Translator: Denryuu; Editor: Ryunakama
「A request to assassinate an assassin? Addressed to an Aimée?」, I inquired in disbelief, to which Lyla handed me the letter.
Written in neat handwriting was exactly what Lyla had summarised.
『I believe you are well aware of the recent downfall of the Moisander and Kuusela families. There have been rumours spreading among the nobles of a secret agent operating directly under his Majesty’s watch. It is said that once enough information is collected, an assassin is dispatched if necessary. Not only was the Moisander family’s downfall kept under wraps, but the cavalry commander tasked with overseeing Imir’s security was also killed. Does Aimée know anything about this? If you can validate the rumours and act accordingly in the event that they are true, there will be plenty of rewards waiting for you.』
Well then.
It seems like the nobles think the ‘public safety officer’ I’ve been roleplaying is an assassin working for the crown. While both families have been dethroned, their heads are still alive. That’s probably where the rumours are coming from.
「You might’ve made a lot of enemies due to this misunderstanding.」
「The running of that underground arena became an aggravating factor for the Moisander family’s downfall, after all.」
It’s only natural that nobles doing shady things have their guard up at all times.
It was me who went after the lords. On top of that, I acted of my own accord. However, it’s not difficult to see why people think I’m serving the crown, and why people resent me.
「It’s cute to think about those quaking in their boots because of some fabled secret agent, but when push comes to shove, some people will…」
Excellent observation, Lyla. As expected of the former Demon King.
「Almeria’s one of those in the castle」, I said uneasily.
Almeria…
I still had the impression that she was a timid girl not well-suited for the battlefield, and thinking of what could happen to her worried me to no end.
「Mm… right, Almeria. She knows there’s nobody like you… I wonder if things will be fine for her.」
There’s the remote possibility of an impending coup d’etat. King Randolph has been prosecuting nobles in public as of late, and other nobles are no doubt currently living in fear. When you can be here today and gone tomorrow, it results in a lot of psychological stress that may eventually lead you to perform rash decisions.
It’s probably a good idea to let the king know of this soon.
The letter had probably been tampered with such that I couldn’t tell who the sender was, but there’s no way to tell for sure. Since he had known to use the name ‘Aimée’, though, he’s definitely a trusted accomplice.
Perhaps there’s a secret key that only the requestor and his affiliates know about. Every magic user has his own magic seal to distinguish himself from the others, but if the channeling of magicka is necessary to reveal the sender, then only my Master can do that.
「The sender seems to be afraid of his target, even though I have no clue who either of them are. But this means that the sender is doing shady stuff behind the scenes as well.」
「To think they’re safe just because the war ended… the ranks of human nobles must be full of idiots.」
Rodje was diligently sweeping the floor at the end of the hallway. The room we were in was silent enough that we could hear every sound she made.
「…Looks like we stumbled across something unexpected, huh?」, chuckled Lyla.
「It’s perfectly logical to hire an assassin to ensure that you don’t get assassinated first.」
「Make one do what he does best, I guess?」
「Well, I don’t even know who my target is, so I can’t assassinate him anyway.」
We went to the kitchen to make ourselves some food. We had a full set of kitchenware, which we used to prepare the ingredients — wild vegetables and a horn rabbit we had picked up on the way here — for cooking.
「Are you gonna cook today?」
「It’s what I ate back then, so don’t expect anything delicious. Was the ‘picnic’ fun?」
「It was tiring, but I’m glad I learnt something today. It’s assuring to realise that despite everything, you’re still someone’s child.」
「Who did you think I was?」
Sitting down at the table Rodje had tidied up, Lyla rested her chin on her hands, staring at me and smiling.
「This kind of lifestyle seems fun too.」
「Maybe」, I replied, but thought to myself that I had no intention to resign from my current job.
Every time the thought came to mind, so would the faces of my colleagues and the adventurers I had come to know. It’s a surprisingly nice feeling to be relied on for something that isn’t related to assassination.
Rodje returned from the spring cleaning of her life.
「Hey… are you trying to earn brownie points with Lylael-sama by doing that…!? That won’t last, you know?」
For whatever reason, she gets peeved when she sees me doing the cooking.
Anyway, once the dishes were ready, I brought them to the table. Lyla also brought out the wine and bread she had brought from home. The monster meat that I had grilled and seasoned with salt was rather well-received.
