Does the Assassin Girl Dream of the Mana Doll?

A man stared out the window. The window frame, aged and deep, exuded a sense of history. The thick glass panes boasted a crystal-like transparency. In the darkened room, moonlight crept in, casting a bluish hue. From there, he could see the royal capital, shrouded in the darkness of night, with scattered lights… a deserted cityscape where the daytime bustle had vanished as if it were a lie. Occasionally, the wind swayed the street trees and rippled the water channels of the fountain… but that was all. As he gazed down at the scene, he muttered softly, “It’s finally tomorrow, isn’t it…”

A deep smile etched itself onto the man’s face. If anyone had witnessed that expression at that moment, they would have felt a chill down their spine. It was a smile that, like a carnivorous beast before its helpless prey, was tinged with ferocity and arrogance. From his upturned lips, canine teeth that resembled fangs peeked out. “The Prime Minister still hasn’t realized… It’s too late to stop me now. I’ve won.” He chuckled, his throat rumbling.

It was a bedroom, or so it seemed. A large bed, big enough for three people to sleep comfortably, adorned with a canopy and intricate carvings. A landscape painting by a renowned contemporary artist, delicate yet meticulously calculated porcelain, a long-pile carpet with a complex pattern that seemed to have required countless hours of labor… The room was the pinnacle of luxury!

His voice there reached no one, standing alone. Or rather, he had never allowed anyone to be by his side. His long-held desire, to seize control of this kingdom, was finally about to be fulfilled. He could not afford to let even a single piece of information leak.

The man had no subordinates he could trust. However, he had no shortage of subordinates who would do any job, given he paid them enough. That was fine, relying on close confidants was a foolish act that carried too much risk in times of now. So he believed. And now, that belief was about to bear fruit.

“It has been a long time… a very long time… hahaha, ha ha ha!” His ancestor, once a duke, the highest rank among the nobility. However, he had lost his territory in a political struggle and had fallen to the rank of earl. But those days were over, starting tomorrow. “It’s exhilarating, truly exhilarating… the best feeling ever!

“His excitement reached its peak, and he spread his arms theatrically towards the sky. Just then, “huh!?” He felt a sudden, cold, sharp pain in the back of his neck. Something inorganic and fatal slipped in smoothly, severing his central nervous system. He felt it keenly, uncomfortably clearly. He tried to turn around in a panic, but his body wouldn’t cooperate….

….No, he didn’t know if his body was cooperating or not. He couldn’t breathe properly. Or rather, he didn’t even know that. His body wasn’t responding. The medulla oblongata, a part of the brain. It connects to the spinal cord and transmits commands to the nerves extending throughout the body. That was where the blade had been inserted, severing it instantly. The man himself didn’t knew it….

His body collapsed, but with astonishing tenacity and willpower, he twisted his body. He tried to understand what had happened. And then, he saw a black shadow in his vision. There stood a woman who exuded an unfathomable emptiness.

Her black clothing, which seemed to be wrapped in darkness, did not hinder her movements. Her limbs were slender to the point of seeming fragile, and her sharp features seemed as if they could cut if touched. Her long black hair danced slightly in the moonlight. Her skin was white like the moonlight itself, her face was coldly beautiful, and her expression was so devoid of emotion that it seemed to draw you into an unfathomable place….

Even though she had just taken the man’s life, her face was like a blank canvas, it was terrifying expressionless. This seemed incredibly unjust, and he tried to glare at the woman with a furious expression. Just one more day, or even half a day, and his long-held desire would have been fulfilled. His feelings, filled with the resentment he and his ancestors had harboured, was enough to take a life. Yet, the woman’s expression remained unchanged.

And then. His body fell. His breathing, his heartbeat, must have stopped. He felt death approaching slowly, slowly. ‘No, I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die!’ He tried to scream, but no sound came out…. Eventually, the man’s consciousness faded into darkness….

The woman touched his corpse several times to confirm his death. “Shhh…” She disappeared as if melting into the darkness.

The next morning, the earl’s death shocked the royal capital. The room, which had been locked tightly, showed no signs of forced entry or anyone coming in or out. The captain of the guards, who inspected the scene of the murder in the so-called “locked room,” let out a small sigh and muttered, “Again.”

In the royal capital of Jurastin, the Kingdom of Jurastin, there was an urban legend that was whispered about. It was said that if you were alone in a room at night, a ghost would slip through the window and sneak in. There was no escape from its blade, and if you were targeted, your life would be forfeit. Those who fell victim to that blade would know that the urban legend was true in a sense… but of course, they couldn’t tell anyone.

**Next: A girl called “Ghost”**

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