Villain Hiring: Help! Author Wants Me Dead-Chapter 78 : Assassination Attempt

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The journey had drained me to the bones.

From the moment we entered that cursed forest to the second, we stepped into that city, it had been nothing but blood, sweat, and aching muscles.

Every step through the forest had felt like a fight for survival, each night filled with the distant howls of beasts and the paranoia of never truly being safe.

And even now, as we walked through the towering gates of the Romero estate, the feeling hadn't left me.

I could feel it in the air—the weight of unspoken history, of bitter memories buried deep beneath layers of time.

It had been eight years since I last saw this place.

I should have felt something. Anger. Resentment.

Hate

But right now, I only felt tired—

Dirt had covered the oversized black cloak Ma had given me.

My hands were covered in sweat due to how warm it was.

Ma, walking beside me, looked just as bad. Her brown gown was practically in tatters, her pink hair had grown dull even under the dim morning light due to all the exhaustion and dirt.

We must've looked like beggars.

Yet, not a single guard questioned us.

They all knew who we were.

Even after all these years, they still recognized the exiled heir and his grandmother.

They just didn't dare to say a word.

With silent steps, they escorted us through the long, empty halls.

The estate was as big and grand as I remembered—polished marble floors stretching endlessly, towering chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and the refreshing scent of incense filling every corridor.

But it felt... cold.

Lifeless.

Eight years ago, this place had been our home. Now, it was just a graveyard of the past.

We were heading toward the throne hall, where my grandfather, Venus Romero, was supposed to be waiting.

My body tensed at the thought of seeing him again.

A bit.

But I wasn't mad about the exile.

Not anymore.

No, the thing that was boiling my blood—the thing that made my hands curl into fists as I walked—was something far worse.

A man in disguise had tried to kill us.

Not on the road. Not in some dark alley.

But inside the estate.

I hadn't hesitated then.

The moment I felt the shift in the air, the killing intent crawling up my spine, I moved.

One of the guards that had been following us jumped at Ma.

A glint of steel. A dagger—aimed at my grandmother's throat.

I grabbed Ma by the shoulder and pushed her aside.

Pain exploded in my left shoulder as a cold metal pierced through my flesh, but I didn't let out a single sound.

I was used to pain.

Catching the assassin's wrist before he could twist the blade deeper inside me, my other hand shot forward, wrapping around his throat.

Soul siphoning.

His eyes widened.

But, so did mine.

I felt a throbbing pain hit my head, so much so that my grip on the man's neck almost fell.

The man was no better than me, his eyes had almost rolled up while his body spasmed a little.

[Noah! Stop right now. That man has almost as much soul power as you!!]

[Ughh, fuck. Just break his neck and we'll be done here. you foolish brat-]

I realised that in my anger, I had actually used my ability on someone who is actually a human.

All this while I had only used the power on beasts and maybe that's why it was so much easier.

Fuck.

The man's blade slipped from his fingers, clattering uselessly to the ground as I instantly squeezed his neck before he could retaliate.

The crack of his neck breaking echoed so silently that maybe I was the only one who had heard it.

And just like that, The assassin was dead.

His weight slumped against me, but I didn't let go.

Instead, I stood there, breathing slowly, letting the pain in my head settle into a dull ache.

As for the blood dripping from my shoulder wound?

I ignored it.

The sourc𝗲 of this content is freēwēbηovel.c૦m.

My fingers tightened around the corpse's throat.

It had to be from the Assassin's Guild only-

How had he gotten inside the estate in the first place though?

My jaw clenched.

This wasn't just a random attempt on my life.

This was something bigger.

Something deliberate.

And I was dead set on erasing the entire existence of this Assassin's hall now.

Granma walked beside me, silent as ever.

But I could feel it—the tension in her posture, the tightness in her expression.

She wasn't just tired.

She was angry.

And honestly?

So was I.

A silence hung in the corridor, thick with tension.

The other guards stood frozen, eyes darting between me and the dead man in my grip.

Sylvie pushed herself up from the floor, brushing the dust off her tattered gown.

Her gaze flickered to me, then to the corpse.

"Noah." Her voice was calm, but I could hear the edge of warning beneath it.

Exhaling sharply through my nose, without another word, I turned on my heel and walked forward.

We didn't need a guide.

Ma and I both knew exactly where the throne hall was.

I had lived here for nine years.

And even though I had been exiled for eight, nothing had changed.

The familiar halls stretched before me, the place screamed simplicity and regalness, polished yet empty.

The tap of my boots echoed through the silent corridors.

Each step I took further made me angry, the weight of old memories pressing against me.

The guards didn't move to stop me.

They wanted to. I could see it in their eyes—the flicker of anger, the resentment burning behind their helmets.

How dare an exile kill one of their own?

But they didn't move.

Because no matter how much they hated me…

I was still the heir to the Romero family.

One of the Seven Commandments.

And the corpse in my grip?

He had died without a fight. Without a single scratch on him—aside from the mark of my hand on his throat.

They couldn't explain it.

I was sure of it.

And they weren't willing to take the risk of challenging me.

The tension in the air was suffocating.

I stepped through the massive doors, dragging the dead assassin from his neck.

The guards at the entrance snapped to attention before one of them turned hurriedly, his voice carrying urgency as he sent a message through the estate.

"Summon the Lord immediately. There's a… slight problem."

I didn't wait for their response.

Pushing the doors open, I stepped into the throne hall, blood dripping from my shoulder, and waited for my grandfather.

The Patriarch

Venus D. Romero.

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