Thud.
The man’s corpse rolled across the floor.
“And he still tried to mix in a lie. What a natural-born liar.”
I stood up, flicking blood from myself.
Then I turned and spoke quietly to Kai’s siblings. “Sorry you had to witness that.”
“N-no, it’s not your fault. They were the ones who tried to start something!” Once again, the most clear-headed of Kai’s siblings cried out.
The girl’s voice trembled, but she was still doing her best not to show any hostility toward me. Judging by that alone, I thought she could probably make a living just by reading people’s moods.
“Thank you for saying so.” I patted her on the head, then shot a glance at Lancelot.
Lancelot slung his spear over the shoulder and came over, grumbling. “Is it over?”
“Yes. Looks like an Assassins’ Guild decided to make a move.”
“An Assassins’ Guild? Do they think they’ve got lives to spare? Who in their right mind would mess with House Praha’s son-in-law up north?”
Lancelot’s face was a masterwork of disbelief.
And really, who could blame him?
No matter how notorious I was for being a troublemaker, I was still the legitimate heir of Berg… and yet someone actually took a contract on me.
It certainly wasn’t a job for anyone with an ordinary heart.
Unless… maybe they were paid a truly absurd amount.
Suppressing a snort, I shrugged.
Lancelot let out a faint sigh before speaking again. “So, what now? Should we go storm their hideout right this minute?”
“No, that’s not an option.”
“What? Since when did you become so magnanimous?”
“It’s not that I’m magnanimous. It’s just that, for now, it’s best not to touch them.”
“And why’s that?”
“Why else? The ones behind them are bound to be from Praha.”
I casually tossed my bloodstained handkerchief to the floor.
When Kai moved to pick it up, I blocked his path.
“I’ll buy a new one,” I said, stopping him.
Lancelot groaned quietly before speaking up again.
“…So it’s the Elder Council.”
“Mm. I’m surprised your brain’s still ticking.”
“Argh! Can we drop the jokes for once?” Lancelot snapped.
Scratching at his head like a bothered dog, he continued speaking.
“Ha… That means it’ll be hard for us to handle this alone. If we go in, there’ll be high-tier assassins waiting for us. Maybe even a supreme-tier assassin. If we just stroll in, we’ll probably end up as dog food before anyone can say ‘fetch.’”
“Didn’t you just suggest we storm the place ourselves a minute ago?”
“That was only because you're the heir of Berg! I figured if we went in and didn’t come back out, the whole town would be gossiping about a murder, so surely they wouldn’t actually kill us!
But now, with the Elder Council involved, they’re bound to just hush it all up somehow!”
Huh… He’d really been thinking all this time?
I eyed Lancelot with a new sense of respect.
“…What’s with that annoying look?” Lancelot seemed to feel the meaning behind my gaze and shot me a sour look.
“Oh, nothing. Just feels like I’ve seen the local stray mutt start talking.”
“…That’s one crappy way to put it.”
Lancelot let out a faint sigh and asked, “So, what now? Charging into the Assassins’ Guild is out, but we can’t just leave these kids behind—the enemy already knows we’re together. Or…”
Lancelot’s eyes flicked toward the children, and he fell silent.
He probably wanted to question whether I planned to use them as bait to buy us some time.
I lifted my hand and gave Lancelot’s shoulder a couple of light pats. “Don’t worry. No matter how much of a scoundrel I am, I’m not about to stoop that low.”
“…Haah. Then what are you planning? You’ll have to tell me something so I can play along.”
“What am I going to do, huh…”
I trailed off, turning to look at Kai.
Originally, my plan had been to take Kai with me and prepare for any would-be attackers lying in wait.
After all, most assassins—at least up to the mid-tier—couldn’t muster up so much as a whiff of Aura. Their only real talents were hiding and blending into the scenery.
But tricks like that would never slip past Kai’s senses, so I hadn’t been worried.
High-tier assassins, however, were a different kettle of poisoned fish.
Those were the ones who could wield Aura, the sort who’d sparked major incidents across the continent.
No matter how promising Kai was, he hadn’t learned a single technique yet. There was no way he could handle a pack of those higher-ups all on his own.
Tch. I really didn’t expect the big shots to show up.
I clicked my tongue inwardly and sank into thought.
Why a high-tier assassin would bother turning up in person was a puzzle for another time.
At present, the only thing worth pondering was what to do next.
“First, I’ll send the children to my House. I can write my father a letter and send them along with it.”
“…Will that really be all right?” Lancelot asked.
“We’ve got more than enough money, so it shouldn’t be a problem. Besides, they’ll be traveling with a merchant caravan that moves with mercenary companies.”
I’d already picked out the caravan in advance.
It was a large merchant group that hired entire mercenary bands, so the odds of anyone getting ambushed were comfortably low.
I turned to Kai. “There’s no need to worry about your siblings. Once they reach the family, they’ll be hired on as attendants. And while it’s just a commoners’ school, I’ll see to it they get an education, too.”
“Thank you, Young Master.” Kai nodded.
His face was still full of worry, but the fact that he didn’t show it out loud seemed to say he trusted me completely.
I can see who that little girl takes after.
I thought of the sharp, no-nonsense girl among Kai’s siblings while reaching out to ruffle Kai’s hair.
* * *
After sending all the children off to Berg County, I returned to the inn.
I’d sent a letter promising to visit later, so my father would handle everything else from here.
In other words, I could finally stop worrying about the children and focus on what I needed to do.
After a short while, Lancelot asked in utter bafflement, “Weren’t we supposed to head straight back to the Praha estate?”
“Mm? Since we’re already out, shouldn’t we take care of everything we can before heading back?”
