Isekai Assassin: Volume 1 Read online

  The mansion was more akin to a countryside castle than a nobleman’s estate.

  The land it was on spanned several acres. Plush greenery and well-pruned bushes and trees lined the grounds, but only at the edges. The entire manor was unobstructed.

  It was built from polished white stone, with rich wooden accents around the windowsills and façade. Heavy slate tiles lined the roof, and white marble columns held up an extravagant balcony at the front of the manor. Smooth pave stones formed pathways around the perimeter and stretched across the entire manse.

  The balcony overlooked a large fountain, similar in style to the one in the city square, but the stature was different. It was still of the same man, the count, but he was now holding a sword aloft like a fantasy tale hero.

  So he’s a pompous asshole who likes to waste money on extravagance. Good to see some things never change no matter what world I’m in.

  A ten-foot-tall wrought iron fence gated off the entire manor. Wickedly sharp spikes lined the top and almost seemed to dare me to try and climb them just so they could taste my blood.

  I wasn’t worried about the fence, I could scale it as easy as any other, but there was a lot of open ground between the gate and the manor.

  Though those trees look like a decent spot to camp out and watch.

  I noted all of it as I slowly walked by, my eyes sweeping all over the estate with a practiced gaze. I had my vantage point. Now I just had to climb the fence.

  There was no one around. The count's manor was located in a secluded section with no other houses around it, so it offered privacy and meant I had to enter the grounds if I wanted to case the place.

  Double-checking that I was alone, I hopped the fence, narrowly missing the spiked tip as I vaulted the iron and landed in a roll.

  Your Acrobatics skill has increased by 1! [Acrobatics: 5 (Novice)] +25 Exp!

  As I came out of my roll, I raced across the grass to the tree line. I reached them in a handful of seconds and stopped at the base of a large tree.

  Your Endurance has increased by 1! [Endurance: 33] +100 Exp!

  Huh, vaulting that fence actually felt smoother this time. And I’m not as winded as I should be.

  Despite my observation the other night, it seemed that certain skills of mine were already being affected by the system. I smiled as I noticed the slight change in my body.

  I could get used to this.

  I crouched low. The trees were tall, with wide trunks that offered great cover. They were well kept, and the tree I was under boasted thick branches that towered fifteen feet or more above me. I grabbed a hold of the lowest branch and began my climb.

  In a handful of moments, I made it nearly to the top and was nearly perfectly camouflaged from view. The foliage hid me well enough, and my green cloak only helped. I drew it closer to me and peered out through a slight gap in the leaves.

  I had an unobstructed view of the mansion from my tree, and I could wait and watch the comings and goings at my leisure.

  At once, movement from nearly a dozen bodies pulled my eyes in different directions.

  Guards patrolled the stone pathways around the center of the manor. Each of them led in either a circle around the house or to a separate building along the property. What I assumed to be guard and servant quarters and a few storage sheds.

  From the open windows on the third floor, several more guards patrolled inside the home as well.

  Getting in and out will not be easy.

  And stealing the seal was a double-edged sword. Once the count noticed its absence, he would invariably increase the guard presence, making the goal of assassinating him that much harder if I had to kill him here.

  But that’s a future problem, and even if he does increase the guards, there’s enough holes in the security to sink a ship. I’ll be fine no matter what.

  With my decision affirmed, I settled in and watched the patrols.

  The tree was rather uncomfortable if I stayed seated on it for very long, but compared to some of the places I’d hidden in, it was wonderful.

  At least it’s not in a sewer. I shuddered at the memory. Never again. The money for the Hollis job wasn’t near enough to banish the stench that lingered on me for a week after.

  Hours passed as I timed each guard and made a mental note of their habits and patterns. They were professional guards, but boredom was the number one killer of professionals no matter who you were. They lapsed several times, their routes identical to the one they just patrolled.

  There was hardly any variation in their movements, and it made keeping track of them all too easy.

  Though the same couldn’t be said of the guards inside. The windows only allowed me a brief glimpse into the home, but there were still a few methods I could employ.

  I timed the single guard patrols on the second and third floor. Each of them passed by the window at five-minute intervals. Five minutes of steady walking was a lot of ground to cover, and the mansion wasn’t large enough for them to continuously walk for five minutes.

  It meant that they walked the halls and stood still in a location for a minute or so before repeating the loop.

  As well as their movements, they also paused for a break every hour, leaving the upper floors for about ten minutes at a time.

  That was my window of opportunity. I would have to be quick and find the room with the seal quickly if it was even here at all.

  From what Charles said, Count Vohra keeps a seal on his person in the form of a signet ring, but he also has a seal with the same emblem on it in the manor. If I can’t find the seal in the house, I’ll have to pickpocket the ring from him.

  But I was a truly awful pickpocket. Always had been. I could slip items from pockets well enough but slipping a ring off someone’s finger was far beyond my level of skill.

  I rubbed my chin at the thought. Maybe Aless could do it? I stopped and shook my head. No, I’m not going to work with her, she’s too...talented? Capable? Young? She’s too young.

