Master Assassin of the Ronan

Chapter 7: The First Test (1)

Another year had passed.

It was the winter of my ninth year, the night before the first selection ceremony.

A once-in-a-lifetime ritual.

Although it was a night that could have been called the calm before the storm, no one was by my side.

Of course, I hadn’t expected anyone to be. It was only natural that my mother, as the family head, would maintain her strict demeanor and offer no encouragement.

It had been the same for Dorian and Maphis, and for me in my previous life as well.

‘Still, Fyure, who always worried, stayed by my side.’

As I expected, Fyure entered, her face a mix of anxiety and restlessness. She took a seat on the chair across from me.

“Master Rubin, the ninth winter that heirs face in the Assassin Blade Family is harsher than any other. Especially for the children of the Ronan family.”

Fyure’s voice trembled slightly.

Snow was pouring down outside, and I sat up in bed, staring out at the snow in fascination.

“Wow, Fyure! Look, it’s snowing outside!”

Fyure chuckled at my innocent expression.

“Today, you seem more like a child than usual.”

“I am a child, after all.”

Perhaps noticing my concerns, Fyure frowned slightly.

“Other children of branch families likely experienced the outside world more freely, but for you, Master Rubin, this will be your first time outside. Streets, houses, people, and objects… just imagine how unfamiliar it all must be!”

Just as Fyure worried, the children of branch families and the Ronan family children grew up in slightly different environments.

Branch family children didn’t live in isolation. Only Ronan family children grew up secretly within the Mist Wall.

Dorian and Maphis hadn’t achieved satisfactory results not only because they lacked the talent but also because they had never experienced the outside world before the first selection.

To a child who was seeing the outside world for the first time, everything in sight would be not just fascinating but inevitably overwhelming.

In such an environment, it was difficult for the main family to produce strong results.

“Fyure, where will the test be held?”

“I don’t know. It could be a small village, a fortress, or even a remote jungle with no one in sight. Only the ‘Edict Bureau’ knows.”

The Assassin Blade Family’s first selection was shrouded in secrecy. Yet, it was a grand event held every year.

The leader of the Edict Bureau, the secret organization that delivered the Emperor’s assassination orders to the Assassin Blade Family, also personally attended every year, observing the children who would eventually become the Emperor’s daggers. It was far from a trivial event.

I considered my target ranking.

‘Realistically, third or fourth place would be suitable. Drawing attention from the Emperor’s Edict Bureau too early wouldn’t be ideal.’

By conventional wisdom, that was correct.

However, I knew all too well that such results would not suffice.

Even if it attracted the Edict Bureau’s attention, I had a reason to secure the first rank this time, no matter what.

‘For revenge, there is a treasured weapon I must obtain.’

Seeing my relaxed attitude, Fyure sighed deeply and stood up from the chair.

“Please get some rest, Master Rubin. Tomorrow will be a difficult day.”

Perhaps concerned about the storm I would face, Fyure bit her lip, looking at me with sorrowful eyes.

In response, I smiled brightly, like any child would.

“Don’t worry, Fyure. I’ll bring back results that will surprise you.”

* * *

Grangbird.

The name means literally a giant bird.

Its beak is as tall as the watchtower walls, and a single feather is large enough to cover an entire person.

When it spreads its wings, it casts a shadow over the entire Ronan estate.

To some, it’s a mythical creature, a divine beast that grants wishes, a harbinger of good fortune…

But to me, the Grangbird has a different meaning.

The Grangbird reminds me of tragic memories, like a chilling blade cutting into my flesh.

Back in my previous life, during the downfall of the Ronan family.

On the day when the entire world learned of the Assassin Blade Family’s existence, and the noble families summoned by the Emperor raised a fabricated banner of justice.

Our Assassin Blade Family fought desperately against the world.

The battlefield was an unfamiliar place to us, but we had to face it.

We took up weapons, donned armor, extended Dark Ripple to claim our territory, and fought within it.

But no one survived.

Even though we decapitated countless foes, shattered clavicles, and drove in our blades, there was an entity we could never overcome.

In that moment when shadows suddenly loomed over the blood-soaked battlefield.

The Grangbird had appeared, wings wide open.

Grinding my teeth, I watched the enormous bird as it soared.

There were as many as thirteen Grangbirds.

Dominating the skies, they erased every member of the Assassin Blade Family from the world.

It was at that moment that I felt, for the first time, the despair of inevitable death.

“Are you alright?”

A man standing beside me asked with a concerned expression.

I might have unknowingly been sweating. Perhaps I looked like a frightened child upon seeing the Grangbird.

“I’m fine. Just feeling a bit dizzy.”

