Master Assassin of the Ronan

Chapter 13: The Privilege of the Victor (1)

The winner of the ‘first selection’ was Rubin Ronan.

Rubin’s sense of victory was more than just fulfilling the winning conditions.

He had managed to deceive all the observers stationed throughout the city, including the Edict Bureau and the heads of the families.

“Are you alright, little one? Where are your parents?”

Ah, it seemed like it was time to change locations.

Rubin smiled at the flower shop owner and nodded politely, then disappeared into the bustling crowd filling the alley.

“Rubin!”

As he arrived at the nearby park, Kun shouted after him, with Hamil following closely behind.

Kun and Hamil’s eyes were fixed on the red marker Rubin held.

‘So, this is the kind of look I get to see now that I’ve won.’

One child looked enviously at him, while another seemed humiliated beyond bearing.

Before his return, Rubin had been in just such a position—his honor as a main family member had been trampled, and he had to watch Kun’s victory, simmering with shame and inferiority.

“I was better than you! Way better!”

Kun shouted in frustration.

Now, the situation had completely reversed from what it was before Rubin’s return.

“If that were true, then you would be the victor.”

“All you did was run away!”

Rubin stepped toward Kun, carefully lowering his voice so the observers wouldn’t hear.

“Think carefully, Kun. Not once today did you manage to land an attack on me.”

“T-that was because…!”

“Even if it had been a different test, I would still have defeated you. Whether in close combat or swordplay, the result would be the same. The only reason I didn’t knock you down today was because the winning condition didn’t require it.”

He added calmly.

“There are many more people I need to defeat, not just you. Today is just the beginning.”

“What are the two of you talking about…?”

Hamil, unaware of what had passed between Rubin and Kun, interjected, but the conversation was abruptly cut off.

The carriage that would transport the survivors of the trial had arrived at the park.

Citizens stared at the grand carriage, more lavish even than the one used by Trumbell’s mayor.

“Get in.”

From within the carriage, an official from the Edict Bureau’s office beckoned them inside.

Once the three were seated, he signaled the driver to set off.

On the way to their destination, the carriage was silent for quite a while.

Rubin observed the others.

Kun was still huffing, while Hamil was unexpectedly calm.

And then came a faint, eerie noise.

Creeeak, creeeeaak!

A ghost rat? Still here?

“Oh, right.”

Hamil pulled the last ghost rat from his pocket.

This one hadn’t been tracking Rubin or Kun but had been following another participant.

“Hm, this ghost rat must have been following a participant from the Rainkroki family,” the official remarked.

They were headed to a place where other participants who had been eliminated earlier were gathered, and the ghost rat was reacting as they got closer.

“That ghost rat—well done, Hamil.”

“Thank you, young master Rubin.”

“I almost lost because of that ghost rat of yours.”

Rubin’s words were sincere.

In the trial before his return, he had never gone up against Hamil.

In other words, everything involving Hamil had been unforeseen.

Hamil merely took Rubin’s words as modesty.

Rubin was undoubtedly swift and strong, incomparable even to Kun or herself.

Yet, it didn’t feel as though he was using his full strength.

‘Why is he holding back?’

Though she tried to gauge Rubin’s intentions, she couldn’t begin to understand them.

Respect simmered within her, though she wasn’t willing to submit entirely.

She, too, was a promising scion of the Assassin Blade Family.

“It could be said that I was repaying a debt. The debt of that puzzle clue, I mean.”

Just then, Kun, still seething, suddenly cut in with a rough tone.

“Hey, give me that.”

Kun snatched the ghost rat from Hamil’s hands, clenching it tightly in his fist.

“Damn rat!”

And with that, the ghost rat’s life ended.

To anyone not marked as a target, a ghost rat was just another rat.

The creature’s innards and eyes spilled out of what had once been a ghost rat.

“Hey! What do you think you’re doing? Taking out your frustration?”

Hamil yelled, and the official from the Edict Bureau’s office looked uncomfortable at the unexpected scene.

