Side Story 6: The King of Assassins
The Holy Land, Crossbridge.
There was a person who was called the king in this place, which was known as the headquarters of the Order.
The Holy Land was ruled by the great divinity and the Holy Emperor, but everyone in the Holy Land praised him as the king.
It was not only the people of the Order who belonged to the Holy Land.
Today, another outsider came to the Holy Land and knelt before the king.
“…What do you want?”
The Fifth Apostle, Daniel Hesrof.
A young man knelt before the apostle of the Order, who was known as the ‘King of Assassins’ by everyone in the world.
Daniel stopped his steps and looked at the unfamiliar young man.
The young man was covered in dirt and had a haggard face as he looked up at Daniel.
It was obvious that he had gone through a long journey to reach the Holy Land.
The young man, who looked at Daniel with a shabby hat, soon opened his mouth with a desperate voice.
“Please… please teach me!”
“What do you want me to teach you?”
“I want to learn from you, Daniel, who is called the King of Assassins! Please bestow your teachings upon me!”
Seeing the young man who asked for his teachings, Daniel sighed deeply and looked at him.
Daniel had been away from the fight for a long time since the Order took over the Holy Land.
Now, he even left the training of the newcomers to others, and he was only taking care of the animals and processing the meat.
Especially, most of the meat that went to the great beings or the apostles were superior products that passed through Daniel’s hands.
Daniel was satisfied with his life now.
He didn’t want to act like an assassin anymore.
“I am now nothing but a farmer.”
That was why Daniel recently called himself a farmer.
He thought that he had no reason to fight himself anymore.
He had given up everything and returned to the life of a farmer who raised livestock.
There were many people who asked for his teachings like the young man in front of him, but he didn’t want to take any more disciples.
When Daniel told the young man his identity with sincerity, the young man started to say something that Daniel didn’t expect at all.
“I know very well that you are a farmer who sows blood instead of seeds, and harvests human heads instead of grains!”
“What the hell…?”
“Ultimately, for you, Daniel, who is the King of Assassins, human heads are nothing more than grains.”
Daniel looked at the young man in front of him with half-crazed eyes.
He just said he was a farmer, but what the hell was a farmer who harvested human heads?
The title of ‘King of Assassins’, which became dangerous in a different sense from the Silent Butcher, made Daniel unable to think.
If this goes on, he might end up being branded as a human butcher without any resistance.
Daniel decided to make up a plausible story and send the young man away.
“What does it mean for an assassin whose identity is revealed? The ‘King of Assassins’ is nothing but a hollow story.”
“Ah… so that’s why you call yourself a farmer…”
“Yes. I am now nothing but a farmer.”
Did his sincerity finally reach the young man?
The young man nodded his head as if he understood something.
It seemed like he finally understood what he was saying.
When Daniel tried to send the young man away, the young man who was nodding his head alone raised his head and spoke to Daniel.
“Hide the face of an assassin in a background that no one would expect… That’s a brilliant idea.”
“…”
“Some fools even brag about being assassins with their own mouths… But we should hide in the shadows created by the light.”
What did he understand from the previous conversation?
The young man’s appearance in Daniel’s eyes became even more dangerous than before.
He seemed to not listen to what people said.
Even if Daniel talked a hundred times, the young man would twist it as he pleased.
It might be better to show him once with his eyes than to talk a hundred times.
Daniel made a suggestion to the young man who was kneeling.
“…Follow me for today.”
“Daniel…!”
“And judge for yourself with your own eyes. What kind of being I am now.”
He would realize it if he followed Daniel all day.
That he was not doing the work of an assassin now.
And that he was more sincere than anyone else in the work of a farmer.
He would make the young man understand by showing him everything.
That was Daniel’s plan for today.
Daniel Hesrof’s first task.
It was to feed the livestock in the farm.
“This is the barn where the meat that is consumed in the Holy Land is procured and processed.”
There were countless livestock gathered in Daniel’s farm, which was located in Crossbridge.
He had received permission to raise livestock in one of the places where the six temples used to be.
The bigger the farm for raising livestock, the better it was for Daniel.
He was very satisfied with it.
It felt like a blasphemy to run a farm in the place where the temple used to be, but Daniel decided not to care much about it since he had a god who came down to the earth behind him.
“You can think of the whole area around here as a farm.”
“This place is so wide and it’s all yours… No one would think that there is an assassin hiding in this place.”
“There is no assassin in this place.”
The disciples who followed Daniel had already grown up and left long ago.
