Volume 8 Chapter 6 Assassin
Assassin.
It means "killer," but it's not just that.
Assassination is just one part of the job. They gather information, break into fortresses to rescue hostages, and sneak into enemy territory to obtain secret information. The work is varied.
It is said to have originated in the Yamato country, which also has a training facility for assassins. Of course, it's not publicly known; it exists in a hidden place.
The assassins directly under the Yamato government are all at least A-rank adventurers.
"That's what an assassin is. You should know this much if you're an assassin."
"I said I'm not an assassin!"
Elk was listening to Kaya while riding in a carriage heading to the capital of Yamato, Kushinada.
He sensed a few presences a little distance away. They were probably assassins following them.
Sophia, who was driving the carriage, spoke to the 3 of them.
"We'll be arriving at the village soon. Let's rest there for today."
They would pass through 2 villages on the way to Kushinada.
Yato let out a small sigh.
"...That village, huh?"
"Do you know it?"
"Yeah, Elk. I had a little trouble with money when I worked as a mercenary there a long time ago..."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. The people from Yamato can be greedy, so be careful not to lose your pocket money."
"O-Oh... Kaya, is that for real?"
"...Some people are like that. It's especially common in poorer rural areas. Travelers often get taken advantage of."
"Taken advantage of..."
Somehow, Elk checked the wallet in his item box.
* * *
When they arrived at the village, they were stared at from a distance.
"A rural village, huh?"
A man carrying a hoe, a woman walking around with something like beans in a basket, and children gathering to play, whispering and grinning at the wagon. Elk felt a wave of nausea from the greedy, judging stares.
"...Hey, I don't want to stay here long."
"Same here. Those people from Yamato are still the same... always sizing you up, checking if there's any benefit for them. Adults and kids, all the same."
"W-Wait, Yato?"
Yato was in a bad mood. Kaya said nothing and kept an eye on their surroundings.
"The reason I hate this country is that I can't stand the twisted, rotten looks of its people."
"...I-I see."
Elk replied, struggling to find the right words.
Just then, the wagon stopped.
Sophia got out and knocked on the door of a house. An older man came out... the village head. He stared at Sophia with a grin.
"Are you a traveler? What brings you to this empty village?"
"I've come as an envoy from the Galatinne Kingdom. I would like to stay here for one night, so could you provide us with lodging?"
Sophia showed the village head a pendant with the Galatinne Kingdom's emblem and a small box called a 'seal' issued by the Yamato government. The village head's eyes widened, and he bowed his head with a "Heheh~."
"I-I'm so sorry. We don't have any inns in the village, but if you don't mind an empty house..."
"That's fine. Also, I will pay for it, so please provide us with meals."
At that, Yato muttered, "Ah, idiot..."
The village head's eye color changed, and he started rubbing his hands together with a grin.
"I understand! Um... my village is, as you can see, a poor farming village. If it's not too much trouble, I would like to ask for a small donation..."
"......"
"For the meal, we will prepare 3 chickens. Please, please show us your mercy."
"...I understand."
Sophia took out a bag of gold coins and handed it to the village head.
The village head bowed his head repeatedly and had a servant guide them to an empty house. Upon arriving at the empty house, they took the horses out of the carriage to let them rest.
The empty house was clean, and there were futons and water jugs inside.
As soon as they entered the empty house, Yato let out a sigh.
"Seriously... Miss Sophia, you were an easy target."
"Huh...?"
"Look at this empty house... not a speck of dust, and the futons are all ready. The fact that there are no inns in the village is intentional, you know?"
"W-What do you mean?"
"This is likely the 'hunting ground' of the villagers. When you asked for a meal, the village head was testing you. He wanted to see if Miss Sophia was 'naive' or 'not.' Three chickens... surely, that's valuable in this village. Offering that means it's the best hospitality they can provide. And when you made the donation, the change in his eye color was obvious, right? Ah, this person has something to offer..."
"......"
Sophia had a look on her face that said, "I messed up..." Kaya nodded in agreement.
"I feel the same way. Welcoming travelers and taking everything to bury in the mountains... that's something these kinds of villages do regularly."
"W-Wait a minute. We're the envoys of the Galatinne Kingdom, right? If they do that..."
"Yamato's government can just say, 'They haven't come here,' and if we bury the bodies in the mountains to erase the evidence, they will have never existed from the start."
"But, what about the assassin behind us?"
"They're not necessarily our ally. If we die, they'll just report to the Yamato government that 'the villagers were buried.'"
"Seriously? So then..."
"We can't escape anymore. Look, see?"
Yato looked outside and saw a horse sleeping soundly.
Near the horse, a half-eaten carrot was lying on the ground.
"It seems like it was put to sleep. They won't kill it because the horse is an important resource."
"Really..."
"The only saving grace is that all the villagers have their skills sealed. In Yamato, skills are sealed right after birth."
"Now that you mention it, I remember hearing that──."
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Sophia had Elk and the others sit around the hearth. It was a bit late, but Elk was curious about the hearth.
When she opened the door, several young women appeared with food boxes.
"Here's your meal. Hehe, it was a lively chicken."
"Is that so? Thank you."
Roast chicken, salad, soup, and rice. The delicious smell tickled Elk's nose.
As the women left, Elk immediately reached out to grab some, but──
"Idiot. Did you forget what we just talked about? If you eat, you'll either sleep until morning or fall into eternal sleep."
"But, it smells so good. What if it's poison?"
"I'll tell you this: Yamato's pharmaceutical technology surpasses that of the Galatinne Kingdom. Even these shabby farmers can create top-tier poison if they go into the mountains."
"...I'll pass."
Then, Kaya caught a mouse.
They picked up a piece of meat from the roasted chicken with chopsticks and fed it to the rat.
'Sizzle... mmm'
"It seems like there's sleeping powder in this."
"Hey, what kind of village is this?"
"Got it? This is Yamato, a rotten country."
Yato took out the 'Sixfold Demon Sword' from the weapon box.
Kaya also pulled out her naginata.
Elk took a long coat and boots from his item box and equipped them. He also grabbed gauntlets and an eye patch mask from the weapon box.
"Please wait."
But Sophia stopped the 3 of them.
"This is my mistake... and it's the teacher duty to protect the students. Now, you all just get your gear ready and wait."
"Miss Sophia, but──."
"This is an order."
"...Understood."
Elk sat down on a cushion laid out by the hearth.
Kaya and Yato sighed and sat down too.
Sophia quietly walked to the door and opened it. There were more than 20 strong men with farming tools... they were completely surrounded.
Then, a young man stepped forward.
"Oh, Miss Sophia... where are you going?"
"...I was just going for a little walk."
"I see. Would you like me to show you around the village?"
"That sounds good. Please, I would like that."
"Well... before that, you already noticed, right?"
"Yes."
Sophia smiled brightly and took a sword from the weapon box.
"Please, feel free to come. Ah... since this is an emergency, I will defend myself."
"...Don't kill her. She's a good woman. And the girl can be useful too. The men... kill them."
The farmers moved toward Sophia.
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