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“If they were going to send such small fry, they should have at least sent more of them.”

There are only five assassins coming at me.

Each one was weaker than that knight named Thomas who died previously.

‘They couldn’t even pull off a sneak attack.’

I couldn’t help but scoff.

Of course, in this line of work, it’s all too common for someone to be killed by someone weaker.

And most of those incidents are caused by ‘assassination.’

Erasing their presence, eliminating their scent, even killing their sound.

They hide their bodies in the darkness and approach their target more in complete stealth.

Assassins with exceptional stealth and infiltration skills were threatening to even the highest-level swordsmen.

But if their identity was exposed before the ambush…

Bzzzzzzt!

“……!”

“……!”

“……!”

Just like this, the chance of achieving their goal became nonexistent.

In the shadows, they can kill someone much stronger without any trouble, however, in a head-on confrontation in the light, they struggled even against someone much weaker.

That’s the nature of assassins.

“What in the world……?”

It was right after four consecutive sparks lit up the darkness.

Soon, the astonished voice of the assassin’s leader broke the silence.

He must have realized from the first clash that I wasn’t an ordinary person.

“I’ll ask again. Where are you from?”

“…….”

There was no response.

Nevertheless, my mouth didn’t stop.

“Judging by your appearance, you seem to be hired assassins. If I consider the groups that come to mind, it’s either White Moon, Black Lion, Illusion of One Hundred, or Shadow of a Thousand Deaths……”

The names I mentioned were the biggest assassin organizations on the continent in my past life.

Even though 20 years have passed, only those of that caliber would have maintained any trace until now.

“So, which one is it?”

“……Did this brat get hit in the head with a crossbow or something?”

The leader, who had been standing there dumbfounded, finally spoke up.

“Do you think you’re the king of a country or something? Who would commission the Five Great Assassin Guilds just to catch one little brat?”

“What, so it’s none of them?”

“You crazy bastard. Do you even know how much it costs to hire them? We’re the Gray Wolves.”

The assassin leader proudly declared his affiliation.

He must have been confident of their success in this assassination mission.

When they succeed in a kill, assassins deliberately spread the word.

That would become the organization’s reputation and draw in more clients.

“Gray… Wolves?”

My mouth hung open in disbelief.

Not only was it a name I was hearing for the first time, but also, well…

“Even without much thought to it, it sounds incredibly weak.”

I couldn’t help but feel disheartened.

After all, these were the assassins sent by a marquis, so I had hoped for something more impressive.

“……Well, what can you expect from the backwater of backwaters.”

“Are you just going to keep mumbling to yourself? What are you all doing? Attack already!”

Swish!

In an instant, the assassins charged at me again.

Now that I knew they were small fry, there was no reason to drag this out any longer.

And along with these thoughts,

Flash!

I dashed towards the small fries like a bolt of lightning.

***

At dawn, I summoned Ben, the man with the green mask.

As expected, he was startled the moment he saw the scene inside.

“Th-These are all assassins?”

“Mmph! Mmph!”

The assassins, gagged, looked at Ben with desperate eyes.

I had tied those bastards up with ropes like dried fish and hung them upside down from the ceiling.

“Yes. They dared to target my life, so I thought I’d leave them like this for the next three days.”

“S-Sir! I swear we’ll never dare to come here for such disgraceful business again! Please, spare us!”

The leader, the only one not gagged, shouted in a voice like thunder.

The faces of the assassins, already at their limits, were completely drained of color.

Anyone who’s experienced it knows that being hung upside down like that is incredibly difficult.

“Who told you to open your mouth?”

“P-Please……!”

Perhaps thinking I was not one to be reasoned with, the leader looked at Ben.

“……It’s not my place to intervene, but if you hang people upside down for three days, they’ll die. Actually, they probably won’t last even a day. If your intention isn’t to kill them, how about letting them down for now?”

“……!”

At those words, the assassins’ faces brightened immediately.

“That’s why I want to hire you. The Mask of Night handles odd jobs as long as you pay, right?”

“Odd jobs……?”

“Take them down and hang them back up every ten minutes for an hour. How about it? Easy, right?”

“……”

Ben stared at me.

I must have really softened.

