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/Not a single word now. Find the targets, eliminate them and escape. The one’s not noticed will get an hour’s break./

There was no answer to the command so Ace knew they understood their task. It was very simple in truth. Get in, locate the person they had been assigned and remove him from this world. How much easier could it become?

Much if he glanced back behind himself. A grey cloaked figure stood there with her head down, pressed against the wall. “Why did you bring me here? You know I’m no assassin.”

“To see how horrible you actually are,” he answered, listening in on the surroundings. They seemed to be alone on this part of the corridor but one could never be too careful. For all he knew one of his own students could be setting up a trap nearby.

He motioned for the female to follow and they moved in the direction of the engraved doors ten meters ahead on the right. The distance wasn’t that long but the girl made lots of noise. Her feet thudded onto the floor while her skirts shuffled. Those sounds echoed loud in the empty corridor.

“Why in the world are you wearing a skirt in a mission? Do you have a death wish?”

The female gulped at his venomous tone. “I-I never was on one...” Her voice shook and he rolled his eyes, turning back to their destination. After being asked, L with great joy had given him a list of people that needed visiting. If he was to be asked, the guy had only been waiting for it, judging from the quickness in which he produced the list.

“Have you got your dagger?”

“Yes but I’m not going to kill anyone!” she hissed, her hands trembling as she clutched onto her cloak. “I’m not a murderer!”

Ace grabbed her hand, pulling her closer so their faces were mere millimetres apart. “I don’t care what you want. You are either going to enter the room and stab that man or I’m going to kill you and then him.”

“Razvan isn’t going to be okay with that!”

“Do you think I’m afraid of him?” he asked with a mocking chuckle, releasing her hand. She brought it to herself, massaging the wrist as she took a few steps back, her eyes wide and searching. “So what are you going to do? Enter the room or shall I take your life and be done with it.”

She shivered at his words. “I-I’ll do i-it.” It wasn’t one of the most eager replies but it would have to do. He didn’t feel like starting a new war with his students. It was doubtful he could stop himself from killing them if they showed any more of insubordination.

He nodded for her to move forward then. She hesitated for a moment, but stepped around him in a large circle and then stood before the doors. They were slightly ajar and a ray of light shone through.

The girl slipped through the crack, Ace right behind her as he hid under the [Shadow Veil]. He made his way to the side, hiding behind a bookcase from where he could watch the scene unfold.

Before him sat a man leaning over a page with a frown. He touched the feather pen into the ink as if to write something more but on better thought put it aside. Instead he took the paper and crumbling it threw to the side. Ace followed its path and saw a huge pile of those already.

“I hate this,” he muttered under his breath, leaning on his hands. It made him cover his eyes which turned him into a perfect target.

Ace glanced at the female to see if she was making her move. He should have known the answer. She was standing in the shadow of a bookcase with both her hands on the dagger’s hilt. If that wasn’t enough, she was shaking like an aspen’s leaf.

/You won’t get a better chance/ he wrote to her in the group chat as he didn’t have her on his friend list.

She blinked a few times at the message, took a deep breath and stepped forward. Or tried to at least. Her foot got mixed up in her skirts and the next moment she was sprawled on the floor.

The man raised his head in an instant at that. “Who is here?” He stepped from his desk, walking around it to find the girl lying on the ground. There was a dagger skidded a few meters away. “Who are you?”

“I-I..” she started but no words escaped her mouth. Ace had decided previously that she was a horrible actress and his opinion wasn’t changed now. She had not a single word to say after being thrust in an unfamiliar situation.

The man looked at her for a moment, then gave her a hand to stand up. “Have you come here to kill me?”

“Yes! No! Wait, no! I would nev-” she stuttered, tears starting to run down her cheeks. “It’s not m-” she tried again, but a hiccup interrupted her. “No, I cou-”

“Shh,” the man whispered in a soothing tone, pulling her into his arms and making gentle circles on her back. It made her tear up even more, loud wails escaping her lips.

Ace watched it from his hiding place, his hands lying limp against his sides. What kind of situation was this? She was supposed to kill him, not be comforted!

