Episode 13. The Winner’s Privilege (1)
The winner of the ‘First Pick’ was Rubin Roinen.
Rubin’s triumph went beyond simply meeting the requirements for victory.
They succeeded in everything from fooling the observers stationed in the city to fooling the heads of the imperial commissions and the heads of the families.
“Are you okay, little one? Where are your parents?”
Oh, I guess I should move first.
Rubin smiled at the florist and nodded, then ran into the crowd that filled the alley.
“Rubin!”
When they arrived at a nearby park, Kun, who was chasing them, shouted. Hamil arrived after them.
Kuhn and Hamil’s gaze was fixed on the red sign Rubin was holding.
‘I guess I get to see these kinds of faces because I won.’
One kid who is just jealous. And one kid who is just maddeningly humiliated.
Before his return, Rubin was in exactly the same situation. His honor as a descendant of his family was trampled upon, and he had to watch Kun win with a sense of humiliation and inferiority.
“I was better than you! I was much better!”
Kun shouted as if he was being treated unfairly. Now, the situation was completely opposite to before the regression.
“If that were true, you would have been the winner.”
“You just kept running away!”
Rubin approached Kuhn, remembering to lower his voice so that the observers wouldn’t hear.
“Remember well, Kun. You didn’t land a single successful attack on me today.”
“That, that!”
“I would have beaten you in any other test. It would have been the same in a fight or a sword fight. The reason I didn’t beat you today is because that wasn’t the condition for winning the test.”
He added:
“There are many people I have to beat besides you. Today is just the beginning.”
“What are you two talking about now… … .”
Hamil, unaware of what was happening between Rubin and Kun, interrupted the conversation just in time, as a carriage carrying the survivors of the test pulled into the park.
Citizens couldn’t take their eyes off the carriage that was larger and more splendid than the carriage that was used by Mayor Trumbell.
“Please take a ride.”
The door opened inside the carriage, and the guide from the imperial office gestured. Once the three people got into the carriage, he started the horse.
On the way to the destination. The carriage was silent for a long time.
Rubin observed the other two. Kuhn was still fussing, and Hamill was surprisingly calm.
Then a sound breaks the silence.
Tick, tick, tick!
Were the ghost rats still there?
“Oh, that’s right.”
Hamilton took the last ghost rat out of his pocket. It wasn’t the one chasing Rubin and Kun, but the one chasing another contestant.
“Hmm, this ghost rat seems to be the one chasing the contestant from the Reincroki family.”
The guide said.
Where they are going now, there will be children from other families who were eliminated earlier gathered. As they get closer to that place, the ghost rat reacts.
“That Ghost Rat. Good move, Hamil.”
“Thank you, Master Rubin.”
“I almost lost the victory because of your ghost rat.”
It was true. In the same test before the regression, Rubin did not deal with Hamil. That means everything with Hamil was a surprise.
Hamil thought Rubin’s words were nothing more than condescension. Rubin was clearly fast and strong. He was no match for Hamil himself, let alone Kun.
But it definitely didn’t feel like I was giving it my all.
‘Why don’t you show all your abilities?’
I couldn’t even guess Rubin’s intentions. A corner of my heart was filled with respect, but I didn’t want to just surrender. She was also the daughter of a promising assassin.
“You could say it’s a debt repaid. A debt for the puzzle clues.”
At that moment, Kun, who had been grumbling, suddenly acted harshly.
“Hey, give me that.”
Kun snatched the ghost rat from Hamil and held it tightly in one hand.
“You f*cking rat!”
That was the end of the ghost rat’s life.
To those who aren’t tracking it, the Ghost Rat is just a rat. The insides and eyeballs of what had just been a Ghost Rat were emptied out.
“Hey! What are you doing? Are you venting your anger?”
Hamilton shouted. The guide looked embarrassed at the unexpected situation.
Kun opened the carriage door, extended his hand, and brushed away the remains of the dead ghost rat.
“The little mouse is squeaking so loudly!”
Kun glared at Rubin, emphasizing the word ‘mouse’.
I see what you mean.
How arrogant was that Kun who had won the first selection before the regression? Rubin could only laugh as the angry expression from that moment overlapped his face at that time.
‘You little bastard.’
After the commotion died down, Hamil asked the royal guide.
“Where are we going?”
“I’m going to Grand Bird.”
“And where are you going?”
The guide smiled brightly as if he was proud of the three children and answered.
“You passed the test, so you deserve a reward.”
* * *
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Half day.
Although he had only been out of the mansion for a short while, it was enough time for his perception of Rubin to change.
Whatever the process, Rubin was the winner of the ‘first selection’ that his two predecessors failed to achieve.
Siren had been noted as a genius since childhood, but her sons were not. Even within the Roinen family, not a single person had expected Rubin to win, so the news had a huge impact.
That is why, despite the short preparation time, the banquet held in the Asleum Hall was particularly grand.
“Relax and eat as much as you want today.”
There was a word from the Roinen family, but the participants were unable to enjoy the long-awaited dinner opportunity.
The tension that continues even after the exam is over.
It was because of the reward that would be given after dinner.
Because of this reward, the name of the first test of the Assassination Sword Master was none other than ‘1st Selection’.
Every year, when the ‘First Selection’ took place, the host family opened their warehouse.
Every assassin swordsman would obtain the treasures of the assassination target whenever they completed a mission, and the variety and quantity of these were enormous.
So, any assassin’s sword would have a warehouse stocked with various rare and deadly treasures that even the kings of a country would covet.
The ‘First Selection’ was ultimately a test to gain the right to choose one treasure from the host family’s vault.
The test scores will determine the order of entry into the warehouse. So the first person to enter the warehouse will get to pick up a better treasure.
