Part 6: The Master (5)

“Run your business properly. Make sure the town doesn’t suffer any damage.”

The raven, Mugin, perched on Aiden’s shoulder, spoke with a mocking tone: “Never thought I’d hear that from you. Have you taken a liking to this town?”

“Well, it’s decent enough.”

“If you’re so worried, why not just kill that guy outright?”

“Why don’t you just admit that you want to devour his mana heart?”

Aiden fixed his gaze on Mugin.

Mugin averted his eyes, unable to refute the accusation.

“If I kill him, I’ll have to deal with everyone connected to him. Murder begets murder, and before I know it, I’ll end up just like that necromancer.”

“But you can control yourself.”

“There’s nothing in this world that can be guaranteed forever.”

Aiden glanced back.

The general store was now small enough to be covered by the palm of his hand.

It had always seemed odd that such a store would deal in top-tier goods that were difficult to sell in a town like this. And sure enough, his suspicion had turned out to be correct.

The man was affiliated with the Abaris Trading Company.

Aiden had never dealt with them directly, but his master had given him some information.

A secretive, elite trading group that held sway over the entire continent.

The fact that he could pull out an artifact like Kato’s Compass without hesitation proved that the goods they handled were anything but ordinary.

Because of today’s incident, the trading company would undoubtedly take notice of Aiden—but that didn’t matter.

The more they focused on him…

The deeper into the abyss they would sink.

“Enjoying your newfound freedom?”

“Not as much as I thought. My strength isn’t what it used to be… I guess I lived as a raven for too long.”

“You’ll get used to it. No matter how much the environment changes, we always find a way to adapt. You’ll be fine soon.”

“Living long enough really does bring surprises. Who would’ve thought I’d hear that kind of advice from you?”

Mugin let out a chuckle.

“Well, since you’re settling into retirement just fine, why shouldn’t I? I’ll go stretch my wings for a bit.”

With a flap of his wings, Mugin soared into the sky, cutting through the clouds before disappearing in an instant.

He was probably off to an isolated place…

To train in swordsmanship.

After all, his essence was rooted in the ‘sword.’

*  *  *

That afternoon.

Aiden, Carl, and Lyra gathered at the counter, passing around a letter. It was from Lucy, who had arrived at the academy.

She had safely reached her destination.

Thanks to her letter of recommendation, she had demonstrated a simple magic spell and received an acceptance notice.

She had been assigned a dormitory.

She was in the process of adjusting to academy life.

The environment was unfamiliar, and so were her peers, but she was doing her best to stay strong.

The academy had an unusual tradition of holding the entrance ceremony later, and she had requested that they all visit her when the time came.

The letter was filled with nothing but good news, but there was no way that was the whole story.

There was no chance the academy would welcome a commoner-born, late-blooming mage with open arms.

Lucy had likely only written cheerful things to reassure those she had left behind.

But Aiden wasn’t particularly worried about her.

“The moment you feel like you can’t handle it, call for me. I’ll take care of everything.”

That was what Aiden had whispered to Lucy on the day she left.

It wasn’t just an empty promise—he had both the will and the power to follow through.

The Shadow Gate connected to Lucy… was still open.

Now that he thought about it, he only ever worried about the things he cared for.

Carl, Lyra, Lucy, Mugin, Cheese, Master.

Aiden mentally counted the people he held dear.

It turned out to be a longer list than he had expected.

He had always thought he was alone.

But in truth, he wasn’t.

And even if he had been alone, life always had a way of bringing precious people into one’s path.

“Still, it’s a relief to hear that Lucy seems to be doing well.”

“Yeah. I was worried she wouldn’t be able to adjust.”

“Well then, let’s do our best and make lots of money. We can’t have our girl worrying about tuition.”

At Carl’s words, Lyra nodded.

“Aiden, there’s a special task today.”

“What is it?”

“Washing blankets and drying them in the sun. Let’s get it done while we don’t have any customers.”

“Understood.”

Aiden and Carl headed up to the second floor.

It was midday, and the second floor was quiet.

There were no long-term guests, so those who had stayed the night had already left. It was still too early for new lodgers to arrive.

Aiden began by cleaning up.

He gathered the trash in each room.

Rearranged the furniture.

Replaced the consumable supplies.

Once the cleaning was done, he collected all the blankets from the lodging rooms and dragged them to the bathroom.

Carl sprinkled crushed flower petals into the bathtub and mixed them in.

Aiden tossed the blankets into the tub and stepped in barefoot, pressing them down with his feet.

“How’s life been treating you lately?”

“Good. Peaceful.”

“Not getting bored?”

“If anything, this kind of life is more stimulating. I’ve never had the luxury of living this leisurely before. How about you?”

“I miss Lucy, but this is a blessing. You’re handling things well, and business is steadily improving.”

Carl grinned.

“Am I really living an ordinary life?”

“Why? Doesn’t feel like it?”

“I’ve never lived like this before, so I can’t say for sure.”

“There’s nothing wrong with it. You’re living a wonderfully, fantastically, amazingly, beautifully normal life.”

“Those words don’t sound very ‘normal’ to me.”

“Really?”

Carl let out a hearty laugh.

Aiden smirked as well.

Carl was warm, humorous, and deeply thoughtful.

If Carl had been Aiden’s master…

What kind of assassin would he have become?

He wondered, but he couldn’t quite picture it.

“Living normally doesn’t mean living exactly like everyone else. You don’t have to conform to other people’s standards.”

