The Villainous Lady Doesn't Speak Chapter 133

Exchange of Opinions 11

Obsidian sat on a tree branch behind the royal palace, whistling softly. A raven perched on his outstretched arm.

"Good work."

He praised the raven while meeting its pitch-black eyes. White lines appeared and vanished in the raven’s eyes, reflecting light. Obsidian continued to stare until the lines disappeared, finally letting out a deep sigh. He scratched his head and clicked his tongue.

“—Such a hassle.”

He muttered in annoyance and offered the core of an apple he had just eaten to the raven. The raven's expression remained unchanged, though it looked somewhat displeased.

“Hmm, I guess you don’t want it after all.”

He grumbled softly and dropped the core at his feet. The core fell to the ground and melted away into the soil. Obsidian didn’t glance at it again. The raven flew off from his arm.

Since Liliana and the others returned from their inspection, the palace had been in an uproar over the news of Duke Ealdred's death. Although Obsidian was already aware of the stories about the Duke being a child prodigy and hailed as a reincarnation of a sage in his youth, he hadn’t expected such a commotion over just one person’s death. Some were shocked by the Duke’s passing, others mourned, while others were concerned about how the power structure within the palace might shift. The young head of the Ealdred family was Ulysses Pat Ealdred, the Duke’s eldest son, but he was said to dislike public appearances and did not show himself often. As a result, few knew much about him, and various rumors were circulating.

However, what caught Obsidian’s attention more than the rumors was the information not widely known: the real cause of Duke Ealdred’s death, known to only a select few. Obsidian was certain this information was accurate.

“An assassination, huh? Even in the capital, it’s rare for anyone to break into the Ealdred estate. Maybe only someone like me could pull it off.”

He suspected that it was likely the work of a particular individual. Among the noble houses in the capital, the Ealdred family, the Clark family, and the Draco family—renowned for their lineage of mages—all had strong magical wards that would prevent normal assassins from infiltrating. This narrowed down the list of potential culprits to just a few.

Obsidian knew the names of most notable figures in the underworld, as they were his business rivals. Sometimes, he would discover that targets from different clients turned out to be the same person. Typically, this would mean that the assassin who took the job would gain the credit, and if he encountered other assassins on the job, there would be a deadly competition before the target was eliminated. In Obsidian's case, his reputation as “Death Worm” often caused others to flee, which was helpful, though sometimes others sought to make a name for themselves by trying to kill him.

There was one particularly troublesome individual among them. He was also well-known and skilled in the underworld and a prime candidate for someone who could infiltrate the Ealdred estate. This person had always viewed Obsidian as an enemy. Despite not remembering having done anything to warrant such enmity, the information broker Tenner seemed to go out of his way to keep the two apart.

“This is such a hassle. Dealing with that guy is really annoying.”

Obsidian continued to grumble, an unusual display of frustration for him. However, recognizing that complaining wouldn’t help, he shook his head and refocused. The death of Duke Ealdred was, to be honest, of little concern to him. The assassination of another influential noble didn’t bother him; death was a natural part of life, and if someone was assassinated, it meant that was how their life ended.

However, when it came to Liliana, it was different. If harm were to come to her, Obsidian would undoubtedly retaliate. Liliana was only the third person he had permitted to call him Obsidian. One of the others was already gone, and he didn’t know the whereabouts of the other.

Obsidian had never been one to trust others easily. Yet, he was aware that he had let his guard down with Liliana early on.

“—I wonder if I haven’t forgotten, maybe.”

Obsidian lived entirely in the present, not dwelling on the past or regretting it. He had never questioned or regretted living this way. However, Liliana’s expression reminded him of a friend who once called him “Obsidian.” When Liliana called him “Sid,” a nostalgic feeling surged within him. Although he had suggested changing the name, he had often almost asked her to stop calling him “Sid” Still, he had never voiced it, and the voice that called him “Sid” had gradually been replaced by Liliana’s.