But he had to say it was an interesting turn of events. It was something he hadn’t expected. That was unusual so he stayed put. He wanted to know how it was going to end, whether the girl was going to finish her mission or bail out.

Especially since she’d made her own mission much harder. It was easier to kill a person who you knew nothing about, a total stranger than someone who you took as another being, someone who had dreams and plans, a life to live.

The crying continued for a bit longer so Ace made himself more comfortable. He used [Radiant Step] to get on the bookcase and with his legs dangling down took out a slice of dried meat. He had mastered the art of eating without a sound so there was no chance of him being found out and he could enjoy the show.

“I’m so sorry, so sorry,” the female snivelled, pushing herself away with tears still glistening in her eyes. She tried to brush them away with the back of her hand but it was a wasted effort.

The man gave her a small smile. “Do not worry about it. It’s a gentleman’s duty to be there for the lady.”

She chuckled at that, the tears slowing down a bit. “I do not know what came over me. I’m so sorry!”

“It’s no matter. Forget about it, rather say what business has brought such a lovely lady to my lonesome abode.” The man’s tone was gentle but there was wariness in the shadows that danced on his face. There were a few candles around but their flickering flames did little to light the place.

The girl glanced about at those words, noting the dagger lying a few feet behind the man. “I was given a mission,” she said trying to walk around without raising suspicion.

It was a bad tactic as her feet were like wooden poles, making her movements stand out. However, this time the man didn’t rush to her help. He knew what she was seeking. “Who sent you?”

“No one!” she said in an instant, too quickly for it not to be a lie. “I wasn’t sent here by anyone.” Her second try was a bit better but still pathetic. A little kid could make it sound more realistic.

“Was that Marion? Or his enemies finally started to make moves? I told him it was going to happen soon, but he mocked me. He said adventurers would never manage to unite enough to pose a problem for him.”

He returned his eyes to the female then, a tired smile on his face. “Yet I wonder if he really was wrong. You are nothing more but a child, a little girl at that. If whoever your master is sends such people, he is really in a bind.”

“I-I am in training,” the girl whispered. “My m-master is here also.” She whisked around then, peering into the darkness. Ace was sure she was searching for him but under the veil, in the dark he was as good as invisible.

“Is that how it is then?” the man asked, moving to pick up the dagger. “I can see why you were crying then. You are not a killer in heart, are you?”

His gentle words unleashed a new torrent of tears. “No,” she hiccuped. “I d-don’t want to be-be one.” She then rushed to the man, clutching his sleeve and looking up at his eyes. “But I have no choice! If I don’t kill you, I and my brother will have to die instead!”

“Aren’t you an adventurer?” the man asked with puzzlement evident in his voice. “Won’t the gods revive you as many times as you die?” The girl shook her head in misery. “They will, but this master of my brother’s... He’s not a normal human.” She looked around, wide-eyed. “It’s Silver Wing,” she whispered.

The man shivered visibly. “You mean... mean the one who... who...” It was clear he found it hard finding the words to describe what a monster had come upon the house.

“Yes,” the girl nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks as she was still clutching the man’s sleeve. He took her hands in his, cupping them as his features equalled out. A strange calmness settled onto him.

“You want to live, don’t you?” he asked, his voice lacking the previous warmth. It made the girl raise her head and meet his clear blue eyes. “You have your whole life before you, don’t you?”

She didn’t dare to move her gaze away so she simply said yes. The man closed his eyes at that, his hands freezing for a moment. “Are you al-?” she started to ask but the man cut her off, releasing her hands.

“I am fine but I need to do a few things before I die. Can you promise me something?” he asked, falling into his chair and taking a blank page. For a few moments he scribbled on it vigorously, his hand moving with the swiftness of a diving eagle.

The girl didn’t answer to his question, but he didn’t seem to have been waiting for one. He was just writing and writing, filling the page with hasty scribbles. Then another and another. In a few minutes he had some ten lying next to him, his fingers blue from the spilled ink.

He then stood up, eyes darting at the shadows. “Carry them to the Bird Keeper. He’ll send them.” On the other side addresses were written, pages themselves rolled up and sealed. “Please, give them to the Bird Keeper. Just tell him my name!”

