Episode 72. The Elderly Assassin (1)
“You’re curious about my Roynenser? Hmm… … .”
Siren’s voice rings in my head. A memory from my past life. It was the day before the all-out war between the punitive force and the assassination swordsman.
Even in the face of imminent war, the Assassins were still full of hope. At least for that moment, when no one believed that annihilation was the fate that awaited them.
Then one day, a question Rubin asked during a meal made Siren stop eating.
“What kind of person was your mother’s lord?”
It was a deep question, one that could not be asked normally. But it was the eve of the war, and the last dinner in the Twilight Hall. An indescribable sentimentality arose between my mother and Rubin.
Siren also seemed to have no intention of keeping any more secrets about the Assassin’s Blade. She probably thought that after the final battle with the Emperor, there would be nothing left.
“You’re curious about my Roynenser? Hmm… … .”
Siren pressed her lips together and immersed herself in memories. Rubin was thirty years old, and Siren was practically entering old age. For the first time in a long time, a gentle smile appeared on Siren’s lips.
“His name was Killian. Killian Gut.”
Siren clearly showed respect by calling Killian, who was gone, ‘him’. One who was respected by Siren. Rubin felt keenly how far beyond the realm of the unmanned, Killian was just from that.
“After I became independent as an assassin, Killian also ended his life as a member of the Roynenser. For a while, he was away from assassination missions and also worked as a hit squad.”
“What about after the assassination?”
“I was in the black zone.”
“If it’s a black zone… … .”
“The lawless land of Philimond. That’s where the assassins ran their base.”
Rubin, who spent his first few years in the Black Zone after becoming independent, but the Black Zone’s camouflage annex was closed just before he started working. At the time, I didn’t know why.
“When I was in the black zone camouflage annex, it was already closed.”
“It was because of Killian’s last mission.”
The assassin’s ‘last mission’ has two meanings. One is the literal final mission. The other is if he does not return alive during the mission.
Most of them were written in the latter case.
“So does that mean he died there?”
Siren laughed lightly at those words.
“The last mission was a bit tricky. There were only a few people in the Assassin’s Blade who could complete it.”
“Then really… … .”
“No. Killian is not dead. He completed his mission cleanly. He might still be alive somewhere. He must be ninety years old now.”
If so, it means that Killian has ended his life as an assassin for over half a century and has honorably retired to the background. In this ruthless world, this is a rare occurrence.
“I heard there’s a mysterious village that only those who are permitted among retired assassins can enter. Maybe it’s there.”
Her mother’s eyes were as deep as a bottomless pit. It was difficult to tell what she was looking at. Rubin decided to ask a deeper question.
“What was Killian’s last mission?”
“It was to eliminate the Philimond market.”
My mind was wide open. Who was the mayor of Philimond at that time? Amret, the emperor’s uncle. The one who killed him was none other than his mother’s Roynenser.
I never thought of it. Before the return, how and why Amret died was always an unsolved mystery. No matter what, Amret was a member of the royal family.
“Why?”
“Amret made the wrong decision. He chose Killian for the death row lottery.”
“Are you saying that you killed Amret to avoid death?”
“No. Killian isn’t a small-minded person who abandons a mission because he doesn’t want to die.”
Then why on earth?
Rubin waited for Siren to continue speaking.
“It was all the Emperor’s plan. Telmah’s plan was made long ago.”
“Oh, no way. A conditional mission?”
Killian was carrying out a mission that could only be executed if certain conditions were met. The puzzle pieces began to fall into place little by little.
Killian had been waiting for 15 years for Amret to select him as a death row inmate. That was the trigger condition for the ‘conditional mission’. The mission would have been to assassinate Amret.
‘It was a trap set by Telmah.’
But why on earth?
Why did you give me such a mission?
Why did you tell me to kill my uncle? No, before that, how did you know that my uncle was going to kill Killian?
“You must be curious.”
“… Yes, Mother.”
After finishing her meal, Siren put down her dishes. She wiped her lips elegantly and stood up, gathering her weapons. She looked very peaceful for a last supper before a decisive battle.
“But what’s important now?”
“… … .”
Siren made her way through the twilight hall. Beyond the wide open doors stood a line of armed retainers.
* * *
“Please come in, Young Master.”
The square leading to the black zone. The entrance was wide open as always.
Rubin and Kuze looked at each other through their white robes. If they crossed this boundary, a lawless zone would unfold where swords could fly from anywhere.
“It’s okay to spread the smoke. The assassins will find out anyway.”
Kuze nodded with a determined expression on his face at Rubin’s instructions.
Thud thud.
They crossed the border but were met with no resistance. The golem simply turned its head toward them, making a squeaking sound. Rubin stared intently at the golem’s blinking red eyes.
Sssssss.
