Episode 15. The Winner’s Privilege (3)
‘Haneke, do you know who ordered your death?’
In response to Rubin’s question, Haneke stroked his beard. His hand was filled with bitterness.
-There are only a few people in this world who can move the secret and dangerous assassination sword.
Then he fell to the floor with a thud.
-Besides, if there’s anyone who can move your mother, who stands at the top of all assassins, then there must be only one person, right?
Rubin nodded.
‘That’s right, Emperor Telmach.’
-Yeah. I know that too. And why you killed me.
Haneke was calm. Rather than being angry at the fact that he had been purged by the emperor, he accepted it.
‘Why?’
– It was the Emperor’s last order. To wipe out the troublesome northern barbarians. As always, I did it without complaint. However… there were too many children.
‘Of course the Emperor would have ordered them all to be killed without exception.’
That is the way of Emperor Telmach.
The Emperor did not want to leave any regrets. If possible, he would even eliminate the word and concept of ‘hope’ from this world.
-Still, I have no regrets. Even if I were to regress like you, I would make the same choice. But… what about you?
Haneke looked at Rubin blankly.
-What are you so anxious about? You always seem restless, as if you’re being chased by someone. Oh, by the way, I haven’t asked yet… How did you end up dying?
When there was no answer, Haneke coughed.
-Yeah. Anyway, since you’ve returned to the past, this time you can change the future as you wish.
‘… … .’
Haneke was right.
After the return, Rubin’s life was already moving along a different trajectory than before. Perhaps this time, he could escape the Emperor’s blade and survive.
But just surviving wasn’t Rubin’s goal. He wanted more than that.
‘I will kill the former emperor.’
At Rubin’s declaration, Haneke’s eyes wavered. Killing the emperor? It was something he had never heard spoken aloud in his entire life.
Haneke shook his head.
-That’s impossible. You know that. With just one word from him, the map… no, the history of the continent would change. How could you kill such a being by yourself?
As expected, the answer ‘it’s impossible’ comes before the question ‘why’. That must mean the emperor is somewhere far away.
Rubin looked straight into Haneke’s eyes and said:
‘I’m going to kill you. That’s why I need your swordsmanship. And… … .’
One more thing.
‘You will need me too.’
Haneke had a look of disgust on his face, as if he was hearing such nonsense.
-You’ve been saying strange things since a while ago. Like the Brion family’s swordsmanship will be lost, and that I need you. What on earth are you talking about? The things you’re worried about won’t happen, so don’t worry about them.
‘What if everything you believed was a lie?’
-What is this lie? I don’t understand. I have a grandson who ‘pledged loyalty’ to the Emperor. He still lives in the Imperial Capital. With the Brion Family Swordsmanship Book that has been passed down through generations.
So, Haneke believed in the empty oath of loyalty. He believed that since he had sworn, he would not kill his grandson.
But Rubin knows the Emperor’s true identity. The Emperor leaves behind the seeds of revenge? That is absolutely impossible.
‘You know that Telmah is the one who tramples even the women and children of foreigners. Do you think your grandson is alive?’
Despite Rubin’s suspicions, Haneke did not seem to accept them at all.
-Rubin. I have already accepted my death. I understand the Emperor’s decision to purge me, so I don’t feel resentful. I have no regrets about my past life, and I am not dissatisfied with my current situation. I am just, this phenomenon where only my soul remains. And I am a little interested in your existence. That’s all.
‘… … .’
-I understand your circumstances, but that is your story that you must resolve yourself. My story is already over. And I am not one to retell a story that has already ended.
‘You don’t believe me.’
-That’s nonsense.
The old man’s stubbornness was like an impregnable fortress. Rubin slammed his wooden sword into the ground. Whirling, the wooden sword shook with the recoil.
Okay. Well then, there’s nothing we can do about it.
If you don’t believe me, I have no choice but to show you.
* * *
The sound of light footsteps on the ground resonates.
The fog was so thick that it was hard to see even an inch in front of you. Walking through it was Siren’s long-time hobby.
To a stranger, it was a poisonous fog that would destroy the mind, but to a siren who had taken darkness to the extreme, it was the opposite. As she wandered around as if she was wandering through the fog, her mind actually became clearer.
“Damon. You can come with me.”
As the fog cleared, her immediate vassal came into view.
Damon, who went directly to the Siren. He was one of the few people whom Siren trusted.
Damon was practically the butler of the Roinen family. He was a vassal who knew exactly what Seiren wanted and carried out all the work. His abilities were beyond the reach of even the heads of the collateral branches.
For this reason, Damon was the only vassal who did not receive any missions from the Imperial Council.
“Your Majesty, the reply has arrived from the royal decree.”
“It’s faster than I thought. Are you going to accept it?”
