Chapter 60: The Second Assassin (2)

Before I knew it, the sun had begun to set.

After finishing their business in Teron Village, Raion and the lord once again boarded the carriage and headed toward the castle.

Since leaving the village, Shtefan hadn’t uttered a single word.

“Seems you have quite a few grievances with me.”

At Raion’s question, Shtefan slowly opened his previously closed eyes and spoke quietly.

“Not just what happened earlier—Your Highness, what exactly are you planning in our territory?”

“As you can see. Everything is for the revival of Kanas Territory.”

“Teron Village began to develop three years ago. Yet, Your Highness, who only arrived here a few dozen days ago, claims ownership of the products made there? How could that be?”

No matter how much Shtefan pondered, he couldn’t make sense of it.

The only explanation he could convince himself with was that Prince Raion had come to Kanas with some purpose from the very beginning.

However, Raion was only seventeen—a young man who had just completed his coming-of-age ceremony.

He had lived his entire life confined within the royal palace. What could someone like him possibly achieve upon coming to Kanas Territory now?

As Shtefan entertained those thoughts, confusion clouded his mind.

“If you think of it as me hiding my claws, you might find it easier to understand.”

“So all those rumors from the royal capital were false?”

There had been no shortage of rumors about Prince Raion.

Naturally, Shtefan had heard many of them—which made it all the harder to believe.

“Yes. Because that was the only way for me to survive there and prepare for the future.”

“Oh ho… Quite the clever one, aren’t you? To conceal yourself so well at such a young age…”

“I had no choice if I wanted to live. And I had to create an opportunity.”

While the two conversed, the curtain by the coachman’s seat suddenly lifted, and Patrick spoke.

“Master. It seems we have some rather unwelcome guests.”

“I’m aware. Tell Jade and Sir Alkas to handle them. And tell them to remove their restraints before fighting.”

“Understood. I’ll relay the message.”

At the exchange, Shtefan’s eyes widened in shock.

“What do you mean? Guests?”

“There are people waiting for us. But they don’t seem to be bandits.”

In front of Raion floated a map detected by Perception and a screen from Specific Analysis.

Of course, since it was an inherent ability, Shtefan couldn’t see it.

[Target Information]

Name: Aiden

Age: 41

Occupation: Captain of the Night Ogre Mercenaries, Swordsman, Assassin

Life: 380 / 380

Stamina: 1,620 / 1,720

Mana: 320 / 320

Abilities:

Swordsmanship Level 9

Archery Level 6

Strike Level 7

He also checked the information of Traki and Frank, who appeared to be Aiden’s subordinates.

Among the two, one could potentially be a hidden threat.

“This might not be so easy with just the two of them.”

Raion muttered while staring intently at the red dots approaching the carriage.

Meanwhile, outside, Jade and Alkas, who were riding ahead, finished their preparations after receiving Patrick’s message.

“Whew! If Master told us to remove our restraints, this won’t be a light fight.”

At Jade’s mutter, Alkas grew uneasy.

“How do you even know they’re coming? And wasn’t that butler the first to notice?”

The carriage and horses had already stopped some time ago.

Despite personally stating that enemies were approaching, Patrick calmly stepped down from the carriage, set up a table, and began preparing tea.

Why a table was even attached to the back of the carriage in the first place was beyond anyone’s comprehension.

“Tea? At a time like this?”

“That’s just how he is. You’ll get used to it.”

“But still…”

Shwaaaaak!

“Eek!”

Suddenly, from the left side of the forest, a shadow burst forth—swinging a sword.

In that instant, Jade drew his blade first and deflected the attack midair.

Ka-kang! Ka-ga-ga-kang!

Chwaaaak—!

The figures who had been repelled landed nimbly on the ground and quickly reset their stance.

One was Aiden, wielding a greatsword about 30 centimeters wide, and the other, Traki, armed with a bastard sword and shield.

And then came the real problem.

Almost simultaneously with their landing, a massive spear made of flame shot from the opposite forest.

It was a 3rd Circle spell—Fire Lance.

“So there’s a mage too?”

Alkas exclaimed in surprise.

At the same time, Jade swung his sword, slicing through the blazing spear.

Shwaaa—!

In an instant, the Engraving of Decomposition inscribed on his blade activated, and the flaming spear vanished into thin air.

Naturally, Aiden and Traki’s faces froze in shock at the sight.

“Could that be a mithril sword?”

Mithril was known as a mineral capable of containing mana.

A swordsman could only cut through magic if wielding a sword made of mithril.

However, since it was both extremely rare and difficult to forge, it was prohibitively expensive.

Only high-ranking mercenaries, seasoned adventurers, or elite knights of a nation could hope to use one.

“Looks like we’ll not only complete this job but also sell that sword for a fortune afterward.”

Thinking Jade’s sword to be mithril, Traki grinned greedily.

In contrast, Aiden stayed tense, having just witnessed Jade’s swordsmanship.

“Forget the sword—beware of the man himself. His skill is not something you can handle.”

