<Episode 37>
“What the hell is thi-”
No, wait a second.
‘Let’s think logically.’
From what I’d observed the past month, there is always a reason to whatever Rue does.
He persuaded the maid to let us come here by using the excuse of ‘managing me.’ That meant he wouldn’t have just brought this lady here for no reason.
“I think you’re making up an interesting story for what happened in your mind. Why don’t you let me hear it too? Who knows, you might be half-right.”
There’s nothing he couldn’t do.
“…you’re not Morian right now. That means you had to use another type of magic, is that right?”
you could not use magic while you were in a transformed state. This was based on the basic theory of magic which stated, ‘different spells cannot be used in an overlapping state.’
That was the reason magicians valued magic tools so much. They could be used even when they were transformed.
“And you dragged this woman here, probably for some other reason than just the heck of it.”
Rue stared at me. I proudly went on.
“Lastly, you’ve been acting suspicious the past few days. You must’ve spent devoted your time to this woman. You said you had an appointment yesterday – it was to meet her, wasn’t it?”
“You know how to use logic, how cute. Go on, what is your conclusion?”
“You have a crush on this woman.”
Rue’s expression cooled.
I quickly added my next line just in case he was about to smack me on the head.
“I’m kidding. In conclusion, you already knew this woman. What do you say?”
“I ran into her on my way back.”
What? It wasn’t that?
I looked at the woman with a strange feeling.
If that’s not it, then what was the problem here?
He could probably get information about Dian Cecht without having this poor woman sprawled out on the ground unconscious like this…wait.
“…Did this woman attack you?”
“That’s exactly what she was going to do.”
Ah. That was a definite hint.
“This woman is an assassin.”
knock, knock.
A silent knock rang. I instinctively put my hand on my right hip, which was empty.
“Excuse me, the Black Ragel has made a first-come-first-served sponsored visit to Iregiel. Please step outside when you are ready to disembark. I will show you the way to your bedroom at the villa in the Iregiel.”
“Ah, well… my wife just woke up, so it’ll take us a while to come out. I’d like for you to wait for us under the aircraft if possible.”
“Of course.”
Whew.
After chasing off the flight attendant, I kept my voice as low as possible as I asked,
“Was she here to assassinate you?”
“Well, I’m sure she at least had a shady purpose. If you’re curious, why don’t we ask her what her purpose was?”
Rue, who smiled sarcastically, lifted up the assassin’s head in the air as if it was a potato.
At that moment, the eyes of the assassin, who had been tightly closed, flashed open.
“Agh!”
Dozens of magic spells overlapped over the assassin’s green eyes, as a sudden exclamation broke out of her mouth.
As the layer of magic thickened, the focus in her eyes blurred.
I knew this magic.
‘Mental Manipulation Magic.’
Along with the magic oaths, mental manipulation magic was high-risk magic that was considered taboo.
“Aren’t you going to ask?”
“…is this why you brought her here?”
Rue shrugged his shoulders lightly instead of answering.
‘H doesn’t care about taboos at all.’
I didn’t care much either, so I moved on.
Sitting with my knees bent in front of the assassin’s face, I quietly moved my lips.
“For what purpose did you board the Black Ragel?”
As if trying to refuse to answer the question, the assassin shook her shoulders, but gave in and answered in what sounded like a dying voice,
“The aristocracy…monitoring…”
Was her target the aristocrats, not Rue?
‘I don’t want to get involved in something unnecessary.’
I asked with a sigh.
“Who was your target?”
“The numbers were unspecified…the majority…”
The majority?
“How many more of you are hiding here?”
“Ten…and two.”
Something was wrong. 12 assassins hired for just surveillance?
I looked at Rue. There was something in his eyes that told me there was something about this he didn’t like very much.
“What are the roles of the other guys besides you?”
“You…agh! Agh….”
The assassin’s mental defiance intensified.
Smiling still, Rue put another layer of magic on the assassin. She now looked more like an open-eyed corpse than a human.
“Answer me. What are the roles of the other guys besides you?”
The assassin, who had been struggling to breathe, slowly moved her lips.
“Iregiel Villa…attack…”
As soon as Rue let go of her head, I stood up and ran to the window.
The Iregiel villa, nestled in the white moonlight, was visible from here.
“Oh God.”
