Reincarnated as a Genius Prodigy of a Prestigious Family - Chapter 103

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Reincarnated as a Legendary Talent Genius of a Noble Family Episode 103

 

 

 

60. Something Seemed Strange (2)

 

 

Disposing of corpses is quite a labor-intensive task.

“Open your subspace.”

“…It’ll be hard to clean later.”

“It’s better than getting caught, isn’t it?”

“That’s true.”

Delward obediently followed my instructions.

“Phew. We’ve put the bodies in for now.”

“Next, we need to erase the traces.”

“Ah. The bloodstains.”

I shook my head.

“Then the wires?”

“There’s quite a lot more besides that.”

Looking around, this was no joke.

Not only wires, but they had prepared double and triple contingencies in case Delward tried to escape.

From simple traps that would instantly bind movement, to explosive traps at the outermost perimeter as a last resort.

For assassins to prepare this elaborately, there was no other reason than their absolute determination to capture him.

“Phew.”

The cleanup wasn’t as difficult as I thought.

Fortunately, these were all things Mother had taught me, and learning both installation and dismantling of traps is basic.

Just because this was the Drenik Empire didn’t mean the assassins’ traps were extraordinarily ingenious or anything.

In fact, I heard that mechanical device traps mostly came from the Drenik Empire side.

Well, maybe I just learned well.

“Done.”

I collected all the traps and dusted off my hands.

Most of them hadn’t been triggered yet, so they could probably be recycled later. Making a single trap usually takes quite a bit of work, after all.

“…Just what exactly are you?”

Meanwhile, seeing me return after dismantling all the traps, Delward asked in a daze.

Instead of answering, I pointed at the ground beneath Delward’s feet.

“There, if you step forward you’ll get blood on you. Step back.”

“Oh, okay.”

The finishing touch was removing the bloodstains.

Removing bloodstains isn’t difficult.

It’s basic for assassins.

After spraying chemicals and absorbing them with cloth to completely erase the bloodstains, then applying scent-masking agents, I finally finished all the work.

Even after that, following what Mother taught me, I checked once more in case I had missed any traces.

Wait.

Does this count as my first assassination?

“Thank you. Without you, I really would have been done for.”

Delward expressed his gratitude and asked as if bewildered.

“You… didn’t you say you had talent in other things?”

“Well, I had opportunities to learn various things.”

“…Those were the guys who tormented me so viciously.”

It helped that those guys were focused on Delward more than expected, but Mother’s teachings really are amazing.

Who would have thought that doing exactly as I learned would work so well.

I killed the first fellow by completely suppressing my breathing, hiding in the darkness, and stabbing his throat.

Before the first fellow even fell, I moved through the darkness and pierced the second one’s heart from behind in the same way.

“The last one was magic, right?”

“You saw it properly.”

As Delward said, the last one sensed something and tried to move, but I sealed his movement with 2-Chain Magic that pulled roots from the ground to bind his feet.

Though Delward finished him off.

“My little brother really made friends with an incredible fellow. Leila doesn’t know you’re good at this kind of thing too, right?”

“Probably not.”

How could she know?

She doesn’t even know our Mother is a legendary (former) assassin.

Delward soon chuckled.

“Ha… Anyway, I really survived thanks to you. These bastards followed me from the border.”

“Drenik assassins, right?”

Delward’s eyes widened.

“You figured that out too?”

“Yeah, well. I happened to notice.”

I gave a vague answer and then asked.

“I don’t really know how you ended up being chased, but I understand why you had no choice but to keep being pursued.”

“Huh? What do you mean….”

“Look at the sole of your shoe.”

Delward hastily lifted one foot to examine his shoe so the bottom was visible.

Sure enough.

A small crystal embedded in the space between the front and back of the sole that doesn’t touch the ground.

“It’s a mana receiver.”

“I don’t see it?”

“Of course, since it’s hidden.”

Spies wouldn’t stupidly embed a receiver that’s easily visible.

When I approached and channeled mana, the protective magic on the receiver was dispelled and its form was revealed.

“…Good heavens.”

It’s an item assassins frequently use for tracking targets. It was probably embedded before crossing the border, or during the pursuit. The former is more likely.

“So you already knew?”

I already knew.

When I was following from behind, I concentrated briefly and saw it then.

I just couldn’t tell exactly what it was for, so I watched and followed.

“Yes.”

“You really are… an unbelievable friend, aren’t you?”

Even if I knew in advance, being followed would have been the same.

If they were the type to follow from the border to the capital, they would have found him again even without that tracking device.

Rather, it was better to guide the situation and deal with it.

Stab.

