Part 1: Retirement (2)
The port city of Verne, located in the western region of the Grand Duchy of Grann.
A middle-aged man was walking along the dock.
The sea breeze from the harbor ruffled his pale blond hair. His height was neither tall nor short, and his appearance was unremarkable.
Despite the chilly weather, he wore only a thin robe.
The biting cold kept the streets sparse.
The only people approaching from the opposite direction were a group of men reeking of alcohol.
“Astaroth’s dead, huh? So, life’s looking up for you now, isn’t it?”
“No need to tell me twice. That demon bastard blocked our trading routes, gave us a headache. But now that’s sorted.”
“Guess the Magna Ducal House’s hunting party really is something else.”
“You’re telling me. I’m planning to bow toward the Magna territory every morning from now on.”
The drunken men chuckled loudly as they passed by the middle-aged man—Aiden.
If one were to calculate his contribution to the success of the hunt, it would amount to at least 80%.
When Astaroth fell…
His followers and familiars became little more than scattered fools.
Though everyone unanimously praised the Magna Ducal House for their triumph, Aiden didn’t care.
His life was a shadow’s life.
Shadows existed everywhere…
But no one paid them any mind.
The men’s conversation naturally brought Aiden’s thoughts back to his battle with Astaroth.
Ranked 29th among demons, they said.
They called it an SSS-rank assassination mission, so he had been quite excited.
But honestly… it had been underwhelming.
Had he not held back to observe Astaroth’s abilities, he could have ended it in an instant.
However, perhaps…
It wasn’t that Astaroth was weak.
It might just be that Aiden was too strong.
He had started his life as a thief at the age of six.
After being recruited into an assassination group, he endured hellish days.
He lived the life of a human weapon.
He saw blood more often than water.
He saw more corpses than living people.
Screams were more familiar to him than conversations.
Fortunately, Aiden possessed talent and was naturally gifted with a unique ability.
The ability that fully bloomed at twenty continued to grow, showing no limits even now.
Step. Step.
Aiden’s steps took him to the outskirts of the dock.
In a dim alley, a woman was shivering.
A cloth was spread on the ground.
To keep it from being blown away by the wind, it was weighed down with stones. On the cloth were displayed music boxes.
“Buy a music box! I’ll sell it cheap.”
Her desperate sales pitch made Aiden pause. He alternated his gaze between the music boxes and the woman.
“Just 10 silvers! They originally cost 20 silvers, but I’m giving you a special discount.”
“……”
“This isn’t an ordinary music box, you know. It contains an unpublished piece by the composer Setorin.”
As if she couldn’t afford to let Aiden slip away, the woman hurriedly bent over and grabbed a music box.
Click!
The moment the music box lid opened…
Ssshhhh!
Ssshhhh!
Dozens of small needles shot toward Aiden. If they hit, he’d be riddled like a pincushion.
But Aiden swirled his robe, deflecting the needles effortlessly.
“Tch! It didn’t work.”
The woman’s previously sweet voice took a complete turn.
She pulled out a dagger hidden in her clothing. It reflected the moonlight, exuding a chilling energy.
Whish. Whish.
The blue trajectory drawn by the dagger was fierce.
The dagger slashed the air multiple times.
The woman attacked ferociously and persistently like a wolf, her dagger as sharp as its claws.
Yet, Aiden’s face remained expressionless.
At first glance, it appeared that the woman was relentlessly driving Aiden into a corner.
That Aiden was in danger.
But the dagger never even grazed him.
In fact, Aiden hadn’t moved from his spot.
Like a tree…
Like his legs were rooted to the ground…
He evaded her deadly strikes with only upper body movements.
Even when the dagger came from behind, he dodged as if he had eyes on the back of his head.
“Ahhh!”
Suddenly, the woman screamed.
Clang!
The dagger fell to the ground with a loud crash.
Aiden had struck her wrist with the edge of his hand.
The situation ended in an instant.
“I… I lost.”
“Libel, your assassination skills are still sloppy.”
“Tch! I thought this time was perfect.”
Riiiip!
The woman, called Libel, removed the fake face mask she was wearing.
Behind the mask was a youthful face.
Aiden was an assassination instructor for the Thieves Guild, and Libel was one of his trainees.
Her ambush on Aiden had been part of her assassination training.
“How did you recognize me? My disguise was flawless.”
“The disguise wasn’t bad. The problem was the location.”
“Location?”
“Who wouldn’t be suspicious of someone selling music boxes in a place like this?”
The deserted alley by the dock wasn’t a spot for a street vendor. If she wanted to pose as one, she should have chosen a better location.
“You like music boxes, Instructor. I thought it might distract you, even for a moment.”
“That’s your perspective. To assassinate someone, you have to truly think from their point of view.”
“You were away on a mission! Honestly, I didn’t have enough time to prepare.”
Libel retorted, unwilling to back down.
“That’s not the only issue.”
“What else is there?”
“The coat you’re wearing. It’s too thin. It’s obvious you’re hiding a dagger in the inner pocket.”
“Ah… I wore it to look pitiful.”
Aiden pointed out the flaws in her attempt.
Libel’s expression grew noticeably sullen.
“Still, I’ll give you credit for customizing a music box to my taste. Your dagger technique has improved too.”
“Really? Then what’s my grade for this practical test?”
“C rank.”
