A Devious Smile
Valoria.
The capital of Valenor.
Inside a tavern.
The noise was the same as always.
People shouted over one another, laughter mixed with curses, mugs slammed against wooden tables, and the smell of alcohol filled the air.
Rumors were traded as easily as coins, and no one bothered to lower their voice.
In the corner of the tavern, at a table slightly away from the crowd, someone was sitting alone.
She looked no different from the others at first glance.
But after looking for more than a moment, the difference became clear.
She was shorter than most people around her.
Her dark blue hair was tied loosely behind her head, and strands fell naturally along the sides of her face.
A half mask covered the upper part of her face, hiding part of her features—but even so, it was obvious she was beautiful.
Her visible eye was green.
She wore a white shirt beneath a short jacket, paired with practical pants meant for travel.
Her clothes weren't luxurious, but they were clean and well-fitted, giving her the appearance of a mature woman.
She ate quietly, her posture relaxed.
And most importantly—
She didn't belong here.
Anyone could tell that she wasn't a local.
At a nearby table, five men were sitting together, half-empty mugs scattered between them.
Their voices were low, but their eyes were fixed on her.
One of them smirked.
"A new face."
Another chuckled, leaning back in his chair.
"Travelers always think this place is safer than it really is."
The third man glanced around the tavern before lowering his voice.
"Look at her. She doesn't even have an escort either."
"Easy prey."
The biggest among them licked his lips slowly.
"Let's see how generous she is."
They laughed quietly, pushed their chairs back, and stood up.
Five men approached her table.
They surrounded it loosely, blocking the view from the rest of the tavern.
One of them leaned forward, resting a hand on the table.
"Hey... You new in Valoria?"
There was no response.
She continued eating.
Another man spoke, grinning.
"You know, travelers need to pay fees around here."
Still nothing.
The third one tilted his head.
"Or maybe you're just here for a good time?"
Silence.
She didn't even look up.
The men exchanged glances.
The biggest one's smile twitched.
"Are you deaf or something?"
He reached forward and slammed his hand down onto her plate.
Food scattered across the table.
Then he grabbed her wrist.
"How dare you ignore us."
The tavern fell quiet.
Every patron noticed.
But no one intervened.
They all recognized those men.
Notorious thugs.
This kind of thing happened often enough that it wasn't worth risking one's life over.
The woman finally spoke.
Her voice was low.
"…Not this again."
The man laughed loudly.
"Heh… come on, you'll like it too."
He leaned closer, licking his lips.
That was when she spoke again.
"It will hurt a little."
He frowned.
“What—"
He never finished the sentence.
The next moment, he was on the floor.
Clutching his lower body.
Foam spilling from his mouth.
The impact was so sudden that no one even understood what had happened.
Before anyone could react, she moved.
She was still seated.
The chopsticks in her hand flashed.
Four sharp movements are followed by four dull sounds.
The remaining men froze mid-motion.
Their bodies locked.
Their hands were stiff, and their legs gave out.
They collapsed one after another, completely unable to move.
The tavern was silent.
No one breathed or moved either.
She calmly stood up.
Took out a few silver coins.
Placed them on the table.
Then she walked out of the tavern—
Leaving behind five men writhing helplessly on the floor.
...
After some time, she stopped in front of an inn.
"Sigh..."
A sigh escaped from her mouth.
"I really hate this body of mine."
She muttered quietly.
The reason was simple.
Because of her short height and beautiful face, situations like today happened far too often.
No matter where she went, trouble and Attention followed.
People misunderstood her intentions before she even spoke.
That was why she started wearing a mask.
But even that didn't help much.
More than once, she had seriously thought about carving scars into her own face.
Permanent ones.
Something that would make people look away instead of stare.
But because of her best friend, she never did.
And wearing a full suit of armor everywhere wasn't an option either.
It was inefficient, restricting and also annoying.
She couldn't move freely like that.
Thinking about all those troublesome things, she entered the inn.
After receiving her key, she went upstairs and stopped in front of her room.
She inserted the key and began opening the door.
