The Master of Language - T.M.L Chapter 31 (Part 1):

A glimmer of murderous intent flickered in the jester’s eyes.

“Please don’t look at me like that. It’s quite exhausting for us as well.”

“I suppose so. Having to send assassins every month, only for them to die each time must be quite costly.”

The jester laughed as if nothing had happened.

“Not really. Except for one occasion, we’ve been sending people who were going to die anyway.”

“Oh? Why’s that?”

“Because our service doesn’t actually carry out assassinations. It’s just about attempting to assassinate the target regularly. The goal is to torment them with the threat of assassination, not to actually kill them. Well, sometimes we do take out people around the target.”

The jester proudly thumped his chest.

“This is my original business idea. It’s the core of the service. We continually send assassins to wear people down to death. That way, we can achieve nearly the same effect without actually committing murder. No consequences.”

“Hmm, I suppose anyone would become mentally exhausted if faced with assassination attempts every month.”

“Exactly! That’s why many nobles in Baritone use our services. They’re all such gentlemen, you see, and don’t like to actually get blood on their hands. As you know, many nobles are related to each other. So I really tapped into that aspect. Hehehe.”

Now I understand why this jester approached me.

I folded my arms.

“So. You’re trying to have the same effect on Count Furst, but it’s not working?”

The jester pouted and made a sad face, clasping his hands together and nodding vigorously.

“That’s right, that’s right. It’s a very sad situation. Most people go crazy or leave the city for their hometown after about a year. But Count Furst seems to have an incredibly strong spirit – he hasn’t budged an inch. I’ve been worrying about what to do, and before I knew it, over 3 years had passed. We must have sent over 30 people by now.”

Thirty people – that matches the number of skeletons I saw in Fabre’s room.

This jester is telling the truth right now.

“I thought you said there wasn’t much loss?”

“That’s true, but the severe damage to our company’s credibility is a serious problem.”

Suddenly I noticed the sun had nearly set. I started walking back towards the company building and said to the jester:

“There must be a lot of complaints from the members too. I bet they’re wondering if you’ve really been making assassination attempts for the past three years.”

“Exactly. And that client is quite influential. If he were to publicize this matter among the members, we’d lose customers left and right. Then bankruptcy would be inevitable.”

“That’s unfortunate. But why are you explaining all this to me?”

“Well, you see. We’ve been investigating continuously. How he manages to thwart every assassination attempt so cleanly, and how the Count maintains his sanity. The Count’s mansion has tight security so we couldn’t find out much, but we did obtain one definite clue. The Count doesn’t even know there are assassination attempts being made on him. That’s for certain.”

Fabre must be handling things very discreetly.

“Wow. How did that happen?”

The jester’s eyes narrowed.

“Mr. Mage.”

“Yes?”

“Seeing that you have a staff and a robe, you seem to be formally walking the path of magic. As someone who once walked that path myself, I know well how powerful magic can be.”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Without such great magical power, how could someone prevent thirty assassination attempts over 3 years without the Count knowing? If knights had stopped the assassins, wouldn’t that news have reached the Count’s ears?”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes. I thought it couldn’t be explained without magic, and now you’ve finally surfaced. So I had to meet you, even if it meant being rude.”

This jester thinks I’ve been preventing the assassination attempts for three years.

Does that mean he doesn’t know about Fabre’s existence?

Wait, hold on.

Assassination attempts on the Count for three years?

That’s very strange.

Just then, we arrived at the New Continent Company building.

Standing in front of the main gate, I turned to look at the jester. He was watching me with an unreadable expression.

“You didn’t follow me all the way here just to tell me to stop protecting the Count, did you? What do you want? Tell me, jester.”

The jester bowed deeply, bringing his gaze level with mine.

“As I mentioned, our company’s service also includes protection for its members. As such, requests between members are automatically prohibited.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Therefore, if Count Furst were to purchase our service, everything would be smoothly resolved. We’ll offer it to him for free as a special case.”

He’s asking for a good excuse.

One to refuse assassination attempts.

The jester lowered just his eyes to look at the ground. Above his half-closed eyelids were wrinkled tattoos.

He certainly seems like someone who walked the path of magic. The intimidating aura he naturally exudes far surpasses that of an ordinary person.

But I am a mage.

My dignity is incomparable to that of someone who gave up.

I straighten my shoulders and back.

I spoke coldly.

“You said you overheard my conversation with Priest Hansis? Then you should know well what I want, right? You should have brought that as a gift, and even that wouldn’t be enough. Yet here you are making demands of me?”

The jester trembled for a moment. The facial muscles that had been relaxed throughout twitched slightly.

The jester carefully raised his eyes to look at me, but when our gazes met, he trembled again and immediately lowered his eyes.

I know that feeling well.

I felt it too when I faced Kalasta, and when I faced Keren.

He tried several times to raise his eyes to look at me. Each time, fear flickered in his eyes and they lowered again. But after five or six attempts, he managed to look me straight in the eye.

He definitely knows magic.

He seems to understand well that if a mage loses in terms of presence, proper conversation can’t even take place.

The jester regained his smile.

Along with his composure.

“Such treasures can’t be found outside the magical world. If it was somewhere I could find, senior mages would have taken it long ago. It’s not that I didn’t think of bringing a gift; I just couldn’t prepare one.”

I nodded slowly.

“I know, I know. How could you, who gave up magic and became an ordinary person, obtain such a treasure? Instead, I’ll ask for something you can get. How about that?”

Dangun

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