Chapter 22 - The Hidden Piece of the Darkest Tavern
"Why do you use the window when there's a perfectly good door?"
"Hahaha. It's become a habit. More importantly, could I have a drink? It's late, but."
"Please, have a seat. If it's what you want, brother, I can keep it open all night."
'Says who?'
Just when I thought the place was finally clearing out, this uninvited guest shows up. What's more, the marvelous movement shown by the man called "brother" left a strange sense of unease.
He was at least stronger than Gilbert. No, it felt like an insult to even compare him to Gilbert.
It was a different kind of danger than what Rankol or Crokes possessed, but in any case, it was a sense I couldn't easily ignore. It was better to be cautious.
The two drank for a long time. As if they were trying to get drunk, but were people who simply couldn't.
"This is a good place. Good-tasting liquor and a cozy atmosphere. Even if I were a customer, I would like this place."
"In reality, no one seeks it out. Perhaps it's because I harbored a desire beyond my station."
"Hahaha. Your skills were always too outstanding to be a mere tavern owner. How about it, Kain? Let's call it quits and come back. The guild I'm in now will show us a brighter world than ever before."
"A bright world, you say? Do you think that suits us?"
"Why are you being like this again?"
"Isn't it true? The work we do is nothing more than going around killing people. What use would we have for seeing a bright world."
Killing people?
The true nature of the strange unease I had felt seemed to have shown its tail.
"It's just killing those who deserve to die and burying stories that need to be buried. Isn't that what Bishop Valtes does every day? Maintaining the population by killing off the useless ones."
"I've had enough. I prefer this tavern to assassination. It's a place where I don't have to search for anyone, nor do I have to cut anyone down."
"What do you intend to do with that item you hold? Do you plan to just let that incredible item remain buried?"
"It is an item that has already drunk too much blood. The world would be better off if it disappeared."
I didn't know the full story, but one thing was certain.
The item I was looking for was with Kain.
"Do you think the fighting will end if you just hold onto the item? Not just our guild, but everyone who calls themselves an assassin is looking for it. They'll find this place someday. Not only you, but everyone around you will die."
"You're the only one who knows about this place, brother. And you're the only one I have left. So, brother. Please be careful."
"Kain. How about you entrust that item to me instead? No, you don't even need to entrust it. How about just telling me where it is? What if something happens to you while you just leave it like this? Won't it be completely forgotten?"
"It is an item that is better off disappearing like that. I have already cleared my mind of it."
"What about our father's will?"
"Brother Aron!"
"Ahem..."
It seemed Aron wanted that item quite badly.
To the point of using a parent-insulting low blow to coax him.
In other words, if I took that item, I couldn't let Aron find out.
If I made a mistake, I could be chased for the rest of my life.
"It is all already over. That item will never see the moonlight again. I will live as a tavern owner until I die, and the legend of Kal Adun will also end with my generation."
"You will really die. You must have at least heard the rumors about Killian."
"The guild master of your guild, you mean? I've heard. That he is a rather strong man."
Hmm, I have to steal it without anyone knowing.
I made another promise to myself.
"You may be able to kill me, but you will not be able to find the item. Because I have made it so. Brother, if that's all you came to say, please go back. The night is deep."
"My, my. Such a firm will. Kain. If that is your will, then I have no choice. Don't worry. I have to get going anyway."
"Brother. You don't have to pay."
"Don't be like that, take it. Aren't you a tavern owner? You can't run a business and not accept things like this."
"...I understand. If you are acknowledging me as a tavern owner, brother, then I will accept it."
"That's right. That's how it should be. Kain. Because you're a tavern owner now. Kehehe. The great Kain, a tavern owner. A lot of people would be surprised."
The man called "brother" stood up.
He staggered as if drunk, but something was strange.
His movements were like… yes.
Like a play I had seen once for a university assignment.
The exaggerated yet intentional movements were exactly like that.
A strange, sticky sense of deja vu.
I moved back a little further.
To be able to sneak away if a fight were to break out between the two right now.
Contrary to my worries, the man called "brother" left the tavern quietly.
Kain watched his back for a long time after he was gone.
"Brother. I'm sorry. That item really should disappear. Especially from assassins..."
Kain finished cleaning up the tavern and prepared to leave.
I also prepared to leave.
Since I knew that Kain had the item, I had no lingering attachment to the tavern.
I stuck closely to Kain's back.
It was a method I often used when entering places.
If I stuck right to their back as I entered, no one would notice I was there, and I could avoid all the troublesome security checks.
As expected, Kain didn't notice me, and the two of us left the door, stuck together like a game of follow-the-leader.
Until that moment, I wasn't too worried.
The man called "brother" with the ominous movements had left, and I had gotten a hint about the hidden piece.
But the moment we stepped out the door, I felt a bizarre sensation.
The kind I had felt from Rankol.
And the kind I had felt from Crokes.
A sensation I had never forgotten and could never forget.
It was killing intent.
"...!?"
I reflexively raised my sword.
And a sword flew in as if sucked into that very spot.
Clang.
A clear sound cut through the air.
"Wh-what the? F*ck!"
"What is this..."
"...!?"
The man who had thrown the sword, Kain who had almost been hit by the sword, and even me who had blocked the sword, were all surprised.
A sword that flew in as soon as we left the door.
My reaction was entirely instinctual.
