Master Assassin of the Ronan

Chapter 20: The Problematic Assassin (1)

“Damn it…! Missed again.”

A low mutter drifted through the dense forest.

Three people cloaked in gray robes and masked, scanned the ground with sharp eyes.

They seemed to be searching for traces.

“How many times has this been now?”

“Wretched woman.”

The three exchanged glances, reading each other’s intentions without needing to speak.

Without any further signal, they dispersed again to search for the target’s trail.

Had ten minutes passed?

The three regrouped.

“Any new traces?”

In response to Grokal’s question, the other two shook their heads.

“At this rate, she really does seem to have vanished. But until a moment ago, there were faint traces.”

“She must have transformed again.”

“Hah, exhausting. She’s like a damn shape-shifting mongrel.”

While Sharko’s response was full of frustration, Virko seemed as if he had something to add.

“What is it, Virko? Did you find a trace?”

“No. But I did sense human presence. It was on a path through the forest… It seems like there’s a campsite nearby.”

“Camping? At this hour?”

It was now nearing 4 a.m.

Grokal Lang asked another question.

“The distance?”

“About a twenty-minute walk.”

Nodding, Grokal looked at Virko Lang and Sharko Lang each in turn.

“Alright, let’s approach the campsite for now.”

Virko, who had sensed the human presence, took the lead, with the other two following close behind.

The three resumed their silent sprint, moving like shadows, leaving no trace behind as if they were part of the forest itself.

Tap, swoosh, tap.

Only the light rustling of branches marked their passage.

The group pursuing this assassin was known as the Execution Unit.

Within the Assassin Blade Family, they were referred to as the “Gray Phantom Rats” due to their gray cloaks and masked faces, which no outsider had ever seen.

When an assassin on a mission turned traitor, the Ronan family would deploy the Execution Unit to assess the situation.

Their task was to capture or eliminate the problematic assassin, and thus each member of the Execution Unit was equipped with abilities that stood out even among the Assassin Blade Family.

However, their true strength lay elsewhere.

Their strength was their trio formation. In the Assassin Blade Family, where solo operations were the norm, the Execution Unit was the rare exception that moved in threes.

Since they had trained systematically together since childhood, they could read each other’s intentions with just a glance.

“…!”

The leading Virko suddenly stopped.

“What is it?”

Sharko’s question.

Without needing to hear an answer, Grokal grasped the situation.

“There’s a Dark Ripple. Three… No, four of them?”

The Dark Ripple was a unique power belonging to the Assassin Blade Family and their sworn vassals. It could neither be imitated nor duplicated.

This meant that there was a high probability their target was nearby.

“Four of them together? Would there be a reason for that around this time?”

“Perhaps there’s a feast going on.”

Sharko commented sarcastically, and Virko added a word of caution.

“Watch your mouth, Sharko. The Heads might be present.”

Grokal shook his head at those words.

“No, there’s no Dark Ripple that feels like it belongs to a Head.”

“Grokal, it seems that what I sensed might indeed be those people.”

“Should we check in?”

“Hm.”

Grokal scratched his forehead.

The presence of the Execution Unit was best kept hidden from other assassins. Moreover, they were unsure about the identities of the assassins on the other side.

However, pursuing their target was their priority.

In their current situation, they couldn’t afford to overlook anything.

“It’s unusual for four assassins to be gathered like that, isn’t it? Especially when there’s no Assassin Blade Family estate nearby.”

“So, you’re saying we should confirm?”

Grokal nodded.

“Wait, Grokal. Could it be a group of Assassin Blade Family disciples accompanying the Ronan family?”

Reluctantly, Virko spoke, but Grokal’s decision remained unchanged.

“Well, that’s possible. I do sense a faintly youthful Dark Ripple. Still, it shouldn’t matter, right?”

He was right.

The will of the Execution Unit was, in essence, the will of Seiren, the Head of all the Assassin Blade Family.

At this moment, pursuing the target was their top priority.

Swoosh.

As Grokal leaped from the tree branch, Sharko and Virko followed suit.

* * *

The owner of the faint Dark Ripple was Rubin.

Rubin controlled the flow of his Dark Ripple, disguising it at the level of 2-star.

He’d even manipulated it crudely so the other side would notice, waiting patiently for the Execution Unit to approach.

Soon, their approach was detected, and the accompanying bodyguards reported back.

“Young Master Rubin, it seems the Execution Unit has found us and is moving closer.”

Any further need for disguising his identity was unnecessary.

With the Execution Unit in sight, the wisest course was to cooperate fully and send them on their way as quickly as possible.

Even as a Ronan bloodline descendant, he wasn’t particularly close with the Execution Unit.

