Episode 198. Orc Hunter (3)
Blane’s camouflage annex.
The house that Blanet and Bourso managed to find in the big city of Avern was shabby. It was like an underground cave, and it was full of rats.
“What? That guy earlier was Master Rubin?”
Blane shouted with his eyes wide open. He slammed the table and stood up, causing dust to fall from the ceiling.
“Knock knock knock… Yes, Miss. It’s clear.”
“That can’t be true. How could something change so much in two years?”
Burso shrugged.
“It’s not just the appearance that has changed. I don’t know what has happened in Capotini, but… Your Majesty’s current state is beyond my common sense.”
“Out of common sense?”
“Perhaps there is a dark side even stronger than mine.”
He spoke with consideration so as not to discourage the young lady, but Burso knew for sure.
A brief encounter. However, it was Rubin who had revealed his realm so that Burso could feel it. Although it was one of the two dark smokes, what Burso had encountered was clearly the dark smoke of the five stars.
It was a change that was even more shocking because he was a Burso. He had seen Rubin die at the Roinen mansion before becoming the Roinen of Blaine.
“Then the man over there is Lord Rubin’s Roynenser.”
“Yes, my name is Kuze Martin.”
I remembered the ‘second selection’ from two years ago. Kuze was a vassal of the Croquison family. Kun always made fun of that vassal, calling him a failure…
Blane turned his head slightly and looked at Kuze outside. To be exact, at Kuze’s two legs. Then Kuze lowered his head.
“… Miss, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t say that. Master Rubin’s growth isn’t just thanks to that Roynenser.”
“… … .”
“I took the Dream Spider Test with you, Master. I already experienced his talent back then. To be honest, I’m not that surprised.”
Gulp.
A hungry sound broke the serious atmosphere. It was a sound that came from both their stomachs at the same time. Burso got up from his seat while coughing.
“I’ll prepare dinner right away. You must have been tired from hunting orcs for several days.”
“… … .”
Meanwhile, Kuze was outside because the house was too cramped.
Blaine’s annex was located in a narrow alley in a crowded market. Kuze smiled awkwardly as passersby pushed past him.
-Kuje. These two are undercover. Are they perhaps a beggar woman or something?
Kuze shrugged his shoulders at Tina’s complaints about being transformed into a rat.
-Isn’t life in a big city this tough? Well, we had enough support from our parents, and we also received direct help from the Imperial Department.
-Still, that’s true. This is crossing the line. I know this because I’ve been turned into a rat many times, but look at the rats in this house. They must have been so hungry that their stomach skin sticks to their backs!
Kuze, trying hard to ignore Tina’s complaints, checked his luggage.
The swamp seahorse meat that Benic had given them was still there. Tina had been insisting on eating it, but it seemed like a good thing.
-Burso.
This time, it’s Kuze’s message to Burso.
Burso, who was preparing a pitiful meal, turned his head. Kuje, who had lowered his body to the height of the doorway, threw a swamp seahorse fish at Burso.
-This is swamp seahorse meat cooked by the head of the Benar family himself. It’s so delicious, so try it.
-If it’s Benargar, then Benic Benar, one of the dark shadows?
-I’ll explain later.
Afterwards, Burso explained to Blanet about the meat. Eating swamp seahorse as meat? Blanet, who seemed to frown, surprisingly replied that he would eat it.
“I’ll try it. I’m curious.”
Burso immediately re-cooked the meat, and a unique meaty aroma spread through the narrow alley.
A moment later, Blane’s eyes widened as he filled his mouth with meat.
Burso came out into the alley to talk to Kuze.
“Kuje.”
“… … ?”
“Thank you. You really like cooking, Miss.”
“Thank goodness. It’s a shame that only we knew about that delicious food.”
“Even though Lady Blaine may look cool and cold on the outside, her eyes light up when she eats.”
The two, who had met after a long time, continued their conversation while walking around a nearby market.
Groan, groan.
Whether they were unaware of the orcs’ presence in the eastern jungle or ignored it, the daily lives of the citizens of Avern remained unchanged.
Kuze and Burso looked around the stall’s items and chatted over the phone.
-Kuje, what happened to you in the past two years? How can you surpass us already?
