The metallic scent of blood still lingered faintly in the cool night air. Two bodies—no longer recognizable beyond the fact that they had once been human—lay twisted and broken at Magus's feet. He stared at the mangled corpses for a long moment before shifting his gaze to Hidden Dragon, who sat nearby with an expression of pure innocence plastered across its reptilian features.
"…Really?" Magus muttered, his mouth twitching ever so slightly.
Through the spiritual bond he shared with his magical companion, the young wizard quickly pieced together what had happened. Hidden Dragon had been dozing peacefully in the courtyard when the two assassins silently vaulted over the wall. Out of idle curiosity, it had observed them at first, half-awake, half-asleep. But the instant the intruders crept toward the corridor and drew their blades, its instincts flared in warning. Enemy. Threat. Eliminate.
And so it had acted. Brutally.
Perhaps too brutally.
Magus let out a long breath, pinched the bridge of his nose, and finally reached out to pat Hidden Dragon on its massive head.
"Next time," he sighed, "try to leave one alive."
Hidden Dragon blinked slowly, its great amber eyes reflecting the moonlight. Whether it understood or merely pretended to understand, Magus couldn't tell.
He crouched beside the bodies, his expression turning serious. From the severed limbs and exposed tissue, it was easy to analyze their physical makeup. Dense musculature, reinforced bones, well–developed tendon structure—these two had been Formal Knights, and not just early-grade ones. Their muscle fibers showed the compression typically trained into the bodies of High-level Knights.
That meant someone had paid a hefty price to send them.
"To dispatch two High-level Knight assassins at once…" Magus murmured. "The mastermind can't be anyone but him."
Even without naming names, the conclusion was inevitable. And if they had targeted him, then—
"My brother is in danger as well."
Magus turned sharply toward the main building. Closing his eyes, he extended his perception outward. His magical senses unfurled across the courtyard like an invisible blanket, and soon enough—faint but unmistakable—he detected the sound of violent commotion.
His expression hardened. With a swift gesture, he traced a glowing sigil in the air.
"Shield."
A translucent blue aura shimmered around him, enclosing him in protective magic. Without hesitation, he sprinted across the courtyard. His robes fluttered like shadows chasing the wind.
Behind him, Hidden Dragon gave a low growl and bounded forward. Before its enormous claws even touched the ground again, its body dissolved into the darkness and vanished completely.
In the wide courtyard before the main building, a fierce battle was already underway. Swords clanged. Metal rang out in chaotic rhythm. Brede, the captain of the household knights, led a force of more than a dozen armored men and just as many Black Rock Leopards. Together, they encircled a tall, powerfully built middle-aged man.
But despite their numbers, the defenders were clearly struggling.
A faint radiance coated the intruder's body—subtle, but distinct enough to catch the moonlight. Each time a Knight's sword struck that glow, their blades bounced off harmlessly. The impact reverberated up their arms, numbing their hands and nearly causing them to lose their grip.
The enemy, however, showed no such weakness. Even a casual swing of his sword sent a Knight sprawling across the courtyard. Only Brede could withstand the man's frontal assaults, using his heavy shield to intercept blows that would have shattered lesser defenses.
Still, they were barely holding.
Elsewhere in the courtyard, Rune fought desperately against a second assassin—a lean figure wielding a black blade that gleamed like a serpent's fang. Rune, though skilled, was clearly at a disadvantage. His opponent's movements were swift and silent, each strike aimed to kill. If not for the Black Rock Leopards harrying the assassin from the sides, Rune might have already fallen.
This was the grim scene Magus arrived to.
"Two Great Knight–level assassins," he muttered, narrowing his eyes. "Quite the investment."
The strength of the intruders wasn't something that could be mistaken. Both emanated the unmistakable pressure of Great Knights—warriors who stood just beneath the legendary Peak Knights in strength. A single Great Knight was rare, valuable, and often treated as an honored guest in any noble household. Hiring two of them… was absurd.
Magus couldn't help but wonder, Where did Owen find such people?
