Master Assassin of the Ronan

Chapter 27. Elder Gillifield’s Arboretum (4)

A massive flock of adult Roincrows rose into the air at once.

The sky that had been visible between the branches was now shrouded by a swarm of crows.

Phynik let out an exclamation.

“This is the race that decides the next king.”

The race to select the new King of the Roincrows happened once every ten years.

For Phynik, it was a sight he was witnessing for the first time in his life.

“There will be Roincrows that lose their lives here. It’s inevitable.”

Elder Gillifield handed Phynik a telescope, speaking as he did.

“For the sake of order, some competition is necessary, Phynik. Watch closely and remember today. Our research agenda will expand because of this race.”

The two caretakers observed the crows’ flight through their telescopes, searching first for Tina amid the flurry of birds.

Tina had tied a mint-colored ribbon to her tail so the two caretakers could easily recognize her.

“To think I’d live to see a race of king crows… there can’t be many Bloodborne who’ve had weirder experiences than me.”

The sound of wings filled the air, enough to grate on the ears.

The lead crows intentionally broke thick branches as they flew.

A Roincrow next to her was struck by a falling branch and plummeted downward.

“Damn it! So the death race wasn’t an exaggeration after all?”

Tina decided to escape from the chaotic flock and opt for a safer flight strategy.

Rather than heading straight up, she chose to spiral around the tree trunk, ascending gradually.

Though this path was longer and increased air resistance by leaving the flock, it allowed her to avoid the initial chaotic competition.

But—

“Damn, I’m not the only one who thought of this route.”

Ahead and behind her, other Roincrows were also spiraling upward along the tree trunk.

One of them bore a distinctive scar on its beak—the very crow known for his violent disposition and suspected of becoming a tyrant if crowned king.

“Look at them… Could they be targeting me?”

Sure enough, a formation began to take shape around the scarred crow.

Even the groups flying both in front of and behind Tina belonged to his gang.

Caw! Caw!

Gruuu!

Caw! Caw!

Although unintelligible to humans, the Roincrow’s language was crystal clear to Tina, who had transformed into one.

—Rip out her wings and break her beak.

—Snap her ankles.

—Pluck out her eyes.

Though Tina understood the chilling words, there was no time to prepare for the attack.

Three of the five crows ahead of her abruptly changed direction.

The crows pursuing her quickly moved to safety, likely sensing an imminent collision.

Caw!

Tina opened her beak in a cry meant to signal a halt, but the tyrant’s command held more weight.

Two crows, despite knowing they might lose their lives, did not stop their headlong charge at her.

“Ugh! Are they really trying to kill me? Sacred race my foot—this is a murder race!”

Meanwhile, at the top of the Mist Tree, Rubin’s battle continued.

Rubin gripped the tree trunk firmly with both hands.

Through his touch, he channeled his pure Dark Ripple energy into the trunk.

“The crows are ascending toward me.”

As the mist cleared, the ground far below became visible.

From below, flocks of crows surged toward the peak, merging and dispersing like black splotches swirling together.

But soon his vision began to waver.

With each pulse of Dark Ripple he poured into the tree, Rubin’s stamina rapidly dwindled.

Although he was more than an ordinary human, he still inhabited a child’s body.

“Is the Mist Tree… testing me?”

At first, the flow of pure Dark Ripple was smooth, but suddenly, it hit an impassable barrier.

It felt like a wall.

The resistance was solid, as if it could only be pierced by force.

When he barely managed to break through the wall, another, thicker barrier soon appeared.

“I didn’t expect this.”

The Dark Ripple that had previously restored the Mist Tree had all belonged to previous family heads, including Seiren.

They must have effortlessly pierced the tree’s defenses due to their mastery.

“Or perhaps the tree didn’t even resist them.”

Compared to the previous family heads, Rubin’s Dark Ripple was weak.

Though his powers had developed faster than others, it was only nine years old.

Rubin suddenly felt as though the tree was belittling him.

“If this keeps up, the mist will spread again, driving the Roincrows mad. Should I unlock the first Circle?”

Every member of the Assassin Blade Family possessed just one Circle.

But Rubin had another, one that others didn’t: his Circle from before his return, containing Dark Ripple at the 5-star level.

Opening it would certainly help.