Kun opened the carriage door and extended his hand outside, shaking off the remains of the dead ghost rat.

“It was squeaking annoyingly!”

Kun emphasized “squeaking” as he glared at Rubin.

He understood Kun’s meaning well enough.

Before Rubin’s return, Kun, who had won the first selection, had been unbearably arrogant.

Now, seeing Kun’s angry face superimposed with the haughty look he had worn back then, Rubin couldn’t help but smile.

‘Such a petty soul.’

As the commotion subsided, Hamil asked the official from the Edict Bureau’s office.

“Where are we going?”

“To Grandbird.”

“And then?”

The official, smiling as if proud of the three young ones, replied.

“You’ll be rewarded for passing the trial.”

* * *

Half a day.

That was all the time Rubin had been out of the mansion, yet it had been enough to change perceptions of him.

Regardless of how it had happened, Rubin was the winner of the ‘first selection,’ an achievement his two older brothers had failed to accomplish.

Though Seiren had been recognized as a genius since childhood, her sons had not shared that reputation.

Nobody within the Ronan family had expected Rubin to win, so the impact of the news was enormous.

Thus, despite the short time to prepare, the banquet held in Dusklight Hall was exceptionally grand.

“Relax and eat to your heart’s content tonight.”

Though the head of the Ronan family gave his approval, the participants were too tense to fully enjoy the feast.

The tension remained even after the trial had ended.

This anticipation was due to the reward awaiting them after the banquet.

It was because of this reward that the first trial of the Assassin Blade Family bore the name ‘first selection.’

Each year during the ‘first selection,’ the hosting family would open their vault.

Each Assassin Blade Family had accumulated rare and deadly artifacts by collecting the relics of assassination targets, so their inventory was vast.

Therefore, every Assassin Blade Family possessed a vault full of rare and dangerous artifacts, which even kings would envy.

The ‘first selection’ was ultimately a trial to earn the right to choose one artifact from the host family’s vault.

The ranking in the trial determined the order of access to the vault.

Naturally, the one who entered first would have the best chance to select a valuable artifact.

“Amazing! The dagger of the Kergiti family, the robe of the Seknial family, and the gloves of the Finity royal family… all the missing treasures are here.”

Before opening the vault, the host family had announced a list of some of the artifacts to the participants.

The exclamation came from one of them who saw the list.

Then Dusklight Hall began to buzz with excitement.

“Of course, the main family’s vault is on a different level.”

“This year, the finest artifacts in history will emerge.”

This year’s host family was none other than the Ronan family.

True to the main family’s reputation of holding all the history of the Assassin Blade Family, even the ten selected items were exceptional.

For the other families, though they had lost the chance to go first, the quality of the artifacts was so high that the order almost didn’t matter.

Whatever artifact they chose today, the participants would gain a legendary piece of equipment they would carry with them for life.

“Young master Rubin, what do you plan to choose?”

Hamil, nibbling on some chicken, asked quietly, but Rubin did not take his eyes off the list.

Rubin’s serious demeanor gave the impression he was deeply contemplating his choice.

The heads of the other families, who were pretending not to be curious, were just as interested.

‘What weapon will he choose?’

‘Hopefully not that one.’

Just then, Seiren rose from her seat.

“It seems everyone is done with their meal. Let’s move to the vault.”

Seiren led the participants down to the vault, located deep in the underground of the Ronan mansion.

There were no special traps or defensive measures.

Instead, it detected the presence of Dark Ripple in anyone who entered.

Without a certain level of Dark Ripple, entry was impossible.

The reason the children stuck close to their respective family heads was because, without them, they couldn’t enter the vault.

“Father, what would happen if someone entered here without Dark Ripple?”

One child whispered the question, only to have his father hurriedly clamp a hand over his mouth.

Rubin already knew the answer.

‘Their body would be shredded to unrecognizable pieces.’

Boom.

The massive vault door closed.

Only a dark corridor lay ahead, leading to the weapons they had dreamed of.

