Chapter 18: First Mission (1)

Some of the raindrops falling from the bluish-gray sky were blown off course by the wind.

Thud, thud—those raindrops that had strayed hit the window.

I sighed softly as I gazed out the window. I had woken up earlier than usual because of the rain.

The rustling sound of the rain had made it hard to sleep.

‘Maybe I could sleep a little more.’

It was a sudden thought, but I shook my head after checking the time. It was awkward to go back to sleep.

Besides, I was already up.

I had gotten out of bed because this was the first rain I had seen here.

It had been almost five months since I arrived, and I realized I had never seen it rain here before.

‘Still, it has its charm.’

Maybe it was because I was used to rain in the city?

The rain I saw at dawn after a long time made me feel more emotional and welcome.

Perhaps it was because I had been away from modern civilization.

Without smartphones or computers, the only thing to do when there was free time was to enjoy the scenery.

‘Wait a minute.’

A shiver ran down my neck. This wasn’t the time to think about its charm.

The training wouldn’t be canceled just because it was raining.

Training in the mud while getting rained on?

I’d rather die.

Of course, I didn’t really want to die, but it was natural to let out a sigh mixed with frustration.

Even if the wind could block the rain and mud, there were limits.

It was fine when I was still, but if I moved and my concentration wavered even slightly, I would get wet.

‘Do I have to wash every time I eat?’

It was a sudden thought, but it was practically impossible.

Today would probably be more mentally exhausting than physically.

I stretched and got up to prepare for the Moonlight Style training.

Closing my eyes and focusing, the sound of the rain gradually faded away.

My consciousness observed my inner self. The crescent moon that emitted light welcomed me. I slowly moved my mana.

This was a process I had become quite familiar with.

In fact, unlike physical training, I quite enjoyed the Moonlight Style training.

It wasn’t particularly difficult, and focusing on mana made my mind feel clearer.

‘It’s perfect for thinking.’

The old saying that time is a great healer is not wrong. Now, even the worst conditions felt adapted.

It wasn’t that the decoctions or teas had solved the problem.

It was more like this state had become the default.

Like how fitness enthusiasts always live with muscle soreness.

Still, the effects of the decoctions and teas given by the doctor weren’t entirely absent.

They improved my usual abilities by a little more than half. It wasn’t a significant difference.

If I had to express it in numbers, it would be about 52%? It’s not an exact figure, just my perception.

Even so, if I didn’t take them for a day, I would revert to my original state, so I had to take them regularly.

‘Well, it’s not bad.’

It’s much better than not taking them. Simply put, it means I can grow 2% more each day.

It would accumulate to a significant amount.

“Huff.”

I exhaled deeply and gathered my mana. The Moonlight Style breathing, the crescent moon within me, had grown larger than before.

I still hadn’t reached the second level.

Feeling the thrill given by mana, I got up from my seat.

The dining hall wasn’t open yet, but I planned to go early.

Living here, I had learned that thorough preparation was important. I needed to get better at using the wind.

Blocking dust and blocking rain were different.

* * *

Denif and Orhen entered the dining hall just as I was finishing my meal.

Seeing them, I couldn’t help but open my mouth in surprise.

Unlike Orhen, who calmly folded his umbrella, Denif was drenched.

Water was dripping from his hair.

‘Did he deliberately get wet?’

It was clear. Although it was raining heavily, the main building and the annex weren’t that far apart.

There was no way he could be that wet.

“Already finished eating?”

Denif plopped down in front of me and shook his body. The rainwater splattered everywhere.

I had anticipated this and immediately blocked it with the wind.

Orhen, who frowned, looked at the splattered chair and then sat down next to me.

Hmm, this was the first time Orhen sat next to me?

I soon understood why when I saw Denif running his fingers through his wet hair.

This time, I used the wind to block it for Orhen as well.

“Thanks.”

Orhen said this and glanced at Denif.

“Denif needs to practice the manners he’s learned.”

“Why again?”

Denif shrugged. Instead of Orhen, who sighed, I interjected.

“The water splashed everywhere.”

“Anyway, you woke up earlier than usual today, didn’t you?”

Denif casually changed the subject.

In the past, I would have been speechless, but now I was quite used to it.

He wasn’t the type to listen to reason.

“Because of the rain.”

“Are you an old man? Do your bones ache?”

“You really talk a lot.”

Denif chuckled. He was definitely a playful and crazy guy.

The children’s food arrived, and I divided the special bread into three pieces.

One bite for me, the rest split in half.

After the incident, the days when bread was served had become a kind of tradition.

‘I was going to eat it all.’

But when bread was served, Orhen kept looking at me, so I had to give it to him.

To stop Denif from grumbling about liking Orhen, I split it in half.

At first, he refused, saying, “Big brother can’t take the little brother’s share,” but now he accepts it as if it’s natural.

