While the faint sound of the Heavenly Demon’s low laughter echoed in my ears, I decided to break the heavy atmosphere.
“Before we fight, why don’t we at least introduce ourselves?”
I led by example.
“I’m Ashuban, the new master of this dagger. And you, our ugly little thieves?”
The two thieves glanced at each other, then bared their teeth in a grin.
“Would it matter if we told him, Senior Brother?”
“Indeed. He’ll be heading to the underworld before sunrise anyway.”
I’d heard there were assassins who liked to announce their names before killing a target.
Naturally, those were the ones giving the orders.
Revealing their names meant, You’ll never leave here alive.
It was a threat, a vow. It also showed absolute confidence in their own skill.
The long-haired man introduced himself.
“James.”
The one with underwear on his head followed.
“Jack.”
The names were so bland that I couldn’t help feeling disappointed.
“Why are your names so dull? You should take after Sushruta. Now that’s a name.”
James, the long-haired senior, shot me a sour look.
“Shut up.”
As I listened to them chatter, I picked up on a peculiar speech habit.
The long-haired senior liked to repeat “Indeed,” while the one with underwear on his head often ended sentences with “isn’t it?” or “don’t you think?”
Clap!
I smacked my hands together, drawing their attention, and declared with smug confidence:
“Excellent! I’ve uncovered everything about you. I’ve pierced right through your inner hearts like an arrow.”
“…What nonsense?”
“Did you think I was just idly chatting with you? No. It was all part of psychological warfare. You’re finished.”
They snorted.
“Ridiculous.”
“Go on then. Let’s hear it.”
I nodded brightly.
“Gladly. First, our long-haired senior, James. The way you keep repeating ‘indeed’ tells me you often think you aren’t right. So you repeat it like a spell, trying to convince yourself.”
Before he could answer, I pointed at Jack.
“And you. The underwear-head.”
“It’s not underwear.”
“Whatever. You’re a man with no confidence. That’s why you keep ending your sentences with things like ‘isn’t it?’ or ‘don’t you think?’ You’re always seeking validation because you don’t trust your own words.”
The two of them laughed a bit too loudly, like men stung where it hurt.
“Not true at all.”
“He talks nonsense out of fear. Isn’t that so?”
Yet their expressions betrayed the faintest flicker of unease.
Perfect. My opening strike had landed. Even if it wasn’t enough to win outright, it would make them hesitate when they attacked or defended.
[As if it would.]
There it was—agreement from the Heavenly Demon himself.
Then the two whispered like rats, shared a sly look, and turned back to me, smug.
Jack spoke first.
“Ashuban, your bluffing is an illness. How about being a little honest for once?”
James joined in.
“Stop resisting and hand over the dagger. Truthfully, your skills aren’t even fit to reach our toes. If you can’t stand against one of us, how will you face both?”
Jack added mockingly,
“Not all Aura users are equal. Our conclusion? You’re just Grade Ding, the very bottom.”
I tilted my head.
“And you?”
Jack replied proudly.
“My senior brother and I are Grade Bing. Far beyond your reach. Isn’t that so?”
James nodded.
“Indeed.”
So they had some kind of ranking system for Aura users.
“Pretty cold, dividing your own kind into grades like that.”
James sneered.
“I read Sushruta’s report. Cutting down a few worthless thugs and boasting about it?”
Apparently, their information was outdated. The Reaper Brothers and the flute-playing mage hadn’t been included.
Either their guild contact in Scarab hadn’t updated them, or Sushruta had deliberately withheld that part.
James twirled his hair with a smirk.
“I don’t even sense any mana from you. Are you really an Aura user?”
“Exactly. Seems Sushruta filed a false report. Isn’t that so?”
“Indeed. He claimed his deeds were done by this fool.”
They beat the drum and banged the gong themselves, nodding along as if it all made sense, then looked at me askew.
“Ashuban, of the Sherwood Mercenary Corps of Maia Kingdom. That’s you, correct?”
I nodded.
“That’s right.”
No reason to deny it. They already knew, and it wasn’t as if I’d committed some great crime.
“They say you carry a mercenary token to prove it. Silver rank. True?”
“True.”
The two burst out laughing openly.
I frowned.
“What’s so funny? Is Sherwood a joke to you?”
Jack smirked.
“We checked up on you before coming.”
“There are informants in the guild who know Maia well. We asked about your name. Do you know what they said?”
“How would I?”
“They said no one named Ashuban exists in the Sherwood Mercenary Corps.”
“…”
I fell silent, and they grew more gleeful.
“When we sent along your description, they looked baffled. Said they’d never heard of such a man.”
“We asked others as well. Same answer. No one in Sherwood knows of you.”
“Pretending to be one of them, eh?”
“Not that we can’t understand. You’re just trying to survive.”
