Episode 378
Chapter 115: Yona’s Warning (Part 2)
“Some of the elders are trying to kill me? No way you came to assassinate me yourself, right? Like, ‘See you later, kid,’ and then just slit my throat…”
“Those boring old meatheads would be committing suicide if they hired me for that.”
Thanks to Siron’s strict orders, no one in the family was currently able to use Yona’s skills.
Even Joshua, who once tried to keep Jin in check, got indirectly involved with Yona—because of a deal between Jin and Owl, Yona’s return to the family was delayed—and ended up slapped by Siron and forced to return the Black Light Armor.
“And even if I did want to kill you, do you really think I’d do it?”
“That’s right. There’s no way you’d stab me. After all, I’m also Samil’s benefactor. Just joking.”
“I hate those kinds of jokes!”
Jin chuckled softly.
“Alright then. So, who exactly are these guys?”
It wasn’t exactly news that the elders wanted him dead. Jin was certain that once he became a Knight, there would be plenty of people trying to kill him.
He had long expected that those who would make the first move wouldn’t be the Knights themselves, but some of the elders.
After all, he’d been a troublemaker since his student days. Near the end of his trainee period, there was even a 300 million bounty on his head in Runcandel alone.
He had repeatedly broken the long-standing, humiliating tradition of banning magic use in Runcandel, so assassination attempts were almost inevitable.
“Honestly, it’s about time. No, it’s way overdue.”
Jin’s lips curled into a smirk.
At this point, he wasn’t afraid of attacks from the elders—especially just a few of them.
But Yona’s serious expression still caught his attention.
“So, who are these guys?”
“I don’t know exactly which elders. If I did, I’d have wiped them out already…”
“No, I mean the assassins hired by some unknown elders.”
“Huh? How do you know that? I haven’t even said they hired assassins yet.”
“It’s obvious. The only ones with the power to draw a blade and kill me are the heads of the factions. And none of them would benefit from my death right now.”
There was Jorden Runcandel of the Black Blade Society, Lin Milcano of the Defense Council, and Telrot Runcandel of the Protection Council.
Among them, Telrot was a tentative ally, Jorden a clear enemy, and Lin a potential foe. But even Jorden had nothing to gain by killing Jin at this moment.
“You’re smart, but you’re overlooking the obvious. Isn’t it clear? Jorden Runcandel, the elder head, and the second Knights have a relationship of both coexistence and rivalry.”
“Coexistence is obvious, but I’ve never heard of this rivalry.”
“Ah, well. You’re from a different era than me and the higher Knights, so that makes sense. Just remember this: the elder head hasn’t given up on the family headship yet.”
Jin recalled the conversation he had with Telrot Runcandel.
‘For someone who hasn’t abandoned the dream of becoming family head, this is a loss. The Black Blade leader wants me and Joshua to keep checking and wearing each other down until we both fall.’
Lin Milcano’s true intentions were still unclear, but on the surface, she was aligned with Jorden.
“So, the elders trying to kill me must have outsourced the job to an external force. If they weren’t faction members, they probably wouldn’t be skilled enough to face me directly. And you must have used Samil’s intelligence network to identify them.”
“Exactly. Spot on. You’re really smart.”
Yona stood on tiptoe and ruffled Jin’s hair, continuing with a teasing tone.
“I’m not going to tell you who the assassins are.”
“Why not?”
“If you play with me, I might tell you. Kid, it’s been such a long, long, long time since we’ve met like this!”
It had been almost two years, and this was the first time since Jin became a Knight.
At those words, Jin smiled.
“Yeah. I missed you, sis. I got the letter and the green rose ring you left in my room last time. I woke up, saw them, and felt great all day.”
Yona grinned, showing her pearly white teeth. It was always strange to think that the world’s top assassin could smile so innocently.
“I’m proud!”
“Sorry for disappearing without a word before you became a Knight. Things weren’t good, so I had no choice.”
“I understand. So, what should we do now? Hmm?”
“First, let’s get something to eat. I didn’t get anything in the forest.”
“Hide and seek? Or dagger play?”
“What’s dagger play?”
“We stand a hundred steps apart and each throw a dagger at the other once. Every time you dodge or block, you take a step closer. The first one to get stabbed loses.”
“I’ll pass.”
“Alright, then how about hand axe play?”
“What’s that?”
“Using hand axes to… well, each other’s ears…”
“No, no need to explain. Sis, we used to have normal fun, remember? Not something so deadly. Like shopping, watching plays, having a drink and chatting.”
“Jin.”
Valeria called Jin in a calm voice. At the same time, Yona snapped her head toward Valeria, as if to say, ‘Oh right, you’re here too.’
“I’m leaving now. I’ll take this with me to preserve it, so contact me if you need it.”
Valeria pointed to the corpse of the Royal Guard Ma-in wrapped in a robe.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Suddenly, Yona grabbed Valeria’s wrist.
