The Aftermath of an Absurd Assassination
Lina Ashford and Liza Voss stood frozen for a long moment, their eyes fixed on Julian D’Aurelius.
The quiet reservoir had already returned to its usual stillness. The night breeze rustled through the surrounding trees, carrying away the lingering tension of the battle. Yet the expressions on the two women’s faces remained wonderfully complicated.
Relief.
Disbelief.
And... complete speechlessness.
Julian noticed their stares and raised an eyebrow.
"What?"
Neither woman answered immediately.
Instead, they exchanged a glance before looking back at him at the same time.
Liza blinked first.
"...Young Master."
Lina crossed her arms, the corner of her lips twitching.
"...May we ask a question, If you dont mind?"
Julian spread his hands innocently.
"Of course."
Liza hesitated for a moment before asking in a careful voice,
"So..."
"...how did an assassination attempt..."
She paused.
"...turn into you repeatedly slapping the assassin’s ass?"
Lina couldn’t hold it in any longer.
She covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.
"I’ve fought assassins for years."
"I’ve seen poison."
"I’ve seen hidden weapons."
"I’ve seen traps."
"But I’ve never seen someone defeat the second-ranked assassin on the Dark Web... like that... slapping the ass"
Julian coughed awkwardly.
"It was a tactical decision."
"A tactical decision?"
Both women repeated together.
Julian nodded with complete confidence.
"Exactly."
"I wasn’t going to kill her."
"She couldn’t move."
"So I simply chose the most memorable lesson."
Lina rubbed her forehead.
"...Young Master."
"You really have a unique way of solving problems."
Julian smiled proudly.
"I prefer to call it creative thinking."
Liza couldn’t help smiling.
"If she comes after you again..."
"I’m afraid she’ll be even angrier."
Julian shrugged.
"That’s tomorrow’s problem."
"Today’s problem is that my hand still hurts."
The two women looked at his reddened palm before bursting into soft laughter.
The atmosphere instantly became lighter.
Liza obediently stepped closer.
"Young Master..."
"If your hand is sore..."
"...let me help."
She gently took Julian’s right hand into both of hers.
Her movements were incredibly careful, as though she were handling a priceless treasure.
Her slender fingers softly massaged his palm, easing the lingering soreness from the earlier battle.
Julian relaxed almost immediately.
He smiled comfortably.
"See?"
"This is why having reliable companions is wonderful."
Liza lowered her head shyly.
"As long as Young Master is happy..."
"I’ll gladly do it."
Standing beside them, Lina smiled helplessly.
"So obedient..."
Julian looked toward her.
"You sound jealous."
Lina snorted softly.
"Who would be jealous?"
Julian stepped closer with a teasing grin.
"You."
Lina met his golden eyes for a moment before looking away with a faint smile.
"If I were jealous..."
"...would Young Master comfort me?"
Julian chuckled.
"Of course."
He gently flicked her forehead with a finger.
"You’ve both worked hard today."
Lina rubbed her forehead dramatically.
"That doesn’t count as comforting."
"Oh?"
Julian smiled.
"What kind of comfort are you asking for?"
Lina folded her arms with an amused expression.
"Maybe dinner."
Julian nodded immediately.
"Approved."
Liza looked up in surprise.
"Really?"
"Naturally."
Julian laughed.
"My girls deserve a good meal after rushing here in the middle of the night."
The simple words—
My girls.
Both women felt warmth spread through their hearts.
Neither of them said anything.
But the small smiles blooming on their faces were impossible to hide.
Lina cleared her throat first.
"Young Master..."
"Who exactly was that woman?"
Liza also became serious again while continuing to massage Julian’s hand.
"How dare someone attack you so openly?"
In their eyes, Julian was an unfathomable expert.
Even someone like Steffan had repeatedly suffered at his hands.
Anyone bold enough to challenge him had to possess an extraordinary background.
Julian smiled faintly.
"The Queen."
"The second-ranked assassin on the Dark Web."
"You’ve both heard of her, right?"
The two women nodded immediately.
Having once served within the Obsidian Wing, they were naturally familiar with the underworld.
They themselves were elite assassins.
Unlike the Queen, however, members of the Obsidian Wing rarely revealed themselves, so very few people outside their circle knew their identities.
Lina’s expression grew serious.
"Young Master."
"That woman is extremely dangerous."
"In terms of direct combat, she isn’t the strongest."
"But her speed..."
"...and especially her mastery of poison..."
"...are terrifying."
"No matter how powerful an Old Martial Arts expert is, they’re still human."
"A single fatal poison can bring down even someone much stronger than her."
Liza nodded in agreement.
"And once she accepts a contract..."
"...she never gives up."
"I remember hearing that she once spent six months patiently hunting a single Gold Realm expert before finally succeeding."
"Very few people can match that level of patience."
Julian smiled calmly.
"I know."
"I’ll be careful."
His confidence wasn’t born from arrogance.
It came from understanding.
The Absolute Venom Sovereignty granted by the Tyrant System made poison far less threatening to him than it would be to anyone else.
Time and time again...
That unreliable-sounding system had rewarded him with abilities that became lifesavers at the perfect moment.
More importantly...
Julian already knew the Queen’s greatest strengths.
And...
Her greatest weaknesses.
There was no need to kill her.
As long as he could continue defeating her fairly...
Perhaps one day...
The hostility between them would disappear altogether.
A troublesome enemy could become a dependable ally.
The thought made Julian smile to himself.
[One more capable teammate would be nice.]
[She’s talented, determined, and ridiculously fast.]
[Winning someone like her over would be far more valuable than defeating her once.]
A mischievous grin slowly appeared on his face.
[Besides...]
[Watching that ice-cold expression crack every time she loses is surprisingly entertaining.]
Hearing his inner thoughts, Lina and Liza exchanged another helpless glance.
There it was again.
Their Young Master was already thinking about recruiting the very assassin who had tried to kill him.
Honestly...
Only Julian D’Aurelius would think that way.
Julian clapped his hands once.
"Alright."
"Let’s head back first."
With that, the three of them walked toward the waiting car beneath the quiet night sky.