The Villainous Lady Doesn't Speak Chapter 134

 Chapter 134: Exchange of Opinions 12

Cocoefuki sneered as he repeated the phrase Obsidian had once said.

The fact that he had slain the man he had despised filled Cocoefuki with intense satisfaction. The news that he had killed an enemy who was sometimes deemed superior to him would swiftly spread through the underworld, and Cocoefuki would undoubtedly be recognized as a top-tier assassin. Pleased with this prospect, Cocoefuki allowed a cold smile to appear on his face.

"Well then, time to get going."

With the obstacle removed, he only needed to finish the job.

Cocoefuki had already investigated the location of Liliana Alexandra Clark’s bedchamber. Although he had confirmed it himself, all the information had been provided by his employer. While he had not anticipated that "Death Worm" would target Liliana, Cocoefuki was confident that, with the Death Worm out of the picture, no other threats would be significant—at least, that was what he believed.

"—!?"

Cocoefuki's steps halted as he moved across the rooftop towards his target. Against his will, his body became immobile. What could this mean? Could there be another presence besides Death Worm lying in wait? His eyes darted around frantically to assess the situation, and he was met with an unbelievable sight.

The man who should have been incapacitated by poison was now strolling leisurely.

Unable to even voice his confusion, Cocoefuki found himself under Obsidian’s gaze, who was watching him with a look of amusement. Obsidian tilted his head with his arms crossed.

"Surprised, aren’t you? To think you actually thought it would be so easy to kill me. I must have really been underestimated."

Obsidian spoke in a tone that conveyed an undeniable truth, as if stating the obvious. Cocoefuki’s face reddened with anger, but the body that Obsidian had enchanted remained utterly still.

Obsidian hadn’t been dodging Cocoefuki’s attacks for no reason. After learning of Duke Eraldred’s assassination, he had drawn a large protective array starting from the room where Liliana was staying. This had involved using a considerable number of apples, and just hours before, Obsidian had been thoroughly disgusted with the sight of them.

"Did you ever seriously consider why I’m not a disciple of the Mantis?"

Cocoefuki’s eyes widened at the sudden question. His anger remained unabated, and his eyes were still reddened. Obsidian sighed softly.

Cocoefuki was also from a prominent family. The Mantis was highly regarded within the clan, and after stepping down from the front lines, he focused on selecting and training talented juniors. Therefore, many skilled young people had trained under the Mantis, including Cocoefuki. Those who received direct training from the Mantis were highly esteemed within the clan. However, Obsidian, who was said to be among the top in the clan, was not a disciple of the Mantis.

"It can’t be helped. It’s the clan’s educational policy."

The clan’s sole rule was to unquestioningly accept any order from above, no matter what it was. While they could devise and execute various strategies to complete missions, they did not consider the reasons or implications of assassination—this was a common trait among the clan’s assassins.

Thus, Cocoefuki had never thought about why Obsidian was not a disciple of the Mantis. He had also failed to notice that Obsidian had deviated from the clan’s orders, betrayed his employer, and was now protecting Liliana.

"You thought I was an anomaly, didn’t you? Calling me a bug while being scared of me when I’m near."

Obsidian said with a gentle tone, as if speaking to a dying pet. He spoke with a compassionate voice, completely unfazed by Cocoefuki’s glare.

"That’s right. I’m an outlier who joined the clan later, unlike you who were born and raised within it. That’s why the techniques I use are different from yours."

Obsidian lightly waved his right hand upwards. A black raven appeared in his palm. Cocoefuki was left speechless, his previously angry face now pale with fear.

"—You wouldn’t take on a disciple stronger than yourself, would you?"

Obsidian stated matter-of-factly.

Cocoefuki would never have believed that someone could defeat the Mantis, who was historically the strongest within the clan. But now, he could not doubt it. Obsidian, who had dodged Cocoefuki’s most powerful attacks and then feigned death, had used the opportunity to cast a binding spell without being noticed. The black raven now appearing in Obsidian’s hand was imbued with overwhelming magical power. Whether it was a summoned raven or a creation of Obsidian’s own magic, Cocoefuki couldn’t discern. Either way, it was beyond the capabilities of an ordinary person.

While Cocoefuki had heard of magic to control animals, it was supposed to be an obsolete technique. Creating animals through magic was also a forbidden technique that only those with immense magical power could perform.

Seeing the fear in Cocoefuki’s eyes, Obsidian smiled slightly, indicating that it was too late to realize now.

"Your current employer is—"

And then he named one person. Cocoefuki, stunned, was met with Obsidian’s confident smile.

"—Thanks for that.”

As Obsidian revealed that he had wanted that information, the translucent magical bindings that had restrained Cocoefuki appeared. The moment the bindings tightened, Cocoefuki’s body began to convulse. His eyes widened, veins bulged on his forehead, and foam emerged from his mouth. The magic within his body was drawn into the bindings and then transferred to the black raven that had manifested on Obsidian’s right hand. Obsidian, looking at the raven, asked in an incredulous tone.

“Is it tasty?”

The raven, which had previously refused the apple core Obsidian had offered during the day, opened and closed its beak slightly. It seemed to find it quite delicious.

“Liking the magic of this guy? What a taste for weird things—though, I suppose, considering he was fairly skilled, maybe that’s why?”

