Chapter 40 Hidden Until the Dream Ends
It was Anna who came in again and pleaded with Klaus on my behalf.
But this time, my conversation with Anna was slightly different from the last.
I deliberately asked one more question:
"Ms. York, where are you going?"
"I'm going to find Selene Reynolds," Anna said, giving me clear instructions. "If there's anything urgent and you need to find me, go straight to the captain's cabin. No matter who tries to talk to you on the way, ignore them. Don't get distracted and go anywhere else. Get there quickly and come back quickly."
"Yes,"
I replied.
For someone of Anna's age, she was already very cautious. She had done almost everything she could... but unfortunately, she still misjudged human nature. She had placed too much trust in Klaus. For someone carrying valuable treasures who had offended others and had no means of resistance, she shouldn't have trusted anyone.
Including Donald.
I silently reflected on this, watching Anna close the door and leave, lost in thought.
Not long ago, when I found Anna, she had already been tied up and put away. Seeing that both she and Selene looked doomed, if I wanted to stop Klaus, I needed to get there before dinner and team up with Selene to kill Klaus together.
This time I didn't wait for Anna to walk far—because I knew Anna wouldn't be coming back—and started searching the room with practiced ease.
In just over a minute, I found the longsword, the magic drone, the pocket watch, and the seal representing Anna's identity.
I let out a slow, controlled breath and drew the longsword.
I left the scabbard right there in the room.
The reason was simple: carrying it around would be inconvenient and awkward.
After all, I wasn't going out to practice swordplay.
I was going out to kill someone.
I didn't drag things out. After gathering my things, I headed straight out the door.
At this point, Anna hadn't gone far yet. Perhaps because they hadn't fully dropped the act yet, the three people who'd been ordered by the head guard to watch Donald hadn't shown up either.
They were probably afraid Anna might come back.
But I had no such concerns.
My pupils darted, magic sharpening my vision and hearing—this basic technique could be picked up after just a few tries. I kept scanning every place someone might be hiding. My footsteps were very light and my breathing very steady—not to keep others from hearing me breathe, but to avoid interfering with my own listening.
Just as I stepped out of the corridor, I picked up a series of messy footsteps.
"Can't we just go in and tie Donald up?"
"No way. That idiot may not be smart, but he's pretty strong. Whoever makes the first move will probably get hurt... I don't want to get hurt anyway."
"Yeah, me neither."
"Don't overthink it, just follow orders..."
Here they come, here they come.
Hearing the three men's complaints and chatter, I sneered silently and slipped back into the nearest room. Luckily, this room was unlocked and empty. That saved me a lot of trouble...
At least when going in, I didn't have to knock out or kill anyone first.
That's how I usually operated when I played stealth games.
I held the sword and crouched by the door. I leaned my weight carefully against it, listening closely to the three men's voices.
Pressing my weight against the door was to keep the old hinges from creaking if it suddenly took my full weight. If I lunged forward all at once, they'd squeal for sure. So I had to hold it steady from the start.
That way, as long as I opened the door fast enough, it wouldn't make too much noise.
"...Anyway, we just need to stay here," a somewhat lazy voice said. "Watching Donald is safer than dealing with that old witch. She's a real wizard, not one of those con artists doing tricks."
"I think staying here is the best option."
The guard I'd killed first in the previous loop chimed in, "If Klaus's plan fails, we've got a reasonable excuse. We didn't join the attack on Selene, so we can just say we were slacking off here... Getting punished is better than dying here.
"If Klaus's plan succeeds, we've also done our part. Either way, we don't lose out. This is the best."
"Yeah, after all, Donald can't possibly beat the three of us..."
The guard I'd killed second also agreed, "You've got a point. Put that way, our luck is pretty good."
"Of course it is..."
As I listened to the three voices draw closer and then start to pass by, the corners of my mouth curled up.
I yanked open the door and walked out without hesitation, holding the longsword—just to keep myself calm.
Klaus was right.
Not using magic when you have it and relying on a sword instead—that's what a brute would do—
Among the three, an older guard heard a sound behind him and instinctively looked back. From the very beginning, he never considered the possibility that I'd leave Anna's room and ambush them here, so he was almost completely off guard.
So the instant surprise appeared on his face, my magic power formed an invisible blade and slashed straight at his head!
The magic power cut clean through his neck, keeping him from making even the slightest sound. But the other two heard the whistle of the magic blade as it passed through and reached for the weapons at their waists on instinct.
But before they could even turn around, they felt a chill at the backs of their heads, and then lost consciousness entirely.
"FBI, open the door!"
My warning, more than three and a half beats too late, finally arrived.
Although many things had changed, the fate of hearing "FBI, open the door" would not change!
"Phew..."
Seeing that I'd killed three people with three consecutive silent attacks, I finally relaxed and let out a long breath. The blade formed by magic power had a limited range and couldn't stray too far from me—at most 16 feet. In that respect, it was a bit different from the magic drone. I'd heard that powerful wizards could control drones up to 50 miles away. Just imagine: you're sitting at home watching TV, and a wizard 50 miles away launches an attack on you. That's terrifying.
I straightened up and dragged the bodies of the three people I'd silently assassinated into the room one by one.
Just like in the stealth assassination games I'd played.
After killing people, you have to remember to hide the bodies. Otherwise, the killing is basically for nothing. Unfortunately, there weren't any handy things like trash bins or wardrobes that could hold lots and lots of bodies...
After thinking for a moment, I stuffed all the bodies under the blanket, leaving only the back of one head and two faces pressed closely together in view.
I made sure the relatively intact-looking sides of the bodies were facing outward.
As long as no weirdo comes into this room, it should be fine. These three bodies ought to stay hidden until the dream ended.
...If I really ran into the kind of pervert who, upon seeing such a chilling scene, would dare to come in for a closer look, or even excitedly pull back the blanket to examine it carefully, then there was nothing I could do.
After all, psychology only works on humans...