Episode 1 of *Néro the Assassin* whisks us away to Southern France in the 16th century, a time when a relentless drought was laying waste to the land. Amidst the parched expanse, we stumble upon what appears to be a forsaken campsite, a desolate oasis in the heart of a desert. Here, we encounter a man—Néro—suspended precariously from a pole, with only a solitary stone beneath his feet preventing his inevitable descent into the abyss of death. In these final, fleeting moments, Néro's heart lays bare its sole regret: fathering a daughter.
As he languishes in his remorse, awaiting the end, a woman emerges from the shadows. She is marked by a single, piercing eye, and her presence does not bode well for Néro. She demands to know the whereabouts of a certain woman, her voice laced with an urgency that belies her menacing demeanor. Néro, however, chooses silence over revelation, opting instead to kick the fragile stone beneath him and embrace the sweet release of death.
Our journey then takes us back to the genesis of this intricate web of deceit and betrayal—La Martine, the grandest trading city in all of Southern France. It was here that Néro, drawn by the city's allure of excess and indulgence, found himself ensnared. His early life, spent in the confines of an orphanage, had molded him into a cunning thief, ultimately leading him to the unforgiving clutches of prison. Yet, fate had a different script in store for him when he crossed paths with his current benefactor, the vice consul Rochemort.
Rochemort, a fatherly figure to Néro, commanded a loyal band of seven assassins, with Néro among their ranks. Under his guidance, Néro was tasked with a heinous act—the murder of his own daughter's lover, Tancrede, a deed later pinned on the penitent fanatics to absolve Rochemort of any blame.
Meanwhile, in the hallowed halls of Rome, the church stands as a bastion of faith, where the Holy See resides. Within its sacred confines, a young priest stumbles upon a cryptic passage detailing the lineage of the devil's last descendant. Eager for recognition, he rushes to present his discovery to his superior, only to be met with a chilling reception. Instead of accolades, he faces a swift and brutal end, his superior ripping the page from his grasp and vanishing with it into the labyrinthine corridors of power.
He presents the paper to the one-eyed woman, declaring with unwavering certainty that Néro is the last descendant of the devil. He reassures her that no one else has laid eyes on that fateful page. Back in La Martine, Rochemort receives an unexpected visit from the consul, Corsini. Corsini's face is etched with displeasure, for he knows full well that Rochemort orchestrated Tancrede's demise to pave the way for his daughter's marriage to the prince of Segur.
He is acutely aware of Rochemort's ulterior motives—the coveted tin mines in Segur—and he vehemently disapproves. He suspects that Rochemort is eyeing his esteemed seat. Rochemort, on the other hand, believes the young prince will be a mere puppet, easily manipulated once he tightens his grip. Corsini, refusing to be swayed, denies his approval for the marriage and storms out in a fit of rage.
Meanwhile, Néro continues his usual routine, visiting the brothel without a care in the world. Little does he notice the one-eyed woman observing him from the shadows. Later, the woman pays a visit to Rochemort, her intentions shrouded in mystery.
The next morning, Néro bumps into his team before heading to work. Their faces are etched with worry, for Rochemort has announced plans to introduce someone new. The newcomer turns out to be none other than the one-eyed woman, who shocks everyone by volunteering to assassinate Corsini. The others protest vehemently, arguing that it's a suicide mission given Corsini's impenetrable fortress. Undeterred, the woman insists she can pull it off and selects Toussaint to be her accomplice.
As evening falls, news of Corsini's death spreads like wildfire through the streets. Néro rushes to Toussaint's place, eager to uncover the secrets behind their daring feat. He finds Toussaint bedridden and refusing to speak. With a trembling voice, Toussaint reveals that the woman performed some sort of ritual, and he woke up in Corsini's very room. He calls her a witch, his eyes filled with fear. As they talk, a tooth of Toussaint's suddenly falls out, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
At Corsini's funeral, Rochemort can barely contain his joy as he assumes the mantle of the new consul. His daughter, Hortense, however, struggles to muster even a faint smile, her heart heavy with grief. That night, Rochemort extends an invitation to Néro, asking him to join his family for dinner. As a token of appreciation, he even sends Néro a necklace.