Delward boldly thrust his dagger cleanly into the sole, extracted the tracking device, and crushed it completely.

“Phew.”

Delward spoke with the relieved expression of someone whose aching tooth had been pulled.

“Now I can finally sleep with my legs stretched out.”

“Right?”

“Yeah. Thanks to you. Thank you. Really. I really thought I was going to die for sure….”

I shook my head.

“They probably wouldn’t have killed you right away, but tortured you instead.”

“…You say such brutal things so casually?”

Because that’s the standard approach.

I didn’t learn it, but assassins are also trained in torture techniques.

Being an assassin doesn’t mean you only handle assassination missions – they play various roles like kidnapping important figures, torture, information gathering, and so on.

If they had captured Delward, they probably would have tried to extract information through torture to find out what they had taken.

In fact, when I looked at the daggers they carried, they were coated with paralysis poison.

“For now, you can rest easy. It seems there are no more of them tracking you.”

“Yes, that’s a relief. A relief indeed. Still, just to be safe, I’ll need to be more prepared from now on.”

Delward muttered this and asked.

“Are you really 14 years old?”

“Yes. Though my birthday is a bit earlier than Leila’s.”

“…That’s not what I mean. It doesn’t make sense. Even during my brief stay in the capital, I heard so many stories. Swordsmanship, spear arts, magic, summoning arts…”

That’s hard for me to explain too.

I just ended up being good at everything as I practiced.

While everything might be thanks to ancient mana, it’s my own capability that wields that ancient mana.

“…Well, there are things in this world that can’t be understood.”

Oh.

That’s a phrase I use often.

“Exactly.”

“Good. Then um… should I return to the mansion like this?”

Delward pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

“No. I’ve put on quite a show of being independent, so it would be awkward to go back now. I should continue on.”

Well, that’s his choice.

I’ve done my part by saving him.

If he had died like that, Leila would have been devastated.

“Oh, and.”

Delward rummaged through his chest for something again.

This was the third time I’d seen him do this.

“Even if you’re Leila’s friend, I feel like I should pay for having my life saved.”

“It’s fine.”

“Still, you did save my life…”

“Rather than that, there’s something I’m curious about. How about answering that instead?”

“Something you’re curious about?”

He stopped his hand that was about to pull something from his chest and looked at me.

“Yes. I’m curious why you’re leaving in such a hurry without even meeting the Duke.”

“Well, because of the assassination threat…”

“It felt more like you were intentionally avoiding him altogether. If that was the issue, you shouldn’t have come to see Leila either.”

“…You’re sharp, aren’t you?”

Delward sighed briefly.

“It’s a long story. No, I’ll make it short. It’s simple. To me, Mother is more precious than anything else in this world.”

An extreme filial devotion beyond the ordinary.

“Because she almost died giving birth to me, and after that, her health became very weak. Then Leila came along and she did give birth, but… because of that, she was bedridden for quite a while.”

The reason was right here.

“So with the single-minded determination to save Mother, I left to wander the continent as soon as I graduated from the Academy and even went to the Drenik Empire.”

“I understand.”

I do understand.

I would have done the same.

Though if it were the current me, I would have approached it more cautiously.

Still, this kind of recklessness isn’t bad.

There’s romance in it.

Though thanks to that romance, he almost died to an assassin, which I had to save him from.

“It’s the same context with Father. Father wants me to become the family head later, but I didn’t follow that path and set out on a wandering journey right after graduation.”

“What about Big Brother?”

Delward shrugged his shoulders.

“Big Brother is someone without ambition. I’m the same, but he’s even more so. He says he’s more comfortable just being with the soldiers. So right now he’s not in the knight order but stuck in some eastern countryside, brawling with monsters and bickering with rangers.”

Who would have thought there was such a story behind it.

Still, it’s quite shocking.

To think that both sons of the Empire’s most powerful family have no interest in the position of family head.

“So well, Leila will probably become the next family head.”

Leila as the family head.

That’s quite surprising.

She hasn’t even thought about it.

“It suits her better anyway. Oh, this is a secret, okay? You can’t tell anyone.”

“Of course.”

It’s a more unexpected secret than I thought, but on the other hand, it’s an understandable secret.

I think I understand why Duke Termion always looked troubled whenever his sons came up in conversation.

“That’s how it happened. Hmm, well. I told you a secret but it’s not particularly thrilling. Anyway, with Father, I need to gather all the materials to cure Mother’s illness and prove myself proudly. Now is not the time.”

There were parts I didn’t understand, but I could fully respect it.

“Oh, and I’ll definitely repay this favor. I don’t think telling you a secret counts as payment for saving my life.”

