Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: The First Assignment
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After leaving the border region, I stopped at a suitable spot to review the battle.
'The outcome wasn't half bad.'
It had been a long time since I'd used the secret arts of the Riverune family in actual combat.
I worried I might make a mistake, but surprisingly, the Heaven-Severing Nine Harmony Sword flowed naturally.
It seemed to be thanks to the memories of my past life.
However, it wasn't without its problems.
'My aura is insufficient.'
At my current level, I couldn't use Heaven-Severing Lunar Eclipse consecutively.
I'll have to diligently raise my level to reclaim my former prowess.
"To think I have to work even harder than before... What a rotten fate."
Once I began operating in earnest within the Empire, the surveillance would likely loosen a bit.
I had to use that opening to find a way to advance my skills.
Just as in the past, a clear method for rapid growth remained.
To others, I might have seemed like a mere loafer, but in my mind, I was an extraordinary genius.
This sounds a bit like I'm praising myself, but what can I do?
'It's the truth.'
* * *
The Eastern Imperial Branch of the Rantzverger Assassination Guild.
This place, bordering the Riverune conflict zone, was inundated with countless requests.
Though a busy and arduous time awaited, I didn't feel bad about it.
After all, a high volume of requests meant frequent opportunities to build my record.
As I entered to report, the Eastern Imperial Branch Chief's eyes lit up upon seeing me.
"You're right on time. How were your accommodations?"
"They were comfortable enough."
"Heh heh! Can't even compare to when you were a Class 2, can you?"
"Anything is better than a pigsty, no matter where you go."
"Khahaha! The safe houses for Class 2 and below are truly unlivable. Just like before, you're as blunt as ever."
"Isn't that part of my charm?"
Short-cropped blond hair, four knife scars etched on his face, and deep-set eyes.
He had a fearsome appearance, but it didn't feel particularly intimidating.
His slightly casual tone and playful gaze offset the heavy atmosphere.
This man was the most familiar figure to the lower-ranking agents of the Rantzverger family.
'Codename: Dusk. Overseer of the final trial.'
This man, known as Dusk, had long been in charge of the final stage of the ten-year ordeal.
It seemed that after supervising training all that time, he had finally landed a proper position.
After all, on Black Scale Island, a transcendent-level grunt was merely a mid-tier rank.
'Was this man Tier 3? With a two-tier difference, I can't sense anything from him.'
Even though my level was high for a typical Class 1 agent, it was no match for the branch chief's.
"Sorry to give you a mission as soon as you arrive. We're seriously short-staffed here."
"Ah, everyone knows times are tough these days. Usually, this is when requests should be flooding in, but our branch is rather quiet. It must be all thanks to your whirlwind efficiency, Branch Chief."
I rubbed my hands together playfully, striking a sycophantic pose.
Dusk let out a small smile and played along with my act.
This guy... he pretends not to be, but he's a real sucker for flattery.
"Ahem! That's Crow for you. You never disappoint. Still, there are advantages. Since Class 1 missions are overflowing, your promotion will come that much sooner."
"Oh! That's good to hear."
"Don't get too complacent. Even for the same class, missions in the conflict zone are more dangerous than elsewhere."
"It's still just a Class 1 mission, right? I need to finish it quickly and move on to the next stage."
"You never seem to fit the assassin mold. Where else would I find a swaggering agent like you?"
"Guess it means I'm better at my job. That's probably why I left all the others in the dust, isn't it?"
"Heh heh! You crazy bastard."
Flick! Whoosh!
Dusk puckered his lips playfully and flicked a stack of documents.
A single sheet of paper shot out from it, flying straight toward me.
Shing! Vvvvmm!
Drawing the Black Dragon Sword, I used the flat of the blade to gently press down on the paper.
The aura imbued in the paper was instantly dissipated by my exquisite control and the counter-force within the sword.
'Whoa! Damn. That was close. I almost used the Wheel Energy Arts.'
The impact was stronger than I expected, and I reflexively started to channel Heaven-Severing Flash before hastily stopping myself.
By quickly switching my energy art, I was able to generate the red aura characteristic of the Rantzverger family.
At my response, Dusk's expression changed.
It wasn't a look of suspicion, merely curiosity.
"So you've acquired a sword."
"Class 1 agents are allowed to carry personal weapons."
"Must have spent a pretty penny. For it to be a piece of that quality."
"The seller didn't know what they had."
"Quite a find. Anyway, open the orders. There are some things I need to explain."
"Yes, sir."
Fortunately, he quickly lost interest in the Black Dragon Sword.
'He's such an unpredictable man; every meeting is a string of tense moments. This is kind of thrilling, isn't it?'