If I hadn't blocked that, I would have been dead, right?
A cold sweat poured down like rain at the chilling thought.
The feeling of my heart tightening.
It was not a pleasant sensation.
"Wh-what on earth is the meaning of this, Brother Aron."
"The meaning of this? I am doing what must be done. Kain, wasn't this always our way?"
"But brother, you were my only..."
"That was only until you gave up this path. More importantly, who is that being behind you? Did he anticipate that I would come out like this?"
"The being behind me, what are you… Ugh, f*ck, what are you. Who are you!"
Kain jumped back in surprise, creating distance.
Crazy. I just blocked a sword for you, and you didn't even feel that?
But thanks to his absurd reaction, my tension eased a little.
"Keep your eyes straight. Where do you think you're looking when an enemy is in front of you?"
"An enemy. Yes, we have become enemies. A presence that cannot be felt even when you're right in front of me. It's been a while since I've felt such a chill. What kind of assassin are you? I've never seen an assassin like you even in Mel Haken."
Fortunately, the guy called "brother" couldn't rush in recklessly.
It was all thanks to my lack of presence.
Since he couldn't feel me even while looking at me, he didn't dare to take his eyes off me.
"Hey, Kain."
"H-how do you know my name..."
"Cut the useless talk, can you beat that guy?"
"...I cannot. My brother is an active professional. He is different from an amateur like me."
"That's a damn helpful piece of information."
Clang!
A clear metallic sound rang out.
Just as he was talking while keeping an eye on me, I was also running my mouth while watching only him. Thanks to that, I was able to react quickly to his attack.
"You're fast."
"It's obvious where you're going to attack."
The opponent is an assassin.
That means he attacks the places I usually aim for.
Knowing that and preparing for it allowed me to block faster than before.
"More importantly, why don't you just let me go? I just got caught up in this."
"Keuk keuk. Khahaha! An assassin before an assassin. And to appear in a place with the greatest assassin's treasure and claim you just got caught up in it? A passing dog would laugh."
"It probably would laugh. Because it's all true."
"You don't even have the decency to lie. I have been searching for that treasure my entire life. It is not something you can approach by mere chance."
"How is your lack of talent my fault? It's your fault for not being the protagonist. You know, right? The world belongs to the talented."
"What did you say?"
"Ah, was that too blunt? I take it back. Well then, I'm off."
I immediately set off a smoke bomb.
Thanks to my higher level, the smoke was thicker, and the activation was faster.
Of course, that didn't mean my speed could beat the enemy.
"You wish to have an assassination duel with me, is that it? Fine. I will play along. I will prove who is the one truly worthy of the treasure of Kal Adun. I swear it on my name, Aron, one of the Nine Rangers."
Aron plunged into the smoke bomb.
Though the smoke stung his eyes, he didn't blink once.
As if he wouldn't lose sight of me for a single moment.
"Now, let's see how great you are."
"You crazy bastard. The smoke bomb has no effect?"
When one thinks of a sword, a longsword or a greatsword comes to mind.
Because swinging them is powerful, cool, and strong. But what was truly difficult to face was Aron's tiny little dagger.
Aron's dagger was elegant. It seemed to be stabbing with his right hand, but before I knew it, it was slashing with his left.
Because it was short, changing its trajectory and responding to my attacks was incredibly fast.
More than anything, every place he aimed for was a vital point.
The neck, the heart, the tendons and joints.
A single wrong graze and my life would be over.
'Damn it!'
He had a far superior grasp of the fundamentals. Continuing to fight like this was meaningless.
I pushed my body in, somewhat recklessly. As if we would die at the same time. But I had a skill that could turn even this situation in my favor.
"Decoy!"
"What!"
Our attacks crossed at the same time. But the dagger the opponent thrust out lodged not in me, but in my dummy. In return, a wide-open gap.
I applied paralysis poison and bleed poison to each of my Double Step attacks.
It was my will to end it in a single blow. If it hadn't been for that ominous smile, flashing his white teeth instead of showing panic.
"...!?"
Something was wrong.
For the guy who should have been flustered after stabbing my dummy to be smiling like that. But by the time I noticed, it was too late. I had already activated Double Step. My body was completely committed.
"Bite them. Viper's Fangs!"
The green-tinged dagger blade split into nine and flew at me. I knew instinctively. I had to do my best to block that.
"Dagger Storm!"
Nine daggers and fifteen daggers clashed. I certainly had more in number, but it only barely managed to offset all of his daggers. It meant there was that much of a difference in power.
This, I can't do this alone. As soon as I thought that, what I had to do was simple.
"Get a grip, you bastard. You think I came all this way to save you?"
Only then did Kain snap out of it. He had no proper weapon and had picked up a stone, so I threw him the extra dagger I had.
"...!?"
Then, a strange thing happened. Kain, who until now had looked like a somewhat rough but persevering tavern owner, now looked completely like an assassin.
Moreover, his cold gaze seemed even sharper than Aron's.
"Keuk keuk. You insisted you weren't on the same team. So in the end, you show your true colors."
"Brother Aron. Unlike you, I have never lied. I just can't let the person who tried to save me die."
"Such a disgusting act until the very end!"
"Think whatever you like. I will end my connection with you here."
"Do as you please!"
"Don't worry, I will."
The dynamic shifted once again; the two of us joined forces to take on Aron.