Chapter 15: Lili

Lili held up the oil lamp, following Ethan into the pitch-black alley. When she saw a man lying on the ground, covered in blood, her face went pale with terror, and she was about to scream.

Ethan anticipated this reaction and quickly covered her mouth before she could make a sound. "Shh! Don't scream!"

Terrified, tears streaming down her face, Lili tried to calm herself and nodded.

Only then did Ethan slowly release her. As he was about to hoist the unconscious assassin over his shoulder, Lili, in a quivering voice, pleaded, "Sir Ethan, I didn't see anything. Please let me go!"

Ethan paused, realizing she had misunderstood the situation.

"She probably thinks I'm a robber," Ethan thought, understanding why she was so scared. "Anyone would be in her shoes."

He sighed, trying to maintain a reassuring smile, and explained, "Miss Lili, please don't worry. I won't hurt you. This man here is an assassin who was trying to kill me. I knocked him out because I still need information from him. I need a place to keep him for a while, and you happened to be passing by. I have no other intentions."

Lili exhaled in relief, patting her chest. "You want to take this man to my house?"

"Yes, but just temporarily."

"My house is small but clean. This man is covered in blood; he'll make a mess. Besides, I'm really afraid of blood."

Lili looked genuinely worried.

"Two gold coins a day," Ethan offered with a sigh.

"Deal!" Lili agreed immediately.

Ethan chuckled softly, lifted the assassin onto his shoulder, and followed Lili to her home. Fortunately, her house was just a few steps away, and they arrived in no time.

Ethan laid the assassin on the bed, tied a rope around his severed hand to prevent excessive blood loss, then grabbed a kitchen knife, heated it until it was red hot, and pressed it against the wound to cauterize it.

The excruciating pain jolted the assassin awake, making him scream in agony before he passed out again.

Ethan, seeing the assassin wake up, prepared to draw his sword but relaxed when the man immediately fell unconscious again.

He then asked Lili for some sewing supplies and began stitching up the assassin's wounds. Although it was his first time doing such a thing, he recalled techniques from television shows, focusing on stopping the bleeding quickly rather than making neat or permanent fixes.

Ethan just needed to keep the assassin alive and believed that his resilient target wouldn't die so easily.

One of the academy's superhuman instructors had survived being sliced in half at the waist on the battlefield, so Ethan figured this assassin could survive these relatively minor injuries.

Once he finished, Ethan took a step back to survey his work. Not bad, he thought.

Meanwhile, Lili, who had been watching, was pale and trembling. The sight of Ethan burning the wound, with the smell of seared flesh filling the air, nearly made her vomit.

"E-Ethan, how old are you?" Lili suddenly asked, her teeth chattering.

"Sixteen," Ethan replied absently as he searched the assassin's belongings.

"Oh," Lili murmured, her fear evident.

Ethan didn't notice her distress, continuing his search. He found ten decks of playing cards, a white mask, and a coin purse. He checked the purse—inside were ten gold coins and some silver coins. Initially, he considered keeping it but then tossed it to Lili after a second thought.

"Sorry for the mess. This is compensation."

Lili, initially trembling, brightened up as she caught the purse. "Really? All of it?"

Ethan nodded. "Yes. And the two gold coins I promised you will still be paid."

Hearing this, Lili's fear dissipated. Her legs stopped shaking, her face regained color, and she stood straighter.

"You're a good man!" she exclaimed.

Ethan smiled. "It's what you deserve. Please watch over him; I need to clean up the scene."

"But what if he wakes up?" Lili asked, worried.

"Don't worry. I've severed his tendons. He's a helpless cripple now. Just keep your distance."

Ethan explained and was about to leave when he remembered something. "If he does wake up and starts yelling, just let me know when I return."

"Okay, I understand. But won't his shouting attract attention?"

Ethan didn't answer directly, instead reassuring her, "Don't worry. If I'm right, he won't draw attention to himself. If he does, just watch him until I get back."

Ethan figured that a killer aware of his circumstances wouldn't scream if he had any will to live. If the assassin did shout for help, it meant he had given up, making interrogation useless and necessitating immediate disposal.

With his plan clear, Ethan grabbed a bucket of water and a cloth and hurried out.

Back at the alley, using his heightened senses, he quickly cleaned the scene. Blood stains were easy to wash away, but the severed hand posed a problem.

"If I throw it down the sewer, there's a chance the assassin's organization might find it and recognize it. The chance is slim, but it exists."

Thinking this, Ethan threw the hand into the air, sliced it into tiny pieces with several swift sword strikes, then wrapped the pieces in a cloth and disposed of them in the sewer.

Satisfied that he left no trace, Ethan returned to Lili's house.

"Did he wake up?" Ethan asked as soon as he saw Lili.

She shook her head. "No."

Ethan checked the assassin to ensure he wasn't faking unconsciousness, then relaxed his tense nerves, found a chair, and collapsed into it.

Only now did he have a moment to take in his surroundings. Seeing a wedding photo on the wall, Ethan asked, "Your husband was a soldier?"

Lili, bringing Ethan a cup of hot water, glanced at the photo and smiled bittersweetly. "Yes. He died in battle a few years ago, just two months after we got married."

"Oh," Ethan said, feeling awkward. "I'm sorry for bringing up a painful memory. But I don't understand—aren't soldiers' widows supposed to receive a pension? Why are you doing this job?"

Lili laughed bitterly. "A pension? Yes, I used to get three silver coins a month. But with the current prices, three silver coins barely cover food!"

"I used to complain about how little it was. Now, I only get 40 copper coins a month, and it's likely to get even less."

"That's impossible!" Ethan was incredulous. "By imperial law, families of fallen soldiers receive at least 15 silver coins a month, depending on rank. How are you only getting 40 copper coins?"

"Law is law, but it's enforced by people," Lili replied bitterly.

"Are you saying someone's embezzling the pension? That's outrageous!" Ethan knew corruption was everywhere, but he couldn't believe someone would dare to steal soldiers' pensions—it undermined the nation's foundation.

"Is there anything people won't do for enough profit? I'd do it too if the stakes were high enough."

Ethan was speechless.

"This country is more rotten than I thought. I need to secure my own territory soon, or I might end up as cannon fodder on the battlefield, if not assassinated first."