Chapter 25
Chapter 25
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Came to Stop This War - 3
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Offense chuckled softly as he spoke.
“I didn’t realize my name had spread this far. I mostly operate in the southern regions.”
“The Empire’s assassin guilds treat information as life itself. Unlike those ignorant mercenary guilds.”
“Haha. Anyway, thank you once again. How much farther to the destination?”
“About ten minutes now.”
Ten minutes. That should be plenty.
Offense finished his rough calculations and said,
“You’ve probably heard, but they say Lady Ariena is at the territory’s weapon shop. Looks like they kidnapped her and handed her straight over to the Count.”
“If they don’t deliver the goods, they don’t get paid.”
“Hmm. I need to head to my residence from here, so I’ll leave it to you.”
“Kidnap or kill?”
“Kidnap. Have your guild ‘hold’ her for now.”
“The Count will fly into a rage if he finds out. This’ll probably require extra pay.”
“I’ll settle up once it’s all done. Don’t worry. I won’t stiff you.”
The coachman didn’t reply, but Offense knew that meant yes.
Offense returned to his seat and began preparing.
Crack.
Soon, a cracking sound echoed from inside his body.
His skeleton shifted, muscles swelled.
He grew a bit taller, wrinkles forming on his face.
Even the color of his hair and eyes changed completely.
After about five minutes, the man had transformed into someone entirely different.
He looked exactly like Dairt Kaim, the corpse from moments ago.
“Oh, right. Forgot the voice.”
Offense lightly touched his Adam’s apple.
At that moment, the coachman spoke.
“We’ve arrived, Branch Chief Dairt.”
“Hm. Good work.”
Click.
As the coachman opened the door, “Dairt Kail” stepped out of the carriage.
Now, what to do next.
To screw over the northern hero Maide.
Dairt had arrived.
“Count. I’m a bit late.”
“Sit here. You’ve heard the gist, right?”
“Yes. From the Knights of Light.”
“Indeed. They have many questions about this war. I’ve already talked their ears off, so I have no intention of repeating myself. Handle it for me.”
“Understood. Then... you’re Vice-Captain Jenia, right? What would you like to know?”
Jenia looked at me before answering.
Her expression said, *Why are you just sitting there? You should take the lead.*
But the shock pounding in my head delayed my response for a moment.
*What’s with that? Why does he look like he’s got a three-year case of constipation tearing up his ass?*
‘Personal experience?’
*No! It wasn’t three years!*
‘That man isn’t Dairt.’
Trail clamped his mouth shut.
I continued.
‘The Blood Letters on him say this.’
-He has sinned against Hiren Gois and 376 others.
*Who’s Hiren Gois?*
‘I don’t know.’
*Huh?*
‘But I’ve seen the name Hiren Gois in someone else’s Blood Letters before. Among the hero party members from before my regression.’
Offense. Offense Daik.
The legendary assassin known as Bright Death, who took down countless powers in the Empire, stood before my eyes.
*Offense, huh. Last time, Kaild said he wished Offense would scout us out. Said he’s reasonable.*
‘True, but I didn’t want to meet like this. I’d rather he came to assassinate me. Then I could subdue him and talk calmly.’
*Hm.*
‘If he disguised himself as Dairt to come here, he already knows exactly what I’m up to in this territory. He’s moving to stop me. This might get more tiring than expected.’
I organized my thoughts and spoke.
“I have a proposal.”
“A proposal?”
“Yes. Of course, I fully understand the Count’s concern and love for his daughter, but in war, winning is the next best thing. The best is avoiding the war altogether.”
The Count’s eyebrow twitched at my words.
“That’s impossible. Those bastards have my daughter.”
“Yes, I know. But Lord Kitur’s fault was failing to protect her properly, not kidnapping her himself, correct?”
At the word “kidnap,” the Count looked slightly stung.
Pretending not to notice, I continued.
“If we can just safely recover your daughter, this war becomes meaningless. Regardless of the soured relations between the territories.”
“That’s...”
“Give us one week. We’ll find your daughter within that time.”
The lord was surprised, but Dairt... no, Offense looked intrigued.
*Look at that expression. He’s already made his move on Lady Ariena.*
*Huh?*
‘He’s already acted. He got Dairt to find out where Ariena is. Offense is a legend among the continent’s assassin guilds, so he must’ve used their power to move her somewhere else.’
*So that’s why he’s smirking like ‘try it if you dare.’*
‘Probably.’
Sure enough, Offense spoke up.
“Count, why not let them try?”
“What? How can you say that?”
“Pardon? From Alcahad’s perspective, preventing a war is always the best outcome if possible.”
The Count bristled but nodded, realizing it was the right answer in front of Jenia and us.
“Ahem. True enough.”
“Even at the final stages of preparation, it’ll take a week to actually march out. Trying one last gamble isn’t a bad idea.”
“...If you say so.”
“Thank you. Then, Maide.”
Offense turned his gaze to me.
“As Alcahad’s branch chief, I’ve heard your name quite a bit.”
“Is that so.”
Neril and Jenia’s eyes sparkled more than mine.
Neril jumped in.
“What kind of rumors?”
“They say you’ve piled up feats in Drucker, Quelk, and Rior. That the Unyielding Sword Emperor title as a special-grade mercenary is just a mask hiding your true power.”
“And?”
“And, well. Some even whisper you’re the hero reborn.”
Neril looked immensely pleased.
