"I... have no choice, right?" Reynard let out a forced laugh, squeezing the vial in his hands before putting it in his pocket, letting out a long sigh.
Despite this, his expression seemed completely undisturbed.
Looking at Reynard's actions, the cult figure nodded its head, seeming satisfied. "You truly have no choice, but don't worry, we will guarantee your safety."
'Guarantee my safety?' Reynard repeated this internally and felt like laughing. If the other party weren't a threat, he would have already pointed a finger in its face and cursed.
"Who are the other members?" He asked curiously, pretending his inner thoughts never existed. If this was going to happen, then it was good to try to get a little more information from this figure.
The more he knew, the safer he would feel and the more he would be able to prepare in advance.
Not that there was much that could be done in this scenario, but it was better than not preparing at all.
But the other party's response was a splash of cold water.
"It's confidential. They will appear when necessary." The mysterious figure shook its head, its tone somewhat stiff and cold, refusing to answer his questions.
This left him with his hands tied. He wanted to know, but the other party didn't want to say. If he couldn't read the room, he might try to insist, but he wouldn't make the same mistakes as his predecessor.
"I understand... Then I will trust the cult. I hope to be able to conclude this mission and get out alive." Reynard spoke with an expression full of hope, seeming to place his blind faith in the cult.
Of course, he was clearly acting.
Hearing this, the figure nodded its head. "The cult values each of its members." Perhaps it was his impression, but he had the distinct feeling that the figure was smiling beneath the cloths that covered its face as it spoke those words.
No, who was he trying to fool? He wasn't blind!
Despite the hall being somewhat dark due to the night, he could still clearly see that the other party was smiling upon hearing him say that.
'Bastard.'
Was it finding him pathetic for saying that? Finding him foolish for thinking he could escape this alive, right?
And he was right.
'Conclude the mission?' The figure scoffed internally, its eyes shining with disdain. Much less conclude the mission, perhaps he wouldn't even reach the destination. And saying that the cult valued its members was the biggest lie it had told today.
It was also a member and understood how things worked. Much less rescue, if its death benefited the higher-ups, then it would be the first to have its head cut off, even if it had been in this longer than Reynard.
There was no such thing as loyalty in this line of work. This noble was really thinking too highly of the cult. If he wanted to be treated well, he should have joined the kingdom...
"If you manage to conclude the mission, the cult will not treat you poorly. There will be rewards for you, so I hope you give your best." The figure suddenly added, as if wanting to incite Reynard further.
'Rewards?' He was genuinely curious what a cult would give as a reward for something like this, but this was clearly false.
Even if he managed to succeed, the reward would certainly be far inferior to his performance. He was killing a baron, and the cult wouldn't put effort into rewarding a small figure like him.
Reynard also didn't have high chances of succeeding, so he didn't care about the rewards.
This was the same thought the figure had.
"All right. I will do my best." Reynard shrugged, letting out a sigh of regret.
Remembering something, Reynard reached into his pocket, pulling out something that reflected a striking blue glow. The color was quite attractive in this dark hall in the middle of the night.
Without much thought, he threw it towards the mysterious figure. "This is a gift from me."
Reynard's actions were very quick, catching the mysterious figure by surprise. From the moment Reynard pulled something out of his pocket to the moment he threw it, it took no less than one breath.
Despite this, the figure still reacted quickly, retreating a few meters with impressive speed. With agile hands, it pulled out two hidden daggers from somewhere as it retreated, looking cautiously at Reynard with a murderous gaze.
The object fell to the ground with a soft thud, bouncing a few times before stopping in front of it, attracting its gaze.
'A... crystal?' The figure looked confused.
Two people stared at each other, silence taking over the hall.
'Eh?' Reynard was also surprised by that reaction.
It's not untouchable, then.
Good.
"What do you think you are doing?" After a few seconds of silence, the figure let out a dry cough and, looking a little embarrassed, asked coldly. Its grip on the dagger hilt was firm, its eyes alternating between the small shining object on the floor and Reynard's face, considering something.
"Is that a mana crystal?" It suddenly asked, quickly crouching down to pick it up before returning to a defensive stance.
"Yes... a gift." Reynard nodded, still a little stunned by the figure's reaction. The moment it gripped the dagger, he felt he could die at any moment. Cold sweat trickled down his spine.
Noticing that its reaction had been too exaggerated, the figure let out another dry cough. "It seems there has been a misunderstanding. I will accept your gift, but don't do that again, it's dangerous."
Even saying that, the figure remained a few meters away from Reynard after picking up the mana shard.
It could guess what Reynard was trying to do, but it couldn't care less.
Although its curiosity had been piqued upon seeing this, it wanted to know where Reynard got that mana shard. It wasn't too difficult for nobles to get this, but for someone of his level, it was useless and expensive.
If the other party wanted to give it gifts, then so be it.
Reynard knew he couldn't buy it with gold, but the situation would be different if it were a mana crystal.
Even if you have the gold, the commodity might not be available. This made the mana crystal even more valuable and a highly prized resource by people in the magical world.