“Enough, enough. This is just too gloomy and not my style.”

He shook his head to dispel his melancholy. With a sigh, Obsidian narrowed his eyes, his expression turning serious.

“For now, it’s more about protecting Liliana than gathering information.”

The situation had begun to change significantly over the past few days.

The death of Duke Ealdred, who had supported the engagement of Liliana and Crown Prince Riley, and the support of Duke Clark for the engagement with Princess Edith were all intertwined with the assassination of General Elmer Hagen from the neighboring country. Since it involved national defense, the nobles were cautious. However, such a significant change could occur due to just one person’s death.

Duke Ealdred had supported Liliana and Riley’s engagement while opposing Princess Edith’s, resulting in most of the Alcasia faction of nobles opposing Edith’s engagement. However, this stance was taken immediately after the Duke’s death, and as time passed, some nobles might shift their opinion to favor the Princess for a peace treaty with the neighboring country. Although the Empire was not united, some nobles wished to marry the Princess off to the Slibegrad Kingdom. In such a context, Liliana’s presence was a crucial factor. Some might think that without her, things could proceed more straightforwardly.

*****

As the night deepened, Obsidian remained hidden, never showing himself before Liliana but staying close enough to sense her presence. He closed his eyes, taking light naps, but the slightest disturbance would wake him. Occasionally, he would glance at the rats skittering about, but after giving a quick look to their glowing eyes in the darkness, he would shut his eyes again.

Time passed—how long, he wasn’t sure. Suddenly, Obsidian twitched. Without making a sound, he stood and melted into the shadows, moving across the rooftops. Though the black clouds obscured the moon, his eyes keenly tracked the presence of an unwelcome guest.

His right hand moved slightly. As soon as he grasped the needle-like throwing weapon that slipped from his sleeve, he hurled it at the intruder.

"—!"

The intruder, startled for a split second, gasped but quickly swatted the needle away. Obsidian, anticipating the move, let a faint smile curl his lips. It seemed the intruder hadn’t expected Obsidian to be there.

“Who’s there?”

A voice demanded an answer, and Obsidian slowly stepped out from the shadows. It was dark enough that ordinary people wouldn’t see him, but he knew the intruder could.

“What are you doing here, Cocoefuki?”

He asked with a relaxed smile, though Obsidian already had a good idea of the assassin's purpose. His question was merely a way to buy time.

“Death Worm—!”

Recognizing Obsidian, Cocoefuki spat the infamous name bitterly, his shoulders tensing as he faced Obsidian. His voice dripped with threat.

“Why are you here? Are you trying to interfere with my job? If you are, I’ll show no mercy.”

“That’s what I figured.”

Obsidian replied vaguely, with a weary chuckle. The response was exactly what he’d expected, and he couldn’t help but laugh. However, his casual demeanor only seemed to fuel Cocoefuki’s anger. Glaring at Obsidian, his usual deathly pale face now flushed red in fury, Cocoefuki scowled. Unbothered, Obsidian asked calmly:

“Your target—is it Liliana Alexandra Clarke?”

“...So, you’re after her too?”

Cocoefuki let out a low growl. It was a sound like that of a ferocious beast. He hadn’t yet realized that Obsidian had been hired by Liliana herself and was facing him not as a fellow assassin but as her protector. Whether it was due to neglecting to gather information or simply not caring, his ignorance was fatal for someone working long-term for nobles. Obsidian cast an exasperated look at Cocoefuki, though he had hidden his involvement thoroughly enough. Cocoefuki, further enraged by the contemptuous gaze from his despised opponent, flared up.

"She’s my prey! I won’t let you interfere—!"

“You plan on killing her, right? Don’t worry about me. Even if I finish the job, you can still take the credit.”

“What!?”

Cocoefuki snapped at Obsidian’s proposal. Knowing full well that Cocoefuki’s pride wouldn’t allow him to accept such a suggestion, Obsidian tilted his head casually, as if to stoke the flames of anger even further.

