The new monster string was completed without any serious problem. The only snag that I could think of was that the spider was bigger than I imagined, so it was a pain to mix the liquid that was the base ingredient of the string, and it increased the amount of my blood that was needed to be poured into the mix. I got a light anemia at the end of it.

As expected it was impossible to process this amount by myself. Unevenness would appear in the string’s quality if master didn’t help out.

But it was worth it. The completed string’s length reached a hundred meter, and even though its thickness was thinner than my previous string, it was so tough that even cutting it using the black knife was difficult even while my mana didn’t flow through it.

With this string, it should be impossible to sever it midair using blade unless the one doing it was a master swordsman.

I tied the new string to the four new pendulums and tried to use it. The string’s affinity with my String Control skill that had reached level 4 was also great. If it was just 60% than it was now possible for me to change the pendulum’s direction according to my will.

As for the leftover old string.....

「Give me that string.」

「What for?」

Master said that to me two days before my departure. Although I questioned what she was going to do, I handed the remaining ten meter of string to her. Then she crated a short shawl that could be wrapped around my neck with it while also combining it with normal string. Master handed it to me at the morning of my departure.

If I wrapped it around my neck, I think that it could block something like arrow at least. Really....I wondered when would the day come where I was able to repay my debt to master for all that she had given to me.....

「Then have a safe trip,?surly discipleAria. I won’t tell you to not be reckless but, don’t try doing something impossible. You should just live in a way that befit you.」

「Yes, I’m off,?masterSerjura.」

I said farewell to master and departed. I didn’t know whether I would be able to come back here....but, I always planned to go back each time we parted as I said? 『I’m off』 to her.

.

My physical condition had also recovered completely. I calculated that I would be able to make it in time to arrive at the rendezvous place with Viro in one and half a month with time to spare.

I passed through several noble territories from the territory of Baron Seylace to the territory of his caregiver Count Basshu, then I crossed the territory of Count Heydale where the north frontier branch assassin guild that I crushed before was located. The Heydale territory had a lot of craftsmen with lively atmosphere before, but now I caught sight of some people who looked ill-bred in the streets. The town felt like that it had lost its vividness on the whole.

Perhaps....Count Heydale previously had secret agreement with the assassin guild here. With the assassin guild crushed, the financial situation and public order here worsened. He must have thought of improving the worsened situation by inviting the thief guild. The count earned money by acting as intermediary between other nobles and the shady assassins while also obtaining connection with those nobles at the same time through that. He must be loathing me very much that even killing me wouldn’t satisfy him for what I did.

But at the same time, the count was also someone who knew the strength of the assassin guild more than anyone else. Because of that he wasn’t actively trying to get involved with me who crushed such guild.

With the influence of a count, he might be able to invent some kind of trumped up charge to imprison me in his territory, but none of the soldier or thief in this area had tried anything with me, not even once.

It was also possible that he wouldn’t try anything in the open and did something using the thief guild instead, but after I crushed the violent thief guild in Marquis Kendras’s territory, the number of attack that came from thief guild had clearly decreased in number, so perhaps this was also related to that.

I went south from Heydale territory to the territory of Margrave Dandall. From there, there were two routes that I could use to head toward the territory of Duke Helton where I would rendezvous with Viro.

I could head southwest from Dandall and passed through a region where Marquis Dans acted as caregiver, or I could head west through a familiar route to Count Taurus’s territory before heading to the territory of Marquis Kendras that had a mine, from there I would head south.

The latter route was cheaper because the number of noble territory I needed to pass was few, but distance-wise the former was slightly closer so this time I picked that route.

When I arrived at the region where Marquis Dans was the caregiver, nearly one month would have passed since I departed and the season would change into early summer. There would be more than half a month until the rendezvous schedule, so I should be able to arrive in time with enough leeway as long as nothing happened.

