The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 360

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 360

Deningrose laid a map across the round table. The crisp condition suggested it had been prepared specifically for this task.

“The Drake has made its nest in the Zamari Mountain Range. It’s not far from here.”

As she unfolded the map while mentioning the Zamari Mountain Range, a mountainous terrain filled with contour lines revealed itself. The investigation had been so thorough that one could grasp the topography from the map alone.

Raon gazed down at the map, a faint smile crossing his face.

‘The Zamari Mountain Range.’

Fortunately, it was a place I knew.

The Zamari Mountain Range lay deep to the west from Rokan City, where the Sepia Trading Company was located.
It was barren, mountainous terrain with few monsters, a desolate land.

‘Weathers Village….’

I traced my finger across the small village that appeared when one veered right along the path to the mountain range.

‘It still exists, then.’

Warm memories surfaced—from my days as an assassin when I had stopped there on a mission, and the villagers had offered me shelter and food despite my being an outsider.

“The Drake doesn’t target the people of this village, does it?”
“The village is distant from the mountain range, and since the Drake has been moving toward the western sea, there haven’t been any casualties yet.”

Deningrose shook her head while studying the map.

“Still, it would be better if they moved further away….”
“Weathers Village’s specialty is wild strawberries and chestnuts. Since these are the goods that sustain them in such harsh conditions, they won’t be able to leave easily even if they wanted to.”
“I see.”

She was right. No matter how fiercely monsters rampage, leaving one’s home is never simple.

“If you capture the Drake for us this time, they’ll be able to live in peace.”

She smiled as she made her request.

“The strawberry pie and chestnut stew from Weathers Village are said to be the finest on the Continent. Please be sure to enjoy them after you catch the Drake and return.”

This wouldn’t do.

I tried to cover Deningrose’s mouth, but it was already too late. The word “finest on the Continent” had already lodged itself firmly in the True Demon King’s ears.

—Ooh?

Wrath shot to his feet and pointed at the map.

—Strawberry pie and meat stew?
‘Chestnut stew….’
—Strawberry pie and chestnut stew? Excellent! I have always desired such exquisite cuisine! After roasted Drake, I shall have both as dessert! Depart at once!

He tapped his shoulder impatiently, as if questioning why I wasn’t leaving faster.

‘Why would he eat Drake….’
—Dragons are difficult to consume, so this shall suffice. The meat has a pleasant texture when chewed.
‘Please, no….’

I shook my head and looked at Deningrose.

“Who came from the Black Tower?”
“It appears to be Black Commander Harrison and his subordinates.”
“Black Commander….”

Fortunately, it was a name I had heard before. He was a skilled warrior known even in the Black Tower, having reached the Master-level rank. Given how much time had passed, he should have reached the highest Master tier by now.

‘An opponent I can overcome. And….’

If it becomes dangerous, I can simply flee.

I now possessed Seolhwa’s silver veil. If I formulated a detailed plan and withdrew when danger arose, that would be sufficient.

I studied the map again, turning over my strategy in my mind.

‘The terrain isn’t bad at all.’

The mountain range sprawled haphazardly across the landscape, yet its vastness offered plenty of places to hide.

‘It’s the perfect position to gain the advantage of the third party.’

The Black Tower would move to capture the Drake, and Shadow would seize any opportunity to kill me.

It was an ideal space to collide those fools who were unaware of anything and sweep them all away.

“The nest should be at the peak of the mountain range.”
“That’s right.”

Deningrose extended her finger to point at the center of the map. The Drake had naturally built its nest in the highest mountain range.

“Drakes often leave their nests vacant for long periods. That’s why they build their nests in dangerous places where other races can’t reach.”

She narrowed her eyes, noting that reaching the nest itself wouldn’t be easy.

“Based on our investigations so far, this Drake seems to return to its nest every seven to ten days. Since it left the nest three days ago, we should be able to establish our position first.”
“I see.”

I nodded. With that timeframe, I could reach the mountain range before the Drake arrived.
It was enough time to wait not just for the Drake, but also for the Black Tower or Shadow.

“Does the creature have any elemental attributes?”
“E-elemental attributes?”

Dorian’s eyes widened as he rushed forward.

“Does the Drake have elemental attributes?”
“Basically they’re non-elemental, but those that have lived long or were born exceptionally strong possess attributes like Dragons do.”
“Uh-uh-uh-ugh….”

