Part 3: Living Normally (2)

After dinner, the tavern finally regained its usual calm.

Though there were more customers than usual, the bar required less attention compared to the kitchen.

Aiden, Lucy, Carl, and Lyra sat at the bar table, enjoying cold beers and exchanging stories. Naturally, the topic of discussion revolved around Aiden.

Handling customers, serving, billing, and cleaning tables—all manageable even on a busy day.

But the kitchen? That was a different story.

Until Aiden showed up, the kitchen had been a bottleneck. But with him, it was like the blockages were completely cleared.

Fetching ingredients.

Carrying heavy pots.

Precisely chopping ingredients.

Washing dishes like lightning.

Lyra couldn’t imagine a day without Aiden. Or rather, she didn’t want to.

The thought of serving late meals or poor-quality food, disappointing customers, and facing their complaints was enough to make her shudder.

“Aiden, have you worked in a kitchen before?”

“No, never.”

“Then how are you so good at it?”

“Well… it just came naturally as I kept doing it.”

Aiden’s polite response made it hard to shake the feeling that he was hiding something.

But Lyra chose not to press further.

“Thank you, Aiden. You really saved the day.”

“Today’s star is definitely you. If I had a medal, I’d pin it on you right now.”

“Aiden, you’re a shining star even in the kitchen. Oh, my eyes…”

Lyra, Carl, and Lucy each took turns expressing their gratitude, to which Aiden responded with a modest bow.

“How much did we make today?” Lucy asked, changing the subject.

“Brace yourself—we made five gold coins.”

“You’re joking, right?”

“I might joke with words, but not about money. It’s really five gold coins.”

Carl burst into hearty laughter.

Five gold coins—a week’s worth of income for the tavern—was no small sum. Even when the tavern first opened, Carl had never earned that much in a single day.

“We should thank that raven for bringing us luck.”

“Indeed. I hope it comes back.”

“Even if the raven doesn’t, a lot of customers said they’d return. Looks like we’ve secured some regulars.”

Humming a cheerful tune, Lucy stood up and started massaging Carl’s and Lyra’s shoulders in turn.

Soon after, the group dispersed. Lucy retired to her room, and Lyra left to tidy up the kitchen.

Now only Aiden and Carl remained at the bar.

“Something happened today, didn’t it? Lucy seemed unusually cheerful,” Carl observed.

“I told her about the academy.”

“The academy? What about it?”

“I told her that you became a mercenary to send her there.”

“……”

Carl was momentarily at a loss for words.

Aiden’s deduction was spot-on. Carl had indeed returned to the harsh world of mercenaries to earn the money needed for Lucy’s academy tuition.

But how had Aiden figured it out? He’d never even uttered the word “academy” in front of him.

“How did you…?”

“It wasn’t hard to deduce.”

Aiden explained. Carl had become a mercenary because he needed a large sum of money, and the most likely reason was Lucy, given her potential as a mage.

“But how did you know Lucy’s a mage? Did she tell you?”

“I didn’t hear it directly. I can tell just by looking at the flow of mana.”

Aiden’s words carried his characteristic air of mystery, revealing just enough to intrigue without fully explaining.

Carl found it impossible to grasp the extent of Aiden’s abilities—or his past.

“You really don’t miss anything, do you?”

“That’s usually the case.”

“Lucy’s birthday is in a few days. I was planning to tell her then.”

“Then I’ve overstepped. My apologies.”

“It’s fine. She was bound to find out sooner or later, and I was itching to say it anyway. So, how was your brief tour of the town?”

“It was… underwhelming.”

“Figured you’d say that. Let me guess—’a town’s just a town,’ right?”

“Exactly.”

Aiden didn’t deny it.

A long silence followed.

Surprisingly, it was Aiden who broke it. With a serious expression, he asked, “May I ask for advice?”

*  *  *

“You have a problem? Now that’s a first. Go ahead, lay it on me. They don’t call me the problem solver for nothing,” Carl said, grinning mischievously. His curious eyes fixed on Aiden.

“Don’t tell me you’ve taken a liking to Lucy? If that’s the case, I’d approve without hesitation.”

“It’s not that kind of problem,” Aiden replied, pausing briefly.

He pondered how much of himself to reveal. As an assassin, he’d never shown his true identity to anyone, not even once.

The only person who truly understood him was his master.

But… to get proper advice, one must provide accurate information.

“I’m a retired assassin.”

Aiden’s tone was calm as he revealed his secret.

“…….!”

Carl’s eyes widened in shock, blinking as if processing what he’d just heard.

“Does that bother you?” Aiden asked.

“Uh… no, not really. During my mercenary days, I took lives too. It’s just… your past profession is a bit more extreme than I expected.”

“……”

“But now that I think about it, your cold demeanor, sharp judgment, and secretive nature… it all makes sense.”

“Does it scare you?”

“Not at all. Without you, I’d be dead already. And honestly, if you ever decided to kill me, I wouldn’t stand a chance anyway. So, what’s there to fear?”

Carl’s composed reaction didn’t surprise Aiden.

He’d observed Carl’s extraordinary capacity for understanding during their time together. He also trusted that Carl wouldn’t go around spreading his secret.

“So, what’s troubling you?”

“My face.”

“Come again?”

“My face is the problem.”

Carl blinked, then burst into laughter, clutching his stomach.

His loud guffaws drew the attention of a few nearby customers.