  She had skill, but after Elizabeth, I was loathe to put my trust in another person like that again. Taking the life of someone I loved was…painful. I shook my head and could’ve slapped myself for daydreaming.

  It was a sad fact, but even I wasn’t immune to letting my mind wander when boredom crept in.

  After another hour, I was certain of the patrol's likely routes and the gaps in the guards. I’d told Charles a week, but the guards were a lot laxer than I’d thought. I was almost certain I could pull the job off today.

  I could get from the tree line to the house in under fifteen seconds, but climbing the roof was going to be a challenge.

  Maybe I can put some of what Aless showed me into practice? Her unconventional way of moving could be applied to more than just wall running.

  It was possible. I just had to figure it out.

  Trial and error on the job? Bold and risky, but I’ve got almost two minutes before another guard shows up, so I can afford to mess up once.

  If I was going to pull the job today, my window was approaching.

  I went back and forth for a second before deciding to go ahead and risk it. I was confident in my abilities.

  The guards passed by the house and went around the side, disappearing behind a row of bushes. I rose out of my kneeling position and dropped from branch to branch until I was on the ground.

  From there, I sprinted the distance to the front of the mansion, the grass muffled my footsteps nicely, but I had to shift on the balls of my feet as the grass ended and stone began. I clung to the wall and let my heart rate settle while I worked out my angle of approach.

  The second-floor balcony was too high for me to jump, and the walls offered me no avenue to climb.

  Most stone or brick buildings had crevices I could use to climb, but this house offered me nothing.

  I’m thinking too narrowly. I need to shift my thought process.

  As I stared at the window, I had an idea. If I can run along a wall, perhaps I can run
up it as well? I would just have to be careful, so I didn’t fall and break my neck.

  I stepped back and ran at the wall. I jumped and put one foot over the other as I used my momentum to run up the side of the wall.

  But almost instantly, my momentum slowed, and gravity took hold. I began to slip, but before I lost my grip on the wall, I angled to the left and pushed off toward the balcony. I hung in midair for a single split second before my fingers brushed cold marble, and I latched on.

  I hung there, suspended by my fingertips until I realized that I’d succeeded, and I quickly hauled myself over the railing.

  Your Acrobatics skill has increased by 1! [Acrobatics: 6 (Novice)] +25 Exp!

  Holy shit. I breathed out, pressing my hand to my racing heart. That was incredible. And I don’t think I could’ve done that before I received the system.

  I dropped quietly to the ground and shuffled over to the door.

  Just as I got there, the guard on the second floor passed by. His shadow stretched before disappearing. I had my window.

  The door leading to the house was locked, but the locks wouldn’t be a problem at just a glance. I pulled out my picks and got to work. The picks were new and slightly clumsy in my hands, but I still had the lock opened in ten seconds.

  Your Lockpicking skill has increased by 1! [Lockpicking: 2 (Novice)] +25 Exp!

  Okay, these notifications or whatever are really getting in my way. Wonder if I can get rid of them somehow?

  I shook off the thought and got my head back in the game. Once I was inside, I paused, making sure the coast was clear.

  The hallway I entered was elegant, pristine wooden walls with golden and ivory filigree etched in spiraling patterns along the molding. It was twice as extravagant as the Ildan manor.

  When I was sure I was alone, I headed for the third floor. If Charles’s directions were to be trusted, the study was the most liable spot for the seal, and it was located on the third floor.

  More marble followed me as I climbed the stairs. A slew of rich tapestries and paintings lined the walls. At the top of the stairs, I peered around the hallway, and I’d been correct about my assessment. The guards left their posts on the hour, probably to get water or relieve themselves, but it was a gross oversight on the count’s part to let them both go simultaneously.

  Sloppy guards. You’re only making this easy for me.

  I crept along slowly, listening for the slightest disturbance. The house was so large and empty there was an echo, and all the marble didn’t help insulate the sound. It traveled here, and I could make out snippets of conversation two floors below me.

  My instincts told me I was alone. And I trusted them, but still performed my inspection of all the rooms on the third floor. A single bedroom nicer than any of the top hotels I’d ever stayed in back on Earth met me as I opened the door. It was empty, which made the final door the study.

  I placed my fingertips on the stone floor and waited for the vibrations. None came. There was a profound emptiness to the room beyond my fingers, and I just knew that it was vacant.

  Your Intuition has increased by 1! [Intuition: 26 (Journeyman)] +50 Exp!

  This time, the notification was small, in the corner of my eye. Out of the way and barely noticeable.

  Which disturbed me.

  Did the status read my thoughts and shrink the words for me? That’s slightly amazing and terrifying at the same time.

  But my thoughts could wait. The door was unlocked, and I crept inside.

  It was a study, much in the same style as Gordon’s, but where his was bordering on the affluent, Count Vohra’s clubbed me over the side of the head with the display of wealth.

  The base was of wood, a rich cherry wood that brought a warmth to the place. The furniture, the desk, and chairs were all carved by a master craftsman and probably cost more than a regular shopkeeper earned in a year. Tall bookshelves lined the back wall behind the desk, stopping a few feet before reaching the high, arched ceiling. The rest of the walls were polished marble and hung portraits of people I’d never seen before, and one that I knew.

