TSSH 10

Chapter 10

Damn it, Knox!

They never let their guard down!

Grinding my teeth inwardly, I kept pretending to sleep.

A low-ranking operative like Runnelk Ains would be dead to the world until someone knocked on the door.

Swish, swish.

Focusing my hearing made it even clearer.

This was on a completely different level from the sounds Senior Jake made—someone who couldn’t even be trusted to boil soup without screwing it up.

Swish, swish, ssswish.

The faint friction of shoe soles brushing the floor sounded like wind.

Even in the dead silence of the night, it was barely audible—someone properly trained.

A professional.

“Please just pass by. Please.”

I didn’t know who it was, but maybe the hospital corridor was just a shortcut to somewhere else.

Please.

Ssswish—

Damn it.

The footsteps finally stopped right in front of my room.

Click.

Even after turning the doorknob, they didn’t open it immediately.

A cautious move—probably prepared for the possibility that the target inside might wake from the noise.

The intruder was likely now pressing their ear against the door, checking for changes in my breathing or presence.

The best response would be to kick the door open and strike first.

But I kept focusing only on maintaining steady breathing.

No killing intent.

They were sneaking in—but there was no sharp, murderous intent.

That meant they had another purpose.

Like surveillance… or intimidation.

Which is it?

However, highly skilled assassins could also conceal killing intent until the moment they struck.

Swish, swish.

As the footsteps approached my bedside even more quietly than before, I prepared to open my eyes and roll under the bed at any moment.

Rustle!

Something rough suddenly covered my face—and by the time I opened my eyes, I couldn’t see anything.

So there was kidnapping too, huh.

I thrashed as if startled, and a rough hand clamped over my mouth.

“Mmph!”

Normally, if a target resisted, they’d threaten or tell them to be quiet—or even say they’d kill them.

But this intruder didn’t.

My attempt to glean clues from voice or tone failed completely.

The punishment for that failure came as a sharp blow to the back of my neck.

Thwack!

Ah… missed.

Still, I let my body go limp as if unconscious, and the kidnapper hoisted me over their shoulder.

So it’s not someone sent by Wickers.

No way they’d treat an enemy who killed their boss so gently.

At least I could relax knowing it wasn’t Edward’s doing.

Well. Kidnapping isn’t really his style.

He’d rather storm the Knox front gate.

So then who?

As I mentally reviewed whether I had made any enemies in Knox worthy of kidnapping, I heard a faint clink.

Like a small bead rolling.

Then a sweet scent spread through the air.

Candy?

Even though I was pretending to be unconscious, this was too relaxed.

It almost drained the tension out of me.

But something was odd.

Why are we going up?

The hospital ward was on the first floor, east wing of the main building.

With this level of skill, it would be far easier to extract someone outside unnoticed.

But instead, the kidnapper was going upward.

Through the central staircase, no less.

Second floor. Then third.

Casually walking through the main building like it was their own home, the kidnapper only finally reduced their footsteps upon reaching the third floor.

What’s on the third floor again?

I recalled the layout of the Knox mansion.

Simple.

The grand hall where the previous incident had occurred—and…

And…

No way.

Even as I let out a hollow laugh, my spine turned cold.

Let’s get out of here.

I thrashed, trying to break free as the door opened—but I was thrown onto the hard floor like luggage.

Thud!

The damn kidnapper, as if done with their job, quietly slipped away on their own.

“Ugh….”

Rubbing my aching backside, I roughly pulled the sack off my face with my free hand.

Or tried to.

I froze.

Someone’s here.

A faint presence lingered not far away.

It had flickered for only an instant before disappearing—but I was not alone.

If I pretend to be unconscious again… it’s too late, isn’t it?

Ugh, I really didn’t want to take this hood off.

Ideally, I’d prefer not to see anything ever again.

Sssrrk.

The mask that had been halfway removed slipped down on its own, betraying my wishes.

And in the clearing light of vision—

“You’re here.”

There stood Killian Knox, backlit by the cold moon.

Earlier that day

If I could turn back time, I would go back a few hours and grab Dupon Clansher by the collar and demand answers.

Didn’t you say the Duke was busy?!

No—if I could turn back time, I wouldn’t have stopped the Green Merchant Guild leader at all.

I should’ve just let Killian Knox handle it however he wanted.

But regret always comes too late.

Gulp.

The sound of me swallowing echoed loudly in the needle-thin silence.

Killian Knox’s golden eyes glowed faintly.

But what froze me more than that was the pressure.

Killing intent.

So dense it felt like it pierced the skin—completely unhidden, unapologetic.

It poured toward me from a face that looked utterly expressionless.

He wants my blood.

…Why?

“Operative Runnelk Ains.”

Killian Knox called my name.

“Y-yes, that’s me. I am Runnelk Ains….”

“You stopped the Green Merchant Guild leader here today.”

So I really was kneeling in the middle of the duke’s office.

The third floor only contained the meeting hall and the duke’s office.

“How did you know?”

“I—what… I fell asleep in the hospital, so why am I here…?”

“What I’m asking is how you knew the Green Merchant Guild leader was targeting my life.”

Killian Knox ground each syllable out slowly.

This was unlike him.

This is bad.

The Killian Knox I had seen in the bathroom—and the one who kicked an assassin’s head shut—were both terrifying.

But neither compared to this.

“W-well… something felt off.”

I lowered my body further.

“The letter from Lord Deacon Gold had plenty of time, but he kept rushing to reschedule. It felt like he was anxious… desperate even.”

“Desperate?”

“N-normally, people are nervous on the way to meet the Duke. But he acted like he couldn’t wait to meet you, like he was in a hurry… so it seemed strange.”

Even after delivering what sounded like a loyal underling’s reasoning, there was no response.

…Did it work?

No—it had to have worked.

Otherwise I was—

Then Killian Knox stepped forward.

“Raise your head.”

I slowly straightened from my prostrated position.

I knew that if I didn’t obey, his foot might crush my skull.

“Strange indeed.”

The moment I lifted my head with all my effort—

He leaned in close.

Huff.

I instinctively held my breath.

“Quite strange,” he muttered.

Interest? Displeasure?

I couldn’t read the emotions flickering in his golden eyes.

“Even earlier, before your mask was removed, you noticed my presence. Correct?”

“T-that was just coincidence….”

“When the Green Merchant Guild leader arrived.”

His voice shifted to the events of the day.

“Dupon didn’t notice. Deacon didn’t notice. None of the knights guarding the door noticed that he was aiming for me. It had been a long time since a bug charged directly at me—so only I was watching him. And yet… you saw the same thing I did.”

A low growl seeped between his words.

“That too is coincidence, Runnelk Ains?”