The Former Assassin Becomes a Noble Lady

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“There’s no need to overthink it. Most of the ones crawling out from the forest are just the dregs anyway.”

Anne, who was standing next to me and dragging her absurdly large Great Sword along, chimed in. Just as Emma suggested yesterday, we were currently on our way to hunt down the Demonic Monsters that had come down from the Forbidden Forest toward the City.

“But isn’t it better to just leave it to the adventurers instead of going ourselves? I heard there’s government funding for that.”

I asked out of pure curiosity, not because I was too lazy to go. The head of the expedition, Emma, along with her direct line, Anne and Ian, were participating in the hunt. Naturally, it made sense for knights to accompany her, given the head was involved. Of course, not the entire knight order came, but as more soldiers joined in line with those knights, the size of the extermination team inevitably grew. It almost seemed excessive at this point.

Suddenly, my eyes caught Emma, the practical head of the expedition, walking in front without riding a horse, casually strolling along as she handed her enormous Great Sword to Dylan, who was walking beside her.

“That’s true, but requests to exterminate these dregs aren’t that popular, you see. The pay seems reasonable, but you can safely say there won’t be any chance to acquire artifacts like in dungeon explorations.”

“So it’s a one-shot deal, huh?”

Anne nodded in agreement with my words.

“Exactly. Of course, adventurers who aren’t capable of entering dungeons have no choice but to take on these extermination requests.”

As Anne mentioned, the level of adventurers participating in the extermination team didn’t seem particularly impressive. Sure, my standards had risen after seeing many capable individuals, but even taking that into consideration, it was still underwhelming.

“And, we need to show our faces from time to time to avoid any chatter. After all, House Klain is the family responsible for defending the City.”

I wondered how far we had walked. Just as we distanced ourselves reasonably from the City, Emma and the knights in front halted.

“Alright. Let’s set up camp here for now.”

At Emma’s command, the adventurers and soldiers began bustling about. It was practically a forward base but didn’t have to adhere to any particular shape. They just lit a few campfires and set up a couple of tents. Some adventurers even chose not to set up tents at all and sat around the campfire instead, likely thinking they’d rather catch a few winks uncomfortably than bother with tents for what seemed like a straightforward request.

“Oh, thank you.”

A tent had been erected for me and Anne as well. We didn’t set it up ourselves; two soldiers came over and did the work for us, finishing it efficiently as if they were familiar with erecting such small tents.

I peeked inside to see it was spacious enough for the two of us.

“Attention!”

Instead of the knights who stood next to Emma, Ian stepped forward, raising his voice to grab everyone’s attention. Those who were a bit further away approached to hear what he had to say.

Realizing the expedition’s focus was gathered, Ian took a step back instead of saying something. Emma then climbed onto a makeshift podium that had been hastily set up before her. Let’s just ignore that Emma’s eye level was barely on par with Ian’s at that moment.

“Today, we will wipe out the Orc tribe settled at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. According to reports, the number of Orcs is about fifty. They shouldn’t be in the triple digits.”

That level suggested a tribe was just starting to settle. The term ‘tribe’ was even a bit generous; it could merely be seen as a village. There would be unlikely no Orc King commanding tens of thousands of Orcs appearing every few decades, but it was more probable that an Orc shaman was running the show. Given the fact that they were pushed back to the Boundary Forest rather than the Forbidden Forest, it was conceivable that not even a shaman was present.

“Remember that you are also members of Balant, and don’t overdo it. It’s more beneficial for all of us if you survive, gain experience, and take down even one more Demonic Monster rather than recklessly putting yourself in danger and dying. So if you feel it’s dangerous, it’s okay to fall back anytime. Honestly, we’ve got enough firepower to handle just a few Orcs, so even if one or two of you retreat, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Emma, surprisingly, seemed to appear often for these exterminations, as the adventurers answered her comfortably with shouts.

“Don’t worry! No one here has ever faced down Orcs without a blade!”

