Chapter 313: Target

"What? You wanted to join us?!"

Yasmin exclaimed after hearing Aria's request. The three already finished taking their bath and were now in the dining hall as they were invited to have their dinner here. 

"Yes. It has been a while since I saw my little brother. I don't think there's a problem, right?" Aria answered with a smile. She expected them to be surprised since their only reason for coming here was to supposedly confirm Diether's whereabouts.

"Of course, it's fine. It would be great if both of you can meet each other again. Right, we will just purchase some more supplies and we're thinking of leaving this town the next day."

Stella replied as she didn't seem to mind having Diether's older sister in their group. As a matter of fact, this will be better for them since it will probably hasten their search for the man.

"The more the merrier. I didn't expect our number to increase again but this is definitely a better situation." Lyrei smiled since she had never expected that traveling with Stella would allow her to meet several talented women. The Broken Fang Mercenary Squad is filled with males and only the two of them were females… 

It is a nice change of pace for her to travel with several strong women.

"Sigh~ I guess it's understandable. Sorry for overreacting." Yasmin apologized.

"It's alright… I actually didn't think that you'd accept me so easily."

"Well, since you're strong enough to protect yourself in our journey, I don't really think that there is a problem…"

The four ladies chatted while having dinner as they planned their next actions.

The three only left the mansion once it started getting dark. Luna wanted them to stay here for the night but they had to refuse since they already rented a place where they left their belongings. 

"Wooh~ We're finally here." Lyrei heaved a sigh of relief after lying on her bed. 

"That's true… I didn't think that their array is that strong." Stella added.

"Eh? What? What do you mean?" Yasmin asked in confusion. 

"Oh, you probably didn't sense anything since you haven't learned any technique related to Arcane Sensitivity… That place is quite creepy, it feels like all our actions are being watched." Lyrei replied in a tired voice.

"What? We even took a bath there! Oh no!" Yasmin exclaimed in horror after hearing the elf's words.

"Ahh… Don't worry, it seems that they left us alone in the bath. They're not that evil I guess." Stella chuckled as she started wearing her battle gears. 

"Is that so? But… where are you going, Stella?" Yasmin asked curiously. 

The sky is already dark and there would be a lot of town guards patrolling the surroundings. Not just because of burglars at night but because of the possibility of Evil Beasts appearing. 

"There should be a lot of stores open until late at night… but we can still buy our supplies tomorrow, right?" She added.

Instead of answering, Stella just smiled and left the two. 

"Don't mind about it. It's better for you not to know." Lyrei mysteriously said. 

These words finally struck her mind as she recalled what happened this morning!

"Ahhh! I see now… I guess she had done this before as well. Is she some kind of assassin?" Yasmin asked.

That's right, she recalled that Stella would settle things out to that arrogant aristocrat they met before. 

'Can she really kill a noble? Isn't that too dangerous? What if someone managed to connect it to her?' Yasmin felt a little worried. 

She knows that Stella is really strong. However, that young noble has many servants with him. If even one of them recognized her, the trouble that will follow would be immense. The Knights will be involved and most likely, it would be reported to the palace. The death of a pure-blooded noble isn't something trivial after all. 

"Don't worry about her. Though assassination isn't her specialty, dealing against someone without the protection of a Third-Class Arcanist shouldn't be a trouble. Even if there is, it is just a matter of time."

The elf confidently said as she started cleaning her sword as part of her daily maintenance. She wasn't really a sword user before when she started in the Mercenary Squad. She was previously a cross-bow user. 

However, after being influenced by Stella for several years, she started learning about the sword and even learned many techniques from many swordmasters they've met along their journey.

"Haa~ Since you're not worried then I guess I should relax as well." 

The girl then removed most of her hidden weapons tied around her body leaving only a couple of small knives before she started sleeping. 

On the other hand, Lyrei who had seen Yasmin take out 10 hidden weapons on her body and place it inside a drawer was actually amazed by that.

'I guess Hunters are really on a different level.' The elf commented in her mind as she closed her eyes. 

***

Stella arrived at the mansion owned by the Faust Family. Based on what she heard, this family was previously prosperous because of their relationship with the Royal Family. Unfortunately, they seem to have committed some crime that they have to move away and have their nobility title demoted. 

"Twenty guards… eight elite guards… four Arcanists…"

Stella counted the number of people that is guarding the huge mansion. She doesn't have plans to fight them since she only needed to take out Noel that is currently in his room.

She already marked his Spiritual Energy so she knows his location.

She glanced at the place where the four Arcanists are staying and they seem to be having a meeting in a pavilion just outside the mansion. 

Soon, she also noticed that the people that she recognized as elite guards were actually Knights!

Only now that she entered the mansion did she realize where the aura or spiritual energy was coming from.

She's unsure whether they are free Knights or under one of the four Knights Order but it doesn't matter now. She decided to just avoid them since she knows how troublesome they are. 

She used her several Magic Items provided by the Broken Fang Squad and her Arcane Sensitivity to avoid getting caught by traps and arrays placed around…

Soon, she quietly entered the room where the repulsive noble is currently doing revolting things to his pitiful maid. 

'Tsk… What a scum…' Stella felt disgusted as she pulled out her sword.