Part 7: Candid (3)

The peak of the night—midnight.

The master stepped out of the second-floor lodging and into the corridor.

Not a single sound came from the door as it opened.

He walked down the hall.

Not a single footstep was heard.

A Zone of Silence—one of the secret arts known only to the Rogue Master.

The tavern was quiet.

He had expected the patrons to be drinking noisily, lost in their drunken revelry, but surprisingly, that wasn’t the case.

Only one customer sat by the window.

Whether he was drinking beer or drowning in solitude, it was impossible to tell.

Descending to the first floor, the master expanded the Zone of Silence over the entire tavern.

“You’re leaving, aren’t you?” Carl, standing behind the bar, spoke up.

“How did you know?”

“If you were to leave, I had a feeling it would be at night, not during the day.”

“Not just sharp deduction skills, but good instincts too, huh?”

The master chuckled.

The more he saw of Carl, the more impressed he became.

Perhaps it was his years of experience as a mercenary, or maybe he was just naturally gifted in these matters.

“Take good care of Aiden from now on.”

“Of course. That kid will live a normal life, no matter what.”

“I usually don’t trust people easily, but for some reason, I believe you.”

“Thank you. Did you say your goodbyes to Aiden?”

Instead of answering, the master simply nodded.

Of course, that was a lie.

If he had, he wouldn’t have deployed the Zone of Silence. Just the thought of saying goodbye sent chills down his arms.

Expressing emotions…

The master was no better at it than anyone else.

After leaving Carl with a generous sum of money, he stepped out of the tavern. Though spring was near, the night air was still crisp.

He took a sweeping glance around.

Centum—a mid-sized town.

A place he hadn’t even known existed before.

But now, he would never forget it for the rest of his life.

Because it had become Aiden’s home.

“Arachne’s Web.”

From the master’s entire body, transparent threads of mana shot out, spreading in all directions like an intricate web.

Buzzzzz.

Buzzzzz.

Something vibrated against the threads.

The tavern’s rooftop.

The master deliberately avoided looking up.

Aiden’s raven, Mugin, was most likely up there.

It wasn’t difficult for the master to shake off the bird’s pursuit.

Like a storm wind, he vanished from Centum.

By the second day of his journey, he had reached a ridge in the Surrender Mountains.

— “Are you really giving up on Aiden?” the Ego Dagger suddenly spoke.

— “What do you mean?”

— “I mean you should bring him back to the Thieves Guild.”

— “I can’t go back on my word after becoming the Rogue Master. My reputation is on the line.”

— “Your reputation isn’t as important as the fate of the continent.”

— “The continent has done just fine without Aiden so far. Don’t underestimate its strength.”

— “Sure, that’s true. But the situation is getting serious lately, and you know it.”

The master remained silent.

The Ego dagger had a point.

It had been a long time since he had personally gone out to gather information.

And this trip…

It wasn’t just about seeing Aiden.

There was one more thing he needed to confirm.

That unsettling piece of intelligence that had recently trickled into the Thieves Guild.

The moment he received it, he couldn’t shake off a bad feeling.

And more often than not, his instincts were right.

— “It’ll be fine. One way or another. Somehow.”

*  *  *

At dawn the next day—

Aiden was in his lodging, speaking with Mugin.

“I lost him.”

Mugin shook his head in frustration.

“I don’t know what trick he pulled, but he vanished in an instant. I flew all over the town, but it was like he evaporated.”

“It’s not your fault. If the master wants to disappear, even I would have trouble finding him.”

Aiden didn’t blame Mugin.

After using the Eye of Insight on the master, he had been keeping an eye on him.

Because he knew the master would inevitably get caught up in something absurd.

But he couldn’t exactly ask him about it outright.

For one, he’d have to explain how he knew about the future.

And even if he did ask—

The master wasn’t the type to give a straight answer.

So, he had devised a plan.

He had assigned Mugin to keep tabs on the master.

But now that the master had slipped away like a phantom, that plan had gone up in smoke.

“You couldn’t sense his presence?”

“I did. Around midnight, all sound in the corridor vanished—completely. It was unnatural.”

“Then you should have followed him.”

“If I had, he would have noticed me. And if that happened, he wouldn’t have gone to his original destination.”

When it came to combat, Aiden completely outclassed the master.

But in tracking and stealth, they were on equal footing.

“Are you worrying too much?” Mugin asked slyly.

“What?”

“Your boss isn’t some third-rate thief—he’s the Rogue Master. Don’t you think he can handle himself?”

“……”

“Even if something does go wrong, don’t you think he’ll find a way out?”

Mugin had a point.

Maybe Aiden was overthinking things for no reason.

In the future he had glimpsed through the Eye of Insight, the master hadn’t died.

He seemed to have fallen into some kind of trap, but…

Someone like him could surely escape.

And yet—

Something felt off.

That land he had seen through the Eye of Insight…

That eerie landscape with three moons in the sky…

Most of all…

He couldn’t shake the ominous thought that the master might die after that point in time.

Aiden stepped out of his lodging.

As he reached the first floor, he spotted Carl looking exhausted.

“Aiden, good morning.”

“Good morning.”

“Our guest left last night. You heard, right?”

“…Yeah. Just give me some cheese rice before I switch shifts.”

After leaving the inn, Aiden headed to the alley beside the tavern.

At the far end of the alley, a golden cheese-colored cat, Cheese, was loafing lazily.

“Nyaaang~”

The moment Cheese spotted Aiden, it trotted up eagerly.

The cat rubbed itself all over Aiden’s shoes and legs.

