I enter the Underground. I feel my heart still racing from anger. I can’t believe she almost got raped, and I wasn’t there to stop it. Enred would most definitely end me if he finds out about this. So it’s useless for Elena to be worried about me telling. I hate when I fail at something. I would never tell Enred that I failed at something he asked me to do.

  I have never failed at anything in my entire life. I didn’t know it would feel like this. My whole body is going crazy. Due to my ice magic, my body is always rather cold. But now it feels like it’s on fire.

  I burst the door of the information guild open. Zed immediately gets up.

  “K! What a lovely surprise. Nice work earlier this week. Very smooth.”

  “Shut it.”

  “Aren’t you even lovelier today than usual?”

  “I need information. What do you know about Baron Louffer?”

  “Baron Louffer? Doesn’t ring any bells right away. Sit down, and I’ll go look at our files. Since he is a noble, we are bound to have something.”

  He vanishes into another room, and I stay standing there. I’m usually a patient guy, but this time waiting feels infuriating. Let’s hope that he is someone I can kill. If he is not, then I have to figure out some other way to ruin his life. Since no one is allowed to touch Elena like that. After way too long, Zed finally comes back.

  “Found it.”

  He throws a file on the desk, and I open it and start to skim through it while he keeps talking.

  “Looks like he is just some minor corrupted noble living in the north. He is pretty poor for a noble. He has a wife, no kids. And his wife isn’t the cleanest either. But nothing major, only small scams and so on. Why do you want to know? I’m not aware of any mission concerning him.”

  “Any retives?”

  “One cousin lives abroad. Are you going to answer my question?”

  “Can you find out for me where he is staying here in the Capital?”

  “Still ignoring my question, lovely. But sure. We are an information guild after all, even to our own employees.”

  “How long will it take?”

  “Give me a day. Pnning to kill him?”

  “I’ll come back tomorrow.”

  I turn to leave.

  “If you tell me the reason you want him, I’ll give you a discount.”

  I sm the door closed. I know better than to give any information to him. Or anyone, for that matter. On my way to her atelier, I go buy a new easel and a new chair for her. I discard the broken ones and start gathering all the paints and equipment from the floor.

  I feel my anger boiling just thinking about what happened here. I try my best to stop my mind from going down that path, but it’s impossible. I’m just gd she managed to protect herself. Even though she is pretty tiny, she is by no means weak when it comes to magic. I’m pretty sure she is one of the strongest water mages in the Tower. The thing is that she really hasn’t used much offensive magic.

  And even if she had, it’s always different in real life. Her life has been full of pillows surrounding her, making sure she can keep living in her cloud castle. So, experiencing something bad for the first time must have been shocking for her. But she needs to get over it. If she doesn’t, her family will certainly notice that something is off. I need to encourage her to talk about her experience with someone, like Annie or Angie. Or maybe even Doctor Elrindel. So she can have the support she needs to deal with this.

  I manage to clean all the stuff lying around and start cleaning the paint from the floors. But it’s persistent. Clearly, just water is not good enough. How do people remove paint? I have never had to deal with anything like this. It’s completely dry. I can’t exactly scrape it. I don’t want to damage the wooden floor.

  Fuck, this is getting annoying. I will just go ask at the shop where I bought that easel. They will know. I get up and leave, only to find out that the shop is closed. Fuck. I don’t know who I should ask. I could hope that someone in the art department would still be working this te and ask them. But they would definitely ask questions. And I don’t feel like making up a story. I don’t want to bother Elena either. I told her I would handle it.

  Is knowing how to remove paint basic knowledge? Am I just stupid? I do know how to remove every single bodily fluid from different surfaces. But that’s not helping.

  I turn back in defeat. I hate this. But I can’t figure out anyone else to ask. He really is going to have a field day over this.

  I once again open the door.

  “K? Back already? It must be my birthday. Or did you change your mind about the discount?”

  “How do you remove paint from a wooden floor without damaging it?”

  He just stares at me, his mouth partly open for a while before he finally speaks.

  “Do you mean paint you use to paint houses or paint for art?”

  “Art.”

  “Art? Did you kill some artist while he was painting? Damn, man, that’s cruel. What if he were painting the masterpiece of his life?”

  “Just tell me.”

  “Oh, K. How could I ever resist your sweet words? Is it acrylic or oil paint?”

  “What? I don’t know.”

  “Didn’t you pay any attention to the paint bottles? It’s not like you to miss a detail like that. Shame on you. Did it smell?”

