I'm Taken
“Sorry, but I’m taken.”
“Silvia, how did you even find me?”
“Simple. I made full use of my overflowing manpower. I sent my subordinates all over the world to track down any trace of you. That’s the result.”
“Subordinates… Wait, did you go back?”
Silvia nodded. After all, she was the one who had trained the assassins sent to kill me.
“Why would you go back? You know what those bastards were planning to use us for.”
“I went back because of you.”
“Because of me?”
“Emolus gave my men a direct order to find you and kill you for certain. If they failed, he’d kill them instead.”
“That son of a…”
It was exactly what I’d expected, but that wasn’t what mattered right now. The fact that Silvia had returned and found me meant—
“So what are you going to do now? You’ve found me.”
“What am I going to do?”
Without the slightest hesitation, Silvia drew a dagger from within her clothes.
“I have to kill you. To save the subordinates I care about.”
“Haa… Silvia…”
Damn it. Of all times, I didn’t have a single weapon on me. I could turn anything within reach into a weapon, but against Silvia, I’d need something at least halfway decent.
“I’m sorry it had to come to this, Roen.”
“So am I.”
“Then farewell!”
The moment Silvia leaped forward, I snatched up a farming tool. But even though I managed to grab it, she was far faster at closing the distance than I was at getting into position.
“Ugh…!”
Silvia tackled me to the ground. She pinned me down firmly, raised her dagger high, and looked down at me with a triumphant expression. Despite being smaller than me, her technique in completely subduing me was flawless. Truly impressive.
“You’ve gotten pretty rusty, Roen.”
“And you’re the same as ever, Silvia. But…”
Even with death staring me in the face, I couldn’t help but laugh. Because the look on Silvia’s face was strange.
“You don’t actually plan to kill me, do you?”
“What makes you think that?”
“The Silvia I know doesn’t waste time talking once she’s decided to kill someone. She doesn’t listen to excuses or show any mercy. Yet here you are, still talking to me. You could stab me anytime, but you haven’t.”
“……”
Thwack.
Silvia didn’t stab me, but she did smack my forehead with the hilt of her dagger. It hurt more than I expected.
“Ow…!”
“You know me too well, Roen.”
“It’d be weirder if I didn’t. How long did we spend together? Anyway, if you’re not going to kill me, could you get off me first…”
Thwack.
“Ugh. So you’re not killing me right away—you’re planning to torture me slowly? How cruel.”
“Shut up, Roen. Do you have any idea how complicated my head is right now?”
The expression on Silvia’s face as she said that truly looked angry. It seemed there was more to the story.
“Tell me. When your head’s a mess, it’s better to let it out somewhere than to keep suffering alone.”
“My subordinates don’t know you’re here. They each brought back clues, but I’m the only one who pieced them together to find you.”
“And?”
“I told Emolus I would handle you personally. I also warned him not to pull any tricks until I returned.”
So she had taken on the role of villain to save the subordinates she’d trained herself. I could understand how she felt.
Silvia released me and slowly stood up. She fiddled with the farming tools in the shed and grumbled in disbelief.
“I never imagined you’d be hiding in such a sloppy place. What a letdown!”
“Then where did you think I’d be hiding?”
“Someone like you should at least have one secret hideout or something.”
“Sorry to disappoint. I’m not as meticulous as you.”
I stood up and pointed toward the village visible outside the shed.
“This is my hometown. It’s tucked away in a corner, and I thought it would be perfect for living quietly.”
“Your hometown… Now that you mention it, you never told us about it before.”
Silvia stood beside me and quietly gazed at the village.
“It does look peaceful, I’ll give you that. But it’s too small.”
“What’s wrong with being small? Sure, not many people live here, but quite a few still call this place home.”
“It’s small for you. If it weren’t for you, we might not even be alive. And yet you’re stuck in a shabby little place like this…”
“That’s a bit harsh. No matter what, this is my hometown. Aren’t you being too rude? It’s true that it can’t compare to Crownland in size. But it’s far better than that suffocating place.”
Silvia listened in silence, then murmured something under her breath.
“Why don’t you just come with me…”
“Come with you?”
Silvia whipped her head toward me, clenched her fist, and blurted out the rest.
“How about coming with me? I’ll take perfect care of you. I’ll forge proof of your death for Emolus and let you live a comfortable life somewhere much better.”
“No.”
“Why not? You came back to hide anyway, right? If that’s the case, just leave it to me!”
“I’d rather not. I don’t want to burden you, Silvia.”
“Burdening me is fine! Think about everything you did for us! I promise—I’ll make sure you can play and eat for the rest of your life!”
Promising to let me live without lifting a finger for the rest of my life was an offer no one could easily refuse. But…
“Thanks, but I’ll pass. Because…”
“Hey.”
Silvia’s voice changed. The playful, affectionate tone vanished, replaced by a low, suppressed voice filled with overwhelming pressure… and a killing intent so sharp it made my skin tingle just to hear it.
“This is my final offer. Say you’ll come with me quietly.”
“And if I refuse?”
“Then I’ll,”—a dagger had somehow appeared in Silvia’s hand again—“take you by force.”
“Ahaha…”
What was wrong with her? She wasn’t usually this stubborn. The reason Silvia could become the matriarch of assassins was her consistently cool and rational judgment. But right now, her eyes burned not with reason, but with raw desire. I needed to figure out what that desire was.
“You came here to kill me, and now you want to take me instead? What’s this all about?”