However, if he couldn’t fully control it, it would only hasten his demise.

Handling 5-star Dark Ripple with a nine-year-old body was nearly impossible.

“This isn’t ideal.”

The wall obstructing the flow of Dark Ripple was growing even stronger.

Rubin’s Dark Ripple trembled as he struggled to break through each successive barrier, his body staggering from the effort.

“But if I succeed…”

Completing the infusion of Dark Ripple was straightforward.

However, he couldn’t predict what would happen to his body afterward.

“Tina, when will you get here?”

Rubin muttered, biting his lip.

In the sky, where even the wind had stilled, a distant sound of wings reached him.

But it was too early to be hopeful; she was still some distance away.

“Damn it! This wall is too much…!”

The Mist Tree’s resistance intensified once again.

An even larger, thicker wall blocked Rubin’s Dark Ripple.

“Just a bit more… Just a bit longer.”

Rubin forced himself to keep pushing Dark Ripple forward, fighting to stay conscious.

Meanwhile, Tina, who was competing in the death race, had barely made it to the lead.

Only a few crows remained ahead of her.

“I almost really died back there.”

The tyrant crow’s collision attempt had failed.

Tina had dropped sharply, causing the two crows to crash into each other and fall.

The tyrant’s group continued their attacks on Tina afterward, but each time, she evaded by altering her flight path.

Gruuu.

Caw!

Following the other crows in a spiral toward the top, Tina suddenly shot straight upward.

The pursuing tyrant’s gang attempted to shift to a vertical climb but, having reached their physical limits, most of them fell behind.

In the end, only one crow remained on her tail.

The scarred beak—the tyrant crow.

Caw!

“Persistent fellow. Come if you dare!”

Tina’s natural talent lay in her “speed,” while her acquired skill, honed through years of training as an assassin, was her “stamina.”

“I’ve evaded even the best assassins on the continent—like I’ll be caught by you!”

She felt good.

At this pace, she’d be able to maintain top speed until her transformation wore off.

“Rubin, are you all right?”

The race was lasting much longer than expected.

Tina was holding up fine, with plenty of time before her transformation would wear off.

But she had no idea about Rubin’s condition, and a wave of anxiety hit her.

What if, as Elder Gillifield had feared, the infusion of pure Dark Ripple stopped midway?

Now that the thought had crossed her mind, she couldn’t shake the sense that the mist was rising again.

“This doesn’t look good…”

Even if it was just a feeling, she couldn’t afford to delay any longer.

Tina sped up, pushing herself to the front of the lead pack.

As if waiting for this, the tyrant, who had been lagging behind, increased his speed to close in on her.

Caw!

Thanks to his minions, the tyrant had conserved his strength throughout the race.

Now, he was right on her heels.

He maintained a relentless pace, his scarred beak aimed squarely at Tina’s neck.

“What?!”

Tina managed to pull ahead, but the tyrant reattached himself to her, snapping his beak close behind.

This time, he even attempted to mount her back.

“You dare!”

Tina twisted her head and bit the tyrant’s neck in retaliation.

The tyrant let out a menacing cry, taken aback by the counterattack.

Gruuu! Caw!

“Don’t think I’m going easy on you!”

Keeping her grip on the tyrant’s neck, Tina twisted her head sharply.

No matter how big the tyrant was, twisting one’s neck mid-flight threw off balance.

The tyrant was sent flying.

Caw!

He flapped his wings desperately as he fell, feathers scattering from his body.

Tina whooped with joy at the sight.

“Remember me! May you become king in your next life!”

With the tyrant’s gang dealt with, Tina flapped her wings, gaining even more speed.

There were no competitors left, but the thought of the toxic mist rising kept her on edge.

In her current transformed state, she was devoid of Dark Ripple.

If she was exposed to the poison mist, even Tina wouldn’t survive.

As if on cue, the mist began to creep near the top of the Mist Tree.

And at that moment, she saw a small figure beyond the mist.

“There! Rubin!”

Having finally exhausted all his strength, Rubin was left with no choice but to make a decision to survive.

He would pierce through the testing tree by releasing his hidden Dark Ripple—the first Circle.

Rubin wasn’t sure how much he’d be able to control it.

But it was worth a try.

“As long as I can keep control, I can hold out.”

If he sensed he was losing control, he could retract it immediately.

