Chapter LX - Assassin (part 6)

"How long do you think you can keep Rize in your house, Valey?"

Hod asked out of worry for his teammate, but he also doesn't want to put the weight on Valey.

"As long as she wants. Don't worry, my parents wouldn't mind."

Valey smiled as she answered. Then she remembered a cute little detail.

"Oh, and when my parents are having guests coming, please behave yourself or stay hidden!"

"What?"

"Will you hide with us if your parents' guests come?"

"Probably. I never met any of their guests, anyway."

Me and Cony looked at her with a bewildered expression, but she just stuck out her tongue.

"It's decided, then."

Tonight, I will be staying over at Valey's place. But I will not rely fully on her guards. Because deep down, I know. Whatever the assassins sent at me next time will be even more dangerous than the previous.

The team went back to the kingdom after that mission was completed. Hod and Barett did the trades with Klane at the front desk of the Office. He walked back to us and split the prize.

"Wow, three hundred Jules… I can get used to this."

Cony counted the amount inside the pouch she just received.

Three hundred Jules is no small amount. It's considered high, even for a Blue ranked adventurer.

And yet, the money doesn't satisfy me that much.

"Me and Barett are going back home. You girls have fun."

Hod turned around after saying that and left the Office, followed by Barett.

"So, what now?"

I asked both of them, but their smirk says it all. 

""Girls Sleepover!!""

I really wish that assassin would kill me.

Just because.

The three of us went our separate ways for now, only to regroup at Valey's house (or manor) later, after the third bell. Me and Cony decided to meet up first in front of the manor complex's entrance since she was too afraid to enter the noble's area alone.

I did it twice already, so I would say that I don't understand what's there to be afraid of.

After splitting up, we all went back home. Me and Cony are simply waiting until it's sundown, but Valey will do most of the preparations.

It's her mansion, after all. Plus, she probably has a ton of maids and butlers to help her do it.

I don't really need to pack up anything. Most of my things are inside of my ring already. I wonder if any item ever gets lost inside the ring.

I spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning up and reading books like a nerd. After the third bell rang, I closed the book that I was reading and headed out.

The skies are scarily beautiful. The hot orange that was about to be eaten by the cold blue, this kind of sky view just doesn't exist in my world, since the said sky was already filled with pollution from industries and vehicles.

I walked towards the northern main road, where the entrance that leads to the noble's area is located. After walking for ten minutes, I finally arrived in front of the complex entrance.

I couldn't see Cony anywhere, so I headed to the side walls and rested my back while standing up.

Anyone would think that I'm some sort of thug, standing in this position. But really, it's because my mind was so clouded.

What if the next assassin is even more dangerous? What if they actually managed to hurt someone else?

Those kinds of worrying thoughts are eating away my consciousness, that I didn't even sense someone was walking towards me.

"Hey! Rize?? Hello!?!?"

I snapped out of my daze and looked at her.

"Ah, hey. I was just…"

Yeah, what was I doing?

"…Thinking."

"Well don't think too much or you will become an old grandma. Come on! We have to walk together!"

She pulled my right hand and walked towards the entrance. The guards at the gate didn't really mind us because they probably thought we were just some random noble visitors or friends, or maybe the noble themselves.

Probably their biggest reason was because they had wrongly accused someone in the past. That's why they didn't approach us at all.

Cony and I walked under the dim lights of the street light poles. We can see one or two carriages belonging to the nobles moving in and out. 

When I asked Cony which one is Valey's, she just lifted her shoulder.

"I have no idea."

"How long have you been friends with her?"

"Hmm… A year?"

"Wow."

One year, and she never even visited their house. Then again, one year is rather short.

Cony, as someone who came from a commoner's family, must have felt weird coming to a noble's house. I, who was never even a part of this system, doesn't feel anything. But to her, this must be very special.

We kept on walking until our coms spoke loudly.

"Rize! Cony! Where are you!?"

Valey's voice shouted from inside the crystal. Cony quickly imbued magic energy and called her name.

"Valey! We are already at the complex. Which one is yours?"

"Oh! Hang on a second!"

Valey went silent for a few seconds until she finally spoke again.

"I'm in front of my gate. Find me at the higher areas!"

"Higher areas?"

Cony said with a small voice, and that's when it hits me. This part of the housing is the lower area, where the lower nobles' houses are at. The houses here are rather smaller than the ones I have seen before.

Which means, the higher area is…

"I know where it is."

Cony turned to me, and I led the way towards the place which I think is the higher area. The higher area is where the high nobles have their houses at. The Office Master, Valon, owns a house there, where the meetings were held. 

I know exactly where it is.

The higher area also had another entrance, guarded by knights. The knights didn't mind us when we entered, just like the one in the first entrance. 

They probably thought we were another one of those nobles. Is it because of my colored hair?

I don't know how Valey kept on going through this area everyday. She must have already known the knights by their names.

We walked past Valon's manor after a minute of walking from the entrance. The fact that the houses were so vast and large, also made the road rather long.

After a long few minutes of walking, we finally spotted a young lady standing in front of their house, wearing normal home attire. She turned at us and grinned when she recognized us.

"Hello girls! Welcome to my palace."

Holy manor... this is even bigger than I imagined.