Episode 16. The Tower of Light and Rebellion (1)
“You are truly gracious in offering me a room. Thank you very much.”
“No problem.”
When Rubin’s escort expressed his gratitude, the cartographer residing in Bolgorton Castle responded kindly.
Rubin was eavesdropping on the conversation between the two men inside the carriage.
It was all an act.
Everything from conversation to body language.
Even if there are only members of the Assassin’s Sword in this place, the acting must not stop. Even if there is no audience, the role of the Assassins continues.
“I’ve always waited for the day when I could help others.”
The rich and kind voice sounded somehow familiar.
“Please tell the child in the carriage to come out quickly.”
“Master Miguel, please come out. Someone who will show us kindness is waiting for us today.”
Miguel. That was Rubin’s name on this journey.
A boy with aphasia who occasionally sees things and is insane. The reason he sees things is because it is easy to cover up even if he makes a mistake.
“… … .”
“Haha, nice to meet you!”
Even though the man smiled, Rubin’s expression remained blank, half-smiling. The cartographer readily offered Rubin a handshake. Rubin took his hand.
“Oh, I forgot I was working on a map. I got ink all over it. Sorry, kid.”
Intentional mistake. Rubin wiped the ink off his hands by rubbing them on his pants.
‘It’s been three years.’
Rubin thought.
The second son of the Roinen family, Mafis Roinen, who has already entered his second year of assassin activities. Who would have thought that we would suddenly meet again like this?
But even though they only made eye contact for a moment, the two did not break their respective roles.
Is that what your mother intended?
What do you want me to do when I meet Mafis?
Whether before or after the regression, it was difficult to read my mother’s inner thoughts.
“Is Miguel always a dumb person?”
We sat down at the table for dinner.
A dinner befitting the middle class of the Volgograd castle. A simple table with simple bread, tomato soup, and watered-down wine.
Maphis’s undercover identity was that of a cartographer born to a local noble family, named Horn.
He turned twenty this year and has completed all the missions assigned to him by the imperial edict in the past two years.
Now he was growing tired of this middle-class life, so he applied to the Imperial Court for a new status and waited for it to be approved.
This time, I hope to enjoy a luxurious life as a pure-blooded nobleman, rather than as a cartographer or something.
But then, out of nowhere, I received a message from my family. Three days later, I was to welcome my youngest child, whom I had previously despised as a mongrel.
“Oh, your highness is speechless now.”
“You’re speechless? Are you under some kind of spell?”
“No. After hearing of his brother’s death, he suffered from aphasia due to the shock.”
“Tsk tsk, that must be hard at a young age.”
Mafis placed one hand on Rubin’s shoulder and patted him.
“Cheer up, Inma! You too should follow in your father’s footsteps and become a skilled leather merchant!”
Rubin nods his head listlessly.
“I have a younger sibling in my hometown who is exactly like this child.”
Suddenly, a story about my hometown started.
“He was a guy who was a lot older than me, but he was kind of a lackluster guy.”
Then, Maphis emphasized the following part:
“Actually, he’s my half-brother.”
The attendants studied Rubin’s expression.
There was no one sitting at the table who didn’t know that Maphis’s fake hometown story was actually a comparison between the Roinen family and the Rubin family. They just changed the half-brothers into half-brothers.
“Well, even though we share the same blood, I don’t really like being associated with that kid in the first place.”
“Oh, it looks like Horn-nim is drunk.”
A vassal who felt uneasy stepped forward to help, but Maphis had no intention of responding to the request.
“Me? Haha, not at all. I’m fine. When I see this aphasic young master, I suddenly think of my hometown. So, I hope you don’t interrupt my story.”
The atmosphere becomes tense in an instant.
Now, Mafis was walking a tightrope between acting and real feelings.
‘Did I really have to take such a risk?’
It is rare for the Assassins to welcome travelers who are not on a mission to their disguised annex. At the same time, it is also an extremely unpleasant experience for the Assassins on duty, even if there is a message from their main family.
But what if that person is a lowly and dirty half-brother?
‘You couldn’t accept it.’
In this situation, what made Mafis even angrier was none other than Rubin’s escorts.
Because Mafis himself knew better than anyone how capable the retainers who acted as the groom and the two servants were within the family.
‘Why on earth are you giving such special treatment to a lowly guy? Just because he won the first round?’
Although he was angry at his mother’s decision, Rubin was not someone he could turn away from right away. He was still a child, not even ten years old, and he had plenty of opportunities to trample on him in the future.
But the vassals were not. Now that they had confirmed that expectations for Rubin were growing within the family, it was time to draw a clear line.
How weak and stupid Rubin is, and how foolish it is to follow him.
“Aside from that little brother, I have an older brother. My brother and I are very close. We can work together to solve any problem. So I think that one of you and I will definitely inherit my father’s legacy.”