Though it was unclear if that would be feasible.

“If I fail, I’ll be left crippled.”

All of his Circles would shatter, and the Dark Ripple within him would explode.

He could even suffer fatal organ damage.

The risk was enormous, but he had no choice.

If the infusion of Dark Ripple was interrupted now, the Roincrows would be wiped out.

An assassin without Roincrows was like a toothless tiger.

Even if Rubin grew stronger, he would never be able to stop the Emperor.

For a moment, the Mist Tree quivered slightly.

It had sensed the entirely new Dark Ripple Rubin was infusing.

A new texture, a new depth of Dark Ripple.

The power of 5-star Dark Ripple cultivated over thirty years.

“At least I succeeded in opening it.”

As the Dark Ripple from his first Circle entered the tree, it quickly reached the blocked area.

There, the two Dark Ripples merged.

Unstable as though it might explode any second, Rubin was still managing to control it without too much difficulty.

Only a third of it had been revealed so far.

Then a curiosity arose.

“I wonder if I can release more?”

The tree’s resistance had vanished with just a third, but Rubin was curious to see if he could go further.

If his control range expanded, so would the Dark Ripple he could utilize.

In other words, it would be a sudden burst of growth.

“What do you think, Haneke?”

—I won’t say yes or no; it’s your choice.

Concise and practical advice, fitting of a soldier.

—But in your place, I’d have been curious about your limits.

Rubin grinned.

It was just like the thinking of a warrior who had achieved the 7-star level.

Haneke seemed genuinely interested in Rubin’s choice.

“I’m curious too. Though, it’s a shame.”

—A shame? About what?

“The race ended.”

Below him, Tina finally appeared.

She was late but had won the “sacred race,” as she had promised.

“Hey, kid, I’m here!”

Tina cawed.

Rubin withdrew his unstable Dark Ripple, smiling lightly.

“If you were any later, I was about to come down there and drag you up.”

“Hmph. You’d never guess how popular I was. You wouldn’t believe it.”

As she spoke, Tina rose to Rubin’s level.

Tina’s beak touched the top of the Mist Tree, where Rubin’s hand rested.

A new Roincrow King had ascended.

Tina’s triumphant cry echoed through the forest.

“Hey, tyrant! You hear me? You’re dead now!”

Thunk!

In that instant, a deep sound reverberated from all around the Mist Tree, signaling the end of the “sacred race.”

“Grandfather! The mist is returning!”

Below, Elder Gillifield and Phynik, watching through their telescope, saw the mist clearly rising.

“Did Master Rubin fail? Or did another crow win?”

Phynik lowered his telescope and looked at his grandfather.

For a while, Elder Gillifield stroked his beard in silence.

“No, Phynik. It means everything went according to our plan. That mist signifies that the tree has been restored.”

Though he’d followed Rubin’s wishes, Elder Gillifield had doubted the success of the plan.

Yet Rubin had made it happen.

“Now, I’ll finally get some rest.”

The numerous Roincrows who had participated in the flight began to return.

Among them was the tyrant whom Tina had humiliated.

The fall had left him battered, likely stripping him of any future standing.

“Look! Over there! Right there!”

Following them, a Roincrow with mint-colored eyes emerged from the mist, spreading her wings wide.

The new King, Tina, was soaring.

The other Roincrows lowered their beaks to the ground, cawing in submission to her.

“I am the King! Now, where’s that tyrant? You’d better come out while I’m in a good mood.”

Tina, shouting gleefully.

Rubin, perched on her back, added his own comment.

“This new King has no dignity.”

“What did you say? You, this lowly brat, dares to speak?”

Unaware of their conversation, Phynik waved joyfully at the young lord of the Assassin Blade Family and the Bloodborne woman.

Rubin waved back at Phynik.

“Tina. Act like a proper king here and help the Elder until I return.”

“In two years, right?”

“Yes, two years. Let’s meet again then.”

Tina had already secured a promise from Rubin that after two years, she’d be free to pursue a different life, no longer the assistant to a tree caretaker.

“Since you’re a kid who keeps his promises, I trust you.”

Once on the ground, Tina lowered her body, allowing Rubin to dismount.

As soon as Rubin’s feet touched the earth, the thousands of Roincrows surrounding them cawed in unison.