I had got attacked by thieves and mountain bandits who didn’t know about me sometimes in my travels until now, but rank 1 or 2 wasn’t a problem for me anymore if there were just ten of them.

Come to think of it, ordinary adventurer usually also worked as merchant bodyguard when they travelled long distance wasn’t it?

Such “knowledge” surfaced in my mind for a moment. Such job seemed perfect for me who was able to skip sleeping in exchange of some naps and whose detection range was wide, but thinking normally, there was no way a merchant or company would hire adventurer like me who looked like a kid. I discarded that option without much thought.

In the first place I decided on a month and a half for the rendezvous time with the calculation that I would pass through highway and forest using my legs, so from the start I didn’t have any leeway to take it easy by moving in the speed of horse carriage.

Even so, merchant hired bodyguard because there would be danger in their route. Monster, bandit, and depending on the situation even a pack of stray dog could be dangerous enough.

.

「You appear to be an adventurer. If you don’t mind, can I ask you to guard me until the capital of Helton territory?」

「........」

Someone asked me that question on the highway right after I entered into the territory of Duke Helton.

There was still nearly one week remaining until the promised date with Viro. There was also no message about change of plan at the adventurer guild of Count Sandora’s territory that I passed on the way, so I guessed I would still make it in time even I walked normally from here, but the problem was why this person called out to “me”?

He seemed to be a peddler who was travelling with three other people. Certainly it seemed like they didn’t have any bodyguard but.....

「Why me? You four look strong though.」

The man who called out to me had tanned skin of Cruz people and looked like he was in the prime of his age. He also seemed to be rank 4 from the way he moved. I also couldn’t Appraise the two near the carriage, but I felt that they were considerably strong.

At the very least, something like mountain bandit or low rank monster wouldn’t pose any problem even if the man in front of me fought alone. When I voiced my suspicion, the man sighed with a troubled look.

「I’m not a person of this country. I came from the west to here with the purpose of cultivating a trade route to sell our commodity. I was formerly a knight of Carlfan Empire and I believe that I’m quite strong but, I happened to hear a strange rumor.」

「....Rumor?」

The rumor that the man mentioned talked about an 『old woman』 who was said to make frequent appearances like ghost around here.

I thought that just an old woman shouldn’t be any problem but, it was said that old woman appeared on the highway at night and she would sprint through the street with inhuman speed while scattering “sand”.

「....Sand?」

「That’s right. She run with a speed that is faster than horse while scattering sand as she left..... It seems that she has old woman appearance but, it’s unthinkable that she is a “human”. Perhaps she is a monster that is disguising herself as human but....the problem is that child.」

「........」

The fourth person in their group. There was a child inside the carriage wearing a cloak with its hood blocking her face from view as she looked toward me.

「My daughter is frightened by that rumor..... Perhaps she might get distracted from that rumor if there is a young girl accompanying us....」

「I see....」

In short he wanted to hire me as babysitter rather than bodyguard. I didn’t think that I could do babysitting work but, that child seemed to be a shy person and I would only need to walk outside the carriage.

Certainly there was an odd smell from the carriage that was something usual for peddler. Seeing me sniffing the air, the man took out a small bag from his baggage and handed it to me.

「We’re selling spices from the west. Please take this if you want to give it a try. From the start our objective with this trip is to obtain customer so no need to hold back.」

The small leather bag was filled with several small white grains. It was something that could rarely be found around here but, was this white pepper?

「....If it’s only until the next town.」

「Oo, I’m grateful. Perhaps that child will be able to sleep at night with this.」

The middle-aged Cruz person smiled cheerfully and bowed his head.

We would arrive at the next town tomorrow evening. It wouldn’t affect my schedule much if it was just that far. There was also something that bothered me, so I accepted that request.

.

The request’s content was to protect the carriage and to babysit. The advance payment given to me was three silver coins. It wasn’t that much money, but it was an exceptional amount for an adventurer of my age.

