Master Assassin of the Ronan

Chapter 17. Tower of Light and Rebellion (2)

“…….”

Rubin knew exactly who was standing before him, looking down at him by his bed.

‘How could I not know?’

He’d sensed it ever since he heard the steps ascending.

Rough, unrefined bloodlust.

Dark Ripple tainted with that very bloodlust.

Since it was so overtly displayed, Rubin could gauge the level of Maphis’s Dark Ripple. As expected, it was below average for someone of his age.

Though he might not be the lowest among all in the Assassin Blade Family, at that level, it was hard to claim the title of Seiren’s son.

“Get up.”

Rubin lay still, facing the wall.

“How long are you going to keep up this act as a deranged little kid, little brother?”

Maphis had already lost his composure.

Had he failed to win over the retainers to his side? Or was he doing this to settle the humiliation he suffered at the dinner table? Maphis’s shadow, cast by the lamplight, trembled with unease.

If one finds a target sleeping, the Assassin Blade Family’s method is to cut their breath instantly, but he couldn’t attack his sleeping brother.

Maphis turned and left the room. Footsteps sounded as he descended to the first floor.

– I thought a fight was about to break out, but it didn’t.

Hanneke remarked with arms crossed, watching. But Rubin knew it wasn’t over yet.

‘Let’s wait and see.’

Rubin threw off his blanket and rose to his feet.

Maphis would be waiting downstairs.

If he’d sensed Rubin’s menacing Dark Ripple in response, he would understand what it meant.

But he wouldn’t accept it. How could a nine-year-old emit such a deep, profound Dark Ripple?

Creak. Creak.

The stairs groaned.

Rubin didn’t bother hiding his footsteps as he went down to the first floor. Just as he turned the corner of the first-floor hallway—

As expected.

Maphis, who had hidden himself on the other side, lunged forward, seizing Rubin by the neck.

Bang!

Rubin was thrown against the wall, Maphis’s grip tightening on his neck. Skill aside, the difference in strength due to the age gap was considerable.

“You filthy, stupid little brother.”

Breathing was hard with his throat constricted, but Rubin waited a little longer. Now wasn’t the time to start a fight. He needed a way to ensure he could handle the aftermath.

Maphis eventually released his grip on Rubin’s neck and stepped back, retreating to the opposite wall.

“Your patience hasn’t changed, I see.”

Ignoring Maphis’s mocking sneer, Rubin surveyed his surroundings. This place was…

‘A workshop for mapmaking.’

Maps of various regions were pasted on the walls like wallpaper.

A room filled with the musty smell of old paper.

“You know your bodyguards are watching, don’t you?”

Of course he knew.

Although it seemed as though only the two of them were in the workshop, there was no doubt the retainers were watching from somewhere.

“Know this, little brother. No one will interfere in our fight tonight.”

Maphis smirked.

It didn’t mean he’d swayed Rubin’s bodyguards.

They weren’t susceptible to persuasion in the first place.

This was a “disciplinary” session.

A twenty-year-old brother’s rightful discipline of his nine-year-old sibling.

“…….”

“How long will you keep up this mute act? The play is over. And what happens here will remain a secret.”

A secret.

The retainers would soon witness the skills of the two Ronan brothers with their own eyes and ears, but they wouldn’t be able to reveal it anywhere.

Since it was considered discipline, their role would go no further than that of spectators.

Reporting to the head of the family was also impossible. Only a Ronan assigned to the children could evaluate and report on them.

“Consider yourself lucky. You might even think of it as your brother taking on the role of the Ronan ahead of time.”

Maphis picked up an ink pen from the work table.

With a smug expression, he gestured with his head as if daring Rubin to pick something up as well.

Watching closely, he wore a look of arrogant curiosity.

Rubin followed suit obediently.

Then came Maphis’s mocking laughter.

“Ha, are you serious?”

In response, Rubin only nodded.

What Rubin picked up was paper.

Thin, plain paper used for mapmaking. He folded it diagonally several times.

Until it became a sharp triangle.