-Today is not enough to tell you everything that has happened. I can’t tell you everything. The only thing I can tell you is what you have given me permission to do.
-I was trying to use it as a reference to help you grow, young lady.
Groan, groan.
Kuze picked one out in front of a hat stand and tried it on, while bargaining hard with the vendor.
-If it’s because of the young lady’s growth, then you don’t have to worry. From now on, Miss Blane will grow explosively.
-what?
-That’s why you came here, Master.
Kuze walked towards the next stall, followed by Burso at a slight distance. Now that I think about it, when we met earlier, Master Rubin said, ‘I came because of Blane.’
-Miss Blane will follow her master to the northern plains.
While walking around the market and back to Blanet’s house, Kuze told Burso a few things he needed to know.
Death of Mafis.
A task given by the emperor.
Even the fact that Rubin chose Blanet as his first companion.
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It seemed that the latest information had not yet been absorbed by him due to his long stay abroad. Burso was surprised, but he knew that he had to accept everything.
There was no need for any response to the imperial command, and the great current that ran through the Assassination Sword School was beyond his control.
-I guess it’s a good thing for you, young lady.
Even after walking around the market and returning to their house, they didn’t stop talking.
This time, it was mainly Burso who spoke, and Kuze listened. Burso summarized how Blanet had trained since he began living undercover.
-It’s a sniper assassination.
While listening to the story, Kuze suddenly brought up a question that occurred to him.
-How did you manage to snipe from such a long distance? This isn’t the typical manifestation of the dark side.
-Of course it’s amazing by our standards, but you’re still not satisfied. You want to increase the level of sniping by extending the dark smoke, but as you know, there’s a limit to that.
Then, Burso told us about the method Blane had used to counteract this.
A way to use Royne Crow as a yardstick.
It was a good move, Kuze thought. However, it was just a good move, not the best move.
‘If the target is an orc, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to snipe like this, but we won’t be hunting only orcs forever.’
Even if he was a 4-star, or even a 3-star, Orc warrior, he would not have been able to just leave Roinecrow, who was charging at him, alone.
This was a way to constantly put Roynecro in danger. What if Roynecro got injured?
Of course, even if Roynecro was injured or killed, it didn’t mean that a new Roynecro was not given to the assassin.
Even in the case of Benik Benar, his Roineclaw was now said to be his third comrade, meaning that he was a completely replaceable resource.
The problem was that every time a new Roynecro was acquired, the Assassin and Roynecro had to develop a new bond.
‘The higher the connection, the more precisely the assassin can sense Roinecrow’s senses.’
I don’t know for sure, but Blane and her Royne Crow will have a significant connection. Not all Royne Crows can act as a yardstick.
-Kuje, you know a lot about Roinekrow?
It was a surprise to Burso. Because of the gravity of the task of raising children, Roynenser was not given Roinecro.
-I often communicate with Master Rubin’s Roinecrow. Thanks to him, I sometimes get to know various things about Roinecrow.
Kuze said, especially emphasizing the word ‘that guy’. At that, Burso just snickered.
-Just kidding.
-Anyway, it’s not good to keep putting Roinekrow in danger like this. I’m sure Master Rubin thinks the same.
-To do that, you need to increase the range and accuracy compared to now. You have no choice but to grow your dark smoke.
-Master Rubin will take care of that, and I will have to come up with another plan.
-Another number?
– It’s kind of a stopgap measure. Well, let’s say, hmm…
It seemed like Kuze had come up with something, but Burso didn’t expect much. To him, Kuze was still just an oddball trying to use the dark side in a strange way.
But even so, a strange feeling came over Kuze that he had never felt before.
‘Kuze’s feeling has changed a bit. I don’t know exactly what it is, but it’s clear that he’s become much more confident. Is this also due to Master Rubin’s influence?’
With that thought in mind, I made my second lap around the market and arrived back at the annex.
The two realized that Rubin was there.
Rubin, who entered the disguised annex, did not say much. This was because Blaine and Rubin had to maintain their disguised identities.
“This place might be a bit cramped for conversation. Come to my temporary accommodation with your father.”
That was all there was to it. Here, father obviously refers to Roynenser Burso.