Before the dinner, Hortense confronts Néro, demanding the truth about Tancrede's death. She taunts him, calling him her father's loyal dog and belittling his worth. Néro, seeking revenge, lies through his teeth, denying that her father ordered him to kill Tancrede. To get back at her, he coldly remarks on how her father is using her as a pawn in his grand scheme.
At the dinner table, Rochemort's temper flares when Hortense voices her discontent about marrying the prince. He lashes out, calling her out on her privilege and insisting that she obey his commands for once. He dismisses everyone from the room, leaving only Néro behind.
It is then that Rochemort reveals his dark secret: he had handed Néro over to the one-eyed woman as payment for Corsini's murder. As anticipated, Néro balks at being traded like a commodity, but the woman materializes suddenly. With a mere fold of her arm, the necklace around Néro's neck tightens, threatening to strangle him.
The next thing Néro knows, he awakens to find himself hanging upside down from a tree in a desolate field. The woman slits his arms and performs a mysterious ritual. She engages in a silent dialogue with unseen voices before finally releasing Néro from his precarious perch.
Suddenly, she demands to know the whereabouts of Néro's children, threatening Rochemort to comply and help locate them. It's no secret that Néro has a penchant for visiting the brothel, so that becomes their starting point for the investigation. They soon discover that Néro fathered a daughter with a sex worker named Callista. Tragically, Callista died during childbirth, and Néro, unable to care for the child, left her at an orphanage where she remained for fourteen years.
Back at the house, Toussaint sets Néro free and pleads with him to kill the witch. Néro wastes no time and heads straight to the orphanage in search of his daughter. However, the monk, Horace, is uncooperative. Skeptical of Néro's claims, he tricks Néro and locks him in a room.
Meanwhile, the witch arrives at the orphanage. When Horace attempts to engage her in playful banter, she swiftly knocks him unconscious. On the other side of the door, Néro manages to free himself and rushes to find his daughter. He helps her hide, but she remains wary and untrusting.
Later, Néro returns to Rochemort to negotiate. The witch demands to know the child's location. When she refuses to remove the cursed necklace from Néro's neck, he attacks and kills her in a fit of rage.
With the witch dead, Néro attempts to negotiate his freedom with Rochemort. He argues that they can put the betrayal behind them if it's never mentioned again. But Rochemort is not so easily swayed. He orders his men to attack, forcing Néro to leap through a window and plunge into the river below.
Néro spends the night hiding in the tunnels beneath the city. Meanwhile, Horace pieces together the reason behind the witch's pursuit of the child. He meets with a priest and confesses his inability to harm the girl. Instead, he devises a plan to take her to the archbishop, believing he can handle the situation. He schemes to trick Néro into safely escorting them to Segur.
The following morning, Horace seeks out Néro and offers him a substantial sum if they can deliver the child to the Archbishop. He assures Néro that the girl will be safe there. Initially reluctant, the girl relents when she learns that Néro is her father.
Alas, Rochemort seals off the city in a desperate bid to thwart Néro's escape. Néro, ever the cunning strategist, hatches a daring plan to commandeer Hortense's carriage, reasoning that no one would dare search it. The scheme unfolds seamlessly, like a well-orchestrated symphony, until fate intervenes in the form of Hortense herself. She is en route to Segur, her heart brimming with anticipation for her impending nuptials to the prince.
As she steps into the carriage, Néro, with lightning speed, seizes her and issues a stern warning to keep silent, his eyes blazing with determination. Miraculously, they navigate their way out of the city, evading all obstacles and scrutiny.
The episode draws to a close with a chilling twist: the witch, once thought vanquished, springs back to life with a vengeance. In a macabre display of power, she unleashes her fury upon the men who dared to desecrate her resting place, seeking to rape and plunder her lifeless form.
