Surviving as the Emperor's Assassin

Chapter 12. The Body Remembered.

Around the time the sun crossed the horizon, the patrol duty ended.

I had sternly warned Pol not to talk about me at the guild, but being Pol, I wasn't entirely at ease.

Slightly tense, I finished the patrol request and headed towards the Mercenary Guild.

If my identity had been exposed.

I mentally traced escape routes several times.

Taking Pol along was obviously impossible.

Pol would understand that I could barely manage myself.

Since I always moved with everything necessary to escape, it wasn't a major issue.

Anyway, it was best if I wasn't discovered.

If Pol had made some slip-up, a ominous atmosphere would surely be lingering around the guild.

And when I arrived at the Mercenary Guild.

I realized my worries were utterly pointless.

“So I went, wham!”

“Oh!”

“Like this, pow!”

“Wow!”

Pol, standing in the center of the Mercenary Guild, was recounting something while flailing his fists in the air.

The mercenaries surrounding Pol were engrossed in his story, bursting into cheers intermittently.

“What on earth are you doing.”

The scene was so far beyond expectation that I felt breathless.

“Brother! You're here!”

Pol spotted me and greeted me cheerfully.

“What? Green's little brother?”

“Then is he Lime?”

I ignored the mercenaries' foolish remarks.

“Explanation.”

I decided to let out the sigh that had risen to my chin after hearing Pol's explanation.

“Wouldn't this be my first time as a mercenary? So I asked the other mercenaries how to become one.”

At this point, I sighed and wiped my face.

Being a mercenary doesn't require any special qualifications.

Pick up a weapon, say 'I'm a mercenary,' and you are one from that moment.

The Mercenary Guild merely provides a place for such mercenary riffraff to gather.

“They said to become a mercenary, I had to defeat another mercenary here.”

Pol pointed to a shifty-looking mercenary with a bruised face.

As if that would be true.

If one had to defeat an existing mercenary to become one, the standard for becoming a mercenary would continuously rise over time.

Maintaining such a foolish policy would quickly make the profession of mercenary disappear from the world.

“I won.”

And you actually won. Well done.

Well, having learned the sword from Luke Ivers, the Sword Saint's disciple, his skills likely weren't lacking.

“After that, everyone started asking me all sorts of things, so I was just explaining my life story a bit.”

The situation just now finally started to make some sense.

“It was amazing. Not just the skill, but the story too……”

“It was truly awe-inspiring.”

“It was touching.”

The mercenaries were practically shedding tears while applauding.

“What did you talk about?”

Now even I was curious about what story received such rave reviews.

“It's a story you've already heard, Brother. You'd be bored hearing the same story again.”

“……Right.”

Damn it.

The fact that Pol confided much to Luke Ivers means there are many things I'm supposed to know.

I resent Luke, but what's the point of complaining about a soul that has already left this body?

“Wow, but I didn't know he was Green's little brother.”

“Should have said so earlier. We have a special bond with Green too.”

Special bond, my foot.

It hadn't even been a week since I arrived in Dejong.

My relationship with the mercenaries was exactly at that level.

I could count the ones whose names I knew on one hand, and there were only a few whose faces were somewhat familiar.

Looking at the scene now, Pol seemed much closer to the mercenaries here than I was.

“Compared to Brother, I am a shameful body.”

Pol bowed his head humbly.

Looking at him like this, he seemed like a decent guy.

I could see why the mercenaries liked him.

“Was Green really that great?”

“I thought he was just a simple country bumpkin……”

“Need to re-evaluate Green.”

But this flow wasn't good.

My background needed to remain insignificant.

So that no one would dig into my past and find inconsistencies.

“Just one of the idiots who threw some weight around back home. This kid was one of those who hung around.”

I spoke nonchalantly and put an arm around Pol's shoulder.

Pol flinched slightly, as if surprised by my action.

“Act natural. Naturally.”

I whispered softly, only for Pol's ears.

If I claimed closeness yet showed an awkward reaction to just putting an arm around his shoulder, it would raise suspicion.

“What? That's not what Pol said?”

“Was it all a lie?”

“Give me back my touching moment!”

As I directly refuted the story they had listened to with such interest moments ago, complaints poured from the mercenaries.

“It wasn't entirely a lie, but…… there probably aren't many people naive enough to believe exaggerated words at face value.”

I led Pol across the Mercenary Guild floor.

This place wasn't suitable for conversation.

“Hmmph. That's true.”

“As long as it was fun, it's fine. Fun is fun.”

“Looking at his skills, it didn't seem like a complete fabrication.”

Mercenaries are the type to talk about fighting a cat as if it were a life-or-death struggle with a tiger.

Perhaps because of their own experiences, they readily accepted my words.

“We'll just go chat for a bit. We have a lot to catch up on since we haven't seen each other in a while.”

Reaching the entrance, I waved at the mercenaries.

Fortunately, no mercenary stopped us.

* * *

“Hey. Can't you just stay still for a bit?”

Reaching a spot slightly away from the Mercenary Guild, I gripped Pol's shoulder.

“Brother's arm around my shoulder……! Twice in one day! I never thought such a day would come in my entire life……!”

Tears were about to spill from Pol's round eyes.

He seemed so moved that my words weren't even registering.

Calling each other Brother and younger brother, yet never even put an arm around his shoulder?

What kind of relationship is this?

“Hey. Snap out of it.”

Feeling weary, I snapped my fingers in front of Pol's eyes.

“Huck! Sorry!”