Obsidian grumbled, seemingly unable to come to terms with it. Eventually, once all the magic had been drained, Cocoefuki crumbled to the ground like a desiccated husk. His parched body shattered upon impact. When Obsidian clenched his fist, the raven flew off into the night sky, evidently satisfied. Obsidian glanced at the retreating figure but paid no further attention as he approached the remnants of Cocoefuki and crouched down.

Rummaging through the crumpled clothing, Obsidian retrieved the poison that Cocoefuki had been hiding.

“What’s this?”

With his task complete, the only remaining step was to use magic to incinerate the remaining clothing. This would delay the time when the clan would learn of Cocoefuki’s failure and death. However, before doing so, Obsidian noticed an envelope. He picked it up and examined the address. His expression darkened as he read the recipient’s name.

“—To deliver to the young lady, huh?”

Though he could open it here, the envelope was enchanted. That was likely why Cocoefuki had not opened it.

Obsidian tucked the envelope under his clothes, then continued to search through Cocoefuki’s belongings to ensure nothing else was left behind. After confirming there was nothing more, he easily set fire to the clothing Cocoefuki had worn.

“Mission accomplished.”

With a satisfied grin, Obsidian turned on his heel and headed towards Liliana’s room. Now that Cocoefuki was dealt with, it was safe to assume that there were almost no remaining threats from the underworld to Liliana. However, he would remain vigilant. Thus, Obsidian intended to continue guarding Liliana for a while longer.

*****

The next morning, after finishing breakfast, Liliana found herself surprised by an unexpected visitor.

“It’s quite unusual for you to come at this hour.”

“I’ve got some urgent business.”

Liliana narrowed her eyes at Obsidian, who usually appeared under the cover of night. In the daylight, he seemed quite different. He didn’t look like someone involved in shady dealings, but rather like an ordinary boy. Then again, if he constantly exuded a dangerous aura, it would be hard for him to live normally, Liliana mused.

She tilted her head in curiosity.

“Urgent business?”

Liliana thought to herself how rare that was. None of the information-gathering tasks she had entrusted to Obsidian were urgent. Furthermore, there didn’t seem to be any immediate threats to her safety. If the words of the late Duke Ealdred were to be believed, the one in the most danger wasn’t Liliana, but Riley.

As Obsidian approached, he pulled out a letter from his pocket. Liliana accepted it, and upon seeing the name on the envelope, she furrowed her brows.

“...Lord Playstead?”

Lord Playstead was a key figure in the Alcacian faction, centered around Duke Ealdred. Though Playstead was one of its two leaders, he always deferred to the duke, ensuring the faction remained united despite its large size. However, rumors circulated that very few people knew of Playstead’s origins or childhood.

Turning the letter over, Liliana saw the Ealdred family crest stamped in wax. She cast a suspicious glance at Obsidian.

“Where did you get this?”

“I took it from the guy who tried to sneak into your bedroom last night.”

“My bedroom?”

Liliana blinked. No matter how generously she interpreted it, this person could only be seen as a suspicious individual who meant her harm. As expected, Obsidian confirmed it without hesitation.

“He was planning to hurt you.”

“Do you mean that literally? Or in the sense of damaging my reputation as a noblewoman?”

“Probably just literal injury.”

Obsidian replied with a bitter smile, muttering under his breath, “Thought it’d be harder to protect you, but I guess I worried for nothing.” Liliana pretended not to hear.

“So, that person had this letter on them. Could it be that they were the one who killed Duke Ealdred?”

If the person had been carrying a letter addressed to Lord Playstead from the Duke, it was possible they had been hired by the Duke. However, Liliana doubted the Duke would have ordered her harm. It made more sense to assume that the person Obsidian encountered had killed the Duke and stolen the letter from his estate.

“Bingo.”

Obsidian answered cheerfully. Liliana suppressed a slight sense of discomfort and kept her composure. The thought that the Duke’s assassin was still alive only intensified her unease.

“What happened to that person?”

“I killed him.”

Obsidian answered matter-of-factly. Given that Liliana had shown no distress upon hearing that she had been targeted, he saw no need to hide anything. As expected, Liliana simply nodded in acknowledgment. She thought for a moment, then held her palm over the letter. It glowed faintly with a golden light. Carefully, she opened the seal and removed the letter inside.

“Not just the envelope, but the letter itself is enchanted as well. How thorough.”

Liliana murmured, pausing to think. She then rose and approached a cabinet, pulling out a letter from one of the drawers. It was the letter Duke Ealdred had sent her when he summoned her previously. There was still a faint trace of the Duke’s magic on the handwritten letter.

Using a curse technique, Liliana extracted and amplified the Duke’s magic from the letter, channeling it into the new letter. At once, the innocuous text faded, and green letters began to appear in its place.

Obsidian watched with interest as Liliana examined the letter. Her expression hardened as she read. She took a deep breath, trying to stay calm.

“I see.”

The words written there were undeniable evidence that would hold up in court. It was a verbatim transcription of the confession made by the person who killed Duke Ealdred. The confession spell, used only by a select few, came with heavy restrictions and required a great deal of effort to perform. However, because it was carried out under strict procedures, it was considered irrefutable evidence in legal proceedings. By transcribing the confession obtained through this spell, Duke Ealdred had ensured that the mastermind behind it all would have no chance of escape.

“So that's how it is...”

Liliana muttered as if finally understanding, exhaling deeply. A faint trace of fatigue showed in her eyes.

—-

ToC

Chapter 135