Master Assassin of the Ronan

Chapter 1: Assassin Blade Family, Ronan

I was Rubin Ronan.

A man who died at thirty.

And one who was reborn.

Ah, no.

The term ‘regressed’ is more accurate

Because after dying, I returned to the past.

The life of Rubin Ronan began anew.

The one who killed me was none other than the Emperor, my mother’s half-brother, and the ruler of the Empire, Emperor Telmach.

I discovered his betrayal when I was around thirty.

Far too late.

When exactly had the seeds of this betrayal been sown?

Our family had been the Emperor’s faithful blade.

The assassin blade, which, when commanded, eliminated targets without question.

Though we had not always served as the Emperor’s sword, our role had been clear for centuries.

This was the very reason for our family’s existence.

Why would he need to destroy it?

Now, I knew only one thing.

The Emperor, my mother’s half-brother, Telmach, that man would kill me.

He would take my mother’s life before my eyes.

He will turn the Ronan family, the pinnacle of all assassination swordsmen, the Empire’s biggest target.

But now, I have returned.

From now on, I have only one goal.

To protect the Assassin’s Blade Ronan, which will be used and discarded by the Emperor.

Before the Emperor’s sword touches our family grounds, I will pierce my own blade into his damned neck.

* * *

“Hey, don’t you think something’s wrong?”

“Wrong? With what?”

“I think we’re lost. No, look at this! This is the third time we’ve passed this well!”

The dawn was breaking faintly.

The mist was thick.

Although the darkness had lifted, and the first light had seeped in for some time, the dense fog showed no sign of clearing.

The two men stepped forward cautiously.

They were on the verge of madness, having wandered for quite some time.

Their original destination was Adien Castle, known as a bustling trading city.

They had crossed the bridge that marked its vicinity but had yet to reach their destination.

For three whole hours.

“What the hell’s going on? This is the third time I’ve seen this damned well!”

“Alright, alright, calm down. You’re getting way too worked up.”

“Worked up? Are you not seeing how serious this situation is?”

Just then, the fog that had surrounded the two men began to shift.

A path appeared in the mist, a road emerging as one side of the fog gradually cleared.

“This feels ominous.”

“Ominous, my foot! Let’s just go. If I see that well again, I’ll go insane for real.”

The short, excitable man stomped forward, striding into the path that had appeared in the mist.

The taller, more cautious man reluctantly followed.

At the end of the path they chose was a large gate.

“…What is this place?”

A grand mansion in the center of a vast garden.

“I’d like at least a drink to quench my thirst.”

“Shall we try calling someone?”

“Think carefully. If you offend a noble’s dignity by accident…”

“Hello? There, over there!”

The short man ignored his companion’s caution.

Just in time, a lady strolling in one part of the garden heard his call.

She approached the gate with a leisurely stride.

The merchants facing her through the gate’s bars instantly knew she wasn’t a mere servant.

“We are merchants headed to Adien Castle. But we seem to have lost our way in the fog. My lady, would you be so kind as to guide us? And if it’s not too much trouble, could we also ask for some water to quench our thirst?”

The lady exuded a natural elegance.

Lifting her arm, she pulled back her unique, reddish-hued hair and then opened her mouth.

“Come in.”

The moment she finished speaking, the massive gate slid open.

“Thank you, my lady!”

As they entered, a maid and a steward who had been waiting out of sight approached the lady.

Seeing the two merchants startle, she waved lightly, as if to reassure them, then led them ahead.

They walked leisurely through the garden, heading toward the mansion’s central hall, where the overwhelming prestige of the family was felt at every turn.

The two merchants were speechless the entire way to the central hall.

“My lady, though we may not look it, we are rather prominent merchants. We’ve been to the homes of many of the Empire’s notable families.”

The lady silently regarded the two men.

“But I’ve never seen such a grand mansion before. I had no idea there was a noble near Adien Castle with a garden and residence of this scale.”

“Y-yes, indeed. I’m not just saying this to be polite. We’ve even visited the mansion of a 7-star warrior family head and a 7-star grand mage’s residence, but a mansion this beautiful… I swear, this is a first.”

“A pleasant compliment on a day like today.”

The lady sat in a chair on one side of the central hall and gestured for the two merchants to take seats opposite her.

The two merchants not only quenched their thirst with water but were served a sumptuous meal and fine wine.

As the meal progressed, the merchants, engrossed in sharing their travels, grew curious about the identity of this family.

What kind of wealth must they have to treat a stranger with such a lavish feast?

“My lady, we’d like to present a modest gift to the lord of this family as a token of our gratitude. Would that be alright?”

“We have a decorative piece requested by a noble in Adien Castle, and we brought a similar piece as a spare, just in case. Though it’s modest, we’d like to offer it as a gesture of appreciation.”

