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Chapter 30. Curiosity Killed The Cat

I didn't get a definite answer from Ash Garndi about joining my faction, but the response was positive enough. If Ash joins, that makes five members in the faction... reaching the minimum level, I guess.

"…Huh?"

On a school holiday, as I wandered aimlessly around the capital, I saw someone dash into an alley. They were clearly wearing expensive clothes, so it piqued my interest.

Checking the map of the capital in my head, the path through the alley led to... nothing significant. I thought about leaving but ended up stopping in my tracks.

"Sigh..."

Just as I was about to leave, I heard a small scream along with some noise. Even though my head told me it wasn’t wise to get involved, human curiosity is hard to resist. Just a quick look, I told myself and entered the alley... when a person came flying at me.

"Whoa... What's this?"

I caught the person instead of knocking them down, but they were bleeding heavily with lifeless eyes. Still warm, but already dead.

I wondered what was happening, and two figures with faces hidden by black cloths stood before me, holding bloody swords. Of course, they didn't answer my question.

"Uh... Can I pretend I didn't see this and run away?"

"...Dispose of him."

"Yes."

"Seriously?"

The one holding the bloody sword attacked on command. Not expecting them to kill without hesitation, I kicked back the initial thrust.

"So, was that your boss? I couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman... Was that some kind of magic?"

"…"

"Hey, it would be nice if you replied... Talking to myself like this makes me look crazy, you know? Anyway, you can't escape the magic knights of this country, so why not talk?"

"Too talkative."

Clearly, they never intended to converse.

The one who gave the command had already vanished into the darkness... All I could do was hand over this assassin and the corpse of this seemingly rich man to the magic knights.

"Well... There's a rule about not drawing swords off-campus, but if I get caught, my rank will drop."

While drawing my one-handed sword with my right hand, the assassin lunged at me. Expecting an assassin to target vital points, especially the neck, I grabbed their sword with my left hand and parried.

"Don't want to damage the city too much. Don't go wild."

"!"

Intimidated, the assassin hesitated for a moment, so I focused my magic power in my left hand and snapped their sword in half. They tried to flee immediately, but I threw the broken blade at their thigh, stopping them, and severed the tendon in their right arm.

Now they couldn’t run or use their right arm. Losing one arm and one leg should render them unable to fight properly.

"This sneaking around in the capital suggests a large organization. Otherwise, you wouldn't commit crimes where magic knights are vigilant. So, are you a low-level grunt, or a trusted assassin... that's what I want to know."

I asked while pressing my sword to their neck. This should be the magic knights' job, but since they targeted me, I needed information. Who's after me, and why?

Now that I got a closer look, I could tell this black-robed assassin was a woman. Despite her frustrated look, her eyes were rebellious... and hesitant.

"A low-level grunt."

"..."

"Otherwise, you wouldn't hesitate to take the poison for suicide."

"How did you know?"

"I could tell."

Forcibly sticking my hand into her mouth, I pulled out a poison capsule from inside her tooth. She coughed but survived.

"Hmm... Is this protected by magic? What kind of poison is it?"

"..."

"I can roughly tell by the magic circle engraved on it, even if you don't talk."

"What... are you?"

"A mere freshman at Chronos Magic Knight Academy."

I’d seen stories where spies kept poison in their teeth to commit suicide, but I never thought I’d encounter it in reality. As I studied the magic circle, I understood its purpose.

"It activates when you bite and infuse it with magic power... This isn't poison."

I could tell. This wasn't poison... it was something far more sinister. Judging by her reaction when I denied it was poison, she must have been told it was for suicide.

"This is an explosive spell that can kill anyone interrogating you. The range... is about the size of a small room?"

Clearly designed to take interrogators down with them. But calling it poison must have been to get the assassins to comply since nobody would willingly bite into a bomb.

"So, what now?"

"Hmm?"

"If I must betray and talk, I choose death."

Seriously? Those eyes... they seemed crazed. If someone becomes this unafraid of death... it must be a form of religion.

"Sigh... I should’ve stayed out of this."

I should just hand her over to the magic knights and return to the academy. I might still be able to claim I’m an unrelated party. Plus, since I took out her explosive device, the magic knights should be able to extract information through interrogation. Alright, time to head back. As a good citizen, I'll cut the tendons in her remaining limbs and then report this.