The Assassin's Seven Principles of Manipulation-Chapter 59 - 57 — Mission

As the day’s training ended, Zephyrion headed straight to his mansion.

By then, Lumi and Tobias hadn’t returned from training, leaving him alone in the room.

Zephyrion sat on his bed. He brought out the elixir Garrick had given him and studied it silently.

’Odd.’

He hadn’t attended any evaluations in the past, but he was certain the house wouldn’t hand out rewards for something like that, especially not something as valuable as an elixir.

’It should be safe.’

Since it had come from Garrick, Zephyrion trusted its source. Even so, he uncorked it and gave it a brief sniff.

’Nothing unusual.’

A moment later, a faint smile appeared on his lips.

Aside from the absence of poison, he could tell it was a mind cognition elixir. More than that, its potency was even higher than the last one he’d used.

’It’s mid grade.’

If the low-grade elixir had cleared the fog to that extent, he couldn’t help but anticipate what a mid-grade one would do.

’Focus.’

Zephyrion exhaled slowly, steadying himself. He removed the relic binding his wrists, then let his gaze rest on the door for a moment.

The last thing he wanted was to be disturbed midway through the process.

’Let’s see.’

With a thought, metal slid into place, sealing both the door and the window. Once he was done, he settled back on his bed and uncorked the vial.

He drew in a slow breath, calming his mind, then drank it in a single gulp.

A familiar warmth spread through his body, and a moment later, the pressure surged toward his mind.

The world dulled into a muted silence. His senses sharpened, his awareness stretching further than it ever had before.

Appearing in his mindscape, Zephyrion gathered every shred of the elixir’s energy. It coalesced into a massive dark sphere that pulsed faintly, far larger than the last one.

’Now.’

With focus, the energy surged forward, compressing into a concentrated beam. It slammed into the fog, and Zephyrion immediately saw the effect it had on it.

He suppressed his thrill and focused, ignoring all distractions.

...

Several hours passed before Zephyrion finally opened his eyes. A faint glint flickered across his gaze.

He exhaled deeply as different sensations washed over him at once, the dizziness, the disorientation... the fatigue.

’It’s better.’

Though the elixir was stronger than the last one, the aftereffects were noticeably milder. Zephyrion turned the thought over in his mind for a moment.

’Less impurities.’

Higher-ranked elixirs meant stronger effects, but also fewer impurities compared to lower-ranked ones.

Hmm...

He couldn’t help but briefly wonder what a high-ranked elixir would feel like.

Zephyrion exhaled again, pushing the thought aside and clearing his mind.

’Let’s see...’

He entered his mindspace once more and focused on the fog. A moment later, a faint smile formed on his lips.

’More than half.’

Even with the relic’s help, it would have taken him about four months. Now, he could clear the fourth mark in just over a month.

’This is good.’

It usually took geniuses six months to a year just to comprehend a single mark. Being able to rank up in merely a month was insane.

He withdrew from his mindspace, then became aware of the dampness around his body. His gaze lowered. A wet patch had spread across the bed beneath him, soaked through with sweat.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

The dampness had suddenly reminded him of someone.

Lumi.

’Where...?’

As his gaze landed on the metal sealing the door, he suddenly remembered.

’She would have gone to her room, right?’

He withdrew the metal and stepped out, only to pause with a slight frown.

Lumi lay before the door, breathing softly. She had tucked her hands beneath her cheek as a pillow, squishing her cheeks slightly and pushing her lips forward.

So she hadn’t gone to her room... she had chosen to sleep outside instead.

With where she had positioned herself, it was obvious she hadn’t wanted to miss him in case he came out.

Zephyrion shook his head.

"Lumi."

Silence.

"Lumi."

This time, he nudged her lightly. Nothing. His brows furrowed, and he nudged her again, a bit firmer.

"Wake up."

But Lumi only stirred and turned to the other side, as though brushing him off in her sleep.

Zephyrion let out a low scoff.

"If you don’t wake up, you’re sleeping here."

He stepped back and shut the door. A moment of silence passed... then he opened it again.

Exhaling, he bent down and lifted her.

She instinctively curled into his arms, letting out a faint, content sound. As he laid her gently on the bed, Zephyrion lingered for a moment, feeling something stirred in his chest.

He frowned.

’She’s just a—’

He shook his head, cutting the thought off. At this point, even thinking about it was becoming bothersome.

Choosing to ignore it, he turned and entered the shower to freshen up.

...

As soon as dawn came, Zephyrion left his mansion, heading toward the iron training ground.

The moment he descended the stony stairs, he frowned at the sight of trainees gathered outside.

"Hey... do you think he’s dead?"

"No way... right? He’s not even moving."

"...he kinda looks homeless."

"Shut up! What if he hears you?"

"Oh please, look at him. I could scream right now and nothing would happen."

"...don’t. You know what Instructor Garrick’s like. I’m not surviving another increase."

"...so what, we just leave him there?"

"...you wake him up."

"Me? Are you mad?"

"...then what do we do?"

The trainees glanced at one another, coughing awkwardly.

"...wait—"

"Oh, the young lord’s here."

"...thank the Iron Father."

As Zephyrion approached, the trainees quickly parted to make way for him. Soon, he found himself standing before the source of their discussion.

Garrick was sprawled right in front of the entrance, deep, rumbling snores escaping him. His robe was tattered and stained, and a heavy stench of alcohol clung to him.

Zephyrion’s frown deepened. What the hell was he doing?

Without hesitation, he kicked him.

Gasps rippled through the trainees.

"He—he kicked him?!"

"We’re finished."

"I’m not staying here, I’m leaving—"

Zephyrion paid them no mind and kicked him again.

This time, Garrick stirred. His eyes blinked open sluggishly as he pushed himself up, letting out a long yawn.

"Ugh... what’s going on... where am I?"

"You’re at the training ground entrance."

"Hm?"

Garrick turned his head, noticing the gate behind him. He glanced down at himself seated on the ground, then lifted his gaze to Zephyrion, who stood there calmly, with the other trainees keeping their distance.

"...ah"

He let out a low chuckle, then pushed himself to his feet, swaying slightly as he steadied his balance.

"Alright, that’s enough. Gather up."

He shamelessly brushed past the situation and called out. As the trainees gathered, he gave a small nod.

"I’m sure you’re all wondering why I was asleep here. I got some good news yesterday... ended up celebrating a bit too much and knocked myself out. So yeah, rejoice. You’re all going on a mission."

"What? A mission?"

"Us? How?"

"Isn’t it too soon?"

Whispers rippled through the trainees as they exchanged confused glances.

’A mission...’

Missions were usually reserved for the knights of the Knight Line, ranging from killing beasts to protect settlements, to escorting important figures.

Regardless, none of them had even attended the military academy yet, they were still far from being sent out on missions.