“……”
It didn’t look like Silvia had any intention of explaining why she wanted to take me.
“This really is the last time I’ll say it, Roen. Come with me.”
As if to show she was serious, Silvia tightened her grip on the dagger. But what could I do? Even if I might have considered it before, there was now a decisive reason I couldn’t follow her.
I could only smile softly and shake my head.
“Then I have no choice but to take you by force!”
Before she even finished speaking, Silvia launched herself at me. But this time was different from before. The moment she revealed her killing intent, I had already prepared myself.
I watched her charge with the dagger until the very last instant. Then, just before the blade could pierce my skin, I grabbed her wrist tightly.
“Ugh… Let go!”
“You think I’d let go?”
“Let go, I said!!”
With one wrist caught, Silvia swung her free fist at me. Each blow hurt quite a bit—fitting for an assassin whose entire body was a weapon—but I couldn’t release the hand holding the far more lethal dagger.
When her punches didn’t work, Silvia kicked my side with all her strength. The force was so great that it made one thing perfectly clear: she really was trying to subdue me.
But I had no intention of going down quietly! Still gripping her wrist, I shoved her back hard.
“Ugh…!”
Silvia lost her balance for a moment from the push, but she quickly braced herself with both legs and pushed back against my strength.
“You really want to go this far?”
“Yes, I do! I’ve had my eye on you for a while now, Roen. I can’t let this golden opportunity slip away!”
“Golden opportunity? What kind of opportunity are you talking about?!”
We stared each other down in a tense standoff. Then Silvia, who had been glaring at me with fierce eyes, suddenly squeezed them shut and went limp.
“Whoa…!”
Unlike Silvia, who had released all her strength, I had been pushing with everything I had. We both tumbled backward. Earlier she had been on top of me, but now I was the one pinning her down.
“What are you doing? You were attacking like you wanted to kill me, and now you suddenly go limp?”
“I can’t let you get hurt.”
“Can’t let me get hurt…?”
“That’s right. So—”
Suddenly, Silvia moved her arms and legs with practiced skill, wrapping them tightly around my body. Then, in one swift motion, she rolled us over. Now she was on top again, and I was beneath her. I’d let my guard down for just a second, and I was pinned once more.
“I win.”
“Looks like it. But why are you going this far to take me with you?”
“The fact that you don’t know is your sin, Roen.”
Still pressing me down firmly, Silvia rummaged through her pocket. What she pulled out was a small cloth that gave off a strange, dangerous scent.
“Sleeping incense.”
“Get a good, deep sleep. Leave everything to me.”
It wasn’t exactly a bad situation. A beautiful, capable woman was offering to let me live in luxury for the rest of my life. If I did as Silvia said and woke up after a good nap, a dreamlike life might be waiting for me. But…
“Sorry, but I can’t. My mother is waiting for me.”
“Your mother…?”
“I told you. This is my hometown.”
“Hmph. My apologies to your mother, then. But I never gave you a choice.”
“And there’s one more reason that’s even more important than that.”
At the mention of a reason more important than his mother, Silvia showed interest.
“What is it?”
“I…”
When I tried to say it, a laugh came out first. I never thought the day would come when I’d say something like this.
“What? What is it? What’s with that strangely relaxed smile?!”
“You’ll be surprised when you hear it. I’m now…”
For some reason, it felt a little embarrassing to say it while looking straight at Silvia’s face. I turned my head slightly to the side and spoke shyly.
“I’m taken.”
“What? Taken… What did you just say?!”
Silvia calmly mulled over the meaning of the word “taken,” then belatedly jumped in shock. Thanks to that, the pressure holding me down weakened for a moment.
Perfect. An opening!
“Taken? What does that even—Hiiiik!”
Silvia’s body began to tremble violently before she collapsed sideways. She kept shaking, unable to move properly.
“Hic… Ugh…! What the hell did you do to me?!”
“I just played a little trick on the mana flowing through your body. You’ll feel numb for a while.”
“Didn’t you need to touch someone to use that ability?”
I sat up and looked down at her, shaking my head.
“You said I know you too well, right? Compared to that, you still don’t know me very well. Just like your whole body is a weapon, I can use that ability with my entire body.”
“You… you…!”
“Just lie there and rest for a bit. I’ll be right back.”
“Hey, Roen! Don’t you dare move!”
“I said I’ll be right back. So just lie down for a second… Huh?”
Suddenly, my vision blurred and strength drained from my body. All my senses dulled, and I collapsed on the spot.
“Hey, Silvia. You didn’t…”
“I didn’t want to use this either.”
Crawling over to me, Silvia pulled something out of my body. It was a thin but sharp needle.
“The sleeping incense would’ve kept you out for a full day, but with this, you won’t be waking up for a week.”
“Just how strong is that paralytic poison…?”
“The amount you just got is worth two houses.”
Using something so expensive on me was quite the honor, but that wasn’t the important issue right now.
“No, Silvia. I told you, didn’t I? My mother is here, and also…”
I tried to say more, but even moving my lips was becoming difficult. My eyelids grew heavier and heavier.
“Now that I think about it, you said you’re taken? Doesn’t matter. But I’d like to see what she looks like at least once. Obviously I’ll be better, but… Huh?”
The smug look on Silvia’s face vanished as she stared somewhere in shock.
“Who are you? I didn’t sense your presence at all. Wait… No way, is that you…?! How are you here?!”