Published: July 3, 2025
At a distance of about two hundred meters, the attackers released a volley of arrows all at once.
Some arrows struck the wagon, but there were no casualties.
Moreover, the shields of the knights perfectly defended against them, resulting in no damage.
However, the aim was not to inflict damage with the arrows.
From the arrowheads, which were about the size of a clenched fist, white smoke billowed out vigorously.
Using the cover of the white smoke, the assassination cult executed their signature tactic of closing in on the target and taking them down.
But...
"Is it that again?"
Ryo murmured softly and chanted in his mind.
([downpour][ice binding])
The moment he chanted, a dense barrage of raindrops flooded the area, washing away the white smoke that had enveloped everything.
Then, the arrows that were spewing out white smoke froze completely, halting the release of smoke.
As with the incident with Shaafi and when they infiltrated the cult's village, this was a familiar tactic for Ryo.
Rather, it made him think, "Is that all they have?!"
However, considering the nature of assassins, it was indeed a very effective tactic.
In the first place, top-tier mages like Ryo, who could wash away smoke with rain or blow it away with wind, were extremely rare.
By the time the downpour washed away the white smoke, the attackers had already closed the distance to less than a hundred meters.
Suddenly, the smoke vanished. It was not surprising that they were thrown into confusion.
But that was where the trained assassins stood strong.
They hesitated for only a brief moment before charging headlong into the fray.
It was already too late to turn back.
There was no option but to defeat the enemy in front of them and achieve victory!
Almost everyone made that judgment, and Natalia did as well.
Only one person—the female assassin following behind Natalia—clearly seemed to falter.
Noticing this hesitation, Natalia quickly urged her on.
"Rosalia, there’s no turning back now. We’re going in!"
"Yes, Lady Natalia."
Though she replied, Rosalia was filled with anxiety.
Rosalia was a top-tier assassin.
Even unarmed, she could likely take down two knights at once.
However, her greatest strength was not in close combat as an assassin.
She was the only one in the assassination cult capable of wielding dark attribute magic.
In Fai, it is predetermined what magical attributes one can handle at birth.
Humans with the ability to use dark attribute magic are rare, and moreover, the "incantations" for dark attribute magic do not exist.
For that reason, there are nearly no individuals recognized as dark mages in the Central Nations...
Without any incantations and with no mentors to guide her, she could only improve through trial and error...
In that sense, Rosalia, who had even managed to command wyverns, was nothing short of a genius with dark attribute magic.
However, she was terrified.
Even the wyverns she commanded were taken down with little resistance.
She had no idea why or how, or who had defeated them.
Wyvern subjugation occurred a few times a year, but there was still no established method for it.
Each time, many sacrifices were made, and it took considerable time.
Yet this time, they had been defeated far too quickly.
That was what frightened Rosalia.
"There’s something truly terrifying here." ...With that conviction.
If she had to charge directly into the fray from the front, it would be enough to freeze her in her tracks.
But there was no turning back now.
They had no choice but to kill!
Abel, the a-rank adventurer, was said to be incredibly troublesome, but the other adventurers were c rank.
Furthermore, there were twenty knights from the royal knight order, known for having become complacent in recent years.
Thirty assassins should be able to take them down.
Choosing not to think about the wyvern situation, Rosalia convinced herself.
After all, there was no option but to charge in and defeat them from the front.
As the white smoke that had covered the area vanished, distant attacks from the delegation began.