Chapter 47
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 47
Chapter Title: Assassin Family Raven (5)
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As I was checking my abilities after waking up in the morning, Terry Crow emerged from the room, leaning against the wall for support.
We hadn't gone at it that intensely, but her small frame seemed to be feeling it a bit.
"Mr. Sian. The warp gates will open sequentially starting at 10 o'clock. And as you're aware, the assassins must return to the Raven family via the Path of Vengeance."
"I know. I've used it way more than you have."
The Path of Vengeance was one of the weirder aspects of the Raven family, an assassin clan through and through.
They'd hide in the shadows and kill their targets in one swift strike, but the path back home was designed to let anyone seeking revenge against a Raven assassin take their shot.
As killers themselves, the idea of a second act of justice was satisfying enough for them, and for the first—the price—just offering up your own life did the trick. It was like an exception clause to keep people from murdering Ravens without risking everything.
If you dreamed of revenge on a Raven assassin, if you wanted them dead, stake your own life and wait on the Path of Vengeance.
Raven assassins always returned that way without fail after a mission.
But in this assassination job, I'd been the one caught up in the mess.
Now that it was time to go back, the memories were trickling in bit by bit.
'That guy' had killed the high priest and made a huge scene on purpose, and with my lacking stealth skills, escaping had been a nightmare.
I'd cut down the sanctuary's holy knights blocking my way, sliced through the regular knights, gotten as far from the sanctuary as possible, then chugged every poison I had to dodge the massive manhunt.
The poisons masked my mana form and flow so they couldn't track it, scrambled my body's habits to throw off pursuit. It killed Sian Raven temporarily—that's when I possessed him.
Sian had been dead certain he wouldn't die from the poison alone, and he'd even sprayed monster repellent everywhere, so even if Roman and Yui couldn't find him, he wouldn't have perished.
"Warp gate toll is 50 silver."
"Got it. Take care, Terry Crow."
"Yes, Mr. Sian. Safe return."
Terry Crow bowed deeply toward me.
I left the safe house and headed to the warp gates north of the village.
A crowd had already gathered to use the gates first thing in the morning.
The mage in charge inserted a fragment into the door, activating the gate, and shouted.
"Warp gate to Baltir opening soon!!!"
The mage bellowed, and the warp gate hummed to life.
Most users heading to the big city of Baltir were merchants who'd shelled out big coin to get their wagons through.
Goods sold for peanuts in cities with warp gates, so they'd head to villages a bit farther out from Baltir to get fair prices.
Once everyone bound for Baltir had vanished, the mage closed the gate, looking drained as he downed a mana potion.
"Next!"
The mage shouted again, and gates to the four major cities opened and closed in sequence, leaving only folks with personal business.
The mage, popping another mana potion between gate activations, asked the four stragglers.
"Starting from the right—where to?"
"Northern Gate."
A man in thick furs with a massive axe slung on his back spoke up.
"Esser territory."
A guy in light leather armor with a longsword at his hip followed.
"Path of Vengeance."
Someone heading to the same place as me?
The first two who'd named their destinations glanced at the hooded third guy who'd just said Path of Vengeance.
"And you, fourth?"
"Path of Vengeance for me too. If you could open it before those two ahead, I'd appreciate it."
The third guy and I each paid the mage 50 silver. He slotted in the fragment and fired up the warp gate.
The landscape of the Path of Vengeance hit me, and my assimilation rate ticked up a notch.
The third guy warped in first, and I followed right after.
As we both arrived on the Path, the gate snapped shut behind us moments later.
"What's your business on the Path of Vengeance?"
Figured it was revenge, but politeness dictated the question.
"I've been looking for you. Sian Raven. The sanctuary agreed not to send anyone here, but you think you can escape the sin of killing that priest?!"
The third guy shed his robe as he spoke.
First things I noticed: short silver hair, armor, and that stubborn look marking her as a female holy knight.
She was one, alright, but going against the sanctuary's will meant her armor—which should have gleamed holy—was trashed.