That was why the two family bodyguards appeared so tense.

But to them, Rubin appeared perfectly composed.

Perhaps because he was of the main family. His calmness somehow reassured them.

Rubin placed his hand on one of the tent’s poles and gave a small nod.

‘It seems we’ll meet soon.’

He sat in a chair taken from the carriage and reflected.

In his previous life, he had encountered the Execution Unit a few times.

As a member of the Ronan bloodline, he had crossed paths with them by chance but had never been involved in or caused any trouble that would make him their target.

The cold, expressionless eyes he had seen between the gray masks came to mind.

‘It was the Tilamang Execution Unit and the Lang Execution Unit, I believe.’

Rubin recalled the memories of his past life when he had met with the captain of the Lang Execution Unit.

Nine years had passed since his return, so the memory had faded significantly.

‘They told an old story back then. It seems that it happened around this time. What was it again?’

As he pondered this.

“Young Master.”

The bodyguards lowered their voices.

Crackle, crackle.

The sound of the small campfire in the center of the tent sounded unusually loud.

Outside the tent, three silhouettes appeared.

Three shadows emerged, illuminated by the firelight.

One silhouette was round, shaped like a plump jar.

Another was slender like a stick.

And between them was one with a balanced figure.

The three members of the Execution Unit stopped and examined the surroundings.

Rustle.

After completing their inspection, they lifted the tent flap and entered.

Gray cloaks, revealing only their eyes through the masks.

Their appearance matched their moniker, the “Gray Phantom Rats.”

Among them, the one with the jar-shaped body muttered.

“Familiar scent.”

Having confirmed that Rubin was not the target, they seemed to relax slightly.

The one who appeared to be the leader of the Execution Unit began introducing his teammates.

“That large friend is Virko, the skinny one here is Sharko. And my name is Grokal.”

A brief introduction.

Uninterested in their introduction, Sharko, who had been called skinny, inspected the tent perimeter.

The large Virko knelt, pressing his hand to the ground with his eyes closed.

Grokal silently observed his colleagues’ examination.

Eventually, seemingly unsatisfied with their findings, the two shook their heads and gathered around Grokal.

Throughout this, Rubin’s bodyguards could only stand tensely, unable to speak.

“It’s a familiar scent. So that means…”

Grokal immediately grasped the meaning behind Virko’s words.

“They’re assassins from the main family.”

Both Sharko and Virko nodded in agreement. Grokal stepped forward, gazing at Rubin.

Vassals from the main family.

And a child who appeared to be around nine.

The situation was clear.

“Greetings to the Ronan bloodline. Young Master Rubin.”

Grokal bowed first.

The other two followed, bowing as well.

They had recognized Rubin solely by scent.

“It’s the first time I’m meeting you, Young Master.”

“It’s also my first time seeing the Execution Unit.”

Rubin replied calmly.

It was a relaxed meeting that slightly eased the bodyguards’ tension.

Sharko and Virko sat on the ground behind Grokal Lang, while Rubin’s bodyguards positioned themselves behind Rubin.

There was no loud welcome. Instead, a quiet conversation fitting the silent forest night began.

“We are the Lang Execution Unit.”

So it was Lang.

Although he had met and even spoken with the Lang Execution Unit in his previous life, he had never seen their faces behind the masks, then or now.

Grokal Lang, Sharko Lang, and Virko Lang were not blood brothers, but they had abandoned their original surnames upon joining the Execution Unit.

An Execution Unit was composed of a minimum of three members. Only Seiren, the Head, knew exactly how many such units existed.

“Can you tell me who you’re pursuing? If I can, I’d like to help.”

At Rubin’s question, Grokal’s eyes flickered briefly. It wasn’t so much surprise as curiosity.

Though under the Ronan family, the Execution Unit did not live within the household and thus knew little about Rubin.

Yet, the Dark Ripple emanating from this child made Rubin’s identity unmistakably clear.

‘Did he develop his Dark Ripple before leaving the household?’

Typically, right after unlocking the Dark Ripple, one would reach the 1-star level. But Rubin was already at the level of 2-star.

Considering he had just finished his “First Selection,” his level was well above average.

‘Interesting.’

Grokal found himself intrigued, seeing in Rubin a resemblance to Seiren.

Whether aware of this or not, Rubin simply repeated his question, sounding somewhat regretful.

“Even as a Ronan descendant, I suppose I’m not privy to the Execution Unit’s mission?”

For the first time since becoming the Execution Unit’s captain, Grokal felt inclined to continue a conversation with this boy named Rubin.

And so, for the first time in a long while, he decided to break his own rules.

“Hm, where should I begin to explain?”