NOVEL NEXT Chapter 6
6.
How did these guys find out I’m a candidate?
The mercenaries targeted Ruben itself, and Bradden’s knights just got caught in the crossfire. Even then, the knights had been unaware that I was a candidate when they fought me.
This isn’t a world where technology like photographs or videos is common.
To know my exact location, stuck out here in the boondocks, requires dealing with information to an almost obsessive extent—something only a few organizations could manage.
The Information Guild, or perhaps one of the Empire’s intelligence agencies… If they were involved, then it makes sense that assassins would attack me once I entered the capital.
“Krk!”
A man who’d been struck in the chest fell off the roof.
This makes thirteen already.
From the direction the man fell, a dull, unpleasant sound spread—a thud suggesting he fell headfirst.
“Rani! Are you alright?”
Rani is currently being carried in her luggage bag, slung in my hand. I’ve been careful to keep her out of the fight, but she might have been hit by a stray attack.
Just in case, I ask if she’s hurt anywhere. Her energetic mumble replies.
“Mmmph! Mmmph!”
Rani, with both hands covering her mouth, gave me an enthusiastic answer.
Her brown pigtail bounces happily. She must be unharmed.
“Stay like that for a bit longer.”
“Mph!”
Kicking another assassin who silently appeared with a dagger in his side, I leapt down from the roof.
The dim alleys formed because of the dense concentration of buildings twist and turn. The narrow passageways are barely wide enough for two grown men to walk side by side, and I sprint through them carrying Rani.
Though I’ve never been here before, the houses are packed together haphazardly, creating a labyrinth of shadowy alleys. But there’s no worry of getting lost.
Even among the laundry lines and roofs blocking the dusk-laden sky, the towering silhouette of the Imperial Palace remains clearly visible in the highlands.
‘What nonsense is this?’
Assassins are walking around freely in the heart of the capital.
With all the commotion, there should have been some response by now, either from the guards or the citizens. Yet Palamtiar remains eerily quiet, as if someone is deliberately enforcing this silence.
The only sounds audible around me are the many footsteps racing across roofs and alleys and the cries of the terrified people.
“S-someone… help… ugh!”
As I rounded the corner, I caught sight of a vagrant and an assassin.
The assassin, withdrawing the sword from the vagrant’s chest, turned his gaze toward me. An ordinary, unremarkable face. His calm demeanor while cleaning his bloody dagger was unsettling.
Before the assassin could make a move, I adjusted my grip on my dagger and swung my right arm.
Thud! The assassin, struck squarely in the brow, collapsed while still mid-stride.
Recalling my discarded weapon, I resumed my dash through the messy alley.
Boom!
The windows of homes packed close together started closing one by one.
The residents, trying their best to avoid getting involved, turned a blind eye. Their reactions weren’t particularly frightened or loud—just calm, as if this kind of situation happens often.
If the silence in the presence of such chaos means anything, it’s that things are a mess here.
I tightened my grip on the bag in my hand and hurled Rani into the air.
“Waaah!”
There was no time to reassure the startled Rani. As I threw her, I swiftly ducked, dodging a sharp blade that burst through the door.
The frigid breath of steel grazed above my head.
I narrowly avoided the surprise attack and immediately delivered a kick to the assailant on my right.
“Krk!”
The assassin, whose abdomen was now caved in, stumbled back into the house. Amidst the faint clangs of metal and the commotion from inside, I reacted swiftly, reaching out my left arm.
Click.
I grabbed the wrist of the assassin who’d been about to stab me in the shoulder. The dagger, halted mid-swing, trembled slightly. The assassin’s plain face, previously calm while attacking, now registered surprise.
He must’ve thought he’d overpower me with brute force—how foolish.
I tightened my grip on the assassin’s wrist, causing him to drop the dagger. I then grabbed him and slammed him against the wall.
Bang!
He either died or passed out, as there was no sign of him trying to crawl out.
‘This isn’t the time.’
Rani, whom I’d tossed into the air, was slowly descending.
I sprinted at full speed down the alley, narrowly catching the falling bag. I quickly checked her condition.
“Are you hurt?”
“No!”
Rani’s eyes sparkled as she responded with enthusiasm. Flying in the air for a brief moment must have been quite enjoyable for her.
I gestured for her to stay quiet once more, then leapt onto the roof.
Thanks to the chaos we caused in the alley, all the roof-bound assassins have descended to the ground.
It will take them some time to return to the rooftops. The Imperial Palace is close now. All we need to do is reach the inner wall entrance.
Unlike the outer wall, the inner defenses are guarded by knights. They wouldn’t possibly chase us that far, even if they wanted to.
Adjusting my grip on Rani’s bag, I resumed my sprint toward the palace across the rooftops.
As expected, the faint, stealthy footsteps that had been pursuing me gradually disappeared the closer I got to the inner wall.
‘Is it over?’
These assassins, specially trained to minimize their natural life signatures, were quite bothersome. They were different from dealing with thieves, mercenaries, or knights.
‘This isn’t easy.’
An ordinary rural noble would have already been killed by the mercenaries who attacked in the dead of night.
If the mercenaries had failed, the disguised knights would have finished the job. This is likely how many candidates were quietly dealt with once they were chosen.
I’m curious to see the reaction of those central figures when they see me arrive safely at the palace. Especially Baron Bradden.
As I was about to turn to descend to the ground, Rani suddenly shouted.
“Master! Below!”
I stepped back quickly as something burst through the roof.
“…”
“…”
The newly emerged assassin was cloaked entirely in a plain black outfit.
It’s impossible to determine the gender beneath the baggy black cloth. The only discernible traits from this dark mass are that it’s shorter in stature and different from the assassins who’ve attacked so far.