“Everyone feels that way at first. Despite looking so fierce, it’s safe. The Grangbird is well-trained. You’ll be fine.”

The man who spoke to me was a ‘Guide,’ tasked with leading us to the test site.

No one knew their true identity, only that they were subordinates of the Emperor.

The Guides’ faces were concealed by black veils.

Their purpose was solely to escort the heirs of each family to the destination—nothing more, nothing less.

“Thanks for the concern.”

I replied with a light smile.

The heirs of other families began boarding the Grangbird one by one.

Krokisson, Rainkroki, Galliotric, Stone, Krieger, Kalkreed, Kunitli, Bondog..

And Ronan.

The Assassin Blade Family candidates taking part in the first selection this time totaled nine.

Just as it had been in my previous life.

I was the last to board the Grangbird.

As I appeared, the heirs of each family paid their respects to me.

In the farthest spot from me stood Kun. He bowed his head in my direction.

Imagining the curses he must be muttering internally made me smile.

Whoosh.

Soon, the Grangbird took off.

The fierce sound of wind following each powerful wingbeat.

The dawn faded as daylight broke in the sky above.

Everything felt new.

The Grangbird’s soft feathers provided a sense of stability as if standing on solid ground.

It was hard to believe that this enormous bird was flying hundreds of meters above the earth.

Suddenly, I felt the urge to look down at the ground.

Rising from my seat, I walked to the edge of the bird’s back.

A few children cautiously rose to follow me.

“Wow….”

Some of the children gasped in awe.

Forests, rivers, and cities on the ground looked like tiny dots.

For the others, it was likely their first time seeing such a view.

The wind was so fierce it felt as though it would throw us off, but the children, as the heirs of the Assassin Blade Family, held their ground without fear.

“There will soon be instructions regarding the test. Please focus.”

Following the guide’s instruction beside me, I turned my gaze to the shoulder of the bird.

There stood a man who had remained silent throughout.

‘That must be the Edict Bureau’s examiner.’

The Edict Bureau was a massive and powerful institution directly connected to the Emperor.

By now, the heads of the participating families, including my mother and the Edict Bureau’s leader, would be waiting for us at the test site.

“Listen up, kids.”

The examiner, who brought us here on the Grangbird to the testing grounds, was a mid-level official in the Edict Bureau.

He was someone who could speak down to the Assassin Blade Family’s heirs.

“I won’t explain twice.”

Of course, the Assassin Blade Family’s attitude towards the Edict Bureau was far from submissive.

They were merely messengers of the Emperor’s orders.

However, the children of the Assassin Blade Family riding on the Grangbird were just nine-year-olds about to face their first test.

Having never encountered outsiders with such an overbearing attitude, the children’s faces showed signs of unease.

Watching them, the examiner from the Edict Bureau smiled arrogantly.

“Don’t be thrilled just because you’re riding on a Grangbird. This is no playground. If one of you slips and falls, don’t expect us to land and retrieve your body.”

The mid-level official’s expression even showed signs of annoyance.

He must have delivered these same threats to the Assassin Blade Family’s children every year.

“Do you know where the test will take place this time? It’s in Trumbel. Trumbel is a peaceful and optimistic city in the empire’s central-southern region. The biggest commotion in the past 100 years would be that this place became your testing ground today.”

As expected from someone in the Edict Bureau, he had no respect for the Assassin Blade Family.

“You may just be nine-year-olds now, but one day, you’ll grow up to be assassins who leave terrifying legends across the empire. To ensure you can run around freely, all the noble families of Trumbel have evacuated to nearby fortresses.”

To run around freely.

An amusing expression. Other nine-year-olds might not understand what he meant, but I did.

It meant we could act however we wanted without restrictions.

Killing, looting, and more—everything would be overlooked.

“However, none of you would have received proper training yet, correct? I believe training starts around age eight? I know that’s been your long-standing tradition.”

He placed both hands on his waist and continued.

“Think of this test as the forging of the blade that will one day serve the Emperor. Here, you won’t be competing in skill but rather testing your intelligence, talent, and instincts. I’m curious to see how promising this year’s crop will be.”

At that moment, the Grangbird folded its wings and dove sharply toward the ground.

A massive roar of wind tearing all around echoed.

Fwoooooosh.

Our entire bodies were shaken.

The children clung to feathers as big as their bodies, struggling to stay on board.

Until this moment, only Kun and I had managed to hold our balance bare-handed.

The examiner glanced at the two of us. When his gaze met mine, I didn’t look away.

The Grangbird regained altitude, spreading its wings once again, gliding smoothly.

“You held on well. I’ll continue with the instructions. The test format has remained unchanged for hundreds of years.”

