, but it bounced off and scratched his cheek.

"Argh!!!" He yelled loudly. "Y-You—!"

"That was a warning." The hooded person said, unbothered by Eroch's pain. "Next time, it will pierce your skull."

"You..." Hearing this, Eroch clenched his fist. "What do you want?"

"Information, Mister Eroch." The hooded man replied. "You have information that I need."

That was a lie. Well, at least a half-lie.

What Albert truly wanted to know was what Eroch's connection to Dottore is.

"Information?" Eroch said. "Haha, so that's what all this trouble is for?"

"..." Albert did not respond.

Seeing the hooded figure stay silent, Eroch smirked. "If it's information you need, then I believe this is something we can negotiate."

"Tell me." He sat at his desk. "What is it do you need?"

'You fool.' Eroch thought with a smirk. 'My scream a while ago would surely attract the knight here... Once you're captured, I'm gonna enjoy my time breaking you.'

"Ursa the Drake." The hooded person said. "Tell me, who killed it?"

Hearing this, the grin on Eroch's face widened. "So that's what you're here for! Haha, to cause such a ruckus for something like this... But very well, I shall tell it to you."

"It was me." Eroch said with wide arms and a wide grin. "With the help of my companions, i—"

Before he could finish speaking, another throwing knife was thrown at him. This time, he did not react fast and it hit his ankle.

"ARGH!!! WHY DID YOU DO THAT?!" He looked at the hooded person with bloodshot eyes.

"You lied." Albert's mouth opened. "I only wanted the truth... But you lied."

"A lie? Haha, how would you know?! My comrades and I fought and some die—" He tried to fight back, but another blade was sent toward him.

This time, Eroch was ready and skillfully blocked the blade.

He then looked at the hooded figure standing at the door with blood-red eyes full of anger. "You bastard..."

"I will make sure that yo—"

"This is pointless." Albert interrupted Eroch.

Saying this, he started walking towards the bleeding Eroch.

Sling*

He shook his hand, and soon, a blade came out.

Seeing his blade and clear intent, Eroch backed away. "W-Wait! I-I'll tell you! I'll tell the truth!"

Eroch knew that the hooded person in front of him was dead serious. So, in the end, he decided to tell the truth to have his skin.

"...Speak." Albert said.

"I-It was Il Dottore..." Eroch began explaining. "He approached me and told me to claim the death of Ursa the Drake..."

"In exchange, I would send some 'recruits' to the Fatui." He said. "Specifically... Dottore's laboratory..."

Eroch then looked up at the hooded man in front of him that has a blade under his arm.

And, for a brief moment, he saw the man's eyes.

Coldblooded and merciless sharp eyes. That was what Eroch saw.

"I see..." Albert said. "Thank you for telling me this."

Hearing this, the tense Eroch slowly calmed down. "W-Well then... I guess we—"

"But there is still one thing I want from you." Albert said.

"And that is...?"

"Your Life." Before Eroch could react, the hidden blade under Albert's arm swiftly moved to his neck.

"A-AAGH!!!" Eroch let out a loud, blood-curdling cry.

However, a blade soon silenced him, completely killing him.

"It's done..." Albert muttered.

He then bent down and took something out of the many pockets his assassin robe has.

It was a white feather.

Shlick*

Albert slid the feather on Eroch's neck, covering it in blood.

Tucking the feather back in, Albert looked around the silent office. "Time to get out of here."

Boom—!*

However, he was soon interrupted when the locked door of the room suddenly exploded.

"You..." A deep voice was heard as a person's figure appeared. "You won't be getting out of here."

Seeing the person that entered, Albert's eyes turned wide as he instantly recognized him. 'Shit, it's Varka!'

The man in front of him was currently wielding a Claymore, the one that possibly broke the door.

Wasting no time, Albert quickly ran and went to the window.

"Don't you dare!" Varka said, seeing what the hooded assassin was about to do.

Crash!*

The glass window shattered to many pieces as Albert's figure went through it. He has his arms up protecting his face from the shattered glass.

He then dropped down from a five-story building.

"That madman!" Varka said as he looked out the window

Whirr—*

A cry of an eagle was heard.

When he looked down below... He saw a cart full of hay outside.

Seeing this, Varka became confused. "Where did that person go? And why is there a cart of hay there?!"

However, he soon got his answer. Leaping out of the cart, the hooded assassin looked at Varka.

And for a moment, the two stared at each other in silence.

In the next second, the hooded assassin started running, disappearing in the shadows.

"Grand Master Varka! What happened?!" Knights came into the room.

Turning around, Varka looked at the knights. "Search the entirety of Mondstadt! Someone infiltrated the Knights of Favonius and assassinated a high-ranking officer!"

"His main features are hidden, but he has a white robe with unique designs." Varka said. "Now go! Investigate anyone you see suspicious."

"Yes!" The knights said in unison before leaving the room.

Looking at the corpse of Eroch, Varka sighed. 'How should I deal with this...'

'Was he silenced or assassinated?' He thought. 'And more importantly, should I thank the assassin or imprison him?'

Varka already intended to punish Eroch. But with the mysterious hooded assassin killing him, it just turned the situation complicated.

Sighing, he took out a cigarette and lit it up. 'Let us see...'

On this very night, on a full moon, the Knights of Favonius encountered an assassination, causing chaos in the middle of the night.

As for the assassin himself, he was running in the shadows and would occasionally jump from one house to another, completely unnoticed by anyone.

It was a very eventful night.