Chapter 104 : Defection?

“The primary target is Erundel, the largest city in the southern region bordering the Deus Empire. There are reports that public sentiment is growing turbulent due to a series of strange incidents. We will depart tomorrow, immediately after the Founding Day ceremony.”

Muno nodded immediately at Anthony’s words.

He had actually heard this information from ‘El’ but hadn’t been completely convinced.

But now that it was cross-verified with the royal family’s information, it felt strangely reliable.

“Nominally, I hold the command authority. However, I will entrust all command regarding how to root out and pursue the bastards to you, Muno Drasen. Any objections?”

“Of course not.”

“Our mission will be kept as confidential as possible. The personnel will be myself, Sir Rantor, and you. Just the three of us.”

“Yes.”

“Don’t worry about our small number. We have the authority to commandeer border guards or the private soldiers of noble families in an emergency. If necessary, we will not shy away from war. That is His Majesty’s will.”

Was there anything to worry about?

He was confident in his own skills, and his companions were two 6-Star knights.

“So all I need to think about is finding those cult bastards and crushing them.”

“Correct.”

A smile naturally formed at the Blood Knight Anthony’s words.

“The target may change at any time based on your judgment. There is only one thing to remember. We will root out the magician organization hiding in the kingdom as quickly as possible. That is all.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

He had been worried that something troublesome would happen when the king summoned him, but at this rate, it was more like receiving a great gift.

Muno was able to leave the Armored Palace with a light heart.

‘I should practice maintaining a proper mana charging state.’

The Founding Day party was in the evening.

He had time until then, so his feet naturally led him to the training ground.

Unlike a ‘spell,’ the method of enhancing physical abilities by infusing mana still took time to warm up.

It would be good for the future to practice shortening that time as much as possible, and if possible, to be able to instantly exert full power.

As he was walking, thinking about his training methods.

‘Hm?’

He suddenly felt something strange.

At the end of his gaze, which naturally followed the feeling, was a female attendant bustling down the corridor of the guest annex and its training ground.

From within the female attendant’s baggy skirt, near her thigh, an unknown metal was detected.

It was shaped like an arrowhead.

‘What is it?’

Muno, recalling the unpleasant memory from a few days ago, glared at the female attendant.

As if waiting, the female attendant turned around, met his gaze, and was seen making a secretive gesture.

As if telling him to follow.

‘Ha……?’

What on earth was going on?

Logically, it seemed like a trap.

‘Surely not, in the royal palace?’

That thought made him follow the provocation.

As soon as he turned the corner at the end of the corridor he had followed the female attendant down.

“What the……”

All he could see was a single arrow and a note placed beneath it.

And the message written on the note was.

“Heu…….”

It seemed to be that woman.

He wondered how on earth she had changed her face and skin color, but on second thought, it seemed entirely possible.

‘This damn fantasy world…….’

It was probably Spirit Arts or magic.

A message left by the assassin who had tried to take his life, requesting a meeting.

‘I’d be a fool to believe this, but…….’

There probably weren’t any more assassins hiding in the royal palace.

That woman alone could never be his match.

‘What the hell, I’ll play the fool once.’

Let’s see what kind of tricks she was trying to pull.

And if she started spouting nonsense as expected.

‘I’ll snap that pretty neck of hers.’

Muno headed towards his original destination, the training ground of the annex, with a cold smile.

There was no need to find a secluded place.

The training ground, formally set up in the guest annex.

He had only seen himself as the strange person who would train while being a guest at the royal palace.

Kung.

Paaaaang.

He lightly swung the ‘Blade,’ but with his mind elsewhere, he couldn’t concentrate.

And soon.

“Sir Muno Drasen?”

A clearer voice than he expected rang out from behind him.

When he turned around, the female attendant from before was there.

As if to show that she had no intention of fighting, she was holding both hands up.

As expected.

‘It’s her.’

Her skin color had changed, making her look like a completely different person, but up close, it was certain.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“I am aware that you have the ability to detect weapons, but this is to clearly convey my intentions. Since you would not believe me.”

“Hoh…….”

Up close, he could clearly feel a sense of mass that did not match her slender frame.

‘As expected, above 3-Star. Probably 4-Star…….’

It was so strange that the palace knights couldn’t filter out such a weighty presence.

“An assassin who was after my life suddenly tells me about the plan. Isn’t it stranger to believe it?”

“That is why I have come here. To inform you of that fact and to entrust my life to you, Sir Muno.”

“What?”

Kung.

“I am Rauel, formerly of the Aslan Ducal family’s assassination organization, the ‘Dagger’, Sir Muno.”

Muno couldn’t help but be stunned as he watched the woman kneel and bow her head in a gesture of extreme reverence.

“If you cannot believe me, you may take my life.”

Thump. Thump.

‘This is the only way.’

Rauel forced her body to remain under control, even amidst the tension that felt as if her head could be severed at any moment.

Training to move as intended even in extreme situations was something she had always done.

It was natural to be suspected, so she had no choice but to instill a minimum of trust by entrusting her life.

She had already been questioning this mission, but.

This morning, she received the worst possible news.

– Sister! All the individuals selected for your mission have been officially expelled from the family. They’re being called servants of evil.

– It’s a trap! Run! I’m going to run away from this damn family too.

The moment she heard that news, she knew.

‘I’ve been abandoned.’

The family, no, Aslan, had taken the loyalty among assassins too lightly.

Or perhaps, they had never imagined she would have an artifact capable of long-distance communication with a comrade.

Even if it was a disposable one, an artifact was a very expensive item for a mere tool to possess.

