Chapter 377 - 324: Killing Needs No Reason (Part 2)

Chapter 377: Chapter 324: Killing Needs No Reason (Part 2)

To his surprise, Hill’s voice came from inside.

"Come in."

A flicker of surprise passed through Zelir. ’Did Hill just get back?’

He pushed the door open and walked in.

"Oh..."

The moment he saw the scene inside, Zelir let out an involuntary gasp of astonishment.

Although he hadn’t interacted with Hill much in private, based on her mysterious and dangerous image as an Assassin, Zelir had expected her room to be quite tidy.

Minimalist, clean, maybe even with a touch of cold, obsessive cleanliness.

But the scene before him shattered Zelir’s illusions.

The sight that greeted him could only be described as a complete mess.

Various bottles and wooden boxes were scattered on the floor, and a few discarded cloaks and coats were draped carelessly over the back of a chair.

The desk was piled high with oiled cloths for weapon maintenance, whetstones, and next to them, several disassembled parts that looked like components for building intricate mechanical traps.

Zelir took a step forward, and a CRINKLE sound came from under his foot.

Lifting his foot, he saw he had probably stepped on a snack wrapper.

The messiness of this room could give his own a run for its money.

As for Hill...

Zelir looked around but couldn’t immediately find her.

Only after a careful search did his eyes find Hill on a wooden beam, about three meters high, that ran across the room.

Hill was currently holding an unbelievably difficult pose.

The beam was extremely narrow, only about ten centimeters wide, barely enough for someone to stand on with one foot.

And Hill was doing just that, balancing on one foot as she leaned backward, performing a backbend that nearly folded her body in half.

She maintained exquisite balance, her other long leg stretched taut and pointing diagonally toward the ceiling.

Her long, dark hair cascaded down like a curtain.

Just as Zelir was wondering if Hill was about to fall, she reached back with both hands, gripped the beam, and stabilized herself.

Her astonishing balance, flexibility, and Core Power were all on full display.

Even the acrobats from his previous life would have found it difficult to replicate Hill’s current pose.

Like a panther, or a wildcat.

Hill wasn’t wearing her robe, fully revealing her beautiful figure.

Looking up from Zelir’s angle, he could see Hill’s snow-white neck and the full curves of her chest.

Further down was her flat stomach, without a hint of fat, and her rounded, slender, powerful thighs.

Everything was revealed in sharp detail.

The winter sun slanted in from the window, shining right into Zelir’s eyes.

The warm, dazzling golden light blurred his vision, forcing Zelir to squint.

Amidst the hazy halo of light, Hill moved.

Her body, taut as a bowstring, unfurled. With a light flip, she landed silently on the ground.

"What are you doing?" Zelir asked, rubbing his eyes, which stung from the bright light.

"Training."

Hill shook out her messy, dark hair, then coiled it up again, securing it with a straight wooden stick.

"It’s a fundamental skill for an Assassin."

Zelir thought for a moment.

’It’s true... Those moves Hill just did would be perfect for sneaking onto someone’s rafters at night without a sound.’

"So you were in your room. Gray said he came looking for you a few times, but you didn’t answer."

"I found him a bit annoying, so I just didn’t feel like dealing with him," Hill said flatly.

"Oh."

Zelir nodded, relieved.

"I came to let you know we’re meeting at the tavern tonight to discuss the upcoming ruin exploration."

"Mm, got it," Hill nodded.

She picked up a small paper box from the pile of junk on her desk and started tossing something into her mouth, one piece at a time.

It was a snack that looked a lot like takoyaki.

Hill seemed to really like this snack. Zelir glanced around and noticed quite a few empty boxes of the same kind in the room.

"Want one?" Hill offered, holding out the paper box.

Zelir picked one up and popped it into his mouth.

The outside was fried to a golden, crispy brown.

But when he bit into it, the inside was fresh and tender.

He could taste that it was a mix of some kind of minced fish and chopped vegetables. It had a great texture.

"This is delicious... Where’d you buy it?" Zelir asked indistinctly, eating another one.