“That’s what weaklings always do.”
Their laughter slithered into my ears like a snake.
‘…These bastards.’
The Sherwood Mercenary Corps was famous. I wasn’t, because I’d been ridiculously weak.
The others in the corps were all monsters. Next to them, I didn’t even register.
And even if someone did notice me, they’d scoff, There’s no way such a useless weakling belongs to Sherwood.
Every time I’d had to show my mercenary token in the past, I’d endured that same humiliation. But hearing it from these bastards boiled my blood all over again.
“Silver rank, was it? Can’t use Aura, can’t use Mana either.”
“Shall I deal with him, Senior Brother?”
“Hmm. Let’s give him the choice. Pick. Either way, you won’t escape death.”
I calmly pointed my finger at the long-haired senior.
“You. Senior Brother. You’re first.”
His face darkened.
I beckoned with my finger.
“Loudmouths. Enough chatter—come at me. Time to wake from your dream.”
The two pulled their hoods back over their heads and melted into the darkness.
Flick.
The campfire snuffed out, plunging everything into night.
I gripped my sword’s hilt and widened my eyes, scanning the darkness.
Already, ghostly wails buzzed in my ears.
—Heh heh heh.
—Ha ha ha.
Their sinister laughter echoed from every corner of the forest.
It was the same trick Sushruta had used when we first met.
I stayed perfectly still, waiting for them to make their move.
Then, something flashed before my eyes.
I instantly jerked my head back.
A small dagger, its blade catching the faint moonlight, swept past right in front of me.
“Indeed. Only if you can dodge that much does it feel worth fighting.”
James’s voice drifted from the shadows.
As soon as he finished, blades gleamed on both sides, moonlight flashing like a sudden downpour.
I sprinted, weaving through the rain of knives.
Swish, swish, swish!
Shafts of reflected light stabbed the ground in my wake.
But just as I slipped past them, another blade suddenly thrust toward me—so dark it was like sharpened shadow itself.
Though my eyes couldn’t catch it, the Heavenly Demon’s gift woven into my body refused to let such an attack slip by.
Even without spreading my aura, anything close enough brushed against my skin like a warning touch.
I tilted my head aside, dodged, then carefully studied the weapon.
It was a dagger—black from hilt to tip, like midnight itself.
Instead of reflecting moonlight, it seemed to swallow it. The blade was either forged from special metal or painted with some secret coating.
“Well now…”
I couldn’t help but admire it.
They’d dazzled my eyes with shining blades, only to hide this pitch-dark dagger in the shadows for a killing thrust.
These were no ordinary opponents.
Now I understood why Sushruta had warned me that fighting assassins was nothing like ordinary battle.
It wasn’t that I’d never been ambushed before—I had. But those attackers had been the silent sort.
These talkative, almost playful ones were far more terrifying, pulling such dirty tricks without hesitation.
When I dodged their prized strike, they let out surprised exclamations.
“Oh? He avoided it?”
“…Impressive.”
Even with my eyes fully adjusted to the dark, I could barely make out their forms.
So, I closed my eyes.
I let my aura flow outward and waited in silence.
Moments later, small daggers sliced toward me.
I didn’t need to know whether they gleamed or were painted black.
I drew my sword.
Clang-clang-clang!
Every flying dagger was deflected.
Then came the real storm—daggers from all directions, aimed at every part of my body.
They didn’t just throw blindly; every blade had a precise target—head, chest, arms, legs, joints, vital points.
A few of them carried infused Aura, their force heavier than the rest.
It was a dense, meticulous assault, unlike anything I’d faced when surrounded by lesser foes.
It felt like I was a fish trapped inside a net of needles tightening from every direction.
“Heh.”
A grin tugged at my lips.
This… this is fun.
A tingling thrill raced across my skin, down my spine.
“Fuuuh…”
I exhaled lightly, sharpening my senses even further.
The daggers didn’t touch me, yet I felt their sting as if brushing my skin.
And I swung.
Clang-clang-clang!
Under the moonlight, I danced my sword.
Each deflected weapon struck a note, forming a strange melody. The vibrations through my blade beat like drums in rhythm.
Hidden in the dark, they hurled weapon after weapon wrapped in shadow. But to me, eyes closed and seeing through aura, every strike was clear as day.
There was no way I could lose this fight.
The variety of hidden weapons was endless.
Poison mists—I avoided. Invisible needles—I parried. Throwing stars—I knocked aside.
It was as though I stood inside the flute mage’s barrier again.
Except my barrier would never break.
Unlike those ungrateful disciples who insulted their masters, I felt a surge of gratitude for mine. From the pit of my chest, it rose up and burst out of me in a shout.
“Honor and glory to my respected master!”
[I don’t need it, you bastard.]
Aw, come on. Why not?
(End of Chapter)