In the dim light of night, a man drove his vehicle at a rapid pace. A smile clung to his face, mingling with a sheen of cold sweat.
"I did it... hahaha. I did it...," He muttered under his breath.
He had done what others consider unthinkable. Just earlier, the man had driven out from the Kovalevska Family Estate, one of the high-ranking noble families of the Maurya Empire.
"I actually got in. And it was the Kovalevskas of all families!" His voice rose with intensity as he replayed the feat in his mind.
A high-ranking noble estate was not a place one could simply enter. No one had ever returned after attempting to trespass. It was a place that was considered the most dangerous place in the Maurya Empire, second only to the outside of the empire's 'border'. It was a place where the law was nullified, leaving the family able to do anything they wanted within their estate.
"That should be the daughter, right?"
He then remembered the girl who made him able to enter that place. At first, he was dumbfounded by a random girl asking to be driven to the Kovalevska Family Estate, but upon seeing how the girl mentioned it with an eerie casualness, he decided to take a bet and actually drive the girl to the location. To his surprise, he actually made it in. There was no one stopping him, no one ending him in silence; he was driving smoothly inside, reaching the gate of the mansion.
He came to one possible conclusion: the girl he was driving might be a child of the Kovalevska Family, the one infamous for being the family's so-called 'failure of the Kovalevska.' Realizing the stakes, the man grew restless. This might be the only opportunity in his life to blackmail a high-ranking noble family.
Determined to act, he put his plan into motion. Just after the girl left the vehicle, he secretly placed a spell on her; one difficult to detect, even for a skilled magician. To make it even harder to notice, the spell did not activate immediately; it was designed to develop gradually, like a seed slowly growing into a plant. By the time it was fully formed, it would be too late for the girl. All that would remain was for the Kovalevskas to come to him, begging for the spell's removal.
"Hahaha! I did it! I have to report this immediately!"
***
After driving for some time, the man finally stopped at his destination. It was an office-like structure, a mid-sized modern building built on a minimal budget but still functional. The exterior was clean and fairly well-maintained, though decorated only sparingly.
He stepped out of his vehicle and unlocked the entrance with a spare key before hurrying inside. Racing through the halls, he climbed to the second floor, where a door with a nameplate came into view. Without knocking, he pushed it open and exclaimed in elation,
"Kian, I did it!"
Kian, a middle-aged man with a clean-shaven face, looked up at his colleague, a man of similar age but with rougher, more rugged features.
"Rory, I'm busy. Get out," he said curtly. Sitting at his office desk with a paper in hand, Kian did not welcome the interruption.
But Rory brushed him off, striding quickly across the room. "No, Kian, you won't believe what I just caught!" He reached the desk, slamming both hands down before blurting out with excitement, "I managed to pull a big target."
Kian, who had been trying to ignore him, finally began to show interest.
"Good. Who is the one you managed to curse?"
Rory broke into a wide grin. "Try to guess."
"Is it someone important?"
"It is."
"One of the merchant guild's workers?"
"No, that's too small."
"Then… a merchant?"
"Come on, Kian, that's still too small."
"Then who? I can't think of anyone else who'd bring in serious money." Kian paused, then, as if struck by a sudden thought, asked carefully, "Is it… a noble?"
Rory's grin widened as he nodded.
But Kian's reaction was far from celebratory. His expression hardened, and a whisper slipped out. "You idiot…"
"What's that?" Rory asked, confused.
Kian shot to his feet and, without another word, punched Rory square in the face.
Rory staggered back, stumbling to the floor and clutching his cheek in shock and anger. "Hey, what was that for?!"
Kian didn't answer. Instead, he turned to his drawer and began frantically rummaging through it, pulling out papers one after another.
Rory, still reeling from the punch and ready to retaliate, froze when he saw the change in his friend's demeanor.
"Kian?"
Kian's hands shook as he rifled through the drawer, his lips quivering with barely contained panic. He gathered every important document he could find, stuffed them into a suitcase in a rush, and headed straight for the door without another word.
Kian hurried down the hall, his steps quick and uneven, with Rory trailing close behind.
"Kian, where are you going?" Rory called out.
