It was still a little early into the morning when Raiden stood before King Hannes in the throne room. The yellow aura surrounding the king was unmistakably kingkind as he sat upon his white throne, its armrests tinged with gold, his hands resting calmly on them.
The elders sat on red seats beside him—three to his left and three to his right—cloaked in their black robes.
The room was slightly narrow, yet vast in its own right, making the king’s superiority feel heavier with every step taken from the entrance. The floor and ceiling were adorned with portraits of victorious battles.
Raiden cleared his throat. "At first, I only asked for an apartment. But now, I want something bigger."
He glanced around for a moment. "I want the book removed from the palace premises entirely."
The elders exchanged confused looks as they stared at him.
"It’s a no-brainer that the book is in the palace... so why not use that to our advantage?"
He glanced at their faces—still confused about whatever he was saying. Raiden massaged his forehead in disappointment.
He had expected them to catch on, but if the so-called kingdom of wisdom and education was this narrow-minded, then he had a long way to go.
"I request that a mansion be built in my honor as the Bookkeeper—a mansion of libraries, designed to confuse anyone except the Bookkeeper himself. And the library here... use it as a decoy to lure the assassins into the palace."
King Hannes smirked as he stared at him, while the elders remained as chatty as ever, their low mumbles filling the room.
"Silence!" Hannes’ commanding tone echoed through the room, drawing everyone’s attention.
"Can’t believe you climbed the ranks in just a few weeks... that’s practically unheard of."
Raiden’s eyes widened in confusion. How?
"I feared the four months I initially gave you wouldn’t be enough—but I suppose you truly meant your words. One way or another, you’ve done it."
Raiden stood frozen for a moment, still caught up in how climbing the ranks was considered such a great feat—then he shrugged.
However, King Hannes’ expression darkened in that instant. "About your request... the fact that you’ve thought this thoroughly about the book clearly shows your devotion."
He paused. "However, this was your father’s initial request—not long before he was killed on duty, though his was far more detailed."
Raiden raised an eyebrow as a sense of unease crept in—his alternative was already being considered. Still, he gave them the benefit of the doubt and waited silently for more.
"His description required a lot of resources we didn’t have in Persia. That led us to enter several negotiations with other kingdoms, and it cost us quite a bit."
"So, are you done?" he asked curiously, leaning forward slightly.
King Hannes offered a warm smile. "Yes... in fact, we finished about a month ago."
Raiden showed no sign of excitement or enthusiasm toward their achievement. He simply nodded and bluntly spoke the words that followed. "Alright. I’ve already chosen my apprentice—Leo Odin. He works at the Odin jewelry shop."
[Papa, he’s awake...]
He narrowed his eyes slightly, already feeling the urge to leave. "Can you bring him to me in the next few days?"
King Hannes smirked and gave a nod. Without hesitation, Raiden turned and hurried out of the room, heading straight for the library.
The moment he arrived, he found Levi lying on the floor with Ash standing on top of him, pawing at his face while scoffing in annoyance.
After their duel, the leaf Ash had plunged into his mouth turned out to be a coca leaf. The moment they squeezed its pigment into him, he drew a shallow breath and regained consciousness.
Using his invisibility to their advantage, they managed to sneak him into the library—though he ran out of energy and collapsed shortly after.
"I need some answers from you... Levi." He walked past him and took his seat, with Ash joining him immediately.
Levi pressed himself up from the floor and rose to his feet, rubbing his stomach. Raiden tossed him a piece of bread he had saved for just such an occasion, and Levi began stuffing himself immediately.
"Your strength, it feels too shallow for an assassin... nowhere near the one I faced a while ago."
Levi began pounding his chest as he retched, his eyes filled with tears as he reached out a trembling hand for water. Raiden lazily handed him a glass, and he downed it in an instant.
Levi took a deep breath. "The one who came before me was named Eli... he was strong: both physically and magically. Unlike me."
Raiden propped his elbows on the desk, leaned forward, and listened intently.
"However, the moment he returned without the book, he was killed." He began walking between the shelves.
"They know you’re weak; that’s why they aren’t paying much attention to you. The Kingdom of Aurelia’s Bookkeeper, on the other hand, is quite troublesome."
Raiden stopped him. "They killed him... because he couldn’t kill me?"
Levi turned to Raiden. "No, they killed him because he claimed he’d killed you, yet came back without the book. And on top of that... you’re still alive."
Raiden smirked, imagining how confused Eli must have been to realize that slitting his throat wasn’t enough to kill him. But his expression darkened almost instantly.
"But if I’m weak, then why not target me first? That seems like the most logical approach."
Levi continued pacing between the shelves. "Aurelia possesses the Book of Silence, the Voice of the Devourer, and it’s believed to be far easier to retrieve than the Book of Ashes."
Raiden tapped his chin thoughtfully, then glanced at the wall to his right, where the book rested, its overwhelming dark energy pulsing endlessly. That’s when it hit him: whoever wanted the book... already knew exactly what it could do.
His voice darkened. "So you were actually sent here on a suicide mission... they want to know exactly what it would take to retrieve the book. Paid for with your blood."
Levi smirked. "Exactly. That’s why they sent weaklings like me; so it wouldn’t cost them anything if I ended up dead."
Raiden’s eyes narrowed. "That’s the life you chose as an assassin... don’t take the job if you can’t stomach the consequences."
Levi finally stopped pacing and marched up to Raiden, slamming his hands onto the desk as he leaned forward and the rage in his eyes burning against Raiden’s unwavering gaze.
"Do you know what it took for me to become an assassin?"
Raiden shot him a lazy look, thinking to himself—such arrogance.
"I never wanted to be an assassin..." He stood upright. "Living in the desert, where food and water are rare; reserved only for the rich, all you care about is finding a way out of that hell."
He continued, "I saw becoming an assassin as my way out of that hell. Most assassins don’t stay in one place, and it worked. It was the same for most of us... even Eli."
He walked over to the window on the left and leaned against it. "The moment we started learning the Persian language, I felt a thrill. The Kingdom of Wisdom and Education... it gave me hope. I began plotting my escape the moment we arrived."
His voice dropped, and his eyes shifted to the floor. "But I wouldn’t be the only one with that mentality, would I?" He smirked. "The moment we arrived, a few people tried it, every one of them was caught and killed."
Raiden remained silent as he stared at him: unmoved, untouched. All he saw was an opportunity to make Levi serve him better as his master. All he had to do was feed that hungry bastard.
"I took the job personally because they said you were weak. If I’d returned with the book... maybe I could’ve finally left." He glanced at Ash, who rested quietly on Raiden’s lap, her eyes fixed on the floor.
"But when your familiar nearly killed me, even though it was confusing, it made me start thinking. What’s the best way to escape this nightmare without ending up dead? The duel... it was the only thing that came to mind."
Raiden studied him carefully. "If you had returned, they would’ve killed you for failing. And if you came back to fight, you’d be killed either way..." He tapped his chin thoughtfully. "It’s not a bad idea."
His voice slowed, eyes narrowing as his tone turned cold. "Well... you’re my servant now. You work for me."
His expression shifted in an instant, a smile creeping onto his face as he gently patted Ash.
"Just so you know, no one really knows who wants the books. All the assassins I’ve met... they’re immature. It was never a real organization."
Levi paused for a moment... "I believe there’s a traitor within your palace."
Raiden smirked and nodded. "I do too, but there might be more."