Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Boyhood ~Protect the Guest~
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Whoosh─
Thud─
Boom─!
"...!"
How much time had passed?
I retracted my leg that had blocked the hidden weapon, roughly gauging the time in my head.
I wanted to escape outside the garden if at all possible, but shaking off four assassins on my own wasn't easy.
And it wasn't just me fighting solo—I had to protect Se-hee while doing it, which cranked the difficulty up even higher.
The one silver lining was that the assassins, wary of causing a commotion, weren't pressing their assault aggressively.
Thanks to that, I hadn't taken a single scratch so far.
If I focused purely on evasion and broke out of the garden like this, I could find an opening to counterattack...!
{Pathetic. Can't even handle one kid.}
Ah, hold on.
{I was planning to just watch, but no choice now.}
This isn't a flag here, is it?
At the same time, a chilling sensation crept up the back of my neck.
──!
My body moved before my head could process.
I surged my aura to its limits, supercharging my body.
And in the same instant, I kicked off, leaping away from the spot.
"Hoo."
"Tch."
I ignored the unpleasant sensation at my nape and focused on the enemy in front of me.
His outfit was different from the assassins I'd faced moments ago.
The vicious daggers gripped in both hands.
And finally, the massive scar slashing across one eye.
Just looking at him screamed he was the superior of those previous assassins.
"To think you'd dodge that."
"You the boss?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
"Admitting it awfully quick."
"Hmph. No point hiding it from a brat."
Figures.
He saw me as a kid with some tricks, but still just a novice.
The enemy letting his guard down was a great sign.
Playing into his expectations, I feigned clumsiness as I bantered back.
"What's the goal here? Why target us?"
"Not you specifically. Our target's the imperial princess in your arms."
As expected.
Since I'd half-guessed it already, I didn't show much reaction to the assassin leader's words.
But Se-hee in my arms was different—she flinched hard at his words, showing clear fear.
I patted her back a few times to ease her tension, and she squirmed a bit before lifting her head.
{...My lord.}
{It's fine. Don't worry.}
He smirked as he watched our quiet exchange, spinning his dagger in a flourish.
"Too busy licking each other's wounds. Like a pair of cats."
"We'll see if we're cats or lions once we clash."
"Still just cubs either way."
The situation looked grim to anyone watching.
Four assassins up front, led by their boss.
And the escape route blocked by one who'd circled around.
>'Gotta hold out against five assassins total, huh.'
What a headache.
If I could just endure, that'd be lucky—considering the skill gap, I had no room to complain if they one-shotted me.
>'No time to hold back.'
Decision made, I swiftly removed my mask and slipped it onto Se-hee in my arms.
"Je-seong?"
"Talisman. Keep it on."
The moment the mask came off, aura erupted from my entire body.
"A seal, huh...!"
The boss sensed the aura rampaging through me; his smug expression vanished, hardening into focus.
"Here I come."
"Kill him!"
We all charged at once—me and the assassins.
I twisted to dodge the first flying hidden weapons, then blocked the follow-up daggers with a kick.
Right after, I booted an approaching assassin's gut, sending him flying, and leaped off the ground to evade a dagger aimed at my head.
"This...!"
"Kyaa!"
The assassin's composure cracked at seeing their comrade downed; as they thrust their dagger with a short shout, my aura-laced kick crushed it flat.
"What!? An aura user?"
The assassin boss's shock was palpable.
>As the irregularly flickering aura enveloped my foot, the assassins encircling me hesitated and fell back.
"What are you lot doing!? He's still just a novice! Target the mark!"
At the boss's command, the assassins' movements shifted.
Up until now, they'd been half-assing it; this time, their intent to kill was crystal clear.
Some boosted their speed with aura.
Others hid their presence with magic.
Another swung their dagger in a blinding assassin skill trajectory.
As they all started channeling their inner energy, I gritted my teeth and racked my brain.
>'Can't track and dodge them all!'
Watching the assassins vanish in an instant, I instinctively shut my eyes and heightened my full-body senses.
-Young Master, remember this. Illusion turns what is into what isn't, and what isn't into what is. Don't rely on what you see.
Recalling Instructor Pyeon's words, I sensed the prickling killing intent on my skin and traced an instinctive path by instinct.
"Die, you monster!"
Shhhk─
Countless skill-infused daggers rained down on me.
>'Stay calm. Fewer real ones. Filter the illusions and strike the real!'
"Hoo... ."
Bang─! Clang clang clang──!
I ignored the illusory daggers outright, parrying only the real ones—the assassins' faces twisted in horror.
"Wha...! H-How...!"
"I see it all, idiot!"
Boom─!
"Gah!"
I blasted away the skill-using assassin, parried a dagger aimed at Se-hee, and pressured the aura-wielding one.
The assassin trembled in their eyes despite a stoic face; sensing the standoff unnerved them, they bared their teeth and lunged.
"Wait! Don't rush in recklessly...!"
Too late—the boss realized the danger, but the assassin was already in my range.
>'Didn't plan to show this skill here, but...'
My main focus was fists, but this was my first learned technique.
The foundation of the Yeon Clan fist arts: a kick form.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Dragon Star Kick A golden dragon surged from beneath the charging assassin.
"What...!?"
Boom─!
"Gurk!"
"Damn it!"