Dorian’s mouth fell open as if he’d never heard such a thing. His jaw trembled with fear.

“Unfortunately, it does.”

Deningrose nodded gravely.

“Gack! What… what is this?”

Dorian Sepia swallowed hard and slammed the table down with a thud.

“It appears to be an ice attribute. There were traces of chilling breath being used near the nest.”

Deningrose sighed and lightly scratched the map with her fingernail.

“I-i-ice?”
“Ice, yes.”

The reactions couldn’t have been more different. Dorian’s face turned deathly pale as though he were suffocating, while I couldn’t suppress my laughter.

‘Ice is good.’

My current water attribute resistance was at seven stars. Even if I took a direct hit from the drake’s full-power chilling breath, I would suffer almost no damage.

“No, the drake is powerful, so why are you laughing! The Black Tower is there too—shouldn’t you be more cautious!”

Dorian let out an exasperated sigh as if he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“The Black Tower is just something to deal with and move on. The drake is large, so. Your father’s trial just became easier to win.”

The fact that the drake possessed an attribute meant it was extraordinarily massive. If I simply captured it cleanly, the battle was already decided.

“Huh….”
“Ah….”

Dorian and Deningrose stared at me with blank eyes as if wondering what kind of person I was.

“Unfortunately, this information hasn’t been completed yet.”
“That means….”

I nodded while meeting Deningrose’s gaze.

‘So she hasn’t given it to anyone else.’

Information from the Black Market must always be accurate. The fact that it hadn’t been completed meant she hadn’t passed this information to anyone else.

“Our informant is waiting in Weathers Village as I mentioned earlier, so you’ll be able to get assistance there.”
“Thank you.”

I stood up and bowed my head to Deningrose. It would be no exaggeration to say she had done everything within her power to help. I could only feel gratitude.

“Th-thank you so much!”

Dorian also rose and bent his waist in a bow to Deningrose.

“Ah, would it be possible to ask for one more thing?”
“What would that be?”
“If someone asks about the Drake in the Zamari Mountain Range after noon tomorrow, would it be possible to simply confirm that it exists?”

Derus Robert wouldn’t move immediately even after hearing Palen’s information. This was the final piece to deceive him.

“Hmm….”

Deningrose smacked her lips and nodded.

“Since it’s not a lie, it should be fine to share that much information.”
“Thank you. Then the payment will be….”
“I said I’d help you find the Drake for free.”
“Since the Black Tower has gotten involved, I should give you something.”
“It’s fine. If you hadn’t been here, I wouldn’t be here either.”

Deningrose smiled and shook her head.

“…But if you really want to give me something, could you bring me some strawberry pie and candied chestnuts from Weathers Village? I’d like to try them too.”

She laughed, saying that would be more than enough.

-Ooh!

It wasn’t I who reacted first, but Wrath.

-Then we’ll have to stop by the village, right? We should taste them too, right? Just in case, we should buy two as gifts and eat the broken one ourselves, right?

Wrath was already excited, muttering strange sounds and smacking his lips eagerly.

When will this gluttonous True Demon King regain his senses….

“That’s the least I can do.”

I pushed Wrath aside and nodded to Deningrose.

“I’ll bring the most delicious pie.”

*

*

*

Derus Robert’s office.

Butler Rezel entered the space, which was frigid despite the brilliant sunlight pouring through the windows.

“Head of House.”
“Did you find them?”

Before Rezel could even bow, Derus’s gaze pierced forward—asking if he’d found the mysterious figure who had destroyed the Underwater Dungeon.

Though he should have regained his composure long ago, the loss of the spirit contract, the spirit beast, and even Matio had kept Derus’s fury burning.

“My apologies.”

Rezel bowed his head silently.

“We searched all those who appeared to be outsiders, but we could not find anyone who had set foot there.”

Robert, with its beautiful natural scenery, drew countless tourists year-round. Finding a suspicious person here was no different from searching for a needle on a beach.

“Sigh….”

Derus exhaled and gazed at the ceiling. After a long moment, as his eyes lowered, composure had returned to his pupils.

“I suppose I have no choice but to accept it now.”
“Head of House….”
“If you haven’t found them, what’s the matter?”
“Palen Sepia of the Sepia Trading Company has taken the bait.”

