3. The First Request...
The leader of the assassins, who had brought his subordinates to kill Princess Aria as their first contract. Eben couldn't believe this situation at all. Gulp. His throat burned with tension. The dozen or so minions who had charged at once. In the blink of an eye, before they could even catch their breath, they were reduced to chunks of flesh and pools of blood splattered across the floor. Just who the hell was this Ju Cheong-ah woman to possess such terrifying skill? And even after displaying this impossible prowess, she didn't falter once. Breathing steadily, she stood there smiling faintly as blood rained down like a storm inside the house. ...Though her eyes were closed, of course. Somehow, even that sight of her with eyes shut felt utterly natural to her. Forming a perfect circle around the remnants of his former comrades and subordinates... as if the entire house was her domain.
Wary of Ju Cheong-ah, Eben racked his brains as best he could. This woman was beyond anything they could handle.
Just who the hell is she? Someone with this level of skill couldn't possibly be unknown... He was certain, having observed from afar all the top figures on this continent. The guild's platinum rank. The mercenary guild's pinnacle warriors. The legendary assassin Black Leopard, said to be dead. And countless others... This woman was at least on par with those monsters.
Such a monster is just an Iron Badge adventurer? Damn it, bullshit. Did that make him some worm crawling in the dirt?
Eben felt a surge of resentment toward his subordinate who had reported Ju Cheong-ah as nothing more than a worthless Iron Badge just moments ago—before dying. As an assassin with pride in his own skills, the display before him cowed him even more. He had to retreat now.
As Eben hesitated, Ju Cheong-ah's mocking voice drifted into his ears.
"What, that's it? Scared already? How boring. Don't assassins around here have any guts?"
It was blatant provocation. Normally, if he knew nothing, he'd have sworn to charge in with his men, hack off her limbs, and rip out her tongue. But Eben bit his lip hard.
"We'll retreat. No—let us retreat. I don't want to lose any more men. You lot, fall back too. She's not someone we can handle."
"Got it."
His remaining assassins withdrew at his command. Ju Cheong-ah let out a disappointed sigh, flicking the blood from her sword onto the floor with a whoosh and clicking her tongue. She'd thought she'd finally get to swing her blade properly after so long.
"Tch. What, this is really the end?"
"If you let us go unharmed, I'll relay to the guild that we won't target Princess Aria anymore. You and your companions too."
"Guild? Assassins have a guild?"
Ju Cheong-ah's eyes widened in genuine curiosity, her tone implying, Even something like that has a guild?
Eben rolled his eyes for a moment. Should he answer? Seeing that, Cheong-ah tilted her head slightly and said with an irritated expression,
"Answer me. Or do you wanna die here?"
"...Yeah, we do."
"Figures. That's how trash like you get contracts, right? But wait... That means others took the job too, besides you guys?"
"That's..."
"Never mind. Don't answer. It's obvious."
Stroking her blood-matted dangling hair lightly, Ju Cheong-ah scanned the surroundings again. Besides the ones she'd killed, about twenty remained. One breath per direction. Two breaths, and she'd sweep them all away.
But that might make things annoying afterward.
There was an assassins' guild, and others had taken the contract too. These weren't the last ones gunning for them. Slaughtering more assassins as they came wouldn't be a hassle.
Except.
If her husband Ian got hurt in the process, it'd leave a bad taste. Ju Cheong-ah wasn't confident in protecting someone—or something. This time, in this confined space, it had been easy. But she was a sword, not a shield.
My fragile husband is weak enough as it is...
Even these low-level assassins could kill him without him lifting a finger. Then she'd go blind again. She hated that. After finally seeing colors and light, how could she give it up? Aria and Sierra? They weren't even on her protection list to begin with.
The contract? She didn't care much. Just having the Iron Badge was enough for her original goal of proving her identity. She only aimed higher because Ian wanted it. If she traveled alone, bottom-tier Iron Badge was fine.
Without Ian... nothing mattered.
Decision made, Ju Cheong-ah sheathed her sword, gripping it like a cane again.
"Fine, I'll let you go. But keep that promise. Cancel the hit on the princess, and don't target me or my companions."
"I swear it. Soon as we're out, I'll rush to the guild, cancel the contract outright, and add you and your group to the no-hit list."
"Good. I like the sound of that. But hey."
"What else is there?"
"Nothing left, really. Just... your tone pisses me off. You think you're above me? Only two—no, three people in this world can talk to me like that."
A thicker killing intent than when she'd butchered his men. Eben felt a chill of cold sweat down his back, sensing they might all die if he slipped up, under Ju Cheong-ah's intimidation.
"...I'll correct myself."
"Good. Now get lost. When I say so."
Cheong-ah nodded in satisfaction, and the assassins withdrew with her permission.
After the uninvited night guests vanished into the darkness, Ju Cheong-ah, left alone, thought,
"Now, when the hell am I gonna clean this up?"
The next morning. Waking to the warm sunlight streaming through the window after so long, I blinked sleepily and—surprisingly—saw Cheong-ah still fast asleep beside me, sleeping in late.
How long had it been since I'd slept this deeply...? No night watch meant all the fatigue I'd accumulated had finally melted away.
Why was she sleeping in like this? It was unexpected, but... maybe she was just tired today. The exhaustion from constant camping might've hit her all at once now that we were in a bed.
I tucked the blanket around her carefully so as not to wake her, then quietly opened the door.
I hadn't noticed before bed last night, but the house was surprisingly clean. No dust anywhere—like someone had tidied up at dawn.
"Aria and Sierra still asleep too, huh."
During camping, they'd wake before me, chatting or sipping tea by the fire. It was odd they weren't up yet. They must've been as worn out as Cheong-ah, though they never showed it.
Not too late anyway. I'd prepare quietly so they could sleep more.
Heading to the kitchen, I fetched water from the bucket to wash my hands... Wait, why was it full again? I remembered using a lot last night for dinner and dishes. I'd planned to refill for breakfast but put it off, figuring tomorrow's me would handle it.
Why was it brimming? Did I sleepwalk and fill it?
"Nah, no way."
If I had something like that, Cheong-ah would've said so first. Probably the kind owner and her daughter filled it at dawn. Sending silent thanks, I rolled up my sleeves.
"Now, what to make for breakfast."
Mulling over simple morning recipes from my mental list, I lifted the lid on the bin of assorted vegetables.
"What the fuck...? Why's this empty too?"
Did someone raid it in the night? It was at least half full yesterday. We hadn't used it all—couldn't have.
Even if the owner took some while filling water, not the whole stock. So...
Do I have early-onset dementia?
Dizziness hit, head spinning. Hoo. Sighing, I drank a cup of water and stepped outside. I'd grab ingredients from the carriage and see about trading or buying veggies from villagers.
But outside, an even bigger shock awaited.
"What... what the hell? What's going on?"
The village was completely empty? Am I really losing my mind...?