Kian gave no reply. He knew he had made a grave mistake, and the only option left was to flee before it was too late.
"Hey, Kian, what's going on?" Rory pressed.
He kept pestering him along the way, but when they reached the front door, Rory finally said something that Kian could not ignore.
"Hey, are you running away now? How am I supposed to blackmail the Kovalevska alone?"
Kian froze mid-step. "…What did you just say?"
"Oh, so you can talk after all," Rory sneered. "Listen, if you're leaving, then fine. Just don't come crawling back when I'm the one reaping the Kovalevska dry."
The suitcase Kian had been holding slipped from his grasp and hit the floor with a heavy thud. If his face had shown fear before, now, after hearing his colleague's words, it was pure desperation.
"We're dead… we're dead… we're dead…" he muttered, crouching down and clutching his hair. Kian had assumed Rory had targeted some random noble of Maurya, but the truth was far worse. This wasn't just any noble; it was the Kovalevska Family.
Rory, confused by Kian's reaction, reached out a hand. "Hey, you good—"
Kian slapped it away immediately. "Don't touch me!" He glared at his clueless partner, who still looked annoyingly calm. "Do you even realize what you've done?"
"What do you mean? We hit the jackpot, right? This is a high-ranking noble! We'll be rich!"
Kian stared at him in disbelief, his frustration mounting. "You didn't read the documents I gave you, did you?"
"Documents? What documents?" Rory asked blankly.
That sealed it. In all his years as a scammer, blackmailer, and con artist, Kian had made countless mistakes, but none as grave as this. He had underestimated the sheer stupidity of Rory.
As one of the great three nations of the world, the Maurya Empire was home to noble families whose members were powerful magicians, many rumored to wield spells that defied all logic. But above them stood an even more fearsome tier, the high-ranking noble families. That was why Kian had always been careful never to cross them, going so far as to study each family one by one and compile documents filled with clear warnings for Rory. But Rory, in his stupidity, had touched the one family that even other high-ranking nobles feared, the Kovalevska Family.
As Kian panicked uncontrollably on the floor, clutching his head, Rory began to feel a growing unease. He had never seen his normally composed partner break down like this. Then, as if confirming Kian's worry, something in the atmosphere shifted. Both Rory and Kian were magicians, and although they specialized only in curse spells, they could still sense the sudden surge of mana filling the air. Kian grew even more frantic, knowing there was no escape. His clueless partner, meanwhile, stood on guard, sensing the spell being activated.
"Barrier spell…" Rory whispered under his breath.
A barrier had been cast around the building. The implication was unmistakable: they were being trapped inside. Being more accustomed to combat than Kian, Rory prepared himself as he realized someone was attempting to infiltrate the building.
And then, *ring.*
The bell at the front door suddenly rang.
"What?" Rory muttered, confused. He had anticipated an attacker, but not one who would announce themselves by ringing the bell.
But he was wrong. Almost immediately, a sharp rod made out of mana shot from behind, cast so swiftly that Rory barely sensed it. Before he could even turn, the rod tore through his neck, hurling his body several meters back before pinning him against the wall. Blood sprayed from his mouth and wound in violent bursts. With his fading consciousness, he caught a final glimpse of the attacker. It was an old man in a butler's suit, a monocle glinting coldly in the dim light.
'When did he...' The unfinished thought flickered in his mind before everything went dark, leaving only Kian, still curled on the floor, paralyzed by fear.
***
After eliminating the first man, the butler turned his gaze toward the other, who was crouched on the floor in terror. Judging from his helpless state, the butler chose to spare him for now.
The butler strode past the trembling man and walked to the front door. When he opened it, his master was waiting. It was a striking woman, even by the high standards of the Maurya Empire, with light violet hair and eyes that radiated refinement. Her presence carried an effortless elegance. She was none other than Lady Valeslina Kovalevska of the Kovalevska Family.
The butler immediately bowed and delivered his report.
"My lady, they are nothing more than common ruffians."
Just minutes earlier, the butler had infiltrated the building, inspecting every corner in search of evidence that might link the group to a larger criminal network or even specialized espionage. After his thorough investigation, he found no immediate danger or hidden traps. With that assurance, he signaled his master, who was waiting outside. In response, she cast a wide-scale barrier to seal everyone within, ensuring no one could escape. Only then did she step inside to hear his full report.
