Chapter 155: |
“Put on your night vision goggles.”
Otto said, looking back at Camille.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Camille pulled a pair of dual-lens night vision goggles from his pouch and put them on, before following Otto.
*Whoosh!* *Whoosh!*
As Otto started running, the nearby lurking Kuntachi family magic swordsmen also put on their night vision goggles and headed toward the mosque.
“What brought you here, our benefactor….”
“His Highness the Crown Prince is in danger.””
“What…?”
Otto pushed past the knights of Caliphate guarding the entrance and entered the mosque at lightning speed.
Camille and the magic swordsmen followed him into the mosque.
“Clear the immediate perimeter.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
At Otto’s command, the magic swordsmen fanned out around the grounds of the mosque and began to quietly dispose of the assassins who were lurking.
“…..”
“…..”
“……”
The assassins left for the netherworld without sound or scuffle, guided by the crossbows of the night-vision goggles-wearing magic swordsmen.
The would-be assassins were assassinated.
The small crossbows wielded by the magic swordsmen were crafted by dwarves and were deadly at a range of 100 meters.
As a result, they used them like pistols when fighting enemies in confined spaces.
In addition, the magic swordsmen used [Noise Muffling] spells, making the assassins oblivious to the deaths of their comrades.
The assassins didn’t notice their comrades’ deaths unless they saw or heard them.
“Can’t hide forever.’
Activating his clairvoyance, Otto smiled as he watched the assassins being killed without realizing it.
The same darkness that hid the assassins instead played in their favor.
Being able to use the darkness to their advantage gave them a tremendous tactical advantage in night combat.
‘Quickly.’
Otto signaled.
*Whoosh!* *Whoosh!*
Camille and the magic swordsmen rushed towards the core of the mosque.
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“We, the descendants of the great prophet of old….”
On the other hand, Saladin was immersed in his prayers, completely unaware that the assassins were targeting him.
The dozens of knights at his side stood on high alert, but none of them noticed the assassins approaching.
This was not because the knights were incompetent.
It was simply that the assassins were extremely skilled….
*Thud.*
The assassin who was hanging upside down from the ceiling pulled out a sharp dagger.
*Thwack.*
An arrow fired by one of the magic swordsmen pierced the assassin’s head.
*Thud!*
The assassin fell to the ground.
“….!”
“…..!”
“…….!”
Everyone freaked out.
*Shuuu!*
The assassins clinging to the ceiling simultaneously dropped down toward Saladin in unison.
“…..!”
Startled, Saladin pulled the sword that was hanging at his waist.
*Shiiing*
Saladin was not the type of Lord who excelled in physical strength.
However, he was a man who possessed a certain caliber of skills.
Despite being caught off guard, he was not a man to allow himself to be killed instantly.
“Attack! It’s an attack!”
“Escort his highness!”
The Caliphate’s knights began to mobilize.
A battle ensued.
“Die!”
“Do you think you’ll survive!”
The assassins were unrelenting in their pursuit of Saladin, not caring whether their colleagues were slain in the process.
They attack without hesitation, with no sign of backing down.
It was a single-minded assault to kill Saladin, whether it meant giving one’s very life just to end another.
But the vicious assassins were thoroughly thwarted by Otto and his men.
*Thwack.* *Thwack.* *Thwack.*
A volley of bolts launched by the magic swordsmen hit the assassins from a distance.
“Where.”
“It’s no use.”
Otto and Camille guarded Saladin at arms length.
“What brings you here?”
” I was out watching, just in case.”
Otto escorted Saladin and displayed his fighting prowess, killing the charging assassins with a single swift blow.
“……!”
“……!”
“……!”
The assassins finally realized what was happening, and by then the water had already been spilled.
The assassination had been a complete failure, as Otto had wiped out all of the hidden assassins from the perimeter of the mosque.
“These damned infidels….”
“We lost….”
The surviving assassin let out a rage-filled sigh, before suddenly collapsing to the ground.
Judging by the frothing at the mouths of their masked faces, it was clear that they had taken their own lives by ingesting some kind of poison.
“Even the Ismailis Hassassin.”
Saladin stared at the dead assassins, clicking his tongue.
The Ismailis were one of the many tribes in the Caliphate, and the faction most hostile to the current royal family.
[Hashashin], a term for professionally trained assassins from the Ismaili community, were feared here in the Caliphate.
Why?
Because they would stop at nothing to kill their targets.
Their tenacity and precision of execution were beyond measure.
The story of how one Hassassin became a son-in-law in order to assassinate a high-ranking target, successfully completing the mission and then taking his own life is the stuff of legend.
In short, Saladin’s life was not only threatened by Nuristanis scheming on this trip, but also by Ismaili Hasassins.
[Hassassin], a term for professionally trained assassins from the Ismaili community, were feared here in the Caliphate.
Why?
Because they would stop at nothing to kill their targets.
Their tenacity and precision of execution were beyond measure.
The story of how one Hassassin became a son-in-law in order to assassinate a high-ranking target, successfully completing the mission and then taking his own life is the stuff of legend.
In short, Saladin’s life was not only threatened by Nuristanis scheming on this trip, but also by Ismaili Hasassins.
“You’ll need to protect your jade body¹ for the time being.”
Otto cautioned Saladin.
“The situation is dire, and with tribes that have risen against the royal family plotting against the Crown Prince from every corner, you should be very careful how you carry yourself.”
“Your advice, benefactor, I will take to heart.”
Saladin bowed his head to Otto.
“The benefactor has saved my life twice, and I have no idea how to repay this favor.”
“No need.”
“I will repay this favor, Your Majesty.”
Saladin clasped Otto’s hand in gratitude.
Camille, who was watching the heartwarming scene from the sidelines, smiled wryly.
“Hey.”
