The Reincarnated Assassin is a Genius Swordsman

the way Zieghart is raising their children is softer than I thought, or the mission is incredibly difficult.’

It was one of the two, but he personally hoped for the latter.
That would allow him to grow up faster.

“It seems orcs have appeared near Cebu village, located in the southeast of Zieghart.”

Rimmer pointed towards Cebu village in the air.
It was obvious that he didn’t bring a map because he was too lazy.

“Getting rid of the orcs that are threatening people at Cebu village, and protecting the village is your mission.
In short, it’s a village protection and monster extermination mission.”

“Orc!”

“It’s monster extermination!”

Monster extermination was the easiest and simplest mission compared to escort or dungeon exploration missions.
Since it was easier than their first mission, the bandit extermination, the trainees cheered out loud.

“You are stupid for being happy about a mission.”

Rimmer clicked his tongue and continued.

“Unlike the first mission, the instructors won’t come along.
You guys will be the only ones going to Cebu village.
Thinking and making decisions by yourselves from the beginning to the end isn’t going to be as easy as you think.”

“I have a question.”

Burren raised his hand.

“What were you even thinking, to actually forget to tell us about a mission that we will be doing by ourselves?”

“Hmm… That’s not a question, but a reprimand.”

Rimmer broke out into a cold sweat.

“Haa!”

Burren’s face wrinkled like tree bark, and he sighed heavily.

“Then I will ask the real question.
Since you said we will be the only ones moving out, what shall we do if we meet a critical situation we can’t handle by ourselves?

“Recognizing that is also your job.
If the mission is deemed impossible, giving up on it and deciding to return is also your ability.
Therefore…”

Rimmer’s gaze glanced around the trainees, then stopped at Raon.

“The leader’s ability is important once again.
You have to decide whether you have to break through with power, devise a strategy, or run away without looking back upon facing a critical situation.”

“I-isn’t it going to be a problem if we run away from a mission?”

Dorian raised his hand this time.

“It depends.
If you run away from goblins, you will lose points and be disgraced.
If you manage to run away from one of the Five Demons, then you deserve to be praised.”

“Ohh!”

Dorian exclaimed, hearing that he was allowed to run away.
His cowardly personality remained the same in the new year.

“Understood.”

Burren eventually looked at Raon.
With his eyes slightly shining, his expression was that of acknowledgement and slight envy.

“You will be departing the daybreak after tomorrow.
You shall rest for today and tomorrow while thoroughly preparing for the mission.”

“W-w-wait! In two days?”

Dorian’s eyes flicked left and right like a grasshopper.

“Yes.
In two days.”

“Why is it at such short notice?! That’s way too early! Since today is almost over, we’ve only got one day left!”

“Monster extermination is an urgent mission compared to escorts or dungeon explorations.
If you end up being late, Cebu village will be the one suffering casualties.”

“Then you should have told us earlier!”

Burren exploded again and stomped the ground.

“Hmm…”

“The day after tomorrow…”

“Stop.”

Raon’s low voice pierced through the center of the training ground.

“The instructor told us before.
You can’t predict when and what kind of mission you will get.
Instead of being flustered and criticizing him about it, you should be preparing for the mission.
The more you criticize, the more you will be played by the instructors’ hands.”

“Hmm…”

“That’s right.”

“Yes.
Let’s make our move for now.”

The trainees that were angry like Burren nodded, and Rimmer smiled in satisfaction.

“I’m going to pluck off those ears one day.”

Martha murmured something Wrath had already said before and ground her teeth.

Runaan looked like none of it mattered as she stood blankly, licking her lips.
She seemed to be thinking about the ice cream she would eat once she returned home.

“A wild orc is fiercer and sturdier than the orc you faced during battle training.”

“Since they are also bigger in numbers, it will be a fight of one versus many.
Since we’ve learned footwork, it will be more advantageous for us to focus on evading rather than blocking.
Make your equipment as light as possible and gather here at daybreak in two days.”

After saying that, Raon turned around.

“Mhm.”

“Tsk.”

Runaan nodded like a baby bird and Martha clicked her tongue, then left the training ground.

“Understood!”

The trainees that followed Raon answered loud and clear, then ran towards the dormitory.

“Hmm…”

Burren glared at the instructors for a moment, but he turned around without saying anything.
The collaterals followed him towards the main building.

“He really looks like a leader now.”

Rimmer grinned with his arms crossed.
Of course, he was saying that looking while at Raon’s back.

“I know, right?”

“I never imagined he would change that much.”

“He is also open-minded, probably because he started from rock bottom.”

“I’ve seen many children so far, but it’s my first time seeing a top trainee that managed to make the others follow him based on his efforts, rather than his position or talent.”

The instructors approached Rimmer and nodded.
All of them also acknowledged Raon.

“Hmm, I should prepare as well.
I need to start moving before the children.”

The youngest instructor licked his lips while watching the children walk away.

They used to really send the trainees on a mission on their own, but ever since Glenn broke through the demonic wall, the second mission’s rules included having instructors tag along secretly.

“No.”

Rimmer tapped the youngest instructor’s shoulder, then shook his head.

“I’ll be going.”

“Pardon?”