To show this much leniency to assassins who came to kill me.

“……Won’t they just beg to be killed instead?”

“Well, I’ll grant their wish, then.”

Flinch.

The assassins hurriedly shook their heads at my gaze.

“N-No! We like being hung up!”

“It’s said that letting the blood flow the other way sometimes is good for health. Thank you, benefactor, thank you, for caring about the health of bugs like us!”

“We’ll just hang here quietly like larvae. Thank you for showing grace to worthless trash like us!”

Ben, listening, made a disgusted face.

“Just what did you do to make them act like this?”

“Want to know?”

“……On second thought, I think I’ll be just fine with not knowing.”

Ben straightened his posture and looked at me seriously.

“But why go to such trouble? If they’re assassins, just notifying the Count’s family would have them handle it.”

“Then I’d be a pushover.”

“Pardon? A pushover?”

I nodded.

“This is necessary for the negotiations to come. Besides, think about it. If assassins sent to kill someone don’t report back for days, how anxious do you think their employers will get?”

“……!”

Ben’s eyes widened.

“Handing them over to the Count’s family won’t get the result I want. Besides, I can’t stand seeing the people around me acting like pushovers, either.”

Regardless of the details, this world operates on a social hierarchy.

Even if I hold the moral high ground, a Count can’t easily confront a Marquis about this situation.

Realizing that, Ben said,

“……Perhaps partnering with you might be the greatest stroke of luck in my life. If we had been enemies…”

He glanced at the hung-up assassins and shuddered.

“……I wouldn’t have escaped that fate either, would I?”

“That’s nothing.”

I waved my hand with a meaningful smile.

Marquis Foltaine would soon make a move.

But before that, there was something I needed to take care of.

“So, I’ll leave this to you. My disciples are waiting.”

“Your……disciples?”

There wasn’t much time left until the knight exam.

Before that, I had to thoroughly fix Kirian’s mentality.

***

Bam, bam, bam.

“Hmm……”

My face slightly furrowed as I arrived at the training grounds.

Soon after, a sound akin to hitting a cotton ball reached my ears.

As per my instructions, Ben and Harun were fiercely fighting each other.

At least, that’s how it looked on the surface.

Flinch!

Harun’s shoulders flinched for a moment

It was the moment he made eye contact with me, who had arrived late.

“Ahhhhh!”

Suddenly, Harun let out a scream and threw a big punch.

Fwip!

Kirian, startled, quickly moved his head.

His face, which seemed somewhat dissatisfied, immediately became as docile as a mouse in front of a cat once he saw me.

“Even after all that beating, these guys still haven’t come to their senses…”

I rolled up my sleeves and started to climb onto the training grounds.

Immediately, Harun’s punches became faster.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

Possessing innate ferocity, the hesitation in his punches disappeared.

In terms of skill alone, Harun couldn’t be compared to Kirian.

Even if his mentality was rotten, a tiger cub was still a tiger cub.

Kirian was born into a wealthy family, raised on good food, and received systematic education.

In comparison, Harun had only recently started learning swordsmanship properly and was born an orphan.

Even in a simple fistfight, the foundation doesn’t change.

However.

Bang! Boom, pow, bam!

“……What should I do with him?”

Surprisingly, the fight was evenly matched.

It was because Kirian hesitated to throw a decisive punch at crucial moments.

As expected, the critical difference between the two was their mindset.

Harun, who was born an orphan and had experienced all sorts of hardships, naturally had a ferocity that no one could match.

Wasn’t that the case even during the previous incident?

He had boldly declared that even if he had to die, he would gouge out at least one eye of the slave traders.

“If he could learn even half…… no, even a quarter of that ferocity, passing the knight exam would be guaranteed.”

I had been constantly thinking of ways to awaken Kirian.

Still, I could see some improvement over the day.

Being a man, after taking a few punches, he got angry and occasionally swung his fists.

But that was all.

“……I’m left with no choice. I’ll have to take drastic measures.”

After making up my mind, I immediately turned around.

I felt piercing gazes on my back, but I ignored them.

‘You two brought this upon yourselves.’

***

“What’s the matter today?”

Fortunately, Count Arsen was alone, catching up on his work.

