Chapter 141 - 68: Shooting Fish in a Barrel

Chapter 141: Chapter 68: Shooting Fish in a Barrel

The Viscount Williams Mansion.

Since returning from the Royal Palace, neither Lilia nor Lucian had taken the initiative to bring up their engagement. Lucian had prepared a room for Lilia on the second floor of the villa; it was the most spacious guest room available, second only to the master bedroom. After leading her there, he stood at the door and gave her a few instructions, telling her to call for someone if she needed anything, or to come find him directly in the room opposite hers.

He had always known his boundaries. Having lived in the relatively conservative Lien Kingdom for twenty years, he was not as open-minded as the nobles here in Ovis. Thus, he didn’t step inside. After making everything clear, he turned and left.

Soon, night fell.

Several figures slipped silently into the Viscount Mansion. Following the previous attacks, the mansion’s defenses had been significantly bolstered. However, this time, the intruders were all elites. They easily bypassed the guards and hidden sentries, creeping right up to the main house.

Lucian had always been cautious. He rarely employed servants from Ovis, and even when he did, he stationed them on the periphery, never allowing them near his personal quarters. As a result, the shadowy figures couldn’t pinpoint the exact locations of their two targets. But it didn’t matter—Mages had plenty of ways to track them down.

A special item was produced, revealing two areas where Magic Elements were unusually active. This proved the presence of High-level Mages. In this residence, the two highest Level Mages were Lucian and Lilia. Without hesitation, the dark figures stealthily navigated through the darkness toward the marked locations.

Inside the room.

It was completely silent. To prevent any unexpected variables, they had chosen to split into two teams to assassinate both targets simultaneously. That way, even if one of them noticed something amiss and sounded the alarm, it would be too late. Three black-robed Mages emerged from the room’s shadows. They quickly scanned their surroundings, confirming the area was safe, before silently creeping toward the bed.

On the bed, a girl with delicate features was sleeping soundly. The weather in Ovis had always been sweltering, and the temperature in Adrian remained around twenty degrees year-round. Therefore, the girl was covered only by a thin blanket. Her slender neck and half of her pajama-clad shoulder were exposed, which, combined with her peaceful sleeping face, made her look completely defenseless.

These Mages were well-trained. They did not use Magic. Both of their targets this time were incredibly powerful; even the slightest fluctuation of Magic Power could draw their attention. Under these circumstances, the simplest method of assassination was actually the most effective.

With a barely audible *SNICK*, a gleaming dagger slid from its sheath, reflecting a harsh, cold glint in the moonlight. The assailant didn’t hesitate, plunging the blade straight down toward the girl’s chest!

*THWACK.*

The blade pierced flesh, yet there was no physical sensation of impact. The assassins reacted instantly, realizing this was a trap set specifically for them! Since they were already exposed, they no longer held back on using Magic. An intense surge of Magic Power erupted within the room. At the exact same time, an explosive boom echoed from the room next door.

Prince Colin had made extensive preparations for this assassination. These Mages were elites, handpicked from among his subordinates. He knew full well that assassinating Lilia was entirely different from assassinating Lucian. Even if the latter suffered a loss, he wouldn’t dare make a fuss, and even if he did, no one would seek justice for him.

But if news of Lilia being assassinated in Ovis got out, it would be extremely difficult for Ovis to justify it to the Light Kingdom. If mishandled even slightly, it could easily cause a rift in the relationship between the two nations. Therefore, he had to either not do it at all, or use the most ruthless methods possible to guarantee success!

The Mages rapidly pinpointed the area with the densest Magic Power in the entire mansion and rushed there at top speed. Just as expected, Lilia and Lucian were there. They were in the backyard of the Viscount Mansion!

The moment they sensed intruders, they had used Phantom Magic to leave behind incredibly lifelike decoys, while their true bodies regrouped with each other as fast as possible to make a stand. They seemingly hadn’t anticipated that, after their assassination attempt failed, the assassins wouldn’t flee, but would actually dare to charge right at them. Yet all of this was exactly as Prince Colin had expected.

The previous assassinations had all followed a pattern of striking and fleeing upon failure. He was certain Lucian had grown accustomed to this routine. Even if Lucian was on guard and used Phantom Magic to evade the initial strike, he would most likely drop his guard afterward. He would never expect a second wave! Faced with such a sudden twist, Lucian would probably freeze in place, unsure of how to react. At that crucial moment, the assassins he arranged would immediately rush forward and unleash their strongest Magic to take the targets down with them.

This was the agreed-upon plan from the very beginning. It would be ideal if the stealth assassination succeeded, but if it failed, the assassins were to trigger a self-destruction and drag the targets to hell with them. Regardless, that Crown Prince of the Light Kingdom absolutely could not be allowed to live past tonight.

Colin had arranged so many men this time precisely to maximize the blast radius of this self-destruction. The combined energy generated by three powerful Mages—who were only a single step away from the High-level tier—simultaneously burning all their Magic Power would be enough to level the entire Viscount Mansion to the ground. Even a High-level Mage would be rendered completely powerless in the face of such devastation.

The only exception would be if Lucian or the Crown Prince possessed an extremely high Elemental Affinity, allowing them to instantly quell the rioting Magic Power in their surroundings. However, such a person wouldn’t appear even once in hundreds or thousands of years. Even a genius among geniuses like Lucian only had a "High" Elemental Affinity across the Four Great Elements.

Therefore, neither Colin nor the assassins had even considered this possibility from the start. In their eyes, the moment the plan was finalized, Lilia and Lucian were already dead.

The assassins rapidly closed in on the two figures in the center. Since this was a suicide attack aimed at maximizing destructive power, they drew in all the surrounding Fire Elements and Wind Elements. The entire backyard was instantly flooded with berserk energy; it only needed one final spark to detonate. At this moment, the two targets in the center finally seemed to realize what they were trying to do. Instead of the anticipated shock and terror, their faces showed absolutely no change in expression. It was as if they had been scared witless by the sudden turn of events.

The Mages had no time to ponder what was going through their victims’ minds. Just as they were about to ignite the fuse, they were horrified to discover that the surrounding Elemental Particles were dissipating outward at a terrifying speed!

It was as if a giant, invisible hand had combed through them, casually flicking the buildup of berserk elements in the sky far away. Only the Fire Elements had been "flicked" away, while most of the Wind Elements remained in place. However... the density of the Elemental Particles was no longer sufficient to cause mass destruction.

Even more terrifying was the fact that they had already squeezed their internal Magic Power to the absolute limit for this strike. Right now, they were like overinflated balloons on the verge of bursting, yet they had been deprived of the catalyst needed for the explosion. In this state... they had absolutely no power to fight back.