“Yes. The Imperial Order has accepted Lord Rubin’s request to tour the ‘Tower of Light and Rebellion’.”
It’s been a week since the ‘first selection’.
The winner of this test would be awarded the prize of being the first to enter the host family’s warehouse, but that wasn’t the end of it.
There was another reward that came from the Imperial Decree, not from the Assassin’s Creed.
The details of the compensation are subtle.
‘I will grant you whatever you wish, as long as the Emperor permits.’
You may receive treasure, you may receive servants, you may receive fiefdoms, and of course, more.
But few knew that behind this sweet reward was a dangerous bait. This was a kind of loyalty test.
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“Since you said you would like to tour the Tower of Light and Rebellion, this is a satisfactory answer for the Imperial Edict.”
It was entirely Rubin’s decision.
That was ultimately what Gaju thought.
“Perhaps Lord Rubin may have seen through the imperial edict’s intentions.”
Even in Damon’s eyes, Rubin was a unique young master. Not only was his mind unreadable, but his talents were so deep that it was impossible to predict the limits of his abilities.
Not only did he win the ‘1st Choice’ purely by brute force, but the reward he chose was a piece of the broken sword blade of a dead Imperial General.
This time, he requested a ‘tour’ as a reward for the imperial edict.
“The Imperial Order has decided to send Grandbird itself, in an unusual move, to assist you on your journey to the Tower of Light and Rebellion.”
“For whatever reason, I cannot tolerate the shadow of Grandbird falling over my mansion. Send him away in a carriage after attaching a trustworthy vassal to him.”
“It’s not yet time for you to leave home. Would you mind if I allowed you to go out? And… wouldn’t it be dangerous?”
“Danger? Ah.”
The ‘danger’ that Damon was referring to was the unfortunate incident that had recently occurred within the Assassin’s Creed.
“Haven’t you dealt with it yet?”
“The slaughter party is following us, so we will hear from you soon. However, for now, it may overlap with Master Rubin’s journey… … .”
“If it were me, I wouldn’t worry about that.”
What does that mean? Damon took a moment to understand the intent of those words.
The target that the assassination squad was currently pursuing was by no means an easy target.
The group called the Assassination Group is an independent organization that only acts to resolve internal issues within the Assassination Group. The fact that they were dispatched meant that the problem was not trivial.
Is it because of trust in the assassination squad? Or is it because of the belief that Rubin will be fine even if he encounters the target?
Damon decided not to ask any more questions.
Sssss.
The direct vassal bowed his head in silence. Then, to convey the will of the lord to the imperial edict, he disappeared into the fog again.
* * *
– Heh heh, a carriage trip. That’s good news. I was starting to get sick of this prison-like mansion.
‘Well, I thought you were going to ride the Grandbird.’
Rubin was notified the day before departure to take a carriage to the Tower of Light and Rebellion.
I expected that the request I made to the imperial edict would be accepted without a problem, but the journey by carriage was unexpected. While it would have been a distance that could be reached in a day by Grandbird, it took five days by carriage.
If you were the winner of the first selection, you would be eligible to request the Grandbird.
‘It’s going to take longer than expected. We’ll be stuck in the carriage for at least five days.’
-That’s really sad news. You must be bored.
‘There is one way to relieve boredom.’
-Huh? What is that?
‘This is Brion swordsmanship training. It’s a comfortable environment where no one will disturb you.’
Haneke clicked his tongue at Rubin’s passionate and devoted approach to the Brion swordsmanship, saying, “I guess so.”
It’s been two weeks since I reunited with Haneke.
During that time, Rubin was locked in the library of the Roinen house. He spent his days just reading books with books piled on one side.
If you call it reading, it’s not a book on forensics or magic, it’s just a history book with no nutritional value.
However, at that sight, the retainers and maids of the main house were finally able to accept the fact that Rubin had won the first round of selection with ‘only her head’.
However, no one in the family knew that Rubin, who was guarding the desk, was actually sweating profusely and practicing swordsmanship.
The Roinenga library is a space completely isolated from the outside world. The quiet atmosphere of the library makes it the perfect environment for Haneke to practice in his inner world.
Rubin had been so focused on the Brion Sword that the past two weeks felt short. Thanks to that, he was able to reach Brion Sword Style 2.
If a disciple reaches the second level in two weeks, it is like discovering a diamond in the rough.
But rather than teaching this coveted talent as much as he wanted, Haneke decided to temper his own greed.
Rather, after entering the second form of the swordsmanship, the progress was slower than before.
-Let’s end it here.
-That’s it for today.
-Don’t rush too much.
-This should be enough for today.
In this way, the flow was interrupted every time.
‘All right.’
At first, Rubin wanted to hold on to Haneke and continue his training, but now he has quietly stepped down.
