Lord of Mysteries: The Assassin's Dark Path

The Night Watcher squad arrived with three members.

The leader, a man in his thirties with a calm and composed demeanor, wore a black trench coat and conspicuous red gloves.

Accompanying him were a young woman in her twenties and another man of similar age as the leader, whose skin was even paler than the woman's.

Outside the rest lounge, the trench-coated man glanced inside and issued an instruction:

"Ashley, you first."

"Understood, Mr. Banks."

The young Ashley nodded and stepped into the room without the slightest hint of fear toward the corpse.

As she walked in, she unwrapped a silver chain around her left wrist, adorned with a yellow crystal pendant. Once inside, she gripped the chain, allowing the pendulum to dangle freely, and entered a meditative state.

"The death of Viscount Stout has been influenced by extraordinary factors."

"The death of Viscount Stout has been influenced by extraordinary factors."

...

After repeating the phrase seven times, she lowered her gaze to the yellow crystal and observed its counterclockwise motion.

This indicated a negative result.

Ashley did not linger on the ghastly sight of the late Viscount Stout's corpse. She retracted the pendant and exited the room, shaking her head subtly toward Mr. Banks, the red-gloved man.

As a temporary addition to the Night Watcher squad, Mr. Banks was a member of the Red Gloves and not her direct superior, so Ashley opted for this ambiguous form of communication.

Georgie Banks nodded slightly and then turned to the other squad member.

"Tuck, your turn."

The pale-skinned Tuck responded with a curt "Mm," entered the room, and closed the door behind him.

Roughly ten minutes later, Tuck emerged, carrying with him a faint, refreshing fragrance.

"No issues, Mr. Banks," he reported.

"Good. Let's head downstairs."

Georgie led his two teammates downstairs. In the grand hall, under the watchful eyes of a group of high-ranking aristocrats, he addressed the approaching young Stott:

"Who was Viscount Stout's personal servant? I have a few questions to confirm with him."

Before anyone could point him out, the overwhelmed servant stepped forward, stammering defensively:

"It wasn't me... I didn't know..."

As the servant stepped forward, Georgie closed his eyes, pulling the man into a dream-like trance.

In the dream, the servant still stood outside the lounge door.

Georgie approached him directly and asked,

"Were you with Viscount Stout the entire evening?"

"Yes," the servant replied, his tone slightly mechanical and halting.

"Did Viscount Stout consume anything unusual?"

"No," the servant answered. "He only had a few glasses of wine, the same wine everyone else drank."

"Did you notice anything out of the ordinary?"

"No."

From the moment he closed his eyes to the moment he reopened them, less than a minute had passed.

To the onlookers, Georgie's actions merely seemed like he was organizing his questions in his mind. What they didn't expect was that when he reopened his eyes, he had lost all interest in questioning the servant further.

Turning to young Stout, Georgie delivered his final verdict:

"Based on the Night Watchers' investigation, Viscount Stout died of natural causes. May he find peace in the Kingdom of Evernight."

"My condolences."

He extended his right hand, tracing a clockwise crimson moon over his chest, before leading his team out.

---

Shortly after the Night Watcher squad departed, an Extraordinary from MI9 arrived with a collaborating doctor.

Despite learning of the Night Watchers' conclusion, they conducted their own investigation. Apart from having the doctor examine the body, their primary focus was interrogating the personal servant.

Under the imposing aura and mental pressure of the "Interrogator," the poor servant wet himself.

Yet, the final conclusion remained the same: death caused by sudden illness.

Once MI9 left, the guests began to take their leave as well, with young Stout stoically enduring his grief to bid them farewell.

After helping clean up the banquet hall, Varina returned to his quarters.

Confirming the death of Viscount Stout, a peculiar sense of detachment welled up in him—a cold indifference, as though he were a lofty being who held the power of life and death over countless others.

Varina knew it was an illusion, born from his manipulation of someone's fate.

He didn't like this feeling.

What he sought was calmness—a serene, impartial view of life and death, ideally tinged with a faint sense of revulsion.

He understood that becoming an "Assassin" meant he could never be a conventional good person. But that didn't mean he had to descend into depravity.

He refused to become a callous villain who disregarded life.

---

The day after Viscount Stout's death, his personal servant was dismissed by the butler under young Stout's orders, bearing the brunt of his master's anger.

Varina saw this as an opportunity to leave early. At the right moment, he deliberately made a mistake in front of young Stout and received the same fate: dismissal.

To avoid leaving any loose ends, he visited the Metropolitan Domestic Assistance Association to update his resume and seek new employment before vanishing into the city.

After spending a night at his lodgings in the Bridge District, Varina made his second visit to the Katera Law Firm at 18 Mowas Street in the Cherwood.

In the office, the "Instigator" Figaro greeted him warmly.

"As expected of someone Miss Qili has high hopes for," Figaro praised candidly. "Varina, you're a natural-born 'Assassin.' You completed your first mission perfectly."

"You know, when I read about Viscount Stout's sudden illness and death in the papers, I was astonished. I never thought you could actually pull it off within a month."

"Let me tell you, most experienced peripheral members take two to three months to complete a mission of this caliber for the first time. I had estimated it would take you two months at most, but you did it in just one."

Varina pressed down on Figaro's hand, which was still patting his shoulder, and replied flatly:

"I'm not as skilled as you think. It was just a small idea coupled with a lot of luck. Luck was the real key."

After brushing off the compliment, he asked,

"Can you contact Miss Qili? You know I've completed the task and proven myself. I'd like to become an 'Assassin' as soon as possible."

"Oh, by the way, will I get a share of the reward for killing the Viscount?" Varina added as though the thought had just occurred to him.

"As for Miss Qili, I can't contact her directly." Figaro leaned back into the sofa, smacking his lips before continuing:

"But I met her just last week. She's already completed her advancement."

"Don't worry. She knows you took on the Stout mission. If things go well, she might contact you in a few days."

"As for the reward," Figaro turned to Varina with a sincere tone,

"It's quite generous. You'd probably get around 2,000 pounds."

"But," he added earnestly, "I suggest you don't take it. Instead, exchange it for the Assassin potion and the Instigator formula. It'll save you the trouble of accumulating contributions through tasks later on."

"Of course, the choice is yours. It's just my advice."

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