EPISODE 13

"Do we kill the butler as well?" asked a knight.

"Yes," Osel replied.

Then another knight voiced his concern. "She said she had experience working at the main house. And remember her clothes? She may be a collector."

"Past experience isn't important at all. What matters is the present. Right now, she is just cleaning up after her young master," Osel reasoned.

A brief silence followed.

"The Badniker family's fence only protects the necessary areas. Being kicked out of the house means they've gone beyond that scope. Deal with them. I will take responsibility," Osel assured them.

The knights nodded and advanced toward Luan, who lay in deep sleep. Despite any concerns, he remained their target. Their priorities hadn't changed, even after recognizing Arjan was no ordinary person.

Without a sound or warning, they drew daggers from their sleeves, their sharp points aimed at Luan's neck.

Clang!

Suddenly, projectiles flew toward them, targeting their weak points.

The knights were forced to hastily swing their daggers in defense and retreat.

Then, a soft voice rang in their ears. "Please step back."

A red-haired woman emerged from beyond the fading campfire. Arjan, whom they had assumed was asleep, now stared at them, gripping a dagger.

Osel wondered aloud, "Arjan, were you pretending to be asleep?"

Arjan remained silent.

"You are too vigilant. Or did we make a mistake somewhere?" Osel pressed.

"I've felt a sense of discomfort the whole time," Arjan finally replied.

"Even so, you must've had doubts," Osel commented.

"Yes," Arjan answered coldly. "So when I finally felt relieved, my doubts grew once more."

A strange light flickered in Osel's eyes at these words, sharp as a beast's gaze.

"Is that so?" Osel stood up and stomped on the dying campfire.

Suddenly, the whole area was cloaked in darkness, and a midnight battle broke out.

***

Arjan was surrounded by darkness but remained calm, organizing her thoughts.

There were five enemies, with Osel in command, making it highly likely he was the leader.

The fire had gone out, and the surroundings were pitch black, which worked to Arjan's advantage.

In a battle against multiple opponents, there were countless factors to consider. Cooperation between enemies was often more dangerous than their individual strength. Allies who couldn't work together were more difficult to handle than the foes were themselves. The darkness would only amplify the difficulty of their cooperation.

Of course, they were knights. Their true identities were still a mystery, but they were knights—probably well-trained in linked attacks.

But then Arjan realized something important. She had almost overlooked a critical fact.

It was Osel, not Arjan, who had extinguished the residual fire. It was the enemy who had intentionally created this situation.

Could someone insidious enough to hide their true nature for three days fail to recognize the disadvantages of having more people?

I was wrong. These people are experts.

She had overlooked another point—this wasn't a fight of one against many.

Arjan wasn't alone.

Clang!

She struck down a dagger flying through the darkness.

The dagger wasn't aimed at Arjan. From the start, the target had been Luan. This was why the fire had been extinguished.

If the enemy's goal was assassination, not combat, then the darkness was on their side, not Arjan's.

Arjan's expression hardened as she realized that the situation was worse than she had assumed.

I can't be separated from Young Master Luan.

It was fatal to have restrictions on her range of actions in the dark—that was generally the case.

Arjan closed her eyes and let out a low sigh. After a brief moment, her eyes flashed like a beast's, and she surged forward.

Her sudden move froze the two knights in the darkness.

Why is she making such a sudden charge when her idiotic young master is still at risk? Doesn't she care what happens to him?

Of course, that wasn't the case. She was moving now because she had to protect Luan.

The location of their opponents was still fresh in her mind.

Osel belatedly realized Arjan's intentions and shouted, "Hide yourselves!"

Unfortunately, he gave that order only after Arjan had reached the two knights.

Luan had mentioned that Arjan's experience was focused on fighting people.

That was true. Compared to monsters, the human body was fragile and full of weak points. That remained true even when facing trained knights.

The moment Arjan's dagger flashed, the two knights collapsed, spurting blood from their wounds. It was a futile end for those who slaughtered dozens of monsters in the mountain range alone.

