25 - Marquis Maron
Chapter 25
The poachers trembled. Realizing that something had gone terribly wrong, they backed away from Rango and clung to Reikart, begging for their lives.
"We were wrong. Please, spare us…"
Yeah, you should.
Reikart stood in front of Rango, stopping him, and looked at me as if asking what to do now, while Rango looked back and forth between him and me, as if asking what they were doing.
So this is what it's like to be a leader. Being in a position to make the final decision isn't so bad after all.
I said solemnly.
"I'll only spare one of you."
The veil covering my face was black mesh. The hat was purple. I was wearing a silk jacket and leather pants that noble ladies usually wore when fox hunting.
Fatima, who bought the clothes, must have not known my taste, because she even hung a Snake Whip around my waist, so I had to experience the feeling of the whip slapping my leg every time I moved.
"One will return home alive and well, and the other will become a meal for the hungry Snowbeasts here."
The poachers looked at me and shivered.
"What do we have to do to be spared?"
There was no loyalty between them, and the hesitation wasn't long. It was quite a sight to see them clamoring for me to save them.
They rattled off boring stories about having wives and children at home, or a sick old mother.
I said sternly this time.
"You have to eat this instead."
Black Magical Energy flowed from my fingertips. Even Rango, who had come close and held a knife to me, was horrified and backed away.
The poachers were the same. Their yellow faces turned pale with shock, and they crawled on the ground, trying to get away from me, not caring that the thorny bushes were piercing them.
Heh heh.
I asked as kindly as possible.
"Who wants to go back alive?"
The one with the stronger attachment to life raised his hand.
I asked him if he really had a wife and children at home. He quickly nodded, but the man next to him shouted that it was a blatant lie and that he was divorced and living alone, revealing the truth.
"I've decided on you."
I chose the one who had exposed his companion's lie.
"Ugh…!"
He squeezed his eyes shut. The Magical Energy that stretched out like a snake from my finger seeped into his mouth and nose.
Actually, I could have just put it anywhere, but I did it to scare him more.
"Now, go home quickly. You should run to the Margrave Holt who ordered the poaching and ask him to heal you. Entrust it to a skilled priest. Right?"
The quick-witted Reikart swung his sword and removed the ropes binding the man's body.
"Ugh, ughaaaa!"
The poacher screamed as he watched his skin gradually turn grayish-black. He was so fast that I was worried he would fall and die.
I asked the remaining man.
"How long does it take to get home?"
"A day… about a day or two."
"At that speed, it'll be a day."
Perfect. When I licked my lips, the poacher and Rango both flinched.
"What did you inject into that guy? Is that perhaps Contamination… no, Magical Energy? Huh?"
Maybe it's because we're near the border of the Contaminated Zone, but the poachers seemed to know what happens to those tainted by Magical Energy.
"Who are you! What are you doing! What if that guy goes home and attacks other people!"
"That's why I sent him."
"Huh? What do you mean."
"Here."
I even handed the remaining man a considerable amount of money.
"Take it."
"Why… no, why…."
"Go and tell them that the guy who ran ahead was poisoned by Magical Energy while trying to poach Snowbeasts. Say that the Contaminated Zone seems to be expanding to the Grandis Mountains. That if you get close, everyone will turn into The tainted."
That's all you have to say.
"If you don't do it properly, this scary assassin will appear and cut your head off with a single blow. I'll put a watcher on you, so you better not have any other thoughts."
"Who the hell are you?"
"Me?"
The end of the veil kept poking my lips, which was uncomfortable, so I lifted it up to my nose and said.
"Marquis Maron."
We decided to stay at the Grandis Inn for a few more days. It was because I had to make sure that the poachers I sent back did their job well.
"Scary woman."
Rango stuck to Fatima's back and peeked at me.
Why does that bastard, who is a scarier assassin, keep acting like this to a weak commoner?
"Terrifying woman."
"Hey!"
Fatima, who had gone downstairs to get some snacks, ran back up as soon as she went down.
"Margrave Holt sent an envoy to Grandis. He reported to the Order about the Contaminated Zone expanding to the mountains and asked for cooperation, he said?"
"What did the lord of Grandis say?"
"'Screw you,' he said."
"How cool."
When I chuckled, Rango asked, dumbfounded.
"What's going on?"
"What kind of assassin is so stupid? The lord of Grandis should naturally react like that. He conveyed the message 'If you want cooperation, confess to ordering the poaching first, you bastard' in a short and good way."
I concluded that I had completed my mission with this.
After that, whatever happens is none of my business, right? If a war breaks out, it's my problem, if the Order comes, they come. Whether the Margrave is put on trial, or whether he ends up self-destructing while still acting tough.
I raised my chin at Rango and ordered.
"Hey, go get me the list."
"……."
"If you don't keep your promise, I'll turn you into one of those poachers."
"I keep my promises."
He was wearing his old priest's robes again. He must be carrying a forged Order priest ID from somewhere again, and I honestly wanted it a little.
Rango approached me silently.
"Why, why are you doing this!"
I was honestly really surprised. The kid's hair was halfway long, covering half of his face, his eyes were pale white, and he was as silent as a cat.
His drooping hands were always within striking distance, ready to grab and swing a dagger.
"Here."
A thick document popped out of his arms.
Ugh, you scared me. I got angry instead to not show that I was scared.
"What. You already brought it? Tell me honestly. You had it from the beginning, didn't you? Or is the Order's security that messed up?"
"No! Do you think it's that easy to infiltrate the Order?"
Rango grumbled that it was a very important document, and he was risking his life to do it.
"It's real. It's not forged."
"Yeah."
Even if he forged it, there was no way to know for sure right now. I just have to trust this bastard. I'll find out later if I find the people written here in the Contaminated Zone.
Anyway, relieved, I mustered up the courage to shake hands with Rango. It was a sign of appreciation.
"It was a good deal."
But he flinched, looked at my hand as if it were a bug, and quickly backed away.
"You're going to kill me too, right? To silence me, or something!"
Seriously.
"Terrifying woman."
You're the assassin, you idiot.
I sighed. How did he become such a great assassin when he's so stupid?
"You can't have your identity exposed either, Rango. Did you try to kill me to silence me too?"
"No. I was going to follow you secretly, but…."
"Get lost."
I pointed to the window with my finger. But Rango confidently walked to the door and went out.
"Aish."
Assassins should go through windows, but that bastard doesn't know romance.