“Haha! Didn’t you get your butt hit by a blind arrow shot by an Orc last time? I remember you waddled around for a while like a duck!”

“Shut up!”

The knights and Emma seemed accustomed to the adventurers’ attitudes and didn’t stop them. Perhaps it was due to Emma’s nature or Balant’s geographic position, but she showed a friendly demeanor toward the adventurers.

“Since you must be tired from walking, let’s finish our meals in an hour and then set out right away. After all, everyone should enjoy a beer or two before the night falls instead of staying up here!”

At Emma’s words, the adventurers seemed to cheer at the thought of beer, beginning to chatter excitedly.

“Alright, disperse!”

At Emma’s command, the adventurers and soldiers began to gather in groups to prepare their meals. Anne and I shifted our steps toward Emma.

“Just wait a moment. The food will be ready shortly.”

I noticed a soldier preparing our meals off to the side. Truly, this must be the taste of power.

“Anne, you go with Ian. I’ll borrow Lady Elysia for a bit.”

“What?! Umm… Ow!”

“I’ve told you countless times to call me ‘Mother’ in official settings, not ‘Mom.’ Seriously, who did you take after…”

“That would of course be… Ow! I didn’t say anything!”

After being playfully hit, Anne tried to say something but received another playful bop from Emma.

“…okay.”

Unable to withstand Emma’s glare, she meekly corrected herself.

“Seriously, it looks like no one’s an idiot.”

“Shut up! I’m not an idiot! There’s nothing I can’t say to my sister!”

While Anne continued to bicker with Ian, a few soldiers brought over some rather decent-looking food to us. It looked like food preserved by magic.

Looking over at the other adventurers and soldiers who were eating what seemed like withered slop or pot stew, it really drove home the notion that this was indeed the taste of power.

*

Swoosh!

I simply slashed down an Orc coming at me with nothing more than a club that wasn’t even a stone axe. In the moment I caught my breath, I looked around, and I didn’t see anyone struggling to take down an Orc.

Anne sliced an Orc in half with her massive Great Sword, while Ian wielded his bastard sword cloaked in gray aura, taking down the Orcs with ease.

Even the soldiers, who were among the weakest, were grouping up to establish their formation and exterminate the Orcs.

And next to me was Emma, watching me swing my sword without lifting a finger. The Great Sword I entrusted to Dylan was now in Emma’s hands.

“Your movements are better than I expected. If it’s a sword, it should be like this. Those so-called Sword Masters are just boring and rigid…”

Emma casually talked trash about the Sword Masters while I slashed down another Orc to keep her company.

“That’s definitely a sword that Anne would like.”

Come to think of it, I remembered that Anne first spoke to me after watching me train. Of course, given Anne’s sociable nature, she would have approached me sooner or later, but it probably wouldn’t have been to the same extent if it hadn’t been for this moment.

“Oh. A shaman, huh? There don’t seem to be any higher-ranking Orcs around, so it must be their leader.”

I told Emma what I had spotted and immediately dashed toward the Orc Shaman. Even if the Orc Shaman were to cast magic, it wouldn’t be a threat to me, but it never hurts to be cautious and deny them even a moment to prepare.

Sure enough, as I charged toward the Orc shaman, he hurriedly moved his hands to cast his spell. Just before my sword was about to cut him down, he finally finished his incantation as he stretched out his hand in front of me. But by then, my sword was already swinging.

“Wait…!”

As my sword sliced through the Orc Shaman, Emma, who had come up behind me, grabbed the back of my collar and shouted.

However, my sword had already cleaved the Orc Shaman starting from his shoulder and, along with the necklace hanging from his neck, bisected his body in two.

And in that instant, a light erupted from the split necklace, engulfing me and Emma.

*

Bright light burst into the view of the adventurers, Ian, and everyone else as they sliced through the Orcs.

Anne kicked the recently defeated Orc aside and scanned the surroundings. The battle seemed to be nearing its conclusion, with the adventurer party felling the last few remaining Orcs.