Outside, dozens of heads were lining up like ants.
* * *
The wide aisle was full of busy crew members.
Seeing that the place was mostly of luggage, most of the passengers on that floor already seemed to have disembarked.
Jean strode in between them and headed for her destination. Her expression was as blunt and unfriendly as ever, but in her head she was reflecting on the situation from a few minutes earlier.
‘It was very different from all the knights I’d dealt with so far.’
Skill level? Of course they were different. She’d lost without her opponent having to even draw their sword.
However, Jean’s question was more fundamental than that.
‘The way of grabbing the sheath and the position of his feet. All of them were from unexpected angles. The movement of the body was different from what I’d expected.’
That was why she felt even more helpless, and she was forced to recount their duel without rest.
What if she swung her left hand instead of her right? What if the balance of her left foot was more perfect? what if she didn’t expose her habit and get hit on her right shoulder?
‘…hah.’
The swordmaster’s style of beating his opponents holding them down with the overwhelming difference in their skills. Viscount Weatherwoods, on the other hand, seemed like he was teasing her in the duel.
Today’s duel was a shock to Jean in many ways, so she had no choice but to admit that she was still but a plant in a vast greenhouse.
‘But I am lucky to have met Viscount Weatherwoods.’
The Duke had declared that he would step down from the task force in three years. It was a known and acknowledged fact by everyone in the empire that he’d chosen Gavroche as his successor.
Jean had knocked on the doors of the Berkeley Grattens only to learn the sword.
In addition, the duke wasn’t the type of character to continue to have her as disciple even after she’d been eliminated from the battle of the succession.
‘So I must not let go of the Weatherwoods.’
Practice continuously to aim for the peak of swordsmanship.
For Jean, who’d lived all her life for that goal, Viscount Weatherwoods could provide her with a new path for her sword. When Jean came to her senses, she found herself in front of her teacher and adoptive father, the swordmaster.
Despite having arrived at the last location, many passengers still remained in the cabin. They must have wanted to check the results of the duel with their own ears.
“Here, your excellency.”
She humbly returned the sword of the swordmaster with both hands. No, she tried to return it, but the person in charge did not seem to have any intention of taking it back.
He looked at Jean’s face with his legs crossed and said,
“You have a very different expression than I expected.”
“I’m ashamed.”
Yeager, who was holding a card in his hands again, gaped open his mouth absent-mindedly.
“No way…did Gray beat Miss Jean? That can’t be…”
The murmurs in the cabin gradually grew. But the duke did not answer the man’s question.
The Duke, who was slowly sweeping his chin with troubled eyes, asked Jean casually.
“Jean, how many steps did you make him take back.”
“It wasn’t me who made him do that. It was my opponent who did so.”
“How?”
“He promised if I made him wield his sword twice, he would consider it my victory.”
How arrogant! As soon as someone shouted that, the duke turned towards Yeager.
“Mr. Yeager Panula.”
“What? Oh, yes.”
“Did it appear to you that the Viscount truly did not learn the sword?”
As if thinking of something, Yeager’s eyes narrowed.
However, though the response was somewhat slow, he confirmed it with a firm tone.
“Indeed.”
“Is that so? Thank you for answering my question.”
The swordmaster, who received the sword back from Jean, rose from his chair.
“Go home for now. We arrived at Iregiel faster than I’d expected. Let’s meet tomorrow morning on the ground, not in the sky.”
The Duke and Jean were the first to leave the cabin. As the Black Ragel had reached Iregiel, it seemed like it was a natural course of action that everyone understood.
But Jean knew.
The fact that the swordmaster had not allowed her to declare her defeat.
He’d very cleverly covered Jean’s mouth. He ignored Yeager’s question asking if she had been defeated and left without any hesitation.
The swordmaster usually had a temperament that did not bear watching things not go the way he planned. From his point of view, Jean’s defeat must have been something out of his calculations.
As soon as they returned to the private cabin, the swordmaster asked,
“How did Viscount Weatherwood swing his sword?”
If you enjoy this novel, consider supporting me by buying a ko-fi! ♡
Thank you for the chapter!
If assassins attack with bombs Rue will be useless since he can use magic without dropping his disguise. But if Daisy fight, won’t she end up revealing her identity? An intriguing dilemma is on the horizon.