Wipe Yourself Off Man

The head of the guards stood before Viscount Renn and reported, "We found the doctor's corpse at his residence. He died after getting his neck snapped by a giant arm. From young master Vincent's description of the assassin, it looks like the murderer and the assassin are one and the same."

"Any signs of him?"

"None at all. We think he had several accomplices who covered his tracks."

"Did you run a check on every servant in the mansion?"

"Not yet. We will get to that soon."

The viscount nodded slowly before bursting forth with extreme anger. "So you are telling me that an assassin was sent by someone who had first hand information about my intention to invite the doctor. Someone who you well know was conveniently murdered recently. And yet, you have not run a check on every servant in the manor when it's highly likely that someone from inside leaked the information?"

"That possibility eluded me completely. Please forgive me. I shall get it to right away." The head of the guard bowed his head and apologized profusely.

"Get out there and find me the culprit immediately. If you don't get me results soon, I will start thinking that you are the traitor covering up for the assassin."

The head of the guard ran out immediately seeing that his lord was in a bad mood. As the door closed with the man's departure, Renee attempted to calm her husband. "You should relax honey. The manor is already on a lockdown. The traitor won't be able to escape anywhere."

"You are right." The viscount took a deep breath. "Looks like I have been on edge recently. Did Vincent leave the room yet?"

"He's still looking over Mina. I think he feels guilty that she got hurt."

*****

In a dilapidated corner of the slums in Mistellia.

A lanky man walked into a worn out house. The insides however, was vastly different from its outer appearance. Everything was clean and well arranged. It was homely.

"Is the job complete?" A voice came from a dark corner of the room.

While this wasn't the first time such a scene was playing out, the man was still surprised. He looked at the corner to try and make out the figure of his mysterious superior but failed like always. It was as if the person sitting there was nothing but a shadow.

Readying himself for any possible punishment, he answered honestly. "I failed."

"Hmm. Interesting. Tell me Colt, how does a silver ranker fail in crippling an injured brat who was crushed by an iron ranker girl in a duel?"

"The target wasn't injured. Plus, he probably threw the duel in purpose. His strength was probably in the upper iron rank." The assassin wanted to add that the target could have even been a silver ranker but stopped himself. The idea sounded ludicrous even to him. In the end, he consoled himself by saying that the result had been as such because of the strange magic used by the boy.

"I see. That's enough. Move from this place before midnight." The man hidden in the corner instructed calmly.

"Why? I don't think we need to be so scared about the viscount and his troops. Besides, I did a perfect job erasing my tracks." The assassin shot back, reluctant to leave this hideout of his.

"While the viscount and his troops aren't a threat, his sister is certainly more than capable of crushing our plans. We don't want to attract her ire too much. She cares too much about the boy after all."

"The paladin from the Order of Crimson Blades? Is that why you told me to just take the boy's arm instead of his life?"

"That's the gist of it. Remember to clear out of here before midnight. Nothing should stand in the way of lord Bennet's resurrection." The figure hidden in the shadow disappeared as soon as he left those words.

The assassin bowed towards where the mysterious man was previously and spoke strongly, "For lord Bennet's return."

*****

Mina finally opened her eyes after hours of unconsciousness. An aching sensation stemmed from her head and the pain jolted her last memory.

Worried about the health of her master, she looked around desperately to ask someone. Before she could move too much, a small hand pressed her back down.

Vincent smiled warmly and spoke, "Don't move too much. Just rest."

Beads of tears started rolling down her face in relief as she looked at her tired master. A faint bruise could be seen on his neck where he was grabbed. He was hurt, yet still watched over her patiently.

The boy panicked as soon as he saw her cry. Looking around in confusion, he grabbed a medicine. "Does it hurt? Here take this pill. It will numb the pain."

"That's not it." She smiled weakly and lied through her teeth. "The makeup kit broke when I was tossed around."

"Don't cry. I will buy you another. The one which costs more. I will even buy you two if it makes you happy."

Looking at the flustered boy, she smiled softly and nodded. "Okay. That's a promise."

Vincent fed her the pill despite her repeated reassurance that she wasn't in pain. As the effects of the medicine kicked in, she fell asleep.

He went back to his room and gazed out the window at the setting sun. Feeling the bruise on his neck, he muttered softly. "Just you wait."

The two moons shone brightly in the sky after the sun disappeared behind the horizon. Vincent wore a hooded coat and sat on the tiled roof leisurely. His eyes scanned the manor constantly, waiting for the traitor to attempt their escape.

It wasn't long before a servant sneaked out uneasily. His gaze kept on wandering around to see if anyone noticed him. He suppressed his anxiety and made a run for the wall behind the manor. Unbeknownst to him, three patrolling guards who spotted him had been knocked out, allowing him to escape smoothly.

He ran without looking back even once all the way until he reached the slums. Navigating through multiple narrow streets, he arrived in front of a dilapidated house. He walked through the door without knocking and lifted a secret trap door. Gazing at the dark basement, he gulped a mouthful of saliva before heading down.

As he descended the ladder, the faint light of candles finally entered his vision. Standing in the middle of several animal carcasses was a lanky man busily filtering through several diaries. He would tear several pages every once in a while and burn them.

"Colt! How could you do this?" The servant asked hysterically as soon as he saw the man. "You promised me that you were only going to steal some valuables. My life is as good as over thanks to you trying to assassinate the viscount's son."

The lanky man paused his action and looked at the servant in surprise. "How did you get in?"

"What do you mean how? You left the door open like always."

"No. I am sure I locked it." Colt replied confidently but still walked towards the ladder to check the door.

The servant grabbed him by the shoulder and pushed angrily. "Where do you think you are going? Answer me damn it. My life is ruined because of you. They probably already know I am the one who tipped you guys off since I escaped."

Colt looked at the servant calmly and lifted him off the ground. "Don't worry. You won't have to worry about them catching you."

Ignoring the fearful eyes of the servant, he put strength into his giant arm.

Snap!

The servant fell to the ground with his head bent unnaturally. Just as Colt began wondering if he should be happy about cutting off a loose thread or unhappy at having one more evidence to clean up, he heard a click. Immediately following after was a sharp whistling noise.

Colt felt a sharp pain on his back and he turned around. Standing a few meters away from him was a figure clad in black. His visage was hidden behind a cloak and a crossbow hung from his arm.

Colt reached behind his back and broke the shaft of the bolt stuck inside him. "You should have aimed for someplace vital." Saying so, he suppressed the pain and charged at the hooded figure.

Vincent discarded the crossbow and moved back as he prepared a spell. He even taunted the assassin while doing so. "Your face looks just as ugly as your arm now."

Recognizing the voice, Colt shouted in fury. "You bastard. You really have a death wish don't you. Die!"

"The only one who can kill me is me."

As soon as Vincent's words ended, Colt was raised high up in the air. Vincent then swiped his arm across the air, hurling the man towards the wall. With his back ramming against the cold stone, Colt dropped to the floor.

"Just stay still. The bolt was laced with Zuma spider's venom. A single drop is enough to kill a lion. Use the few minutes you have to reflect back on your life and repent." Vincent approached the man slowly with the cool gait he had practiced for years.

But when he reached the man's side, he was surprised to find that he was already unconscious. "Did I put too much venom? Wait, did he seriously not hear all the cool lines I just said?"

Suppressing his disappointment, he took a white handkerchief from his pocket and threw it. As the cloth floated down slowly, he quoted the line he always wanted to say: "Wipe yourself off man. You're dead."