Perched atop a distant tree, a boy with deep blue hair that flowed in the wind calmly observed the attack on Liliana’s coach.
“Well, well... Her escorts know their stuff. But that spell on the coach could pose a problem...”
Flippant and easygoing, his tone betrayed both admiration and enjoyment. His pitch-black eyes currently harbored an enigmatic presence, reminiscent of a starry sky.
At a glance, the boy seemed to stare into empty space, but he was actually observing the attack on the coach from every angle using a far-sight spell. The eight who’d waited in the wings had just joined the fight, though one remained hidden from view. In the boy’s line of work, illusion magic was invaluable.
And yet, barely a moment later, the concealed man reappeared.
“What...?” the boy uttered, his eyes widening. “Seriously?”
Judging by his confusion, the man hadn’t miscast the spell. It must have been dispelled—but only a few people were capable of such a feat.
“Was it someone in the coach with her? Can’t see who’s inside... That’d certainly be a pain, though.”
Their target was still just a child. No matter how much mana she had, she was too young to use high-level spells. The only reasonable explanation was that she had a skilled mage with her.
“But they didn’t hire anyone like that, did they?” the boy mused aloud.
Before he could ponder any further, the man crumpled to the ground, his legs giving out beneath him. The boy grimaced at the sight, a quiet “Damn...” forcing its way past his lips. A physical attack was clearly not to blame, leaving magic as the next best explanation—but no common spell could produce such an effect. The only time he’d seen anything similar, the caster hadn’t been human.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me. What kinda monster do they have in that coach?” the boy muttered. But his surprise soon gave way to interest, and he stroked his chin, reenergized. “This is the kinda thing that makes this job worthwhile. It’s been a long time since a hit gave me a chance to show off.”
The attack ended with all the assailants dead except one. The boy terminated his far-sight spell, aware his turn hadn’t yet come, and his eyes returned to their usual pitch-black.
“You’d better watch your tongue, kid,” he warned, though he knew his words would never reach the captive.
The boy nimbly leaped down from the massive tree—more than three times his height—and landed without issue. He rubbed a ripe, juicy apple he’d grabbed during the descent against his shirt and took a generous bite.
“Good stuff.”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than a black crow landed on his shoulder.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Attaboy. Want this?”
The crow turned its head, refusing the fruit, and the boy chuckled. He finished it himself, savoring every mouthful.
“Any vultures about?”
The bird remained silent.
“Tell them to eat up before the humans come along. Eleven corpses should keep them fed for a while.”
As he licked the juice from his fingers, the crow cawed, and a dark flock descended on the scene of the attack—vultures. The boy watched with satisfaction as they tore into the corpses; he was on cleanup duty, and no one would bother identifying the remains.
Still grinning, he headed north, where Liliana’s coach had come from and where Hudore, the royal capital, lay.