The man in the black mask was stunned.
He had struck the back of Verdin's head with a pouch filled with metal balls. How was it possible that the boy didn't collapse?
'Did I miss? No, that's impossible.'
He had used this weapon to kill dozens, hundreds, even thousands of people before.
He had felt the solid impact of flesh. It was a heavy hit.
The fact that his target didn't die was simply a matter of luck.
The pouch's destructive power was enough to instantly kill small monsters, and even the sturdy orcs couldn't remain conscious after being struck by it.
'Is the Strange family just naturally thick-headed?'
The man in the black mask couldn't understand how Verdin withstood the impact.
If he later found out the reason for his failed assassination, he would be greatly surprised.
In that split second, Verdin had sensed the danger and surrounded his body with aura.
"Why, why won't you die? You little brat!"
Shing—
The man in the black mask drew his sword.
If a blunt weapon didn't work, he would cut him down. It was a simple task.
But he didn't know why the boy in front of him was smiling.
"An assassin?"
"..."
"If you don't want to answer, that's fine."
Swish.
Verdin drew his sword. It was the same sword he had used just after finishing his training, though the blade was dull, it was still enough to cut someone down.
"What are you waiting for? Aren't you going to attack?"
His relaxed expression contrasted sharply with the intense tension of the man in the black mask, whose breathing was becoming labored.
He should have quickly taken care of the child and left. But now he found himself in an unexpected duel, which was incredibly disconcerting.
'I need to hurry.'
If he delayed any longer, the guards of the castle would find him.
'Damn it. I have to finish this quickly before things go wrong.'
The masked man infused his sword with aura and spoke.
Swish.
"Don't mess with me."
Clatter!
The masked man charged at Verdin, his feet moving with aura. His movements were quite impressive.
Considering he had managed to get past the castle's guards, his skills were certainly not ordinary. An assassin of this caliber had to be able to survive in this world.
Clang!
The swords collided with a sharp sound. The clear final note of the clash echoed as if intentionally hitting the same spot.
'He's holding the sword backwards?'
The assassin's blade was pointed towards the ground. His skill in handling weapons was evident, as he had changed the grip without being noticed.
Of course, he couldn't match Verdin, who was known as the Sword King in his past life.
Clang!
"For an assassin, your swordsmanship is quite impressive."
The assassin's blade drew an arc before suddenly shifting to a thrust.
Verdin's mind began to piece together the assassin's identity.
There were only a few who used a sword technique advanced enough to be called an esoteric skill.
"Shut up. What does a brat like you know?"
"I'll show you what I know."
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
They exchanged four precise blows. It was enough for them to gauge each other's skills. The masked man judged that he couldn't win against this child with just a sword.
After only a few exchanges, his blade was nicked, and the shock from the impacts made his elbow tingle.
'Damn Strange family, are they born monsters?'
Realizing this, the masked man switched to a different weapon. He extended his sword with his left hand and grabbed a small crossbow from his back with his right.
"Die, you little brat!"
He loaded a bolt and aimed it at Verdin without hesitation. But this was a grave mistake.
It might have worked against others.
However, in front of him was someone who, in his past life, was called the Sword King and used the Sword God as his spiritual guide.
Swish—
A faint sound of something cutting through the air reached the masked man's ear. He couldn't see what had passed by.
As soon as he pulled the trigger to load the bolt.
Thud.
He saw his right arm drop to the ground.
"...?"
With a squelching sound, blood started gushing from the severed arm.
"Aaargh!"
Unable to bear the pain, he screamed.
Verdin, now with golden hair, picked up the severed arm.
"If you had only used a sword, I wouldn't have cut off your arm."
"..."
"Well, since I intended to cut your neck anyway, I suppose it doesn't matter?"
The masked man shuddered with fear.
How could a mere five-year-old say such things?
Making eye contact with Verdin, he felt a chill run down his spine. For the first time in his life, he saw golden eyes filled with an intense killing intent.
It was the kind of ferocity one might feel when facing a wild beast, so intense that it made his legs tremble.
The masked man's ragged breathing filled the room. Blood from his wound had already soaked the floor.
The battle was decided.
A highly skilled assassin who managed to infiltrate the Strange family's castle was defeated by a five-year-old child.
"...Damn it!"
The masked man quickly scanned his surroundings and ran towards the window.
Crash!
Verdin did not chase after the fleeing assassin.
He merely held the severed arm and watched through the broken window as the assassin disappeared.