Despite being useless to him.
Reynard also didn't expect them to become friends.
This was a risky plan he had created, and only time would tell if it would work or not. They were coincidences that arose in his path without him planning them.
"How will I get to Baron Alderan?" Reynard changed the subject upon seeing that they wouldn't get anywhere.
The meeting was happening at the Baron's mansion, and would gather several nobles with and without titles like him. Baron Alderan might not care about all the titled nobles, much less pay attention to an untitled noble like him.
It would be a foolish dream to think Reynard could simply approach him.
He still hadn't added the other party's strength to the equation.
If he was discovered midway, perhaps his head would roll in the middle of the hall while all the nobles muttered about the pathetic noble who was part of the cult and tried to poison the baron.
Hearing Reynard's question, the figure fell silent without answering.
Putting the mana shard in a hidden pocket in its chest, it spoke. "We gathered some information beforehand. Baron Alderan appears to be an unranked knight. He has 4 subordinates who should have similar strength."
Reynard swallowed hard upon hearing this.
This was suicide.
Let alone four, just one unranked knight would be enough to kill Reynard a thousand times.
According to what he knew about this world, an unranked knight possessed impressive strength that far exceeded that of a common human. They could lift weights that would normally be impossible for an ordinary person, defying conventional logic.
The classification was somewhat flexible. After all, this world was not a game. Classifying someone's strength based on that would be too simplistic.
This was just the physical strength of an unranked knight. It didn't even mention the magical abilities these people might use.
"At this meeting, the members will keep all of them busy while you approach to offer a drink to the Baron. Do this without pretense."
Saying this, the mysterious figure took something from its other pocket, throwing it to Reynard with a natural movement.
"Offer this as a gift to him when they toast."
Reynard caught the object the figure threw, looking at it curiously.
A small wooden box rested in his hands.
It was rough, with loose splinters and protruding knots. The rustic cut marks revealed its hurried manufacture. It had a rancid smell, of old sap and mold. Although simple and ugly, its weight suggested that what was inside was worth more than its coarse appearance.
"What's inside the box?" He tried to probe.
"Some rare herbs. Just hand this to the Baron and he will know what to do. This will help you familiarize yourself with him and create an opening for the two of you to become friendly." The figure replied simply, seemingly not wanting to give more details about the situation.
Reynard also didn't try to explore further and just nodded, saying he understood the orders.
Handing herbs to the Baron? Reynard was not very knowledgeable about the use of herbs, so he didn't know if these things were valuable or not.
He also didn't think that handing this to the Baron could really shorten the distance between them. But now that he had it in hand, it seemed the other party had its own plans, and he really was just another piece.
A disposable piece, but still a piece.
"Now that you have received the instructions, follow the plan. We will meet at the meeting." Seeing that the matter was concluded, the figure turned and walked to the hall window, preparing to leave after finishing the discussion.
With fluid movements, it left at the same speed with which it entered.
Reynard watched calmly as the figure disappeared, a calm and thoughtful look returning to his face.
After a few minutes, the hall was still silent. The moon shone high in the sky, but now it seemed even brighter. Sounds of insects could be heard if you closed your eyes and paid attention.
A cold breeze entered through the window, blowing against his skin, bringing Reynard back from his thoughts.
'It seems this confirmed my suspicions...' He stretched, letting out a heavy sigh as he massaged his temples.
Everything was clearer now.
The Shadow Cult already knew about this meeting beforehand.
The meeting was happening precisely to deal with them and the demons.
Knowing this, they might use Reynard as a distraction initially, killing him a month before the meeting. If he wasn't the target, it would be another. It didn't make a difference. With an untitled noble and all the castle staff dead, they might want to prepare the ground, create distrust, testing the kingdom's reaction time.
And the time was slow.
No one had discovered the deaths at the castle. And he also hadn't heard news about other noble families in the region who might have been killed.
Whether it was throwing the blame on the demons, creating chaos, or making the other nobles sleep with the candles lit. All this seemed to have many benefits for the cult. And this was just what he could see with his limited vision.
'Why do I feel like I'm playing a game I've already lost?' He grumbled, feeling a headache thinking about all this.
He was almost certain that the poison in his hand to kill Baron Alderan was the same one that had taken the lives of the staff and the original Reynard.
'What a great idea... What are you planning?'
Using the death of the original Reynard as a test of how the authorities and other nobles would react to a direct threat seemed plausible the more he thought about it.
Even if there were no real benefits, just the act of killing a noble would be enough. Despite not being in a good position, an untitled noble, ultimately, was still a noble.
This would be a slap in the face of the kingdom, the local authorities, and the other nobles. This would create distrust and instability among the nobles and authorities present at the meeting, making it easier for the Shadow Cult to influence the events and do whatever they were planning to do.
'Things are getting interesting, Reynard.' A slight smile appeared on his lips, his eyes glued to the wooden box in his hand.
He had a feeling that this meeting would be more turbulent than he imagined.
Very dangerous.
But definitely stirring.