“…….”

A candle flickered in the silence.

The weapons in Rubin and Maphis’s hands cast shadows.

A sharp pen tip and a tightly folded piece of paper.

A duel between a twenty-year-old and a nine-year-old. However, even if his opponent was a young child, Maphis wasn’t careless.

If anything, Maphis was an assassin known for his ruthless efficiency.

Ziiing.

Maphis’s Dark Ripple exploded forth. He unleashed it with all his might, without holding back.

Against a markedly weaker opponent, it would have been overwhelming.

But Rubin remained unfazed.

On the contrary, he revealed his own Dark Ripple in response.

Then.

“……?”

“……!”

It wasn’t just Maphis who was surprised.

The retainers, each watching the situation from different spots, were also thrown into confusion.

“H… how?”

This one word from Maphis’s mouth reflected the thoughts of the retainers as well.

A densely concentrated Dark Ripple.

There was no way a nine-year-old child could release such power.

Maphis realized instantly—this was Dark Ripple at a minimum level of three stars.

Considering that the average for an eleven-year-old was somewhere between one and two stars, this was unbelievable.

‘Nine years old, and already three stars?’

Could that be possible?

Had there ever been someone like this before?

But Rubin, regardless of the reactions around him, continued his task.

Dense Dark Ripple rose from beneath his feet.

“So, everyone’s promised to remain silent about this?”

If that was the case, he would create a fitting secret for them to keep.

For the first time since he left the Ronan Estate, Rubin, who had been pretending to be mute, spoke.

“……!”

As Rubin took a single step forward, Maphis, in shock, lunged at him.

Tat-tat-tat.

Maphis charged at Rubin, aiming the sharp tip of his pen at him.

The series of stabbing attacks came with fierce momentum.

Swish. Swish.

Years had passed since Maphis began his life as an assassin.

The targets Maphis had eliminated so far were suitable for his level. It wasn’t that they were defenseless.

Among them were challenging and tricky targets. Maphis had felt his rapid growth while dealing with them.

But why?

‘Why are all my attacks missing?’

It was humiliating. To be unable to keep up with the movements of a brother nearly ten years younger.

No matter how hard he concentrated, the tip of his pen sliced only empty air.

Dozens of combat techniques Maphis had mastered under the Ronan’s training were useless.

‘He wouldn’t have received any training before leaving the estate! Did Mother secretly teach him something special? No, Mother wouldn’t do that.’

Even when Maphis maximized his Dark Ripple to enhance his reflexes, he couldn’t catch up.

When he tried to predict Rubin’s movements, Rubin would escape a beat faster, as if he’d anticipated his anticipation.

Maphis had also reached three stars.

Though he refused to admit it, if Rubin truly was at three stars, there shouldn’t have been this level of skill gap.

‘We’re both at three stars. Then why?’

Maphis didn’t realize that even with the same three-star level, the difference in mastery over Dark Ripple could create a gap as vast as heaven and earth.

A flushed face, the heat of combat radiating.

Through the beads of sweat that popped up between them, Rubin’s smile became visible.

‘…Is he smiling?’

It was a disaster.

He had come here to warn Rubin against measuring himself by such a weak standard.

And now, it was proving the exact opposite.

“This was something I once imagined.”

Rubin’s low voice broke the silence.

“I didn’t think it would happen like this.”

Then, Rubin, who had been solely defending, finally attacked. His movements were entirely based on the Ronan Family’s sword techniques.

Although they were swift, Maphis could barely fend them off, as the techniques were familiar to him.

However.

“……?”

Rubin’s movements shifted for an instant.

The trajectory of his blade changed to something Maphis had never seen before. His lower body moved in a completely foreign manner.

The new sword technique Rubin demonstrated completely bypassed Maphis’s defense.

He was defenseless.

In a flash, Rubin’s paper sword reached Maphis’s wrist, ankle, thigh, and calf.

However, as soon as the paper touched his skin, its power dissipated, like air escaping.

It was a clear sign he had no intent to truly cut or stab.