「Perfectly seasoned, and just the right amount of fat… it goes well with the sautéed wild greens that you made as an entrée. If one alternates between the two, the vegetables counteract any objection to the fattiness of the meat, and one can appreciate the meat dish fully.」, she commented.
「Damn… it’s good…」, admitted the elf as she made a pained expression.
After dinner, we went to bed early to allow our bodies to rest after the long journey here. Although we allocated one room to each person, Lyla stealthily snuck over to mine. While we quietly exchanged guesses at what Rodje would say when she found us, Lyla fell asleep.
I stared at the ceiling while listening to her steady breathing. Coming here had brought back memories that I’d rather not have remembered.
『It wasn’t meant to be like this from the start.』
The day I turned fifteen, my Master felt that I had become an independent adult. I didn’t know why, though — I was still no match for her, and I hadn’t completed any particularly difficult assignments either.
『But you’ve grown, and will continue to grow, into an exceptional assassin.』
Tapping my cheek, she smiled.
『Continue working hard on your assignments, and always strive to improve. If you do that, you’ll have surpassed me in ten years’ time.』
『…I’ll be dead in ten years. Even if I manage to stay alive, I can’t imagine ever beating you.』
『Ahaha. You might think that now, but I’ll be truly disappointed if you don’t.』
『…Why?』
『It’s a dream I’ve always had.』
I had grown taller than her before I realised it. Upon making a mistake, I could now run away before she hit me. And even if she hugged me, I was already too tall to bury my face in her bosom. The farewell she gave me, though, was exactly like that of a Master’s. Giving me a hug, she placed a hand on my back.
『You won’t grow to your fullest potential with me around. If all you do is absorb what I have to teach you, you’ll only be a discount version of me at the end of the day.』
『…That’s true.』
『You’re so emotionless, fufu. I’m not asking for you to transcend yourself, but rather look within yourself and strengthen that which is at the core of your being. By going deeper, you will naturally reach greater heights.』
Back then, I had no idea what she was talking about.
Now, I know that those were words of farewell. Giving me a last kiss on the cheek, she disappeared from view, and her presence vanished along with her.
And about the ten-year promise? I hadn’t even considered the possibility that I would live that long.
Translator: Denryuu; Editor: Ryunakama
「A request to assassinate an assassin? Addressed to an Aimée?」, I inquired in disbelief, to which Lyla handed me the letter.
Written in neat handwriting was exactly what Lyla had summarised.
『I believe you are well aware of the recent downfall of the Moisander and Kuusela families. There have been rumours spreading among the nobles of a secret agent operating directly under his Majesty’s watch. It is said that once enough information is collected, an assassin is dispatched if necessary. Not only was the Moisander family’s downfall kept under wraps, but the cavalry commander tasked with overseeing Imir’s security was also killed. Does Aimée know anything about this? If you can validate the rumours and act accordingly in the event that they are true, there will be plenty of rewards waiting for you.』
Well then.
It seems like the nobles think the ‘public safety officer’ I’ve been roleplaying is an assassin working for the crown. While both families have been dethroned, their heads are still alive. That’s probably where the rumours are coming from.
「You might’ve made a lot of enemies due to this misunderstanding.」
「The running of that underground arena became an aggravating factor for the Moisander family’s downfall, after all.」
It’s only natural that nobles doing shady things have their guard up at all times.
It was me who went after the lords. On top of that, I acted of my own accord. However, it’s not difficult to see why people think I’m serving the crown, and why people resent me.
「It’s cute to think about those quaking in their boots because of some fabled secret agent, but when push comes to shove, some people will…」
Excellent observation, Lyla. As expected of the former Demon King.
「Almeria’s one of those in the castle」, I said uneasily.
Almeria…
I still had the impression that she was a timid girl not well-suited for the battlefield, and thinking of what could happen to her worried me to no end.
「Mm… right, Almeria. She knows there’s nobody like you… I wonder if things will be fine for her.」
There’s the remote possibility of an impending coup d’etat. King Randolph has been prosecuting nobles in public as of late, and other nobles are no doubt currently living in fear. When you can be here today and gone tomorrow, it results in a lot of psychological stress that may eventually lead you to perform rash decisions.
It’s probably a good idea to let the king know of this soon.
The letter had probably been tampered with such that I couldn’t tell who the sender was, but there’s no way to tell for sure. Since he had known to use the name ‘Aimée’, though, he’s definitely a trusted accomplice.