The territory of Blackstone City only had one Great Knight at its disposal, and Owen commanding two assassins of that caliber went far beyond ordinary political maneuvering.
But speculation could wait.
He stepped forward, his gaze sharp.
"Everyone—retreat!"
Brede reacted instantly. He slammed his shield into his opponent to force distance, then leapt back. The rest of the Knights and Leopards followed, withdrawing in practiced formation.
The middle-aged assassin frowned. The moment Magus appeared, he sensed the shift in the defenders' morale. Relief, confidence, renewed fighting spirit—they flowed through the group as though a heavy burden had been lifted from their backs.
This young man wasn't merely respected. He was trusted.
The assassin studied him carefully. Rumors had spread about the young lord of Blackstone City dabbling in the mystical arts of wizards. Some laughed at the notion, dismissing wizards as frauds with fancy tricks. But he, unlike most, had access to confidential intelligence.
And he knew one thing very clearly:
Real wizards are terrifying.
Seeing Magus standing here—while the two High-level Knights who had been sent after him were nowhere to be seen—made the assassin draw his own conclusions.
They were dead.
And their killer stood before him.
"Tch… a wizard, huh?" he muttered.
He tightened his grip around his sword and exhaled slowly, muscles tensing. He prepared himself to face a dangerous opponent.
But before he could take even a single step—
WHAM!
Something massive slammed into him like a charging war chariot. His breath exploded from his lungs as his body was hurled through the air. He flew backward more than a dozen meters before smashing into the stone wall with a deafening crash.
Dust surged upward, and fragments of stone scattered across the ground.
Every Knight in the courtyard froze.
"What… just happened?" one whispered.
None of them had seen the attack. One moment, the assassin stood poised for battle; the next, he was embedded in a wall.
Only Rune and the Black Sword assassin had caught a faint glimpse. When the attack struck, the air had rippled—just slightly—revealing the vague outline of an enormous creature.
The creature that had been invisible moments earlier.
The Black Sword assassin's pupils contracted. What kind of monster is that?! Something capable of hiding its presence so completely… something powerful enough to tear an elite warrior apart in seconds?
Before he could steady himself, a tortured scream erupted from the swirling dust. The middle-aged Knight staggered out, blood pouring down his body. His right arm hung at an unnatural angle, broken in several places. Across his chest and abdomen, deep arc-shaped wounds exposed torn flesh—marks unmistakably left by massive claws or teeth.
"You damned… monster!" he roared, twisting around instinctively and slashing behind him.
But the blade hit nothing.
A shadow flickered at his flank.
Hidden Dragon emerged from the dust cloud with silent, predatory grace. Its massive limbs flexed, claws glinting coldly. With terrifying precision, it thrust its talons straight through the knight's torso, lifting him off the ground before slamming him violently into the earth.
The assassin tried to struggle. He failed.
Hidden Dragon's jaws opened wide, rows of sharp teeth glistening, and with a savage motion, it tore the man apart. Flesh, bone, armor—it all shredded beneath its power.
Blood splattered across the stone tiles.
A chilling silence descended over the courtyard.
Brede and the other Knights swallowed hard, staring at Hidden Dragon with a mixture of awe and disbelief. Its body had grown far larger than when Magus had first brought it back from the Black Scale Lizardmen tribe. Its scales gleamed with a darker luster, and the aura it emitted was almost monstrous.
How had it become so massive?
How could it turn invisible?
And how had its strength increased to such an overwhelming degree—strong enough to crush a Great Knight like breaking a twig?
Rune and the Black Sword assassin had long ceased their duel. Both stared at the beast. Rune's eyes flickered with shock—but also with a trace of joy, for the monstrous creature was clearly on their side.
The Black Sword assassin, however, felt only pure, unfiltered fear.
Nothing in the mission briefing mentioned this. No report stated that Magus was guarded not only by multiple Knights but also by magical beasts at Knight level—and even stranger, undetectable creatures like the Black Rock Leopards.
They had expected a clean assassination. A swift, simple kill.
Instead…
Everything from the very beginning had gone wrong..
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