The merchants began to rummage through their bags.

The lady stopped them with a gesture.

“There’s no need for that.”

Lifting her cup, she brought it to her lips. Her grace struck the merchants with an inexplicable sense of fear.

“But still, we’d like to express our thanks to the lord of this family.”

“Yes, please grant us permission, my lady.”

“If that’s what you truly wish, go ahead.”

“Pardon?”

The lady spoke to the two merchants, who were now glancing at each other in confusion.

“I am Seiren Ronan. I am the head of this household.”

“…?!”

The two merchants had never heard of a family in the Empire with a woman as the head.

Moreover, Ronan?

They were familiar with all the wealthiest and most powerful families, but this was a name they had never heard before.

The tall, cautious merchant whispered to his companion.

“Look over there, next to that pillar!”

“Why? What is it?”

“Don’t you recognize that symbol? It’s the Imperial Emblem!”

Then, the Imperial Emblem, which had been hidden in the splendor of the meal, started to catch their eyes around the central hall.

“M-my lady, or should I say, my lord? Are we… are we in the presence of the Imperial Family?”

The lady smiled lightly, her expression somehow tinged with sorrow. Or perhaps, there was a cold detachment in it.

“It’s a complex family and political history, if I may say. Either way, there’s a reason I’ve welcomed you into my home today.”

“…?”

“Today, a child was born into this family. I gave birth to him myself. On such a joyful day, I didn’t want to see strangers lost in the fog, driven mad and killing each other.”

Understanding the meaning behind her words, the two merchants’ faces turned pale.

“The fog is the barrier around my family’s domain. If I wanted, I could keep you trapped in that fog forever. Now that I’ve spared your lives, I’d appreciate it if, as you leave my home, you’d offer a blessing for my child.”

The Imperial Emblem, the magnificent mansion, and the lady’s presence, which exuded not only dignity but also a faint trace of menace.

The two merchants instinctively knew that her words were neither lies nor empty threats.

They quickly managed to stammer out some appropriate words of blessing.

“W-we wish the young master of the family a radiant future.”

“May the Empire’s blessing be with him, f-forever.”

The lady smiled in satisfaction as she stroked her long, red hair.

“Thank you. The child’s name is Rubin. Rubin Ronan.”

The two merchants raised their glasses once more, this time to bless the newborn and, hopefully, to ensure their own safety.

“A blessing to Master Rubin…”

“…To his blessings.”

Surrounded by the overwhelming presence of the lady and the newborn child, they sincerely wished him well.

Their glasses emptied.

The lady stood and gestured somewhere. Then the massive door to the central hall opened, revealing the vast garden beyond. Beyond the garden, the enormous outer gate was also sliding open.

The lady looked at the two merchants coldly as she spoke.

“Rubin is crying. May you reach Adien Castle safely.”

As the two men retreated toward the gate, a retainer appeared from somewhere and approached the lady.

“My lady, I will handle them before they leave the forest.”

“…”

The lady gazed intently at the backs of the two departing merchants.

To dare attempt a poor deception before the head of the Assassin Blade Family, Ronan.

The clothing bearing the scent of their rivals.

The distinct smell of blood.

Even the daggers hidden at their waists.

Their acting had been decent, but they were nowhere near deceiving the lady’s eyes.

Creak.

The door closed behind the two thieves disguised as merchants.

At that moment, the lady’s command was given.

“Kill them. But not today.”

* * *

I heard the sound of footsteps.

Ah, Mother was coming.

Seiren Ronan.

My mother.

The Emperor’s half-sister and the Empire’s only female family head.

A hidden member of the Imperial Family and the true master of the Assassin Blade Family.

A family of 7-star warriors? A family of 7-star grand mages?

Such families were laughable opponents for the head of the Assassin Blade Family, Ronan.

From what I remembered, Mother had already reached the realm of a 7-star warrior by the time of my birth. Yet the reason her name did not spread across the Empire was singular.

‘The Emperor’s hidden half-sister.’

For the Emperor’s sake, she hid herself and lived as the Empire’s shadowed problem-solver.

“Rubin. Did you sleep well?”

Ah, to hear Mother’s voice again.

Only now did I realize.

On the day I was born, Mother was so kind to me.

Beyond simply familiar, it felt strange.

I couldn’t answer yet, of course.

Instead, I wiggled my fingers.

This was the best I could do.

After all, I was in the body of a newborn baby.

Should I cry, then? Shall I give it a try?

“You cry very loudly.”

Living as a baby wasn’t too bad, after all.

The genuine maternal warmth, as opposed to the head of the Assassin Blade Family.

This brief warmth, which I hadn’t known in my first life, wasn’t something I disliked.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, heralding the morning.

Now, how should I go about taking my revenge on the Emperor?