Ch.4Irene Yuris (4)

Mana is the will of the world.

It was something everyone possessed, and according to the world’s laws, humans couldn’t even breathe without mana.

Whether wielding a sword or magic, one’s skill level determined their standing, and that standing determined the honors they could enjoy.

For example, in swordsmanship, those who awakened to mana were called Users, those who learned to control mana were Experts, and those who could color the world with mana were Masters.

When I realized the unusual expressions on their faces as they stared at the pure white energy filling my sword, I was amazed by the exhilaration I felt.

A power that made me feel like I could accomplish anything—

It was quite surprising that a person could produce such tremendous power, and even more surprising that this power was mine.

How should I handle this situation?

Lord Chris was simply watching me silently.

Perhaps he judged that someone of my level could handle them sufficiently.

He was just staring at the assassins with wide eyes, possibly watching for any flying daggers.

If that’s the case, I’ll have to cut them down with my power alone.

I didn’t feel much guilt about cutting down people.

I had clearly already cut down one person, and the one I’d slashed was slowly growing cold on the floor.

“Hoo…”

As I inhaled, I felt something stirring in my chest.

That pulsing sensation, like blood circulating through my body, was probably the mana enveloping this sword.

With each breath I took, my senses were awakening.

My hearing, sight, smell—all were clamoring for me to cut down those assassins in a single stroke.

Sling—

The standoff was long. Their target was, of course, Aileen Yuris behind me.

The fortunate thing was that she didn’t panic or act rashly, suggesting these assassination attempts were common.

She simply stood behind me, silently observing the situation.

Perhaps I wasn’t even needed in this situation.

She was the next Shield, and as someone meant to protect the Emperor, she would possess a certain level of combat ability.

However, I was her escort now.

Gripping the longsword tightly in one hand, I once again heightened the intensity of the white flame on my blade.

Whoosh! The assassins’ eyes flickered at the increased purity of my mana. They must have realized that the longer this dragged on, the worse it would be for them.

I couldn’t advance rashly, nor could I simply stand by and let them approach.

Fighting while protecting someone was this difficult.

When facing assassins, I used to think it foolish to ask for their identity.

It seemed obvious they wouldn’t answer, and it would just waste time with pointless chatter.

But now, facing assassins directly, those words naturally flowed from my mouth.

How ironic.

“Who are you and where are you from?”

“……”

As expected, the response was silence bordering on mockery.

As if asking why would they answer that, even Rofena looked at me as if I were pathetic.

But sometimes, such foolish actions can be advantageous.

Like right now.

Rustle—

“…Kuk!”

For just a moment, as brief as the blink of an eye, my sharpened senses detected a disruption in the enemies’ momentum.

Perhaps they momentarily relaxed their tension after hearing my words, as I could clearly see the grip on their swords loosen.

Was this the sense that Evan Fried possessed? My judgment wasn’t slow.

I knew all too well that in situations like this, a moment’s decision could determine the outcome.

One step, two steps. The distance between my sword and the assassin.

Countless lines appeared in the air. Like a spider’s web, they showed possible attack paths. Following those lines, I swung my sword lightly.

Rustle—

“Keuuk…!”

The body of the sword-wielder collapsed instantly. The eyes of the watching assassins filled with panic.

This was exactly what I was aiming for—a moment of confusion. My move had worked perfectly.

Without withdrawing my sword after cutting down one, I raised my elbow and slashed diagonally at another approaching from the side.

Looking at the lines floating in the air while also keeping an eye on Aileen in the distance who was avoiding the fight.

A body circulating with mana was much lighter than I thought, and my body was executing actions before my mind could even decide.

One, two. The number of swords coming toward me.

Chest, side, thigh. Deflecting the approaching swords with a single swing, I mercilessly cut down the exposed chests of my attackers.

The sound of the sword cutting through flesh felt somehow unpleasant, making me frown,

but knowing I couldn’t hesitate, I acted without reservation.

When I wanted to cut, it was already done, and when I wanted to block, the strike was already deflected.

I could naturally sense the assassins growing increasingly anxious.

And they began to collapse like puppets with cut strings.

Unable to withstand my skill, the surviving assassin muttered while blocking my sword with dismay.

“An Expert…!”

Clang—

As his sword flew through the air, the assassin looked at his lost weapon with a blank face.

Was their level that low? Even with this body’s talent, these people were easily subdued by my hands that had just held a sword for the first time today.

Lord Chris’s inaction seemed to be for this reason.

Experience—I recalled the word from Aileen’s room earlier. So this was the experience I was supposed to gain over several months.

My eyes narrowed with sudden irritation.

The wound in my mouth must have reopened during the fight, as a metallic taste added to my annoyance.

Swish,

As I placed my sword against the assassin’s neck, blood began to flow. Despite this, the assassin’s expression remained detached.

As if accepting death as inevitable, even with a sword at his throat, the assassin simply stared directly into my eyes.

As I briefly observed the assassin, Lord Chris approached and addressed him.

Where are you from, who are you? The weight of these words was different from when I had first uttered them.

The knife in my hand dug into the fallen man’s neck. A stream of red blood flowed down the blade, close enough to see his throat constricting.

After catching his breath, Lord Chris spoke to the fallen assassin. This would probably be the final question.

“Where are you from, who are you?”

It was a threat from someone holding the assassin’s lifeline, threatening his life.

Whether he spoke or not didn’t matter.

Having targeted the bloodline of the Iron Blood, the assassin’s fate was already sealed.