He only taught them two things: how to cut off the breath in one strike and how to move quietly.
But still, his disciples came to thank him for his teachings.
They also achieved remarkable results in their own ways.
Now, they were independent and running their own training centers for assassins.
“…Is that so?”
“Yes. There is no longer an assassin here.”
Daniel threw hay into the cages of the livestock and spoke to the young man.
The only ones left in the farm now were Daniel, the farmer, his wife, and a few believers who helped him.
There was no one among them who could be called an assassin.
They only cleaned or helped with the operation of the farm, the meat that Daniel raised and slaughtered.
They were all people who were not much different from Daniel now.
“Do you want to try feeding them hay?”
Daniel asked the young man as he handed him the hay he was holding.
The young man nodded and took Daniel’s hay.
He fed the hay to the cows that filled the barn, just as Daniel had done.
Moo. Moo.
The young man marveled at the sight of the cows eating the hay.
He seemed to have no experience of feeding the cows in front of Daniel’s eyes.
“They eat well.”
“I feed them every day to fill their stomachs, and when the time comes, I send them to where they belong. That’s my job.”
“That’s a very thought-provoking statement.”
The young man, who was feeding the hay to the cows, seemed to recall something and stood still in his place, lost in thought.
Daniel watched him for a while, then moved his steps again and started to spread the hay.
There were many livestock in the farm besides the cows.
It took a long time to feed them all.
Even if the nameless young man followed him, he had to take care of the livestock in the farm as always.
No matter what anyone said, Daniel Hesrof was a farmer.
‘He will realize it when everything is done.’
Even if the cumbersome name of ‘King of Assassins’ followed him, his essence did not change from being a farmer.
And his purpose today was to make the young man realize that fact.
***
Daniel’s second task.
It was to slaughter the livestock and get the meat.
A considerable amount of meat was consumed every day in Crossbridge.
And it was Daniel’s job in the Holy Land to get the meat that would go to them.
“Before slaughtering, you have to clean your body.”
“Is that so?”
“Also, you have to be careful not to get any dust on the meat. It’s a tribute to the great being, so you can’t neglect any work.”
The best quality meat that Daniel slaughtered was the one that went to the great being and the apostles.
A tribute to the god who manifested on the earth.
It was a thing that was offered to the most noble being than any other, so Daniel was careful about the slaughtering process.
Especially, the hygiene of the equipment he used was something that he could never overlook.
“Indeed… Not leaving any trace is one of the basic skills of an assassin.”
“…”
“I will follow your teachings and do it as cleanly as possible.”
Even if he came to learn, he couldn’t enter the slaughterhouse with a dirty outfit.
The young man took the clothes that Daniel gave him and washed his face and bathed, getting rid of his shabby appearance.
He looked like a completely different person with a neat appearance.
Daniel took the young man who had changed his clothes and entered the slaughterhouse.
There was a pig that he had prepared in advance waiting for him.
“This is today’s tribute.”
“Are you going to kill it yourself?”
“I think it’s the greatest respect I can give them to send them off comfortably without knowing their own death.”
As he said that, Daniel took out a slaughtering knife from his waist.
The sharp knife reflected the sunlight and flashed once in the air.
Thud. Thud.
Daniel’s steps with the slaughtering knife moved toward the pig that was tied up.
He looked at the tribute that would go to the great being and spoke to the young man who followed him.
“I don’t kill humans anymore. I just slaughter animals.”
What Daniel said to the young man was the truth without a trace of lie.
Right after that, Daniel’s knife moved.
Swoosh!
With a short recoil, Daniel’s knife went deep into the pig.
The pig that was hit by his knife collapsed without even screaming properly.
The young man clapped his hands and said, admiring Daniel’s skill.
“That was a very elegant and beautiful technique.”
“By now, you should have understood the meaning of my words.”
“Of course. As expected… You only choose to execute those who are less than animals. There are countless people in the world who are worse than the pig that just died.”
“…”
“But even if you make slaughter your business, you can’t let go of the weight of life. That’s a great statement. I have more things to think about this time.”
Daniel couldn’t understand what the young man was saying.
He felt like the conversation was getting deeper into the maze.
Instead of answering the young man’s words, Daniel started to drain the blood from the pig.
He had to prepare the meat by the set time, regardless of the young man’s learning.
“I think I know why you are called the ‘King of Assassins’.”
Daniel sighed inwardly and left the young man alone, looking at the dead pig.
Was it the right choice to allow the young man to learn?