Mafis didn’t even glance at Rubin. He just stared at his three retainers.
“It seems like Dad is taking care of his youngest sibling who is lacking in many things right now, but isn’t that just a time?”
at that time.
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A person stands up and pushes his chair back.
“Master Miguel, are you going to sleep now? You must be tired. Then, why don’t you hurry up and go up… .”
One of the servants smiled as if trying to cover up the awkwardness. Everyone sitting at the table focused their eyes on Rubin.
Rubin picked up a fork, dipped it into the tomato soup, and scribbled on the wooden table.
-There’s something next to this old man, something… I see a ghost!
Since the setting is that he is crazy, you have to adjust it accordingly.
“yes?”
“A ghost?”
Everyone looked puzzled, but Rubin didn’t stop. He dipped his fork into the tomato soup again and picked it up.
Knock, knock, knock.
People were holding back even from swallowing their saliva, as the sound of the burning wood on one side of the living room was particularly loud.
And Rubin’s words continued.
-Huh? It wasn’t a ghost, it was a fly.
“Ahem!”
The atmosphere that had been at its peak suddenly calmed down.
Mafis, who had lost the initiative, continued eating while coughing in vain. It was funny to see him clenching his teeth to keep himself from getting angry.
He had grown old, but inside his big head was still the same stupid, childish little Maphis.
At this point Rubin decided to stop. There was still plenty of time left to teach the bastard a lesson.
-I’m going upstairs and going to sleep. I’m sleepy.
Rubin leaves the kitchen, his fork neatly placed next to his plate. Mafis lets out a forced smile.
“Yes, the little one should go to bed soon. I need to talk to your servants some more. Now that you’re all grown up, you can go to your room by yourself, right?”
Rubin walked up the stairs to his room without saying a word. Maphis’s voice gradually grew quieter as he resumed the conversation.
As he was lying down in the room provided only for Rubin, Haneke intervened.
-It was a nice spectacle. Everyone was really into acting. But who is that young man?
‘Maphis Ruinen. He’s my half-brother. He’s my younger brother.’
Haneke let out a hearty laugh.
-The Roinen family has a strong bond between brothers. It’s interesting.
‘Rather than brothers, we’re rivals. From the moment we were born.’
-yet?
No way. Rubin smiles slightly. Mafis is an easy opponent. Not even worth talking to.
I hope nothing gets in the way of my revenge.
-But for a moment, I felt a life force from him. You felt it too, right?
‘There’s nothing to worry about. More than that… … .’
Rubin closed his eyes.
Soon, a quiet training ground unfolded before my eyes.
In an empty inner world where there was nothing, Rubin encountered Haneke.
‘You have to teach me swordsmanship.’
Two wooden swords were now in Rubin’s hands. Rubin held one and handed the other to Haneke.
But this time too, Haneke is trying to postpone the duel.
‘If you don’t respond to the sparring, then I’ll have to review it again.’
He repeated Brion’s swordsmanship training again. The restrained movements, the sword movement. Haneke, who had been watching the scene for a while, opened his mouth.
-I’m curious.
‘What is it?’
-Why the ‘Tower of Light and Rebellion’? You wouldn’t suddenly swear allegiance to the Emperor now, would you?
Rubin pauses for a moment and turns his head towards Haneke, who is sitting leisurely, watching his swordplay.
Of course, I have no intention of telling you right now.
‘I’ll tell you when I get there.’
-Hmm, I guess you have something in mind.
Rubin’s swordsmanship started again. There was not a single waver. It was persistent, fierce, and elegant.
Haneke found himself in his younger days in Rubin’s movements. It wasn’t the first time, so he wasn’t surprised, but he couldn’t help but want to step forward and teach. Today, too, he barely suppressed his desire.
-But even if you go, can you just leave it like that? You could be recruited, right? That’s what I’m saying.
To Rubin, who doesn’t respond, he emphasizes once again.
-Your brother isn’t completely incompetent. Those guys are also incompetent, of course. What if they conspire to kill you?
Still, Rubin didn’t answer, only a faint smile appeared on his face. A relaxed smile that seemed to show that he wasn’t worried about such things at all.
‘Why would they go under the dog, when there is a wolf?’
Rubin’s wooden sword was swung again.
The time when all the street lights disappeared.
In Rubin’s inner world, his swordsmanship training continued. Then, he heard someone’s footsteps coming up the stairs.
‘… … .’
It was almost 3 a.m. The landlord’s bedroom was across from Rubin’s. No footsteps were heard in that direction.
-Hmm, I guess he’s trying to do something.
The footsteps were getting closer. They were definitely heading this way.
Rubin calmly placed one half of his consciousness in the inner training ground and the other half in his bedroom.
at that time.
Creak.
The bedroom door opened.
A dark shadow fell over Rubin, who had closed his eyes, losing his composure.