It was babysitting job so I was walking near the carriage, but that child──a girl around seven years old called Sareema would only peek at me from inside the carriage. She never held anything that resembled a conversation with me.

「Forgive her, she is a shy girl.」

The middle-aged man’s name was Naamarud. The slender man was Tahir and the muscular man was Zana. Unlike Naamarud, Tahir and Zana wouldn’t even approach me, so it was pointless even if I knew their name.

While travelling, I asked about the old woman who became the cause for this request.

The rumor had only started since several days ago. Not even a week had passed. It seemed the old woman’s sighting was gradually getting closer to the territory capital and the rumor was circulating between travelers. Naamarud was slightly surprised when I told him that I had never heard about the rumor because I almost never stopped by in any town.

The old woman’s feature was how she looked so old that it was unclear what her age was, and how she could pass through with an unbelievable speed with her posture bending so low and close to the ground. Not only that, a rank 3 warrior once tried to attack the old woman but she easily dealt with him by burying him in sand before running away.

....Was that really human? Perhaps it was a monster just like Naamarud said, but it felt like I knew about that kind of existence. Did I hear it from master’s lesson, or from adventurer guild.....

In the end I couldn’t recall anything. The carriage continued trudging on until it became dark and we camped at the junction where the highway connected with the highway that led to the territory of Marquis Oars.

「We are going to be a bit lavish with our cooking today, so please join us without reservation.」

The taciturn slender man Tahir started cooking in a pot and the smell of unfamiliar spices that were being used in abundant drifted in the area.

I was someone who didn’t have any fixation with food, but I got too used with plain food and wasn’t used to taste that was too thick. Even if this strong scent came from “decent meal”, it didn’t seem like something that would tickle my appetite but, while I was staring at the stew-like food in the wooden bowl that was given to me, a small silhouette suddenly moved.

「Onee-chan....it’s tasty you know?」

「........」

Sareema held out a wooden spoon toward me. It would be too unnatural for me to not eat after they went this far. I accepted the wooden spoon from Sareema’s small hand and scooped the stew into my mouth.

Hm. I see.....

I put the piping hot red stew into my mouth several times. The others were silently watching me eating.

Interpreted positively, what they were doing could be seen as them watching with bated breath whether their guest was able to appreciate the foreign cooking or not.

「....Aria-san, do you like it?」

「........」

I stopped moving after eating almost half of the stew in my bowl. Naamarud quietly asked me. He lightly sighed seeing me keeping my eyes closed and not replying, and then he slowly stood up and approached me.

「Then, good night....”Ash Crowned Princess”.」

*KIINN!!*

Naamarud swung down a scimitar without even radiating any killing intent. My black dagger clashed against it in that instant and a high pitched sound rang out.

「──tsu!」

I kept sitting as my knife lunged out glidingly across the ground. Naamarud deflected it and leaped back.

「....So the drug didn’t work?」

「Who knows? Do you think I’ll answer that question?」

There was no need for me to go through the trouble of enlightening him. In the first place, I wasn’t so trusting that I would simply eat the meal that was cooked by a suspicious group like this.

I soundlessly stood up and took a fighting stance with the black knife and dagger in both hands. Tahir who was still barehanded and Zana who was wielding a short sword surrounded me. ....As expected they weren’t shaken from just this much.

An opponent who called me Ash Crowned Princess with this kind of strength and mettle, targeting my life. Naturally their true identity was easy to narrow down.

「Assassin guild....」

「Indeed. We are from the central west branch.」

Naamarud slightly laughed. The wrinkles on his tanned skin deepened from that.

I once heard that the central west branch of assassin guild was descended from a desert tribe. A lot of Cruz people lived in Carlfan Empire that was surrounded by sea and desert, so I had guessed it to some degree the moment I saw Naamarud.

