Part 5: Wishes Do Come True (5)

It had been ten days since Jack’s rampage.

The dead could no longer threaten the living, so Jack was quickly forgotten.

Centum regained its peace.

The citizens returned to their daily lives, and even the reconstruction of the plaza, which was expected to take a long time, was completed faster than anyone imagined.

Jack had left behind only his death.

Nothing else had changed.

“Who do you think defeated that dark mage?”

“The guards and the lord’s knights, perhaps?”

“No way. The number of undead was overwhelming. There’s no way the local forces could’ve handled that.”

“Then who on earth…?”

For a time, the mysterious hero who saved the town became the talk of Centum.

At first, rumors pointed to the Holy Knights. Everyone knew that the lord had requested assistance from the Holy Knights.

But even the most plausible rumors eventually fizzled out.

No one had seen the Holy Knights enter the town. Even if they’d arrived unnoticed during the evacuation, they would’ve stayed to investigate the incident.

However, before and after Jack’s rampage…

The Holy Knights were nowhere to be seen. Thus, it was concluded that they had no involvement in the event.

Speculations swirled, but none provided a clear explanation.

In the end, the identity of the mysterious hero who saved Centum remained one of the town’s three great mysteries.

Meanwhile, thanks to the strict secrecy maintained by the branch manager and the captain of the guards, Aiden’s identity remained undiscovered.

His striking appearance already made him stand out.

If rumors spread that he had defeated Jack, any hope of a normal life would have been gone.

Keeping his identity hidden had been the right choice.

If any more problems arose in the town, Aiden planned to resolve them similarly.

As long as Aiden stayed in Centum, not even dragons or high-ranking demons could threaten it.

Only the residents of the town remained unaware of this fact.

Aiden, the retired assassin, continued his ordinary life.

He ran through the town at dawn as exercise and practiced visualization training before bed.

When bored, he listened to his music box or occasionally helped at the tavern.

One new addition to his routine was pecan pie.

After discovering the treat, he began visiting a dessert shop daily to buy a pie.

Pecan pie became Aiden’s new indulgence.

One day, he offered some to the raven, Mugin.

“Why do you eat this stuff? Blegh!”

Mugin pecked at the pie a few times, then made a face.

“Desserts should be sweet. This is just greasy.”

“Why? It tastes perfect to me.”

“Then your taste buds are broken. I wouldn’t eat this even if it killed me.”

“Do you want to find out if it will?” Aiden joked, half-serious.

At that moment, he felt like he finally understood Lucy. Lucy had often insisted on sharing various desserts with him, and now he realized why.

When someone cherished something…

It was surprisingly hard to accept that others didn’t.

True passion wasn’t meant to be rejected but shared.

“Did you enjoy Jack’s mana heart?”

“It was unexpectedly good. Had a bitter, chocolate-like flavor.”

“I thought you hated villainous hearts? Didn’t you say they tasted awful before?”

“It depends on the villain.”

Mugin puffed out his chest proudly.

He explained that the quality of malice and the type of sins committed influenced the flavor of a mana heart.

According to Mugin, Jack’s mana heart held a blend of pure madness and faint regret.

“At the moment you took his life, his feelings must’ve shifted. That added a unique depth to the flavor.”

“Are you some kind of gourmet critic now?”

“No one interprets human emotions through taste better than I do.”

“What do you think my mana heart would taste like?” Aiden asked earnestly.

Mugin furrowed his brow.

“Don’t say something so dreadful. If you die, the entire continent might as well perish.”

“Just humor me. What would it taste like?”

“If I had to guess, it’d be awful.”

“Why?”

“Because it wouldn’t have any flavor.”

No flavor meant no emotion.

Aiden didn’t argue.

Suppressing his emotions had been his choice.

Not all assassins were like Aiden.

Some were prone to laughter, while others cried often.

Such people might live more vividly than Aiden, but they didn’t live as long.

Those who loved life could never fight against death.

To battle death, one had to first forsake life.

Only death could confront death.

“But if you keep living like this, you might become a unique delicacy someday. You’ve changed so much, you know? Do you realize that?”

“I know.”

Aiden nodded.

“I thought you wouldn’t last ten days before running back to the Thieves Guild, but now you’re practically settled here. You even pull off acting normal pretty well.”

“I don’t fail my missions.”

As always, Aiden flawlessly carried out the orders given by his master.

He had revealed his face and real name, befriended Lucy, and taken on the role of a tavern worker.

On the surface, Aiden appeared to be just an ordinary man.

“Don’t you find it boring? Don’t you miss the old days?”

Mugin shifted the topic.

“Not really.”

“Really? I thought assassination was your calling.”

“It just happened this way. Like learning to swim because I was drowning.”

“What a dull answer. An assassin who just ‘happened’ to slay dragons, demons, and gods. If the people you killed knew this, they’d be rolling in their graves.”

“Not my problem.”

Aiden shrugged.

His indifferent gaze drifted to the window.

The sky was blue, dotted with fluffy clouds.

Since retiring, Aiden had come to realize one thing…

The world was surprisingly peaceful.

Life-and-death situations were rare.

At most, people argued on the streets or quarreled with family and friends.

It seemed only Aiden had lived in a world so starkly different.

