Chapter 10
Chapter 10
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Scary Assassin Uncles Have Arrived!
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‘Come on, let’s think. A way to coax that bad guy, the Academy Director!’
I curled my lips up slyly as I pondered countermeasures.
‘If the trap the Academy Director has prepared is really an illusion maze…’
How should I deal with it?
I trotted into the bookshelves.
My footsteps were as brisk as my busy mind. The noisy shoes Dad had put on my tiny feet so I wouldn’t get lost were going peep, peep.
Peep. Peep.
As I wiggled my round hands and feet this way and that, weaving through the shelves for a good while! At last, I found a book on illusion magic.
The title was a simple 『Illusion Magic』, but it contained some pretty good tricks.
It didn’t specifically explain how to escape an illusion maze, but it did describe one way to break free from illusion magic. Since an illusion maze was just a form of illusion magic, there were a few more methods.
‘Need a mirror artifact.’
Mirror artifacts were low-grade, so they were probably lying around everywhere. Good, I could pick one up somewhere…
‘Once I have the mirror, all that’s left is for me to endure the [Illusion Maze] technique.’
I plopped the book down with a thump and scurried back to where Leonhardt was sitting. He had been staring at my feet in wonder the whole time.
“What’s that sound from your feet? Shackles?”
“Dad gave them to me!”
Leonhardt brought a hand to his mouth and sighed.
“…Ha.”
I opened my eyes wide and tilted my head. Why was he sighing?
“As expected…”
As expected what? And why were his eyes turning red?
‘Did hearing it was from Dad make him miss his own parents?’
Yeah, that must be it!
I looked at him with pitying eyes. Leonhardt muttered something like “As expected of Young Lord Matthias” and rubbed his dry face.
He also said something like “I have to save him,” but I didn’t quite get it.
After glancing at him muttering to himself for a while, I propped my chin on one chubby cheek.
It must be tough being an adopted kid like Leonhardt, but now wasn’t the time to worry about him. I had to find a way out of the illusion maze.
As I pondered, I thought of the happy life with Dad firmly rooted in my heart and let out a small smile.
Leonhardt suddenly spoke up as he saw dimples forming on my cheeks.
“Why are you smiling so cutely? Thinking about cake?”
“No. Am I cute? I’m an ‘adult’!”
“…You’re too short to be an adult. Your hands and feet are so small.”
I shook my head vigorously.
…Leonhardt, who had turned out to be so kind despite how scary he’d seemed at first, tilted his head.
I giggled and grabbed his hand tight.
“Anyway, thanks for telling me! Friend!”
Leonhardt was a good kid.
That got etched into my heart.
He looked a bit embarrassed and shook his head, but he didn’t let go of my hand.
I stared at his black leather mask, which resembled the night sky, and tilted my head several times.
***
Right then, Rilmi—Sien’s discipline handler—was having a secret meeting with the Academy Director.
Things were unfolding just as Leonhardt had predicted.
They sat facing each other in a secretive parlor inside the academy, discussing the punishment for Sien and Matthias.
The white-haired Academy Director, legs crossed, grinned slyly and asked,
“Reports on Sien Mirmod have been frequent.”
“Yes.”
Sien was still young, but far too clever. A little more growth, and she’d become a dangerous element for sure.
He cleared his throat and continued,
“She’s the daughter of an exile, yet so young and impudent.”
Even so, she was the daughter of an exile who’d be cut down in one stroke when Lord Axel returned… He’d been grumbling steadily ever since entering the Academy Director’s office and said again,
“You’re right. Young Lord Matthias has brought quite the cheeky daughter.”
“We should deal with her right away…”
The Academy Director shot Rilmi a sharp glare and barked,
“Be silent and withdraw. I plan to test her with illusions.”
He smirked.
There was only one chance to crush the child.
Children of the Mirmod family had to undergo mandatory testing with the Academy Director once.
No one could intervene in that.
“She’s the daughter of an ‘exile’ and angered you, so of course we must nip it in the bud.”
“…”
“And.”
“Yes?”
“There’s an order from the Elder Council Head to legally dispose of Matthias’s daughter.”
Having sorted all his plans inwardly, he grinned wickedly.
The Academy Director had blood on his hands many times under the Elder Council Head’s command.
She was the daughter of a wing-clipped exile, but not to be underestimated. The Academy Director knew what atrocities Matthias Mirmod had committed so far.
But so what?
They had grown strong, and Matthias already had a record of defeat once.
‘Must nip it in the bud.’
Starting with his daughter, Sien Mirmod. Crush her, and he wouldn’t even dare lift his eyes.
“Then when do you plan to do it?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Yes?”
“No need to give her time to prepare, right?”
What would a father’s face look like watching his daughter rampage?
The thought brought a smile to his lips.
‘He tucked tail and fled once, yet came back to stir up the family—he deserves punishment.’
Just like always, everyone would stand by and watch.
The weak were devoured alive.
That was the Mirmod way.
“Might as well kill her outright.”
“It happens often enough in tests.”
“Yes.”
Thinking it would be quite entertaining, the Academy Director smiled with interest.
“I’ll send spies to the north tower for now, then.”
Their gazes met in the air.
Lewd chuckles filled the room.