“What the heck! The dagger of the Kergiti family, the robe of the Sekhnial family, the gloves of the Finiti royal family… All the missing treasures are here.”
Before opening the warehouse, the host family announced to the participants a list of treasures. This was the admiration of those who saw it.
The twilight hall then begins to stir.
“As expected, the warehouse at my parents’ house is on a different level.”
“This year, the greatest treasures of all time will come out into the world.”
This year’s hosting family is none other than the Roinen family.
As expected from the main family’s warehouse that holds all of the history of the Assassin’s Sword, the ten core items selected were on a different level. From the perspective of other families, even if they had missed the opportunity to seize Rubin’s hand, the order was practically irrelevant.
No matter what treasure they choose today, participants will be granted a legendary piece of equipment that will accompany them on their missions for a lifetime.
“Master Rubin, what will you choose?”
Hamil, who was eating chicken, asked a question, but Rubin did not take his eyes off the list of things to note. Rubin looked as if he was deeply troubled.
The heads of other families who pretended not to notice were also curious.
‘What weapon will that guy choose?’
‘I wish you hadn’t chosen that.’
Then Siren stood up and said.
“Okay, it looks like everyone’s finished eating. Let’s move to another seat.”
Siren guided the participants to the warehouse, which was located deep in the basement of the Roinen mansion.
There were no special traps or defensive measures. Instead, it detected the presence of darkness in those entering and exiting. It was a place designed so that no one could enter or leave without a certain level of darkness.
The reason the children stood right behind each household was because they could not enter the warehouse without their household leader.
“Father, what would happen if I set foot here without permission?”
When one child asked in a whisper, the father quickly covered the child’s mouth. Rubin knew the answer.
‘Your entire body will be torn to shreds, and you will not even be able to recognize your shape.’
thud.
The doors to the huge warehouse are closed. Now, all you have to do is pass through the dark passageway ahead of you to choose the weapon of your dreams.
As everyone held their breath in tension and anticipation, Siren announced the winner.
“Rubin Roinen.”
The voice was too cold to call his son’s name. He pointed to the dark passageway and spoke.
“You are first. Go in.”
Rubin stepped into the hallway, carrying a plump sack in one hand to hold his treasure.
The next moment, Rubin’s figure disappeared from sight before the eyes of all who were watching.
Stillness and tranquility, silence.
And pitch black darkness.
Rubin thought as he took each step forward.
‘So, where are you?’
* * *
It’s already past midnight.
From the first contestant to the last, it took about three hours for everyone to come out of the warehouse.
The participants placed the bags they had each brought in in front of them.
Unless the hilt was spread out and made public, even the heads of the clans could not confirm which weapon their children had chosen.
“It seems like all the kids have ruled out any large weapons.”
“Even if you bring those things, you won’t be able to use them.”
The owners spoke one by one as they looked at the children lined up across from the warehouse entrance.
“By the way, is there a treasure in the sack of the main house master?”
Stone whispered to Bondog next to him. The other heads of the household were also wondering the same thing.
Rubin’s sack, which he entered first as the winner, was thin. It seemed as if there was nothing in it.
Someone threw out a wild guess.
“It could be a very small treasure.”
“For example?”
“Why, there’s something like that. It’s that round, pointy dark weapon that the assassins of the far East use.”
“Oh, you mean the commendation? Well, it wasn’t on the list.”
“You can still choose it even if it’s not on the list. It’ll probably be of lower quality than the ones on the list though.”
The question was, is there really a reason to do that?
At those words, Kun turned his head slightly and looked at Rubin’s handle. Even when viewed from right next to him, Rubin’s handle showed no outline at all.
On the other hand, the handle of Kun’s sword had a small outline of a dagger. Kun had already discussed with the Croquison family what to bring.
‘Listen carefully, Kun. It is a dagger with a green glow. It is the dagger of Kergit.’
Kun smiled as he recalled his father’s face, which had been constantly emphasized.
The ‘Kergiti Dagger’ was a treasure of a family that was destroyed about 200 years ago. This family was famous for creating poisons that had no antidote.
This dagger was a deadly weapon, forged with that very poison for ten years. It was also a legendary weapon desired by all assassin swordsmen.
So when he missed the championship, Kuhn was disappointed. It was obvious that Rubin would choose it. That was why he even thought of a second option: choosing ‘Secnial’s Robe’ instead.
But when Kun entered, his second option was useless, for Gergit’s dagger, which Rubin had expected to seize, was still there.
Kun gritted his teeth and studied Rubin’s expression.
‘What on earth did you choose, Rubin?’
Another person who wondered about Rubin’s choice was Seiren Roinen.
She too expected her son to choose the Kerghiti Dagger, the Seknial Robe, or at least the Finiti Gloves.
But judging from the outline of the sack, they were already occupied by the Croquison, Cunitli, and Reincroqui families respectively.
In the end, I had no choice but to go through the public process and confirm it myself.
“Let everyone reveal what they have chosen.”
The children took their treasures out of the sack.
There were no exceptions to the other eight choices, except for Rubin. They were all chosen from the ten special items that had been announced in advance.
The faces of the heads of the households who saw it showed mixed emotions, but since it was something everyone had expected, there was no real uproar.
And lastly.
“Rubin, reveal your treasure now.”
Siren urged. Rubin had nothing in his hands. The other heads of the household also looked at Rubin with curious faces.
“Rubin?”
Siren’s second urging.
Rubin responded calmly.
“My lord, it is in my hand.”
“What?”
No one noticed. A murmur spread among the householders. How small and insignificant could it be?
Kun, who was right next to him, looked at Rubin’s palm. At first, he couldn’t tell the difference. It was too small and the shape was unusual.
It’s neither a medal nor a dagger.
If so then what the heck… … .
At that moment, Kun shouted loudly.
“What is that? It’s a piece of a broken sword blade.”