“Oh, so you’re not going to kill her?”

“I only plan to leave a mark. But even if I did intend to kill her, I wouldn’t accept your charity.”

That response caught Obsidian by surprise. His eyes widened for a moment before countless needles came flying at him from all directions. But Obsidian wasn’t about to let them hit. His figure vanished, reappearing a short distance away.

“You’re always so annoyingly quick, darting around like that! I still can’t fathom why my master ever took an interest in a coward like you!”

“You sure do talk a lot. A real chatterbox compared to Kamakiri.”

“You filthy worm! Don’t you dare utter my master’s name!”

Though Cocoefuki was known for his silence, he always became unusually talkative when facing Obsidian. His master, Kamakiri, was famously the opposite—verbose in normal conversation but utterly silent when it came to work.

Obsidian was an acquaintance of Kamakiri, not a disciple, something Cocoefuki would lose his temper over if pointed out. Obsidian knew this from experience. With a mischievous smirk, he spoke provocatively.

“I mean, what can I do? I’m his acquaintance.”

“His… acquaintance!? Blasphemy!”

“First, you tell me not to call him by name. Now, you’re mad I’m saying ‘acquaintance’? Isn’t that a bit contradictory?”

“It’s an insult just for someone like you to mention my master!”

Cocoefuki launched another barrage of poisonous needles at Obsidian. But Obsidian simply dodged again, not bothering to counterattack. He continually evaded, forcing Cocoefuki to change his position while unknowingly falling into Obsidian’s strategy.

“Come on, shouldn’t you be focusing on something else? You’ve still got to kill Duke Ealdred, and then tomorrow it’s Liliana Alexandra Clark, right? Whoever hired you, you don’t have much time left, do you?”

“I’ll deal with you quickly and be done with it.”

“Yet you still haven’t even scratched me.”

At Obsidian’s blatant taunt, the rage disappeared from Cocoefuki’s face. It seemed his patience had finally snapped. His killing intent flared, and his movements shifted. He hadn’t been serious before, but now he lunged at Obsidian, slashing with his sword while releasing a flurry of poisoned needles. Obsidian knocked all the needles aside and met Cocoefuki’s blade head-on. They locked eyes at close range. Cocoefuki’s lips twisted into a gruesome grin as he opened his mouth, and black mist spewed out. It hit Obsidian in the face, causing him to grimace. His body convulsed, and he collapsed on the spot.

“Pathetic.”

Cocoefuki sneered, his voice dripping with disdain, as he kicked Obsidian’s limp body in the stomach. Obsidian’s form bounced across the rooftop and landed awkwardly, motionless at a distance.

Cocoefuki’s true weapon wasn’t needles or swords but the unique poison he’d concocted. He had developed a resistance to it, so the toxins he wielded had no effect on him. The black mist he had spewed was a blend of poison and magic he’d created. Inhaling it meant instant death, even for the feared Death Worm.

“No matter who you are, death makes you all the same… was it? I never thought you would be the one to prove that saying true.”

With a sneer, Cocoefuki repeated the phrase Obsidian had once spoken.

The fact that he had slain the man he once saw as his greatest enemy filled Cocoefuki with immense satisfaction. News that he had killed an adversary sometimes deemed more skilled than himself would quickly spread through the underworld, and Cocoefuki would undoubtedly be recognized as a top-tier assassin. The thought of that stroked his ego, making him grin darkly.

"Well then, time to get to work."

The obstacle was gone. All that was left was to finish the job.

Cocoefuki made his way to Liliana Alexandra Clark’s bedchamber. He hadn't been ordered to kill her. His task was to wound her just enough that she would no longer be fit to become the Crown Prince’s fiancée, and to instill such fear in her that she would never sleep again. For Cocoefuki, this was an exceedingly simple task.

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ToC

Chapter 134