  I’d seen her picture in the history of Chordis. It was of the current queen.

  Queen Joslyn.

  From what I remembered, she’d only been queen a few years since her husband, the king, was assassinated.

  Killing a monarch. Now there’s something even I haven’t done. I applaud you, nameless assassin, for daring to be so bold and escaping with your life.

  As I cast my eyes around the room, I nearly choked from the décor. While the furniture alone would have made the study affluent, the count had gone beyond and accented everything with solid gold. Golden paperweights, pens, and ink vials. Golden candlestick holders and even a golden chandelier hanging overhead. The candles were low, casting the room in dim light.

  It was a nauseating amount of wealth squandered on nothing but showing that he had wealth to burn.

  But such is the way with the rich. As I saw with Lieutenant Gordon, this doesn’t surprise me.

  I crept over to the desk and searched for the seal. The rich wood was smooth and free of clutter as I swept my eyes across it.

  The seal was sitting right next to an open book. Rough scribbling lined the paper. I reached out for it and nearly had it when my ears pricked.

  A thud, then another. Footsteps.

  There were too many of them for it to be the guard returning, which meant one thing.

  The count was coming up.

  I had to leave, but there was no way I could get back down to the second floor without passing them.

  Running wasn’t an option, which left hide. I scanned the room, and the only place on the ground was under the desk or behind the door, but those were a fool’s hiding place.

  My only true option lay above.

  There was space between the ceiling and the bookshelves, enough space for me to crouch in shadow.

  I leapt into action, stepping lightly on the wooden shelves and clambering up in two seconds. I scuttled to the far corner and wrapped the cloak around me, for once wishing I’d gone with black.

  As long as the light didn’t get any brighter in the room and no one stared at the shadowed corner too intently, I’d be fine.

  By the time I’d gotten settled in my bookshelf perch, the footsteps had grown noticeably closer. They echoed off the stone around the hallway, as did the voices.

  Two voices, both male.

  The door masked what they were saying, but I could pick out two distinct voices as they approached the room.

  “Would you care for a drink?” one man asked as he opened the door.

  Right away, I recognized the man. He was tall but held a thin frame. His outfit was a white, tailored suit with tails, matching pants, and polished black leather shoes.

  He sported long, raven black hair that was tied back in a tight ponytail. A golden band kept his hair from going anywhere.

  His face was like his body, thin, but with a hint of elegance that gave him a very handsome appearance. His eyes were of cold pond water, a gray-green that held nastiness in the depths of them. His thin lips turned up into a smile as he stepped into the room.

  The man looked just like the statues around town.

  Well, hello, Count Vohra.

  I drew my knife on principle. My target was mere feet from me. He should already be dead, and I should be long gone. My instincts screamed at me to kill him, to end his life.

  But I held back.

  It’s not the right time. If I was going to kill Count Vohra, I wouldn’t have to kill just him, I’d also have to kill whoever was with him, and I had no idea who that was yet.

  If it was an innocent life, I’d have to subdue them, but no way could I kill the count or subdue the other without one of them getting a shout off, and then the guards would come running.

  Cold logic told me that now was not the right time, that to kill him at this moment would be folly and far too reckless. I’d have to flee. I wouldn’t be able t
o stay in the city, and I’d have to keep moving.

  I wasn’t ready for that kind of trouble. I couldn’t deal with it, not at the moment anyway.

  My knife slid back into its sheath with a murmur of regret, and the count was none the wiser that his life had been held in my hands and measured.

  Count Vohra stepped inside the room, followed by another man.

  This man was obviously a knight from the decorated silver plate mail he wore. A full-faced helm rested in his hand and boasted five or six different plumes, including several awards won on the battlefield, along with a golden plume, signifying a captain of the guard.

  He had a rough, no-nonsense face that went with his cropped, military haircut.

  The man stepped inside right after the count, and they both went over to the desk. Count Vohra took his rightful place behind the desk while the captain sat in one of the chairs in front of it.

  “What’s so urgent you had to interrupt me at my home, Captain Mays?” Count Vohra asked, his voice rich and as smooth as velvet.

  “Lieutenant Ildan is dead,” Captain Mays said tersely, his graveled voice matching his appearance to a scary degree.

  “Dead.” Vohra cursed under his breath. “When? Today?”

  “Last night, it seems. Someone snuck into his house and butchered him. There were signs of a struggle, and we’re asking around the street to see if anyone heard anything.”

  “Bah.” Count Vohra waved his hand away. “Waste of time, I guarantee none of those sycophants were paying any attention to anything but the vintage of wine in their glasses.” He paused, his hand going to his chin as he looked away from the captain. “If he was killed in his home, in the Noble District, then the killer would have to be at least halfway decent.”

  The captain nodded. “Our guess as well. However, I don’t know anyone skilled enough like that in the city. First thought was Jasper, but he’s rotting in prison. And the rest of the scum in this city are too disorganized for something like this.”

  “Are we sure it wasn’t the Jackal? He certainly has enough motive for killing Gordon.” Count Vohra stood from the desk and walked over to the bookshelf.