The guards, who arrived late, knocked on the door.
Bang, bang, bang.
"Young Master, may we come in?"
"Yes, come in."
Three guards entered the room. The leader, seeing the blood-soaked floor, asked with wide eyes.
"W-what is this?"
"There was an assassin."
"An assassin?!"
"Yes, and he ran away over there."
Verdin pointed towards the forest outside the window. A guard rushed to check the assassin's location and shouted to the guards outside the castle.
"There's an assassin! Pursue him!!"
* * *
The assassin ran through the forest with all his might. He must not be caught by the Strange family's knights. If he was caught, death would be the least of his worries.
While running, he untied his waist belt, letting it hang long, then bit and pulled it taut with his mouth and left arm, tying it above his severed right arm.
Snap.
The bleeding significantly reduced. He took some unidentified powder from his chest and sprinkled it on the severed part. Sizzle! Blood coagulated and sealed the wound.
As the blood trail on the ground lightened, the knights' pursuit slowed.
Thanks to this, the distance between them gradually widened, and eventually, the knights lost the assassin.
If only the sun had risen a little earlier, they might have caught him. But the sky was covered with dark clouds, aiding his escape.
"Phew... That was close."
The assassin, having shaken off his pursuers, hid in a nearby cave.
This was a deep spot in the forest where large monsters appeared, a place neither adventurers nor veteran merchants dared to traverse.
"Damn brat."
The masked man gritted his teeth in pain.
Holding his severed arm, he took a deep breath, and a middle-aged man with a face full of scars emerged from the shadows.
"You're late."
"...Captain."
The man, referred to as the captain, sighed when he saw the masked man's severed arm.
"Did you fail?"
"...I'm sorry."
"Was it because of the guardian knights?"
"No."
"Then what?"
The masked man was too ashamed to admit that he had been defeated by a child, so he hung his head in shame.
The captain approached slowly and flicked the assassin's forehead with his finger.
Thwack.
"Tell me why you failed."
"I succeeded in attempting the assassination, but the target didn't die."
"What??"
"I managed to infiltrate and, when the guardian knights were away, struck the kid's head with a blunt weapon."
"You're saying the kid survived a hit to the head with a blunt weapon? A five-year-old?"
"...Yes, I'm sorry."
The masked man knelt on both knees, watching the captain's reaction.
The captain's forehead veins bulged as he clenched his fists tightly.
"The pursuit?"
"I shook them all off."
"Did they identify you?"
"N-no. I only left behind an arm. Nothing else-"
"You idiot! So your arm is now in the Strange castle?"
"...Yes."
"Why didn't you retrieve it?"
"There wasn't enough time…"
Smack!
The captain slapped the masked man's face. Then he drew a dagger and pressed it against his throat.
"They have someone capable of tracking you just by your voice. And you left your arm there? Do you understand what you're saying?"
The captain pondered. If the Strange family began a full-scale pursuit, it was only a matter of time before they caught him.
"…You, head east."
"East? Are you telling me to return to Glazier's territory?"
"Yes, explain the situation to the client, and they will find someone to smuggle you to another continent by sea. You'll die anyway if things go wrong."
"Another continent…"
"Hurry. Find them and disappear from this land before the Strange family takes serious action."
* * *
"Interesting."
The type of weapon used confirmed the attacker was an assassin.
The grip on the sword's handle was similar to those from the East. This meant the person who ordered the hit had close ties with Eastern assassins.
'If it's from the East…'
It must be him.
Siegfried furrowed his brow and scratched his head.
"Why didn't you chase the assassin?"
"I couldn't catch him anyway."
"Why?"
"The assassin who came after me was a veteran. Besides, I'm only five years old. If he ran for his life, I couldn't catch him due to stamina."
I placed the severed arm of the assassin on the table and continued.
"Anyway, he'll be caught soon."
"Huh? How do you know?"
"Because I know who he is."
"You know who?"
"Yes, there aren't many assassins skilled enough to infiltrate the Strange family's castle."
Siegfried replied while picking his nose with his pinky finger.
"That's true."
"And there aren't many people who could give them orders or at least hire them. Plus, not many want to keep me in check."
"Who is it?"
I looked up at the portraits of the current members of the Strange family hanging above the door.
Starting with Lois, there were the seven brothers. Excluding me, the youngest, there were six.
'Someone among them is targeting me.'
And that someone was a likely candidate to become the next head of the Strange family.
"...Gunter."
The eldest had begun to make his move.