Otto’s eyes widened, accusing Camille of something.
“What was that expression just now?”
“What…?”
“What’s that look?”
“What look?”
“Why are you smiling when you saw me like that?”
“When did I ever smile…”
“Just wait and see.”
Otto threw down a threat.
“I’ll tear your hair out.”
“…..”
“Even when I’m right in front of you, you act like this. I can’t imagine what you do behind my back. Hmph!”
Otto huffed and stomped away.
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The next morning.
Otto and his party headed to the capital, Al-Salam, along with the Caliphate army escorting Crown Prince Saladin.
The entourage was very long.
The troops escorting the crown prince totaled 1,500 knights and soldiers.
Add to that the Lota Kingdom forces and their cargo, and it was inevitable that the line would be long.
The problem was that they had to cross the [Kabir Desert] for a week to reach Al-Salam.
It was fortunate that there were oases along the way, military stations or fortresses, but….
“Tsk.”
Otto, on his camel, surveyed the area with his glowing green eyes.
“Aren’t you tired?”
Beside him, Camille, also on a camel, asked.
It wasn’t easy to keep his gaze alert in broad daylight under the scorching desert sun.
The mana drain was also significant.
*Glug!* *Glug!*
Otto hadn’t been chugging mana potions for nothing.
“I’m so tired. Ugh. My eyes are about to fall out.”
Otto rubbed his glowing green eyes, complaining of weariness.
“Shouldn’t you be getting some rest….”
“No.”
“Why are you so anxious?”
“We’re in the desert, that’s what’s worrying me.”
Otto snorted.
“If someone wears the right color, they’ll be indistinguishable from the sand, and if they try to hide in it, they’ll be even more indistinguishable.”
“I agree.”
“Besides, our long procession is an easy target, and it’s especially dangerous to be attacked from a distance while traveling. Can you imagine the damage if our cargo were to be destroyed?”
In that moment.
‘It’s all about the money.’
When he heard that money was the reason Otto’s eyes lit up -actually lit up- and that he was so wary of his surroundings, Camille made a face that said, ‘Well, that makes sense.’
But it wasn’t a bad thing.
Rather, it was a very exemplary and desirable behavior for a Lord to lead by example and be wary of his surroundings.
“Here’s a wet cloth.”
“Thank you.”
Camille was both flattered and honored by Otto’s behavior, so he did his chivalric duty by handing him a cold wet towel.
A few hours later.
“Would you like to join me for a cup of tea?”
“I would like that.”
The group stops to rest, and Saladin offers Otto a cup of tea.
In Caliphate, where alcohol was prohibited, drinking tea was a cultural tradition.
*Flap!*
The knights were about to lay a rug on the sand for Otto and Saladin and install a parasol.
“Wait a minute.”
Otto snatched the parasol from one of the knights’ hands.
“I’ll set it up.”
“Huh? Why would you want to set up the shade yourself?”
“Because it’s more comfortable. This is where I’ll be sitting, and I want to pick it out.”
“I see.”
The knight didn’t understand Otto’s behavior, but if the King of a Kingdom insisted, he handed him the parasol.
“Where should I place this parasol to make sure it’s the perfect spot? Is it fine here?”
Otto looked around and struck the sand with the parasol.
“Oh no, I must have stuck it too deep. Why is this sand so soft? I don’t think this is the best spot.”
With that, Otto yanked the parasol out.
“…..!”
“…..!”
“…..!”
The onlookers were horrified to see that the tip of the parasol was stained red with blood.
‘Shh.’
Otto held up a finger to gesture for silence, then started walking again.
“Is this the perfect spot, Huff!”
Otto brought the parasol down hard on the sand again.
*Mmph!*
A very small but clearly audible scream of death.
But Otto looked around as if he didn’t hear anything.
“It seems like the terrain isn’t suitable here either. Isn’t there a better spot somewhere?”
Otto continued to wander around for a long time after that, piercing the heads of the Hassassins hiding in the sand with his parasol.
*Shudder*
Meanwhile, the Hassassins hiding in the sand broke out in a cold sweat and trembled with fear whenever they felt Otto’s footsteps.
As Hassassin, they were fearless of death.
As long as their mission was accomplished, they didn’t care how they died.
However, meeting a futile death pierced by a parasol without even being able to carry out an assassination attempt is a different story.
As such, the tension among the Hassassins hiding in the sand was at an all-time high.
“Is this the correct place?”
One of the Hassassin tensed as Otto’s voice came from directly behind him.
‘Please, please.’
The answer.
“I don’t think this is the right one. I need to stick it somewhere else.”
The footsteps and the voice grew distant.
‘Phew.’
Just as he breathed out a sigh of relief.
“No, it’s fine here again.”
‘Huh!’
“Oh, no, I don’t like it here. I’ll find a better location.”
‘Phew!’
“No, I guess this is the place.”
‘Holy shit.’
“It looks better over there.”
The Hassassin went back and forth between heaven and hell every time Otto said this or that.
Even during his intense Hassassin training, he’d never experienced anything this intense.
“Shall I stick it here or not?”
‘Please.’
“Stick it in?”
‘Oh, no!’
“Nah, it might work better over there. I’ll just put it there.”
‘Phew.’
“No. I think this place is better.”
At that moment.
“Just kill me, you son of a bitch, Aaaaaah!”
The impatient Hassassin burst through the sand and brandished his dagger at Otto.
Even the patient Hassassin, whose patience was beyond human limits, had lost control in the face of Otto’s vicious machinations.
** ** **
TL/N:
1. A “jade body,” which could symbolize something precious or valuable.
Jade was highly revered in East Asian cultures, including ancient China and Korea.
Jade was associated with royalty and nobility.
Describing oneself as having a “jade body” conveyed a sense of elevated status.