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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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Chapter 45: The Bloodkin Assault
The first to sense something wrong was Azelle, who had been standing guard outside.
Stationed near the banquet hall alongside the Silla family’s guards, Azelle was suddenly overcome by a heavy, oppressive force.
‘What is this? This pressure…!’
Until now, Azelle had never experienced any kind of curse, debuff, or status effect—thanks to her divine blessing.
But now, for the first time in her life, she felt the effects of a curse so powerful it overwhelmed her protection.
Her limbs felt heavy, her chest tight, like she was being crushed under invisible weight.
The other knights and soldiers nearby seemed to be afflicted by the same condition.
“What the hell… My chest feels tight all of a sudden.”
“You too? I feel the same.”
As everyone began realizing that something was very, very wrong—a sound rang out from beyond the mansion’s walls.
“Monsters!!”
“Goblins are attacking!!”
CLANG—! CLANG—! CLANG—!
The guards on the castle walls were in chaos.
From the forest, goblins with glowing red eyes were charging the fortress like mad beasts.
While it was true that monsters sometimes lurked in the woods surrounding Castle Silla, this kind of sudden, large-scale onslaught was unheard of.
The soldiers quickly scrambled to the battlements and began firing arrows in retaliation.
Whish—! Whish—! Whish—!
“Fire! Don’t let those goblins scale the walls!!”
Most of the castle’s soldiers had already rushed up to the walls to defend against the goblin horde.
As Azelle watched, something about the situation struck her as… off.
‘This kind of sickening aura… and it’s just a goblin raid?’
No matter how she looked at it, something didn’t add up.
It felt wrong. Too convenient. Too deliberate.
“No way…”
A single, terrible thought crossed Azelle’s mind.
‘What if those goblins were just bait… a distraction to draw the soldiers away from the banquet? And what if the true target is… the lord?’
“Lord Calyx!!”
Gripped by sudden dread, Azelle turned on her heel and sprinted toward the banquet hall.
As she raced down the corridor leading to the hall—
Whoosh—! Whoosh—!
CLANG—!!
“Kgh… Who the hell are you?!”
Daggers flew at her from the darkness.
Azelle instinctively drew her sword and deflected them—then shouted.
From the shadows, more than ten assailants emerged, each wearing a black mask.
“You bastards…!”
At the sight of their masks, Azelle immediately recalled what Lana had once told her.
The Bloodkin assassins who had tried to kill Lord Calyx.
‘Could it be… they’re after him again!?’
Even as her mind reeled with dread, all ten masked attackers drew their blades.
Realizing this was a critical situation, Azelle wasted no time and immediately began invoking her『Blessing』.
“O moonlight that guides me, O goddess who leads my path…”
It was night—the time when her power shone brightest.
She was about to unleash her blessing—『Sword of the Moonlight』
But…
The moonlight that had begun to gather around her sword dispersed.
BZZZZZ— fwssssh…
“My blessing… isn’t activating!?”
Stunned, Azelle watched as the light around her sword flickered and vanished.
And in that moment of confusion, the masked assassins attacked.
Whish—! Whish—! Thwack—!
“Damn you—!!”
They came at her from all directions.
They knew she was powerful—but seeing her falter, unable to activate her blessing, they assumed she would be easy prey.
And that was their fatal mistake.
“You dare underestimate the Golden Knights!!”
SWOOSH—! SWOOSH—! SLASH—!!
Throughout the vast Empire, there were many blessed individuals.
But only those who could fight at a high level without relying on their blessings—
those truly elite—were admitted to the Golden Knights.
In a blur of motion, Azelle cut down three of the masked assassins.
Their deaths made the remaining seven hesitate.
Quickly, they drew their daggers and began to form a circle around her, coordinating their stance.
Yes, she had felled three of them.
But her blessing still wouldn’t activate.
Her body felt sluggish.
And these remaining enemies were clearly skilled.
For the first time in her life…
Azelle broke into a cold sweat.
＊ ＊ ＊
At that moment, Lana and Ain—stationed outside the banquet hall, also sensed something was wrong.
A strange heaviness crept over their bodies, and shortly after the commotion outside, a chilling, sinister air began to seep into the hall.
“Ain…”
“Yes, Lana…”
Swoosh—!!
Before they could even finish their exchange, two figures wearing black masks lunged at them from the shadows, brandishing daggers.
A flawless ambush executed in the blink of an eye.
But when the daggers slashed through the air, their targets were already gone.
All that remained in their place were discarded maid skirts fluttering to the floor.
Ching—!
“…!”
Startled by a sudden noise from above, the masked assailants looked up.
There they were—Lana and Ain, no longer in their maid uniforms, but in full combat mode.
Lana had drawn a hidden dagger strapped to her thigh, while Ain had assembled a collapsible spear, once concealed within her skirt, now gripped firmly in her hands.
Thwip—! Whoosh—! Thunk—!
“Guhh!”
“Kagh!”