“Ugh.”
“Everyone else got a D rank.”
“Wow!”
Libel beamed like a child.
But Aiden’s face remained impassive.
He did not allow himself to grow attached to her.
An assassin, whether fast or slow, would eventually die.
Not of old age but because of their missions.
Of all Aiden’s peers, none had survived.
No matter the circumstances…
Taking lives recklessly would have its retribution.
If Aiden grew fond of Libel, her death would bring him pain.
If that pain caused him to fail a mission, it would endanger his own life.
Thus, before assassins killed others, they had to kill their own emotions first.
“I received the highest rank, so can’t you at least give me some praise?”
“It’s not an A rank.”
“Tch. Stingy.”
Libel grumbled as she finished tidying up.
The two walked side by side down a secluded alley.
Though Libel kept chattering away, Aiden let her words pass in one ear and out the other.
He had no desire to listen to or engage in personal conversations unrelated to missions or training.
After walking for about ten minutes, they arrived at their destination: Daniel’s tavern, far removed from the main pub district.
Surprisingly, this was the headquarters of the Thieves Guild, which controlled all the thieves across the continent.
Since the establishment accepted regular customers, only a select few knew of its true identity.
“It’s unusually noisy today.”
Aiden frowned as he stepped into the tavern.
Both the first and second floors were packed.
The chatter of the customers filled the entire tavern, creating a discordant cacophony of overlapping noises.
“Ever since Astaroth died, it’s been a festive atmosphere for a while. It’s probably your doing, right, Master?”
Aiden nodded in response instead of answering.
“I think I’ll stay somewhere else. I can’t stand this kind of commotion.”
“Then how about joining me for a drink at another tavern?”
“Why? So you can poison my drink and boost your test scores?”
“Hahaha. Of course not!”
Libel laughed awkwardly.
Her biggest flaw as an assassin was that her emotions were too transparent.
After parting ways with Libel, Aiden sought out an inn on the outskirts of the city.
After paying for lodging, he waited in his room until a kindly-looking staff member informed him that hot water had been prepared in the bath.
Swish.
He shed his clothes like a second skin.
Upon reaching the bathroom, Aiden submerged himself in a wooden tub.
His entire body quickly relaxed.
Leaning his back against the tub’s edge, he watched the white steam rise and lingered in the peaceful stillness.
Reaching out toward the empty air, he split the void, revealing a dark, shadowy space.
He rummaged through the subspace and retrieved a music box.
Back when he was a fledgling assassin, overwhelmed by tension and anxiety, Aiden often listened to the music box.
Although he no longer needed it, the old habit persisted.
Click!
He opened the lid of the music box and wound its spring.
Placing it on the tub’s floor, he watched as a figurine shaped like a ballerina spun in place. A gentle melody filled the bathroom.
Aiden closed his eyes.
Seeing nothing.
Being unable to see anything felt oddly comforting.
* * *
The next morning, Aiden was running laps along the docks.
He refrained from using mana or any special footwork, opting for straightforward running.
The most essential virtues for an assassin were endurance and patience. Running was an excellent exercise to hone both.
That’s why Aiden ran the docks every day without fail.
He started running at the darkest hour of dawn and continued until the first light of daybreak.
After completing his running regimen, Aiden moved to the breakwater.
From his belt, he pulled out a golden dagger.
Swish! Swish!
The dagger slashed the air countless times.
Each swing left a golden streak in the air, but only Aiden could see it.
If there had been an opponent in front of him, they would’ve been staring at their severed limbs or a pierced body.
Aiden’s dagger skills were that fast.
Vwoooom.
Pouring mana into the dagger, Aiden swung it again.
In an instant, the distant ocean split into a cross shape.
Like wounds bleeding, the split water foamed white.
“Did the ocean just split for a moment?”
“What nonsense. Why would the calm sea split? Are you saying someone sliced the ocean with a blade?”
“Hmm… Maybe I was sleep-deprived and seeing things?”
“That’s why I told you to stop drinking so much.”
Aiden heard snippets of conversation as two fishermen passed by on the breakwater.
Shrugging, he sheathed his dagger.
The warm-up was over, and now it was time to move on to more serious experiments.
Focusing on his lower abdomen, where his dantian was located, he sensed a sticky, ominous energy swirling inside.
It was the dark energy Aiden called Death Qi.
Concentrating deeply, he drew the Death Qi to his palm. What happened next was remarkable.
Whoosh.
A sinister black flame danced atop Aiden’s palm.
This was the black flame once wielded by Astaroth, formerly ranked 29th among demons.
And now, Aiden had mastery over that very power.
Examining the black flame closely, Aiden reached out with his other hand to touch it.
It burned like fire but gave off no heat.
It seemed the flame wouldn’t harm its caster.
Curious, Aiden noticed an earthworm wriggling nearby and directed the black flame toward it.
The flame engulfed the worm.
Blaze!
The ominous black flames licked at the worm’s body.
Yet, the creature remained unscathed.
It showed no signs of pain and continued wriggling as if nothing had happened.
About ten seconds later, without any warning, the worm crumbled into fine, coal-like ash.
Aiden quickly grasped how the black flame functioned.
Next, he planned to test the Black Flame Greatsword and the Eye of Insight.
To be continued
Brought to you by Gourmet Scans
Translator: Maize
Editor: Maize
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