Even though the sun was setting, it still retained its brilliance. That's why I didn't know how to explain the scene I saw at the moment I looked at the light coming to my eye.
I had seen someone on the top of a building about seventy meters away. Because it was in black, it identity and gender could not be determined. It face was wrapped completely in black cloth, it was wearing a black robe to hide his body shape, and on top of this robe, it wore a leather armor. It had a bow in his hand.
And it was pulling the bow right now, about to release it at any moment!
"Be careful!!!"
I acted entirely on instinct and jumped towards Mater. Before we even hit the ground, I had felt the breeze passing over us, indicating something had just gone over us. We both fell to the ground simultaneously and I quickly looked around. There was a broken arrow on the ground, shattered into three pieces. I immediately looked toward the mysterious figure.
Nobody was there. Mater's face was as white as chalk. If I didn't know he was a cultist, I would have thought he believed he was the next target. However, it was clear what he was thinking right now was being deciphered and to avoid revealing this to me, he seemed to have frozen his facial expressions.
"Damn shit... If I hadn't noticed at the last moment, it would have been over."
It was entirely, completely by coincidence. If I hadn't looked in that direction, I would have never noticed the figure. Even this paranoid fool should have wondered how he didn't notice that figure. I reached out my hand to save him from this trance. Since he wanted to protect his innocent side, he chose to hold my hand and got up. Then he brushed off the dust on himself and looked around like Emerra.
"I'm sure you're wondering who did this."
Mater shot a sharp look at my words. It seemed like he was showing his true self for the first time, and this stare was even more terrifying than Rona's. I felt my hair standing on end but I tried not to show it. Afterwards, I went to the place where the broken arrows were and collected them.
"We're lucky to have some evidence. My friend Stefan, whom I mentioned earlier, is into archery. He might be able to tell us what this arrow is made of."
Mater again chose to look at me instead of speaking. I suspected he was furious right now and was trying not to say something that would give him away. At least, that's what I would do.
We went to Stefan, who had started dozing off while waiting for me together at the clock tower. Just as he was about to say something to me, he saw that there was someone else with me and understood why I was late. After the introduction session with Mater, I didn't want to waste any time and immediately got to the point. Stefan, as if he had understood the situation, was the first to speak.
"Is there a problem, buddy?"
"Ehh... Unfortunately, yes. Do you remember the murder incident at the Academy a few weeks ago?"
"Of course, I remember... Hold on a second..."
"Let me tell you before you do, they were about to kill Mater just now. Here's the arrow the suspect left behind."
I handed him the broken arrow in my hand and watched his reaction. As soon as he saw the arrow, his eyes widened, but he was cautious to be sure. He definitely knew who or what was behind this arrow.
"Do you have a guess?"
"This…"
He seemed to want to be sure before starting to speak, and he continued examining the broken arrow. Meanwhile, I kept my eyes on Mater and carefully followed his reactions. I was curious whether Mater recognized the attackers or not. So, I was trying to understand whether he genuinely didn't know the attacker or was just pretending not to know.
"This is really real."
"I don't have the means to give you a fake arrow."
Stefan tried to conceal it but I saw his hands trembling. Stefan, who generally had a more carefree outlook on life compared to me, being nervous indicated how serious the situation was.
"Nell... This isn't just an ordinary arrow. If my guess is correct, this arrow belongs to a Nox assassin."
"Nox assassin?"
"Don't you know them?"
I've never heard of anything like that before. How many dangerous groups are there in this game-like world?
"I think we should stay calm, Stefan. I doubt anyone who was born and raised in the city even has the faintest idea of what you're talking about."
"Stay calm? For someone like you, a nalia, to remain calm is quite not normal. The person attacking you isn't an ordinary assassin."
"Hey hey, can you two explain to me what's going on? My head is really confused."
I really started to have doubts in my mind. Why would city dwellers like me not know about the existence of these assassins? Moreover, Mater wasn't even acting as if he didn't know. Since Stefan mentioned who the owner of the arrow was, Mater seemed to appear more honest in my eyes. This meant that he genuinely didn't know the attacker but thanks to Stefan, he now knew who they were—just like Stefan, he understood who the attackers were. Even though Stefan kept complaining about my ignorance, he started explaining what was happening to me.
"Nox assassins are a very special group and if you ask me, they are even more dangerous than those filthy cultists. No one knows who founded this group or why but they are especially notorious in rural areas and nalia kingdoms. A few years ago, the leader of a group of traders visiting my village was suddenly murdered and the arrow embedded in his skull was exactly the same. As far as I know, these assassins only work for money. But they don't just accept a few thousand kane payments. They work for hundreds of thousands, even millions of kane."
Learning what I could about this group from Stefan, especially considering the assassination that happened in his small town, was invaluable to me. Moreover, learning that they are known among the nalias gave me a clue about who might be controlling the assassin's leash. And on top of that, Mater's worried and tense appearance made me struggle to keep my smile barely suppressed.
I thought to myself, 'The Quintah King must have learned about their existence and sent someone to finish the job.' Nox assassins are perfect for this job because they are not very prominent in human kingdoms. Who can tell what this nalia is thinking right now? I just hope they believe that Rona's killer is indeed that Nox assassin. Moreover, there was an attack on Mater himself. I thought, 'Damn... why did I save this nalia's life?'
"I understand. So these are a kind of paid assassin group. Then, we need to figure out why they are targeting the nalias."
I wanted to corner Mater a little bit. Right now, I was curious about how he would lie to keep his cultist identity hidden from us. I was planning to continue pretending to be naive but I wondered if Stefan would notice anything. I have a short but decent friendship with Stefan. Including him in this matter would definitely help lighten my burden.
"I have a guess."
Stefan seemed to be asking for permission to share his own hypothesis. Mater and I said there was no problem and we started listening to Stefan's theory.
"The other day, you mentioned, Nell, that they wanted to spoil the relationship between Quintah kingdom and Ucretnight kingdom. If that's true, which side do you think doesn't want this fragile peace to last longer?"
"Hmmm... Who can say? I wish I knew the current state of both sides. Which nalia kingdom are you from, Mater?"
"Unfortunately, I am not from Quintah kingdom. The only Quintah nalia from class 1-A is Emerra. If anyone knows, it would only be her."
"Understood. We need to talk to Emerra as soon as possible."
Since I had already pieced everything together like a puzzle, I didn't hesitate to show my acting skills. Even if Mater didn't want to communicate with us further, it seemed like he had no other choice. Stefan looked at the darkening sky and stepping between us, said we needed to return to the Academy. We walked together first to the Academy zone and then to the front of the dorm. We didn't talk much. Before entering the dorm, Stefan said something else.
"It's best to be cautious tonight. Especially our nalia friend, he needs to be careful because he's the target. The assassin might continue their attacks until they finish the job."
I agreed with him because I was starting to feel that something might go wrong.