The Assassin's Seven Principles of Manipulation

"...grateful?"

"Of course! Do you have any idea what this means? Once word gets out, those stubborn idiots in the Heresy will regret ever cutting my funding. Just imagine their faces."

’Stubborn my ass.’

Dune inwardly shook his head. The only stubborn one here was Victor himself.

The Iron Heresy hadn’t cut his funding out of ignorance, they did it because he refused to stop committing mass slaughter in the name of his research.

He had killed hundreds upon hundreds of people, men, women, even children, all for the sake of trying to create something capable of using multiple elements.

With the entire empire after them, they had been fortunate to find refuge in this secluded forest. But unfortunately, Victor had soon discovered the lone village nearby... and continued his work without hesitation.

Dune let out a deeper sigh. Though it disgusted him, he had no choice but to endure. Victor had saved him as a child, since then, he had known no other family.

"...now then. With this breakthrough, we can finally move on to human subjects. Where’s today’s batch?"

Dune’s eyes darkened slightly.

"...the beasts we sent didn’t make it."

"What?" Victor’s expression twisted. "Didn’t you say it was just a village of weaklings? How did that happen?"

"...I’m not sure either."

"...what about that fool we made a deal with? That’s why he’s there, isn’t it?"

"...I’ve already contacted him. He says he has something planned for tomorrow. He’ll deliver the villagers."

"Good. He’s dead either way, might as well make him useful. Now go. I want more beasts. I need everything ready before the specimens arrive."

"...yes, Doctor."

...

The moon had risen high into the sky, its shimmering light bathing Pulsegrove village. Most parts of the village had fallen into deep silence as many drifted into sleep.

However, within a spacious room, the village head, along with the elders, stared at Guren with grave expressions.

"Son, tell us what you found."

Guren’s expression matched their seriousness as he gave a firm nod. He quickly pulled out a map and spread it across the table.

On it, Pulsegrove was marked clearly at the edge, while another section, filled with dense drawings of trees, was marked as the Pulsewood Forest.

"My team made it as far as the Pulsewood Forest. On the way, it was strangely empty... no beasts at all. But when we got there, we understood why."

Guren pointed toward the marked area on the map.

"They’ve gathered there. All of them. I believe they’ve been drawn to the pulsewood."

Many of the elders’ brows furrowed, and the village head was no exception.

Pulsewood was obtained from trees that had been mutated by elemental energy. Each of them had formed a connection with the WorldPulse, which was why they were used as the basis for writing inscriptions.

Still, although it was strange that the beasts had suddenly become attracted to the pulsewood after centuries of ignoring it, it wasn’t entirely implausible.

In their world, anything was possible.

Guren suddenly lowered his head.

"I’m sorry, but I was unable to find out more. If we stayed any longer, we would’ve been discovered—"

"Guren."

The village head placed a reassuring hand on his son’s shoulder.

"...what you’ve done is enough. You’ve done well."

"...father."

"He’s right." Elder Marino nodded with a grin. "None of us had that kind of nerve at your age. Lift your head."

The other elders gave nods of approval, faint smiles on their faces.

"Elders..."

Guren’s hands tightened into fists before he bowed.

"Thank you. I wouldn’t be who I am without your guidance."

"Hah, listen to him. Hard to believe he’s your son, Omar."

Omar shot Marino a glare before his expression quickly turned serious again.

"Focus. How many are we dealing with?"

"...ten. Maybe a dozen."

A dozen! The elders couldn’t help but exchange uneasy glances. Three had already pushed them to such an extent, a dozen was simply...

"What’s with all these faces? We go there and crush them, simple."

"Marino, did you not hear him? A dozen mutated beasts." Elder Lass snapped sharply.

"So what? Are we that weak? If we gather everyone, we can field a hundred Vessel ranks. That’s more than enough."

"That’s reckless!"

"And doing nothing isn’t?"

"If I may... I agree with Elder Marino."

The elders were slightly taken aback by Guren speaking up. The village head, who had been deep in thought, turned toward his son with a faint frown.

"Guren?"

"Yes, father. There’s something else we found while we were there..." Guren nodded, his expression turning grim. "...the beasts were eating the pulsewood trees."

"...what?"

The village head, along with the elders, widened their eyes. Those trees were the lifeblood of the village. If they were lost, then the village itself would be pushed to the brink of ruin.

The village head had been hesitant about moving their warriors and leaving the village exposed, but if this was the case, then the situation was far more dire than he had thought.

"Remember what you always told me, father."

At those words, the village head turned toward his son, who was meeting his gaze with firm resolve.

"As a Tome... it’s our duty to protect this village. No matter what we face. For those who come after us."

The village head’s eyes widened slightly, before a burst of laughter escaped him. The other elders looked on in confusion.

"...hah... I had almost forgotten what it means to be a Tome. Thank you, son... for reminding me."

A heavy pressure suddenly surged from him as he swept his gaze across the elders, his eyes burning with renewed resolve.

"I’ve made my decision. It’s time for we members of Pulsegrove to stop hiding. At first light, we will launch an attack on those savage beasts. It’s time to rid ourselves of them for good."

"...yes, village head."

"..."

Perched atop the roof of a nearby building, a short distance from the village head’s house, Zephyrion watched the entire scene unfold, his expression unreadable.