Offense gave a faint chuckle and said,

“I didn’t think my name had spread this far. I’ve mostly been active in the southern regions.”

“The Empire’s assassin guilds live on information. Unlike those brainless mercenary guilds.”

“Haha. Well, thank you once again. How long until we reach our destination?”

“About ten more minutes.”

Ten minutes. That should be enough.

Offense finished his rough calculations and spoke again.

“As you heard, Lady Ariena is at the armory in the domain. I assume she was handed over to the Count right after being kidnapped?”

“If you don’t deliver the goods, you can’t get paid.”

“Hm. I need to head to the manor now, so I’ll leave it in your hands.”

“Do you want her kidnapped or killed?”

“Let’s go with kidnapping. Please keep her in your guild’s ‘storage’ for now.”

“If the Count finds out, he’ll fly into a rage. That’ll come with an extra charge, I’m afraid.”

“I’ll settle everything once this is over. Don’t worry, I won’t stiff you.”

The coachman didn’t reply, but Offense knew that meant yes.

He returned to his seat and began preparations.

Crack.

Soon, cracking sounds came from inside his body.

His skeleton shifted, and his muscles swelled.

He grew a little taller, wrinkles formed on his face, and even the color of his hair and eyes changed.

After about five minutes, he had transformed into a completely different person.

It was none other than Deirt Kyle—the man who had just become a corpse.

“Oh right. I forgot the voice.”

Offense gently touched his throat.

Just then, the coachman spoke.

“We’ve arrived, Branch Director Deirt.”

“Mhm. Good work.”

Click.

As the coachman opened the door, ‘Deirt Kyle’ stepped out of the carriage.

Now then, what to do?

To screw over the northern hero, Mide—

Deirt had arrived. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ N()velFire.net

“Count. Apologies for the delay.”

“Sit here. I assume you’ve been briefed?”

“Yes. I heard the Order of Holy Knights of Light have paid a visit.”

“Indeed. They seem to have many questions about this war. I’ve already spoken at length, enough to make myself sick of it, so I’ll leave the rest to you. Do the hard part for me.”

“Understood. So then… You must be Vice-Captain Xenia? What would you like to know?”

Before answering, Xenia looked at me.

Her face clearly said, Why are you just sitting there? Aren’t you the one who should be speaking now?

But I delayed answering for a moment, overwhelmed by a sudden pain in my head.

[What’s with that look? Like you just tore your anus after three years of constipation.]

‘Is that… from experience?’

[No! It wasn’t three years, okay?]

‘That man’s not Deirt.’

Trail clamped his mouth shut.

I continued.

‘His blood script says this:’

– Has sinned against Hyren Gois and 376 others.

[Who’s Hyren Gois?]

‘I don’t know.’

[Huh?]

‘But I’ve seen that name on someone else’s blood-script before. One of the hero party members from the timeline before regression.’

Offense. Offense Dake.

A legendary assassin known as the Bright Death, who eliminated countless powerful figures throughout the Empire, is standing before me.

[Offense… Were you hoping he would be the one sent on recon? You said he was reasonable.]

‘Yeah, but this wasn’t how I wanted to meet him. I’d rather he came to assassinate me. Then I could’ve subdued him and had a calm chat.’

[Hm.]

‘If he’s shown up here using Deirt’s body, then he’s already guessed what I plan to do in this territory. He’s making a move to stop me. This could get troublesome.’

I composed my thoughts and spoke.

“I’d like to propose something.”

“A proposal?”

“Yes. Of course, I fully understand the Count’s affection and concern for his daughter. But when it comes to war, the second-best outcome is victory. The best is not to fight at all.”

At my words, the Count twitched his eyebrows.

“That’s not possible. They took my daughter—”

“Yes, I’m well aware. But didn’t Lord of Kitur’s fault lie in failing to properly look after your daughter, not in kidnapping her?”

The word kidnapping made the Count visibly flinch.

I pretended not to notice and continued.