I felt a bit regretful, but I wasn’t particularly greedy, so it didn’t matter.

Still, it was satisfying that the “big brother” calls had decreased.

Maybe he was just tired of teasing.

And, well...

Actually, giving them a piece of bread to become friends was a pretty good deal.

I didn’t know what would happen in the future, but Denif was an imperial terrorist.

There was no harm in getting along with him.

‘The same goes for Orhen.’

I was training hard to help the princess in the future.

If we couldn’t stop the demon followers, the continent would be destroyed.

The process of stopping them might turn the entire continent into a battlefield.

To act according to my will, I needed to gain the trust of the plotter and his children.

I handed the bread to the kids, who were looking at me like puppies, and turned my gaze to the window.

The rain was still pouring heavily.

“What are you looking at so intently?”

“It’s been a while since I saw the rain.”

“It’s going to be the rainy season soon.”

“Rainy season?”

“It means the time when it rains a lot.”

I knew what the rainy season was, but it seemed he interpreted my question differently.

Instead of correcting him, I turned my gaze to the decoction. It was served every morning and evening.

“Ugh...”

One regrettable point was that it was extremely bitter.

The other kids were also taking it as a kind of tonic, but I alone felt the bitterness strongly.

‘To an unusual degree.’

Denif, who didn’t find it that bitter, had teased me, calling it a baby’s taste.

It was absurd, but it was true, so I couldn’t argue.

“Haha.”

When Denif tried to tease me again, I quickly put on a serious face.

“Hey. I shared the bread today.”

“Tch. Got it.”

Denif smacked his lips.

* * *

Recently, we had been receiving infiltration training, so we waited in the forest behind the mansion instead of the training ground.

Bout and Sally were on a mission, so we were using this time.

The main premise of infiltration training was one thing.

To enter without a trace and withdraw without a trace. It was not an easy task.

We had to maintain constant invisibility, which required a lot of concentration and had many variables.

Even if we knew the patrol patterns of the guards, the guards didn’t always move as expected.

Although we hadn’t done any real missions yet, I felt I had shed the beginner’s label.

Mahan always acted unpredictably, which improved our responsiveness.

“He’s coming.”

I looked up at Denif’s words. Mahan was walking through the rain between the trees.

He had no umbrella and wasn’t wearing a robe like us.

His drenched hair was roughly pushed back, which suited him well.

Denif and Orhen, who were next to me, also pushed back their hoods.

Was it because the superior was getting wet?

I was using both the robe and the wind, so I didn’t need to worry.

‘Hmm, I don’t think they would understand it as a part of mystic training...’

If Mahan suggested it, it might be different, but using the wind to avoid the rain during infiltration training seemed a bit off.

I closed my eyes tightly and released the wind.

Thud—The rain was so heavy that by the time Mahan stood in front of us, his head and shoulders were soaked.

Mahan, unlike his usual self, silently looked at us and met each of our eyes.

“This is a mission. The type is assassination. The executor is all of you. This will be your first mission.”

I forgot the inconvenience of the rain and could only open my mouth in surprise.

First mission. And it was an assassination?

The recent infiltration training must have been for this. I glanced at the kids next to me.

They were trying to act calm, but I immediately noticed that they were quite shocked.

It seemed I wasn’t the only one experiencing this for the first time.

After all, the herbology studies started at 13, so they were probably starting to be seriously trained now.

“Surprised by the assassination? Or do you feel repulsion?”

Mahan, who had been looking at us, asked. It would be a lie to say I wasn’t surprised.

I knew something like this would happen eventually, but I didn’t expect it to be now.

Mahan smiled.

“What do you think the poisons you’ve made have been used for?”

...I hadn’t thought that far. I just thought it was practice.

It seemed they weren’t just thrown away but used for the plotter’s work.

“It’s just a difference between indirect and direct. There’s no need to be surprised or feel repulsion.”

Mahan’s deep voice was clear in the pouring rain.

“You need to be tense. The target is not easy. You might die if you’re not careful.”

I felt that Mahan was trying to redirect our emotions.

Instead of repulsion, he was steering us towards competitiveness or tension.

I couldn’t tell if he was just saying it or if it was a truly difficult mission.

“It’s not just talk. A spy is made, but not made.”

Mahan said a contradictory statement and shrugged.

“You have to overcome it yourselves.”

Hmm. Indeed.

It seemed Mahan was speaking at length to help us.

To reduce our confusion and repulsion. He was presenting the future, not the present.

The last statement was probably what Mahan wanted to say.

I had also regained some composure. Mahan’s words were not wrong.

I couldn’t refuse. I knew something like this would happen eventually.

I needed to think about the path ahead.

“When is it?”

Mahan slightly smiled, seemingly satisfied with my question.

“Today.”