“Aren’t you bored?”

“I didn’t do much before, so not really. The only downside is I can’t enjoy mana hearts like before.”

“You could always try finding some other delicacy.”

“Nothing’s likely to surpass the taste of emotions steeped in mana.”

“You never know.”

“Oh, by the way, the cat training is complete as of yesterday. That feline is now the continent’s strongest cat.”

“……”

“And don’t think I’ve forgotten. You promised me a reward for training the cat.”

Mugin’s eyes gleamed with expectation.

“Don’t think you can weasel out by offering Jack’s mana heart.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll keep my promise.”

“Then what’s my reward?”

“I’ll undo the seal.”

“R-really?”

“I can’t fully remove it, but I can loosen it for one or two hours a day. How’s that? Satisfied now?”

Mugin nodded so enthusiastically it seemed his neck might snap.

*  *  *

The next morning at dawn.

As usual, Aiden took a lap around the town before slipping into a secluded alley near the tavern.

Winter was in full swing.

Whiiisshh…

The wind was sharp as a blade, biting into the skin. The streets were deserted in the early morning hours.

Aiden surveyed his surroundings and focused his mind.

“O departed ones, answer my call.”

A chilling voice echoed.

Soon, a pentagram of dark energy formed on the ground, and ten skeletons emerged from its center.

The skeletal soldiers clattered their upper and lower jaws together, producing an eerie clicking sound. Their hollow eye sockets darted about aimlessly.

Thanks to absorbing Jack’s death qi, Aiden could now summon the undead.

He could also wield the black magic Jack had once used.

Of course, there was no need to summon undead or use black magic in actual combat.

Aiden himself was already a weapon.

No, he was Death incarnate.

For the past three years, he had rarely bothered to use the abilities he absorbed.

A lion has no need to borrow the abilities of a rabbit.

“Come down.”

At Aiden’s command, the raven Mugin perched on his shoulder.

“Feeling up for a little fun since the seal is loosened?”

“You want me to fight skeletons? Do you think so little of me?”

“When was the last time you moved in your true form?”

“I don’t know. I don’t care to remember.”

“Wouldn’t you need time to get used to your body again?”

“Ridiculous. You know who I am, and yet you say such nonsense?”

“Then prove me wrong.”

“Think I can’t?”

Mugin descended to the ground.

Boom!

A puff of white smoke erupted around him, spreading outward.

As the smoke cleared, a young man appeared.

Jet-black hair.

Jet-black eyes.

The young man was just as handsome as Aiden.

If Aiden’s beauty leaned toward refined elegance, the man exuded rugged charm and boldness.

His frame was at least 1.5 times larger than Aiden’s.

Whoosh!

The wind whipping through the alley tousled the young man’s long black hair.

This was Mugin’s true form, freed from the seal.

Long ago, Mugin had caused a “certain incident” in the divine realm, leading to his confinement in the form of a raven.

Aiden’s first visit to the divine realm had also been because of Mugin.

“It’s been a while since I stood on two feet.”

Mugin took a few steps, as if testing his legs, with a curious expression.

“How does it feel to be back in your original body?”

“Honestly… not great.”

“Why not?”

“You said you loosened the seal, but I can barely feel a tenth of my former power.”

Mugin frowned and grumbled.

No matter how hard he tried to concentrate, the overwhelming authority he once wielded in the divine realm was absent.

“Restoring your form is one thing, but undoing the full power of the seal is nearly impossible. Have you forgotten who placed it on you?”

“Tch. That damn old codger.”

“You wouldn’t have gotten into this mess if you hadn’t caused trouble in the first place.”

“That was self-defense! If you hadn’t interfered, I’d already be on the throne by now.”

“Believe what you want.”

Aiden shrugged indifferently.

Mugin underestimated him too much.

The fact that Aiden had defeated Mugin was proof enough that he could never overcome him.

Grumbling aside, Mugin seemed secretly pleased to be back in his true form.

A small smile crept onto his lips as he moved his body this way and that.

“Ready to receive the skeletons’ warm welcome?”

“More like a farewell, wouldn’t you say?”

“Oh, really?”

Aiden stepped back and gestured with his chin. Three skeletal soldiers advanced toward Mugin.

The leading skeleton swung its short sword.

Swish!

A vertical slash aimed to cleave Mugin’s head in two.

“Such a sluggish attack. A caterpillar with arms could strike faster.”

Mugin sneered at the skeleton as he leaned to the side to dodge.

But the space was too narrow.

Though he shifted his body, the blade’s trajectory was still too close to avoid.

If Mugin had been in his raven form, the movement might have sufficed.

But in his human form, his dodging attempt was laughably clumsy.

At this rate, one of his shoulders would end up skewered by the skeleton.

“Oh no…”

Realizing his mistake, Mugin hastily adjusted his footing.

Unfortunately…

He overcompensated, stepping too far and spinning himself in the process.

Thud!

Mugin fell flat on his back as he narrowly avoided the blade.

But the true comedic moment came afterward…

Lying on the ground, Mugin flailed his arms as if trying to flap wings that weren’t there.

“What are you doing? Was that supposed to be the skeletons’ farewell gift?”

“Sh-shut up!”

Mugin’s face turned beet red.
 

To be continued

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