Chapter 99: An Unknown Letter
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Benjamin could not wait any longer.
The best scenario was for the Holy Knight to leave so the room would be empty. He could then rummage through the body without a worry.
However, that would not be possible as the Holy Knight’s duty was to keep watch and not abandon his post.
It looked like this was the best window of opportunity Benjamin could get.
Of course, he would have to take care of this Holy Knight first.
At this very moment, Benjamin realised that he had no psychological impact nor guilt after committing murder. Unless of course, it was people that he felt should not be slaughtered, or else it would feel as though he was simply eliminating NPCs. It would not rattle a nerve in him.
It didn’t sound like he was sane...
Mmm...
Ah well, just let it be then.
He had much more important matters to attend to than to think this through. It was not going to be easy to handle this Holy Knight, so he should not be wasting time thinking about life.
The problem didn’t lie in killing the Holy Knight -- which was the easy part -- but rather how could he quickly assassinate the knight while lurking in the shadows?
To prevent disturbance by intruders, there were many Holy Knights on guard in the hotel. Through Benjamin’s Water Particle Detection, he could sense that there were another seven to eight men, and that is just the number for those within his range.
If he were to alert the Holy Knights, he would not have the chance to go through the body.
Using a gun would be out of the question.
The Ice Needle would be his best shot. However, he could only use them in close range. Another issue would be that he was unsure whether magical spells would alert the Holy Knights.
The Cleaners’ specialty was that they could detect any magical spells, but what did they rely on? If it was a magical instrument, then who was to say that perhaps one of the Holy Knights would be carrying one of these tools as well?
If one of them really carried it, he would be doomed.
After careful consideration, he believed that he should be more cautious in his execution.
Then what should he do?
He thought again and again. Suddenly, he stood up and ran in the opposite direction of the tunnel. After running for about ten minutes or so, he stopped and chanted the Icebreaking Spell.
This was what he came up with.
If his worry was that magic would sound the alarm, then he could simply use it further away.
As long as he casted the spell further away and returned to the entrance while maintaining the spell within his palm, all the problems would be resolved.
"Am I too smart or what?" He couldn’t help but praise himself.
The Ice Needle that accumulated a mass of Water Particles quickly formed on the palm of Benjamin’s hand. Benjamin held the Ice Needle and dashed back to the entrance.
It was amazing how easy it was to maintain the spell as he gripped onto the Ice Needle. Combined with the quick recovery of his spiritual energy after obtaining the cross, he felt great. Ten minutes later, he reached the secret tunnel’s entrance.
He took a deep breath and regained his composure. He was ready.
It was time for the surprise attack.
He felt his heart in his throat.
The next step was the most important in his entire plan.
Benjamin scouted the room once again with his Water Particle Detection to make sure everything was in place. He pulled the latch to the secret tunnel. A low but audible clack sound was heard, and the plank between the closet and tunnel slid open.
He slowly leaned in his upper body to shut the doors of the half-opened closet.
Then, he crawled out from the tunnel into the enclosed closet. He adjusted himself into a position just like a ninja who lurked in the darkness.
Quietly waiting on his prey.
The Holy Knight by the doorway heard the slight clatter. It did not raise any red flags as the sound was almost inaudible. The Holy Knight was puzzled as he slowly made his way into the room, checking from left to right.
His gaze was quickly fixated on the closet.
"Could it be the wind? But the windows are shut tight though..."
He distinctly remembered that closet was left half opened, but the closet was fully closed now. He thought it was odd as he walked towards the closet while engaging in a monologue.
He didn’t think much about it when he extended his arm to open the closet.
The closet door creaked as it opened inch by inch...
"Shhh, don’t make a sound."
Benjamin coyly whispered when he was found standing in the closet. He gestured a hush sign with one hand while tapping the Ice Needle into the Holy Knight’s shoulder with the other hand.
As for the Holy Knight? He never could make a sound again.
The Ice Needle penetrated the seemingly sturdy armour. Even with long periods of military training, one could not have reacted in such a short amount of time.
He glared at Benjamin with a shocked expression that was quickly frozen. His lips were held slightly apart as if he was trying to utter some words.
In the end, the untold words became a breath of white air frost, blown in the direction of Benjamin.
Benjamin could not resist but wave his arms in front of him, "Ew dude, you really should brush your teeth."
