Cthulhu Gonfalon

In the sky, two shadows which were invisible to the human eye were having a discussion.

“The situation is rather worrying.”

“Actually, it is not as bad as it seems. As long as the killers and assassins don’t find out, there will be no problems.”

“If we continue like this, finding them is only a matter of time.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve made prior arrangements. Once the situation becomes urgent, they will leave immediately… Look. That group that was originally made up of pirates have already started retreating.”

“To be honest, I don’t trust them entirely to carry out these tasks.”

“You’re right, I had some flaws in my previous methods of execution. I’m trying to think of a solution to save the situation… do you have any suggestions?”

“Me? I don’t have anything worthwhile to suggest as well. Previously, both sides were already suspicious of moles creating trouble. As gods, although the prophetic spells do not affect us, we are unsure of whether the assassins and killers will be found out. I feel that it’s best not to act for now. We can wait till their vigilance has dropped before deciding what to do.”

“You know that’s impossible. His Majesty does not want us to wait. The fact that he hired you to help clearly indicates the severity of the situation.”

“If it can’t be done, it simply can’t be done. Let’s not talk about us, even if His Majesty mobilized all of the gods, all we could do is kill. It would still be impossible to force them to fight amongst each other.”

“Damnit! The situation was much better before!”

“Hm, it feels like the tides have turned rather dramatically, I wonder why?”

“Hey, it’s getting late, I have to rush back. That fat pig will almost be back by now. If he doesn’t see his ‘princess,’ he’ll get suspicious.”

“Honestly, my advice is for you to just get rid of him. After all, you’re a goddess; why would you want to entertain a vicious and stupid lad all day? It’s rather disgusting, isn’t it?”

“Killing him is the easy part. However, the situation may get complicated if he dies. That vase is a useless woman who is unable to protect herself. If I show my true abilities, it will seem suspicious. Instead of showing my true identity, I’d rather suffer for now.”

“I really admire you. If it were me, I’d just feel like killing him and tearing his brains out no matter what. No, I’d strengthen his body slightly then use a fishing line to hang that disgusting worm in the air…”

“Alright, I’ll take my leave now. In the meantime, I’ll have to trouble you to settle matters on this end. Contact me if there are any urgent issues, and I’ll rush over if so.”

“Don’t worry, even if I’m physically useless and don’t possess many skills, I can settle most situations with my brain alone. If I’m really helpless, I can also utilize the magic statue we just bought.”

With these parting words, one of the two figures vanished at an astonishing speed. After a period of contemplation, the other also flew off towards a random building in the distance.

It passed through a transparent window that by right, only wind could pass through, and it entered the basement where the young assassin leader was hiding.

The young assassin leader was reading what seemed to be a memoir on war. He was extremely focused, and if he were in a classroom, he would definitely be praised by the teacher.

“Greetings, young king of assassins.”

The assassin leader froze, raised his head and put down his book.

“Who are you? What do you want from me?” He maintained his composure, but his body was tight and seemed ready for combat at any time.

“I’m your employer. Or rather, one of your employers.”

“In that case, are you here to prompt me to act? To be honest, that will be hard. Looking at the current situation, even if I put aside my doubts to kill that count under the codename of “Big Horse,” it would still not cause an actual war between the aristocrats and merchants.”

“I’m not here to rush you. I just want to ask, with suitable assistance, what plans do you have to achieve this goal?”

The young assassin leader froze. He did not question the limits of the assistance being offered but instead began to think in earnest.

After a while, he asked, “Can you provide powerful spells that can break through the legendary level of mind protection?”

“Mind control? To force someone to do something that they were not in favor of would be extremely hard. Although it can be provided, there will be consequences, and it might even expose me. I can’t agree to this.”

“I thought so too…. Well, if I take a step back and make a large scale suggestion to the crowd, making them angry and frantic and lead the anger in a certain direction, would that be feasible?”

This time, it was the god who was silent.

After two to three minutes of silence, the assassin got a positive answer.

“Yes, but it will be extremely dangerous; this will be a thin line to walk. I hope you can consider a more appropriate approach.”

The assassin leader smiled. He now understood the other party’s bottom line and could gauge the extent to which “sufficient assistance” would be provided.

“Let’s use the easiest method then. Arrange a Blaspheme magic array onto the border on our side to summon power from the abyss. If once is insufficient, do it two or three times. In any case, we must make both sides fight for their lives and have a hard time fighting this magic array.”

“Is there a purpose in this? I can’t possibly summon a strong demon to the world without reason.”

“Yes, there is. We need only to make both sides’ troops weary and angry. During this time, it will be appropriate to cause tension. In their annoyed state, they may start a full battle with each other even if their leaders have ordered otherwise.” The assassin leader smiled. “The leaders are only effective when their men are willing to listen to them. When the troops have minds of their own, all the leaders can do is to choose between abandoning their title or entering the fight as well…”

“This suggestion is not bad, but I will need some time to gather opinions on my side. When I’ve completed my discussions, I will contact you again.” As these words were uttered, the shapeless figure disappeared with the wind, leaving the young assassin leader to sit on his bed and mull over the conversation.

“That was literally a ghostly encounter! I wonder what kind of being my employer really is…”

His forehead gleamed with sweat that had formed due to his nerves earlier on.

The ability to teleport seamlessly and isolate one’s presence as well as the ability of telekinesis…. And this stranger was not the only one.

Maybe… Taking on this job was a mistake….

Yet again, it was proving to be rather interesting!

As he thought, he gathered a group of assassins, and these cruel, unfeeling men smiled together. This was a smile akin to that of a child coming across a new toy—angelic and naive.