Hate!
All these years, Maeda hated his mother.
It wasn't his fault that Count Nakamura suddenly fell in love with Mara!
It wasn't his fault that Mara And Murata were already a couple!
It wasn't his fault that Count Nakamura abducted Mara's and Murata's then commoner families!
It wasn't his fault that even after their 'marriage', Mara and Count Murata were still secretly seeing each other, and their love bore fruit!
It wasn't his fault!
Everything!
He hasn't done anything wrong!
Just by being alive, he was forced such hardships and hatred, to things that back then he had no idea, and wasn't even allowed to learn be self sufficient!
And unfairly enough, his so called brother also doesn't like him!
More intelligent than him?!
More Talented with the sword than him?!
Had more connections than him?!
Bullshit!
He simply had great scholar as a teacher!
He simply had a great swordsman as a teacher!
He was simply given more opportunities than him!!
Always!
Always More than Hiiiimmm!!!!!
As a child, as a teen, as a young man, and as an adult, he felt great loneliness as he stared at the moon at night.
Then he felt despair as he knew that he couldn't change anything!
Count Nakamura kept him alive for his entertainment, to torture him!
To keep him reminded of what a whore his mother was!
But he couldn't do anything!
He really couldn't!
Or...
Could he?!
He had already accepted the fact that he would be nothing all his life.
But that was until those people came to him!
They promised him that they'll make him the count!
They promised him that no one can stop his ascension!
They promised him more opportunities than his younger brother!
They promised him revenge!
And more importantly, they promised to give him the power he longed for!
But like all sudden good things, there's a price to pay.
And for him the price was simple.
He just needs to separate his brother from his teammates and they'll do the rest.
He could deal with his younger brother as much as he wanted to, and they will come for his teammates!
He doesn't know what they're after, but from what he's inferred from the bits of pieces of information he gathered, they're after...Lime Zenith!
Back then, he had heard a talk from his father and younger brother, that he's trying to court the daughter of Duke Zenith.
And if he succeeded, he would have much more power than their father had ever gotten!
And now that this organization wanted Lime Zenith, he couldn't get even more eager to help!
He doesn't care what they want with her!
But the opportunity to kill his younger brother, to kill Count Nakamura, to kill his real father and prove to every single motherfuckers that he is as capable if not more than his younger brother or his father could ever be!
And now.... After a few days of waiting, it was finally time!
-----
Midnight.
Miura looked at the moon above.
'Its a full moon, huh..'
He silently mused to himself.
*SWOOOSH!
Then he vanished as he ran forward, towards the high walls of the county.
He had grown up in this county, he had always paid in mind the whole structure of the territory as he always knew that he could improve these county when he finally ascends the title from his father.
*SWOOOSH!!
*SWOOOSH!!!
Behind him, the figures of his teammates also ran forward as they leaped up into the walls.
He smiled contently at them.
He vowed in his heart to repay this debt in the future!
But for now!
It's time!
*SWOOOSH!
They slowly leaped down and crept down as the walked silently and cautiously.
----
As they slowly approached the Count's mansion, they evaded the patrolling swordsmen along the way.
Thankfully, Miura knew the way and the areas that are almost always disregarded by the patrolling swordsmen, despite his scolding all those years ago!
Still, now he was thankful for their laziness, and they arrived in front of the mansion gates.
"Me and Captain Haruta will incapacitate the guards first! If possible, please don't kill anyone!"
Miura whispered to his team.
""Hmm!!""
They all nodded their heads in silence.
They understood his sentiments, these guards and swordsmen were just following his brothers orders and they also knew that they were still his people, regardless if they are his enemies for now!
And only if they are in great danger should they fight to kill!
"Alright! Let's go Captain!"
"Okay!"
Nodding his head, Captain Haruta then rushed forward, following behind was Vice Captain Miura!
*SWOOOSH!!
"Huh?!"
"Stop! Who's there?!"
The two guards immediately noticed their presence but the two of them were way too fast for just an elite level swordsmen!
"Aarrgh!!"
"Ack!!"
They managed to knock the two guards out before they could really shout for help!
As swordsmen from the warrior department, they were trained to fight in a head on battle and direct assaults on bandit camps, so their approach could be said to be sloppy and loud than what Eiji and his team could've done.
But it was just a different approach in infiltration, besides, they were assassins, killing silently was what they should be very great at!
Opening the mansion gates, they slowly went inside.
Miura frowned.
He felt that everything was way too easy.
From climbing up the city walls, the lazy patrols, to the not so silent incapacitation of the guards.
And now even the way into the mansion itself, there were no swordsmen around nor were there anyone really...
'Just what..!!'
*Creaaaakkk!!
Before Miura could finish his thoughts, the mansion doors slowly opened up, as his elder brother, Maeda Nakamura stood in front of them.
There were swordsmen with their head to toe covered with black clothes behind him, ready to attack in his command.
"Good to see you again, my dear little brother!"
Maeda Nakamura said with a faint smile on his face.
*End Of Chapter.