  “Not really.”

  “Did you try to wipe it with a wet cloth?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did it do anything to it, or was it like zero effect?”

  “I guess it did something. The cloth started to color a little.”

  “So it’s probably acrylic.”

  This guy really is weird. Zed is like the gatekeeper of this guild. He handles all the requests and hands missions over to employees. He controls access to everything and basically is the machine that keeps this pce working. And I seriously doubt that there is anything this guy doesn’t know.

  The Ravens own the guild. They are a three-man criminal organization who have connections probably in every single country. I have no idea where those three dug Zed up to work for them, but they really nailed it. Even though he is a pain in my ass sometimes. Or most of the time.

  “So what do I have to do to get it out?”

  “Wait. What do I get for telling you this?”

  “To be a smartass. You love showing everyone what you know.”

  “True. But still. It’s so unusual for you to ask something like this. Or ask anything for that matter. I feel like I deserve more.”

  “Zed,” I say in a low tone.

  “Oh, that gave me goosebumps. It’s so lovely how you call my name.”

  “Tell me.”

  “Fine. I can’t say no to you, K. But you do owe me, okay?”

  “Just tell me.”

  “First, take a warm, damp cloth and pce it over the paint. Let it stay there for about 5–10 minutes. It will soften the paint. Then you can just scrape it off using a scraper or your fingernails. If there is still something left after that, dab a little alcohol on the cloth and rub gently over the stain.”

  “That’s it? Only water and alcohol?”

  “That’s it if it really is acrylic paint. In case it is oil paint after all, then you need oil to remove it.”

  I walk to a cabinet where they store the alcohol, take one gss, pce it on the desk, and pour it full.

  “Serving me a drink? You know the effect would be better if it weren’t my alcohol. Why didn’t you take a gss for yourself?”

  I slide the gss in front of him and turn to leave, bottle in hand.

  “No need. I’ll take the bottle. I’ll return it tomorrow when I come for that info.”

  “Hey! K! It’s my bottle! Buy your own—”

  I sm the door shut. I guess it went more easily than I thought. I take a sip from the bottle on the way back.

  Luckily, Zed’s instructions helped, and I got all the paint off the floors. There are a couple of paintings that might be a little ruined, but I don’t know what I should do with them. I can’t exactly just throw them out. I pce them in storage, just in case she still needs them. I don’t know if those have some kind of sentimental value to her.

  When finished, I go back to the Tower and knock on Elena’s door. But she doesn’t open it. Did she fall asleep already? I press my ear against the door and think I hear a shower running. I knock a little harder, hoping she will hear it over the water.

  “Who is it?” she yells.

  “It’s me.”

  More than hearing people say my fake name, I hate saying it myself. So I avoid it.

  ''Okay, come in.''

  I open the door with the key. The shower is still running. Our doors here at the Tower don't only work with a key, which is pretty convenient. Most people don't even carry the key with them, but Elene does, not sure why. There is something called a manalock on the doors, which basically means that the owner can open the door only with mana. Even if people have the same mana affinities, mana is always something unique, like a fingerprint.

  Sure, anyone could make a manalock spell on the door, but if some mage is more powerful, they can easily just break the lock. But since Master Lonefre is the most powerful mage there is, there isn’t really anyone who could break those locks. And there is also a barrier around the Tower that prevents anyone without access from coming in, which is partly the reason why Elena’s family was happy that she wanted to work here. The Mage Tower is probably the safest pce that has ever existed. If you don’t consider that the Master himself is the worst monster there is.

  I respect the guy, and that’s one reason I wanted to come here to learn. And we get along well. We both hate talking about nonsense. But I do know that he wouldn’t hesitate to kill me if I ever did something he disapproves of. One of the few Tower rules is that we can’t do anything illegal.

  And I sure as hell do just that. I just need to be careful not to get caught.

  I pce the keys on one of her desks. I turn around to leave. But I stop by the door.

  Should I leave? Or should I stay? I don’t want to stay. I can’t deal with crying women. It’s not like I know how to comfort someone. But maybe I should just wait for her to come out of the shower and convince her to talk to somebody.

  I gnce around her room. This pce looks like a color vomit. It’s unsettling. I sit on her couch, waiting. She really is taking a hell of a long shower. Maybe I should just leave after all. I get up, and just then I hear the sound of the shower turning off.

