Lord of Mysteries: The Assassin's Dark Path

The old Viscount Stout was a staunchly conservative nobleman.

Like most decayed aristocracy, he prided himself on owning land and relied primarily on rental income. His adherence to tradition and lack of business acumen left him increasingly out of touch with the age of steam and machinery, falling further and further behind until his family teetered on the brink of decline.

To maintain the dignity of nobility and the lifestyle befitting his station, he was forced to adopt some unconventional measures alongside selling ancestral properties.

One such measure was secretly controlling the Blood Bottle Gang for financial gain.

The other was an arranged marriage.

Last year, his second son and the daughter of a wealthy merchant "fell in love at first sight." Despite facing numerous obstacles, they married, and the viscount's family received a dowry so generous it made others envious.

Through these less-than-glamorous but discreet means, Viscount Stout barely managed to uphold his family's noble façade. Naturally, such actions also made him a target.

Upon reviewing the information, Varina's first thought was that the client might be the wealthy merchant—the viscount's in-law.

If the viscount were to die suddenly, his title would most likely pass to his second son, as his eldest son, serving in the military on the Southern Continent, was unlikely to be favored. A title in the hands of the second son would make him far easier for the merchant to manipulate, providing greater leverage.

This was Varina's speculation, and Figaro agreed with him.

But ultimately, the identity of the client didn't matter. What mattered was the commission itself.

As Figaro explained, "You'll understand in time. It doesn't matter who they are—once they're on our list, they're as good as dead. Whether or not you act, their fate is sealed. The only thing to focus on is the kill."

Killing someone was straightforward. Killing the old viscount wasn't particularly difficult either. What made it challenging was ensuring his death appeared natural and reasonable.

For individuals of high status like the viscount, any form of death would be investigated by the authorities and the Church's Beyonders to rule out assassination or conspiracy.

Varina had to find a way to kill the viscount while avoiding any suspicion during these reviews.

This was the real challenge of the mission and why it wasn't suitable for a typical "assassin" to take on.

Figaro explained that the organization would help Varina infiltrate the viscount's household by arranging for him to be hired as a servant through the "Metropolitan Domestic Assistance Association." Varina's role was to devise a way to make the viscount's death appear completely natural within a month's time.

Varina expressed concern about the difficulty of such a mission.

Figaro reassured him, explaining that most commissions outside the East District required stealth. While missions in the East District were easier, they were less prestigious.

He added that most targets were wealthy merchants or upper-middle-class individuals. Despite their challenges, these missions didn't carry the additional complexities of someone like the viscount.

Additionally, while the viscount's mission was indeed more demanding, the support provided by the organization more than compensated for the difficulty.

Though unsure how much of this was true, Varina eventually agreed to take on the viscount's mission.

Figaro instructed him to return in three days, during which time arrangements would be made for his new identity. In the meantime, Varina was advised to brainstorm methods for discreetly eliminating the viscount.

And so, Varina accepted this challenging trial mission.

Three days later, armed with identification provided by Figaro, Varina met with the viscount's butler under the guise of being recommended by the Domestic Assistance Association.

After a brief interview-like exchange, the butler deemed Varina satisfactory and hired him to replace the previous gardener. The position came with room and board and an annual salary of 25 pounds.

Varina then followed the butler to the viscount's estate at 103 Backlund Street and moved into the servants' quarters located behind the main house.

Upon settling in, Varina couldn't help but marvel at the aristocrats' obsession with appearances—even the servants' quarters featured private bathrooms and were far more comfortable than his previous rental accommodations.

By his second day as a servant, Varina gained a deeper appreciation for the concept of "aristocratic dignity."

As one of two gardeners, his primary responsibility was maintaining the estate's greenery. The workload was, to put it mildly, negligible.

Was it really necessary to hire two people for such minimal tasks? Varina found it hard to fathom this concept of "noble propriety."

By the fifth day, Varina had roughly grasped the daily routines of the viscount's household, familiarized himself with the butler, housekeeper, head maid, and other staff he interacted with frequently, and no longer needed reminders for his duties.

It was then he realized a major obstacle in completing his mission: as the gardener, he rarely had any reason to enter the main house, let alone meet the viscount himself.

How could he eliminate someone he couldn't even get close to?

Plagued by these thoughts, Varina went about his daily tasks, biding his time.

On the tenth day, a turning point finally arrived.

The viscount hosted a grand social banquet, inviting numerous guests.

For the first time, Varina glimpsed the peculiar struggles unique to aristocracy: there weren't enough servants.

Typically, a gardener like him would have nothing to do with such events, as the kitchen staff and maids bore the brunt of the workload. However, during this banquet, even Varina and the other gardener were made to change into formal attire and take on some of the male servants' responsibilities.

Of course, they were still forbidden from entering the main hall where guests gathered, to avoid embarrassing the household.

Seizing this opportunity, Varina managed to gain a clearer understanding of the layout of the main house.

After the banquet ended, a vague plan began to take shape in Varina's mind.

Over the following days, he refined and polished his plan, all while awaiting the next social event—a gathering that he knew would be his one and only chance to act within the month-long timeframe of the mission.

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