When Alex and Vanessa arrived at the location, they looked from afar.
They had to make a pit stop in the royal guard hall to make sure the guards were ready for when the signal came.
This was a slightly more guarded place than the other ones.
"How do you normally tackle the more guarded places?" Vanessa asked softly.
"Like the normal ones, but you need to find the weakest link in the guard patrol—hence why we're here," Alex replied.
He then handed her a stack of needles and a potion.
"You know what this is. Dip them in the potion and stab people in the neck—here," Alex said, pressing lightly on Vanessa's neck as guidance.
"And that would knock them out?" Vanessa asked.
"A single drop can make even an intermediate-level person fall face-first asleep if you poke them where I taught you," Alex replied.
"Yes, I remember feeling dizzy after you poked me with one. Nasty trick, that one," she said.
"Heh, it's nasty indeed, but for the weak, it's especially important for survival. And you only felt dizzy because I could only catch you by surprise if I aimed at your wrist—otherwise, the effect would have been greater," Alex commented while watching the patrol.
"I'll take the compliment," Vanessa thought he was complimenting her.
"It is not. If I had stabbed you with a particular poison I own, you would still be bedridden. So don't look down on people just because you're stronger. Remember that a novice mage caught by surprise a master martial artist," Alex said.
Now that they were bound by contract, he wanted her alive to keep her part of the deal, so he advised her.
'Her protecting Susan and Eve is fundamental if I ever want to explore the wilderness,' Alex thought.
"Hey!" Vanessa said after hearing him.
"I still would've beaten you even if you used a more lethal poison!" she retorted.
"How so?" Alex asked curiously.
"Intent," Vanessa replied seriously.
"Intent?" Alex repeated.
"Yes. A martial artist, after the advanced level, can start to sense intent, especially when an action is aimed toward them. If you had tried to harm me, I would've noticed your intent—and Marina even more. Had you truly tried to injure me, you'd already be dead," Vanessa explained.
Alex listened intently. That wasn't something he knew.
"Hmm, I see. I'll keep it in mind for next time," Alex said.
"What next time, asshole?" Vanessa replied.
Alex chuckled, and Vanessa realized he was teasing her.
"Looking for a beating?" she asked in return.
"No, but you know who is?" Alex said.
Vanessa jutted her chin forward, silently asking who.
"The dude up there. He's the weakest link," Alex said, pointing at a man in the watchtower with a tilt of his head.
"He's been on shift the longest, so we take him out, then follow with the ones down below," Alex instructed.
"Okay, let's go," Vanessa replied.
"One last thing—don't use mana. Magic users are sensitive to mana just like you're sensitive to intent," Alex said. "Only physical. Now go on."
He wasn't worried; her physical fitness was ten times greater than his, so she wouldn't have any issues.
Vanessa gave a thumbs-up and sprinted, swallowed by the darkness.
She was as swift and nimble as a cat while climbing the watchtower.
Alex, in the meantime, approached silently and positioned himself to strike the moment Vanessa did.
As Vanessa climbed, she dipped the needle in the poison and, just as Alex instructed, stabbed the man in the neck.
She watched the man slump over instantly and was surprised by the effect.
'How interesting. I should get my hands on some poisons as well,' she thought.
Then she realized, 'Now that I think about it, Alex doesn't have any listed in his shop, so he probably makes them for his own use.'
She was now determined to get some poisons from Alex, simply to have fun experimenting with them.
On the other side…
The moment Alex saw Vanessa take down the guard in the watchtower, he immediately went for the closest one and took him down, then the next.
At some point, Vanessa joined him, and together they took down the entire guard squad swiftly.
They regrouped, and Vanessa had an excited expression on her face.
The thrill of doing something new was what she had been craving all her life, and now that she was in charge of Alex, she could follow him into all sorts of fun.
'So long, boring days at the castle,' she thought excitedly.
"At least it looks like you're having fun," Alex said, looking at her expression.
"And you're not?" she asked naively.
"Do I look like I am?" he asked in return.
Now that she looked at him, he did indeed have a serious face.
"You seem to have forgotten why we're here, but don't worry—you'll remember soon," Alex said.
He then started walking away.
Vanessa said nothing but followed him.
When they reached a window, Alex used Water Scape to drip inside. Once he appeared, he hesitated.
'Should I take care of this myself, or let her in?' he questioned.
On one side, he could get rid of the bastard properly and without punishment—since it wasn't part of their contract. But that would surely trigger Vanessa's anger.
Vanessa saw his doubtful expression and immediately guessed what he was thinking, so she turned serious and said,
"Alex, open the damn window. Don't you dare play judge and executioner, or I'll put you in prison in no time, you hear me?"
She knew that contract-wise, he wouldn't be punished, but she refused to let him kill before a proper trial.
Alex looked at her through the window and laughed silently, then turned around and walked deeper into the room, leaving her outside.
"Hey, motherfu—" she began, but she couldn't finish.
She hadn't brought Marina, so she couldn't teleport in; the Morningstars learned Space only at Tier 3.
After being absent for five minutes, Alex returned.
He opened the window, and in a split second Vanessa dragged him outside by the collar.
"Hey, fucker, what did I tell you? Are you itching for handcuffs again?" she said, angry.
"How am I supposed to let you in without the key to the window, smartass? Your comment was amusing—hence why I laughed," Alex replied.
He knew his actions would trigger her, but he did it anyway, purely out of defiance.
"Why didn't you tell me then?" Vanessa demanded.
"Because I didn't wanna," Alex replied.
"What—first time Daddy didn't spoon-feed you everything?" Alex smirked.
Vanessa landed a swift punch to his gut that made him bend forward.
"Asshole," she muttered and hopped inside.
Alex chuckled and followed. She didn't hit him that hard.
"I already knocked out the maids since they held the key, so now we just need to see if the owner is asleep or being naughty with someone who isn't his wife," Alex said, then started moving.
From the last trip, he had already located the master bedroom, but when they approached, no sound came from inside.
Alex peeked in and saw no one.
"There's no one here," he said to Vanessa. They both started searching for hidden doors or trapdoors.
After a while, Alex found it. "Here," he said to Vanessa.
"Coming," she replied.
As they went through the hidden door, Alex's expression twisted into disgust, and Vanessa froze.
Then Alex's disgust sharpened into fury at the sight before them.