For Maphis, it was an unmistakable humiliation.

A mockery, forcing him to feel the vast difference in skill without experiencing any pain.

‘…What kind of sword technique is this?’

All who observed were astonished.

They had no choice but to be.

Rubin’s movements reflected the methods of the Assassin Blade Family, yet completely transcended them.

The bodyguards watching couldn’t identify the sword technique, but one person observing within Rubin’s mind knew exactly what it was.

– This is the second form of the Brion Sword Technique. Perfectly modified…

As he said, Rubin’s second form had evolved to a degree unrecognizable from the original.

Even Hanneke, who valued uniqueness, couldn’t help but gasp.

It was the moment when Rubin’s countless hours of repeated training finally shone.

-“If that had been a real sword…

He wouldn’t have needed to use the entire second form.

The match would’ve ended within three moves.

That was the overwhelming difference in skill.

And at last, Rubin decided to end the fight.

He deliberately slowed his movements, skipping an attack.

Instead, he used the gap to move with his footwork.

In an instant, Rubin slipped behind Maphis and struck his knee forcefully.

Thud.

Maphis collapsed to his knees, sprawling on the floor.

The sharp pen he had been holding rolled away.

“Huff, huff…”

“As everyone has agreed, what happened here will not be spoken of by anyone.”

It was a warning not only to Maphis but also to the bodyguards.

This incident would completely overturn everyone’s perception of him as docile, but it was also a necessary measure.

Rubin knew that Maphis would try to sway the retainers and aim for succession in the future.

This night would serve him well in the days to come.

“…….”

Breathing heavily without a word, Maphis lay behind as Rubin left the workshop and climbed the creaking stairs.

Creak. Creak.

The sound of his footsteps echoed through the quiet house.

While ascending to the second floor, Rubin didn’t bother hiding his steps.

* * *

The clamor of dawn passed, and morning came.

Rubin returned to his somber demeanor as Young Master Miguel.

The vigor he displayed last night was nowhere to be found.

“It seems the master of the house is suffering from a hangover.”

Only guests remained in the hall, with no host in sight. Maphis had secluded himself in his room, omitting any final farewells to Rubin’s party.

Looking silently at the firmly closed door, Rubin gathered his belongings and left the house.

“Then we shall depart, Young Master Miguel.”

Instead of replying, Rubin scraped his nails against the inside of the carriage, signaling approval to set off.

Soon, the carriage carrying Rubin departed from Maphis’s house.

Rubin’s group moved briskly.

By dusk, they arrived at the fourth decoy house to spend the night.

None of the three bodyguards mentioned Rubin’s formidable display.

Just as Rubin had warned, that night’s events would forever remain a secret.

Five days after they embarked on their journey.

“We should reach the Tower of Light and Rebellion by afternoon.”

A bodyguard riding ahead approached the carriage and shouted. When Rubin didn’t respond, he added another remark.

“Young Master Rubin?”

It was the first time during the journey that he broke character.

This suggested there was a reason.

Rubin scraped his nails inside the carriage to indicate he was listening.

It meant he should continue.

“There’s something from that night that Master Maphis discussed with us that we should tell you.”

He scraped the carriage interior again.

What is it?

The guard’s voice lowered even more.

“They said you might use the same decoy houses as the Execution Unit. There were instructions from the main house to be cautious.”

Execution Unit.

Rubin repeated the word in his mind, a name he hadn’t heard in the nine years he had spent as a child.

‘Why the Execution Unit all of a sudden?’

The Execution Unit was an organization for handling internal matters within the Assassin Blade Family.

Selected directly by Seiren, the retainers in the unit were tasked with tracking and eliminating internal enemies.

“Master Maphis said he didn’t know who they were after.”

Naturally, that would only be known by the head of the family.

If he had to speculate, it was likely one of three scenarios.

They had abandoned their assigned assassination mission.

They had defied the Ronan Family or the Emperor.

Or, they had learned something they were never meant to know.

“There’s no good in encountering the Execution Unit. I’ll avoid them as much as possible.”