Rezel withdrew a single document from his breast pocket.

“Palen Sepia, you say….”

Derus Robert stroked his chin, his eyes growing distant.

“However, contrary to our expectations, she’s asking us to deal with the youngest sibling and his attending swordmaster first, not the first and second.”
“The youngest and his attending swordmaster?”
“You know this person well, Head of House.”

Rezel turned the document around and placed it on Derus Robert’s desk.

“Hmm?”

Derus Robert’s brow furrowed as he read the document.

“Raon Zigheart? Why is this man here?”
“The youngest of the Sepia Trading Company, Dorian Sepia, is from the Gale Wind Squad. He’s been concealing his true name, so it remained unknown until now.”
“So only the two of them slipped away from Zigheart and went to Rokan?”
“It appears so.”
“Since when! Have you tracked their movements?”

He pressed his fingers against the desk and lifted his chin.

“It seems they’ve been moving in disguise due to the incident of being kidnapped by Eden. We haven’t determined when or how they moved.”
“….”

Derus Robert’s brow deepened as he gazed at the name Raon Zigheart written on the document.

‘Could it be that man? No. That’s impossible.’

Even if the assumption that Raon Zigheart possessed the knowledge of the assassin Raon were true, it made no sense that he would know about the Underwater Dungeon. The dungeon had been sealed tight while that man was alive, and no information had ever leaked out.

‘But….’

Something doesn’t sit right with me.

Every time I see the name Raon Zigheart, an unmistakable sense of unease creeps over me.

“What exactly is the commission?”
“The Sepia Commerce Lord’s test this time is to bring back the corpse of a Drake.”
“A Drake, you say….”
“Palen Sepia eavesdropped on Dorian’s room and discovered the Drake’s location and where it’s headed. She said if you accept the commission, she’ll send you that information immediately.”
“Hmm….”

Derus Robert tapped his fingers and closed his eyes before opening them again.

“It’s strange, isn’t it? Even if Raon Zigheart did follow them, why target the youngest instead of the first or second?”
“I looked into that as well. Apparently, he was humiliated the very day he arrived. To elaborate….”

Rezel briefly recounted what had transpired between Raon and Palen.

“So it’s not a check—it’s revenge? That makes sense.”

Derus Robert nodded slowly. Hearing Rezel’s account, I now understood why Palen wanted to eliminate Raon and Dorian first.

‘Things are unfolding in an interesting direction.’

I had dangled bait before Palen, but the odds of her taking it weren’t particularly high. Yet thanks to Raon, an opportunity had presented itself when I was considering a different approach. It was quite fortuitous.

“What about Tenebrae?”

Derus Robert tapped the desk lightly.

“It will likely take another two weeks.”
“Then send Roktan and his poison masters.”
“Roktan….”
“To eliminate Raon Zigheart, it’s better to use methods other than brute force. Even at his worst, Roktan should be capable of mutual destruction.”

A cold smile spread across his face as though the situation had already unfolded before him.

“Understood.”

Rezel bowed his head without question, as was natural.

“I’ll prepare everything as soon as I hear back from Palen.”
“Don’t move immediately. Purchase information from the Black Market first, then cross-reference and verify it.”

Derus Robert remained cautious until the very end, instructing him to verify the information.

“Understood.”

Rezel bowed respectfully and left the room.

Whoosh!

Derus Robert reduced the documents Rezel had given him to dust, a cold smile playing across his face.

‘I thought he was just a nuisance, but he’s actually creating opportunities for me like this.’

In return, I’ll give him a death filled with agony.

*

*

*

The next day at noon.

Palen Sepia approached the window and withdrew the letter wedged in the frame. Without reading it, she placed it on the table in the center of the room.

“Th-the reply has arrived.”
“Well done.”

Raon smiled faintly and picked up the letter Palen had set down, unfolding it.

The letter contained a sentence accepting the assassination request and instructions to compile information about Raon and Dorian by this evening.

‘As expected.’

If Black Death had been an ordinary assassination organization, they would never have accepted this request, but Derus Robert stood behind them.
As anticipated, they accepted the request to kill me and place a collar around Palen Sepia’s neck.

I used Manhwagong to burn the letter, then pulled a sheet of paper from my pocket.

