A Series of Attacks

A few more days passed, and Venus did not return to the teahouse.

It wasn't that she didn't want to—she simply didn't have the time.

The attacks on the imperial delegation did not cease just because the kingdom had tightened security. Instead, after a brief period of silence, they escalated into even more frenzied operations.

Initially, most of the attacks occurred at night.

Two imperial scribes went out to deliver documents and were ambushed on their way back to the embassy. Although their escorting guards reacted quickly, the attackers struck with extreme speed, rushing them before they could mount an effective defense.

Having succeeded, the assailants vanished into the shadows after a few quick leaps.

By the time the patrolling City Guard heard the commotion and rushed to the scene, they found nothing but a scene of devastation.

One scribe was killed and the other injured, marking the first casualty in this series of attacks.

When the news reached the embassy, Venus remained silent for a long time.

Standing outside the temporary treatment center, she watched as the warlocks covered the scribe's body with the imperial flag, her expression frighteningly grim.

Vina stood by her side, her lips trembling slightly as she whispered,

“Lady Sage, we have failed in our duty.”

Venus did not blame anyone. She simply looked out at the street outside the embassy, which had been cordoned off by the Imperial Guards.

“Investigate.”

That single word was more than enough to convey her resolve.

The Imperial Inquisition, the kingdom's Intelligence Department, and the City Guard Station mobilized simultaneously, virtually turning the neighborhood where the incident occurred upside down.

Yet, their efforts yielded no results.

The attackers had left very few traces, and any lingering mana had been deliberately dispersed. The nearby residents had only heard explosions and screams, without catching even a glimpse of the assailants.

But this was only the beginning.

Not long after, on a certain evening, a representative of the imperial chamber of commerce was also ambushed while returning from the Outer City. Because of the previous incident, he had six guards with him, including two Rank 4 warriors.

Yet, the enemy still dared to strike directly.

The streetlamps along the entire road went out simultaneously, and then shadows spread from the mouth of an alley. Just as the guard squad formed a defensive formation, several Wind Blades sliced in from the flank, instantly cutting down the two men at the front.

Fortunately, the representative of the chamber of commerce was lucky; the defensive magic tool he wore blocked the fatal blow. However, all the ribs in his chest were shattered, and his internal organs were severely damaged. By the time he was brought back to the embassy, he was barely clinging to life.

Kingdom healers rushed to the scene overnight, barely keeping him alive after completely exhausting the mana of four of them.

Late that night, Hogg personally inspected the scene. Napa followed behind him, his expression equally grim.

“Teacher, the mana residue has been scrubbed,” Napa said, squatting down and lightly brushing his fingers over the charred gaps between the bricks. “The culprit is highly familiar with the tracking methods of our Intelligence Department.”

Hogg stared silently at the shadows at the mouth of the alley, his brow remaining furrowed.

To dare to strike repeatedly within the royal capital and escape completely unscathed afterward was definitely not something ordinary assassins or mercenaries could achieve.

The attackers' targets were highly specific—they focused solely on imperial personnel venturing outside, and they possessed remarkably precise intelligence on their movements.

This was the most troublesome part of the situation.

They knew exactly when the imperial staff would go out, their routes, their escorts, and even the gaps during the shift changes of the kingdom's patrol squads. Everything was perfectly mapped out by them.

This was not a simple matter of strength... some company was feeding them precise intelligence.

But Hogg did not voice these speculations. Without concrete evidence, any suspicion could easily spiral into a new crisis.

Especially now that there was already a death on the imperial side.

...

Then, the attacks suddenly shifted to broad daylight, and this time, the location was near the palace itself.

An imperial minister responsible for trade negotiations had just left the side gate of the palace. The kingdom had specially arranged for the Imperial Guards to escort him, and the imperial side had also reinforced his personal guards.

Logically speaking, this was already a highly formidable security force.

Yet, when the carriage reached the boundary between the Inner City and the embassy district, the fountains on both sides of the road suddenly exploded.

The instant the water mist filled the air, several dark figures lunged out from within it.

The Imperial Guards reacted quickly; the knights in the front row immediately raised their shields, and the mages in the rear instantly deployed the defensive spell 【Mana Shield】.

However, this proved entirely useless.

An explosive magic crystal shattered in midair, causing the surrounding mana to instantly stagnate for a brief moment. The defensive spell was torn open just as it took shape, and a shadow assassin slipped through the gap, thrusting a dagger straight toward the carriage.

The captain of the imperial guards roared, raising his sword to block the carriage door as his aura surged violently.

But the attacker had no intention of engaging in a head-on clash. Missing the strike, they immediately retreated. Simultaneously, earth magic surged from the other side, causing the ground beneath the carriage to collapse.

The carriage tilted, throwing the minister out, his shoulder pierced by a short blade.

Two nearby patrol squads rushed over upon hearing the commotion, and high-level professionals in the vicinity also sped toward the location.

But by the time they arrived, the attackers had already vanished, leaving behind only several fallen guards and a street reduced to chaotic ruins.

Although there were many witnesses this time, useful testimonies remained pitifully scarce.

Most people had only caught a blurry glimpse, which practically amounted to seeing nothing at all...

The imperial minister narrowly escaped death, but he was critically injured.

That evening, the Foreign Embassy officially suspended all exchange activities.

Scholars and civil officials were ordered to remain inside the embassy. No one was allowed to leave without Venus's personal approval.

The kingdom raised no objections to this—or rather, they had no right to object.

Within just a few days, the number of casualties on the imperial side continued to mount, turning the royal capital's security into an absolute joke. In his study, the old King summoned the heads of the City Guard Station, the Imperial Guards, the Intelligence Department, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs one after another.

In his fury, he physically lashed out at them before ordering every available man to be deployed.

The patrol personnel on the streets doubled.

Even Marz, who had originally been assisting with logistics and paperwork, was dispatched to the Intelligence Department to coordinate the patrol routes of each district and compile records of the attack times.

Napa joined the night patrol, while Angela was tasked with conducting undercover investigations. In short, almost everyone who could be utilized was put to work.

However, Angela was highly displeased with this arrangement.

“I am a legendary mage, yet I have to spend every single night crouching on other people's rooftops?”

Perched on the eaves of a certain alley, Angela, wrapped in a black cloak, grumbled in a low voice.

Beside her, the assisting member of the Intelligence Department didn't even dare to breathe too loudly. After all, this lady's reputation within the department was somewhat complicated.

Angela rested her chin in her hands, watching the patrol guards marching back and forth below, growing increasingly annoyed the more she looked.

“How on earth do those bastards pull off these attacks? Every single time, they manage to flee just before reinforcements arrive. Could they possibly know our patrol routes in advance?”

The moment she said those words, she suddenly froze.

She narrowed her eyes, her expression turning uncharacteristically serious.

“Tsk.”

Clicking her tongue softly, she spun around and vanished into the shadows.

The more personnel the kingdom deployed, the higher the likelihood of internal leaks.

However, the possibility of a leak from the imperial side could not be ruled out either.

After all, the schedules of the targeted individuals were best known to the empire itself.

Both sides harbored mutual suspicions, yet neither could openly voice them without completely severing ties. Thus, the situation grew increasingly tense and awkward, day by day.