“You’re coming too.”
“Lady Yona?”
Valeria’s eyes shifted to the left again.
Jin found himself oddly amused watching Valeria’s flustered expression.
“By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask, Lailin. What’s your relationship with our kid here?”
“What do you mean… relationship?”
“You’re not lovers, are you? What were you two doing in the forest?”
“No, it was work—”
“Judging by those tear stains, you were having a great time until suddenly a lovers’ quarrel broke out? Kid, you shouldn’t make your partner cry when you’re dating. And Lailin especially shouldn’t make you cry. That could be deadly.”
“You’re misunderstanding, Lady Yona.”
“Got it? I’m serious. I’ll kill you. Even if you’re Samil’s benefactor. Hehehe.”
There was no point in explaining further.
With a snap, Yona spread her arms wide and wrapped them around both their waists.
“Let’s go!”
By the time Jin and Valeria came to their senses, they had already left the Kiken Principality and were enjoying the finest cuisine in another city, shopping, and had even rented out an entire tavern to drink (Valeria just kept watch).
“Hehehe! Honestly, playing with the kid is way more fun than killing people. The drinks taste amazing, right?”
Valeria looked half out of it from Yona’s nonstop chatter and sudden antics, but eventually gave up and let out occasional hollow laughs.
Still, every now and then, she laughed genuinely. In other words, they were spending a day much like ordinary peers.
It was the first time since the Gray Owl Mercenary Corps was wiped out. In his previous life, Jin had never experienced this before meeting Yona. Or rather, he had refused to experience it.
“…So when that big guy turned his back, I cut off his arm. He didn’t scream, but his eyes nearly popped out. Yeah. Lailin, see you next time.”
At dawn, Yona finished explaining how she crippled a recent ‘big fish’ client and sent Valeria off.
Valeria hadn’t said she was leaving before ‘next time,’ but she quietly packed her things.
Watching Valeria shuffle away, exhausted from Yona’s relentless torment, Jin asked,
“Sometimes, this kind of thing isn’t so bad, right?”
Valeria turned and met Jin’s eyes.
“Yeah, I guess. I’m going.”
After Valeria left, Yona’s eyes lit up again.
“Kid, let’s go too.”
“Where all of a sudden?”
“Really to have fun.”
“So all that drinking and partying last night was fake? I had no idea.”
Jin felt a chill run down his neck as Yona smiled slyly.
‘What’s that about? Am I imagining things?’
“Hehe, follow me. I’ll show you lots of fun stuff.”
It wasn’t his imagination.
Since leaving the tavern, Jin had spent two full days playing various ‘games’ with Yona—dagger play, hand axe play, and all sorts of bizarre, terrifying games.
‘…I forgot what kind of person she is. I should’ve known from the moment she said ‘let’s play.’’
Back when he was a trainee, the assassins she sent after him when he came to Samil were just games to her.
So what about now, as a Knight? Over the past two days playing with Yona, Jin had narrowly escaped death several times.
And he hadn’t slept a single minute.
Compared to Jin, who hadn’t slept at all, Yona returned to Samil looking fresh and bright, as if she’d had a good rest.
“Phew…”
Jin’s body felt like lead. His face was pale, and his eyes twitched from extreme fatigue.
‘She’s a pain, but it feels good to have trained properly for the first time in a while. After two days of Yona’s unique killing intent, I still have goosebumps on my back.’
A bitter smile escaped his lips without him realizing it.
If it weren’t for Yona, no one else could have carried such a palpable aura of deadly intent long after leaving.
“Welcome to the Baria Central Teleportation Gate. Please state your destination.”
“Hupester, Karon. First-class cabin.”
“ID verified. Wishing you a pleasant journey.”
The forged IDs Kisu used were flawless—unquestionable anywhere in the world.
He sank into the plush first-class seat and closed his eyes. He needed to rest, even if just a little, before the gate opened. Once he returned to the Garden of Blades, there’d be no time to rest.
But unfortunately…
Jin couldn’t fall asleep.
‘I never thought the killing intent my sister left behind, like a brand, would come in handy like this.’
He hadn’t noticed it the moment he entered the cabin.
But sitting still, he could feel it now—the difference between the aura Yona left behind and the ordinary kind of killing intent piercing through his body.
Normally, he wouldn’t have sensed it—not in this exhausted state. And though it seemed ordinary, the aura enveloping Jin was actually highly refined.
“Teleportation will commence shortly. Due to the effects, passengers may experience headaches and dizziness. We ask all passengers to—”
“Attendant.”
“Yes, sir?”
“Leave.”
“Excuse me? I don’t understand—if I’ve offended you in any way, please let me know.”
“If you’re not on the same side as the passengers, then leave. Those people are assassins sent from the Ghost Valley Fortress to kill me.”
Ghost Valley Fortress—the stronghold of the Ghost Order.
They were the ones commissioned by the elders.