“Write a note according to this content and slip it through the window.”
“Ah, yes….”

Palen Sepia’s jaw trembled as she accepted the paper. Her eyes widened as she unfolded it and read the contents.

“Um, um….”

Her hands shook as she held the paper, and she swallowed hard.

“May I ask just one thing?”
“What is it?”
“Why are you drawing in assassins? Black Death is an assassination group that has never failed. Isn’t it dangerous even for someone like you?”
“Dangerous or not, I can’t leave alone those who trade in human lives.”
“Ugh….”

I looked down at Palen Sepia with cold eyes. She trembled like a frog before a serpent.

-That’s nonsense. You wouldn’t think such a thing!

Wrath frowned as if exasperated.

‘He’s right. But….’

It works on other people.

‘The title of Cooperation is convenient at times like this.’

Thanks to the Legend Sword Association title, no one questions me when I speak like this. It’s inconvenient most of the time, but when I pretend to act for a greater cause, it’s incredibly useful.

“All you need to do is follow my instructions. Then you’ll be able to sleep peacefully tonight.”
“Yes. Yes….”

At the mention of sleeping peacefully, Palen nodded stiffly like a puppet.

‘I don’t know what happened, but she’s definitely traumatized.’

It would take at least a year for her to overcome that psychological shock. Or perhaps longer, since Palen was someone whose mind was underdeveloped but whose pride was overflowing.

‘Until now….’

It meant she was essentially his servant.

By the time Palen regained her senses, this trading company would already be in Dorian’s grasp.

After confirming that Palen had written information about the Zamari Mountain Range and the Drake in her own handwriting on a message slip, I stood up.

“A-are you leaving?”
“I need to go ahead and prepare.”

I turned back as I headed toward the door.

“Remember that she can always be watching.”
“Ah….”
“Conduct yourself as you normally would.”
“Ah, understood!”

Palen nodded, trembling violently from head to toe.

-That’s one chilling threat.

Wrath pinched his own arm, saying it gave him goosebumps.

I chuckled softly and left Palen’s room without a sound.

*

*

*

After finishing my preparations, I left the Sepia Company Mansion. Dorian was waiting at the front door, bouncing on his feet.

“What are you doing?”
“I know we need to hurry, but hearing about the Black Tower… my feet won’t move.”

Dorian clutched his head, wondering why terrifying things kept happening every single day.

-Tsk!

Wrath clicked his tongue while watching Dorian.

-I thought he’d changed a bit, but he’s still a coward.
‘People don’t change that fast. They’d be dead if they did.’

I chuckled softly and tapped my scabbard.

“Don’t worry. We’re not the ones fighting Black Tower.”
“Huh? What do you mean….”
“I called for reinforcements.”
“R-Really? Did you call the Gwangpung Unit?”
“Not them, but these guys know how to wield a blade.”

Of course, they’re the type to draw their blades to kill me.

-You’re not telling him you called assassins?
‘If he finds out, he’ll cry and refuse to go.’
-Fair point. It’s crystal clear.

Wrath snickered as he watched Dorian let out a sigh of relief.

“Let’s go.”

I tapped Dorian’s shoulder and moved ahead first.

“We need to secure our position before Black Tower arrives.”
“Yes, sir!”

Dorian, his spirits lifted, nodded and followed behind me.

As I rode the horse we’d received from the Merchant Guild and exited the city, a noblewoman with her face hidden behind a parasol approached from the side.

‘This woman….’

There was no mistaking it. It was the aura of Deningrose, whom I’d met just yesterday.

‘Why did she come?’

The executives of the Black Market, true to their name, never revealed their faces in the light of day. Her appearance meant an unexpected crisis had erupted.

A low hum resonated through the air.

I unfurled my aura barrier to prevent the sound from escaping.

“We have a problem.”

Deningrose stepped beside me and tilted her parasol slightly upward.

“The Black Tower has located the Drake.”
“That was somewhat anticipated.”

Since the Black Tower was moving toward the Zamari Mountain Range, discovering the Drake’s nest was something I had already considered. There was no real concern since there was time before the Drake returned.

“Yes. But the Black Tower didn’t head directly to the mountains—they took a detour.”

A drop of blood trickled from Deningrose’s lips beneath the parasol.

“They attacked Weathers Village.”

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