The Assassin's Seven Principles of Manipulation

Jenna stared at Zephyrion, both fists clenched tightly at her sides.

The pale moonlight rested on his face, giving it an ethereal luster. His skin looked almost flawless, carrying the sort of beauty that made her pulse quicken. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

’He’s breathtaking...’

Jenna forced down the maelstrom of emotions surging through her. This same man had saved her father from near death and revealed the true nature of her brother.

Grateful couldn’t even begin to describe what she felt toward him. She had to repay him somehow, but first...

Jenna swallowed as she met his steady purple gaze. Somehow, all her nervousness began to fade.

"I... I want to come with you. Please."

Zephyrion tilted his head slightly.

"...Do you even know where I’m going?"

"Yes..." A flare of rage surged through Jenna’s chest. "...to the one behind all of this."

Zephyrion stared at her in silence. Under that quiet gaze, Jenna’s nerves slowly returned.

Would he refuse?

Even her father, the village head, hadn’t been able to read Zephyrion, she had heard him say so himself.

Currently, none of them truly had any idea how strong he was. It was both intimidating and thrilling at the same time. Regardless, if he refused, Jenna would have no choice but to return.

But contrary to her expectations, a moment passed, and Zephyrion merely nodded.

"...Alright. Then don’t fall behind."

He brushed past her the next moment, moving into the forest. Jenna’s eyes widened slightly as she realized he had actually accepted.

"Y-yes!"

Moments later, they tore through the forest at a fast pace. As they moved, Jenna kept throwing curious glances at Zephyrion.

He kept scanning the forest floor and the surrounding area as they moved, as though searching for something.

Eventually, when Jenna couldn’t take it anymore, she spoke.

"What are you doing?"

Zephyrion answered without turning.

"I’m tracking their base."

"...Tracking?"

"The marks the beasts left when they attacked the village. They’ll lead us back."

Jenna was stunned. The beasts had attacked days ago, it was more than enough time for the forest to reclaim the land and bury any traces they might have left behind.

Not even their most seasoned hunter would claim to follow tracks that old. So how could Zephyrion possibly do it?

Yet, there was no hesitation in his voice. No doubt, no deceit. In fact, Zephyrion didn’t seem like the type to lie at all.

And from what she could see, his eyes were indeed fixed on the forest floor, searching.

He was truly tracing days-old tracks.

What Jenna didn’t know, however, was that while he was retracing the beasts’ path, it wasn’t the faint, worn-out traces scattered across the forest now.

Days ago, just after the attack, Zephyrion had slipped into the forest and followed their trail while it was still fresh. A single glance had been enough to imprint every detail into his mind.

At the time, he hadn’t done it with any clear purpose, only as a precaution, to know where they had come from.

But now, after uncovering the Iron Heresy’s involvement, that decision had become invaluable in leading them straight to their hideout.

Silence settled between them once more, until Zephyrion spoke.

"Why do you hide your strength?"

Jenna’s eyes widened, and she stared at him in shock.

"...how did you know?"

"I saw you back at the clearing. When the Drogoth attacked... you were about to step in."

Jenna fell quiet. This was something she had never told anyone, and for good reason. Yet, there was a certainty in Zephyrion’s voice that left no room for denial.

"Why do you do it?"

Jenna’s hands tightened at her sides. She would normally deny something like this... but for some reason, she didn’t want to lie to... him.

She exhaled, then began talking;

"...A few years ago, my brother always wanted to become a hunter. I did too. While the village discourages women from it, they don’t forbid it. So we trained together and prepared for the tests. On that day, we were paired... everything was fine until we ran into a mutated beast in the forest."

"...Guren fainted. Immediately. And I... I fought it. I killed it."

Her voice lowered slightly.

"When he woke up and realized what had happened, he begged me to tell everyone he was the one who saved me. He looked so desperate... I couldn’t refuse him."

"...so I agreed. He became the village’s hope after that... and I just kept the lie going."

Jenna clenched her fists, a wry smile forming on her lips.

"But it’s fine, I guess. As a woman... I was never going to become a great hunter anyway..."

Zephyrion suddenly stopped.

Jenna nearly stumbled before halting as well, staring at him in confusion.

He turned, fixing her with a steady gaze.

"Show me."

"...what?"

"Your power. I want to see it."

Was he talking about the Tome construct? If so, her father had indeed taught it to her, but only after relentless pestering. Even then, it was still the Tome lineage’s secret rune art... not something she should be showing to just anyone.

Yet, as she met Zephyrion’s steady gaze, Jenna found herself giving a small, hesitant nod before she could stop herself.

"...okay."

A moment later, she raised her arm. A sharp hum rippled through the air as metal gathered before her, shaping itself into a large humanoid construct.

She pulled out a piece of pulsewood and immediately began inscribing ancient runic texts across its surface.

Zephyrion watched in complete silence.

Before long, she finished. The pulsewood flared to life in a burst of light, then shot forward, embedding itself into the construct.

Instantly, more metal flowed over its frame, layering into solid armor as a sword and shield formed in its grasp.

As the construct turned to face Zephyrion, there was a faint trace of intelligence in its gaze. Beyond that, it radiated a dense, oppressive power, the unmistakable pressure of peak Mark Five.

It was worth noting that Guren had achieved the same level, but only with the aid of Mindflare. Jenna, a year younger, had reached it on her own. It spoke volumes about her talent.

"Jenna..." Zephyrion said at last as he met her gaze.

"Men, women... none of that matters. What truly matters is power. As long as you have it, you can stand above anyone.

"And you do. So stop hiding it."

Jenna’s eyes widened slowly, her heartbeat rising in her chest.

Power...

With power, could she truly become someone people respected? Someone they looked up to?

Her thoughts drifted to her mother, who had been loved and admired by the entire village.

She wanted that.

Jenna’s expression hardened with resolve, and she nodded without hesitation.

"Yes."

She would get that, no matter what. But first, what she had to do was clear. She would stop hiding her power.

Seeing the firm light settle in her eyes, Zephyrion gave a small, approving nod.

"Good. Now let’s go."

"Yes."