"It’s on the street next to the shop where you sold those Magic Plants last time," Hill said.

"But you have to go early... They’re usually sold out after noon. If you ever go, remember to bring some back for me."

"Okay..."

As he chewed, Zelir’s gaze happened to fall on something.

He noticed a few unusual-looking papers on the adjacent desk.

Their size and style looked similar to the commissions issued by the Adventurer’s Association.

But the edges of the paper were stamped with a dark red border that looked like dried blood.

"What are these?" Zelir asked curiously, walking over to the desk.

"Contracts I picked up from the Assassin’s Guild over the past few days," Hill said nonchalantly.

"You took a job?"

Zelir’s brow furrowed slightly without him realizing.

When they were forming the Adventurer Squad, Zelir had made it clear that they would not get involved in any Assassin’s Guild matters on this trip.

He had even reminded Hill specifically.

And Hill had made her position clear as well.

"Of course not. Don’t worry, I’ll follow the rules."

For once, Hill’s expression turned serious.

"These are public contracts available to all members of the Assassin’s Guild... I just thought they were interesting, so I grabbed a few. Consider it intelligence gathering."

Zelir casually leafed through them.

[Wanted Order]

Target: Carter, merchant.

Description: Middle-aged male, bald, full beard, wears an emerald ring on his right thumb.

Known Haunt: Third floor of the Golden Wheat Ears Inn.

Reward: Eighty Gold Coins.

Note: Death must be staged as an accident or sudden illness. Must not arouse the suspicion of the Security Team.

[Wanted Order]

Target: Lace, illegitimate daughter of the Hoffman Clan.

Description: Sixteen-year-old girl, brown hair, black eyes, birthmark on her right cheek, often wears a white dress.

Known Haunt: Violet Tailor Shop.

Reward: Thirty Gold Coins.

Note: Killing is not required. Simply kidnap and deliver her to the abandoned logging camp west of Sengu Town. A contact will be waiting.

[Wanted Order]

Target: Barton, captain of the mercenary squad [Hammer Brothers].

Description: Burly man, wields a great hammer, has a knife scar on his left cheek, Middle Level Warrior.

Known Haunts: Various taverns and the areas around ruin entrances.

Reward: One Hundred Gold Coins.

Note: No special requirements. Just bring back his head.

According to the laws of the Sel Kingdom, the punishment for murderers was quite severe.

Once caught by the Security Team, it was basically a death sentence.

Mages and Nobility were the exceptions.

But here, on these contracts, living human lives seemed to have lost all their weight.

Their names, descriptions, and prices were brazenly nailed to a notice board.

Like pieces of pork priced for sale at a market.

And once one of those contracts was taken down, it most likely meant the life of the person on it had entered its final countdown.

This feeling of life and death being turned into a naked transaction was truly chilling to the bone.

Moreover, it was clear that the contracts issued by the Assassin’s Guild followed certain unwritten rules.

For a merchant, the death had to be disguised as an accident to avoid investigation.

When targeting Nobility, they only dared to go after an illegitimate daughter, and even then, only for kidnapping.

As for mercenaries who lived on the edge of life and death... a direct kill was fine. No special considerations.

"Why do they want to kill them?" Zelir couldn’t help but ask, looking at the contract for the merchant named Carter.

"Who knows?"

Hill shrugged.

"Maybe it’s revenge, maybe the client doesn’t want to get their own hands dirty... or maybe it was just a simple argument that sparked the idea of killing someone."

Hill tossed another snack into her mouth and chewed, seemingly unfazed by such matters.

"The reasons for killing are weird and varied. There’s no point in looking into them... We’re just responsible for taking the order, completing it, and getting paid."

"But looking through these contracts now and then is a good way to gather information."

"For example, that Carter you mentioned..."

Hill tapped the merchant’s portrait on the contract and chuckled softly.

"I’ve seen him around the last couple of days. He also buys Magic Plants and other items... At least now I know to steer clear of him when doing business."