***
That dawn, taking advantage of the murky air, a force infiltrated the north spire where Sien and Matthias were staying. It was the two or so assassins sent by the Academy Director.
“Did you handle it properly?”
“Of course.”
As elite assassins trained by the Academy Director, they made it properly into the north spire. Guarding knights—mere two mediocre ones—were put to sleep with sedatives, showing their skill.
Inside the spire, the corridor.
“Young Lord Matthias?”
“Checked. He’s on the judging dais. Left the spire for the succession exam.”
Without Matthias, called the God of Martial Prowess, it was doable.
The first plan: sneak in properly, kidnap Sien, and deliver her to the Academy Director. To instill fear beforehand.
But the opponent was Matthias Mirmod.
To avoid getting caught by him, they had a second plan ready in case kidnapping failed.
Pretend to deliver a message. It was night, so suspicion might arise, but this was Mirmod territory. Sending messages or assassins at night or day was their villainous family’s specialty.
“The maids?”
“Just put the maids to sleep. If we knocked out knights, maids are nothing.”
“They say the maids here are different.”
“A maid’s a maid.”
One assassin, sprinting silently down the corridor, suddenly asked as if it just occurred to him.
After chuckling for a while, they glanced at the message from the Academy Director in their pocket and laughed.
And…
They saw two maids standing guard firmly in front of Sien’s door.
Or more precisely—
They came face-to-face with maids who were 180cm tall, muscles rivaling bodybuilders, glaring at them menacingly.
But it was fine.
They had the special sleeping potion made by the Academy Director!
The assassins hurriedly pulled sleeping vials from their pockets and spritzed them right into the maids’ faces.
“What’s this?”
“You crazy…!”
Harsh curses rang out, but it didn’t matter. Those maids would soon fall asleep.
…But their expectations were dashed in an instant.
“S-sleeping potion’s not working?”
One maid irritably grabbed both assassins by the collars at once.
“Wh-what are you anchovy twig bastards? All scrawny without a shred of muscle!”
I thought the other might flinch a bit!
But she was even more sinister.
“Sien will wake. Be quiet.”
“Yeah.”
Unlike frail maids elsewhere, these ones showed no fear at all.
Crack, crack.
…Sounds of joints popping came from one side.
But it was fine!
They were just maids over there, and these were assassins! So, yeah! It’d be fine!
…However, minutes later.
The assassins, eyes swollen black and blue, crumpled to the floor.
One arm dislocated, the other mangled to shreds.
Legs slashed at the Achilles tendons so they couldn’t run.
In mere minutes, they were utterly defeated.
“What kind of maids are these?”
“My business.”
The maids dusted off their palms and furrowed their brows.
They should be grateful it was just this much. Little did they know what deadly traps Young Lord Matthias had set around the room of the daughter he cherished, fearing spies.
“Be thankful you only got this from us, boys.”
“Yeah.”
Thanks to the protein Sien gave them, the maids proudly flexed their brutally bulging pectorals and smiled chillingly.
Not forgetting to stomp hard on the fallen trash.
One maid suddenly remembered they’d forgotten the most important thing.
“Sien will praise us, right?”
For a moment, they even felt fondness for these worthless trash.
They’d earned proper merit, so protein powder would be theirs, and the soft rice-cake-cute Sien’s heart too.
The best day ever.
***
The next day, after pulling an all-nighter studying, my eyes red like a rabbit’s, I witnessed a bizarre sight.
While Dad was out on inspection, strangers had sneaked into the north spire.
But…
“What’s all this, big sisters?”
“Intruders.”
The muscle maid sisters dragged the men in a line like porters escorting criminals and made them kneel before me.
Seeing ten black-masked men kneeling in a row before me, I was shocked.
‘Those guys are bleeding everywhere!’
But unlike my shock, the maid sisters were tough.
“How dare these punks think they can enter Sien’s bedroom!”
“Hah, we just stomped them lightly.”
“Gasp… I-it’s fine, right?”
‘They’re not dead, are they?’
I asked about the ‘masked uncles,’ but the maid sisters said proudly.
“Ha… We’re fine.”
“As expected, Sien worries about us. She always does…”
…Sisters had some serious delusions sometimes.
I’d never worry about my muscle-packed maid sisters… ever.
“Worry not! We handle 17-to-1 with ease normally.”
“This time, training with Sien’s palm tree fruits worked wonders! Plus, she always feeds us healthy food…”
As they teared up and approached me, one of the clearly face-busted thugs under the masks let out a scream.
“No, what’s that? Are these maids or monsters!”
“Shut it, snap your third leg too?”
“Skinny weaklings yapping.”
Hearing their talk, I sweated inwardly.
‘These sisters are scary…’
The thug scolded by the maid sisters shut up, but another with obviously blackened eyes burst in frustration.
“We were just delivering the Academy Director’s message!”
The maid sisters and I exchanged glances.
“Then why sneak into my room? Why cover your faces?”
“Th-that’s…”
“Shall we dispose of these filthy bastards now, Sien?”
I shook my head and said,
“Dispose later! No, I mean, later!”
I didn’t say not to dispose.
I furrowed my brow even more sternly and said,
“Speak. What’s the Academy Director’s message?”
“W-well…”
Sweating and bleeding profusely, they pulled a letter from their pocket.