Despite the blade at his neck, the assassin remained silent.

With a smirk at the contemptuous gaze that seemed to say “just kill me,” Lord Chris swung his sword and slit the assassin’s throat.

I was surprised by the quick execution, expecting torture, and Lord Chris explained.

“While torture is one method when they refuse to speak, sometimes quickly eliminating them to prevent future problems is also a method. We can investigate where they came from later.”

And that is the Yuris way, Lord Chris added, making me smile bitterly.

The Shield protecting the Empire, whose reputation made even the impossible possible.

Finding out where these assassins came from would likely be a matter of moments.

With my vision filled with red, I blinked once and turned away.

I wondered if Aileen was hurt.

If she were injured, my life would be in danger, and her condition was quite important since I hadn’t yet found a way back.

But such worry proved unnecessary. As I approached, Aileen was expressionlessly wiping blood from her clothes.

Rofena casually wiping blood from her face, Lord Chris tearing clothes from a beheaded corpse, and…

Even I, who felt nothing after killing people.

With nothing normal about any of this, I could only stare blankly at the dark sky above.

#

The mansion would likely be in an uproar when we returned.

The thought I had been harboring until we arrived at the estate was immediately shattered when I saw the head of security.

“There was an assassination attempt.”

“Who was targeted?”

Isn’t it obvious? Who would target me, Lord Chris, or Rofena?

I felt frustrated but calmly explained the situation. The security chief frowned briefly before nodding.

“I understand.”

“…What?”

I widened my eyes at his nonchalant response.

An assassination attempt on the duke’s eldest daughter, and all he says is that he understands?

I had expected him to at least dispatch knights to eliminate potential threats, or at the very least inquire about Aileen’s well-being.

Whether she was hurt, or perhaps frightened.

Even knowing Aileen was insensitive to such things, I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly at the absence of even those perfunctory words.

“Ha.”

Are you alright? Are you hurt? Was it so difficult to hear those simple words?

I finally understood why the security chief had frowned when I mentioned the assassination attempt.

An expression of contempt—how unsatisfied I was just because I experienced an assassination attempt.

Barely suppressing my contorted face, I slightly bowed my head to avoid the security chief’s gaze.

“Is something wrong? You don’t look well.”

“…It’s nothing. I’m just feeling unwell.”

“Come to think of it, this must be your first time killing someone. You must have had a hard time. Well done.”

His smiling face was the epitome of kindness, but I felt nauseated looking at it and hurriedly left.

Just feeling a fragment of the tainted responsibility directed at one person made me feel an overwhelming pressure.

“…Haah.”

When I finally reached the garden, far from where I had been, I could release the breath that had been trapped inside me.

Despite exhaling, I still felt uncomfortable and staggered, suddenly feeling a sharp pain in my shoulder.

“I’m wounded.”

My face crumpled at the sight of blood seeping from my shoulder, though I didn’t know when I had been cut.

Blood—that bright red color made my head ache.

The sensation of cutting through people, the sight of flesh being sliced in chunks by my sword—it was vivid in my mind.

I could hear my heart pounding in my ears.

The sensation was as if my heart was right next to my ear, which was quite unpleasant.

I should treat the wound.

Amidst the fragments of dizzy thoughts, I managed to extract that idea, and I found my footsteps already heading toward the infirmary.

Walking through the dark corridor with just a candle for guidance, I finally saw a door marked with a red cross.

Knock knock.

I knocked in case someone was there, but the silence suggested it was empty.

Creeeeak—the door made a loud noise as I opened it, revealing bandages piled in one corner.

Fortunately, I knew how to apply bandages. Normally, I would have disinfected the wound or at least applied medicine.

My dizzy mind was filled only with the thought of bandaging the wound.

Swish,

Lowering my clothes revealed the gash.

Though no bone was visible, the sword wound was deep enough that it was surprising I had been moving my arm naturally until now.

“…Ugh.”

A groan escaped as the bandaged wound throbbed.

If I circulated mana, it would heal completely in a few days.

What would have been a serious injury in the past now felt like nothing.

As if I had experienced such wounds many times before, my mind was already naturally accepting this injury.

After spitting out the bandage I had been holding in my mouth while dressing the wound, I lay down on a bed placed in one corner.

Tick, tock.

In the silence where not even birds could be heard, only the sound of the second hand moving reached my ears.

As I focused on that peculiar white noise, I suddenly heard footsteps at the door and raised my body, holding up the candle.

Whoosh—

Light suddenly filled the room. Magical light illuminated the previously dark infirmary, and then the door opened.

My eyes filled with surprise at the face of the woman standing at the door.

“What are you doing here without even turning on the lights?”

“…Ah.”

A cold gaze fell upon me. As those blue eyes pierced through the silence and straight to my core, a silent scream erupted from my mouth.

Aileen, wearing a purple negligee as if about to go to bed, had appeared, and I blankly opened my mouth slightly.

“Haah.”

Seemingly displeased with my appearance, she sighed lightly and stared at the bandage wrapped around my shoulder.

“As I thought, you’re injured.”

Did she already know I was hurt? My lips moved with rising questions,

but they automatically closed tight under her emotionless gaze.

“It doesn’t seem too serious.”

“…Thank you for your concern.”

“I asked because I would have to change your escort if you were badly injured, so don’t misunderstand.”

So that’s what it was. I had briefly been happy thinking she was concerned, but it was all just my needless delusion, making my lips twist.

The fact that those blue eyes staring at me reflected not me but my utility somehow felt irritating.