Chapter 80
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: The Goddess Who Visited Again (1)
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A man slowly approached, knife in hand, his face covered by a mask.
An assassin sent from Ratio?
Roin had thwarted Ratios plans multiple times before.
The most recent incident was interfering with their attempt to assassinate Veronica Wilden.
At this point, it was only natural that hed become a thorn in Ratios side.
Thats why Roin was certain this was an assassin they had sent.
.
The assassin reversed his grip on the knife.
And aimed its tip precisely at Roin.
Just as strength began to flow into the hand holding the knife.
Flutter!
Roin flung the blanket covering him into the air.
!
The assassin faltered momentarily at Roins sudden reaction.
But he quickly regained his composure and swung the knife mercilessly.
However, Roin had long since vanished from sight.
The assassin scanned his surroundings rapidly.
The window and door were firmly shut.
Which meant Roin hadnt escaped the room.
The moment he tried to turn around.
Suddenly, Roin wrapped one arm around the assassins neck from behind.
The assassin, who had intended to ambush, ended up ambushed by Roin instead.
Roin used his body weight to shove the assassin onto the bed.
With the assassin pinned beneath him, Roin grabbed the wrist of the hand holding the knife with his other arm.
The man struggled desperately to escape the situation.
Where do you think youre going?
As Roin applied just a slight amount of pressure, a scream escaped the mans lips.
Gah!
The man dropped the knife.
Roin kicked it away with his front paw, sending it sliding under the bed.
Now disarmed, Roin engaged the man in a contest of strength once more.
That was when.
Something astonishing happened.
A bright light enveloped the man.
Its not Aura?
For now, Roin decided to put some distance between them.
No doubt about it. The energy emanating from the mans entire body was...
Divine power.
An assassin with divine power.
An unfamiliar combination.
Roin had never heard of an assassin who wielded divine power in his previous life.
Well, doesnt matter. I dont need to know.
Roin lightly clenched his fist.
Ill just find out myself from now on.
He never forgave anyone who once aimed a blade at him.
There was no mercy.
That was Roins way.
If Roin had truly been deep in sleep.
If the opponent had been a more skilled assassin.
He might have suffered a fatal wound.
Since this man had come to take Roins life, Roin intended to pay him back in full.
Meanwhile, the man cloaked in divine power summoned a spear of light in his right hand.
Shaping divine power into a weapon form was an advanced technique.
Impossible without the skill of a high priest.
The man swung the spear of light toward Roin.
Roin dodged it effortlessly.
The divine power seemed potent enough.
But the skill is abysmal.
It felt like the level of a Senior Knight.
But nowhere near enough to challenge Roin.
Roin enhanced his right hand with Aura.
And grabbed the spear of light with his bare hand.
Sizzle!
Aura clashed with divine power.
A blinding light temporarily stole the vision of both men.
While the man staggered.
In that brief moment, Roin analyzed his position, predicted reactions, and tendencies, calculating the most probable next move.
His hand should be around here.
Eyes closed, Roin seized the mans left hand.
Then he extended his right leg, tripping the man and disrupting his balance.
He slammed the man to the floor with force.
Thud!
Urgh!
A second scream burst from the mans mouth.
The man flailed the spear of light wildly, but it never landed a hit on Roin.
Regaining his sight, Roin shattered the spear with a right fist brimming with Aura.
Then, with his left hand, he ripped off the mans mask.
Roin confirmed the mans face directly.
At that moment,
What are you?
For the first time in a while, Roin furrowed his brow.
The mans face bore a fresh blue scar.
The instant the scar was exposed,
Light began to flow from it.
It didnt look like a scar from external impact.
More like a pattern?
Moreover, the pattern scar etched on the mans face was a shape familiar to Roin.
A pattern hed seen many times before.
Suddenly, Roin recalled the final moments of his time as Rodri.
When Rodri awakened the power of the Tear of the Moon, the holy relic sealed within Deathbringer.
The manifestation of Goddess Ashutar had been summoned.
He vividly remembered that glowing light pattern flickering then.
As Roins eyes narrowed, the man slyly curled the corner of his mouth.
Finally, the man spoke.
So you remember now.
His appearance was clearly that of a man.
But the voice was a womans.
A familiar voice.
No mistake.
Ashutar.
The being called a goddess had come to visit Roin once more.
Goddess Ashutar, who had freed him from the curse of ugliness and allowed him to live a new life as the beautiful boy Roin.
He never imagined reuniting with her like this.
What brings you here?