“In other words, if we can retrieve your daughter safely, this war becomes meaningless. Regardless of any strain between the territories.”

“That is…”

“Please grant us just one week. Within that time, I’ll bring your daughter back.”

The Count looked surprised, but Deirt—or rather, Offense—had a look of interest.

‘Look at that face. He’s already made a move on Lady Ariena.’

[Huh?]

‘I’m saying he’s already acted. He must’ve gotten Ariena’s whereabouts from Deirt. Offense is a legendary figure among the continent’s assassin guilds, so he probably used their power to relocate Ariena somewhere else.’

[So that smug “go ahead and try” look is because of that.]

‘Most likely.’

And sure enough, Offense opened his mouth.

“Count. Why not let him try?”

“What? How can you say that?”

“Hmm? From Alkahad’s standpoint, if war can be avoided, that’s for the best.”

The Count was angry at first, but perhaps realizing that this was the proper stance to take in front of Xenia and the rest of us, he nodded.

“Ahem. Yes, that’s true.”

“In any case, no matter how ready we are, it’ll take at least a week before we actually march. One last gamble in the meantime isn’t a bad idea.”

“…If you say so.”

“Thank you. Now then, Mr. Mide.”

Offense turned to me.

“As the branch chief of Alkahad, I’ve heard much about you.”

“Is that so?”

Neril and Xenia’s eyes sparkled even more than mine.

Neril cut in.

“What kind of rumors?”

“They say you’ve made remarkable achievements in Drucker, Quelk, and Lior. That your title as the Sword master of No Killing is merely a mask to conceal your true strength.”

“And?”

“And, hmm. Some even call you the second coming of a Hero.”

Neril looked thoroughly pleased.

Xenia, too, though trying not to show it, was clearly pleased.

Offense looked at the two of them before continuing.

“Which is why… would you consider coming to the capital? I’ll guide you.”

“…Excuse me?”

“There are people in the capital who know your name. Among them, someone I’m personally acquainted with specifically requested to meet you.”

Someone he’s acquainted with.

I had a good idea of who that might be.

‘It’s Kaeld.’

[Hm.]

‘He must’ve told them from the start that if possible, they should try to recruit me or bring me in.’

[So what are you going to do? Are you going to go?]

‘Of course not. Even if I’ve closed the gap a little, Kaeld is still far ahead of me. If we meet now, my reputation will be completely crushed under his.’

[A wise assessment. Then you should refuse—]

No.

It’s too obvious how they’ll react if I refuse.

They’ll suddenly flip their stance and claim they can’t spare even a week.

Well, it’s nothing to worry about.

All I have to do is win the bet.

I gathered my thoughts and spoke.

“Let’s do it this way. If I can’t find Lady Ariena within a week, I’ll consider it my loss. In that case, I’ll go to the capital with you, Mr. Deirt.”

Neril and Xenia looked at me as if asking if I was serious.

Offense said,

“Are you suggesting a wager?”

“It sounded like that’s what you were implying.”

“…And if I lose?”

“Then I’d like a proper conversation with you. There are a lot of things I’d like to ask—and hear—from you, ‘Mr. Deirt’.”

When I emphasized the name of the false persona he was using, Offense’s eyes flickered slightly.

He ran a hand over his face to mask his tension.

“Very well. This could be interesting.”

“Offense Dake? You mean Bright Death Offense?”

Back at the inn, I explained everything I had learned to Neril and Xenia.

That was Xenia’s immediate reaction.

In contrast, Neril looked disinterested as she asked,

“Who’s Offense?”

“You really don’t know anything outside the Holy Knights of Light, huh?”

“I know plenty! It’s just all old stuff!”

I shook my head and answered.

“Offense is, in short, an assassin. Not just any assassin—if we compare it to mercenary ranks, he’s top-tier. Though, like me, he’s stuck at the top since there’s no rank higher.”

“Did you say his nickname is Bright Death? That’s as contradictory as Sword master of No Killing.”

“Don’t jab where it hurts. You think I enjoy walking around with that name?”