The girl nodded, taking all the rolled up parchments pushed her way in silence. It was fine by the man and he took the dagger from where he had put him on the table. “Thanks for giving me time to finish everything.”

He then smiled and thrust the dagger into his own chest.

She screamed then, dropping all the parchments and running to the man’s side. Tears rushed out again as she grabbed onto his cuffs, shaking him. “You can’t die! I didn’t want to kill you!”

“But I needed to die. There was no other way, you said it yourself.” The girl hiccuped, salty water blocking her sight. A shaky hand rose to pet her head as the man smiled for the last time and his eyes lost the shine of the living.

“Well done,” Ace praised, jumping from his vantage point. He touched the man’s neck to make sure he was dead and received a positive result. “Good work on this case. I have to say I was already looking forward to taking that bracelet of yours. It’s a pretty ornament.”

She glanced back at him, her eyes bottomless pits of hatred and disgust. “Is that all you care?” The bracelet with various sculpted creatures flew at him. “Have it then! It and all you want but leave me out of this madness! This poor man... This pers-”

Her voice caught on that, only a wail escaping as she crumpled to the ground. “You c-cruel... Hea-heartless... Mo-Monster...” she sobbed uncontrollably, her head bowed to hide her face twisted in sorrow.

Ace didn’t say anything to that. There was no point and went to pick the dropped parchments. Nine of them there was and each one to be sent to a different address. He thought for a moment about bringing them back to L but decided against it.

The guy had given him a bunch of misfits, some not even rogues. Should that have earned him Ace’s respect? Well, it didn’t.

“You have to leave before anyone arrives if you want a break,” he said to the wailing female and made his way to the door. She didn’t deem it worthy to reply to that besides murmuring a few more damning words his way.

Respect. Was he ever getting it from his students? For some reason he really doubted that.

The outside was dark but he activated [Echo] and made sure his feet made some sound. It was unusual for he tended to move with the way a shadow would, without a single sound, but it was an interesting experience. He had never thought that one day he would have to think about making sound instead of it being the to other way around.

“What did you do to them?” came a scream from behind him. He had only taken a few steps of the room when his student went barrelling after him. “Where are they?”

He dodged her form in the darkness, letting her pass. She ran ahead screaming and he went after in the same unhurried pace. Their path was in the same direction for the moment.

However, in a few minutes they entered a well lit corridor and she noticed that there was no one before her. It made her stop in the place and turn her head left and right, searching for where he had gone.

It didn’t take her long to hear his footsteps and glance backwards. “You! Return them to me! I need to bring them to the Bird Keeper!”

She dashed at him like a bull and Ace dodged her again. It was very simple when she had no points in agility. “Return them to me!” she screamed again, rushing forward and trying to catch him. Ace twisted out of her hands, dancing right out of her grasp without any effort.

“Please, please, return them to me,” she finally said, resorting to begging after understanding that she had no chance of catching him. It should have been clear from the beginning from Ace’s opinion but he didn’t mind some exercise. She needed it. “Please, I promise him...”

Her eyes welling up once more. “Will you stop with it?” Ace asked in a bark, his eyes flashing red. “Your crying is starting to annoy me.”

The girl’s face paled at that and involuntarily she took a few steps back. “That’s better,” Ace noted, walking around her and returning to his path.

She fell in step with him then, though a few meters behind.

They walked in silence then, evading all the servants with the help of [Instincts of a Predator] and reaching the top of one of the mansion’s towers without any incident.

A man in his late forties with a bald head opened the door. “What do you want here? I only send letters given by the master or his scribe!”

Ace stopped the door from closing in their face by his boot. “Isn’t it cold, living in this tower where freezing winds blow?”

“What if it is?” asked the man, eyeing Ace with narrowed eyes. “You seem familiar, that mask of yours.”

The girl gulped beside him but Ace ignored her. “Wouldn’t you want a new wool cloak? Some warmer clothes too? Maybe even a blanket?”

Bird Keeper opened the door wider, pushing his full head out and glancing behind the corner if there was no one hiding there. Satisfied he then ushered the two inside. “What do you suggest?”

Ace smiled, nodding at his hands. “You send all these, forget we were here or if they insist say we threatened you to send them.”