The symbol of holy knighthood was scratched beyond recognition with something sharp like metal, and the damaged spots—hell, the whole suit—was slathered in black paint.
That high priest had been a real piece of work, human trash. But this one couldn't stomach a murder in the sanctuary? That rigid sense of justice explained picking the Path over a straight fight.
"Then go on ahead and wait. Raven assassins have to follow return protocol."
"Don't run."
She trudged off into the Path of Vengeance, heavy steps echoing.
I turned to the Raven combat agent who'd sidled up beside me.
"Sian Raven, mission complete. Returning."
"Yes, Mr. Sian."
The combat agent melted into the shadows.
I couldn't do that. Hell, that agent was probably more cut out for assassination than me.
Shortly after the agent vanished, a voice boomed across the Path of Vengeance.
"Sian Raven returning. Sian Raven returning. Path of Vengeance open."
How was an assassin finding his way home harder than the hit itself?
Assimilation was climbing, but this family still made no damn sense.
A grand avenue stretching 500 meters, flanked by dense bushes perfect for hiding. Eyes glared from the shadows, locked on me.
After the second rule got added, the Ravens only took out truly deserving scum, yet here were all these enemies.
I used Shadow Craft to form a sword in my right hand and a dagger in my left.
After my night with Terry Crow and an early-morning test, Shadow Craft let me craft weapons from shadows, but once made, the shape was fixed. To switch, I'd have to discard and remake.
Shadow Craft items vanished seconds after leaving my body—a boon for assassinations and cleanup.
'If it's an imperial assassination, bet on Raven and you're right more than half the time. What's the point?'
Even without traces, folks pegged Ravens anyway.
Sure, if someone tried pinning unrelated kills on us, the Crow family investigated, and with imperial protection, we'd turn the tables.
"The problem's right now."
Memories sharpening with assimilation, but clearing the quest came first.
I took one step onto the Path, and a woman with a dagger charged.
No clue how long she'd been lying in wait, but her face and body were wrecked.
Her eyes burned with venom, but why me?
Ignoring the idiot holy knight way off in the distance, everyone else lurking in these woods was pathetically weak.
"Die!!!"
She thrust with both hands for all she was worth, but slow as molasses.
I smacked the straightforward stab aside with my left dagger and took her head with the right sword.
Seruk.
Even in death, her eyes stayed fixed on me, brimming with vengeance as her head hit the dirt with a thud.
"Anyone who wants revenge on me, step up anytime. If you've got less guts than her, just sit tight till I get home."
Rustling from the bushes, and out came a man.
Gripping a battered sword, his stance worlds steadier than the woman's.
"Did you have to kill my father, you empire dog?!"
Your old man who?
"Yeah... who was your father?"
"Willis Byutolande. Don't you dare say you forgot."
The name jogged Sian Raven's memories—yeah, there was a guy.
"The one hailed as a great lord for low taxes and good welfare, but knocked up his maid Ena and killed her so she wouldn't tarnish the family name? You're his son? Her grandfather paid for Willis Byutolande's life."
"A maid's life! No, that old man's life worth the same as my father's?!"
"Family rules. Flip it—do you think your life equals mine?"
"Uwaaa!!!"
He raised his sword high and charged for paternal revenge.
I hurled my left dagger; he swung down to deflect it.
Decent reflexes, but I'd already closed in, thrusting my sword at his heart.
"Eeek!"
He pulled back the sword that batted the dagger, twisting to block the chest strike, but my now-empty left hand birthed a new blade with no counter possible.
Puk.
"Cough."
Missed the heart clean, but I'd slashed sideways just fine.
Both hands clutched the deep gash in his chest after dropping his sword, but blood kept gushing.
I leaned in close, whispering just for him.
"To finish that life-value talk... it was all meaningless anyway."
"Ha..."
Short reply, then he crumpled to the ground.
Blood cooled into a corpse.
Rule made for killing two-for-one over unpaid charity hits.
Yeah, this family had the blood of mad killers running through its veins.
Without the empire's leash, who knows what insanity they'd unleash.