“So? Why is that guy showing up as Deirt? And how did he change his face so perfectly? It wasn’t magic.”

I shrugged once.

“It’s a technique with a long tradition among assassins. Honestly, I don’t know exactly how it works either.”

“Hmm.”

“Of course, Offense’s skill is on a whole different level. I’ve run into quite a few assassins in my mercenary days, but he’s the only one whose disguise I couldn’t see through.”

“What are you talking about? You did see through it, that’s why you’re telling us this now.”

That was thanks to the blood script.

Instead of explaining that, I shifted the topic.

“Anyway, this part’s just speculation, but I would bet that Kaeld arranged for him to be here.”

At the mention of Kaeld, Neril, who had been lounging sideways, straightened up.

Xenia also grew more serious as she spoke.

“You mean your rival, Mr. Mide.”

“Yeah. I’m still trailing behind for now.”

“Where do you even get this information about who’s ahead or behind?”

“My own secret method. But more importantly, the point is—Offense is going to do everything he can to stop me from finding Ariena.”

I continued explaining.

“Chances are, Ariena’s already in Offense’s custody. More precisely, being protected by the local assassin guild under his request.”

“Then the solution is simple. We storm the guild, rescue Lady Ariena, and reveal her to the world. That’d eliminate any justification for war.”

“But there’s a problem with that.”

Xenia tilted her head, not seeing the issue.

But Neril seemed to grasp it quickly.

“If things go south, Offense might kill Ariena.”

“Exactly.”

Xenia was shocked.

“What? Kill her?”

“Yeah. Isn’t that the obvious conclusion? You really are young.”

“Well, I am a lot younger than Neril.”

“…! I’m not some old granny, you know?”

“Granny? No one even said the word.”

I stepped in to calm them down.

“From Offense’s point of view, he probably doesn’t care whether this war happens or not. In fact, he might think it’s better if war does happen than my fame rising.”

“…”

“And if he thinks he can’t protect the one key to stopping the war—Ariena—he might decide it’s better to kill her outright.”

“Hm.”

“And once Offense decides to kill someone, even if the three of us team up, rescuing her in time might be impossible. No—definitely impossible.”

Neril tilted her head.

“I don’t like arrogant people, but even so—are you saying the three of us can’t handle Offense?”

“I’m not talking about brute force. I mean within the scope of assassination—there, he’s beyond us.”

“He’s that good?”

Xenia answered her instead.

She clasped her hands and said seriously,

“Offense is called ‘Bright Death’ because his assassinations always happen in broad daylight.”

“He kills in daylight?”

“Yes. Whether it’s confidence in his skills or just for show, unlike most assassins who strike from the shadows, Offense eliminates his targets in broad daylight.”

“…”

“Despite doing that, no one knows his real face. Can you imagine how specialized in assassination you’d have to be for that?”

Neril nodded, seeming convinced.

“In that case, we need to talk to Offense.”

“Huh?”

“Before things get serious, we need to add one condition: no matter what happens, he must not kill Ariena.”

“…”

“If he can’t accept that, then we have no reason to get involved.”

“You’re not wrong, but… will Offense agree to that? If you really do stop the war, he’ll be disobeying Kaeld’s orders.”

“That’s why we’ll have a talk. A heartfelt, meaningful conversation where I open up and share my true intentions. Then Offense will understand.”

Neril and Xenia looked at each other.

Then, like they’d rehearsed it, both turned to me with identical expressions, their earlier bickering forgotten.

“Why those faces? I’m someone who doesn’t like killing, you know.”

“…”

“I believe in nonviolence too.”

“…”

“Say something. Anything.”

“…”

Their silence felt like it could pierce skin.

Well, whatever.

Not like I was serious about that deep-heartfelt-conversation stuff anyway.

[Huh? Then what are you planning?]

‘There’s something he said to me before the regression. The reason he joined the Hero’s party.’

If I give him a little nudge with that, everything will start flowing from there.

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P.S. This is not a threat, just my love for you💋

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