Master Assassin of the Ronan

Chapter 42. The Road to Kapotini (1)

‘As expected, a cold farewell.’

Rubin, who had even exchanged brief farewells with rivals he’d once crossed swords with, had no such goodbye with that family head.

When he returned to the Ronan Estate,

Rubin’s preparations for departure were already complete.

It was to be a month-long journey to Kapotini, located at the westernmost edge of the continent.

A single carriage for that journey was already waiting.

No longer was Rubin given an escort; he and Ronenser alone would have to face what lay ahead.

“There will be many dangers lurking on a journey this long!”

The woman bidding him farewell, instead of his mother, was Fyure, his nurse—the only woman in the cold-hearted Assassin Blade Family who ever showed such strong and honest emotions.

As Fyure dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief, a voice came from Rubin’s backpack.

“What a joke. Does your maid even know what kind of person you are, to be so worried?”

It was Tina, who’d transformed into a hedgehog, claiming she’d enjoy a comfortable trip.

On the other hand, there was someone who was genuinely moved by Fyure’s tears. Haneke, who, among the dreary assassins, had been the only one who liked Fyure, calling her the sole person glowing with brightness.

I’ll miss not being able to see that special lady again.

“Young Master, please listen to me carefully! Unfortunately, there have been cases where young masters lost their lives before even reaching the Disguised Residence! To bandits or monsters, or some such fiends!”

“Yes… I’ll remember that.”

“And that Ronenser…”

Fyure leaned close to whisper to Rubin, so Kuze, who was waiting near the carriage, wouldn’t overhear.

“They say he’s completely hopeless?”

“Don’t worry, there’s no need. He’s skilled.”

“Skilled? Skilled? Why not take someone like Lord Bikandel instead, really!”

If he lingered any longer, he’d likely never be able to leave the estate, as Fyure would hold on to him forever.

Rubin gave Fyure a quick hug and turned away. Her cries followed him at length.

Just then, as if he’d quietly drawn close, Damon, his personal retainer, matched Rubin’s steps on the way to the carriage.

“Young Master. When you arrive in Kapotini, the Imperial Edict Office’s contact will guide you to the Disguised Residence immediately. He’ll give you a new identity, name, and living expenses.”

“Which means I won’t know what identity I’ll have until then?”

“Yes. The main family would prefer to accommodate your needs as a Ronan bloodline, Young Master, but with Kapotini as the designated city, it’s difficult.”

“It doesn’t matter to me.”

They arrived in front of the carriage as they crossed the courtyard.

Damon cast a sharp look at Rubin’s Ronenser, still unconvinced, then bowed deeply to Rubin.

“Then, please stay well. I hope you quickly reach the realm you seek.”

“Damon, serve the family head faithfully.”

Damon sensed Rubin’s sincerity in his words.

A young master, worrying over the head of the Assassin Blade Family.

Yet, somehow, there was an unshakable sense of genuine intent in Rubin’s words that defied all convention.

“Yes, Young Master.”

“Then, I’ll be going now.”

Rubin climbed into the carriage.

Since no coachman was provided for a departing young master, Kuze had to act as the coachman.

Sitting on the driver’s seat, Kuze took the reins of the two horses in hand, and the journey began.

“Giddy up!”

A pack left on its side started to wriggle, and Tina, in her prickly hedgehog form, peeked out.

“We’ve really started, haven’t we?”

Tina scurried around inside the carriage, tossing out barbed comments.

“It’s going to take a whole month to get there! Such awful taste! Why on earth did they pick a city out in the western regions!”

Rubin didn’t respond to Tina’s outcry.

“Huh? Are you asleep already? We just set off, you know.”

With the rattling of the carriage, Rubin sat quietly with his eyes closed.

Rubin didn’t stir until Tina, tired from her own ranting, transformed into a cat and curled up beside him to sleep.

“…”

Rubin’s body moved slightly as he kept his eyes closed. He was already deeply engaged in training his Brion Aura, even within himself.

“Young Master, I think we should stay in this village for the night.”

Kuze slowed the carriage as he spoke.

It was the third day since they’d left the estate.

So far, Rubin’s party had spent each evening in a town they arrived at by dusk and set off again at dawn.

Tonight’s stop was a smaller place than the last two—a village, really, not quite a town. It was called Nekia Village, so remote it seemed hard to believe it even existed.

“…”

There was no response from Rubin inside the carriage. But no response meant he agreed.

“He’s sleeping, I suppose.”

“That brat isn’t asleep. He said he’s doing some kind of internal training.”

“Ah, right.”

Beside Kuze on the coachman’s seat sat Tina, calmly in her cat form.

Every so often, her tail would sway, and she’d lift a paw to smooth her whiskers.

“It’s boring.”

Kuze cleared his throat awkwardly at Tina’s comment.

Ronan’s Roincrow was actually an assassin from the Bloodborne! Kuze had been deeply shocked when he’d first learned of it.

Watching the impressive abilities of a Bloodborne right before his eyes, he was still far from accustomed to it.

“Oh, a sign. One kilometer left.”

Tina looked at a sign that indicated the remaining distance to Nekia Village.

She glanced around, sensing for other presences.

“Hey, there’s no one around, right?”

“Yes, I don’t see anyone either.”

“Right? Then I’ll go ahead and transform into another form.”

Then Tina shifted her appearance to that of a middle-aged woman, the same disguise she’d used in the last town.

“We’ll take the same roles as yesterday, got it? I’m the teacher looking after the noble child, and you’re the coachman.”

“I’m the coachman, and Lady Tina is the teacher.”