But before opening it fully, her wrist flicked.
Several thin needles shot through the narrow gap of the door, flying silently into the room.
At the same time, she pulled out the dagger at her waist and took a guarded stance, slowly pushing the door open.
Her eyes scanned the room.
Nothing.
Just an ordinary room.
The needles were stuck deep into the wall.
'Did I feel it wrong?'
Her intuition was rarely wrong.
It had kept her alive this long.
Trusting it, she moved immediately, checking every corner, every shadow, every possible hiding place.
Under the bed. Behind the wardrobe. Near the window.
Nothing.
Not even a trace.
'Maybe I'm too tense because of exhaustion.'
Thinking that she might have overreacted, she relaxed just a little—
And then she heard it.
A heavy voice came from her right.
"007..."
Her body reacted instantly.
Or at least, it tried to.
She attempted to twist, to step back, to strike—
But she couldn't move.
Her eyes widened.
A transparent, extremely thin thread was wrapped around her entire body.
Thinner than hair. Almost invisible. Yet strong enough to restrain her completely.
Like a spider web restraining its prey.
"Rin."
Her breath caught.
Hearing her real name made her flinch.
Rin Vale.
Only three people in this world knew that name.
And the voice behind her was none of them.
The voice continued calmly.
"Born in Ashwyn Village. A small border village in the Kingdom of Lathen."
Her blood ran cold.
"When you were five years old, a monster outbreak erased that village."
"Everyone died."
"Except you."
Rin clenched her teeth.
"After that, the secret organization Zero found you."
"They gave you a number."
"Raised you as an assassin."
"Eventually, you became a member of Alpha. One of the most ruthless assassin groups under Zero."
Her face tightened.
But it didn't stop there.
"Five years of missions."
"Countless kills."
"And now, second in command."
"Hmm... impressive."
Footsteps echoed softly.
Rin shifted her eyes as much as she could.
And saw him.
A young boy stood there.
Pale face.
Blood-red eyes that sent a chill down her spine.
His face was good-looking, but it carried a cold-blooded vibe that made her instincts scream danger.
He stood straight, around five foot nine, looking at her with a smile.
That smile made her shiver.
He spoke again.
"Then you received a new mission."
"Become the personal escort."
"And when ordered..."
"Assassinate the third princess. The daughter of the emperor."
He stepped closer.
Then leaned in until his face was only an inch away from hers.
"But instead..."
"You grew attached to her."
"Your heart changed."
"She became your best friend. Didn't she?"
Rin's face turned pale.
Her mind went blank.
That secret was something no one knew.
No one.
Questions flooded her thoughts.
'Did Zero find out?'
'Did they send him to kill me?'
As if reading her expression, the boy smiled.
"Ah. Don't misunderstand."
"I'm not from Zero."
"And they don't know either."
He tilted his head slightly.
"But they could know."
"Or your best friend could know."
"That depends on your answer."
Her body trembled slightly.
But she forced herself to calm down.
She met his gaze.
"What do you want?"
The boy smiled wider.
"I need your help to rule this world."
Her eyes widened.
For a moment, she couldn't even process what she heard.
"So..."
"Will you give me your hand?"
He asked gently, smiling.
Looking at that smile, Rin understood something clearly.
The person standing before her was far more twisted than she initially thought.
He was anything but human.
***
Inside a big room.
A round table stood at the center.
Several people were sitting around it, their figures partially hidden by shadows.
The room was dimly lit, the air heavy and still, as if even sound hesitated to travel freely here.
"Do you think it will happen anytime soon?"
Someone spoke, breaking the silence.
"It needs some time."
Another voice replied calmly.
"Be patient. It needs time to bloom."
A third person chimed in.
There was a brief pause.
Then someone with a cracked, aged voice spoke, sounding almost reverent.
"Everyone, do your best to get the nutrition for it. And it will bloom before you soon enough."
No one objected or questioned it.
They were discussing the growth of something.
Something they had been nurturing carefully.
Something they were waiting for.
But whatever it was, it was anything but a normal plant.