Jenia pretended otherwise but wore a satisfied expression.
Offense watched them quietly before continuing.
“So, how about visiting the capital? I’ll guide you.”
“Pardon?”
“There are people in the capital who know your name. One of them, a close acquaintance of mine, is eager to meet you.”
A close acquaintance.
I had a good idea who.
‘Kaild.’
*Hm.*
‘He probably ordered Offense here hoping to recruit or bring me along if possible.’
*What’ll you do? Go?*
‘No way. Even if I’ve closed the gap a bit, Kaild is still far ahead. Meeting now would crush my reputation under his.’
*Sound reasoning. Then refuse...*
No.
It’s obvious what he’d do if I refused.
He’d flip and say he can’t give us a week.
No worries, though.
I just need to win the bet.
I organized my thoughts and said,
“Here’s the deal. If I don’t find Lady Ariena within a week, I lose. In that case, I’ll go to the capital with you, Dairt.”
Neril and Jenia gave me looks asking if I was serious.
Offense said,
“Are you proposing a bet?”
“That’s how it sounded to me.”
“...And if I lose?”
“Then have a chat with me. I have plenty to ask and hear. From you, ‘Dairt.’”
Emphasizing the false name he wore, Offense’s eyes flickered slightly.
He brushed his face lightly to hide his tension.
“Fine. This could be fun.”
“Offense Daik? The ‘Bright Death’ Offense?”
Back at the inn, I explained what I’d uncovered to Neril and Jenia.
Jenia’s first reaction was that.
Meanwhile, Neril asked indifferently,
“Who’s Offense?”
“You really know nothing outside the Knights of Light.”
“There’s a lot. They’re just old stories.”
Shaking my head, I answered.
“Offense is, in a word, an assassin. Not just any assassin—a special-grade one in mercenary terms. Like me, he’s probably beyond that rank, but that’s as far as it goes officially.”
“His moniker is Bright Death? As contradictory as Unyielding Sword Emperor.”
“Don’t poke at sore spots. You think anyone wants a nickname like that?”
“So? Why’d he show up as Dairt? And how’d he change his face so perfectly? It wasn’t magic.”
I shrugged once.
“It’s an ancient technique among assassins. I don’t know the details myself.”
“Hmm.”
“Of course, Offense’s skill is on another level from the riffraff. I’ve dealt with plenty of assassins as a mercenary, but he’s the first I didn’t spot.”
“What are you talking about? You did spot him, or you wouldn’t be telling us.”
That was thanks to the Blood Letters.
Instead of explaining, I changed the subject.
“Anyway, this is speculation, but he’s probably acting on Kaild’s request.”
At Kaild’s name, Neril’s slouched posture straightened.
Jenia grew serious too and said,
“Your rival, right, Maide?”
“Yeah. I’m still way behind him for now.”
“Where do you even get info like that on who’s ahead or behind?”
“My secret weapon. More importantly, Offense will desperately block me from finding Ariena.”
I continued explaining.
“Ariena’s likely already in Offense’s hands. More precisely, the local assassin guild he requested help from is protecting her.”
“Then it’s simple. Storm the assassin guild, grab Ariena, show her to the world, and eliminate the war’s pretext.”
“But there’s a problem.”
Jenia tilted her head, wondering what.
Neril caught on quickly.
“If things go south, they’ll just kill Ariena. Offense will.”
“Right.”
Jenia looked shocked.
“Huh? Kill her?”
“Yeah. Isn’t that obvious? You’re still young.”
“Compared to you, Neril, yeah, I’m much younger.”
“...! I’m not a grandma.”
“Didn’t even say ‘grandma’s grand’ yet.”
Calming them, I said,
“From Offense’s view, the war happening or not doesn’t matter. He might even prefer it over boosting my fame.”
“...”
“If he can’t protect Ariena, the key to stopping the war, he might as well kill her.”
“Hmm.”
“And if Offense decides to kill, even all three of us together might not save her in time. No, we definitely couldn’t.”
Neril tilted her head.
“I hate cocky people, but can we three not handle Offense?”
“Not talking raw power. Just in assassination territory.”
“Is he that great?”
Jenia answered Neril’s question.
She clasped her hands seriously and said,
“Offense is called ‘Bright Death’ because his kills always happen in broad daylight.”
“Assassinations in daylight?”
“Yes. Whether from overconfidence or showmanship, unlike typical nighttime hits, Offense always strikes during the day.”
“...”
“No one even knows his real face. He’s killed in plain sight at noon, yet unknown. That’s how specialized he is.”
Neril nodded, convinced.
“Which is why I need to talk to Offense.”
“Huh?”
“Before we dive in, add one condition: no killing Ariena, no matter what.”
“...”
“Without that, we have no reason to get involved.”
“Fair point, but will Offense accept? If you actually stop the war, it’d defy that Kaild guy’s orders.”
“That’s why we talk. Open his heart, have a deep conversation, and he’ll understand my true intentions.”
Neril and Jenia stared at each other.
As if by agreement, they turned back to me with matching expressions.
They’d forgotten their bickering moments ago, looking like close sisters.
“Why those faces? I’m a pacifist.”
“...”
“Also a non-violentist.”
“...”
“Say something.”
“...”
The silent stare stung like needles.
Whatever.
The deep conversation bit was bullshit anyway.
*Huh? Then what?*
‘Before regression, he told me why he joined the hero party.’
If I poke at that, things will smooth out.