Kuze agreed, and he discreetly lifted a small panel to check on Rubin in the back. Despite the bumpy road, Rubin hadn’t opened his eyes.

Internal training, was it? Perhaps creating imaginary foes to study the forms of battle.

Kuze, who never would have imagined Rubin was connecting with an ancient general, could only guess to that degree.

“Young Master, we’re entering the village now.”

Upon Kuze’s words, Rubin opened his eyes.

The first thing he did was look down at his hand.

His hand was trembling slightly.

Just a moment ago, he’d infused a wooden sword with Brion Aura in the inner training field. The tremendous power of it had made Rubin give a small, unconscious gasp of admiration.

“…Amazing.”

“Pardon? Did you say something?”

“No, just talking to myself.”

“Rubin, shouldn’t we take care of our hunger first?”

Just then, a small inn appeared in front of them, a place where they could secure both lodging and a meal.

It seemed to be the tidiest building in the area.

There was also a spot in the yard where they could leave the carriage and horses.

“Then, let’s spend the night here.”

No sooner had Kuze spoken than Tina leaped down from the front seat… and Rubin soon opened the carriage door and stepped outside.

Rubin started toward the building they’d chosen as their inn, his lips pressed together as he scanned the area.

“Is it small fry?”

“Boss, a new item’s come in.”

In an abandoned building hidden among the bushes on the outskirts of Nekia Village, a man covered in dust rose to his feet.

“What? A new item?”

“Yes. It just entered the village.”

“What’s the situation?”

The man stood up and cracked his neck from side to side with a loud snap.

“Looks like a noble’s child. He’s a boy, about ten years old, with just a coachman and a private tutor.”

“Out for a stroll and heading back, maybe? Either way, sounds like he’s worth some cash, right?”

“Not sure which noble family he’s from, but he seems to be one. And we’re not in a position to be picky…”

The boss scowled with narrowed eyes, and his underling shut up, gulping.

Deckers was a proud man. Though he was currently extorting unlucky noble families or merchants passing through, he would never consider himself a mere bandit.

‘This is just a brief crouch before a leap.’

Deckers picked up a longsword lying beside him. He extended it before his underling, his arm trembling.

“D-do you see it! This is Aura, you idiot!”

“As expected, truly impressive.”

The underling was quick to praise him, though it wasn’t the first time he’d seen Deckers struggle to manifest Aura.

“Huff… Huff… So, where exactly is this ‘item’ now?”

“Isn’t it obvious? In this tiny village, there’s only one place for outsiders to stay.”

“Then, I guess Brother Menkers is on the move, too.”

“Yes. He said he’d start right away, once you’re ready, Boss.”

“Good, excellent! Hopefully, this kid has a decent amount of money.”

Deckers raised his voice excitedly. His arm tingled—Aura wasn’t easy to manifest even once a day.

“Judging by what I saw, he’s probably from a family with some wealth.”

“Really?”

“The private tutor, that feisty woman, was eagerly gambling away money with the old tavern geezer.”

“Gambling with the old geezer? Snail races?”

“Yes. Considering how freely the private tutor spends, you can pretty much gauge their family’s level.”

“Great! Excellent! Get the boys ready to move in. I’ll wait for them at the spot.”

“Yes, Boss!”

With a big grin, the underling dashed out. Hearing his underling’s excited footsteps, Deckers also moved into action.

‘Once the boys nab that brat, I’ll just show him some Aura.’

The next spot was a cave deeper in the forest, about a thirty-minute walk from here.

Deckers examined the cave’s condition, which hadn’t been used for some time. When he lit the torches fixed to the walls, the place took on a real bandit hideout atmosphere.

After about thirty minutes of sitting in the large chair, leaning against his sword,

‘They’re here.’

He finally heard someone pushing through the bushes, coming closer.

One of his heftier men was carrying a sack, with the others chuckling as they approached.

“Boss!”

Judging by their loud voices, they must have successfully put the brat to sleep.

“The kid’s knocked out, right?”

“Of course. We used enough sleeping powder to put an ogre out cold.”

“He won’t die, will he? I told you, he’s not allowed to die before Brother Menkers gets his money!”

The men entered the cave, immediately dropping the sack in one corner.

“What about the caretaker?”

“The woman was still glued to that snail race when we took the kid. And the coachman was too busy trying to rein her in.”

“Really? Strange people.”

Suddenly, Deckers felt an uneasy thought creeping into his mind. Maybe his men’s senses had dulled from lack of work.

What if his men had mistaken some vagabonds for nobles? Then, all their plans for ransom and the whole act would be pointless.

Hurriedly, Deckers approached the sack and opened it.

“What the…!”

“Boss, what’s wrong?”

“There’s nothing here, you idiots!”

Deckers shouted, turning around.

“But that can’t be. We just put him down…”

Deckers couldn’t hear his subordinate finish the sentence. Suddenly, all five of the men, who had been standing, collapsed almost simultaneously.

With a series of splats, they fell to the floor. At first, they didn’t even understand what was happening.

Slash. Slash.

With a dreadful sound, bright red blood sprayed onto the ground.

They realized only then that the blood was their own, pouring from their severed feet.

“Aaagh!”

“M-my foot? My fooot!”

In the midst of their pained screams, a faint voice of a child could be heard.

“Hm, so it wasn’t a bandit group?”

Deckers, his legs giving out beneath him, looked up to see a young boy standing calmly.

Alone in the midst of a blood-soaked ground.

The boy, nonchalantly dusting dirt from his black hair, turned his head toward Deckers.

“Who are you?”