But they were nowhere to be seen.

The figures of Elysia, who had been at the forefront, and Emma, who had been beside her, were gone.

Instead, at the spot Elysia had occupied moments earlier, there was a newly formed entrance to a dungeon that hadn’t been there before.

Running to where I last saw Elysia, Anne began searching around. She soon found a peculiar necklace that had been cut in half lying on the ground.

While it might not be well-known across the entire continent, any adventurer working in the vicinity would certainly recognize this necklace.

Whether it was forged by the dungeon itself or created by a Demonic Monster that made it its dwelling, this was an artifact that, when broken, would transport the user to the deeper levels of the linked dungeon. Intelligent monsters rarely utilized it as an escape item.

However, while it may be a precious artifact for Demonic Monsters trying to save their skins, for humans, especially in situations like this, it was akin to a cursed item.

A sudden appearance of a dungeon entrance, the peculiar necklace split in two lying on the ground, and the disappearance of Elysia and Emma.

At the very least, Anne wasn’t foolish enough not to grasp the situation. Even more so, she knew exactly what she needed to do.

“Gather up!”

Confirming that all the Orcs had fallen, Anne shouted at the top of her lungs, causing knights, soldiers, and even adventurers who were idly chatting to converge in front of her.

“I command this as the head representative. Ian.”

“Yes!”

Immediate recognition of her words shifted Ian’s expression as he bowed his head, eagerly awaiting her next command. It was an unfamiliar sight given their usual banter.

“Right now, take the adventurers back and gather reinforcements made up of those familiar with the dungeon in place of the knight order. This mission’s difficulty and reward are top-tier; I don’t care how much it costs. It’s urgent, so return immediately and be back by tomorrow morning at the latest.”

“Understood.”

Receiving Anne’s order, Ian began organizing the adventurers and quickly set off. Even the previously nonchalant adventurers had realized the seriousness of the situation and followed behind him without a word.

Next, pointing to one of the knights, she said,

“Establish this place as a forward base immediately. Ensure that we can accommodate at least double our current personnel.”

The knight who received her orders promptly began directing the soldiers. Some began recovering the camp they’d set up, while others started clearing away Orc corpses and leveling the ground.

“You few, take a few soldiers and be on the lookout for any monsters that might approach this area.”

Now all that remained by Anne’s side was Dylan. He was originally supposed to guard Emma, but now she was already missing. Even if it was in a representative capacity, the head of the family was now Anne.

“I’m going to head straight into the dungeon. You stay put, and when Ian returns, start the assault on the dungeon together.”

Without waiting for Dylan’s response, Anne turned to enter the dungeon. However, Dylan blocked her way as she reached the entrance.

“Absolutely not! No matter how much of a warrior you are, it’s dangerous to enter the dungeon alone.”

“Do you really think mere monsters could harm Klain?”

An aura blazing like flames radiated from the Great Sword in Anne’s hand, flickering around as if searching for something to consume.

It was no wonder that House Klain was the family that defended the City from the Forbidden Forest. Demonic Monsters, and even lower-tier Demonic Races, were weak before the true blood of Klain. In any place that wasn’t the Forbidden Forest or the Demon Realm, the monsters inside the dungeon couldn’t possibly harm Anne Klain.

“Don’t underestimate the dungeon. Trust Emma for now.”

But the dungeon was different. Its very nature was akin to an organism, a sentient entity in its own right.

Of course, Anne knew that. She was just denying the reality of having to wait patiently.

“…only until noon tomorrow. If Ian hasn’t returned by then, I’ll slice you down to enter.”

That was the best concession Anne could offer. She planted her Great Sword into the ground before the dungeon entrance and leaned against it.

Dylan showed no signs of being upset at the threat of being cut down, merely staying by Anne’s side.

Thus, with the dungeon before her, Anne calmed the raging aura that looked ready to explode.

She felt frustrated, but for now, all that was left was to wait silently.