"Huh?" But the answer she received was not what she expected. "Are you serious?" Valeslina pressed.
"As of now, I have found no sign of their involvement with any larger group. They seem to be nothing more than a small, insignificant band of ruffians."
Valeslina covered her face, utterly dumbfounded by the report.
Earlier inside the mansion, she had sensed an unauthorized presence within her estate. At first, she was ready to send someone to eliminate the intruder, but their casual approach, entering through the main entrance as if it were nothing, made her hold back. When their vehicle reached the main building, she sensed them casting a weak curse spell, so careless and obvious it was almost laughable.
With the recent rise in infiltration attempts against the Kovalevska Estate, this one stood out as the most unprofessional by far. Her conclusion was clear: this was no genuine attack but an 'invitation.' When she stepped outside to confirm, she saw her daughter and immediately sensed the spell cast upon her. It was clear they could have easily taken the girl, but instead, they returned her with nothing more than a trivial curse, treating her as if she were a discarded bargaining chip. The ease with which they seized her, and the indifference with which they let her go, carried a message of its own: they were not a simple group, and their intentions were unmistakably serious.
This infuriated Valeslina. Normally, she would simply dispatch a squad to handle such matters, but this time she decided to go herself, accompanied by her strongest subordinate. As for her daughter, seeing that the spell cast on her was a simple curse with a timed activation, Valeslina placed a timed counter-spell to nullify it. The spell was designed to wait until the curse became vulnerable upon construction before neutralizing it completely. Once that was done, she followed the 'obvious' trail of mana emanating from the caster until it led her to this building.
"So you're telling me I came all this way for nothing?" she asked, frustrated that all this preparation seemed wasted.
The butler simply nodded in response.
"Are you absolutely certain?" Valeslina pressed again, finding it hard to believe.
The butler nodded once more, confirming her suspicion.
Typically, anyone daring to cross the Kovalevska Family came from a well-established criminal organization or belonged to the elite of another nation. But this? A bunch of petty hustlers? For Valeslina, the only reasonable explanation was that they were completely insane.
Her gaze then fell on the man still curled up on the floor, twitching and sweating, utterly unhinged. She let out a sigh. "I suppose he's just insane."
Turning to her butler, she ordered, "Send another squad for a thorough inspection." Then, glancing at the man on the floor and the one impaled against the wall, she added, "And make sure their bodies are properly preserved for 'ingredients.'"
The butler nodded in acknowledgment.
But then, the man on the floor, Kian, began to speak, eyes fixed on the ground, too afraid to look up.
"W-w-wait, don't kill me." Hearing the previous statement, he knew his end wouldn't be easy. "I-I have valuable information I can share," he stammered.
Kian had traveled far and wide, victimizing many, including influential figures across nations. He was confident in his information network and the value it could provide. Valeslina, however, showed no interest. There was no way a mere ruffian possessed intelligence that even her own information specialists could not gather. But then, leaving empty-handed would render all her effort wasted. Deciding it was better to achieve at least a small gain, she addressed her butler, "Bring 'him' to the mansion."
Hearing Valeslina's command, Kian felt a flicker of relief; his life might be spared a little longer. He didn't, however, anticipate what bringing 'him' would actually entail.
Still crouched on the floor, head low, Kian suddenly felt an unsettling sensation. His body grew impossibly light, or rather, nonexistent. His vision rolled uncontrollably, and it shifted upward, as if he were being lifted into the air. His eyes darted around the room. He saw his idiotic partner, impaled on the wall, blood still gushing from his mouth and pierced neck. His gaze then landed on the back. A body lay on the floor, headless, blood pouring from the severed neck.
'No… no… no!' he thought, horrified.
It was his own body. Unnoticed by him, the butler had decapitated him and lifted his head. Strangely, he felt nothing; no pain from the decapitation, no agony from his severed neck. And he remained fully conscious. A man who should have died instantly was still aware, even when it was only his head.
His vision moved again, carried by the butler toward the front door. As blood poured from his mouth and neck, the dreadful realization slowly crystallized in his mind, 'I can't… die.'