“Really? Then we’ll proceed with the second plan.”

With that, Aiden charged straight toward Alkas.

Seeing this, Jade prepared to intercept Aiden himself—but he couldn’t, as Traki was already rushing toward him.

“Where do you think you’re going! You’re my opponent, hahahaha!”

Traki’s vile laugh made Jade sigh in exasperation.

“You really think you can take me on?”

Ordinarily, they would have switched opponents.

But these were assassins—killers trained to eliminate targets swiftly and decisively, not warriors seeking an honorable duel.

Of course, for someone like Traki, Jade was far too much to handle.

Because of that, the mage who had been hiding in the forest—Frank—finally revealed himself.

“Let’s see how long that smug tone of yours lasts!”

Traki and Frank coordinated their attacks and launched an assault on Jade.

From the front, Traki swung his sword, while from the rear, Frank bombarded him with 2nd Circle offensive spells.

“So that’s what he meant when he said this would be troublesome.”

Jade finally understood what Raion had meant earlier when he’d spoken through Patrick.

Fortunately, since Jade had already released his restraints in advance, he could dodge their attacks without much difficulty.

But the real problem was Alkas.

Alkas was barely managing to block Aiden’s heavy greatsword strikes.

Kang! Ka-kang!

“Kh—!”

Aiden’s attacks were both weighty and swift, making them nearly impossible to evade.

“So, you’re supposed to be the captain of Kanas’s knights? Is that all you’ve got?”

Ka-kang! Kang!

“If you thought I’d be that easy, you’re gravely mistaken!”

Alkas counterattacked with all his strength.

Their swords drew intricate arcs as they clashed repeatedly in midair.

The brute force of Aiden’s greatsword and the disciplined swordsmanship of Kanas’s knight order were evenly matched.

However, in terms of sheer strength and experience, Aiden had the upper hand.

Ka-kang—!

After several exchanges, Alkas began to be pushed back bit by bit.

Then, one crushing strike from Aiden slammed down, forcing Alkas to his knees.

“So, this is as far as you go. No last attempt to struggle? If not, then that one over there…”

Thinking the fight was decided, Aiden smirked nastily and turned his gaze toward the carriage.

Of course, he checked to see whether his target—the prince—had tried to flee, but there was only silence.

At that very moment, however, Raion and Shtefan were calmly sitting by the opened table beside the carriage, sipping tea.

Frrrrrk!

“This tea truly has a delightful aroma.”

At Raion’s composed remark, Patrick replied with pride.

“It’s a specialty from the southern region of Dolkin. I purchased it back when we were in the royal capital—the leaves’ fragrance deepens the longer they’re aged.”

“Patrick’s choices never fail to impress.”

While the two conversed leisurely, Shtefan grew increasingly uneasy.

Jade was preoccupied with fighting both a swordsman and a mage, while Alkas was clearly being overpowered by Aiden.

Aiden could charge at them at any moment—yet Raion was drinking tea instead of fleeing.

It was absurd.

Raion looked toward Shtefan and asked,

“Is the tea not to your liking, Lord?”

“Th-that’s not it… but shouldn’t we not be doing this right now?”

Unable to hold back any longer, Shtefan finally voiced his concern.

Raion, however, remained completely composed.

“If things truly become dangerous, I’ll step in myself. So there’s no need to worry.”

“But those men aren’t easy opponents.”

Aiden had completely overwhelmed Alkas, the strongest knight in the territory.

Naturally, no amount of reassurance could ease Shtefan’s anxiety.

Meanwhile, Alkas’s stance was steadily sinking lower as he continued to block Aiden’s relentless blows.

Ka-ga-ga-gak!

“Y-your Highness! My Lord! Please, run!”

Struggling to hold on, Alkas shouted desperately.

Shtefan twitched, nearly leaping from his seat.

Raion only shook his head with mild exasperation.

“As expected—too quick to give up, just like last time.”

“Indeed. It seems Master will have to personally oversee his training again, like back at Taron’s Palace.”

At Patrick’s remark, Raion nodded in agreement.

“Looks like it.”

Finally, Raion rose from his seat and took the sword Patrick handed him.

“Just in case—Patrick, protect the Lord.”

“There will be no problems whatsoever.”

“Your Highness, are you truly going to fight personally? That must not happen!”

Shtefan, having never witnessed Raion’s ability before, was deeply worried.

Patrick, however, gently pushed him back into his seat.

“No one here can defeat Master. So please, set your worries aside.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

Raion walked forward.

Aiden, who had completely overpowered Alkas, pressed down with even more force before flinging him back.

Kwaaang—!

“Urgh!”

The impact was tremendous—Alkas couldn’t get back up easily.

Seeing that, Aiden grinned with satisfaction.

“So, the foolish prince himself wants to face me?”

“You came all this way to kill me, yet you waste time on my knights.”

“I was just toying with them. But don’t worry, I’ll send you off with care… if you kindly offer me your neck.”

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