I set Rani down and examined this figure, whose tawny eyes met mine.
Swoosh—
The assassin darted toward me faster than the spreading black smoke.
With the setting sun behind them, they’re hard to see. Not even the sound of footsteps betrayed their ghost-like movement.
In the midst of this, I believe they threw a few daggers. Counting the incoming sword, there are three cutting sounds coming from different directions.
‘Head, neck, leg.’
Daggers aimed at the head and legs. A sword at the neck.
Avoiding all of them would require tricky maneuvering, and without a weapon, fending off the attacks would be even harder.
Fortunately, the decision didn’t take long.
Twisting my body to escape the daggers’ trajectories, I moved straight toward the assassin.
The thin metallic slice grazing my ear—and simultaneously—
Thud.
A burning sensation flared in my thigh.
The chilling blade stopped just short of slicing my neck.
Exerting firm pressure on the arm gripping the assassin’s wrist caused them to drop the sword.
“…Ugh.”
A delicate voice escaped as the eyes beneath the mask of tawny color distorted.
Having been overwhelmed by my grip, I hurled them into the air and delivered a swift kick. As they weren’t an ordinary opponent, they threw more daggers even while plummeting mid-air.
I retrieved the dropped sword and deflected the daggers with a clean metallic ring.
I briefly watched as the assassin fell off the roof before pulling out the dagger embedded in my leg.
“It hurts like hell.”
The tip was tinged black. They must’ve coated it with poison.
Starting from the wound, a prickling sensation began to spread. The needle-like pain quickly expanded throughout my body—this sensation was not unfamiliar.
‘Poison, huh.’
The wound was turning from purple to black, indicative of a potent toxin.
An average person wouldn’t last long; the poison would spread throughout the body, eventually leading to death. The situation called for an antidote immediately, but—
“…”
Heat began to rise within my body.
The fiery heat engulfed the pain surging through my body and spread rapidly throughout.
When my body felt as though it had been drenched in sunlight, the heat instantly subsided, leaving no trace and eliminating the pain.
I loosened my stiffened muscles when I noticed Rani approaching from a distance.
“Master, the wound…”
Her eyes wavered as she noticed my blood-soaked clothes.
It’s been a while since Rani’s seen me injured, even if it’s just a minor wound. I ruffled her head roughly in reassurance.
“It’s fine; licking it will make it better.”
Still fumbling with her tangled hair, Rani retrieved a cloth and a bottle from her bag and came closer.
“Grandpa Paden said wounds need immediate treatment.”
Old Paden, one of the few healers in the village, had bid us farewell when we left Ruben.
Most of Rani’s free time after completing her housework was spent learning various things from him.
Rani applied the medicine from the bottle onto my thigh, then quickly wrapped it with the cloth. Although her movements were clumsy, she performed the first aid efficiently.
Truth be told, at the moment, my body was functioning at superhuman capacity.
Not only the strange strength, but my stamina, recovery speed, and immunity to poison—all absurd. The minor wound I received was already healing in the blink of an eye.
So this little injury wasn’t truly significant, but—
“All done!”
With a proud smile, Rani looked up after finishing her first aid. Her face reminded me of my siblings back in my previous life, who were always eager to prepare dinner.
“…If you want anything to eat, just let me know. I’ll buy it.”
“…!”
With eyes sparkled with delight, Rani and I resumed our journey.
While we were creating chaos with the assassins, the sun had set, and the night view of Palamtiar, the capital, appeared dim.
The many buildings extending in the dark expanse were cloaked in shadows. From afar, the gentle glow from the Imperial Palace was the only light driving away the darkness of Palamtiar.
Rani and I crossed the rooftops until we reached the entrance of the inner wall, about where roofs can no longer be traversed.
The illuminated gateway.
The gate, which should have been open during the day, was firmly closed at night.
Without hesitation, I lifted Rani and leapt toward the front of the gate.
As soon as I lightly landed near the entrance, a sharp metallic sound greeted me.
Clang!
Swords and armor reflected in the light of the torches, casting hostile glares.
“Stay still. Any reckless move, and I’ll cut you down.”
A middle-aged knight without a helmet stepped forward. Lifting the torch, he inspected my disheveled appearance.
“You’re the one causing a ruckus outside the walls.”
Murmuring this, the knights who had their swords pointed at me began to close the distance.
“Reveal your identity and purpose. Refusal will result in the immediate severing of your head.”
The calm, steady gaze and the movements of the knights as they narrowed the encirclement suggested their seriousness.
Given the situation—a blood-stained appearance in the dead of the night—my current state naturally raises suspicion.
A man climbing roofs wearing tattered clothes.
In one hand, a sword; in the other, a girl.
‘Extremely suspicious indeed.’
Their eyes were brimming with doubt.
Given that they haven’t immediately attacked but have only surrounded me, they must be considering Rani’s calm demeanor next to me.
“Hmph.”
After nightfall, entering the inner wall requires a cumbersome process, but I have a way to bypass the procedures and clear their suspicions.
First, I stabbed the sword in my hand into the ground.
Showing both hands open to the startled knights, I then reached into the bag Rani was carrying.
Pushing aside unnecessary items, my hand finally found the soft paper. I thought I might’ve left it back in Ruben, but thankfully, it was there. Carefully controlling the strength to avoid tearing it, I gently pulled out the paper.
Even in the darkness, the gold-tinged paper faintly shone.
Holding up the document given to me before leaving Ruben, I shouted.
“I am Baron Cain MacBilian, ruler of Northeast Ruben! As a candidate for His Majesty’s esteemed royal letter, I have come to answer the noble call of the royal family to participate in the Noble Selection!”