CH 157.2

Chapter 157.2. Intruders On New Year’s Eve

-?’s POV-

“They all seem genuine…”

“Not just seem, they are. At this rate, if a few more seals are placed along the way, I’ll run out of power.”

His subordinate, the only one capable of using Dispel, makes him feel a sense of crisis.

“Should we refuse, then? Cancel the mission?”

“Do you think we can? We’ve already received a prepayment that far exceeds the standard fee. It’s a prepayment, you know? The actual reward is separate.”

And to top it off, the client is unknown, Kazuta inwardly cursing, It would have been possible to use this mission as leverage once there were no more options.

But that would be fatal for the Tasukaru, which specializes in assassinations. Their reputation would plummet, and they would never receive requests from nobles again.

Given the size of the reward, canceling the mission peacefully is not an option. Moreover, the client has requested multiple intermediaries, making it impossible to determine who the actual client is.

There was no other way but to eliminate every member of Takano County.

“…The target must be someone other than Takano Kazamichi who lives in a different place. Should we forcibly infiltrate and kill before our mana runs out? We can disrupt communication with [Noise]. We’ll finish this job quickly.”

“We have to kill all the witnesses, huh…”

That might be a viable option as well. Taking a deep breath and regaining composure, Itachi contemplates.

If the pre-information is correct, even if they have to fight all the guards, they should be able to kill the target. The target is not a magician but an ordinary couple and a recovery magician girl. They shouldn’t have too much trouble.

However, he has a bad feeling. Based on his previous assassination experiences, Kazuta couldn’t shake off the bad feeling.

On the other hand, their options were limited. Imagining the situation where they would spend time disabling the [Intrusion Detection] seals, only to run out of mana halfway through and render their subordinates useless, Kazuta reluctantly concluded.

“Alright. Use [Noise]. They’ll notice the use of magic immediately, but we’ll kill the target while they’re in chaos.”

As an assassination method, it was the lowest of the low, but there was no choice but to give instructions reluctantly.

“You don’t even think the possibility that we’re already aware of you, do you?”

“!”

However, he could hear a man’s voice from between the trees. Kazuta turned around in surprise.

He didn’t panic. He wasn’t foolish enough to shout, “Who’s there?”

His subordinates quickly dispersed and drew their respective weapons without waiting for instructions.

Several subordinates with shuriken in the shape of a cross threw them toward the direction of the voice. The shuriken, deflected by the flying snow, headed toward the source of the voice. But just as they thought they heard a metallic sound, the metal shuriken was cleaved in two and fell to the snowy ground.

“In any era, the ways of the ninja remain unchanged.”

A man with a piercing gaze emerged from the shadows of the trees. Even in this cold sky, he wore a kimono and held a sword.

“Is he a samurai?” It was the first impression that Kazuta had as he observed the man’s appearance. He wore kimono adorned with brush-drawn characters, indicating a powerful magical enchantment. It was likely equipment comparable to magic armor.

The sword, too, must be a famous blade. With just one glance, Kazuta could sense that it harbored national treasure-level mana.

An exceptional swordsman was guarding the place.

“Now, surrender yourselves. Resistance is futile. Discard your weapons and surrender.”

The man spoke, seemingly intending to subdue them. He held his sword in a reversed grip.

Kazuta, of course, had no intention of surrendering. He inwardly sneered at the man who thought he could easily capture them.

“Kill him.”

With those words, Kazuta’s two subordinates propelled themselves forward, closing the distance instantly, and attacked with their ninja swords.

[Twin Dragons]

The highly skilled duo simultaneously swung their swords in a diagonal slash, passing by the man’s side. It was a martial technique infused with mana.

The swords carried an aura in the shape of dragons, tracing their path, and their powerful strike was supposed to penetrate even magical barriers and sever the man in half.

However, the two stumbled, swaying their bodies, and collapsed to the ground. They couldn’t perceive the sword strikes the man had executed at all.

Suddenly, the man had unsheathed his sword, emitting a swift sound through the air, and calmly returned it to its scabbard.

“What the?!”

Kazuta stared at him in astonishment, questioning why. Tsukezaru had low output as it was used for infiltration, but it should have been capable of deploying a magic barrier. It shouldn’t have been defenseless against attacks that didn’t involve martial arts. Moreover, the man was not even holding his blade toward them.

“My name is Yamate Gamon. Have you decided to surrender quietly?”

Kazuta realized that he was dealing with an extraordinary expert. He couldn’t help but wonder why such a man was serving as a guard.

However, Kazuta was a shinobi who traversed from shadow to shadow, not a mage who engaged in duels.

“I’ll leave it to you.”

He said, giving instructions to his subordinates. He thought this man was Takano County’s trump card.

Amidst the five subordinates readying themselves, Kazuta ignored the man and sprinted towards the mansion. As a ninja skilled in evasive maneuvers, he could easily buy some time, no matter how formidable the opponent was.

“You fool! The best protection is to have it by your client’s side!”

The enemy had discovered the operation. There was only one option left he needed to do. And if he had confirmed their trump card, the rest would be nothing more than small fries.

He gave the order to use [Noise], and as he rushed through the trees, Kazuta wore a twisted smile as he headed toward his target.