A red mark was engraved on the back of both people’s left hands. It was a serial number. The magic designed into the barrier had been activated.
Rubin was 40202. Kuze was 40203. These were the next numbers for the kid who had unfairly crossed the line two days ago.
Groan, groan.
Beyond the barrier, in the square they had walked through, people were gathered and looking at them with curious eyes. Naturally, most of the eyes were directed at Rubin. Why on earth would a kid walk into a lawless area?
“let’s go.”
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Rubin walked forward, ignoring the citizens’ gazes. There was no time to hesitate. As he entered the alley, this time he felt the gazes of the residents of the black district. Their eyes were trembling helplessly.
‘Flies.’
They were low-level criminals who were sneaking around because of the new residents.
The residents were so weak and helpless that they had to flee to the outskirts. The only targets they could hunt were new recruits.
“… … !”
Their eyes, which had been filled with apathy, suddenly filled with fear. An inexplicable fear. Rubin was displaying an aggressive gloom. At least this much should be done so that they don’t get involved in troublesome matters.
Clink clink.
He walked along the muddy road and headed toward the center. Kuze looked around with wary eyes. Since entering the black zone, his hand had been touching the dagger on his left waist.
“From now on, it’s real.”
The moment they reached the center, Rubin spoke indifferently. It was as if he had experienced this place before. Kuze looked at Rubin with curious eyes, and at the same time, he realized that what he said was true.
Even though I just walked the same path, the air felt different.
There was no clear boundary dividing the center from the outskirts. The ground was still an unpaved mud pit, and the buildings were still in a state of ruin.
But from here on out, the residents’ behavior was different. Large, rough, and unruly men were walking around, strutting around. They seemed to have their own power, and most of them walked in groups of three or four.
Occasionally, he would see people walking alone, but Rubin thought that they were people who could take care of themselves even on their own.
The villagers also had various weapons in their hands. Great swords, axes, hammers, sickles with chains, long spears… Not a single person was empty-handed.
‘It’s similar.’
I was curious about how different it would be since it was the first time I had been to the Black Zone in 9 years. If you only look at the scenery in the center, it wasn’t much different.
‘I guess the method of approaching the Assassination Sword’s stronghold is the same.’
Rubin had no information on how the assassins in the Black Zone operated their base. Amret also had no idea, so he must have given Rubin the orders.
We can only infer from the way Rubin managed his base nine years later.
“Your Majesty, what should I do now?”
Kuze only knew that Rubin had met with the mayor the night before, but he had not heard anything else about it.
“There is someone I need to find.”
“Are you royalty? Or an imperial noble?”
“No, it’s our side. Mother’s Roynenser.”
“yes?”
Kuze’s eyes widened at the unexpected answer.
The head of the family, Siren, has reached an absolute state that no one has ever reached before. And now, I get to meet the man who raised her, Roynenser.
For Kuze, it meant more than just meeting a legendary figure. He was the Roynenser of Rubin, and he felt a sense of duty to help Rubin ascend to the throne and leave behind a legend like Siren.
“… … !”
Just as Kuze was swallowing his saliva, he felt an axe flying out of nowhere from his left.
Kuze was momentarily surprised to meet the legendary Roinenser, but he immediately reacted. He immediately drew his dagger and struck down the hand axe rushing in from his left.
visor!
An axe that crashes into the ground.
“Ouch, I’m sorry! My hand slipped.”
“… … .”
“I’m seeing them for the first time… I guess they’re not very raw?”
The axe owner spoke regretfully as he picked up the weapon that had fallen to the ground. Rubin understood what he meant by ‘not raw’. It didn’t look like it had just rolled in by bad luck.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been here, little punk, so I wanted to get some spit on you.”
Rubin and Kuze were wearing white robes. Their appearance, which still maintained their pure whiteness even in the mud, attracted too much attention. In addition to the man who threw the axe, there were many people who looked in this direction with interest.
However, none of them stepped forward first. They were keeping each other in check. They didn’t want to step forward and get stabbed in the back by other groups if they tried to attack the newcomers first.
“Unfortunately, we have to get out of here. There is nothing more ridiculous than trying to catch livestock that has already been missed.”
The man who had thrown the axe passed Rubin and Kuze and pressed his group forward.
“Come on, kids! How long are you going to dawdle? It’s going to be late for slaughter! Why don’t you hurry up and run?”
He quickly moved away from the outskirts. Kuze shrugged as he watched her back.
“Slaughter?”
I wondered what it meant, but soon found out.
“no way…….”
As the axe man took the lead and jumped in, the downstream residents who had taken refuge on the outskirts of the black zone were seen running away in panic.
“Does it mean human flesh?”
“Go and check it out. The butcher shop is the first place you should stop by.”
Rubin spoke calmly and took the lead.