In the tense silence, Seiren called out the winner’s name.

“Rubin Ronan.”

Her voice was icy, hardly what one would expect when calling her own son.

She pointed down the dark corridor.

“You go first. Enter.”

Holding a roomy sack to carry the artifact, Rubin stepped forward into the corridor.

In the next moment, Rubin’s form disappeared from everyone’s sight.

Silence and stillness.

And darkness as black as night.

Taking one step at a time, Rubin thought.

‘Alright, now, where are you?’

* * *

It was well past midnight.

The time it took for all the participants to enter and exit the vault, from the first to the last, was roughly three hours.

Each participant placed the sack they had brought into the vault before them.

Until the sacks were opened and the contents revealed, even the heads of families couldn’t know which weapon each child had chosen.

“Looks like the kids avoided any large weapons altogether.”

“They wouldn’t be able to use them even if they brought them.”

Watching the children lined up across from the vault entrance, the heads of families made casual comments.

“By the way, is there actually anything in the main family’s young master’s sack?”

Stone whispered to Bondog.

The other heads of families shared the same curiosity.

As the first to enter with the winner’s right, Rubin’s sack seemed oddly flat.

As if there was nothing inside.

One person offered a light speculation.

“Maybe he chose something very small.”

“Like what?”

“You know, those round, spiky secret weapons that assassins from the far East supposedly use.”

“Oh, you mean shuriken? Well, it wasn’t on the list.”

“It’s possible to choose something not on the list. They just wouldn’t be as high in quality as the listed ones.”

Would he have a reason to do that, though?

Kun, standing next to Rubin, glanced at his sack.

Even up close, Rubin’s sack showed no discernible outline.

Kun’s own sack, however, showed the faint outline of a dagger.

He had already coordinated with the head of the Krokisson family on what to bring back.

‘Listen carefully, Kun. It’s the green-hued dagger. The Kergiti dagger.’

Kun recalled his father’s face, who had emphasized this countless times, and smirked.

The ‘Kergiti dagger’ had belonged to a family that had been destroyed about two hundred years ago.

This family was known for creating a poison for which no antidote existed.

This dagger was a lethal weapon that had been tempered with that poison for ten years.

It was also a legendary weapon coveted by all of the Assassin Blade Family.

That was why Kun had been so disappointed when he lost the chance to go first.

Rubin was sure to choose it.

Kun even considered taking the ‘Seknial robe’ as a second choice for this reason.

But when Kun entered, his backup plan turned out to be unnecessary.

The Kergiti dagger, which he had assumed Rubin would take, was still there.

Grinding his teeth, Kun scrutinized Rubin’s expression.

‘What on earth did you choose, Rubin?’

Seiren Ronan, who was also curious about Rubin’s choice, felt the same way.

She had expected her son to choose either the Kergiti dagger, the Seknial robe, or at least the Finity gloves.

However, judging by the outline of his sack, these items had already gone to the Krokisson, Kunitli, and Rainkroki families, respectively.

In the end, they would have to go through the official unveiling process to confirm.

“All of you, reveal your chosen items.”

The children retrieved their artifacts from their sacks.

Except for Rubin, the choices of the other eight children were all from the ten special items announced earlier.

Some heads of families showed mixed emotions, but since these choices were expected, there was no major commotion.

Then came the final moment.

“Rubin, reveal your artifact.”

Seiren urged. Rubin’s hands were empty, unlike those of the others.

The heads of families looked on curiously.

“Rubin?”

Seiren prompted him again.

Calmly, Rubin replied.

“Head of the family. It is in my hand.”

“What?”

No one had noticed.

A murmur spread among the heads of families.

What could be so small and insignificant?

Kun, standing beside him, peered at Rubin’s palm.

At first, he couldn’t quite make it out. It was tiny, and it looked unremarkable.

Not a shuriken, nor a dagger.

So, what could it be…?

Then Kun shouted in surprise.

“What is that? It’s just a broken shard of a sword blade!”