Chapter 280: The Enemy Has Yet to Arrive on the Battlefield
Peters had come this time because Owen had mentioned the Serving Church yesterday. He had kept it in mind, and this time he came to take Owen to the Serving Church.
Although it would be good to take Owen to indulge in pleasures and become companions, it would be beneficial to deepen their relationship and they might become good brothers who support each other in the future. However, he was afraid that Owen might be too shy, so he decided to take it slow, test the waters first. Therefore, the two got into the carriage and headed to the Serving Church.
The Serving Church was also a very ancient academy and the most popular one. It mainly accepted children aged five or six and trained them for more than ten years before they were considered skilled.
However, just like noble titles, the maids and butlers of the Serving Church were also divided into different ranks.
The lowest-ranking maids, in addition to being loyal, were just ordinary maids who were skilled in serving. Although their skills were excellent, they were not irreplaceable.
Skilled maids were extraordinary. For example, someone like Maya, whose abilities were no less than those of nobles who received elite education, had the ability to handle things independently.
There were even fewer butlers because they were more versatile. Therefore, every butler had to receive nearly twenty years of education and possess the ability to manage castles, territories, and various affairs. They were indispensable right-hand men for nobles.
No one would refuse loyal and capable subordinates like these, but not everyone could recruit them. Ordinary serving maids were fine, as there were many of them, so anyone with connections could recruit a few. However, high-ranking maids were different. They required corresponding noble titles and status, and the quality and quantity that could be recruited were also different.
For example, Peters’ father, as a Count with real power, could hire one butler and four high-quality serving maids in his lifetime.
Peters’ serving maid was a gift from his father because he was not yet qualified to recruit one unless he inherited the title. Therefore, he envied Owen, who had the qualification to recruit, but unfortunately, he didn’t have any thoughts of filial piety towards his father yet. Otherwise, Owen would definitely help him out.
Owen, who was chatting happily with Peters, suddenly paused. Peters, who was sharp, noticed this and asked with some confusion.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, just some rats blocking the way.” Owen said with a sneer, then knocked on the carriage window. The Witch Hunters and Teutonic Knights who had been following immediately surrounded the carriage.
Peters’ face turned green because he didn’t think the rats Owen was talking about were real rats. They were most likely assassins.
But the reason his face looked ugly was not because he encountered assassins, but because he was having a headache about where the assassins came from.
Assassins were not necessarily used for assassination. In many cases, they were also a means of spying and warning. The problem was that Owen had just arrived in the Imperial Capital Region, so who would make a move?
After thinking about it, Peters, who always appeared as a playboy and showed a strong sense of revenge, was the most suitable target, which made his face look even worse.
Of course, Owen could also think of what Peters could think of, but he really didn’t suspect Peters because if it was him, he wouldn’t be in the same carriage as himself.
The main reason was that Owen had already guessed who it was.
From the moment he bought Vanessa, Owen expected this day to come. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have asked Shin to be on guard in the dark.
Vanessa was reborn not long ago, and the other party obviously knew about it through some means, but they didn’t know the specific situation. In addition, Owen sent Vanessa to the Northland, which was thousands of miles away, that day, so they could only target him. This was the reason for the assassination attempt. He just didn’t know how many people came and how strong they were.
In fact, in a place where the two of them couldn’t see, both sides had already started a deadly battle.
Only those in the same profession understand each other better. Shin, who was responsible for secretly protecting Owen’s safety, was the first to detect the approaching murderous aura.
“There are enemies. Inform the master and the Witch Hunters. The Shinobi are ready to hunt.” Shin’s eyes were extremely cold. She could not tolerate anyone threatening Owen. This was the meaning of her existence.
The Shinobi hiding in the darkness heard the order and quickly communicated with each other through eye contact and hand gestures. Then they immediately dispersed and began to set traps, trying to gain the first-mover advantage.
Vanessa’s enemies only knew that Owen was a Northland noble with some strength and many powerful knights under him. They didn’t know the more specific details. In addition, this mistake had enraged their leader, who was personally rushing over. This led them to gather the surrounding manpower to attack in order to quickly make up for their mistake, trying to capture Owen and regain control of Vanessa. Otherwise, their fate would be worse than death.
However, they forgot that assassination was never a simple craft. Intelligence accounted for half of the importance. Therefore, they fell into the Shinobi’s death trap without even realizing it.
The light gray, almost transparent thin threads were inconspicuous anywhere, let alone in the forest. Therefore, the unlucky assassins didn’t realize they were ambushed until they triggered the traps.
The well-trained assassins immediately tried to move their positions, but it was too late. The extremely sensitive mechanism had already shot out the dark gray kunai, and it also triggered the surrounding traps, making it impossible for the enemies to escape.
As the assassins who triggered the traps were riddled with kunai, the other assassins didn’t hesitate and immediately dispersed, trying to hide in the darkness because only in this way would they have a chance to counterattack.
Unfortunately, they encountered their peers, peers who were good at cooperation and had the first-mover advantage.
Shinobi squads never acted alone. They were composed of ten people: one Chunin and nine Genin. When necessary, they could be divided into three independent action squads, so they could handle most assassination missions. Especially when hunting, they had a significant advantage.
But this time, their opponents were not simple either. They were real assassins: cold-blooded, ruthless, and efficient. The two sides engaged in a fierce battle around the carriage where Owen was, and any mistake would cost them their lives.
Assassins were good at stealth and mastered Battle Qi, which had explosive power. After closing the distance, a sudden burst of Battle Qi could allow them to assassinate targets beyond their level.
The Shinobi were not weak either. They were also good at stealth. Although they didn’t know Battle Qi, the breathing technique from Demon Slayer was also a high-burst skill.
The two sides were evenly matched, and it could be said that they both possessed the ability to kill with one strike. It was like hunters wandering in a dark forest with shotguns. Whoever discovered the other first and launched an attack would survive.
Overall, the Shinobi squad had the advantage because compared to assassins who fought alone, they were also proficient in cooperation. When necessary, they would not hesitate to use their bodies and lives to create opportunities for their teammates to kill.
However, the fight between the Shinobi and the assassins was not the key to deciding the outcome of this conflict because the real enemy had yet to arrive on the battlefield.
