The grand mansion was quiet, when by the bushes a shadow emerged. “So, my target is here, huh” The man whispered, when another person emerged from the shadow. “You know this is the Archduke’s mansion, right? We need to watch our step,” the other man stated.

“I know, but why would someone put a bounty of 100 million gold just to kill a disabled brat?”

“I don’t know, but with that much money for us, our lives are all set. So, let’s just get this over with.” Both of them agreed, swiftly passing through the guards as they went inside the mansion. Scene shifts to the clandestine bar, the bartender cleaning a glass while the cloak person from the other day is enjoying his drink. After a sip, he laughs to himself, “No one can stop me now,” he takes another sip. “Everything ends tonight.”

In the stillness of the night, two men stealthily enter the mansion. They navigate carefully around the guards, searching through the rooms. “This mansion is enormous,” whispers the first man. “Well, of course, it’s the Archduke’s mansion. What did you expect?” retorts the second.

Their search continues until one of them alerts, “Hey, someone’s there.” He points in a direction, and the other man follows his gaze. “A guard?”

“No, wait… it seems to be a girl. And she’s coming this way,”

“Well what now? Let’s just take care of her-” As they prepare to draw their weapons, the girl calls out to them.

“Now, now. Don't be so hasty,” she saunters towards them. The two assassins stand in silence, readying their stance. She passes by a window, the moonlight illuminating her face.

“Why don’t we have a chat first?” Her long obsidian hair shines in the moonlight, her black eyes twinkling with mischief.

“Looks like you're an assassin as well, aren’t you?” One of the assassins asks, as he signals the other one to get on guard.

“Maybe?” she shrugs. “We’ll see about that later.” She smiles as she responds, “So, what brings you two here?”

“Just like you, we’re here for the bounty. So, either you step aside, or,” they draw their weapons, “face the consequences…”

“Hmm,” she stood still, as if she was thinking for her answer. “I shall pass on both the options.” She smiled as she declared.

“That’s your call then,” The assassins take their stance and charge towards her. She stands still, merely observing the two.

Fast forward to the morning, in Hiro and Sakura's room. They’re starting their day. “Today, Ray will resume his classes, right?” Sakura asks, to which Hiro nods. “Well, both Max and I advised him to take it easy, but he insists he’ll be fine.” Hiro puts on his shirt and walks towards Sakura, who’s combing her hair. He embraces her from behind, “Why don’t we go on a picnic soon?” he suggests, to which Sakura chuckles. “That sounds wonderful! Let’s do it, as a family!” She kisses him on the cheek when the door bursts open.

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“Huh!?” They both turn towards the door, where a maid stands panting. “Hey, what’s wrong?” Hiro asks. “It’s an emergency, Your Grace,” she pants, “You must see this. Near the young master’s room,” she starts to explain. As Hiro and Sakura listen to her, they immediately rush through the hallway.

As they arrive at the scene, a crowd of knights and maids has gathered. “What’s going on!?” Hiro demands as all eyes turn towards him. Among them, Ainz steps forward. “My lord, I don't know how to explain this…”

Hiro and Sakura push through the crowd to see what lies before them. “Is that…,” Sakura and Hiro stare, their eyes widening. In front of them lie the bodies of the two assassins. Knights are inspecting the scene when Sakura exclaims, “Wait! Where’s Kai!? Is he alright?!” Hiro also catches on as he starts to march towards Kai’s room. Before he can reach, Ainz assures him that Kai is safe. As they wonder what could have happened, “What’s all this commotion?” They hear a voice and turn towards it.

Ray stands in the hallway, observing the entire scene. The crowd fell silent as Ray appeared, his gaze shifting to the lifeless bodies of the assassins. He was taken aback by the scene. “An assassination attempt?” he asked, turning to Hiro.

Hiro was at a loss for words. A knight near Kai's room heard the sound of the wheelchair moved. He signaled that Kai was awake, causing a stir among the crowd. Sakura quickly moved towards the door, “I’ll handle this,” she said so taking a deep breath, entering Kai’s room with her usual cheerful greeting.

Hiro exhaled deeply, “Quickly! Clean up everything! Make it look like nothing happened here!” At his command, the maids began cleaning at a frantic pace. Hiro turned to the knights, “You all handle the bodies. Check everything they have. We might find some useful information…” The knights sprang into action. “And Ray,” Hiro looked at him. Ray was puzzled, his face full of questions. “Please play along with us,” Hiro whispered.

After a while, Hiro and Ray entered Kai’s room. Elysia was carried in by Hiro, and the maids brought in their breakfast. “Let's have our breakfast then, shall we?” Hiro announced, and Sakura and Ray nodded in agreement.

They all sat at the table prepared by the maids as breakfast was served. Elysia, seated next to Kai, was telling him about her dream, to which Kai listened attentively. Hiro and Sakura maintained their composure while Ray was lost in thought. “What was all that,” he pondered about the assassination attempt.

“Brother Ray,” Elysia's voice broke his train of thought. “Huh?” he looked around and noticed everyone was looking at him. “What's wrong?” Kai asked, showing his notebook. “Aren't you hungry, brother?” Elysia asked, noticing he had barely touched his food.

“Ah, sorry. I'm just not very hungry,” he said, scratching his head. Everyone seemed concerned. After a while, as they finished their breakfast, Elysia spoke up, “Let’s go, brother. It’s time for our class.”

Kai nodded, about to wheel himself when Hiro interjected, “Ah, wait. Today’s class is cancelled.” He announced, surprising Ray with the sudden cancellation. Kai and Elysia looked confused when Hiro explained, “I need to discuss an upcoming meeting at the Palace with Ray.” He glanced at Ray who slowly nodded his head.

“Why don’t you two go to the library today and do some self-study?” Sakura suggested, to which they both agreed and left.

After Elysia and Kai were gone, Hiro sighed. “Why did you do that, uncle?” Ray asked, to which Hiro looked at him with a worried expression. “Ray,” he began to explain. “There are many things we need to tell you.” Ray just looked at him with a serious expression.

“Do you remember when Max and I asked you to help Kai settle in?”

Ray nodded as Hiro continued, “We didn’t just mean help him get into the academy, there was something more to it.” Ray’s eyes wandered as he continued to listen. The atmosphere in the room was heavy, “I fear, someone is after Kai’s life…” As he stated, Ray stood up, his eyes widened, “What!?”