Chapter Eleven: Investigation and Speculation

Kevin and Stadt had known each other since childhood, but the time they actually spent together was limited. Kevin traveled extensively and would only return during bard guild events. One was a merchant, the other a poet; their worldviews often diverged, but as men of experience, they understood each other and collaborated amicably.

“By the way, someone has bought out your book,” Stadt said, taking out eighteen gold coins. “He paid a total of twenty; per our agreement, I take two, so this is your share. Not bad for a single book.”

Kevin was momentarily delighted as he accepted the coins and examined them, but soon regained his composure. “Who bought it?”

“Unfortunately, I don’t know who he is,” Stadt shrugged. “He didn’t sign a buyout contract, just left a bag of coins.”

“An assassin?”

“You know already?” Stadt was taken aback. He hadn’t told anyone—not even his steward—about the assassin he’d encountered while staking out the library.

“Is this place safe for conversation?” Kevin glanced around.

“That depends on who you’re worried about. For ordinary servants, it’s reasonably safe,” Stadt replied. Ever since the assassin showed up, he’d felt there was no truly secure place in his home.

“Well, I’ll be frank. I’m here seeking protection,” Kevin lowered his voice. “I’m being hunted by assassins.”

“What happened?” Stadt was astonished. “Why?”

“Perhaps because I wrote that scene about the head of the Assassin’s Guild eating... excrement,” Kevin said, though he wasn’t entirely sure himself.

“You… you…” Stadt instantly became tense, recalling those three formidable assassins in the dead of night. After a moment, he replied, “You shouldn’t have told me!”

“Oh? So what should I do? Hide in your service, work as a menial to avoid assassination?” Kevin retorted.

“Do you really think I can protect you?” Stadt still looked anxious. “You have no idea what kind of opponent we’re dealing with! They’re far beyond comprehension!” He then recounted to Kevin what he’d seen that night, including how he’d hidden in a secret compartment—a detail Kevin, realizing its importance, did not press further on.

Even after hearing it all, Kevin shook his head. “I’ve never heard of any battle aura that can render someone invisible, or allow them to walk through walls in utter silence. If such a thing exists, it must belong to powerhouses of the eighth or ninth rank or higher, and it’s hardly credible that such figures would sneak out at midnight just to look at pirated books.”

“That’s exactly why they’re beyond anything we can imagine!” Stadt insisted.

“Impossible!” Kevin rejected the idea outright. “If it’s magic, true invisibility requires constant light manipulation—high-level spells of the light element. The wind element has concealment spells, but those rely on stirring up sand or dust. Water can use mist for cover, but that’s different too. Earth spells could break through from underground, but the vibration and noise would give them away, especially in the quiet of night. Spatial teleportation creates enough light and sound to illuminate the entire library. Unless it’s shadow magic, but that’s taboo. And all these advanced spells require costly magical media. I doubt anyone would go to such lengths for a novel.”

“As for battle aura, it’s even less likely,” Kevin continued. “Compared to magic, battle aura is simpler and more limited. The three assassins you described—two of them seemed like ordinary grunts. If even grunts could reach such unfathomable heights, it would defy all logic.”

“Exactly! They’re just that strong!” Stadt replied.

“If it’s incomprehensible, then try to comprehend it—not shrink back in fear just because you don’t understand,” Kevin said calmly.

“Why don’t we go check the library?” Stadt suggested, a bit dissatisfied.

“Ahem, could I have something to eat first?” Kevin asked with a dry laugh. He’d survived on wild berries for two days and was long since used to hunger, but he knew he should take care of himself. Whenever the opportunity arose, he didn’t hesitate to ask for food.

Stadt was far from a down-and-out baron; as a successful merchant, a wave of his hand brought three sandwiches, a boiled egg, and a glass of water—along with some tomato sauce to dip them in. This might have been ordinary fare for the servants, but to Kevin, starving for two days, it was a feast.

Once he’d eaten, Kevin wasted no time and set out with Stadt to inspect the library. As business partners, they had plenty to talk about, and their conversation was lively as they walked.

“Oh? The main entrance has been renovated?” Kevin remarked at the door, rapping on the frame.

“With the money, of course I made the place look better,” Stadt replied offhand. “Come on, let’s see what you can spot! That night, the three of them were right here. Look at the roof—you might see the soot from candle flames. Since then, the servants haven’t noticed anything else unusual, so I doubt they’ve been back.”

Kevin remained silent, surveying the room. After a moment, his gaze settled on a particular wall. That corner was not only observable, but also ideal for a hidden compartment—it seemed the best spot.

Stadt noticed Kevin’s attention and, realizing his secret compartment had been discovered, couldn’t help but feel a twinge of displeasure. “People who are too clever can be rather irritating.”

“Alas!” Kevin shrugged. “I’m not clever enough—if I were, you wouldn’t even notice how clever I am.”

They fell silent as Kevin continued his inspection. Since the secret compartment’s location was essentially confirmed, it meant the assassins must have appeared out of its line of sight. That narrowed the field. Kevin walked from east to west, west to east, sometimes crouching to peer beneath the shelves.

“Well?” Stadt asked. “I’ve had plenty of guards patrol the place and found nothing. If you can spot a problem, you can even live here.”

“I can’t promise anything,” Kevin replied. “It’s been so long, and your servants clean every day. Who knows what clues remain?”

After circling the room and coming up empty, Kevin stood in thought. Stadt, growing impatient, asked, “Have you found anything? If not, let it go—it’s not that important.”

“You say the assassin misplaced a single book, only for the servants to notice the next day. Yet they could slip in here without a sound? Isn’t that a contradiction?” Kevin mused aloud.