  Soon she emerges from the shower wearing her nightgown. And my presence clearly shocks her, since she yelps loudly when she sees me.

  “Rin! What are you still doing here?! You scared the shit out of me.”

  That was my mistake. I didn’t think that she wouldn’t expect me to be here. And considering the fact that she was assaulted just yesterday, I should definitely make my presence known to her.

  This is why I prefer solitude. I’m not good at things like this.

  “I just wanted to tell you that your atelier is back to normal. There were some paintings that got ruined. I put them in your storage since I don’t know what you want to do with them.”

  “Oh… thanks. You know, you shouldn’t have done all that. I could have cleaned it on my own.”

  I can see her ears redden. Clearly misreading my intentions. I’d better make things clear before she starts dreaming.

  “I did it only because that’s what Enred would want me to do. And how do you think you could clean it when you were too afraid to even go in there?”

  She visibly shrinks in size. Did I sound too harsh? Fuck. I can’t let her go whining about my rude behavior to her brother either.

  “Sorry,” she mumbles.

  I should most definitely say something, but I don’t know what. It’s getting too awkward. Maybe I should just talk to her ter, when she is not in such a vulnerable state. I turn to leave, but I feel her grab the hem of my jacket.

  “Wait.”

  I turn around to face her. She immediately withdraws her hand from my jacket, looking like she regrets it.

  “Sorry. I didn’t mean to touch you. I just wanted to ask… Could you stay for a while?”

  “Why?”

  “I know it’s stupid. But I didn’t sleep much st night. I was too afraid to fall asleep. So I thought that if you stayed here until I fell asleep, it would help.”

  I honestly don’t know where she digs up the courage to ask something like that when I clearly just was mean to her.

  “I can fetch Annie or Angie for you.”

  “No!” she panics. “Please don’t. I don’t want anyone to know about this.”

  “Why not? Don’t you think it would be better to talk about it with someone?”

  “No, I don’t want people to know. It’s bad enough that you know.”

  “If you feel uncomfortable with friends knowing, why not talk to Doctor Elrindel?”

  “I don't like doctors. I don’t want to talk about it with anyone. It’s just too embarrassing. People already think of me as a naive one. If I tell them, it just proves that they are right. Don’t worry, I don’t want to talk to you about it either. It’s just enough that you are here. We can be silent. I promise. I won’t say a word.”

  Fuck. Why is she so persistent about it? I just stare at her, not knowing what to do.

  “Please, Rin. Just this once. I promise I won’t start thinking that you suddenly consider me a friend or care for me. I just want to fall asleep without being afraid.”

  “Wouldn’t you feel safer with a woman here after all that happened?”

  “Oh, please, Rin. I think it’s more likely for Annie to jump on me than you. You have been pretty clear tely about how much you dislike me.”

  “If you know that I dislike you, isn’t that more of a reason not to want me here?”

  “I just feel safe around you. Please, Rin. I beg. Just for this once. And when I fall asleep, you are free to leave. And I will never mention this in the future. It’s like nothing ever happened.”

  This is really starting to be annoying. She really has poor judgment skills. My job is to kill people. She should never feel safe around me. But I can’t exactly say that to her.

  I grit my teeth. “Fine.”

  “Thanks, Rin! I owe you.” She smiles warmly at me. It’s annoying to look at. “I’ll go to bed right away!”

  She shuts off the lights and slips under the bnket. I go sit on the windowsill, which is close to her bed. I hope she falls asleep quickly.

  But she keeps tossing around in bed, just changing her position over and over again. I guess her mind is still being too loud. Probably thinking about yesterday. I will never be able to leave if she keeps this up.

  “What is it?” I ask, trying my best to hide my annoyed tone.

  “Nothing. Sorry. I promise I will fall asleep soon,” she says with her back facing me.

  “It’s pretty clear that it isn’t happening anytime soon. So just tell me what’s keeping you up.”

  “I… I just keep repying what happened. Thinking about what I should have done better. I feel like I’m a fool. I feel so embarrassed that I let that happen. I keep feeling his hands on me. And when I close my eyes, I hear his mocking ughter.”

  I feel my muscles tense. I really am going to end that bastard. He will regret that he ever dared to even look at Elena.

  I look at her, all bundled up. She has lifted the bnket so high that I can’t even see her face. I have no idea what I should do. How the hell do you comfort a woman who almost got raped? They surely didn’t teach us that while going through that brutal training to become an assassin. I try to think about how Angie always acts when David feels down. Which is pretty common, since David really is one squeaking rat, just like Master always says. She usually pats David and talks calmly, reassuring him.

