Volume 2 Chapter 89 The Vanished Wraith
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The Wolfman had escaped. And with that, a decision was made—Rufna would become the vessel for the Tengu.
For now, Kian and the others agreed to keep the whole situation a secret from Maribel and her group. If they found out an assassin had been sent after Kian—let alone that Rufna was now in his hands—it would only make things more complicated.
The only real evidence left behind was a subdued servant and a rooftop flowerbed that had been trampled in the struggle. But even that had already been cleaned up with Natra’s help. At best, Shajar—the one who sent the assassin—would pretend nothing had happened. At worst, if he admitted to it, things could turn into a major problem.
If Shajar openly acknowledged sending Rufna, it wouldn’t just be an apology—it would be a negotiation. He’d likely demand Rufna’s return, using the escaped Wolfman’s report as proof that she was still alive. That would mean ransom money, questions from Maribel, and a tough explanation for how Rufna had vanished without a trace.
A simple lie wouldn’t cut it.
On top of that, Christy had already revealed to Izerland’s leadership that Kian had control over the Night Wraith. That meant sharp minds like Oswald and Owl would probably figure out what had really happened if they dug into the situation.
If that happened, Kian’s secrets—how he gained his magic, his abilities—would no longer be hidden. Rufna would be taken away. Even Natra could be dragged into something much bigger than any of them wanted.
And if Rufna ended up in Shajar’s hands, they’d learn exactly how Kian had used vampire techniques. That would make him a target.
The only thing Shajar could possibly gain by admitting to the assassination attempt was financial compensation from Maribel. But that wasn’t worth the hassle of a long interrogation.
Right now, Kian had more important things to focus on.
With Natra on his side, it made more sense to climb the Adventurer Ranks and take on tougher quests.
He also needed time to train as a warrior monk and master his new Mist Form ability.
For Kian, time wasn’t just money. It was everything.
* * *
”The meeting seems to be over, but it looks like Maribel and the others still have something to discuss. As for us, Guy’s magician will teleport us to Izerland fortress.”
Kian, having received a message from a knight at the entrance of the waiting room, called out to Natra, who was cleaning the room.
Natra paused the task of packing the remnants of overturned food into a waste bag and looked up.
”It’s better than being sent in a carriage. We have to transport her body without being noticed.”
Of course, she refers to Rufna.
The dark elf assassin was asleep after being exposed to Kian’s special sleeping drug.
The duration and degree of her unconsciousness had been thoroughly confirmed with Serena──it was the leftover drug used when she was caught in a sleeping r*pe.
If he hadn’t made a blunder in the dosage, she shouldn’t wake up for another hour.
Kian glanced at the body of the female assassin, rolled up in a large bag in the corner of the room.
”As for how to deceive Guy’s magician, the only option is to hide her inside the Night Wraith’s body. Once mental domination begins, there’s a risk of her regaining consciousness due to magical resistance and impact, so we should try not to touch her as much as possible.”
”This is too much for Tengu… They’re completely terrified. Not only did they fail to dominate her, but they were also exposing such a pitiful sight; their spirits are clearly down.”
”There’s no helping it. Kitsune was just too good at body takeover. Tengu is doing well enough.”
Kian gently stroked the trembling face of Tengu in his pocket and called for the Night Wraiths floating above Châtillon fortress to gather.
After a while, the 4 Night Wraiths appeared in the waiting room.
(Huh? Four of them?)
’You have enslaved a total of 7 Night Wraiths, haven’t you?’
(Yeah. Kitsune, Tengu, and the other 5 make a total of 7.)
It seemed that Natra, who was watching, also noticed the oddity.
”…One is missing…”
”Yeah, the tall, skinny one isn’t here.”
”Is it her? She said she was originally a tavern girl and was captured and killed after being ordered to deliver food to the ‘Leanan sídhe’.”
”That Night Wraith had such a sad background…”
Natra walked over to the Wraiths, holding a sack full of leftovers.
”Where is she now?”