It was a story that the fifth apostle couldn’t easily conclude in his head.
***
Even after the slaughter, Daniel’s tasks continued.
He offered the meat to the great being.
He met the first apostle and talked about the situation of the great being.
He met the archbishop, who had now risen to the position of the Holy Emperor who ruled the whole Holy Land, and prayed.
As always, there were many tasks that waited for Daniel.
And behind those many tasks, there was a young man who came to learn from Daniel.
“Are you having any trouble?”
“It’s fine. I’m grateful enough to be able to follow and learn from you, Mr. Daniel.”
The last thing that marked their day of work was the same as the first: feeding the livestock.
Daniel returned to the barn and fed the animals, while observing the young man who had spent the day with him.
He was still watching Daniel’s actions with a serious expression.
He held the feed for the animals in one hand.
The young man had helped Daniel with his work as much as possible while following him.
He did not do anything sloppily, even when he was assisting Daniel.
If it weren’t for the young man’s habit of adding a comment every time he saw what Daniel did, Daniel would have been satisfied with the day.
“We have some meat left from the slaughter today. How about we have dinner together when we finish?”
“It looked like a delicious meat. I won’t refuse, then.”
Daniel decided to treat the young man with some of the leftover meat.
They finished feeding the animals quickly, and then Daniel prepared the meat skewers himself.
He planned to grill the meat over a fire, after putting various vegetables and meat alternately on the skewers.
Thanks to the young man’s help, the skewers were ready soon, and they sat facing each other on a hill at the corner of the farm.
From the farm located at one corner of Crossbridge, they could see the splendid night view across the bridge every night.
The scenery around the Imperial Palace, where the Emperor and the Divine Seat resided, was always dazzling.
“It’s a nice view.”
Crackle. Thud.
The young man said, looking at the sight of the holy land shining beyond the burning fire.
After the great being descended to the earth, the holy land had transformed into a very beautiful sight.
The night view of the Imperial Palace was also one of those sights.
“Yeah. It’s a nice view. My wife likes this scenery too.”
“Your marriage is famous in the holy land.”
“It’s embarrassing to say it myself.”
As Daniel and the young man looked at the night view of the holy land, a savory smell reached their noses.
Daniel took one skewer for himself and one for the young man, and handed one to him.
“It’s probably cooked by now. It’s better to eat it.”
“It smells delicious. I’m looking forward to it.”
Daniel nodded and bit a piece of the skewer.
As he ate a piece, the rich juice and the meat flavor filled his mouth.
The meat was in a very good condition.
The young man seemed to think so too, as he looked at Daniel and said something similar.
“This is a really great meat. It’s hard to find this level of meat in our country.”
“That’s too much praise.”
The young man, who praised the meat used for the skewers, soon ate the skewers at a fast pace.
He finished all the skewers and quickly picked up another one.
He seemed to be quite hungry.
Daniel watched him eat the skewers, and asked him a question that came to his mind.
“Do you still think I’m the ‘King of Assassins’?”
“Of course not. You are not the ‘King of Assassins’, Mr. Daniel.”
It was a different story from what the young man had said so far.
It was the first time he said something negative.
Daniel smiled faintly at his words and replied.
“······You must have felt something.”
“You should be the ‘Emperor of Assassins’, Mr. Daniel. Unlike the assassins who became arrogant with their achievements, you still adhere to the most important principle.”
“······.”
“I was sure that the rumors about you didn’t even capture half of the truth today.”
He thought the young man had finally accepted it, but it was all Daniel’s misunderstanding.
Rather, the young man seemed to be more impressed than before.
Hoo-.
Daniel sighed briefly and looked at the young man, asking his name.
“What’s your name?”
“I’m the heir of the assassin family of Hegros Kingdom, the Plaid House. I’m Reckon Plaid the Fourth.”
“······Assassin family?”
“I learned a great lesson from the one who reached the peak in a short time.”
The young man threw the skewer he had eaten into the air.
The skewer, thrown at a fast speed, pierced deeply into a nearby tree.
It was a skill that could not be shown unless one was well-versed in assassination.
Even Daniel couldn’t do such a feat.
The young man, who showed an impossible skill, bowed politely to Daniel and said.
“I will never forget the lesson you taught me today.”
“······.”
“King of Assassins, Daniel Hesrof. I hope to be a worthy disciple of you someday.”
Daniel looked at the skewer stuck in the tree and sighed again, looking at the sky.
A short day with the heir of the assassin family.
Daniel also felt that he would never forget today’s events.
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