In an instant, one masked figure was skewered midair by Ain’s descending spear, while the other collapsed, a dagger lodged cleanly between his brows—the deadly throw courtesy of Lana.
They’d successfully taken down two of the Bloodkin.
But there was no time to breathe.
Four more masked enemies stepped out of the shadows, blocking their path.
“Ain.”
“Yeah. Let’s finish this fast and get back to protect our Masters.”
At Ain’s signal, the two women charged straight toward the next wave of enemies.
They didn’t rely heavily on magic or blessings—
But even so, the barrier’s debuff was making their limbs heavier, their movements slower.
It was going to be a brutal fight.
＊ ＊ ＊
While panic spread inside the banquet hall over how to handle the unfolding chaos—It struck without warning.
A sudden chill swept over the hall. Bells rang out from beyond the walls, and an ominous shadow stepped into the room.
“Lord Zeras…”
“Yes… It appears an uncultured brute with no taste for refinement has dared to intrude.”
From that creeping shadow emerged a figure wearing a black mask.
It was unmistakably the same mask described before—worn by the Bloodkin assassin who had once tried to take my life.
These lunatics again!?
What did I even do to deserve this?!
No—wait. Maybe this time, I’m not the target.
Maybe they’re after Lord Zeras.
As I wrestled with that thought, Lord Zeras stepped forward and declared—
“Lord Calyx, please step back. As the head of this house, I shall handle this myself.”
Looking all noble and composed, Lord Zeras strode ahead.
He was known to be a mage just a notch below Sharon in ability.
Is this finally my chance to see his power in action?
I took a step back with anticipation.
Zeras began his incantation.
“Lamina Unda! (Wave Blade)”
Magic gathered at his fingertips.
It began to form a shimmering blade of water, but before it could launch toward the Bloodkin, it fizzled into harmless mist.
Startled, Zeras chanted again.
“La—Lamina Unda!!”
Desperate, he tried once more to cast his spell—
Only for the magic to dissolve into nothing again.
“What… What is this!? My magic won’t activate!?”
Genuine panic took over Lord Zeras’ face.
The masked figure, face unreadable but undoubtedly smirking, began to slowly close the distance.
“Wa—Wait! Hold on!!”
“…!”
The black mask drew a dagger.
At this rate, Zeras was about to be cut right in two.
Fucking think! Do something!
While scanning the room in a frenzy, my eyes landed on the decorative bow and arrows mounted on the banquet hall wall.
“…Die!!”
“No!!”
Just as the masked assassin swung the blade down, Zeras braced himself for death, accepting his fate.
Twang—! Thunk—!
“Guhh!!”
A saving arrow whistled past Zeras’ head and pierced straight through the assassin’s throat.
Turning back, Zeras saw me—Calyx—standing there, bow still in hand.
This time, his gratitude was earnest.
“Th—Thank you!! Lord Calyx!!”
“Save your thanks for later. Securing everyone’s safety comes first.”
Without wasting time, I rushed toward the room where Selenia and her handmaid had gone.
If the enemy was detecting magical energy to identify targets, the most dangerous presence in the castle would be Princess Selenia herself.
As expected, when I entered the room, there was already a black-masked assassin inside, facing off against Selenia.
“Lady Selenia, are you unharmed!?”
“Of course I’m fine! Did you forget who I am?”
Confident as ever. And with good reason.
In World Archive, she was rated an SSR-tier mage.
Among all sovereign characters with political power, she was one of the most powerful royal magic-wielders in the game.
And yet… that made her a priority target now.
Just like Zeras earlier, she raised her hand and chanted proudly.
“Hasta Lucis! (Spear of Light)”
White light gathered in her palm, forming the shape of a glowing spear.
Just as she was about to fire it at the enemy—the magic crumbled into dust.
“…Huh? What the hell?”
Shocked, she began repeating the incantation.
“Hasta Lucis! Hasta Lucis!! Hasta Lucis!!!”
No matter how many times she tried, the spell refused to manifest.
Her expression turned ghostly pale as the black mask slowly approached.
“…!”
“Lady Selenia! Look out!!”
As the assassin rushed at her with a dagger, her maid Lumiel shouted and charged in to shield her.
But it was too slow.
At this rate, Selenia would end up like Zeras—cut right down the middle.
I grabbed another arrow.
Creak—! Twang—! Thwack—!
“Gahhh!!”
Unlike last time, the arrow struck dead-on—right in the assassin’s temple.
The masked figure dropped like a stone.
I rushed to Selenia’s side.
She stared at me, stunned and wordless, her mind still catching up to what had just happened.
I reached out a hand to her collapsed form.
“Th… Thank you, Calyx…”
“We can talk about gratitude later. Let’s get you to safety first.”
And just like that, I escorted Zeras, Selenia, and her handmaid Lumiel to a secure location.
Two SSR-tier mages at my side—this party should have felt unstoppable.
But instead… It felt more like dragging around two oversized burdens.
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HELIO SCANS
[Translator - Hestia]
[Proofreader - Kaya]
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