Chapter 35

Chapter 13: Receiving the First Solo Mission

The mission assigned to the Tona brothers was to "attend an event."

Their task was to participate in various events hosted by the emperor and dukes of the Biment Empire, putting on all sorts of pretenses.

In fact, it's quite amusing to call attending an event a mission. It's safe, with no risk of bloodshed, and they could just pass the time enjoying the empire's top-notch cuisine.

"Ugh!"

"An event? And in the Biment Empire…"

However, the Tona brothers immediately frowned upon hearing the mission details.

"Attending an event" is a task reserved only for the direct lineage of the family.

While an invitation from a minor kingdom could be ignored, an invitation from the empire is a different story. Even for the Runkandel, it was not easy to refuse.

In other words, one of the brothers had to attend.

Thus, whenever an invitation from the empire arrived, a fierce battle of wits would ensue among the Runkandel brothers.

None of them wanted to attend those disgusting and boring parties.

"Rest in peace, nephews. Thanks to you, the other brothers won't have to dance at the imperial party."

"Haa."

"Sighing? Even though it's just attending an event, it's still a mission. If I see that attitude one more time, I'll make you wish you were dead."

The Tona brothers swallowed hard and nodded.

Their current mission was a kind of "punishment." Despite borrowing a 5-star faction, they had failed to crush the youngest brother, and this was the sisters' punishment.

Especially for the Tona brothers, who lacked both eloquence and social skills, it was bound to be a torment.

'Well, Mu and An-nee are quite mischievous.'

Jin thought, smiling inwardly.

"It's a task that someone has to do. You'll see plenty of strong people there for entertainment, so observe them well."

"Understood, Uncle…"

"And the youngest."

"Yes, Uncle."

"Your mission is—"

Jed paused, and the Tona brothers perked up their ears.

They were curious about what kind of ridiculous mission the sisters had given the youngest.

Ideally, they hoped it would be a task that would leave the youngest in a terrible state, or even one from which he wouldn't return at all.

"To assassinate a VIP. The target is a plaything of the Vice Lord Taralis. Hmm… it's a matter of killing a single scoundrel."

Vice Lord.

This refers to the owner of the massive tower, the "Vice Tower," which stands alone in the middle of the western sea of the continent. Taralis is the 51st Vice Lord, known as the "Spider of the Abyss."

The Vice Tower is an independent force outside the influence of Runkandel and Ziph.

"Uncle, when you say a plaything of the Vice Lord…"

"The Spider of the Abyss. Her lover."

And Jin's assassination target was one of her lovers.

In other words, a paramour. Jin had to kill one of the many young men Taralis played with.

"Good grief."

The Tona brothers involuntarily gasped and clamped their mouths shut.

They thought the youngest couldn't possibly survive after assassinating the Vice Lord's lover.

Even the vagrants in the remote corners of the Mittel Kingdom knew of the current Vice Lord Taralis's infamy. She was particularly known for being merciless to anyone who touched her lovers.

"The target is currently being guarded by Vice Tower members and is staying in the Mamet lawless zone."

"Mamet!"

"Mamet?!"

The Tona brothers exclaimed in unison.

A mission to the Mamet lawless zone was typically assigned to guardian knights. It was not a task for Jin, who had just advanced to the intermediate class.

Killing the Vice Lord's paramour in Mamet.

A simple mission to describe, but the Tona brothers already felt that their younger brother had no chance of returning alive.

"I have a question, Uncle."

"What is it?"

"Who is the client?"

Jin asked calmly, and Jed smiled faintly.

'This kid… he must know about the Vice Lord and Mamet. Is he just going to accept it? I was thinking of talking to the seniors if he complained about the unreasonableness.'

Jed secretly hoped Jin would be troubled.

Recently, Jed's greatest pleasure was watching the youngest nephew grow. Sending an unpolished blade to such a dangerous area was not a pleasant task for him.

However, Jin showed no signs of trouble or dislike.

If he decided to do it, it was not a problem for Jed to interfere.

"The Chenler family. The scoundrel's name is Alcar Chenler, a troublemaker of the Chenler viscount family."

"I see. They must have been worried that their runaway son would spill the family's secrets to the Vice Lord."

"Exactly. The Chenler side seems to have made considerable efforts to save him, but in the end, they came to us. His usual behavior wasn't good either… Hmm, can you do it?"

Jed asked, subtly hoping.

He wished the youngest would say, "This seems like a task for guardian knights."

"I will do it."

"Why are you so—no, I like your decisiveness."

Jed cleared his throat and distributed the mission documents to his nephews.

"All three of you will depart in two days. Until then, take a break from afternoon training and only do personal training that won't interfere with the mission."