Breathing an inward sigh of relief, I unfolded the document.
But the orders listed a rather surprising individual.
"The target is from the Felton Sword Family?"
"Oh! How did you know just from the nickname? He was famous back in the day, but now that he's lost his right arm, he's just a has-been."
Brooks, the Thunderclap Sword.
This was the man who had led the vanguard of the Felton knights that invaded.
I concealed my unease and answered Dusk's question.
"I've heard the name a few times here and there."
"In any case, a request came in, so we just have to do our job. We don't treat someone differently just because they're from one of the Five Great Families."
"Of course. One neck is the same as any other, and they're all just paychecks, aren't they?"
"Good. I like that attitude."
At the bottom of the orders, a hastily scrawled memo was attached.
It wasn't coded, but the handwriting was so hard to read that I had to ask.
"What's this?"
"Ah, that was added today. You need to assassinate Governor Olson as well. For a Class 1 mission, this one's quite difficult. Then again, who else but you could handle such a high-difficulty job?"
"You're not just buttering me up to dump a dangerous mission on me, are you?"
"Hey now! Call it trust."
"Well, I understand. A difficult case will earn a higher evaluation, so it's not a huge loss."
"He's someone who has never shown his face in public. It'll probably take some time to identify him. I'll give you a generous deadline of three months."
"Understood. I'll get started right away."
"Alright. Off you go."
With a rough nod as a farewell, I immediately left the Eastern Imperial Branch.
* * *
Brooks, the Thunderclap Sword, was residing in the Pellerd Autonomous District.
'He frequently visits the Governor's office and the merchant guild. He must be planning some kind of business venture.'
I spent a few days wandering the area, confirming his whereabouts.
The man had frequent meetings with high-ranking officials of the autonomous district.
"He meets with a ridiculous number of people, but it's quite regular. Does he have some kind of compulsion? What a psycho."
Analyzing Brooks's every move over the past few days, I was able to uncover one fact.
The merchant guild leaders he met with at banquets were always the same.
'He mainly meets with the heads of the Ilite, Jade, and Isos merchant guilds. I should hit the merchant guild coalition first.'
I targeted the merchant guild coalition headquarters, which had relatively laxer security than the Governor's office.
I intended to search the guild leaders' offices and mansions, but an unexpected obstacle appeared.
A rather elaborate magical barrier and alarm spells were in place.
"This setup must have cost a fortune. That means there's something important inside."
Though it looked shoddy on the outside, the security in this room was far superior to anywhere else in the guild headquarters.
'It's a bit tricky, but not impossible to bypass. The problem is that it will take quite a bit of time.'
The secret arts of the Riverune family mostly used mana only for swordsmanship.
That didn't mean I couldn't use conventional, standardized magic.
Though, of course, the mana efficiency was a bit lower.
'Freeze right there. Hup!'
I unraveled the complex mana arrangement and forced it into a single point.
This put the magical barrier and alarm spells into an infinite reboot state, rendering them ineffective.
'Search.'
Vwoooom!
When I cast the search spell, the wall near the entrance surprisingly began to glow.
There was a secret safe in a location that would have been absolutely impossible to find with the naked eye.
"Oh! A brilliant idea. Right. What kind of lunatic would search a place like this? Ah, does that make me the lunatic?"
The safe was also a magical mechanism.
Mechanical ones require tools like lockpicks and are a lot of hassle, so for me, a magical safe was much more convenient.
Click.
Manipulating the mana array to open the door, I found a neatly organized stack of documents inside.
'This is it!'
I immediately returned to my hideout and began analyzing the evidence I'd obtained from the merchant guild coalition headquarters.
Other than the name Olson, there was no information available on the governor of the Pellerd Autonomous District.
The man never appeared at official functions, only meeting secretly with Brooks.
He was practically the king of this vast autonomous district, yet he didn't wield his power and simply remained in seclusion.
Frankly, it was unbelievable.
"All the bribes taken are passing through the governor. He seems to be the one in charge, but there's no way to find him."
No matter how much I sifted through the documents, I couldn't uncover the governor's identity.
It seemed this was not something I could investigate alone.
'A useful source of information...'
On the continent of Rivius, there were three major information guilds.
One guild operated out of the Veldam Federation of Nations, while the other two were in the Empire.
Of those, the Discret Guild was the one owned by the Rantzverger family.
Since I also intended to look into the Empire's movements, I couldn't use my family's information guild.
Ultimately, I had to contact the remaining one, with which I had no connection.
Recalling their identity, I left my hideout with a wry smile.
'Kukuku! Those Valiant bastards are perfect for exploiting.'