Arjan quickly and efficiently claimed two lives, then returned to her original position with even faster movements than when she had charged in.

The entire exchange had taken less than three seconds.

There are three left.

In an instant, the opponent's strength had been reduced by two-fifths. However, the real battle would only start now.

Silence ensued.

She couldn't feel any presence.

This indicated that the opponent wasn't shaken at all despite the death of two of their comrades.

Arjan focused, scanning the darkness for clues. However, she couldn't maintain such concentration for long. The longer the silence dragged on, the more fatigue and weariness crept over her.

Dammit...

Her body felt too heavy.

Had she known this would happen, she would have taken a nap now and then.

Belated regret crashed over her like waves.

The enemy still showed no signs of rushing into action, likely aware of Arjan's condition.

With each passing moment, her side grew more disadvantaged.

Still, she couldn't afford to make the first move.

For Arjan, every second was a bloody standoff.

How much time had passed like this? It felt like ten minutes, yet no movement came from the opponents.

Could they have left?

Swish!

At that moment, something flashed in the darkness as if it had been waiting.

Arjan tilted her head just in time to avoid it, the sharp edge brushing past her earlobe.

Osel appeared before her a moment later.

As soon as Arjan saw the flashing blade, she reflexively swung her dagger.

Their weapons collided in midair.

Arjan almost lost her grip on her dagger. Osel's physical strength far exceeded what she had expected.

She couldn't afford to hold back. Gritting her teeth, she drove power to her legs and screamed.

Bang!

Osel stepped back, frowning at the force that exploded like a spring.

A few steps away, he let out a soft sound.

Osel looked at Arjan, his expression slightly bewildered. "It is strange. How could I not have heard of you when you are so talented?"

Arjan didn't respond.

"I'm growing more interested in your identity. But for now, throw down your weapons," Osel instructed.

"Nonsense."

"Nonsense?" Osel said with a smile. "Have you already forgotten? I still have two more companions."

Arjan glanced back and saw two knights standing around Luan's bedroll, their swords aimed at it.

He is still sleeping soundly?

In any case, all it would take was the slightest movement, and the reckless young master would be cut down.

Her fists clenched.

It was an obvious tactic, one she had expected to some extent. Nevertheless, there was no way to stop it. This was the advantage of numbers.

So how should she have approached it? Should she have fought more aggressively from the start, killing more? Or should she have fled with Luan?

Arjan didn't know. She had never fought to protect someone.

"I will say it again. Throw down your weapons," Osel demanded. "Or would you rather let your young master die?"

She must not follow their instructions. It was evident that both of them would die in the end.

However, they would kill Luan immediately if she didn't comply. Their expressions showed they had no hesitation about taking lives.

Isn't this better?

As a result, Luan would die, but Arjan would possibly survive.

Wasn't it more rational for one person to live rather than both die?

In a flash, many thoughts and faces raced through Arjan's mind. The last image to appear was Lucia's face.

The moment that face appeared, Arjan inexplicably dropped her dagger.

Osel glanced down at the discarded dagger. "There must be more than that."

Arjan pulled out the daggers hidden in her pocket, back, sleeves, ankles, and thighs, one by one.

Osel's eyes narrowed as he watched the dozens of daggers. The combat style and weapon storage method felt oddly familiar, as if he had encountered them before.

Moreover, Arjan remained calm despite the perilous situation. It seemed less a matter of natural temperament and more like training to control her emotions.

What stood out was her earlier statement.

"So when I finally felt relieved, my doubts grew once more."

Osel recognized that lesson, but from where?

"Arjan, I think I know why I've never seen you at the main house. If I'm right, very few people in the Badniker family even know you exist. Probably fewer than a handful are aware of your identity," Osel speculated.

Arjan stayed silent.

"I have some theories, but I'd prefer to hear it from you directly. Do you feel like sharing it now?" Osel's voice carried a hint of excitement.

He realized that he could be witnessing the final blow to the Badniker family.

