The Sword and The Shadow

Threat

"Don't go overboard, or it won't end well for both of you. He's a prince, after all. His status is far above yours," Annelotte couldn't help but remind him.

"I understand." Leguna smiled back.

……

That night, Leguna heard that Geoffrey had left the palace for hunting.

"He's still in the mood for that after becoming principal?" Leguna mocked Geoffrey for being so irresponsible, though the prince did make it more convenient for him to approach.

Even though Leguna was among the top assassins in Chino, even he would find it hard to infiltrate the palace without leaving any traces behind. The slightest flaw would incriminate him and cause him lots of trouble.

Leguna could be spared the trouble now that Geoffrey had left the palace on his own accord. He looked up his whereabouts in the bureau and sped for Melindor's outskirts that night.

……

Geoffrey felt a shock at the feeling of cold metal from the back of his neck. He hurriedly snapped out of meditation and raised both hands.

"Who are you? Do you know who I am?" Geoffrey still sounded rather calm. Had that been a Stokian assassin, he wouldn't have done something so pointless like holding the blade against his neck and cut straight in instead. It must be someone from within Hocke.

"I know who you are, of course. I was looking for you," Leguna said with a whisper. While there were quite a lot of men patrolling outside the tent, Leguna used a talisman for a silent barrier when he came in. Theoretically, any screams or cries from within wouldn't reach the outside. However, he wanted to be extra careful since the one he was facing was the crown prince of the empire.

"Leguna?" Geoffrey could guess from his voice who it was. "As expected of you. You managed to find me?"

"So what if it's me, Your Highness?" Leguna pressed Ebony a little harder and made a slight cut on the neck.

"Why did you come?" Geoffrey appeared even calmer knowing that it was him. He knew Leguna had way too many loose ends and wouldn't kill him that senselessly.

"I'm here to ask about something, of course." He pulled the blade back and slapped Geoffrey's face with its flat parts. "Turn around!"

Geoffrey carefully turned around and moved his chair. As his leg hadn't recovered properly, he appeared really awkward while trying to move the chair. Usually, he would've used Magus's Hands to do it for him, but he didn't dare do anything that might appear threatening to a top assassin.

"Looks like the gift boss left you is pretty decent," he couldn't help but mock at the sight of Geoffrey's awkward movements.

The prince grit his teeth so hard they almost shattered. He hissed with hate, "One day, I will do all your women once before you before killing you all!"

"Pay attention to your situation." Leguna cut open a small wound on Geoffrey's shoulder.

"Aagh!" he cried in pain. Blood stained his sleeping robes immediately.

"Don't threaten me at a time like this. I'm only barely able to control myself," Leguna said calmly, "The moment I lose control, I'm sure you know what I'll do to you."

It was only then that Geoffrey felt true fear. He knew Leguna wasn't joking in the slightest. No matter how many things Leguna treasured or how many other ties to the world he had, if Geoffrey continued to threaten the lives of those women, Leguna would really kill him and escape with them.

"What do you want with me?" Geoffrey said in a softer tone this time.

"First, is Hoffman your goon?" Leguna asked with a smile, seemingly satisfied at the change in attitude.

"What difference does it make at a time like this?" Geoffrey repliled, clutching his wound. Since Leguna was there, he had already made up his mind that Hoffman worked for Geoffrey. No matter what he said, there wouldn't be a point.

"Can I take that as an acknowledgement?"

"Suit yourself!"

"Then good." Leguna's gaze turned sharp like daggers. Ebony was pressed against the front of Geoffrey's neck. He said in the most serious voice he could, "Let me warn you to never ever touch anyone related to me ever again."

"Or what? Did you come all the way here just to threaten me?" Geoffrey smirked. Who did Leguna think he was? Threatening him with something that amateurish was laughable!

"That's a good question," Leguna said with a confident smile as he drew Lighteater from his back. "This is a secret of mine, actually, but I'll let you see it to let you understand the severity of the situation. I trust that you will understand it, given that you're a magus."

[Teacher, I'm counting on you.]

[Got it,] Gahrona replied as she let out a part of the souls collected in it.

In an instant, Lighteater's dark blade glowed with a dark light. A terrifying energy filled the whole tent. Even though the illumination inside it didn't decrease, both Geoffrey and Leguna could feel the pressure of the soul power. It felt like there were countless invisible souls standing behind them.

[Alright, that's enough.] Leguna looked at Geoffrey's face and thought that it had achieved his desired effect. The pressure was too much and even he broke out in a little sweat from it.

[How is it? A rather pleasant feeling, eh?] Gahrona said gleefully. She knew how much people would be affected by soul power.

Leguna was speechless.

"A soul… soul vessel… Your sword is actually a soul vessel…" Geoffrey muttered in fear.

"As expected of a high-order magus! You know your stuff!" Leguna was satisfied with the fear and surprise he showed.

"Why would you have a soul vessel?" Geoffrey asked with a little jitter in his voice. Even though he wasn't an expert necromancer, who excelled in soul magic, he knew how terrifying soul vessels were.

Soul vessels referred to anything that could manipulate soul power. It could be a weapon, some armor or even a piece of rock. Many things happened after the death of a person. Lucky and devout believers' souls would head to the deities they worshipped, but those with worse luck would have their souls harvested by the reaper or dissipate. The ones with worst luck would have their souls controlled by their nemesis's soul vessels.

The moment a soul was under a soul vessel's control, the person would be the plaything of the owner of the soul vessel. Souls were weird objects that would dissipate before long without soul power. However, they could burn for tens of thousands of years without being damaged in the slightest.

The pain of having one's soul burned was beyond verbal description. The pain from self immolation paled much more in comparison.

Geoffrey truly began to fear Leguna after knowing he was in possession of a soul vessel.

"Coincidentally, the original name of this weapon is Soulscarfer."

"Soulscarfer Wellingdon's weapon…" Geoffrey's face paled even more. He was really terrified. What would happen to him if Leguna killed him with Lighteater?

"Since you know that much, it's about time I showed my hand too. Look around you. I can approach you without anyone noticing in the outskirts. Now, nobody can stop me if I want to kill you. I admit that your guards are far more lax out here. But do you think your palace guards can really stop me? Even if they can, can you stay in the palace for the rest of your life?"

Geoffrey's face paled even more.

"Just know that you're now facing me, Dark Requiem, the top assassin on the continent. So, even if you're able to escape assassination once, you won't be able to run for life. Even if you can constantly be on guard, you'll still have to eat and sleep. Before my Host of Darkness, all your abilities are nothing but jokes. In other words, if I have my eyes on you, your life is over. Understood?"

"Yes…" he replied in cold sweat.

"So…" Leguna bent down to his ear. "Never, ever touch my baseline. If you really intend to do so, make sure you can kill me thoroughly. As long as I still breathe, all that awaits you is endless fear and torture."

Geoffrey snapped out of his daze after some time and noticed that Leguna was nowhere to be seen.

"Wha-- what the hell!" He wiped his sweat off and cursed.

He then summoned his guards and scolded them for what seemed like no good reason and killed a few of those on night watch. Though others didn't really understand why he did so, he was the prince and nobody would dare say anything for a few dead servants.