“But you won’t?” asked the man uncertainly, his eyes hardening as he tried to remember where he had seen or heard about that fox mask.

“Send them now. We have little time and even less trust in your word.” It made the man squirm in his place but the mask made him weary. He didn’t want to anger someone who could bring him trouble. And he could always explain that some of the birds hadn’t returned from the previous correspondences.

That decided he went and attached the letters to the doves, whispering them sweet words and petting before throwing them out the window. They spread wings instantly and in a few minutes he was nine birds short. “Is this all?”

“Yes,” Ace said with a nod, throwing a bag of coins on the table. “We will be leaving now.”

He made his way to the door, but before he could be out he heard the Bird Keeper’s shout. The man then rushed to him. “I can’t take it! This is too much!”

“How much is it?” asked the girl, peering at the open bag. Ace saw her eyes widen and knew what she had seen. “A few hundred gold coins for nine letters? That’s madness!”

Bird Keeper nodded at that quickly. “One coin is enough, your Lordship. This is too much!”

Ace shook his head. “Take it as a payment for occupational hazards.” He then turned to the girl. “Let’s leave. We have a lot of work before us.” She nodded with an expression on her face that he couldn’t name. That was unusual but he dismissed it, moving down the stairs without a glance back.

She followed him out, trying to stay quiet for once. It was a large difference from their entrance when she had made as much sound as she could possibly do without opening her mouth. She had expected to evade her mission by being found out but this place was very undermanned, it was the middle of the night and Ace had chosen her a target out of the main halls.

He had expected her not to be very accepting of her quest.

They soon reached the large wall sized painting which hid a secret entrance and after walking a bit in the tunnel came out in a forest. Mirage welcomed Ace with a loud neigh, coming over to nuzzle. Ace rolled his eyes at that but stroked the animal’s head with a soft touch.

He then used [Radiant Step] to get on the animal’s back and noticing the girl had done the same on her mount, motioned for Mirage to leave. The horse didn’t ask for any more encouragements and in a moment was galloping through the forest path.

It was well cleared of any under bush, roots or branches that might obstruct the rider. Ace wondered why the owners of this mansion had kept the entrance to their secret path so well kept and obvious but couldn’t think of any answer. From whatever position he looked, it was always a stupid idea since there had been no trap waiting for them there.

“Why did you do that?” the girl asked when they were far enough away from the mansion.

“Do what?” Ace asked though he was pretty sure what she was talking about. He just didn’t feel like having all his actions in the open, it was better to stay a mystery.

“Send those letters. You had promised nothing and had even given that Bird Keeper a fortune. Why did you do that?” Her voice was still weak, but she was no longer terrified of him. At least not enough to keep her questions to herself.

Ace put on a half-smile as if he had thought of something funny but didn’t say anything. Let her think whatever she wants. It was bound to be better than the fact that he wasn’t an absolutely evil person. This knowledge just didn’t his persona.

They travelled the rest of the path in silence. When they returned to the abandoned castle that had become their unofficial base, the rest of the group was waiting there. Or most of them.

“What happened to the rest?” he asked without mounting down. There were three people missing. Fenek stepped forward, but Ace waved him off. “Not you. Ilyan talk.”

The guy with curly green hair stepped forward. He was a good-natured fellow with a bubbly personality and aversion to lying, probably because he was so bad at it. “Uhm.. Well, Thoran and Rock wanted to uhm...”

Ace could see he was thinking up a lie. His eyebrows scrunched in deep thought, eyes straying sideways. How more obvious could it get? “Say it!” he hissed jumping before them with his cloak cluttering behind him menacingly. “Now!”

The guy gulped and in an instant blurted out the whole story. “They wanted to prove themselves so they.. They went after the house lord too. There were dozens of guards and they were found out.. And captured... And brought to somewhere... We tried to help them but it was too late.. They were too deep in...”

Ace took a deep breath through his nose. “You tried to do what?” he asked, his eyes turning blood red. “I hope I heard you wrong.”

“We-we.. “

“Shut it,” Ace threw, his lips curling upwards in disdain. “Useless bastards. How many of you had been seen?” He pointed his gaze at Fenek then. The guy was calm on the outside but Ace could see anger brewing in his eyes. “How many?”