"If you don't want to answer, that's fine. We have plenty of time. Let me ask you something else. You and Luan Badniker—whose limbs would you want to be severed first?" he asked.

At that moment, Arjan understood why she had felt a strange sense of rejection the first time she saw Osel. He had been wearing a mask all along, and now his true, vile face was exposed.

Despite the ominous killing intent she sensed, Arjan didn't panic. She calmly assessed her remaining strength and options. She then resigned herself to the fact that no plan could change the current situation.

She felt numb. She should have been more cautious from the start. There was no solid evidence, no way to impersonate the Iron-Blooded Lord, and in the end, she had let prejudice cloud her judgment.

"If you don't answer—"

"Sever my arm first," Arjan interrupted.

Osel tilted his head, intrigued. "I don't understand. That is Luan Badniker over there. A piece of trash that even the bloodline-focused Iron-Blooded Lord abandoned. I'm not sure why the main house suddenly summoned him, but it can't be for anything good."

Arjan didn't reply.

"The Iron-Blooded Lord won't step in even if he dies here. Why are you risking your life for this piece of trash?" Osel pressed.

Arjan scoffed. "Young Master Luan isn't a piece of trash. Someone like you isn't worthy of insulting him."

"What a boring answer," he said.

Osel drew his sword with a cold, indifferent expression. He had promised to cut off one limb, but that was only the beginning.

Arjan sensed death closing in.

The blade, bathed in moonlight, flickered with shifting colors as it moved, illuminating her past lives.

The first memory was pain.

Then came the experiment that made her feel as if her body were being torn apart.

Death lurked everywhere. To survive, she had to suppress her emotions.

In the end, Arjan's life wasn't spared because she was exceptional. It was a meaningless existence, but there had been moments of sunshine.

"I want you to be my son's teacher. You can guide him on the right path," Lucia had requested.

This request was Arjan's source of hope. She longed for education, believing that even someone like her could teach others. She thought she could correct Luan's mistakes. It was the only way to atone for her cursed past.

Was it an excessive dream, a desire?

Arjan knew the truth; everyone had their strengths and aptitudes, and hers was killing.

This is the last chance.

At first glance, Arjan seemed to have given up, but she was quietly gathering her strength.

The moment of greatest vulnerability often came when the target believed they had already won, thinking it was over and their goal achieved.

She just had to strike then, exploiting that gap.

She could easily eliminate two of the three. Even if one remained, that would greatly improve Luan's chances of survival.

Arjan almost burst out laughing. For crying out loud, she had spent her whole life running away because she didn't want to kill, yet now even her death was tied to it.

If someone had created this thing called destiny, she would like to see that person's face.

The only difference this time was that she was killing to save someone. But this fact didn't comfort her.

"What is your identity? You speak well."

At this moment, something flew sharply from behind.

Arjan flinched for a moment. However, the black object zipped past her shoulder toward Osel.

Osel instinctively raised his sword. Then his expression stiffened as he reconsidered and let the object strike him instead.

Crush!

Osel rolled on the ground.

Only then was the black object's appearance revealed. Surprisingly, it was one of the knights who had disappeared.

What is this...?

As Arjan struggled to process the situation, another knight flew through the air like discarded luggage. This time, Osel dodged instead of taking the hit.

The knight on the ground coughed up blood. Unlike the previous one, this guy was conscious.

"What the hell is going on here?" Osel demanded.

"T-that guy has weird moves..." the knight stammered.

"What a pathetic bastard," Osel spat.

The sound of someone clicking their tongue and footsteps echoed through the air.

"Aren't you embarrassed to make excuses like that after getting hit?" a voice remarked.

Arjan stared blankly into the darkness.

Just then, the clouds parted, revealing the face of a platinum-blond boy illuminated under the moonlight.

What was going on?

Arjan looked as if the dawn had arrived earlier than expected.

"But Osel, let me ask you something," Luan said, flashing a wide smile. "Why are assassins lurking around the Badniker family?"

Osel's expression hardened.