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She considered returning to the palace a few minutes after Flarry left her, but she mustered the resolve to face the assassin first. She walked away, toward the mountain.

Nobody was there when she arrived. She decided to return to the palace before it was too late after looking about but finding no one. However, as soon as she took a step forward, a massive arm grabbed her neck from behind. Since that was the simplest method for an assassin to murder, she was prepared for it.

The goal is to first catch the victim off guard, and then to grab them in a challenging position so they are unable to protect themselves.

She raised her eyebrows to look into his face, but she felt uncomfortable, so she tapped her elbow on his side, hoping to bruise his ribs and cause instability. Her sword was already glistening on his neck as she turned. "Who are you precisely, and what does it imply that you shielded me with that?" One could wonder what was wrong with her because of the calmness in her voi