「As expected from the Ash Crowned Princess..... I heard that it would be troublesome to fight you head on and attempted to kill you with trap but, this can’t be helped. Now then....Ash Crowned Princess, do you have any intention of joining our branch?」

「....Are you screwing around?」

What was he thinking, giving invitation for joining after almost killing me? Naamarud slightly smiled while still being on his guard when I turned a narrowed gaze toward him.

「I’m not screwing around at all, Ash Crowned Princess. If you’re someone who would die just from that then that’s it. Targeting you is simply a matter of honor for the assassin guild. But there won’t be any problem if you become our comrade.」

「You aren’t going to take revenge?」

「It doesn’t matter how many are dead when it happened to another branch anyway. We from the central west branch is a gathering of wanderer and people with nowhere else to go. Our unity is solid. If you join us, we will protect you from the other branches. But....」

Naamarud paused there and stared fixedly at me as though he was peeking into my heart.

「We will have you assassinate a hundred people as proof of your reliability. Of course the targets will be decided by us. You too are someone who have lost any place to belong aren’t you? Don’t you think just that much is cheap to buy trust and a place to belong?」

「........」

Assassination of 100 people. Most likely they were planning to test me whether I could kill good and innocent people just as ordered. But you know....my answer had been decided from the start.

「I refuse.」

「....You’re planning to be hostile toward our branch too?」

My refusal caused Naamarud and also Tahir and Zana to radiate killing intent.

「From the start anyone who get in my way is “enemy”, no exception.」

I easily chose to be hostile toward a branch of assassin guild without any hesitation. I could hear someone gulping for an instant.

「This damn fool....!」

In that instant, Naamarud leaped back even further while still holding his scimitar in ready while Tahir who was standing still without radiating any killing intent stepped forward with a smooth footwork.

「Shih!」

Tahir let out a short breath and his fist struck out. When I intercepted the fist that was unprotected by anything, Tahir used his flexibility to move strangely and deflected the flat of the knife with his bare hand.

Barehanded....hand-to-hand combat huh. His fist struck again and I bent backward to dodge while my hand touched the ground behind me, then I kicked that fist with my blade attached boot.

「Sareema, step back-」

「Yes, Jii-chan!」

So the shyness was also an act. Sareema nodded strongly at Naamarud’s words and retreated toward the carriage.

Naamarud withdrew for some reason despite carrying a short range weapon. Then he threw his scimitar at me who was fighting Tahir. It was as though he didn’t mind even if he hit Tahir with that throw.

Tahir and I dodged the scimitar that approached with whirling sound using the minimal movements. But──

「Tsu!」

The scimitar suddenly changed trajectory and attacked only me. I immediately copied Tahir and struck down the scimitar with my right glove that had magic steel plate incorporated in it.

「Good job dodging that!」

Naamarud yelled that and pulled back his arm. The scimitar that had black string tied to it whirled through the air with that.

It was a weapon with string control just like my pendulum....furthermore the range of his control was wider than me. The scimitar whirled through the air without falling on the ground and then it came attacking once more.

I dodged the two’s attacks while parrying the scimitar with the knife and dagger in my hands. I rolled away from the two while Zana who was just watching simultaneously leaped at me from right above.

「Tsu!」

I intentionally got hit by the fist and used the impact to jump away. Then Zana’s two short swords stabbed deeply into the ground where I was standing.

「GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!」

That man pulled out the short sword that was buried into the ground until its hilt without any trouble and howled like a beast. ──No, that wasn’t it. Zana’s face was covered with animal fur. He was transforming into a beast at the blink of eye.

Lycanthrope....a werewolf!

Zana transformed into a wolf that stood on two legs. He leaped with a terrifying speed and swung his two short swords at me. I also swiftly pulled out a knife and threw it, but the small throwing knife got deflected by Zana’s fur.

Lycanthrope was a general term for human who could transform into animal shape, but originally it was another name for werewolf. Normally werewolf blended among normal people and lived normally, but they could also change into animal form like this and attacked other people.