“Maybe they have some high-level battle aura, something that allows stealth and passing through walls,” Stadt replied. “Just because we don’t know, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.”

“Unfortunately, what you’re describing is little more than bardic embellishment. I’ve consulted seventh-rank mercenary captains, the city’s elite guard commander, sixth-level magisters from the Royal Academy, alchemists—you name it. My father’s library contains the ‘Principles of Battle Aura’ and ‘Introduction to Magic,’ both of which are clear on these points. Vice-Chancellor Gandalf of the Royal Academy even published a paper debunking such fanciful skills. And—”

“Enough, enough,” Stadt interrupted, unable to take more. “Whatever you say, I saw the assassin disappear with my own eyes. Are you doubting my eyesight?”

“When someone moves fast enough, those of us at our level can’t keep up, giving the illusion of vanishing,” Kevin explained. “There are plenty of ways to disappear before someone’s eyes—hypnosis, magical dust, even visual misdirection or distraction. But entering a sealed library from outside, in total silence, purely with battle aura? Impossible. Even with magic, the cost is prohibitive—hard to believe for a mere novel.” Kevin’s tone remained earnest.

“Heh,” Stadt scoffed, “so have you discovered anything?”

Kevin said nothing, but lifted his gaze to the ceiling, then clambered up by gripping the edge of a bookshelf.

“What are you doing?” Stadt instinctively steadied the shelf.

“Relax, I’m not as heavy as you—the shelf won’t fall,” Kevin replied casually, running his hand along the top. “Spotless! Do your servants really clean up here?”

“Of course,” Stadt said.

“Are you sure it’s your servants who cleaned it?” Kevin replied.

“How can you tell?” Stadt asked from below.

“It’s just a bit too clean,” Kevin said.

“Hmph! That’s a laughable reason,” Stadt replied, unconvinced.

Kevin didn’t argue, but continued to climb, searching along the top of the shelves and the wall. Baron Stadt, with his beer belly, was hardly one for climbing. Perhaps he did order the shelves to be cleaned, but he would never climb up to check. People are lazy by nature; it’s hard to believe servants would be so meticulous. Most likely, they only did the bare minimum.

Yet the top of the shelf was as spotless as the polished wooden floor—truly unusual, almost as if it had been purposefully cleaned to erase any trace. But this was not something to share in full with Stadt.

“There’s a crack in the wall here,” Kevin called from the third shelf, making a discovery near the ceiling.

“Is there? Must be old age,” Stadt replied. The wall was painted white, and the crack was hair-thin—hard to spot from below.

“This crack is odd. It’s irregular, but the ends meet—almost like a hidden opening!” Kevin ran his hand along it and tried to push, but it wouldn’t budge.

“You’re not suggesting they open the hole at night, crawl through, then seal it up again? Maybe once or twice, but over a month? The wall would’ve fallen apart. Can you even move it now?” Stadt was incredulous.

“No,” Kevin shook his head. “The crack is jagged and tightly interlocked. Even if the section is loose, you couldn’t force it open. Forcing it would make noise and damage the wall.”

“So that’s that, then?”

“There’s another way,” Kevin smiled, holding up his finger. “A spatial ring.”

Stadt froze, then shouted toward the hall, “Bring a ladder!”

A servant rushed in with a folding ladder. Stadt climbed up unsteadily, while Kevin steadied it and pointed out the details. “They could’ve disguised themselves as noble visitors to scout the library during the day, when noise wouldn’t draw attention. They’d create a crack in the wall then. At night, with superior skills, they could scale the outside and reach the rooftop.”

“Then, using a spatial ring, they’d take the wall section into the ring—a quick process if the crack was made in advance. They’d slip inside, then replace the wall section behind them. Even if the crack was irregular, it wouldn’t matter. The only tricky part is aligning the ring correctly when putting the wall back, but that’s probably trivial for these assassins.”

“It’s easy to prove—just try a spatial ring,” Kevin said, spreading his hands.

Baron Stadt examined the wall for a long time, then shook his head. “I’m just a baron. I don’t rate a spatial ring.”

“Then there’s nothing more to be done,” Kevin said. “It’ll always be just a hypothesis, unprovable.”

“Steward!” Stadt descended the ladder. “Tomorrow, get in touch with the builders about repairing the wall.”

“Yes, sir,” the steward replied.

Kevin climbed down as well. “So—may I stay here for a while?”

“Stay if you like; plenty of rooms, and it’s no trouble to feed you,” Stadt nodded.

“Thanks,” Kevin grinned. “I could pay rent, too. I’ve got eighteen gold coins now, after all!” Stadt merely shook his head. To boast of eighteen gold coins in front of a man worth hundreds of thousands? What a joke.

Meanwhile, Little Spoon had spent two unproductive days in Wula Town. As a novice assassin, she had no idea where to seek information, or even what to do next. She had spent her time in the inn reading through Kevin’s manuscript twice—only half completed, which left her frustrated.

Should she go back to Albatross for help? Little Spoon shook her head. It seemed far too embarrassing to beg for aid on her very first mission. Besides, there was still time—she could ask for help as a last resort.

She pulled out “Chronicles of the Assassins” and started reading again. Halfway through, her eyes lit up: the continent decreed that bards and editors were equally guilty. If she couldn’t find him, stabbing his editor would be just as good, wouldn’t it? Besides, Kevin seemed like a decent fellow; no need to kill him if it could be avoided. Her father didn’t know Kevin, so she might even get away with it.

Pleased with her clever plan, Little Spoon packed up her things and set out for Shires City.