Noelle sprinted up the stairs as fast as she humanly could, but by then the Baron’s screams had gone silent.
The doors to his study stood open, and inside, Baron Altaire was suspended above the floor with a sword driven through his chest. His trembling hands clutched at the blade, blood pouring between his fingers as his eyes stared desperately toward Noelle.
Fire spread across the area, emitting a thick smoke that seemed to forcefully crawl into the lungs and a heat that seared skin with just one touch.
Standing behind him was a man dressed in heavy armor, more heavy-duty and thick-looking than the others. With one effortless movement, the man pulled his sword free and threw the Baron across the room like a toy he wanted nothing to do with anymore.
’Damn it...I was too late.’
The knight flicked the remaining blood from his sword as he turned toward her. He wore no helmet, but a strip of black cloth concealed the lower half of his face.
"You killed all the men downstairs. I don’t remember anyone that capable residing within Altaire?"
"None of your business."
Noelle’s eyes moved around the study, trying to find any other resources she could secure now that the Baron was dead.
Several cabinets had already been forced open, their contents scattered across the floor. Various documents, accounts, and records had become nothing but char.
’Destroying evidence...Master Noct was right about him knowing too much...’
Seeing that Noelle was off-guard, the knight lowered himself, preparing to dash toward her and end the fight immediately.
Yet, it was Noelle, who moved even quicker than him.
CLANG—!
The dagger struck the side of his neck. The man’s sword just barely managed to intercept her blade before it reached his skin.
Noelle twisted her wrist, sliding her dagger along the flat of his weapon before aiming for his eye. The man leaned away, and drove his shoulder forward.
BANG—!
Caught in mid-step, Noelle couldn’t brace herself against the man’s greater weight. The impact threw her back into the corridor.
Though just before her feet touched the railing, Noelle had already done a mid-air flip, reorienting her legs back onto the floor.
And just a second later...she launched herself right back into the fray.
CLANG—! CLANG—! CLANG—!
Their blades collided against each other, the sound of steel ringing more akin to a church bell than anything else. Sparks scattered across the corridor, joining the ever-growing flames.
Noelle aimed for the gaps between the plates covering his waist, knowing that was the best way to kill an armored opponent.
Yet the Knight Captain was equally as skillful, defending each of her attacks with the smallest movement, never allowing his sword to stray far from his body.
’Tch, he’s experienced.’
But more importantly, he was fast. Not as fast as her, but close enough in terms of speed that her advantage wouldn’t work well enough.
With one final strike, Noelle decided to take a step back to reassess the situation.
’However, he doesn’t really feel like a 5-Star Champion in terms of raw strength...If he was, he’d already have beaten me by now.’
That was what she gathered from the exchange earlier. They both knew their opponent was still hiding their cards. But experience-wise, he probably had a whole decade on her.
Noelle had always been taught that assassins needed to "finish the fight before it even began, before the enemy even knew you were there," but with that option out the window, she was clearly inferior in a head-on fight.
That did not mean she would lose.
It just meant she just had to use her brain a little.
The knight captain stepped through the doorway with his sword held close to his body. He knew that rushing recklessly would leave gaps that she could exploit.
Instead, he positioned himself between Noelle and the burning study, almost like he was buying time for everything inside to burn to a crisp.
Well, most of the documents nearest the Baron’s desk had already been reduced to ash. However, a safe had somehow managed to remain intact. And Noelle knew that would be her only option to get anything out of this—still something left to save.
"Who are you!" the knight demanded. "Someone sent to disrupt Lord Faust’s plan?! You’re part of the Royal Shadows, aren’t you?!
"What makes you think that?" Noelle smirked, playing into the misunderstanding. "Have you been informed of us already?"
The Royal Shadows, a group of elite retainers that operated under the orders of Rexford’s royal family.
Noelle wasn’t sure why he was so convinced she belonged to the Royal Shadows. Perhaps he had already been expecting someone. A skilled assassin arriving while whil things were falling apart might have been enough to confirm his fears.
But what he said next was something she never expected.
"Stand down! Tell the Sixth that I can handle it! After this, I’ll report back to him immediately! Please just give me an opportunity!"
’The Royal Shadows...were working with someone like him? They were in on something like this? And who exactly is...’
But now wasn’t the time to ponder over it.
"Hand over the serum and the files," she pretended. "The Sixth has deemed the mission a failure. Whatever assets are left, you are to hand them to me at once."
The man hesitated for a second, before taking out a vial from the pouch behind him and threw it at her. But as soon as he did, the man rushed forward, sword drawn back to thrust.
"YOU WON’T TAKE ME!"
However, Noelle had prepared for this exact scenario.
She caught the vial, and as soon as his blade was about to meet her stomach, her entire body had simply sank into her own shadow, causing the man’s sword to pass through empty air.
Emerging from right behind him, the dagger slipped right through the gap in his breastplate and plunged into his skin. Though the man twisted at the final moment, preventing the blade from reaching his heart just in time.
Though her blade had gone deep enough. Noelle gripped the handle firmly, and dragged a large gash onto his shoulder.
"Gghhk—!" Don groaned.
Noelle didn’t give him time to reecover, kicking the back of his knee and forcing him down before wrapping one arm around his neck. Then she slipped the dagger toward under his jaw.
"Lord Faust isn’t your leader. Who is it?!"
But even with the threat of death looming, the knight captain’s mouth remained closed.
Seeing no other option, she pressed the blade closer. The man tried resisting with all his might, but Noelle had the superior position and leverage.
Yet, just as a thin line of red appeared under the dagger’s edge, a loud vibration and sound swept through the entire city.
RUMBLE—!