“All,” Razvan supplied to the mutterings of others. Ace smiled inwardly at that, at least one guy learnt his lesson.

“Idiots. Did you hear nothing I’ve told you? Or have you come here only to play around, imagining that I won’t care whatever you do?”

Ilyan paled at that but Fenek stepped forward. “We have to stick for each other for no one else will. We have decided to train under you, alienating ourselves from everyone we knew. That is why all we have is each other. You can’t order us to leave some behind!”

“So it was your idea?” Ace asked, stepping forward too. He noticed how the muscles in the guy’s arms tensed and a vein bulged in his neck.

“Idiot,” he spat, turning away and jumping back on Mirage. “Have you forgotten who I am? If I had wanted to, I could have lived as Ace forever without anyone finding out. Yet you with your stupid ideas about camaraderie destroyed it for this lot. They no longer have a chance to go outside without being noticed. Good job. You can be proud of yourself.”

The words spoken he nudged Mirage and they trotted forward in no real hurry. L had invited him to the party in the evening but that was more than a couple of hours away.

Mirage went through the forests and plains, not going too far away but not staying in the sight of the city either. They stopped at the lake for a moment but voices soon came and they made themselves scarce.

He didn’t want to be found loitering around without any purpose. Silver Wing wouldn’t do that. A thought of using [Mirror Walk] and killing something crossed his mind but it passed quickly. He was too lazy for that at the moment.

Instead he let Mirage wander around and when the horse stopped, jumped down. Mirage then went to lie down and sun bathe while Ace took out some book. It was a history of some elven mage and with enough truth to keep Ace’s attention.

They stayed like that for a couple of hours, until the sun threatened to go down. It was Mirage who first decided it was enough and nudged Ace to move. The kid grumbled a bit but did as told, returning the book to his inventory.

“Shall we go to the city then?” he asked the animal who sprinted around a bit, waving its wild mane and standing on two legs and snorting loudly. “I suppose that’s a yes though I’m not sure why you’re so excited. You’ll be doing nothing but staying in the stables or running away from the grooms.”

Mirage neighed at that, satisfied and trotted over for Ace to mount him.

They visited the lake first to make sure Ace’s appearance was fine and then moved to the city. Guards let them pass without a word and people abandoned the streets they entered as if they were plague carriers. “Well, this is nice,” Ace murmured, raising his head to let fresh night air brush the sweat of his head.

He had never considered how inconvenient it would be to always wear a mask and a wig. The first hindered his eating, gum that held it on his face squeezing his skull. While the other made him sweat buckets on a warm day. It was a wonder how much water could leave a person’s head.

On top of that the wig had long hair which always got in his eyes. Eyes that were already being impeded by the mask. It was thin but that still reduced his sight.

However, that was all part of the charade. Or more like making some kind of point. Everyone knew his face. He was sure Ace’s picture was shown on all those television shows but he still kept the mask.

It was like stating that Ace had been only a mask, this was his true face.

He wasn’t sure how exactly that worked and whether anyone bothered to wander, but he was adamant on keeping to it. Ace was Ace while Silver Wing was Silver Wing. There was no combining them.

There were lights up ahead. The castle was aglow with colour as Ace approached it. Front was blocked by carriages and people so Ace made his way around. He left Mirage in one of the shadowy corners and with the help of [Radiant Step] entered L’s study.

It was empty at the moment, all lights out. [Flare] left the safety of his clothes and lit the place. It’s light was blueish, wavering and small but was enough for Ace’s keen eyes.

He rummaged through some stacks, opened the books, noted dots on the maps and read a few papers. They had most of L’s plans in them. This place would have been a treat to anyone looking for things to use against him.

Hoverer, that wasn’t in Ace’s schedule for the day so he leapt out the window again. He was sure outside the doors a dozen of guards would stand, maybe even a spell or two. It was better not to risk it.

That’s why he made his way to some corridor window and going by memory reached the small doors behind the dais in the ballroom. They weren’t locked and after a moment of closed eyes he straightened out and opened them.