”I don’t know. The link has been severed. When it was cut… Maybe it happened during the fight with Rufna.”
’This harbor area is filled with death. Those who drowned in the sea, those who died of illness under the slave traders, those who committed suicide after failing at the casino──perhaps she was drawn to those lamenting souls and wandered off somewhere.’
”However, since she is enslaved to Sir Kian, she should have an instinct to return home. It seems like a Wraith that exists on instinct wouldn’t be able to resist.”
(So they say, but do you know of any exceptions, ‘glasses’?)
’Hmm… Perhaps during her wandering, she found some kind of vessel. If she possesses something or someone with magic power, she could become an independent existence and resist your control.’
(Rebellion of a familiar. So it’s the same condition as when Natra and Tengu stop listening. But that sounds like a really rare case.)
’She must have caught the scent of *something* very compatible… Well, it shouldn’t hurt to lose one Night Wraith before reinforcement. It’s a good opportunity; go fetch a Bloodsucking Kind familiar. I recommend Wing-Cain. Shield-Cain is good too, but the feeding cost adds up.’
”It was my mistake to let them roam free. I’ll be more careful to avoid this in the future.”
When Kian said that, Natra placed her right hand on her hip.
”Familiarity is about quality over quantity. To be clear, having a bunch of Night Wraiths is no different from having bats or crows. If anything, bats might be more useful.”
”Yeah. Since I got a wonderful partner like you, I’ve been thinking that more often.”
”The money earned from taking on quests at the Adventurer’s Guild could be used not just for weapon upgrades, but it might also be good to spend it on buying slaves. You can get dying slaves for cheap, after all, and they can serve as a stopgap.”
’Unless you have incredibly good luck, they will only be a temporary solution.’
”I’ll keep that in mind as an option, thank you.”
”What will you do about Rufna’s control?”
”First, I need to break her spirit. I’ll try to ‘persuade’ her myself. Since I can’t do it at Christy’s place, I’ll look for a suitable cave or abandoned house outside the fortress after teleportation.”
”Understood.”
Kian glanced at the bag containing Rufna, which was lying in the corner of the room.
(It’s more efficient to wear ‘glasses’ during training. But I need to be careful not to overdo it.)
* * *
”Mmm…”
(Where is this…?)
Slowly opening her eyelids as consciousness returned.
The view was dark, and she could hear the sound of water flowing in the distance.
The damp air of a cool, dark place filled her nose.
Rufna’s keen senses, being a dark elf, informed her that she was in some kind of cave.
”Ah…!”
As she tried to move her arms and legs, they made a clinking sound.
Silver handcuffs were fastened around her wrists.
Chains were attached to her feet, one on each side, restricting Rufna’s freedom of movement.
It seemed Rufna was tied to the wall of some cave.
Behind her, she felt the rough surface of a large rock formation.
The sensations on the back of her thighs and buttocks were hard and cold.
(I, what on earth…?)
She rattled her arms, which were hanging above her.
She twisted her neck to check if she had a weapon──a shamshir──at her waist.
”────!”
At that moment, everything suddenly came rushing back to her.
(That’s right, I was sent on an assassination mission for Kian Vahid)
She fought bravely.
In the end, she should have stopped the enemy’s movements by trapping them within a barrier of ‘Wall’ and delivering a precise thrust to their throat.
But she felt nothing. Instead, a man who moved like mist struck from behind, stabbing her through.
(He tried to control me using Night Wraith. After I expelled it, he put me to sleep with drugs instead!)
She had no idea where she was. But if she had been captured, she needed to escape—fast.
Failure was not an option in this mission.
If she became a prisoner, it would bring serious trouble to Shajar and the entire Nakash family.
(Damn it, I can’t get free…! And worse, I can’t use magic! What’s with these silver handcuffs!?)
”Damn it… damn it!”
The loud clatter of metal filled the space as she struggled. She even considered dislocating her wrist to slip free, but the strange handcuffs shifted and reshaped themselves each time she moved her arms.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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