Assassination

"Since you've already come all this way, why not just stay here?" As Karen’s voice, tinged with excitement, fell, his undead minions sprang into action. In an instant, over a hundred second-tier undead surrounded the Foresters’ party completely.

Seeing themselves encircled by skeletal undead, the Foresters' group was thrown into panic. Huddled together, their bodies trembled, none daring to resist. Only the young man at their head managed to maintain a semblance of composure.

"Karen, what are you trying to do? If you harm us, Lord One-Arm will never—"

"I’m rooting out traitors for him—he’ll thank me for it!" Karen cut him off, refusing to pay further attention to the captives. Instead, he turned his gaze to the ten wagons they had brought.

Each of these sizable wagons carried the corpse of a magical beast. Their contents were barely concealed, so Karen could see at a glance what they were transporting. Among the ten corpses, there were eight wolves, a serpent, and an eagle about two meters long.

Just as the young man had said, all ten corpses were of second-tier beasts; on this point, he had not lied, nor had they tampered with the beasts themselves. The real deception lay within the "Whispers of the Dead."

...

Whispers of the Dead, tainted by Holy Energy
Quality: Worthless
Description: Deliberately polluted with Holy Energy, the dark energy within is highly unstable. Cannot be used as alchemical material, but may be sold to the territory’s shop.
15 per blossom

...

Such were the attributes of these Whispers of the Dead—clearly, someone was plotting against Karen. According to Karen and Old Jack, these blossoms were vital in his necromantic creations. Now, this delivery of corrupted Whispers of the Dead left no doubt as to the sender’s intentions.

For the other side to orchestrate such a move in a single day showed the traitor’s considerable influence in both Moonlit City and among the Foresters. Yet Karen found this situation rather to his taste. He cared little for traitors or their schemes; the higher their status and the deeper their concealment, the more support he would ultimately win.

Outwardly, however, Karen did not show any pleasure. After the undead had secured the Foresters, his expression darkened. He silently conjured a tier-zero undead and instructed it to grasp a handful of Whispers of the Dead.

The moment the undead touched the blossoms, a surge of holy light burst forth, and the creature disintegrated instantly. Witnessing this, the Foresters’ faces turned ashen. No one was a fool—this was all the proof they needed.

"We only handled the delivery—we didn’t prepare these things. This matter has nothing to do with us!" the young leader declared quickly, distancing himself from any blame.

"You needn’t explain to me—I don’t care to listen. Save your excuses for Old Jack," Karen replied coldly. With a wave of his hand, he signaled his undead to seize complete control over the Foresters.

But at that very moment, Alice, who had been trailing behind Karen in her ghostly form, suddenly let out a fierce little cry. Startled, Karen turned to see her spectral form solidify, arms outstretched to shield his back, letting out a series of brave, childish snarls.

Karen instinctively glanced behind him—just in time to see a figure materialize out of thin air, dagger in hand. The blade, meant for Karen, was pulled back at the sight of Alice. The assassin shoved Alice aside and lunged forward, dagger flashing toward Karen’s throat.

Karen reacted instantly, drawing his longsword and unleashing a powerful strike directly at the dagger. Simultaneously, Alice, flung aside, snapped at the attacker’s left hand with a determined bite.

Yet the assailant was highly skilled—Karen’s Insightful Eye failed to reveal his abilities, marking him as at least a third-tier expert, far beyond Karen’s expectations. His reactions were lightning-fast.

With a deft sidestep, the attacker evaded Karen’s heavy blow. His dagger spun in a dazzling arc as he closed in, aiming a ruthless slash at Karen’s neck.

Fortunately, Karen’s undead protectors moved at that very instant. Anticipating danger, Karen had not returned to the village, wary of an attack. Since discovering the tainted goods, he had ensured his own safety—besides Alice, who followed him like a loyal shadow, he was guarded by Little Green, Song One, and two goblin skeletal mages wielding Bone Claw.

As soon as the assassination began, they leapt into action. The attacker’s dagger had barely moved before two pairs of Bone Claws materialized, seizing him. At the same time, Little Green and Song One lunged, and two Bone Spears thrust toward the assassin.

With two third-tier undead and two second-tier mages attacking at once, Karen finally felt a sense of relief, confident they could subdue the intruder.

Yet, to Karen’s surprise, the man moved with uncanny speed—the dagger flashed, slicing through the Bone Claws that held him, freeing himself in an instant.

But by then, Little Green and Song One’s assault was at hand—two Bone Spears poised to impale him. In desperation, the man yanked Alice before him as a shield, using the moment’s hesitation to break free and leap away, fleeing into the darkness.

Karen was not about to let him escape so easily—dozens of skeletal archers fired simultaneously, their bone arrows whistling through the night. Yet, in the end, only a few arrows struck home, failing to bring him down completely.

All of this transpired in the blink of an eye. As the assassin vanished into the distance, Karen’s expression darkened. The Foresters’ faces were likewise grim, especially the young leader, whose hope seemed to drain away entirely.

It was bad enough that the Whispers of the Dead proved faulty, yet now an assassination attempt had unfolded right before their eyes. There was no way they could escape responsibility for this debacle.

As the young man lamented his fate, Karen strode toward him with a cold, measured step...