Unsealing Emptiness

Assassination.

Waking up the next morning, Ozul saw that Raven was practicing a Spell. She could not perform it though. Raven was practicing her Original Spell, but she had not completed it yet.

No matter what she did, it seemed as if something was always missing. Ozul noticed her predicament and went towards her.

“What do you intend for the Spell to do?” Ozul asked while coming from behind Raven. Raven was startled, but she was joyous after hearing that Ozul was willing to help her.

“You told me that you got stronger by eating the Cores of your opponents, right? So, I thought if I could make daggers using Darkness Element, which will absorb my opponent’s blood to refill me with stamina or Mana,” Raven explained what she wanted to do with her Original Spell.

‘Interesting concept. If Raven is successful, then she would be able to take on tens of Mages at the same Rank alone. And even after the battle, she won’t be exhausted,’ Ozul analyzed the notion of such a Spell.

“Show me what you do.”- Ozul wanted to see where she was failing. Casting a Spell was simple, You put your intent on the Mana stored in your Core, and it would do the work.

But the more complicated the Spell is, the more difficult it is to maintain the same intent. Some functions are done better with certain Elements. For example, if you require a spell that will blast, Fire Element will naturally be the most suitable choice.

No one taught these things to Ozul; he knew basic principles such as these from birth.

.....

“You want to create daggers that will perform certain tasks. You don’t need to add all the functions in a single object. Try to divide the tasks for certain parts. For example, the task to steal the stamina or Mana from the opponent will be given to the blade,” Ozul patiently explained the process with details.

Raven was immersed in Ozuls’ teachings. She did not dare to think about any useless stuff now. Ozul continued;

“Also, use the specialty of your Element... Darkness has unlimited potential, all because it’s more than just emptiness. Use that to your advantage,” Ozul would only give some hints here and there; It was up to Raven to decipher the meanings. Otherwise, even in the future, Raven will keep needing his help.

Ozul left Raven to her own devices and went inside the room.

Raven finished after an hour and also went back in. Ozul had not gone back to sleep. Instead, he was vacantly looking up at the ceiling while sitting on the couch.

The file was still sitting on the table. Glancing at it, Raven asked,

“Did you read it?”

“No, I was waiting for you to do it,” Ozul did not even bother to read.

Raven sighed as she shook her head and picked up the file containing their target. It hadn’t been long, but Raven was already numb to killing. As long as Ozul was with her, the world could burn for all she cared.

Raven knew how to read—everyone in the village called her a genius when she learned how to read and write.

She read the file and explained the details to Ozul.

“The man is named Tibor Strickland. It says that he is a merchant,” Raven began to read out the essential details.

“Huh? Being Merchant is only a side business. He is actually a Slave trader.”- Raven then began to read out all the crimes and deeds of Tibor Strickland.

“Maybe, the Count is a nice person. I mean so far, he has only gone for the wicked men,” Raven gave out her opinion when she had read the whole file.

Ozul hearing her opinion of the Count, again looked at Raven as if... she was an idiot. Raven knew the look and immediately spoke to defend herself,

“Now what? Am I really an idiot in your eyes!” Raven said while pouting.

“The Count is a nice person, huh. Did you hear how easily he talked about the elimination of your whole village? And the only thing he did not approve of the Viscount was his methods in the dealings, not the dealings itself,”

Ozul knew that he needed to explain it to Raven. After all, no matter how much he scolded her for being an idiot, Ozul also knew that she was but a nine years old girl. Still, Ozul wanted her to do better than just average; he wanted her to be

in front

of others, not

with them

.

Raven again felt stupid when Ozul broke it down to her with an explanation. Ozul seeing that she was genuinely sad, decided to cheer her up for the first time! He patted her head and said;

“It’s okay. But learn to read into people. It will help you in the future,” Ozul sounded like a parent worried about their children.

But all Raven heard was the concern and care in Ozul’s voice. She nodded her head with a foolish smile plastered on her face. Not only did Ozul seemed like a parent, but now Raven also appeared as the child.

“Wake me up when it is time.”- Ozul left these words before going to the room for a ‘nap’.

Only then did Raven get out of her fantasies and was embarrassed when she remembered that she showed such a side to Ozul.

Ozul slept until night and opened his eyes, hearing the voice of Raven.

The information that they received from Count Oliver stated that they should finish the business in only two days! Now it was not hard for Ozul to complete the assassination in only half a day since the Merchant Tibor was staying in an inn on the south side of the City.

But Ozul, at the moment, just wanted to slack off. Why aren’t there any capable people under him who could do all the work?

Ozul gave Raven the eye and stood up to leave. If it was killing someone, it was best done at night, especially for Ozul—who was slightly overpowered in the darkness...Okay, maybe not just slightly.

Raven was confused as to what wrong she did but shrugged it off and went out in the garden for training.

Ozul would not take Raven with him this time. He just quickly wanted to finish the task.

He freshened up and left the house in the care of Raven. It was nighttime; there were no crowds on the streets. It took Ozul twenty minutes before he saw the two-story building. The inn stood out from the rest of the structure surrounding it.

Only the rich could afford to stay in such an inn. Needless to say, Ozul could not enter from the front door.

He searched the entire surroundings, but there was not a single entrance except for the front door!

Ozul had no other way but just to create a new entrance himself! He went to the back of the structure, which connected to an alleyway.

Ever so silently, he used the Ball of Purity to cut into the wall! Using a blade, he created a giant circle into the wall.

Since it was nighttime, everyone was asleep. No one was in the corridor to see the giant hole in the wall.

Everything, even the room number of the Merchant, was stated in the file. So, Ozul just had to find the room by checking the numbers written on the door.

It took Ozul another minute to find the room. He used the Ball of Purity to fill in the keyhole and turned it into sold to form a key.

He opened the door, and in the dark, he could see the fat middle-aged man sleeping naked. There were some clothes on the floor, and the alcoholic smell lingered in the room.

Ozul did not bother to talk like a villain or a hero right now. He matched the appearance of the man with the poster that he saw.

Confirming that it was his target, Ozul just cut the neck of the sleeping Merchant and checked his pulse before leaving from the same entrance.

He had the same clothes and the black kitsune mask. So, even if someone saw him, they would not recognize him.

Fortunately, on the way back, Ozul did not encounter anyone. This time though, Ozul kept his attention on the surroundings. It was his mistake that caused them to be found out by the Count. He would not repeat his mistake.

After half an hour, Ozul was back home. Raven sighed in relief that he was safe and sound. Although she knew Ozuls’ prowess, she can’t help be anxious every time she is away from him.

Noticing Raven’s worries, Ozul just ruffled her hairs for a bit and went to his favorite spot in the garden.

Tomorrow, Ozul and Raven have to visit Count Oliver again to collect their commission.