Master Assassin of the Ronan

Chapter 16: Tower of Light and Rebellion (1)

“You’re truly generous to offer us a room. Thank you so much.”

“It’s nothing.”

When Rubin’s escort expressed gratitude, the cartographer residing in Bolgotten Castle responded warmly.

Rubin was listening to their conversation from inside the carriage.

It was all an act.

From their words to their gestures, everything.

Even if there were only members of the Assassin Blade Family present, the act could not be stopped.

The role of an assassin continued, even without an audience.

“I’ve always looked forward to days when I could help others.”

The sturdy, kind voice sounded strangely familiar.

“Let the child inside the carriage come out, please.”

“Young Master Miguel, won’t you step out? The person extending us goodwill today is waiting.”

Miguel.

That was Rubin’s name for this journey.

A boy said to be unhinged, occasionally seeing things, suffering from mutism.

This pretense was there in case he made any mistakes, making them easy to overlook.

“…….”

“Haha, nice to meet you!”

Even though the man smiled, Rubin maintained an ambiguous expression, neither fully smiling nor fully neutral.

Yet, the cartographer boldly extended a handshake.

Rubin grasped his hand.

“Oh dear, I forgot I was working on a map. I smeared ink on you. My apologies, little one.”

A deliberate mishap. Rubin rubbed the ink off his hand by scrubbing it against his pants.

‘After three years.’

Rubin thought.

The second son of the Ronan family, now in his second year of assassination activities. To think they would reunite so suddenly.

But, after only a brief exchange of glances, they didn’t break character.

Was this Mother’s intent?

What was she implying by arranging for me to meet Maphis?

Whether before his return or now, his mother’s true intentions were always elusive.

“Is Miguel always such a quiet child?”

They were seated at the dinner table.

A modest meal suited to Bolgotten Castle’s middle-class status: simple bread, tomato soup, and watered-down wine on a plain table.

Maphis’s alias was Horn, a cartographer from a provincial noble background.

At twenty this year, he had successfully completed all missions assigned by the Imperial Edict Office over the past two years.

Now he was growing tired of this middle-class life.

Thus, he had requested a new identity from the Imperial Edict Office and was awaiting approval.

This time, he hoped to enjoy a life of luxury, not as a mere cartographer, but with the status of a full-blooded noble.

Then, an unexpected message arrived from the main family.

Three days later, he was meeting the youngest, whom he had always despised as a half-breed.

“Oh, the young master has lost his voice.”

“Lost his voice? Was he cursed or something?”

“No. After hearing of his younger brother’s death, he suffered a shock and fell into mutism.”

“Tsk, tsk, so difficult at such a young age.”

Maphis placed a hand on Rubin’s shoulder, patting him twice.

“Cheer up, kid! You need to follow your father’s footsteps and become a skilled leather merchant!”

Rubin nodded feebly.

“In my hometown, I had a younger brother about his age too.”

Suddenly, Maphis began talking about his hometown.

“He was younger than me by quite a bit, and, well, he was a little slow.”

Maphis then emphasized his next words.

“Actually, he was my half-brother.”

The escorts watched Rubin’s expression.

Everyone at the table knew that Maphis’s fictitious story about his hometown was a veiled reference to the Ronan family and Rubin.

The only change was that a half-brother had become a half-sibling.

“Well, regardless of the blood relation, I was never fond of being associated with that kid.”

“Oh dear, Sir Horn seems to be drunk.”

Sensing tension, one of the escorts attempted to intervene, but Maphis showed no intention of backing down.

“Me? Haha, not at all. I’m perfectly fine. Seeing this mute young master reminds me of my hometown, that’s all. So, I’d rather not have my story interrupted.”

The atmosphere grew tense.

Maphis was treading a fine line between pretense and genuine feelings.

‘Was it necessary to risk so much?’

Allowing travelers unrelated to the mission to stay in a disguised annex was rare.

It was also extremely uncomfortable for assassins on a mission.

Even with a message from the main family, this was the case.

And if the individual in question was a lowly, despised half-brother?

‘He couldn’t have accepted it.’

What infuriated Maphis even more in this situation were none other than Rubin’s escorting attendants.

Maphis knew well how talented those playing the roles of coachman and servants were in the family.

‘Why are they giving such privileges to that lowly wretch? Just because he was lucky enough to win the first selection?’

Though angry at his mother’s decision, Maphis didn’t see Rubin as someone to eliminate just yet.

He was a child not even ten years old, and Maphis figured there would be plenty of opportunities to trample him later.

But the attendants were different.

Realizing the family’s rising expectations for Rubin, Maphis decided it was time to draw a clear line.

To show just how weak and foolish Rubin was, and how foolish it was to follow him.

