Episode 8. The First Test (2)
The children, each taking their places at the edge of the Grandbird, took a deep breath.
‘Coming!’
I looked up at the sky.
A group of black shapes were seen emerging from the clouds higher up in the sky than the Grandbird was hovering at.
The black birds that approached us, flapping their wings, were all large enough to carry a fully grown adult on their backs.
Royne Crow.
If the giant new Grandbird is the secret weapon of the imperial family, Roineclaw is the companion of the Assassin Swordsman who has been with them for hundreds of years.
This spirit, whose birth and growth are all shrouded in mystery, follows only the orders of the Assassin’s Bloodline and assists the Assassins in carrying out their missions.
Although right now, my only mission is to get the children back on the ground.
One Roynecro per assassin. This has been the age-old tradition of the Assassin’s Blade. The day will soon come when I too will choose a Roynecro.
‘Granbird is nervous.’
It couldn’t be otherwise. These were not ordinary Roynecros, but partners of the nine assassination swordsmen. No matter how big the difference in size, the intimidation of the Roynecros of the heads of the families was beyond imagination.
Perhaps children are more nervous about being able to climb onto the owner’s crow than about being on top of a bird as big as a playground.
Fooddeuk.
Mother, Siren Roinen’s Roinecrow flapped its wings before me. The crow’s eyes were red, like Mother’s hair.
“Please get on. I will help you up.”
As the guide said, I don’t need any help. I jumped up and climbed onto Roinekrow’s back.
Caaaak.
I felt an inexplicable sense of peace. It was a comfort I had never felt on the Grand Bird.
Looking back, all the other children were safely mounted on their respective Roinecrows.
The guides tied Roynecro to the participants with a rope in case the participants fell, but this was actually a futile effort.
Even if such an unfortunate event occurred, Roinecrow would not just sit back and do nothing.
“Stop dawdling and come down!”
The examiner in the imperial examination department is getting nervous.
The appearance of Roinecro, who protects the Assassin’s Blade, must have been a thorn in the side of many. Anyone who is not of the Assassin’s Blade bloodline would feel intimidated, so it is only natural.
‘I want to tease you a little.’
As if he had noticed my feelings, Mother Roinecro began to flap her wings and fly, passing the test tube at a rapid pace.
“That naughty little crow!”
Leaving the examiner’s screams behind, I quickly glided toward the ground.
Boooooooo.
The sound of a cool breeze brushing the tips of your ears. The nine Roineclaws spread out widely so that their starting points did not overlap.
My starting position is the east wall.
The walls where the guards were supposed to be guarding were empty. This was probably due to instructions from Mayor Trumbel.
Instead, the guide from the Imperial Department who had been waiting approached me. He opened the bottle cap and said,
“I’ll spray this according to the test procedure. It will attract ghost rats.”
A dark brown special powder was evenly sprinkled all over my body. Then, as if by magic, it disappeared without a trace.
‘Is it starting now?’
I have to move right away. Soon, five ghost rats will be chasing me, sniffing around for my tracks.
As I was about to move, the guide stopped me and said:
“Let me tell you the clue again. When I called your name, you disappeared… … .”
“It’s okay. You don’t have to do that.”
Because I solved it right away when I first heard it.
The answer is silence. It was a simple riddle that didn’t even require any memories from before the regression.
However, I had to think more about what part of the target that ‘silence’ symbolized. This was a mystery that I couldn’t solve even before the return.
* * *
The red-eyed Royne Crow, having completed his mission, flew straight up into the sky.
Just before it was about to completely disappear from the ground, the bird turned its beak and looked down at the boy it had just dropped off. But the boy had already disappeared.
Caaaak.
Roinecrow headed north of Trumbel without any hesitation. As he crossed the northern wall, other crows joined him in his flight.
The crows, who had been flying in formation, only folded their wings toward the ground after spotting a small lake located north of Trumbelle.
There was a modest mansion on the lakeside. It was used as an annex by the mayor of Trumbel, but today it was taken out of the mayor’s possession.
There was a tense atmosphere between the soldiers wearing armor with gold patterns symbolizing the imperial family and the assassins wearing black veils.
Above their heads, the nine returning Roinecrows appeared.
While the imperial soldiers were wary of the crows, the assassins greeted their return with friendly eyes.
The crows flew past the guards and circled over the annex, each landing on a spot on the roof.
However, only the crow of the head of the main house, Siren Roinen, entered the building through the open window. Although it was unusually large, its movements were sharp and elegant.
Siren opened her mouth as she looked at Roinecrow who had returned to her side.
“It’s started.”
The first floor hall of the annex.
