1 Setting a Fire to Warm a Cold Body (1/2)

It was cold.

Bone chillingly cold.

To be honest, Gao Lin couldn't understand how her sister, Tachibana Ayami could withstand such chilliness asthey waited for the target that they weren't even sure would come to appear.

”Nee-sama, are you sure they'll pass under this old bridge?” Gao Lin couldn't help but ask, feeling impatient as they have already been sitting and waiting for nearly two hours.

”Shh. Be quiet. They'll be here any minute now.” Ayami replied seriously, her eyes never leaving the spot where the road emerges from the thick forest.

Gao Lin and Tachibana Ayami weren't actually blood-related siblings. Both of them were orphans who were abandoned in the streets of Gretzheims. This situation was actually more common than most people would think. Especially in the Kingdom of Gretzheims where the real rulers were the Board of Assassins and the royalty were near non-existent.

After being taken under the wing of a reknowned assassin, Ayami felt kindness for the first time in her life. That was when she decided to follow the footsteps of her adoptive mother and became an assassin herself.

Unfortunately, good things never last. It wasn't long before she found out that her adoptive mother died during one of her missions.

Sticken by grief, Ayami vowed to find her adoptive mother's killer and avenge her. Due to her intense desire for vengeance, unknowingly, she bacame a fearsome character to the citizens of Gretzheims, with her name and deeds spreading even to other kingdoms.

Most people wanted to stay as far away as possible from her, afraid that they would become the next target in her list, but, to the people who required urgent assassinations, her name was like a piece ofbread to a beggar.

Soon, more and more people asked for her services. Some missions even requiring her to travel to distant lands. It was on one of her travels that she met Gao Lin, an orphan who was abandonedby the border between Gretzheims and Ruthell, a mysterious country north of Gretzheims.

At that time, Gao Lin was barely eight years old, but, due to malnutrition, she actually looked no more than six years old. Now, ten years have passed and Gao Lin has become a fairly attractive young woman who was often seen following behind Ayami as she went on her missions.

Which leads us to the current situation.

”Nee-sama, aren't you even feeling cold?” Gao Lin shivered as she asked Ayami, visualizing the image of a hot mug of tea and her warm bed at home.

”...It is a bit cold.” Ayami reluctantly admitted, then glanced towards Gao Lin with an indulgent look. ”Just wait for a bit more. We'll head home after we finish this mission and I'll even make some mutton stew for you, alright?”

”Why can't we go home now? You can just finish the mission on a later date!” Gao Lin groaned.

”Shh! They're here.” Ayami lowered her body, hiding behind the overgrown weeds that grew at the side of the old bridge they were on.

Accustomed to following Ayami's actions, Gao Lin lowered her body as well, peaking through the leaves to see their target's arrival.

Seconds later, they heard the crisp sound of horseshoes hitting the cobbled roads and were soon greeted by the sight of three elegantly dressed men riding on equally elegant looking horses.

The horses galloped quickly, as if in a rush. Ayami predicted that within a few moments, they would be passing under the bridge they were hiding in.

Calculating the timing in her head, she quickly stood up when the men were unable to see themand sprinted across the bridge and, with great precision, she jumped off, right onto the back of an unsuspecting rider.

Or that was what she thought.

Right when she stabbed her dagger onto the body of the rider, she suddenly felt as if something was wrong.

There was no blood.

Hastily, she withdrew her dagger and jumped off the horse, kicking the man off with her.

She landed swiftly on the path and quickly checked the body of the man she had just stabbed.

It was a fake!

This was a trap!

When she came to realize what had happened, it was already too late.

One of the riders already turned his horse around and was charging straight towards her. Not having enough time to react, she was directly blown away by the force of a horse's charge hitting her. It was lucky that she didn't get trampled to death directly.

With her whole body in pain, she struggled to get up. It was certain that if she managed to survive this ordeal, her whole body would be filled with bruises of various shapes and sizes the next day.

When she finally managed to stand up, she realized two important things.

One, her left foot was constantly spasming. She predicted that it was either sprained or fractured.

Two, she was surrounded.