“Besides that useless brother, I also have an older brother. He and I are very close. We’re so close that we can solve any problem together. So I firmly believe that either he or I will inherit our father’s fortune.”

Maphis didn’t even glance at Rubin, staring instead only at the three escorts.

“Sure, our father seems to be looking out for the little idiot now, but it’s only temporary, right?”

Then.

One person stood up, pushing their chair back.

“Young Master Miguel, are you going to bed? You must be tired. You should go up.”

One escort spoke, smiling awkwardly to defuse the tension.

All eyes at the table turned to Rubin.

Rubin picked up a fork, dipped it in the tomato soup, and scrawled words on the wooden table.

-There’s something, something… I see a ghost next to this man!

Since he was pretending to be unhinged, he might as well go along with it.

“Pardon?”

“A ghost?”

Everyone looked puzzled, but Rubin continued. He dipped the fork in the tomato soup again and lifted it.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The sound of logs crackling from the hearth in the corner of the room grew louder, as if everyone held their breath.

Then Rubin’s next line read:

-Oh? Turns out it was just a fly.

“Ahem!”

The tense atmosphere instantly deflated.

Maphis, whose control over the situation had been broken, continued his meal with several coughs. His clenched teeth, trying to contain his anger, were a comical sight.

Despite his age, the same foolish, childish Maphis was trapped in that large head of his.

At this point, Rubin decided to stop.

There would be plenty of time to teach him a lesson later.

-I’ll go upstairs to sleep. I’m feeling sleepy.

Rubin placed his fork neatly beside his plate and left the dining room.

Maphis forced a laugh.

“Yes, the little one should go to bed early. I still need to chat with your attendants. I’m sure you can manage to find your way upstairs on your own?”

Rubin ascended the stairs toward his room in silence, while Maphis’s voice gradually faded as he resumed his conversation.

As Rubin lay in the room provided for him alone, Haneke interrupted.

-A good show. Everyone’s really engrossed in their roles. But who’s that young man?

‘Maphis Ronan. My half-brother. My elder brother.’

Haneke let out a hearty, booming laugh.

-The Ronan family certainly values brotherly love. Entertaining.

‘More like rivals. From the moment we were born.’

-Still, even now?

Not at all.

Rubin smiled faintly.

Maphis was an easy opponent, hardly worth mentioning.

So long as he didn’t obstruct Rubin’s revenge.

-Still, I sensed some killing intent from him, if only for a moment. You felt it too, right?

‘No need to worry. But more importantly…’

Rubin closed his eyes.

Soon, a silent training ground unfolded before him.

In that void, Rubin faced Haneke.

‘You were supposed to teach me swordsmanship.’

Two wooden swords appeared in Rubin’s hands. He held one and handed the other to Haneke.

But once again, Haneke intended to postpone the sparring.

‘If you won’t spar, then, well, I’ll just practice.’

Rubin resumed training in the Brion sword technique. Controlled movements, sword path. After a while, Haneke finally spoke.

-I’m curious.

‘About what?’

-Why the ‘Tower of Light and Rebellion’? You’re not going to swear allegiance to the Emperor now, are you?

Rubin paused briefly, turning his head leisurely toward Haneke, who was observing his swordsmanship.

He had no intention of revealing it just yet.

‘I’ll tell you when we get there.’

-Hmm, I suppose you have something in mind.

Rubin’s swordsmanship resumed. It was relentless, fierce, yet graceful.

Haneke recognized a glimpse of his younger self in Rubin’s movements.

Though he wasn’t surprised, the desire to step in and teach was unavoidable.

Once again, he barely restrained himself.

-But about your attendants, are you just going to leave them be? Isn’t there a chance they could be swayed?

When Rubin didn’t answer, Haneke emphasized again.

-Your brother isn’t entirely without skill, after all. And as for those attendants’ abilities, well, they’re beyond question. If they conspired with your brother to kill you, what would you do?

Rubin kept a faint, relaxed smile on his face, as if to say he wasn’t worried in the least.

‘Why would they submit to a dog? They’ve got a wolf.’

Rubin’s wooden sword swung once more.

The hour was late, with every light on the streets extinguished.

Rubin’s inner world continued its relentless training. Then, he heard someone climbing the stairs.

‘…….’

It was almost 3 a.m.

The owner’s bedroom was across from Rubin’s. But the footsteps didn’t go there.

-Hmm, seems like something’s about to happen.

The footsteps grew closer.

Clearly, they were heading his way.

Remaining calm, Rubin divided his awareness, leaving part in the inner training ground and another in the bedroom.

Then.

Creeeeak.

The bedroom door opened.

Over Rubin, who kept his eyes closed, a shadow, dark and fraught with tension, loomed.