The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman - Chapter 55

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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 55

I crawled toward the source of the voice and lifted my head.

Two bandits stood guard between the dense bushes that blocked my view like a wall. They chuckled to themselves, exchanging jokes.

‘Their skills are weak.’

Their bodies were reasonably developed, but I couldn’t sense any aura. They were low-rank warriors incapable of wielding mana.

I looked past them to what lay beyond.
Behind the two snickering bandits sat a large bandit, and beside him, a child was bound to a tree.
The child wore only thin clothing, their face and hands flushed red from the cold.

“Hic…”

Unable to bear the cold, the child whimpered, and the bandit beside them tapped their cheek repeatedly. The child trembled and shrank back at the mere touch.

Tsk.

I narrowed my eyes and clicked my tongue briefly. As I’d anticipated coming here, the bandits were holding the child hostage.

If we attacked, they would likely press a blade to the child’s throat as a threat.

‘There must be more of them.’

They wouldn’t keep a single hostage at the guard post. There had to be other hostages deeper inside, where the bandits were gathered.

‘What should I do?’

If I alerted everyone and moved together, the bandits would surely discover us.

It might be better to rescue the hostages now while still undetected and eliminate the bandits like an assassination—a swift, silent sweep.

‘And I can’t just leave them.’

The child’s lips had turned blue. If I left them like this, they might freeze to death.

“….”

Raon turned his head. Lunan’s eyes trembled as he looked at the hostage, uncertain what to do.

“It’s alright.”

He unfurled a barrier to prevent sound from escaping, then whispered.

“I have a way to resolve this.”
“A way?”
“But I’ll need your help.”
“Of course.”

Lunan nodded, ready to do whatever was asked.

“When I give the signal, stand up and reveal yourself, then use your mana to block the sound. Can you do that?”
“Yes.”

Lunan nodded without asking why or how—simply trusting.

“After that, I’ll handle the rest. Between the two of us, we can save that child.”
“Understood.”

At the promise that they could save the child, Lunan’s nod carried far more conviction than usual.

“Then.”

Raon left Lunan in place and moved toward the tree where the child was bound, treading the Shadow’s footwork technique.

“How much longer do we have to stay holed up here?”
“Zigheart’s those madmen already dispatched inspectors. They’ve blocked all the roads.”
“Damn it. Aren’t we all going to die?”
“Buchae said he called someone from the Nambuk Alliance, so a guide should come if we wait.”

The bandits spoke carelessly, unaware that someone was listening to their conversation.

“Shut your mouths.”

At the words of the bandit sitting beside the tree, the bandits on watch fell silent.

‘That one’s different.’

I sensed aura emanating from the bandit’s dantian as he sat beside the tree. Still, it was only at the Sword Beginner level.

Raon closed the distance to the large bandit beside the hostage in a single stride.

Lunan was already prepared, breathing steadily.

‘Huuuh….’

I regulated my breathing lightly and bent my knees, assuming a stance ready to move at any moment. I raised my fingers and conjured a small flame.

Whoosh!

Upon receiving that signal, Lunan rose from the undergrowth.

“What, what is it!”
“Who’s there!”

The bandits on watch immediately scrambled to their feet, frantically grabbing their weapons at the sight of Lunan.

“A girl? Why is she here…eh?”

The moment the bandit beside the tree reached for the child with sinister intent, Raon was already standing behind him.

Squelch!

He drew his blade and severed the bandit’s throat in one motion.

“Guh….”

The bandit never managed to seize the child or draw the sword at his waist before his head was cleaved from his body.

Before the fountain of blood could erupt from the headless corpse, Raon kicked off the ground.

“What the—”

The bandit on the right of the two spun around first, pivoting on his heel to change direction. He lunged rightward, thrusting his blade forward.

Splurt!

The moment I severed the bandit’s heart, I spun my blade to aim at the last remaining bandit’s throat.

“W-what…?”

The sole survivor swallowed hard as he felt the blade press against his neck.

“Make a sound or move, and you die.”
“Ugh…”

The bandit, not entirely lacking in sense, swallowed again and clamped his mouth shut.

“Lunan. Free the child.”
“Got it!”

Lunan nodded vigorously and approached the child.

“From now on, answer my questions. For every refusal, I’ll extract one of your bones.”

I twisted the bandit’s arm and slammed him to the ground.

“Y-yes, I understand.”

The bandit, apparently tired of facing someone who wielded a blade without hesitation, simply nodded.

“You’re with Seolho Chae Bandits, right?”
“Y-yes, that’s correct.”
“How many of you are there in total?”
“T-thirty-nine.”
“Where are the rest?”
“Deep in the forest over there.”

The bandit gestured with his chin toward the deeper forest.

‘As expected.’

Multiple presences stirred in the depths of the forest. Given their location, they made no attempt to conceal themselves.

“When is the guard rotation?”
“In about three hours.”
“The hostage?”
“There’s one more inside.”
“As expected.”

I nodded. As anticipated, there was another hostage, which explained why they’d stationed the child at the guard post.

‘With 36 bandits gathered, things won’t be as simple as now.’

An assassination would be manageable, but extracting a hostage from a place where 36 eyes were wide open and alert was far from easy.

“Raon?”

Lunan dressed the child in a robe and approached. She’d wiped the child’s face with a handkerchief, leaving it clean.

“P-please, sir. My sibling is inside.”

The child knelt before me and bowed their head. Despite the lingering cold causing blood to seep from their lips, they pressed on with their words.

“Please save my sibling!”
“Don’t worry.”

Lunan gently stroked the child’s head.

“Raon will handle everything.”
“Lunan. You shouldn’t make such promises lightly.”
“But you will, won’t you?”
“Mm.”