It was said that this phenomenon was caused by curse or by disease but the right answer still hadn’t been found. That animal nature also couldn’t be controlled so they were classified as monster, but to think an assassin guild picked up one like this.

*CLANG-!*

Even I could block Zana’s short swords my with my dagger and knife, but his muscle that was strengthened by his beast transformation easily sent someone light like me flying.

Tahir aimed at that moment and closed his distance with me. Naamarud threw his scimitar from Tahir’s shadow. Before he controlled the scimitar’s trajectory, a crossbow’s arrow flew out from the “darkness” of Shadow Snatch that I formed.

「Sorcery-!?」

The arrow was fired from pitch black darkness and from right below, and yet Naamarud still managed to dodge it. This was why a veteran rank 4 was troublesome. It was mostly pointless even when I took them by surprise.

「Guh」

But, Tahir became alone during that time and I deflected his arm while leaving a shallow gash on his side. Zana covered for him and my weapons clashed against his short swords and I got sent flying once more.

「........」

Now then, what to do.....

A rank 4 swordsman who used string control, Naamarud.

A hand-to-hand fighter who was rank 3 but had strange movement, Tahir.

A werewolf who obtained physical ability that far surpassed me by transforming into a beast, Zana.

These three should be able to kill even a rank 5. It seemed the central west branch was very wary of me.

Naamarud and the other two surrounded me from three direction so I couldn’t get away. They slowly shifted position in clockwise direction.

They weren’t opponents who were beyond my means if I fought them one on one, but taking on the three of them simultaneously would require splitting them up temporarily. I would need some kind of “impetus” in order to do that.

I had laid the groundwork for that. But, it still hadn’t showed any effect. As I started thinking what should I do in that case──

.

『──hihihihihi──』

.

「「「!?」」」

A strange “laugh” came from the dark highway. A “shadow” came approaching from far ahead and diverted the attention of the assassins slightly.

I should attack in that opening but, I was also slightly taken aback by how abnormal that “object” that appeared was.

There I saw the figure of a small 『old woman』 running toward us on all fours through the dark highway with immense speed. ....So that rumor was true?

「Gaaah!?」

Zana was bewildered from how strange that sight was and threw his short swords. But astonishingly, the old woman easily grabbed them from the air and tossed away the short swords behind her while making an immense sandstorm to blow using bizarre mana.

「Tsu!」

The assassins and I immediately retreated in that moment. But perhaps Tahir was unable to sense mana. He got dragged into the sandstorm and the old woman attacked him.

.

▼Old Woman？　Race：？？？

【Magic Power：３６５／４２０】【Stamina：１７３／１８４】

【Combat Strength：１５９８（With Body Strengthening：１９９２）】

.

What was....that? The instant I thought that, the necessary information surfaced from that woman’s “knowledge”.

An old woman moving in high speed, combat strength and high magic power that were unthinkable for human, and then how it called for sand. Perhaps it was.....

「....”Apparition”?」

It was an existence that was like in the middle between being a spirit and a monster. In that woman’s previous life, it seemed that she was living in a terrifying world where such monsters were prevalent.

But even so what I had to do hadn’t changed. I instantly switched my line of thought and used Stealth before leaping into the sandstorm to hide in it. I sneaked behind Zana who was on his guard due to the sandstorm blocking his sight.

「GAAAAAAAAAAAAA!」

Zana might have detected me from smell. He howled while turning around and attacked with his fangs and claws in the place of the short swords that he had thrown.

My knife was deflected by his fur. The black dagger might be able to stab him if I put some force behind it, but I didn’t even need to go that far just to deal with you alone.

「Gah!?」

I created the Storage’s entrance on my palm and dumped out the stew that I pretended to eat. The “door” of the Storage could be created as long as there was shadow. The stew that I pretended to eat was stored into Storage from inside my mouth. Now I dumped it into the mouth of the wolf that was opened wide.