The examiner reached into a pouch strapped to each thigh.

After rummaging for a while, he pulled out a small glass bottle and a blood-red rat.

Squeak, squeak.

Despite the deafening roar of the Grangbird’s massive wings, the sound of the rat in the examiner’s hand pierced sharply through the air.

I recognized it immediately.

That wasn’t just any rat.

“In my left hand is what we call a ‘Ghost Rat.’ It’s a relentless tracker. This small, crimson-furred rat may be tiny, but it’s anything but cute. None of you kids will ever be friends with it, so don’t throw a fit about taking one home.”

The Assassin Blade Family’s nine-year-olds were not typical nine-year-olds.

Just as the word ‘death’ carried a different weight in our family.

With the examiner’s continued taunts, the children of the Assassin Blade Family began to frown one by one. However, there was no way to overturn the situation.

The children quietly listened to the explanation.

“Once you land on the ground with the guide, you’ll sprinkle this powder from the glass bottle onto your bodies. The powder will cause the Ghost Rats to track you.”

As he said, the Ghost Rat was a fierce pursuer.

Once the special powder marked a target, it would chase them until either it or the target was dead.

The Ghost Rats would track participants anywhere in the city, following the trail of the powder.

“Each of you will be followed by five Ghost Rats. On the back of your clothes is a ribbon, sewn in a way that makes it easy for a Ghost Rat to tear off. The moment a rat tears off that ribbon, you’re disqualified.”

The examiner swept his gaze over the participants and continued.

“The first way to score in this test is to avoid the Ghost Rats for as long as possible.”

At that moment, Kun raised his hand and asked the examiner a question.

“Do we have to only run away from the Ghost Rats?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m curious if we’re allowed to handle the Ghost Rats at our discretion without losing points.”

I turned my head to observe Kun.

In just a year, Kun’s physical growth was remarkable. His build was far too large for a nine-year-old, and he appeared to have excellent balance.

If he kept developing, in ten years, he would be close to a perfect specimen.

I was curious how much Kun’s Dark Ripple had grown, but it was unwise to reveal Dark Ripple before the Edict Bureau.

I left it for another time.

The examiner turned to face Kun.

“What’s your name?”

“Kun Krokisson.”

“Ah, so you’re the Krokisson family’s heir. First, know that the Edict Bureau leader has high expectations of you.”

A satisfied look crossed the examiner’s face.

“As long as the Ghost Rats don’t tear off your ribbon, you’re fine. You’re free to deal with them as you wish, but don’t assume it’ll be easy. If you’re reckless, you may lose a part of your body. However, you might manage without issue, Kun Krokisson.”

After showing his expectations of Kun, the examiner’s gaze turned to me. His look lacked any hint of affection. He surely knew I was a main family member.

“Having good blood doesn’t mean you’ll be exceptional.”

The examiner’s provocative remark. It was undoubtedly intentional, as he gave a faint smirk.

Beyond him, I saw Kun’s face. He might have found it satisfying to see the examiner mock me. Yet, Kun’s expression wasn’t bright.

Thinking back to that day a year ago, Kun’s expression grew rather serious.

The examiner raised his voice, continuing the explanation.

“Don’t let the Ghost Rats tear off your ribbon. That’s the first way to score in this test. Additionally, there’s another way for you to achieve ultimate victory.”

The condition for ultimate victory.

This was the key.

At that moment, the Grangbird folded its wings again and dove toward the ground.

Despite some children losing their balance, the examiner didn’t so much as blink.

“The citizens of Trumbel are currently dressed identically by the order of the lord. Among them, there’s one person with a tiny red mark on their collar. That person is the target. They’re unaware of it themselves and are merely going about their ordinary day.”

The goal of the first selection was to locate this person before anyone else and remove the red mark.

No information would be provided about where he was, what he was doing, or his occupation.

Only.

“I’ll give you just one clue about the target. Kids, listen well and think carefully about this riddle.”

The examiner cleared his throat.

“When I call out your name, you vanish.”

A single line of riddle. That was all.

The children murmured. Some looked completely lost, while others seemed confident they understood.

“Now, use this riddle to figure out the target as best you can!”

By then, the Grangbird had reached the skies above Trumbel and hovered among the drifting clouds.

“Are you scared, kids? Don’t know what to do? Becoming the Emperor’s blade isn’t a simple task! But for your families, this is an opportunity that cannot be missed. Fight with all your might, however you can, and tackle this test with dedication. Understood?”

One by one, starting with me, the heirs of the Assassin Blade Family stood up. We each chose a different direction and walked to the edge of the Grangbird.

“Children, descend to the ground now! The test has begun!”