“Is my problem funny?”

“I’ve heard of people complaining about being ugly, but being too handsome? That’s a first.”

“I’m serious…”

Since his retirement, Aiden had become increasingly bothered by his good looks. People’s stares made him uncomfortable, and earlier, his appearance had even led to a fight with petty thieves.

As Mugin had suggested, he’d considered wearing artificial skin again. But he refrained to honor his master’s command.

“I used to wear a disguise—fake skin—to hide my face,” Aiden confessed.

“Naturally. That face would draw too much attention for an assassin.”

“But when I retired, my master told me not to hide my real face anymore.”

“Hmm… so?”

“I can’t understand why my master gave such an order.”

Beyond his assassination skills, Aiden possessed exceptional observational and analytical abilities. Yet even he couldn’t fathom his master’s instructions.

It was a labyrinth, a riddle.

A person who knew full well that revealing his face would stir trouble…

For the first time in his life, Aiden felt like he’d hit a wall, unable to find an answer.

Eventually, he decided to seek Carl’s help.

The matter intrigued him so much that he was even willing to reveal his identity as an assassin.

“It’s a very simple issue.”

“Why is that?”

“Your master wanted you to live ‘normally.'”

“Then wouldn’t it make more sense for me to hide my face? My appearance is far from ordinary.”

Aiden immediately countered, unable to accept Carl’s explanation.

“That, I fully agree with. But how about thinking about it from another angle?”

“What angle?”

“There are plenty of handsome men and beautiful women in the world. Do they hide their faces?”

“……”

Aiden remained silent. He had no rebuttal this time.

During his missions, Aiden had encountered countless strikingly beautiful people—nobles and royalty among them.

And did they conceal their faces?

Of course not.

They flaunted their beauty openly, proud of their appearances.

“If your master hadn’t given you that order, what would you have done?”

“I would’ve worn artificial leather to avoid drawing attention.”

“Exactly. That’s the point. Your master predicted that and understood you completely. Looking at it now, your master seems to know you very well.”

Carl praised his master, and for the first time, Aiden realized he’d never truly tried to understand his master’s intentions.

He had simply followed orders.

“Ordinary people don’t hide their faces. They don’t live with fake names or fake appearances.”

“……”

“And being ordinary has nothing to do with ability. Even a Sword Master or a high-ranking mage can be ordinary in their way.”

“……”

“They’re just people, too. They eat when hungry, and they fall in love.”

Carl finished his point, gazing at the still-silent Aiden.

Hearing about Aiden’s past as an assassin, Carl felt he was finally beginning to grasp Aiden’s essence.

It was as if the scattered puzzle pieces had suddenly clicked into place.

From Carl’s perspective, Aiden was undeniably extraordinary.

He had witnessed Aiden’s physical prowess firsthand, and his sharp intellect was unmatched.

For instance, Aiden had deduced that Lucy was a mage and that Carl had returned to mercenary work to pay Lucy’s academy tuition—all within a single day.

Aiden’s analytical skills were truly remarkable.

But even someone as brilliant as Aiden had a critical flaw:

He excelled at understanding others and interpreting their actions, yet he failed to truly know himself.

More than that, Aiden didn’t know how to love himself.

Despite his strikingly handsome appearance, something to take pride and joy in, he treated it as a curse.

Perhaps the real battle for Aiden would not be with the world but with himself.

“Do you have any idea why you’ve adopted this mindset?” Carl gently shifted the topic.

“I think I do.”

“Tell me more.”

“Probably because I spent so long as an assassin. An assassin’s virtue is to remain unseen.”

As expected, Aiden was quick-witted.

With just a slight nudge, he had reached the correct conclusion.

“Exactly. You’re spot on. But now, you’ve retired. There’s no identity left to hide.”

“……”

“So there’s no need to conceal your face anymore. Walk around proudly with that handsome face of yours. How’s my advice? Did it help?”

“Yes. It’s helped me sort things out.”

Aiden nodded. Through his conversation with Carl, he realized his tendency to keep hiding something about himself.

His years as an assassin had deeply ingrained this attitude in him.

He wouldn’t have known this if he hadn’t retired.

Which led him to another question:

Why did the Master want him to live ‘normally’?

Several answers came to mind, but Aiden kept them to himself.

He would confirm his theories if he ever reunited with his master.

“It seems you know me better than I do.”

“It’s not that I’m great; it’s more like a chess game. Sometimes, the person watching from the side sees things more clearly.”

Carl grinned playfully.

“But… can I truly become normal?”

Aiden was uncertain.

He had lived as a ruthless assassin for nearly two decades.

Could he change now?

The years he had spent feeding off the deaths of others…

The time soaked in blood… Could it ever be undone?

“It’ll be easier and quicker than you think.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Look at today alone. You came to me for advice, didn’t you? You even revealed that you used to be an assassin.”

“……”

“Isn’t that already a groundbreaking transformation?”

Carl’s exaggerated reaction made Aiden chuckle.

Now that he thought about it, Carl was right.

Before and after his retirement, Aiden had never imagined he would seek someone’s advice or admit to being an assassin.

“Hey! You just smiled! I saw it, clear as day. Isn’t this progress happening way too fast?”

Carl celebrated Aiden’s smile as if it were his own victory.

Aiden’s smile deepened.

For some reason, he felt that next time he made a snowman, he could draw a face with expressions on it.
 

To be continued

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