  Do I really have to do that?

  I force myself up and go sit on the edge of her bed. I move my hand closer to her shoulder, but let it hover over her for a while.

  Fuck, this is awkward.

  I swallow my pride and lower my hand onto her shoulder. The bnket is luckily covering her, so touching her like this feels okay. But I feel her body immediately tensing under my hand.

  I’m so doing it wrong, aren’t I? I should comfort her, not make her even more tense. But if I take my hand away right away, does it look even more stupid? Fuck it, I’m already too deep in this bullshit.

  I slowly start to stroke her, just like Angie usually does to David. And I actually feel her rexing a little. Okay, then the comforting words. It can’t be that hard, right?

  “It’s not embarrassing, and you are not a fool. Sure, being in a closed room with a complete stranger is an extremely stupid thing to do.”

  Her body tenses again. Fuck. I really suck at this. Let’s try to fix this.

  “I'm trying to say that you should not feel quilty. That you should not bme yourself for it. The only one you can bme is that fucking bastard who deserves to get his dick cut off and shoved down his throat.”

  Okay, got a little sidetracked there, but I think her body is rexing again, so let’s just keep talking.

  “You should be proud that you were strong enough to stop it. Many women would be too weak to do anything in that situation, so stop being ashamed of it.”

  I hear her sniffing under the bnket. Please don’t cry. I can’t handle crying women.

  “I promise he will never y his hands on you again, and you will never hear his voice. I’m here, aren’t I? Firstly, it’s impossible for him to even get here, and if he did, I would protect you. You would probably be so traumatized by seeing me shove a severed dick into his mouth that afterward, the st thing you would think about is his hands or voice. A scumbag like him doesn’t deserve your thoughts or tears. A scumbag like him deserves castration, and his own nuts shoved up his ass.”

  Suddenly, I feel the bnket starting to tremble.

  Fuck. That totally got out of hand. I should have just left. I swear I will punch Enred so hard for putting me through all of this bullshit.

  But then, suddenly, I hear Elena’s ughter under the bnket.

  What the actual fuck?

  Her head pops out from under the bnket, and I just stare at her, confused. She is still giggling while she speaks.

  “You really are the worst at comforting, Rin. Or the best. Hard to tell which one. I think I’m already traumatized by the pure thought of his dick in his throat.”

  “Okay?”

  I’m lost.

  “Thanks, Rin. I appreciate the effort. I know it must have been hard. Witnessing you act like that made me happy.”

  I’m even more lost now. She yawns and buries her face against the pillow. Does this mean I can stop now?

  I lift my hand from her shoulder.

  “Rin?”

  “Yes?”

  “Could you keep doing that? It felt comforting. Just a little longer.”

  I pce my hand back again and keep stroking her. Slowly but surely, her breathing turns steadier, and she falls asleep.

  I don’t understand her. How can the hand of a killer be comforting? If she knew who I really was, she would never think anything like that. I bet all her stupid feelings toward me would vanish in an instant if she learned the truth about me.

  I keep watching her sleep. It’s weird how an annoying, loud butterfly like her can look so peaceful.

  I shake my head. Why am I still staring at her? She is asleep now. I can finally get out of here. I get up from the bed, and she immediately shifts. I freeze and turn to look at her. Did she wake up?

  No. Good.

  I take a few more steps away from the bed, and she starts moving even more. Her eyes are still closed, but she keeps tossing around.

  Never mind about me saying she is peaceful. I guess she flutters around while asleep too. Maybe it’s a good thing she doesn’t have a boyfriend. He would probably be kicked out of bed every night when she spins around like that. Then she kicks her bnket away, lying on her stomach. Her nightgown has curled up.

  This is exactly why I always say she is naive. How can she sleep like that when there is a man in her room? She is lucky that the man is me, since I would be the st one to ever touch her. I really am not into little butterflies.

  I pick up the bnket from the floor. She bends her leg, making the nightgown ride up even more, revealing her thighs and even a tiny part of her panties.

  Without my permission, I feel my cock twitching in my pants.

  Fuck. That definitely did not happen.

  I toss the bnket over her and exit the room. That’s the st time I will ever comfort any woman. I’ll stick to cutting throats from now on.

  AnnouncementI added Zed to the glossary with a picture. He is quickly becoming one of my favorite side characters. ??