I let out a hollow cough. Lunan’s gaze was crystalline—absolute trust. Such unwavering faith was almost burdensome.

“Dealing with just the bandits is manageable, but to safely rescue the child hostage, it would be better to call for reinforcements. With 36 bandits and Buchae among them, it could be dangerous.”
“Should I blow the whistle then?”
“Yes.”

Lunan rose while holding the child’s hand. She stepped back and blew the whistle she’d received from Rimer.
She blew it so hard her face flushed red, but no sound emerged.

‘I definitely can’t hear it.’

The whistle was so faint that I couldn’t hear it even when it was right beside me. Now I understood why he’d given me this whistle.

“Silent sound! Everyone wake up! Pursuers have arrived!”

The moment the whistle’s sound ended, a gruff man’s voice echoed from deep within the forest.

“What is this….”

Raon swallowed hard. That reaction. He’d definitely heard the whistle.

‘There’s someone with such keen senses….’

I hadn’t expected him to hear a whistle so faint that even I could barely perceive it from such a distance. Cold sweat trickled down my spine as I realized things had gone awry.

“Lunan. Hide with the child over there.”

Raon pointed toward the western brush.

“What about you?”
“I’ll buy us some time here.”

Answering Lunan Slion, I dragged the bandit whose arm I had pinned toward the bushes.

“It’ll be fine. Trust me. And if you see an opening, rescue the other hostage.”
“Understood.”

After assuring him it would be fine, Lunan nodded and disappeared into the right brush.

Crash!

With a sound like the forest itself was collapsing, thirty-four bandits in various outfits came rushing out in a torrent.

“What, what is this! When did….”
“Damn it!”
“Who the hell is this bastard!”

The bearded bandit with the strongest aura gnashed his teeth as he stared at the corpses of the fallen bandits.

‘The hostage is… over there.’

I remained hidden in the brush, confirming the hostage’s location.

The bandit on the far right was gripping a young girl’s throat. Fortunately, she was positioned right beside the brush where Lunan was concealed.

“Come out!”

The bearded man stamped his foot and glared with fierce eyes.

“If you don’t show yourself, I’ll slit this brat’s throat.”

He drew his greatsword and aimed it at the hostage girl.

“Tsk.”

I seized the throat of the bandit I’d subdued and rose from the brush.

“A brat? You’re telling me this kid did this?”
“That’s right.”
“Insane! To a young punk like this…”
“B-Buchae… sir…”

The bandit gripping the throat called the man before him Buchae. That hulking figure must be the bandits’ leader, and the one who heard the whistle.

“Who did you call with that silent whistle?”

He even knew the name of the whistle Rimer had given me. He must have been an instructor somewhere.

“What does it matter who I call?”
“You must be desperate to die, kid.”

Buchae growled like a beast.

“I want to exchange hostages.”

I blocked the line of sight between Buchae and the bandit with my blade as I spoke.

“A hostage exchange?”
“Hand over that child, and I’ll return this one.”
“Kkhahahaha!”

Buchae’s shoulders heaved as he let out a scornful laugh.

“I don’t care whether that bastard lives or dies. Unlike that brat, he has no value as a hostage.”
“I see. You’re right.”

Raon nodded and twisted his blade to press it against the bandit’s throat.

“I told you—we don’t care if he dies. If you don’t want to watch this girl’s head roll, drop your sword now.”
“Well then.”

I kindled a small spark with my pinky finger and sent a signal to Lunan.

“Whether this wretch has value isn’t for you to decide. It’s for me.”

Raon’s blade slashed across the bandit’s carotid artery. A torrent of blood erupted from his neck, momentarily obscuring the bandits’ vision.

‘Now!’

I drew the short dagger tucked at my waist. Opening my senses and ki perception to their fullest, I felt the presence of the bandit holding the child.

I channeled the power of the Thousand Flower Technique into the dagger and hurled it at the bandit.

Splurt!

As the blood fountain fell, I saw the bandit collapse with the dagger embedded in his forehead.

“Damn it! Curse them!”
“Stop them! Block them!”

As Buchae and the bandits lunged toward the now-freed child, Lunan rose from the undergrowth where she’d been hiding. Her drawn blade gleamed with silver frost.

“Frost Chain.”

As she swung her sword, frost spread beneath the feet of the charging bandits.

“What—what is this girl!”
“Freezing cold?”
“An attribute aura!”

The bandits froze, their legs stopping mid-stride. That single moment of hesitation—it was all I needed.

Boom!

I kicked off the ground and burst toward the child.

“Stop!”

A bandit in my path swung his blade down.

Clang!

I deflected the sword with my palm and severed the bandit’s neck in one fluid motion—a strike as swift as wind itself. It reminded me of Rimer.

“You bastard!”

Buchae brought down a massive dao to block my path.

I twisted my ankle to position myself in front of the child and drew my blade.

Crash!

The slender sword and the enormous dao collided—but it was the dao that was forced back.

“Ugh!”

Buchae gritted his teeth and stumbled backward.

“That’s enough.”

In that moment, Lunan Slion approached and scooped the girl into his arms.

“Serin!”
“O-older brother!”

The children clung to each other, tears streaming down their faces like drops of chicken droppings.

“You’re safe now.”

Lunan stepped back, cradling the children in his arms. Rarely, a small smile crossed his face.

‘That bastard.’

I glanced back and let out a quiet chuckle. Lunan moved exactly as I thought he would, as if he understood my heart. Despite appearances, he had sharp instincts.

“You brats! Do you know who I am!”

Buchae ground his teeth and swung his blade in a wide arc. The bandits behind him all drew their swords, unleashing their killing intent.

“I have no interest in the name of a man about to die.”

Crimson flames of the Crimson Flame Technique blazed across Raon’s blade.

“Come.”

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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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