At the same time, Rubin’s voice rang in Blane’s head. The content was the address of the temporary accommodation he had been provided as Imperial Inspector Luhan Melas.
After that, Rubin went there first with Kuze, and Blanet and Burso arrived exactly one hour later.
One of the expensive lodgings where merchants who visit Avern stay. It was provided to Rubin after he met with the mayor of Avern and had his identity confirmed.
Even though he was a low-ranking inspector, this was his natural right as he was carrying out the imperial command.
“Miss Blaine, you can speak freely here.”
Kuze said to Blane, who had arrived at the accommodation.
Even without that, Burso and Blanet had already realized that this place was under complete security.
“… … .”
Rubin was already sitting at the table, waiting for the two. The two walked over to Rubin and bowed.
“Master Rubin, it’s been a while.”
“It’s been a while, Blane, Burso.”
Rubin smiled softly. Only when he saw that smile did the remaining doubts in Blane disappear. He thought it was a change that transcended time, but his smiling face from two years ago remained.
As soon as he confirmed that the other person was Rubin, a tone of restraint slowly rose in Blaine’s voice.
“… My lord, I have heard the general story from Burso. I will do my best to assist you in your mission to go to the Northern Plains and track down Auror’s traces.”
Should I say that this is a Blanedown answer?
Two years ago, Blane was still the same as when he had overcome his trauma before they dispersed to their respective cities. He was stiff like a new officer, and he was still the same.
How did you spend two years living undercover? You’re not the type of person to chat.
Rubin had hoped for this too. He could focus on his mission in peace. However, he had to make it clear that he had not come to Blane because he needed someone to assist him.
“I did not come to you to sacrifice my life for you, Blane. I took on this task to demonstrate to His Majesty the Emperor the current training methods of the Assassin Swordsman.”
“… … .”
“If things had gone as planned, it would have taken six or seven years before we could begin our mission. Blane, you can think of it as having brought that forward.”
There was no need to reveal his true feelings toward the Emperor yet. In any case, Rubin was confident that Blanet would be on his side.
‘Because I saw it in Benik’s painting.’
He clearly remembered that among the many comrades beside Rubin, there was Blaine Krieger in the picture depicting his mother’s future.
“Just as I proved the innocence of the Assassin’s Sword, you too must prove your Assassin’s Sword. That is what you must do.”
Rubin then gestured to the back of Blane. There were various weapons Rubin had prepared in advance.
As expected from a large commercial city, Avern had large merchants handling weapons. However, Rubin was not entirely satisfied.
“There may not be a weapon that’s optimal for you right now, but for now, get one.”
“But I already have a weapon… … .”
“There’s no guarantee that you’ll only be sniping in the northern plains.”
“All right.”
Blanet immediately agreed.
In fact, Blane in his previous life used his own optimized weapon.
But even if I wanted to make them all the same, I couldn’t do that right away. They were all made by Blanet himself.
Rubin turned his head towards Burso.
“Burso.”
“Yes, your highness.”
“You go to your parents’ house.”
Blanet and Burso looked at each other as if asking what was going on.
“Find a suitable weapon for Blane in the main house’s storage. If Killian is still staying at the main house, you can ask him directly.”
Killian was the warehouse manager of Philimond’s stronghold. Most of the weapons he sent were stored in the main warehouse, so he might be able to find a weapon that could help Blane now.
“And there, learn the magic that Kuze invented. If you relay my message to Damon, he’ll teach you.”
Burso looked at Kuze silently, and Kuze just shrugged.
Rubin’s gaze turned back to Blaine.
“Have you chosen your weapon?”
“I’ll choose quickly.”
“When dawn breaks tomorrow, let’s set off together for the northern plains.”
“All right.”
“And until dawn-”
“… … ?”
“I’m going to hunt orcs in the jungle.”
“From now on?”
“Someone who speaks Orcish said that Orcs call a human who has killed more than the number of their kind on their fingers an ‘Orc Hunter.’ I’m sure the Orcs in the jungle over there already call you that.”
Then Rubin prepared to go out right away. Simple preparations were enough. After all, it would be Blaney, not he, who would be fighting the orcs.
She might not know yet.
Although he is just an orc hunter now, he will one day be called the ‘royal hunter’ and become a nightmare to the imperial army.