No one noticed his entrance, the place having more eye-catching entertainments. The room was decorated in colours of silver and white, torches and cloths with winged crosses sewn on them lining the walls.

“What is this?” he asked L, sitting down on a chair beside him. The man spinning to see him so fast he almost fell of his chair.

“You have come,” he whispered in what Ace would have sworn wasn’t gladness. If he was to guess it was more like regret. “I didn’t think you’d show up after that.”

Ace shook his head, ignoring the reminder. That had to be done and L should make sure never to forget it. “What is this?” he repeated the question.

L followed his eyes to the large clothes and sighed heavily. “Draugar of Silver are pledging their allegiance to me.” He didn’t make eye contact with Ace. “They want me to stop using your aid.”

Ace kept quiet but inside he smiled. It was no wonder they wanted to have nothing to do with him. He had cheated them so horribly and they couldn’t even kick him out of the guild. Only the guild leader could and that gave Ace an idea. It would be quite fun to pretend to kick himself out.

However, at the moment the more important question was what L planned to do. He was the only reason Draugar hadn’t disbanded after wasting all their money on the celebration and then having found out that one of their own was the notorious killer.

L had saved their financial situation and his support was what kept some members in. This made him the boss of the situation but he was still put under the pressure of having hired the guy that they had pledged to avenge themselves against. This was some moral dilemma which wasn’t going to solve itself.

“You are my secret weapon,” L whispered after making sure no one could hear them. “How was the mission?”

Ace turned his head slightly to capture the guy’s eyes with his own crystal blue orbs. “The same as those who did it.” It made L gulp. “That bad?”

It took all Ace had not to burst out laughing. So the guy had known what he was hiring. The question was why he did that anyway, but Silver Wing wasn’t a talkative fellow so Ace had to keep his silence.

“Well, send me a report by tomorrow anyway. I need to know the damage done. Was at least someone eliminated?”

Ace nodded, shifting his gaze to the room. His presence had been noticed and an uncomfortable silence fell over the room. People were whispering in small groups, pointing fingers at him.

At the far corner he could see Perry glaring at him, Michael at her side. The guy seemed to be even angrier than her though Ace couldn’t remember having killed him. He had his fingers on his twin swords and only Perry’s voice was keeping him from jumping to a fight he couldn’t win.

Jackal was standing with Nein nearby too. A shadow of sadness always passed the first guy’s face whenever he looked at Ace and it seemed more than having been betrayed. There was something familiar in that look, guilt of a kind, but Ace couldn’t say where he had seen it.

But he could easily identify what he saw in Nein’s expression. Something no one else had, something that couldn’t be more different from the general opinion. Joy. His eyes shone with happiness as if Ace had been his lost friend and now appeared before him.

Like a miracle had happened.

That more than anything made Ace wary. He could deal with all of the other things but this was something unexpected. And dangerous. Nein was a guy of secrets, holding powers worthy of envy.

He could be dangerous adversary and that’s why Ace’s whole being begged him to run away. Or more like escape this situation. He was out in the open now, losing out on more than half of his strength - the unexpectedness.

Not once had he deluded himself into thinking he was the strongest player, he was sure he wasn’t. But what he was, was much more. He was good at surprising people, throwing them off their comfort zone and then everything was easy.

Yet here it was his discomfort zone. He was on the stage with a part to play, unable to use everything he might have wanted. There were expectations to meet.

And that’s why he stayed.

He might have not liked to fight a fair fight but Wing was no coward. The guy was a survivalist who cared little for any odds. The worse the better.

/Master, Muriel has escaped. She says there’s a way to help Thoran and Rock. Can we stop the training and get them out?/ Lara wrote, distracting Ace from his grim thoughts.

The message was a stupid one, he didn’t want them to get into even more trouble while he was stuck in this party but he had a feeling this was more of a heads up than anything else. Also she had called him a Master.

/Write a report for L about the mission. Those of the students that can do the exercise I have been teaching for the last two weeks can take a two hour break. No more./

/Thank you/ came a polite reply and Ace turned the chat off. Some new guests were entering and a small dot darted in the air. Ace followed the small bird’s flight until after a few calls it returned to its owners small hand.

‘Oh, hell...’