Perhaps there’s a secret key that only the requestor and his affiliates know about. Every magic user has his own magic seal to distinguish himself from the others, but if the channeling of magicka is necessary to reveal the sender, then only my Master can do that.
「The sender seems to be afraid of his target, even though I have no clue who either of them are. But this means that the sender is doing shady stuff behind the scenes as well.」
「To think they’re safe just because the war ended… the ranks of human nobles must be full of idiots.」
Rodje was diligently sweeping the floor at the end of the hallway. The room we were in was silent enough that we could hear every sound she made.
「…Looks like we stumbled across something unexpected, huh?」, chuckled Lyla.
「It’s perfectly logical to hire an assassin to ensure that you don’t get assassinated first.」
「Make one do what he does best, I guess?」
「Well, I don’t even know who my target is, so I can’t assassinate him anyway.」
We went to the kitchen to make ourselves some food. We had a full set of kitchenware, which we used to prepare the ingredients — wild vegetables and a horn rabbit we had picked up on the way here — for cooking.
「Are you gonna cook today?」
「It’s what I ate back then, so don’t expect anything delicious. Was the ‘picnic’ fun?」
「It was tiring, but I’m glad I learnt something today. It’s assuring to realise that despite everything, you’re still someone’s child.」
「Who did you think I was?」
Sitting down at the table Rodje had tidied up, Lyla rested her chin on her hands, staring at me and smiling.
「This kind of lifestyle seems fun too.」
「Maybe」, I replied, but thought to myself that I had no intention to resign from my current job.
Every time the thought came to mind, so would the faces of my colleagues and the adventurers I had come to know. It’s a surprisingly nice feeling to be relied on for something that isn’t related to assassination.
Rodje returned from the spring cleaning of her life.
「Hey… are you trying to earn brownie points with Lylael-sama by doing that…!? That won’t last, you know?」
For whatever reason, she gets peeved when she sees me doing the cooking.
Anyway, once the dishes were ready, I brought them to the table. Lyla also brought out the wine and bread she had brought from home. The monster meat that I had grilled and seasoned with salt was rather well-received.
「Perfectly seasoned, and just the right amount of fat… it goes well with the sautéed wild greens that you made as an entrée. If one alternates between the two, the vegetables counteract any objection to the fattiness of the meat, and one can appreciate the meat dish fully.」, she commented.
「Damn… it’s good…」, admitted the elf as she made a pained expression.
After dinner, we went to bed early to allow our bodies to rest after the long journey here. Although we allocated one room to each person, Lyla stealthily snuck over to mine. While we quietly exchanged guesses at what Rodje would say when she found us, Lyla fell asleep.
I stared at the ceiling while listening to her steady breathing. Coming here had brought back memories that I’d rather not have remembered.
『It wasn’t meant to be like this from the start.』
The day I turned fifteen, my Master felt that I had become an independent adult. I didn’t know why, though — I was still no match for her, and I hadn’t completed any particularly difficult assignments either.
『But you’ve grown, and will continue to grow, into an exceptional assassin.』
Tapping my cheek, she smiled.
『Continue working hard on your assignments, and always strive to improve. If you do that, you’ll have surpassed me in ten years’ time.』
『…I’ll be dead in ten years. Even if I manage to stay alive, I can’t imagine ever beating you.』
『Ahaha. You might think that now, but I’ll be truly disappointed if you don’t.』
『…Why?』
『It’s a dream I’ve always had.』
I had grown taller than her before I realised it. Upon making a mistake, I could now run away before she hit me. And even if she hugged me, I was already too tall to bury my face in her bosom. The farewell she gave me, though, was exactly like that of a Master’s. Giving me a hug, she placed a hand on my back.
『You won’t grow to your fullest potential with me around. If all you do is absorb what I have to teach you, you’ll only be a discount version of me at the end of the day.』
『…That’s true.』
『You’re so emotionless, fufu. I’m not asking for you to transcend yourself, but rather look within yourself and strengthen that which is at the core of your being. By going deeper, you will naturally reach greater heights.』
Back then, I had no idea what she was talking about.
Now, I know that those were words of farewell. Giving me a last kiss on the cheek, she disappeared from view, and her presence vanished along with her.
And about the ten-year promise? I hadn’t even considered the possibility that I would live that long.