With two assassins down, the boss finally stepped forward, sensing the crisis.
"You've got some bark to you!"
Shadows rose from his steps, cloaking his form.
"But your luck ends here, kid."
Shh─
With those words, the boss vanished completely—only the escape-blocking assassin remained visible in the garden.
>'Boss'll exploit any gap. And that magic-hiding one might team up for a pincer.'
Better to take out one while I could than stand around wary.
Vigilant against the hidden presences, I bolted toward the exit.
"My lord! What do you plan?!"
"Take out that guy first and bust out of the garden! Once we're outside, the guards will come!"
I bowed my head to Se-hee as I spoke.
She looked startled at my mutter, but soon steeled herself with a nod.
"Got it! Let's do this!"
Finishing our brief talk, I sprinted full-tilt for the exit—the guarding assassin began chanting.
"Ice Wall!" ⟨ Ice Wall ⟩
Grrr─
The spell complete, a massive ice wall erupted, blocking the exit.
Defense over offense, huh!
A bit thrown, but my charge didn't falter.
Now at the exit, I ignored the defensive assassin and smashed the ice wall with a kick.
"What!?"
Leaving the assassin's shock behind, I channeled aura into my foot and scaled the ice wall.
The air rippled as a hidden assassin revealed himself, firing a poisoned needle.
"Watch out, my lord!"
"Quiet! You'll bite your tongue!"
I clutched Se-hee tight against the warning and kicked off the wall higher.
The needle buried into the ice, anchoring firm—I used it as a springboard for another leap.
As I neared the wall's top, glimpsing beyond the garden, I whispered to Se-hee in my arms.
"Curl up tight!"
"Got it!"
"Good!"
"But what are you... uwaaaaaah...!?"
The instant she curled into a ball, I hurled her far without hesitation.
Aura-boosted, her scream trailed into the distance.
"I won't let her go!"
The boss dropped stealth, flinging hidden weapons—but they missed Se-hee and embedded in my outstretched arm instead.
"You bastard! Stealing away the princess!"
"What? Can't hear you over the sound of a scrub who couldn't kill one princess against a kid."
>Landing from the ice wall, I yanked the weapon from my arm with a mocking sneer.
He gnashed his teeth at my taunt, fury boiling over.
"Raaagh! I went easy calling you a kid, and now you crawl up like you own the place!"
Trembling head to toe, the boss gripped his weapon and blitzed toward me.
"Poison needle hit your arm—toxin's already spreading! Savor the agony as you die... guk!"
His shout cut short into a death rattle as I seized his arm.
Burrowing into his guard, I hammered vital points with fists, finishing with an uppercut to the jaw.
"Went easy on me, huh? Nah, I've been the one holding back—fighting only with my feet to guard the princess. Who's babying who?!"
Even among instructors, I'd earned recognition as a true martial artist.
The Yeon Clan's top genius, bearer of the legendary Heavenly Martial Body—think I'd falter against one assassin?
>'For ones targeting the princess, their skills are seriously lacking.'
Imperial assassinations usually pulled elite killers at minimum.
For a massive empire like the Imperial Empire's princess, you'd need master-class at least for a shot—yet this guy's top-tier assassin at best.
Not low by any means.
Had he not been careless against me, I'd have never taken him down.
But against an imperial princess? Way too weak.
Yeah.
>'Almost like they wanted to get caught mid-assassination.'
And that's when a possibility hit me.
>'No way—were they trying to wreck relations between us and the imperial family?'
This was Yeon Clan grounds, after all.
Plus, the emperor and princess entourage were honored guests.
If something happened to her here, we couldn't dodge blame.
The emperor would distance from the Yeon Clan, and we wouldn't cozy up to an imperial family that couldn't protect itself properly.
Hmm... yeah, this reeks of sowing discord.
"H-How... the poison... it definitely hit..."
"Special body, y'know. Most poisons don't faze me."
"Guh... ngh."
With that, the collapsing boss suddenly stabbed a dagger into his thigh and forced himself up.
"Grrraa... damn you! Think I'll die like this?!"
"That's why you shouldn't take princess hits without the chops..."
Chin shot rattled his brain—he shook all over, but damage must've been light; he moved fine.
"Die! Phantom Bamboo Sword!"
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡ Phantom Bamboo Sword "Wait! Sword aura here!?"
Insane! Berserk mode out of nowhere...!
Faint green aura rippled along his dagger; I panicked and backpedaled hard.
Sword aura cancels only with equal sword aura—no amount of body aura blocks it.
>'Damn, gotta focus purely on evasion now...'
With sword aura out, offense was suicide. All in on dodging hits.
>But my hyper-vigilance proved pointless—the situation resolved itself fast.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ 『Found you. Insolent cur.』 A voice echoed from thin air, and the boss froze like a lie.
"What!?"
Roooar──!
"Hrk!"
Then his shadow rippled, slowly dragging him down.
Chae-hyeon emerged from the darkness.
"Young Master, are you alright?"
"Y-Yeah."
"My apologies. Insolent foes ambushed His Imperial Majesty, leaving me tied up. As your guard, this lapse is unforgivable. Punish me harshly, I beg."
Her bowed head held guilt for failing to protect me, mixed with pride at handling it solo.
"Y-Yeah."
Of course, I could only muster a stiff smile, staring at the shadows now engulfing the entire garden.