“Whaat?”

“A-are you serious?”

The instructors’ eyes widened.
They couldn’t believe the man that found teaching them bothersome was volunteering to follow them on a mission.

“Yes.”

“But head instructor, if you don’t get there in time when the children are in danger because you were napping…”

“Eep! Who do you think I am? Don’t you trust me?”

Rimmer flapped his hand, but the instructors didn’t respond.
That was because they could count on their fingers the number of times Rimmer wasn’t late to a training period.

“Anyway! I’ll be going, so you can rest easy.”

Rimmer turned around after saying that.
They could hear him murmur that he was going to have a great nap as he left the training ground.

“He should sleep here if he wants to sleep.
Why does he even want to follow them on a mission…?”

“I guess he’s leaving since the head of house and the other division leaders will bother him if he stays here.”

“Hah…”

The instructors snorted, realizing Rimmer’s plans.

“His laziness is really amazing.”

 

***

 

Even though the mission was going to start in two days, Raon returned to the dormitory after finishing up his night training.

A backpack with lightweight magic cast on it was placed in front of the room.
It seemed to be a bag prepared for the mission.

‘He is really being obvious that he doesn’t care.’

That kind of bag was normally handed down personally, but putting it in front of the room was his way of telling him to take care of his own business since he didn’t care.

“That’s fine.”

Raon snickered and entered the room holding the bag.
It didn’t matter whether the instructors followed or not.
He just needed to complete the mission perfectly, regardless of what it was.

Such arrogance.
Do you believe everything in the world will go your way? There are countless unexpected circumstances that can happen against you.

‘Well, that’s true.’

Raon nodded.
Just as Wrath said, anything could happen at any time.
However, since he could handle most problems by himself, he couldn’t relate to that too much.

‘You’re telling me that something unexpected can happen, like how you lost to me.’

I really want to tear your mouth off.

‘That’s an impossible wish.’

Raon snickered and started to pack his bag.
Since he was given a light bag, packing up wasn’t really difficult.

 

Knock knock.

 

As he was in the middle of packing up, a knocking sound could be heard.

‘Who is it?’

He opened the door, thinking that it was strange since everyone should’ve been busy preparing for departure.

“Eek!”

Raon’s jaw dropped with his eyes widened.
There were the only two people in the world that could fluster him.
Sylvia and Helen were standing there, faces turning red.

“Raon! If you are going on a mission, you should return to the annex building and tell Mom about it!”

“How did you know that? No way, was it Dorian again?”

“Sir Rimmer told us!”

Putting her hands on her hips, Sylvia frowned.

‘That elf, seriously…’

He secretly sighed.
He came to the dormitory on purpose to prevent Sylvia and Helen from worrying.
He didn’t think he would visit them personally to tell them about it.

“I’m sorry.”

It would’ve been a different story if he could have kept it a secret, but since they had already realized, he didn’t need to make up an excuse.
It was a fact that he was avoiding them since it could get awkward if he told them he was going on a mission without an instructor, despite having time to visit them.

“……”

Sylvia pouted without saying anything and wrinkled her nose.
As he was about to close his eyes in preparation for her long preaching, he heard her voice.

“Raon.”

“Hmm?”

“The top trainee isn’t only supposed to greet others.
It’s a position that should lead the other trainees in a better direction.”

Sylvia’s eyes were full of unusual seriousness.

“Not just yourself, but you should think about everyone before you act.
The children’s lives are at stake based on your decisions.”

“Ah, okay.”

Raon nodded with a bewildered expression.

‘I didn’t expect her to say something like this…’

He thought he would get scolded and preached at.
He didn’t expect her to give such advice.

“Monster extermination might look easy, but it’s actually a difficult mission.
Make sure to wipe them out completely so that the villagers won’t suffer any more.”

Sylvia was correct.
Since the monsters multiplied very quickly, it was important to completely root them out when he was at it.

“Always keep in mind that the moment you are on a mission, you aren’t a trainee anymore but a Zieghart swordsman.”

She lowered her body to meet his eyes.
Her eyes were shining like stars.

“Mom told you before, right? The first Zieghart knew honor and shame, and was the kind of person that pointed his sword at the strong in order to protect the weak.
Mom wants Raon to act like that Zieghart ancestor.”

Sylvia smiled, gently caressing Raon’s shoulder.

“Aren’t you angry?”

“I’m angry! And I’m worried! I feel so frustrated! However!”

Her expression changed in an instant.
She pouted once again.

“It’s not the right time to scold you.
Be ready for some preaching once you return.”

“Mhm.”

Raon smiled lightly and nodded.
Since Sylvia had also lived as a swordsman, she was well aware that now wasn’t the right time to scold him.

“I’m glad that you became happier after starting to train, but I can’t stop worrying about you.”

Sylvia hugged Raon tightly.
He could feel her worries in her trembling hands.

She returned after giving him a few more pieces of advice.
She didn’t take as much of his time as he had expected, and she didn’t scold him either. 

While worrying about her son, she hoped he would complete the mission properly as a swordsman.

That’s why her voice and her words touched him deep in his heart.

While packing up his bag, he looked out the window.
The moonlight was permeating the room, as if it were jealous.