The heads of the collateral families sat around a large table. Naturally, the seat of honor was held by Siren.
Across from her, the head of the Imperial Department, an agency directly under the Emperor, was watching everyone with an arrogant attitude.
His name is Rulfo. He strokes his beard, looks at the Siren’s crow, and says something.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how great these kids will be.”
After a while.
Special products and wines from various cities granted by the emperor are brought into the hall.
A simple meal and free conversation followed. Light music was played and comfortable smiles were exchanged.
However, the heads of the nine families and the powerful members of the imperial family did not relax. They were all secretly nervous and waiting for new news.
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Because new situations that occur at the testing center will soon arrive one after another.
The best assassins from each family and soldiers from the Imperial Order were hiding in various places in Trumbel and were transmitting the situation at the testing site to this annex.
“The participants dispersed to each of the nine walls and began the test. They quickly approached people, questioned the citizens, and decided on a direction. The place that everyone is currently heading to is the ‘map storage room’ of the main market building. However… … .”
The reporting soldier paused for a moment, tilting his head. It seemed as if something was strange.
The chief of the imperial guard, who was cutting well-cooked meat with a knife, raised his head and looked at the soldier.
“however?”
“One of the participants is moving in a different direction than expected.”
If there is a rule for this test, it is to first secure a map in order to understand every nook and cranny of the city. The place that makes this possible is the map storage room.
But there is one participant who shows a movement that deviates from that flow.
“Who is that?”
The head of the imperial office expressed his curiosity.
“This is Rubin Roinen.”
When the names of the children of the main family were mentioned, the heads of the collateral families reacted. What does this unorthodox behavior mean?
A new attempt? Or a failure?
Rulfo studied Siren’s expression, but like any master of the Assassin’s Blade, she showed no emotion on her face.
I simply shook the glass of wine to mix it well, then brought it to my mouth and took a sip.
* * *
At that moment, Trumpel.
Rubin was walking somewhere in the crowd.
The peaceful city of Trumbbel was in the midst of a festival, and people of all social classes and ranks were out on the streets, enjoying the day.
Little did the citizens know that the Emperor’s troops were stationed just a kilometer away from the city, and that assassins were hiding there, observing the trials.
Do not wear anything other than pure white festival attire.
The citizens drank, joked and danced, faithfully observing the only rule the mayor had laid down for the festival.
Rubin rolled his eyes diligently as he weaved his way through these people.
Finding a target by chance in the festival crowd was almost a miracle. So I had to roughly pick out a place where the target might be.
Other participants will surely be approaching the main market building by now and aiming for the map storage room.
The map storage room contains detailed information about various places in Trumbel, so whoever obtains it first will have an advantage in terms of information.
But Rubin thought differently.
‘Over there.’
The place where Rubin stopped while walking through the alley was an ordinary map stand. It was a place that sold maps drawn temporarily for the festival.
This map is roughly drawn and is not enough to provide information about the various places in Trumbel. It simply organizes what events are taking place at which places during the festival.
“Sir, can I look at the map?”
Rubin had to wave vigorously because he was not at eye level with the clerk at the kiosk.
“Okay! But, do you have money?”
“Okay, here it is! Let me take a look at the map first.”
“Are you going out alone without your parents?”
Instead of handing over the map, the clerk asked him this question.
Rubin ignored him and pointed toward a knick-knack stand next to him. There, a young couple was looking at various knick-knacks.
“It’s over there.”
“Oh, okay. Are you really going to buy the map?”
“Yes. Mom told me to buy it. But I need to check if it’s the right one. Can I check it for you?”
The clerk dismissed his doubts and handed over the map to the innocent child. Rubin unfolded it calmly.
“Ah, this is the central square. This is the performance hall… … .”
The clerk didn’t notice Rubin’s footsteps gradually moving into the crowd. When the clerk looked for Rubin again, Rubin had already left the place.
Rubin moved faster, pushing through the crowd. He needed to find a quiet place to look at the map.
‘I haven’t seen the ghost rat yet.’
Even in such a situation, Rubin spread his shadow widely. He did not forget to be restrained enough not to reveal his true nature even if there were vassals hiding around him.
‘Sensing life.’
The dark smoke spreads widely around Rubin, which will help Rubin’s body react more quickly by detecting incoming attacks.
Not only the rushing ghost rats, but also other participants attempting a surprise attack.
Rubin found a deserted alley and hid there. He spread out the map and entered the locations of the events that would take place that day into his head one by one.
Then I folded the map in half and tore it into small pieces. The safest place to store information is in your head.
Rubin tried to figure out the direction, recalling the location of the event. The map he had seen earlier was already clearly engraved in his mind.
‘I have to go there first.’