"Yes, Uncle."

Jed left the secret training ground first.

The Tona brothers lingered around Jin for a while, feeling a mix of excitement and unease at the thought of the youngest's impending death. They didn't realize that this feeling was "ambivalence."

"Why?"

"No, well, good luck."

"Right. You won't die, will you? If things get bad, just expose Runkandel. Then no one will touch you."

"Haha, what? Are you worried about me? You guys have a cute side."

"It's not worry."

"Until I get back."

Jin interrupted Deytona and drew Bradamante, enveloping it in aura. The sudden action made the Tona brothers hesitate.

Swish! Before the Tona brothers could ask why, Jin swung his sword at a jade stone behind him.

Clang!

A beautiful sound echoed through the arched ceiling of the secret space.

Jin smiled, satisfied.

He had a feeling that he could succeed in one strike, and the feeling became reality.

One month since starting the jade stone training.

Jin didn't realize what this record symbolized.

"You guys should make a choice. Whether you like the sisters or me."

The Tona brothers awkwardly nodded, swallowing hard.

"What should we do?"

"I don't know. It's a mess either way. The youngest might be scarier than the sisters."

"I agree."

The Tona brothers were depressed for various reasons.

Outside, Jin thought about something other than the newly assigned mission. There was something that bothered him more than the dangerous task.

'What was that sensation just now?'

The iron ball that flew out from the jade stone shattered by Heytona.

After being hit, he suddenly felt a sense of precise trajectory, and a feeling that he could dodge if the iron ball came from that direction again.

'After the mission, I should ask Luna-nee about this. Maybe it's related to the training I've received from her.'

* * *

Two days passed in a flash.

Those who received the mission were all prepared. Now they just needed to go to the Hufester teleportation gate and depart for their destinations.

"Huff, young master."

Just before boarding the steel carriage, the youngest squad found Jin.

The youngest squad all had dark and gloomy faces, like cattle being led to the slaughterhouse, unsure how many would survive the mission they were about to undertake.

But their sadness and frustration were not just about that.

"To the Mamet lawless zone?"

"Yes. I have an assassination mission, so I have to go to the teleportation gate separately. I need to complete the entry procedures, which is a bit troublesome."

"…I came to say goodbye before you leave."

The youngest squad didn't come to say goodbye for no reason.

This meeting might be their last. The youngest squad didn't know how many would survive in the unprotected zone, and Jin had an 80% chance of dying.

Everyone in the intermediate class, except Jin, thought so.

"What's with the goodbyes? Do you think this is the last time?"

Jin said in a playful tone, and Mesa sighed deeply. The other cadets couldn't bring themselves to look up.

"Well, things don't always go as planned. Someone among us might die. If we're unlucky."

"We might be fine, but the mission you have…"

"What's fine? Don't worry about me, just focus on your mission. Got it?"

"Yes…"

"Go on. I'll see you when you get back."

The youngest squad hesitated for a moment before reluctantly leaving the corridor. Jin watched their backs and chuckled.

"Cute kids. Murakan, take care of them."

"Meow."

"I've told you many times, don't let it show. Got it?"

"Meow."

Murakan, transformed into a cat, flicked his paw, meaning "Do your best, kid."

"Without you and Murakan-sama, this nanny will be lonely for a while."

"Think of it as a vacation, Gilli. I'll bring you a souvenir from Mamet."

"I know you're not just an intermediate cadet, but Mamet is still a dangerous place. Especially assassinating the Vice Lord's paramour… please be careful."

"Sure, I'll be back!"

Jin rode a horse instead of a steel carriage. His hair was already dyed brown the day before, and he dressed like a regular traveler.

At least he had Bradamante, but even that was coated to look like ordinary steel, just like his hair. No one would recognize him as Jin Runkandel.

This was his second mission and his first solo mission.

As Gilli said, it was quite a dangerous task even considering Jin's current strength. However, Jin felt no fear, only excitement at the prospect of using his spirit energy and magic freely.

'Mamet was a city I wanted to visit even in my previous life.'

Before the regression, Jin's magic teacher often described Mamet as a "more romantic city than expected."

The teacher, who had lived in Mamet for two years, often shared stories about it, filled with all sorts of information about the city.

'The taverns in the city center are where Mamet's low-level informants hang out. If you want high-level information, you have to go to the underground black market…'

The nostalgic stories he heard from his teacher were now proving useful. While the information might not be entirely up-to-date, the major structures of Mamet were likely unchanged.

Feeling grateful to his teacher, Jin pulled the reins.

Leaving the garden of swords alone gave him a sense of liberation.