As always, Cheese’s love was relentless.

In the ability to love and express that love without hesitation, Cheese was better than Aiden.

“You’ve gotten fat. Should I make you exercise?”

Aiden narrowed his eyes at the cat.

After becoming the strongest cat on the continent, Cheese had grown sluggish.

Its once-frail body had become pudgy.

So, he had cut its milk rations in half.

After returning to the tavern, Aiden covered for Carl, who went to take his morning nap.

Because of the town’s festival, the number of customers was sparse.

“You’re drinking more than usual today.”

Aiden remarked to a man nursing a beer at the bar.

His name was Jackson—a tavern regular who showed up at all hours and drank nothing but beer.

“There are reasons for that.”

Jackson gave a bitter smile.

“Something happen?”

“You won’t find it interesting.”

“I like listening to stories, even the boring ones.”

“If you don’t mind, can I vent a little?”

“Of course.”

“I run a small trading company, but business has been terrible lately.”

Jackson’s complaints weren’t all that different from what Aiden had analyzed before.

Ordinary people’s worries were always similar.

Family issues.

Work problems.

Relationship troubles.

None of them applied to Aiden. Maybe it was because he still wasn’t completely ordinary.

Working as a bartender, he had learned something while listening to people’s stories.

Workplace issues were unexpectedly complicated and difficult to resolve.

Handling people was tricky.

As a former assassin, Aiden only needed to eliminate his target. But in normal life, problems couldn’t be solved so simply.

“Man, being the boss is tough.”

Jackson took a sip of beer and continued his lament.

“I completely understand that my employees are struggling. But I’m struggling too, you know? And I can’t even show it. If I look weak, my employees will lose confidence.”

“……”

“These days, I miss the times when I only had to follow orders.”

Jackson rambled on to himself for a while before leaving.

It was a common occurrence at the pub, but for some reason, today, the weight of his words lingered.

Aiden suddenly thought of the master.

Had the master suffered like this while leading the Thieves Guild?

Had he ever felt frustrated by the things he couldn’t say?

Come to think of it, Aiden had never really paid much attention to the master.

To him, the master had simply been a means to receive assignments.

It wasn’t until now that Aiden realized he had never once treated the master as a ‘person.’

But the master had been different.

He had spent a long time worrying about Aiden’s future.

The day he ordered Aiden to retire.

The crumpled order slip he had handed over was proof of that. Even coming to check on him after his retirement had been a sign of concern.

‘Did he have no other choice? Back then, I was nothing more than a cog in the machine.’

A bitter smile crept onto Aiden’s lips.

Time passed, and soon, it was 3 p.m.

Carl came downstairs after his afternoon nap.

“Can I take the day off today?”

Carl frowned at Aiden’s request.

“Why? Are you planning to go after him?”

“Him…?”

“The Thieves Guild Master. I figured it out and struck up a conversation with him.”

“I had no idea.”

Aiden was genuinely surprised by Carl’s insight.

The old man had recognized the master—
And even spoken with him.

“Something’s been weighing on my mind.”

“If that’s the reason, then I can’t allow it.”

Carl’s expression turned unexpectedly firm.

He shook his head resolutely.

“You’ve retired. That means cutting ties with the Thieves Guild. This is a crucial time for you.”

“……”

“If you keep dipping your toes back in, eventually, you’ll find yourself right back in the guild. All the effort you put into becoming normal will go to waste.”

“I’m not meeting him for guild business.”

“Then why?”

“To be honest, I don’t even know how to explain it.”

Too many emotions were surfacing in his heart.

Too many thoughts were racing through his mind.

As a former assassin, he had never processed these kinds of feelings before.

It wasn’t easy to sort them out.

“I think I need to see the master to understand why I feel this way.”

“……”

Carl said nothing.

He simply stared at Aiden in silence.

What was his mentor of normalcy thinking right now?

“If I don’t get your permission, I’ll go anyway.”

“So you’re set on this?”

“I feel like I have to.”

At Aiden’s response, Carl suddenly let out a hearty laugh.

It was an unexpected reaction.

“You’re going through adolescence.”

“Adolescence…?”

“Yeah. Rebellion is a privilege of adolescence. Maybe this is something you need in order to truly live a normal life.”

“Back when you were an assassin, did you ever refuse or reject an assignment?” Carl continued.

“Never.”

“I figured as much. You’re quite rigid, after all. But people need to push back and resist sometimes.”

“……”

“Humans shape their identities by clashing and opposing things. That process is what we call adolescence.”

“That’s… a difficult concept to grasp.”

Aiden furrowed his brow.

He hadn’t expected the word ‘adolescence’ to come up, and following Carl’s logic was proving to be a challenge.

Assassinating Astaroth had been easier—

Becoming normal was infinitely harder.

“So, will you let me go?”

“Not like I have a choice. You’re going whether I approve or not.”

Carl shrugged.

A moment ago, he had looked displeased, but now, he seemed amused.

“Between you and him, neither of you really understands the other. You’re both terrible at relationships.”

“I think so too.”

“Then take the first step this time. Not a full step—just half.”

“Why only half?”

“A full step might feel overwhelming. Half a step is manageable.”

“Half a step… I’ll remember that.”

Maybe he had already taken that half-step, from the moment he decided to track down the master.

“On one condition.”

“What is it?”

“Once you’re done, you must return to the pub.”

Aiden nodded.

“I’ll come back. This is where I belong.”
 

To be continued

Join the GS Discord to stay updated on the latest chapter releases:

https://discord.gg/PRZEAJZE3J