“No, no, if we keep this up, we’re bound to get ambushed again!” Lancelot yelled.
He was probably wondering why, now that the whole matter with the children was resolved, I was still loitering about.
“It’s not too late. If we hurry to the nearest post station, there should still be some horses left—we can have a carriage ready in no time!”
Lancelot spun on his heel, ready to bolt out the door.
I stopped him with a faint sigh. “One of your flaws, dear knight, is that you worry too much. Set those pointless anxieties aside and come over here to give me a hand.”
“I’ve been meaning to ask… but what exactly is that?”
“It’s a weapon called ‘Silver Thread.’ Mostly used for setting traps, you see.” I gave the metal wire in my hand a little shake as I spoke.
At the moment, I was busy installing traps inside our lodgings.
Thank goodness I learned this from Master.
There are two ways to hunt: tracking, and trapping.
My mentor, the Divine Archer, always said that an archer who can’t guide or hunt isn’t really an archer at all.
What was it he used to say?
Something about how archers these days just don’t cut the mustard.
Honestly, I’ve never met an old man so committed to being an old man.
Anyway…
What I was doing now was one of the hunting arts—trap-making—and there was a perfectly sensible reason an archer ought to learn it.
Arrows aren’t infinite, after all.
If you use up an arrow every time you go after a wild animal, you’ll be fresh out when you actually need one.
Of course, once you reach the level of Aura Master, you can conjure arrows out of pure Aura, but let’s face it—anyone who can do that isn’t likely to be out in the bushes hunting for supper.
The things I did to master this…
I let out a sigh, reminiscing about my past indignities.
In any case, I glanced up, surveying the traps I’d set around the room.
The assassins were sure to come back for me.
To be precise, the high-tier assassin—having heard that his underlings had met an untimely end—would surely come himself.
Of course, if we scurried back to the Praha residence, the assassins wouldn’t be able to sneak in for a little while. But that would last, oh, a day or two at best.
Sooner or later, assassins with the High Elder’s blessing would be dropping by my room as if they were invited guests.
I need to take out as many as I can here. At the very least, I have to make sure they think twice before barging in.
My eyes gleamed sharply as I tightened my grip on the silver wire.
Granted, no matter how many I killed here, if the High Elder gave the go-ahead, the assassins would just keep coming regardless. Still, I could at least deal a blow to the Assassins’ Guild.
After all, a high-tier assassin was one of the top agents even among their lot.
If I managed to kill him, things would likely quiet down for a while.
And in the meantime, I can get stronger.
As I continued to shoot daggers from my eyes, Lancelot shook his head and let out a sigh.
“Ha… I swear, I’m putting in for a transfer when we get back. Immediately.”
“I’ll be waiting. Now, enough grumbling—lend me a hand, will you?”
“…Bloody hell.” Lancelot muttered a curse under his breath, then seized the silver wire, following my example.
Thus began the hunt for assassins.
* * *
That night, shadows began to move beyond the inn’s window.
Swish. Swish.
The one leading the pack flashed a chilling glint in his eyes and gestured with a flick of his hand.
“We’re going in.”
“Yes, sir.”
Creeeak. The door opened, revealing the inside of the inn room.
There, a young man lay sleeping peacefully.
“Confirm.”
At the leader’s signal, the shadow behind him nodded.
“Confirmed. Target is Louis Berg.”
“Tsk. Looks like I’ll be spending my days on the run for a while.” The lead shadow muttered under his breath.
Even for a high-tier assassin, facing the Spear of Berg himself was an impossible task. Only a supreme-tier assassin or a Thief Master might stand a chance.
…Goddamn Guildmaster.
The high-tier assassin, grumbling curses at the higher-ups who’d assigned him this delightful job, checked his equipment.
He wanted nothing more than to run, but if he turned tail now, he’d spend the rest of his days being chased by assassins.
He had no choice in the matter.
And all the freelancers I hired have already kicked the bucket, too.
The high-tier assassin steadied his breath, his nostrils flaring with rage, and shot a look at the assassins behind him.
“Equipment’s all good.”
“Do we go in right away?”
“Yes. You lot block off the area and deal with anyone connected to the target. I’ll kill him myself.”
“Understood.”
The moment the high-tier assassin gave the order, the others scattered, slipping into the inn’s shadows, and he followed them inside.
But at that moment—
“AAAAAAGH!”
“MY AAAAARM!”
Screams erupted throughout the inn.
The high-tier assassin scowled, whipping his head around to glare at his hapless colleagues.
Why bother with all this sneaking if they were going to wake the target with a chorus of agony?
He was about to order them to silence the target before things got any louder when—
“…Eh?”
The high-tier assassin stared, slack-jawed, at the infernal scenery before him.
Every assassin who’d snuck in with him was now rolling on the floor, most clutching some part of their anatomy and groaning.
“What the…?”
“Surprised, are you?”
Just as the high-tier assassin instinctively began to edge backward, a deep voice rumbled behind him.
Startled, he swung his dagger in a wild arc.
Clang!
His blade struck another dagger, the sound ringing out sharp and bright.
Trying to calm his racing heart, the high-tier assassin eyed the youth before him. “You… Weren’t you supposed to be asleep?”
“What sort of noble falls asleep after inviting guests?”
Louis flashed a sly grin and whispered to the boy standing before him. “Would you mind showing our guests some hospitality?”
The boy who had blocked the assassin’s dagger gripped his own blade and nodded. “Yes, Young Master.”
The boy lunged at him, dagger clenched tight in his fist.
The high-tier assassin ground his teeth and swung his own blade.
Watching this, Louis’s lips curled into a smirk as he spoke. “Do enjoy it. This party is for you—and you alone, my friends.”