Instead, he repeated the Brion sword technique alone in front of Haneke. With Haneke sitting leisurely in front of him, Rubin continued his training on his own, imagining an imaginary enemy.
Every time he watched Rubin with such persistence, Haneke had a hard time hiding the strangeness that was about to burst out of his eyes.
-By the way, didn’t you say that Roinen was a candidate for succession? Isn’t this a bit too lax in terms of protection?
Rubin, who was repeating Brion Sword Technique 2 for the 60th time while holding a wooden sword, stopped moving and looked at Haneke.
And soon I understood what Haneke meant.
There was only Rubin in the carriage, along with a coachman and two retainers riding horses in front and behind the carriage.
As Haneke said, it was too shabby an escort for the Roynenga family.
In other powerful and prestigious families that operated their own armies, it was common to mobilize dozens of knights who could handle Aurors, as well as trusted wizards, to protect their children.
Despite Haneke’s concerns, Rubin remained calm.
‘I am not the heir of the Roinen family right now.’
-Are you saying that it’s a fake identity?
‘A fake identity is a basic requirement for the external activities of the Assassin’s Sword. Before I set off, my immediate vassal told me about my role. He said that I was born a commoner and the insane son of a wealthy leather merchant. He also said that I suffered from aphasia.’
The setup is a bit excessive, but it was a reasonable measure. It was to restrict Rubin’s actions in order to prevent any possible mistakes.
Even though he had shown great potential, Rubin had not yet even left home, let alone been on his first mission. He was only nine years old.
No matter how outstanding your talent is, if you don’t have the qualifications, you won’t be given a chance. This was the principle of the Assassination Sword School.
Instead, the two retainers in front and behind the carriage will take care of everything.
The two vassals not only played their assigned roles well, but were also willing to risk their lives to protect Rubin.
‘Those two are the vassals that my mother personally assigned. They are probably the best among the vassals of the Roinen family. Killing me by getting through those two people would be like taking down a fortress.’
Although it wasn’t specifically mentioned, there shouldn’t be any problem with safety at night. We decided to take responsibility for Rubin’s lodging in the ‘camouflage annex’ that was placed in each city we passed.
-A separate building for the stomach?
‘There is something like that. I think the General will like it too.’
-It sounds a bit ambiguous when you say it like that.
Typically, assassins do not know which city their colleagues are in and what roles they are performing on their missions.
That means, when you need support such as supplies or accommodation during a mission, you have to take care of it yourself. The camouflage annex exists for this purpose.
The annex buildings are spread all over the continent, and only the Assassin’s bloodline knows their locations. Only assassins who have left home on a mission, or those who have been given a special mission within the family, are allowed to use them.
Of course, Rubin was not included.
However, Rubin’s ability to use the annex was a kind of special privilege. A privilege that only the heir of the assassination swordsman Roinen could enjoy.
‘Haneke, the existence of the Assassin’s Blade itself is a secret. Even within the imperial family, only the Emperor and the Imperial Decree know of our existence.’
-Is that all? There’s probably more.
‘Who else is there?’
-The dead, I mean. Those who fought against you and died like me. They too may know the Assassin’s Sword. If they still have souls like me.
Rubin chuckled at Haneke’s joke. But deep down, he thought it might not be impossible.
Rubin picked up his wooden sword again and used Brion’s second form of swordsmanship again. This was the 61st time today.
Haneke watched the scene silently.
On the surface, it looked exactly like a copy of Haneke’s work, but to Haneke’s eyes, it looked different. The level of precision and clarity in every movement was reaching its utmost extreme.
Haneke thought to himself.
‘If this guy had been born in Brionga… … .’
I quickly erased that thought, thinking it was truly pointless.
When Rubin was locked in the carriage and repeated the Brion Sword Form 2 for the 500th time, the group arrived at the first intermediate point, Sandniak Castle, and spent their first night safely.
The next day, the journey began again, and the second night was spent in the camouflage wing of the Donerbov Castle, the second intermediate point.
At this time, Rubin had repeated the second form of swordsmanship for the thousandth time.
And the third night.
The city we arrived at this time was Volgograd Castle.
This time too, Rubin’s carriage passed through the gate without a hitch in disguise.
“The annex where we will spend the night is the cartographer’s house.”
One of the men spoke to Rubin, who was in the carriage.
“… … .”
Rubin didn’t answer, since the role he was given was that of a child with aphasia. Instead, he made a slight scratching sound inside the carriage.
‘Why are you telling me in advance today? It’s different from yesterday and the day before.’
The vassals did not answer. Rubin realized that there was something strange in the air.
After a while, when getting off the carriage.
Rubin sensed a tension from his two escorts that he had never felt before.
And soon I found out why.