The fact that she had been robbing her assassination targets of their assets and donating to the Temple was a secret known only to her closest companion, her sister.

‘Liina, we must meet again alive.’

It was something she had started to atone for the sins she had accumulated through assassination, to care for orphans from her same hometown.

She had never imagined that a long-distance communication artifact, which she had coincidentally obtained from a target, would be so helpful.

And no matter how she thought about it, there was only one plausible reason for her being abandoned.

‘Just for showing my face once.’

That sense of betrayal shattered the loyalty to Aslan that had been instilled in her through long years of brainwashing in an instant.

– Under the glory of Aslan, you and your family will enjoy wealth and honor.

Those words, which had been drilled into her ears since the training facility, had been proven false.

But one thing was certain.

‘Whether the operation succeeds or I run away without even trying, Aslan will hunt me for the rest of my life.’

As long as she remembered the missions she had carried out, they couldn’t be ignorant of the fact that it could become a future problem.

So, if that was the case.

‘I will defect to Aslan’s enemy.’

Among them, someone who clearly knew her skills and could handle her sufficiently in any case.

Someone who might even be the cause of this whole mess.

‘The Black Knight.’

Now, making this life-or-death gamble was the only option left.

And it was also the most certain way to screw over Aslan right now.

‘A genius with unbelievable talent, strong now but whose future growth is even more fearsome.’

Hoping that the image of him donating gold coins for orphans at the Temple was by no means false.

Hoping that he was a true knight with lingering compassion for the pitiful.

Rauel could only bow her head and wait for the other’s reaction.

Fortunately, instead of her head being severed.

“What on earth is this?”

A voice filled with bewilderment was heard.

……She had passed one hurdle.

“I am scheduled to be disposed of after being deployed on today’s mission. Along with the servants of evil who had infiltrated Aslan.”

“What?”

“The crime of aiming for Sir Muno’s life. I know it is unforgivable. If you wish to punish me, I will accept it gladly.”

“Heu…….”

“However, if you are angry, I believe it would be more desirable for Sir Muno to use me as a sword against Aslan. Even if it is just to prevent what is to happen this evening.”

“Does that mean your comrades don’t know you came here?”

“Our expulsion was decided by Aslan this morning. The others would not know.”

“Hoh……?”

A quiet exclamation was followed by a moment of silence.

Then, the words that followed.

“Do you have any proof that you, as a member of Aslan, were targeting me?”

“……I do not.”

“Do you have proof of other things you have done as an assassin for Aslan?”

“……That also does not remain. However, the benefits Aslan gained from it are clear, so I can clearly explain the circumstantial evidence.”

“Right. And if you did that, you’d be torn to shreds by the nobles. Do you want that?”

Ah…….

“You don’t, right? Then you’re of no use anywhere, are you? As for today’s events, we’ll have to wait and see.”

She momentarily faltered at the words that pointed out a fact she had forgotten in her anger of betrayal.

At this moment, only one thing came to mind.

“……As you know, I am a fairly useful assassin. I have abilities that are good to keep by your side and use as a tool.”

It was only an appeal to her abilities.

But.

He, who had been glaring at her, let out a small sigh.

“You, you’re a perfectly fine person, why do you keep talking about being disposed of or being a tool? It’s creepy.”

“Pardon?”

– You are tools. You must become the sharpest swords and arrows!

She was dumbfounded at the words she had never thought of in her entire life.

I am a tool, no, a person.

Right……. I am a person before I am a tool.

“If you think you’ve been betrayed, you can just get revenge on your own. Why did you come to me? Because you think you lack the strength?”

Me?

To Aslan?

Right, why couldn’t I think of getting revenge myself…….

“Well, it’s not like I can kill someone who has surrendered, so I’ll watch for now. And if your words turn out to be true today……. I’ll call it even for you trying to take my life before.”

Even?

What…… does that mean?

“But, after that, you’re on your own. Whether you get revenge or forget about it and live on. Don’t spout nonsense about entrusting your life to me or asking me to keep you by my side.”

On my own, live on my own?

Is that…….

‘……so that’s how it was. Right.’

She felt as if the world she knew was suddenly shattering and her eyes were opening.

The remnants of the brainwashing, which she thought had been lifted long ago due to her anger, still remained.

And as she listened to the current story, Rauel could feel in real time that even that was being undone.

That’s why even more.

She was grateful.

“……I will repay the sin of aiming for your life. So please allow me to stay by your side.”

“Why do you keep……”

“It is difficult for me to live in this country without the protection of a noble family or a person with abilities anyway.”

“What?”

“Because I am of a race that cannot be seen here.”

And because I am ugly.

Rauel dropped the artifact the trashes had given her from her body and revealed her true form.

Her light brown skin, the appearance of a southern mixed-race that was rare in the north.

She gazed at him, showing her ugly true form as it was.

“Please take me in. I am confident that I am useful, no, that I have abilities, despite my appearance.”

“Ha…….”

A sigh was followed by a moment of silence.

“……As expected, it wasn’t a mistake back then.”

Unexpected words were heard.

“Pardon?”

“No, it’s nothing. Tsk……. You’re making things difficult for me.”

The way he scratched his black hair and his slightly reddened face made him feel his age for the first time.

“For now, put that artifact back on and follow me. Let’s think of a way.”

After his words as he turned away, a low murmur followed.

In a small voice that would have been inaudible if not for her exceptionally developed hearing.

“So damn…….”

As expected…….

“……pretty.”

……Eh?

Words she had never heard in her entire life.

[At the 3rd Prince’s party, an assassination attempt on you is planned. If you are interested, wait in a secluded place.]

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