Pol's consciousness returned only after the snapping sound exceeded ten times.

“Don't attract unnecessary attention. I'm hiding here. If the Imperial army shows up, will you take responsibility? Huh?”

Mercenaries have especially loose lips.

Though grouped under the category of 'mercenary', their sense of camaraderie is extremely thin.

No mercenary thinks they need to keep others' secrets.

Talking to these guys is the same as shouting it throughout the entire castle.

“Then shouldn't we just join the main unit?”

Pol scratched his head, looking like he didn't understand.

“Didn't I say I had things to do here?”

It wasn't that I hadn't considered joining Luke's group.

Even if they were a terrorist group that assassinated the Emperor, they offered solid cover from the Empire's pursuit.

However, there was a serious problem.

‘If Luke wanted to reclaim his body, I'd be helpless.’

How could he possibly have no lingering attachment to his original body?

He's a guy who already swapped his body once.

There was no guarantee he wouldn't try to swap again.

And in that process, my safety wouldn't be guaranteed at all.

Meeting Luke was something to decide after securing the power to protect my own body.

Obtaining the mercenary tag to solidify my identity as 'Mercenary Ben' was part of that plan.

“You won't even tell me what it is……”

“Is there any reason I have to tell you?”

It might sound like I was arbitrarily stonewalling, but this kid, accustomed to being ignored, would likely accept such treatment as natural.

“That's true. Brother as usual……! You're so cool!”

See?

It's not that I hold a grudge against this kid or am too lazy to think of excuses.

I'm acting like Luke Ivers to avoid Pol's suspicion.

Really.

“Enough. Don't talk unnecessarily to the mercenaries from now on.”

Getting angry felt pointless, so I lightly smacked the back of Pol's head.

“I won't talk about anything related to you, Brother!”

“Don't talk about yourself either.”

With this kid's intelligence, there was no way he could completely separate stories about me and himself.

If what he said started contradicting what I had said so far, suspicious people would start crawling out from the surroundings.

“Then what should I talk about?”

“The weather, what you ate that day.”

I listed worthless topics one by one.

“While working as a mercenary, I guess you can talk about requests you've already completed.”

Those hiring mercenaries know very well how mercenaries adore bragging about their exploits, so tasks that shouldn't be leaked are specifically assigned to those known for being tight-lipped.

Meaning, tasks generally given to mercenaries are stories that cause no problem even if known around.

“That's no fun……”

I glared at the mumbling Pol.

“……I will do so! I swear!”

Pol's oath wasn't trustworthy at all, but since no problem had erupted yet, I decided to let it go.

This kid still had his uses.

“Swordsmanship, you were going to show me, right?”

Today's main event.

Checking Pol's swordsmanship and seeing if it would be helpful.

“Yes……!!”

Pol's mood instantly lifted, and he bounced on the spot.

* * *

With Pol in tow, I walked straight ahead.

Just in case someone might recognize the swordsmanship, I had scouted a place to avoid prying eyes while patrolling the wall.

A small space atop the wall.

I obtained the right to use it by covering one night guard shift.

Since I'd be killing time up here anyway, it was no loss for either party.

The sky darkened as the sun completely disappeared.

However, the moon was bright, posing no problem for visibility.

“Alright, give it a swing.”

I settled down and gestured to Pol.

“Isn't it sparring today?”

Pol tilted his head, looking puzzled.

“Sometimes you see better watching from the side.”

Luke must have been a practical combat type.

But sparring was impossible for me, as clashing swords might immediately reveal my lack of skill.

It was close even when we first met earlier.

If we had clashed a little longer, he would have realized I wasn't Luke.

“You must have trained alone while I was gone. Assume there's an enemy, you can do that, right?”

“I trained by sparring with others, but…… Understood! I'll try!”

Pol nodded without thinking deeply.

Calmly drawing his sword, he took a stance.

Pol's constantly changing expression vanished.

Infinitely serious eyes focused on a point in the void.

And, the sword shot forward.

A bluish light covered the sword.

Not moonlight.

The sword itself was emitting light.

It's a common phenomenon when using the power called mana here.

Pol was using mana naturally.

‘Usually, only knights who underwent repeated training, or veteran mercenaries, should be able to use mana…….’

Proof that Pol's level was higher than expected.

I understood why Luke said Pol had a talent for the sword.

Blue trajectories embroidered the night sky several times.

After swinging the sword in the air for a long while, Pol's movements ceased.

In the exact posture of having thrust the sword into an enemy.

“……What parts should I fix?!”

Pol asked, panting for breath.

“Hmm……”

Honestly, I didn't know.

I felt a nagging tick in my head, but it was difficult to articulate what was wrong.

“Let's see.”

Somehow, a sword was in my hand.

My body heated up.

Showing clumsy swordsmanship in front of Pol might reveal that I wasn't Luke Ivers, yet…… I couldn't resist swinging the sword.

To put it simply…….

‘That’s not how you do it.’

I pictured the swordsmanship Pol had demonstrated in my mind.

Following it, my body moved on its own.

And, strangely, the problems I had sensed became vividly clear.

“Here, the elbow needs to go higher.”

Filling in the lacking parts.

“The wrist shouldn't bend.”

Correcting the flawed parts.

“Erase the hesitation from the sword path.”

Not just movements, but even emotions, finding the correct answer.

After fully executing the series of sword movements, I realized the sword I held was also enveloped in the light of mana.

And, my eyes met Pol's, who was sending me a gaze full of admiration.

“Hmm.”

So this works?