Delward said this while grinning.

“Let’s have a drink together later. You’re not old enough to drink, but it should be fine if we don’t get caught, right?”

“Sounds good.”

“Right. Then… I should go now.”

 

Delward gave one last reminder.

Before he left, I took out my communication crystal.

“You have a crystal, right?”

“Oh, yeah. It’s not broken? Should I give you my code?”

“No. I’ll give you my code.”

Delward wrote down the crystal code I told him.

“Contact me if you need help.”

“…If you had said that at the mansion, I would have just laughed it off.”

Now he can’t just laugh it off.

“Right, I will. And please take care of my little sister.”

I nodded.

And Delward left the alley and disappeared from my sight.

Hmm.

I did the right thing, didn’t I?

I saved Leila’s brother too.

But I’ll have to keep this secret from Leila.

If I tell her, she’ll obviously make a fuss about chasing after him.

For the time being, at least.

“I should head back soon.”

I also started walking.

“Let’s go, Karnas.”

“Kyreuk!”

To return to the mansion.

 

 

Fortunately, Leila didn’t notice that I had gone somewhere during the night.

Though she did grumble about what took me so long in my room.

“So during vacation, we’re going to Atalia Island and the Habarosk Mountain Range?”

“Yeah. First I need to go on the ascetic practice with Priscilla. She said it could take up to a month, so even after that, we’ll have a month or more left.”

The Academy’s vacation is two months.

There’s plenty of time.

I can take the Teleport Gate home, so even accounting for that works out.

“Then I need to work hard on improving my skills until then.”

When Ernest’s eyes sparkled, I nodded.

“Let’s try learning archery at the Archery Range tomorrow.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Leila, that’s okay with you?”

“Good. Then I can train at the Training Ground near the Archery Range too.”

It’s quite a strange sight to visit someone’s home and train with the host’s son, but whatever. As long as it’s fun.

In the midst of this, Ernest brought up something unexpected.

“Oh right, Dane. Is our club participating in the festa this time?”

“Festa?”

Ah.

Come to think of it…

“Right. There was the Academy Festa.”

Leila chimed in too.

Academy Festa.

Once a year.

An event held after the first semester midterm exams end.

“I haven’t thought about it.”

Of course I haven’t thought about it.

Because I wasn’t interested.

“Is participation mandatory?”

“Not really, but…”

Ernest trailed off with a somewhat disappointed tone, and Leila showed some interest too.

“What do we need to do?”

“Usually you set up a booth! You decorate a booth related to your club’s field. Magic-related clubs show magic demonstrations, economics-related clubs sell things… But honestly, most places just make and sell food.”

Is that because it’s the most profitable?

“Then we should make a booth too?”

Ernest quickly nodded.

“That would probably be best!”

“Let’s think about what to do. Our club has all sorts of things, right?”

Leila is from the Swordsmanship Department, Ernest from the Exploration Department, and Priscilla from the Theology Department.

And I have assassination… no, that won’t work.

I have talent in swordsmanship, spear arts, magic, and summoning arts.

That opens up endless possibilities.

“Alright. Let’s do it.”

“Really? Great!”

“That sounds fun.”

Leila suggested.

“Should we make and sell food too?”

“Food? What should we make and sell? Grilled skewers? I did learn various things while camping.”

Anything would be fine.

It’s a festa after all.

“But you know what? They give prizes to the most popular booth. I’m not sure what it is this time, but last year they gave out really good artifacts!”

I take back what I said about anything being fine.

“We can’t just do it half-heartedly then.”

When I fired up with determination, Leila chimed in too.

“That prize belongs to our club.”

Good.

Then I need to think about this seriously.

“We won’t have much time to think. Registration is due the day after tomorrow. Booth assignments are random.”

At Ernest’s words, I tried to think of what to do.

Should we do a summoned beast feeding experience?

Hmm, that could be summoned beast abuse, so probably not.

“Let’s think about it tomorrow.”

Come to think of it, it was getting late.

It’s about time to sleep.

Tomorrow will be very busy.

“Dane, have you decided what to make when we go tomorrow?”

As Leila just asked, tomorrow we’re planning to go to Termion’s Forge.

The dream forge that can handle all the ores and materials in the world, will make any weapon if requested by someone with the mark, and whose quality is perfect beyond compare anywhere in the world.

“Not yet.”

“When are you going to decide?”

Actually, I don’t plan to make anything right away.

I just want to look around.

Because my body hasn’t fully grown yet.

And I didn’t think I needed a weapon right now either.

“But you never know.”

I looked at Leila and grinned.

“I might find something I want once I get there.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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