"Ox Seat?"
The Black Hand had just reached the entrance to the secret passage. He turned back and saw that Ox Seat was still standing where he was. His brows drew tightly together as all sorts of thoughts flashed through his mind. Then, as if he had suddenly understood something, an extremely smug look of delight appeared on his face.
"Looks like I've caught you slipping."
He raised his voice. Watching Ox Seat's expression grow even darker and uglier, he felt exceptionally pleased.
Before he could say anything else, Ox Seat said coldly,
"You shouldn't die here. You were meant to die somewhere more useful."
Die?
Me?
What a huge joke!
The Black Hand let out a ferocious sneer.
He could not hold back any longer. Regardless of whether Ox Seat was plotting something, he was going to kill this unpleasant fellow right here!
But just as he was about to make his move...
Sss--
A bloody hand silently pierced through his chest from behind.
The Black Hand's expression froze.
"...Impossible!"
From that bloody hand piercing his body, he sensed... the power of Origin Power!
That was a power only high-tier Cloud-class, or even Rain-class, experts could possess!
Who killed me? Who?!
With his back to the killer, he fell backward with a thud.
Darkness gradually swallowed him.
At the end of his consciousness, he heard a voice filled with disbelief.
"You were too careless, Ox Seat."
It was actually... her?!
"You were too careless, Ox Seat."
The Ninth Princess withdrew her hand, narrowed her eyes, and said with a smile as she took out a cloth to wipe the traces of blood from her hand.
Ox Seat stared at the Black Hand's corpse with an ugly expression.
He walked up from below the steps, passed the Ninth Princess,