“I don’t know if you’ve heard, but I’ve been teaching your child.”

Count Arsen responded without even lifting his head.

“Are you sure it’s not one-sided bullying?”

“Huh? Bullying?”

“I heard that Kirian was busy getting beaten up.”

Count Arsen’s voice carried a subtle tone of reproach as he spoke.

“I didn’t know that was your way of educating. I simply thought you were venting your anger.”

“It’s a misunderstanding. And, if you thought it was venting, why didn’t you stop it earlier?”

“I told you. We committed the crime first, so how could we have the audacity to stop it?”

“……”

As I had felt before, this man was definitely not normal.

“Anyway, it’s a misunderstanding.”

“Let’s say it is.”

“If things continue like this, Kirian will fail the knight exam.”

“Why do you think that?”

“You already know, don’t you? That kid is too soft-hearted. He’s not suited to be a warrior at all. Almost to the point where I’d like to advise you to groom him as a civil servant, starting now.”

“……”

Finally, Count Arsen lifted his head to look at me.

“……I’ll be honest. I feel sorry towards that child. Unless he says himself that he doesn’t want to do it, I don’t want to destroy the effort he’s put in so far.”

How could I not understand Count Arsen’s feelings?

The heart of a parent thinking of their child is all the same.

“You must be grateful that he’s grown up so well without his mother. Judging by your expression, you seem to know that he’s bullied by his siblings, but that’s not the right way to educate him.”

“……What do you know to say such things so carelessly?”

Now, even the typically kind Count Arsen’s voice had a sharp edge.

“I know. I’m sure you’ve already realized that intervening won’t solve the fundamental problem. Someday you’ll get old and have to step down, and then your child will have to stand alone without any help.”

Tremble.

Count Arsen’s eyes began to quiver slightly.

“But throwing him into the wild and telling him to grow strong without any guidance is not helpful either. Are you grateful that he grew up well without his mother? Rather, it’s precisely because he didn’t have a mother that the father should properly take on her role.”

This wasn’t just a message for Count Arsene.

It was regret and self-reproach directed at myself.

“……Phew, that’s unexpected. One would think you’ve raised a few children yourself.”

“I’ve seen many of my peers go astray due to similar situations.”

I quickly added an afterword.

“Anyway, if you permit, I’ll help with the education that the father is failing to provide.”

“……This is absurd. You’re coming for permission, now?”

Count Arsene looked at me with a genuinely baffled expression.

“I’ll take responsibility for educating all three of your children.”

“Even Jan and Hersen?”

“Yes, Kirian will need the help of his siblings to pass. Moreover, if you leave it to me, I’d appreciate it if you didn’t interfere with my educational methods.”

“……”

A strange look was still being directed in my direction, but I continued calmly.

“Honestly, you’re worried too, aren’t you? If a descendant of the Arsene family fails the knight exam, it will negatively affect the family’s reputation.”

“I don’t care about the family’s reputation. I’m just worried about that child being frustrated and despairing.”

“……”

This time, I looked directly into his eyes.

Count Arsene.

He wasn’t a completely negligent father, after all.

“……Phew. I don’t know if this is right.”

Count Arsene scratched his head vigorously.

“Well, since you’re so confident, should I be the one asking for a favor?”

“What do you mean?”

“Will you help me? Will you ensure my child passes the exam?”

A grin spread across my face.

“Well, since you’re asking so earnestly.”

“Hah……”

Count Arsen shook his head as if he had given up completely.

“Oh, by the way!”

“Huh?”

“The Arsen efamily is known for its clear rewards and punishments, right?”

“……?”

A suspicious look appeared on Count Arsen’s face, as if asking, “What are you up to now?”

The smile on my lips deepened.

Because his suspicion was spot on.

I soon made a circle with my thumb and index finger.

“I’m quite the effective tutor, but I can’t do it for free.”

“……Didn’t I give you a sword? Do you even know how much that costs?”

“Come on, you know the difference. That was compensation for the mental anguish I suffered, and this is payment for my work. Completely different matters.”

“……”

Count Arsen stared at me for a long time before finally smiling back.

“Just take it all, you damn thief.”