He slowly moved out of the closet while quietly and carefully holding onto the Holy Knight. He laid the Holy Knight to rest on the floor. At this point, he was still wielding the Ice Needle and once he confirmed that the Holy Knight was dead, he loosened his grip and disarmed the spell. He moved towards his the body of the priest.
Everything went well, he could finally relish in his victory!
But he did not have much time. He was afraid that the other Holy Knight would make his way into the room. He could not savour the moment and simply grabbed the corpse with his eyes shut.
He spent around twenty seconds nabbing whatever he thought looked useful and put it into his pocket. Those that could not fit into his pocket, he wrapped with his shirt. It was like it was his first attempt at burglary and he was unable to identify what was good or bad. He just took whatever he could.
After he was done searching, he quickly took the goods, returned to the secret tunnel and shut its door. He did not even have the time to look at what he nabbed. He just followed the pathway out.
If it were not for the items swaddled in his clothes, he would have made a run for it.
He did not dare to turn back and muttered internally, "Please don’t let them find me, please don’t let them find me…"
It could be because his previous plans always turned sour that he accumulated enough good karma. This time, there were no mishaps and nothing even happened within the secret tunnel itself.
After more than half an hour, he exited the tunnel and returned to the Prison Ruins.
He made sure the entry to the secret tunnel was sealed before he took cover in a corner. He took a breather and laid down his findings.
Although the ‘Quest to Rummage the Corpse’ had cost him plenty of time, at least it was a successful one.
And now, he could finally let out a sigh of relief and check on his loot.
He bent down and observed the pile of goods, nodding in satisfaction.
With this amount of loot taken in a span of twenty seconds, you could imagine what a brute Benjamin was. The poor body was almost stripped off its inner pants and that beautifully adorned robe was torn into what could only be defined as rags.
Benjamin did not have time to put thought into this matter but now that he thought about it, the priest was a classic case of one who was dishonoured and murdered.
It would be hard to imagine the reaction of the Church once they took a glimpse of the scene.
However, even if they exploded with anger, they would not be able to pin it down on Benjamin.
He had already gone through the plan in his head and made sure he left no trail. The people in this world lacked detective skills and did not have the technology to identify DNA. The Church would not be able to link the case to Benjamin.
So what is there to fear?
And just like that, the Church was placed on the back burner. Benjamin began to count his loot.
Gold coins? Great, this is for keeping. Cross? There is no hint of the Divine Arts. It was useless. He got rid of it. Keys? Well, he was not sure what it would open, but it would be better to keep it. Ring? Awesome, it is a magical instrument, this is for keeping. Ticket to see the City’s Theatre? Not interested, he should get rid of this...
He took about five minutes to sort everything.
Benjamin felt a weight lifted from his shoulders after he got rid of the useless items. He buried the rejects and then piled the remainders before him.
Two rings, one necklace, one little Light Particle crystal and a letter.
To Benjamin, the finding was already quite abundant. The majority of the priest’s wealth was in the life-saving magical tools that exploded like a string of crackers.
Although it was a shame, if the forty magical instruments were not blown up, Benjamin would not have been able to fight the priest.
And that was why he was pretty content with the outcome.
The rings and necklace were magical instruments. He was not sure of their functions is was not as if there was a manual. He could only fumble about to find out.
He placed the items into his pocket.
Next up, the Light Particle Crystal.
Honestly speaking, this would not be useful for Benjamin as it could not strengthen the Magical Runes. Moreover, if he were to place the crystal in his Space of Consciousness, the Water Particles in the space would probably run amok.
Needless to say, the Particle Crystals were known for their wide range of usage and even though it serves no purpose to Benjamin, he could use it for leverage to trade. Benjamin carefully put the crystal away.
Finally, the letter.
He listed the letter as a useful item just because it piqued his curiosity. You’ll never know if the letter contained a secret although in reality, he knew it was highly possible it was merely a letter written by the priest to his family and friends.
Still, he really wanted to take a peek.
He scanned through the letter in his hand. It seemed that the envelope was sealed not long ago and had yet to be mailed. One could still smell a lingering wax seal scent when it was held closely.
A neat and beautiful handwriting was written with a pen on the cover of the envelope.
"To the His Majesty the King of Carretas."