“That sounds complicated.”

“You’ll understand soon enough. You’re smart.”

Carl stepped out of the tub.

He drained the murky water, refilled the tub with clean water, and sprinkled in fresh flower petals.

“Your turn to stomp.”

“Alright.”

Aiden removed his boots.

He stepped into the water and began pressing the blankets down again. Each time he stepped, darkened water seeped out.

The sensation of waterlogged fabric under his bare feet was oddly peculiar.

“I love doing laundry.”

“Why? It’s tiring work, and no one really notices it.”

“Watching the dirt wash away makes it feel like my own burdens are being lifted, too.”

Aiden tilted his head.

How could washing blankets be connected to cleansing one’s heart?

Blankets were just blankets.

And the heart was the heart.

How could the two possibly interact?

Carl must have read Aiden’s expression because he chuckled softly.

“Empathy isn’t just for people. It applies to objects, too.”

“And what’s the benefit of that?”

“One can find comfort or solace. For instance, when loneliness creeps in at midnight, thinking that the moon is with you might bring peace to your heart, don’t you think?”

“……”

“Give it a try. Imagine this blanket as your heart, and as the dirt washes out, picture it as the impurities leaving your soul.”

Aiden focused for once.

With his head lowered, he treated the blanket beneath his feet as if it were his own body.

Each step squeezed out filthy water.

Immersing himself in the thought, he considered it as the remnants of his mind being washed away.

“How do you feel?” Carl asked with an expectant look.

Aiden lifted his head with a serious expression.

“Confused. It feels like I’m stepping on myself.”

*  *  *

Once the laundry was done and the blankets were hung outside to dry…

Aiden returned to his room on the second floor.

Sitting at his desk, he glared at a certain ‘something’—his diary.

It was Lucy’s parting gift.

Though he had received the journal, he had yet to write a single entry.

He simply didn’t know how to start.

Writing down everything that happened in a day felt excessive, but summarizing it made it hard to determine what was truly important.

“You? Writing a diary?”

Mugin, who had just returned from his little adventure, scoffed.

“Has the continent fallen into ruin? Did the sun rise from the west?”

“Stop overreacting. It’s just a diary.”

“But it’s the Godslayer’s diary! I’m dying to know what you’ll write.”

“That makes two of us.”

Aiden twirled his quill between his fingers, deep in thought.

“I write in a journal every day, and it’s helped me a lot. You should try it too.”

Lucy had said that when she gave him the diary.

The fastest way to become an ordinary person was to imitate one.

In that case, keeping a diary would surely be beneficial.

Scritch, scritch.

After much deliberation, Aiden finally moved his pen.

But beside him, Mugin started chuckling in an annoying way.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Your handwriting is a complete disaster. You seriously write like this?”

“……”

For once, Aiden had no retort. Even he had to admit his handwriting was atrocious.

It looked like worms wriggling across the page.

“An assassin has no need for elegant script.”

“No, no. You’re doing great. If someone ever gets their hands on your diary, they’ll be in hell trying to decipher it. You’re assassinating people with your writing now. Truly, a born killer~”

“Are you mocking me?”

“Yep.”

“Then read what I wrote.”

“If I could, I would. This might as well be a cipher.”

Aiden shot Mugin a sharp glare, making the raven beast shrink back.

Taking the diary, Mugin carefully examined the contents, nodding to himself.

“This… Is this even a diary? It’s just a list of events. ‘Woke up. Ate breakfast. Washed blankets.’ There’s no substance.”

“Then how should I write it?”

“You need to add emotions or meaning. Like, if you ate breakfast, at least mention whether the side dishes were delicious.”

Aiden pondered deeply.

This wouldn’t do.

So, he changed his approach on the spot.

A picture journal!

Using the artistic skills he had absorbed from Jack, he sketched a scene of Carl and himself washing blankets.

Below it, he jotted down a brief reflection.

[Mister told me to think of the blanket as my heart and step on it.

It was a strange feeling to step on myself.]

“How about now?”

“Pfft—Pwahaha!”

Mugin burst into laughter, wiping away tears.

“Aiden, you’re something else! You’ve got this weirdly adorable side to you. The world is full of surprises!”

Even as he laughed, he nodded approvingly.

“Much better than before. So, you’ll be showing me your diary from now on, right? I think I want this more than Mana Hearts now.”

“Keep dreaming. This was the first and last time.”

Aiden shut the diary and placed a locking spell on it.

Then, he stored it inside his drawer.

Mugin’s teasing was irritating, but finishing a task he had put off for so long felt refreshing.

Would writing a diary bring him a step closer to normalcy?

He would have to write more to find out.

As it was time for work, Aiden headed downstairs.

Serving food, handling the register, and cleaning tables—before he knew it, lunchtime had passed in the blink of an eye.

With the tavern quiet again, a young man entered.

He glanced around before settling at a seat by the window.

“A beer, please.”

Aiden poured beer into a mug and carried it over.

As he set the drink down, the young man struck up a conversation.

“Wow. You’re seriously good-looking. But why are you working in a place like this? Wouldn’t another job suit you better?”

The young man gushed over Aiden’s appearance with exaggerated enthusiasm.

Aiden eyed him from head to toe.

He had a feeling he just found his next diary entry.

“Because of you.”

“Huh? What do you mean all of a sudden?”

“I’m working here because of you.”

“What does that have to do with me? We’ve never even met before!”

Aiden shook his head.

“Your disguise has gotten rusty, Master.”
 

To be continued

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