A hint of irritation laced Roins voice, and the manifestation of Goddess Ashutar looked puzzled.
Strange reaction. I granted the wish you desired. Is that how you treat your benefactor?
He had become handsome, sure.
But,
Ashutar had planted seeds of anxiety in Roin alongside his good looks.
The fact that Lucass blood flowed through Roins veins.
That kept making Roin uneasy.
Thats why, despite being born a beautiful boy, he obsessed over skincare.
If youre granting a wish, make it perfectsomething Id be 100 satisfied with. This is only half a wish.
Roin voiced his strong dissatisfaction.
At his response, Ashutars manifestation let out a deep sigh.
That was my best effort.
Your best?
Yes. You were originally fated to never be handsome. I essentially rewrote that fate with my own hands. For me, that was a tremendous effort.
What was that supposed to mean?
Roin couldnt comprehend it at all.
Cant you explain it in a way I can understand?
Id like to, but I dont have much time left either. And.
As Ashutar trailed off, voices of strangers began filtering in from outside.
Jenif. You handle trainee Roin Leyden.
Me, sir?
Voices of instructors from the Swordran training camp.
Yes. You remember the training details, right?
Yes, sir. Pretend to be an assassin, sneak in, and threaten them.
Exactly. Give bonus points to trainees who handle the assassin ambush well, and deduct points from those who dont. When Captain Siren gives the signal, thats when you strike. Okay?
Yes, understood.
The moment Roin heard the two instructors outside the door, he clicked his tongue.
Damn it.
Of all times, a training exercise during this critical moment.
The form of Ashutars manifestation began to fade.
Looks like you have prior commitments, so lets meet again later. Rodri. Or should I say, Roin.
Wait!
The words fated to never be handsome gnawed at him.
It might be crucially linked to Roins current situation.
But Ashutars words ended there.
The goddesss manifestation vanished completely in a burst of blue light.
At the same time.
Creak.
Roins door opened cautiously.
The moment it swung open,
Gasp!
Jaif, the instructor assigned to play the assassin ambushing Roin, froze at the sight of Roin standing blankly in the middle of the room, as if hed seen a ghost.
Like Ashutars manifestation, Jaifs face was also covered by a mask.
The instant Roin saw him.
Irritation surged within him.
Interrupting at the crucial moment.
Crack!
Just from Roin flexing his fingers slightly, his knuckles popped.
At the sight, Jaif instinctively stepped back.
But there was no mercy for those who ruined things.
Training, huh?
Roin advanced toward Jaif, murder in his eyes.
Fine, since its training, Ill beat the crap out of you!
Today.
Roin resolved to be a model student.
30 minutes later.
A siren blared, calling the trainees to assemble.
Late into the dawn hours.
Siren raised his voice.
As Senior Knights, you must always stay vigilant against enemy ambushes, no matter when or where. To teach you this importance, we conducted this special ambush training.
The instructors had ambushed the sleeping trainees as assassins.
Perhaps because of that.
The trainees all wore dazed expressions.
Most had been thoroughly taken down by the instructors disguised as assassins.
Only a few elites like Jerka and Theo had properly countered the instructors ambushes.
However, among them, there was one team that went beyond justified self-defense into excessive force.
Roin Leyden.
Jaif, tasked with ambushing Roin as the assassin.
His face was covered in bruises.
Siren looked at him with a bewildered expression.
In the Roin-Jaif team, it was impossible to tell who was the assassin and who was the ambushee.
Judging by the injuries, Jaif looked more like the trainee whod been ambushed.
To Sirens gaze, Roin replied,
He came for my life. Why should I hold back?
Jerka and Theo had realized it was an instructor the moment they saw the assassin and responded strictly per protocol.
But Roin didnt care about that.
He had delivered justices iron fist(?) to Jaif for robbing him of his serious conversation with Ashutars manifestation.
Thanks to that, Jaif couldnt even look at Roin.
Hed been beaten so badly that just seeing Roin made him tremble.
Siren let out a deep sigh at the sight.
Well, you have a point.
From Roins perspective, he was right.
No need to go easy on someone who came at you with a knife.
Despite the brief commotion, the anti-assassination training ended safely.
You never know when this training might happen again, so dont let your guard down. Understood?
Yes, sir!
Even as they responded, the trainees thought, Guess we cant sleep easy anymore.
After assembly, Roin returned to his room.
Even after lying down for another hour, Ashutars manifestation didnt reappear.
She definitely said wed meet again later.
He might encounter Ashutar again someday.
For now, Roin decided to trust her words.