「Guooo....」

Most likely it got a powerful sleeping drug mixed in. Zana staggered backward and the weight type pendulum that I swung down in that timing smashed through his skull.

My knife got deflected must be because of the Thrust Resistance that beast type monster had, but with this it should work. But, a werewolf with high stamina and durability didn’t die yet even after that.

「Ash Crowned Princess-!」

Naamarud had finally caught sight of us inside the sandstorm and threw his scimitar to interrupt me. I had seen your technique several times. That was why, good timing....I was just thinking that I lacked “weight” to kill Zana.

「What-!?」

The string of Naamarud’s scimitar and the string of my pendulum were entangled with each other. The “weight type” that had the weight of the scimitar added to it crushed Zana’s skull from right above.

「Gah....」

Zana left behind a weak groan and his completely crushed head burst with blood spraying out together.

「Damn you-!!」

Naamarud threw away his scimitar because it was entangled with string and even got used to kill his own comrade. He picked up Zana’s fallen short sword.

*CLANG-!*

「Guh!」

Unlike me who was only level 4 in String Control, Naamarud was rank 4 even in close quarter combat. He was in advantage here. But, Naamarud’s movement had worsened compared to the beginning that he couldn’t even overwhelm a rank 3 like me from this close.

It was only because the person himself didn’t notice how his movement had worsened that I won in the battle of String Control skill. I was finally able to overcome even you.

「──Pain──」

「Gigya!」

It seemed that you guys tried to cover up the smell of powerful sleeping drug using spices but, I myself had mixed in drug into the pot that Tahir used to cook using Shadow Snatch.

It was a powerful muscle relaxation drug, but it still showed effect even after it was boiled and became vapor. In exchange it took time until the effect showed, but without that, a rank 3 like me wouldn’t consider fighting head on three assassins who had a rank 4 among them.

「Guaaaaaaaaaaah!」

I left a deep gash on Naamarud’s neck until his chest after he stiffened from the intense agony of Pain. But, Naamarud too bent his body slightly even in his current state and avoided getting lethally wounded.

In that case I just needed to keep attacking if he wouldn’t die just from one attack! I raised my dagger with such intention, but a small silhouette barged in between us at that moment.

「Stop-! Don’t kill Jii-chan!」

The girl, Sareema who retreated to the carriage spread out her arms to cover for Naamarud. The protected Naamarud grimaced painfully in his dying state.

「Sareema....」

Naamarud reached out with his trembling hand. In that moment──

「Eh....」

A knife that was kept in Naamarud’s sleeve shot out toward me. I used Sareema who got my string entwined on her as shield to block it.

「You-!」

「Onee-chan....why....」

Sareema looked up to me in a daze with a knife planted in her back. I looked down coldly at her.

「My bad but, I have smelled the “scent of death” many times before.」

The cause of my suspicion to this group wasn’t Naamarud’s race or the behavior of Tahir and Zana. I also used poison without any hesitation only because the “scent of death” that I smelled from this little girl.

Most likely that excessive amount of spices wasn’t just to cover up the smell of poison. It was used to erase the scent of death from this Sareema.

「....This little girl-」

Sareema exposed her true nature and her lovely face distorted into an animalistic face as she bared her fang.

Vampire huh..... This was my first time seeing one but I had also learned about them from master’s lesson. They were monster that could live semi eternally by sucking human blood and obtaining the dregs of soul in that blood, but apparently some of them were also being treated as citizens in the country of the evil race.

A werewolf and a vampire....I heard that they were a gathering of wanderer but, this was just too unprincipled, assassin guild.

「Die-!!」

Sareema’s blood colored claws lengthened and she attacked with a speed that was unthinkable for a child’s body. Vampire had strong regeneration power and the wound on his back had already closed too.

I deflected her claws with my knife while leaping back, but although I had given up on finishing off Naamarud, it didn’t mean I was running away from Sareema.

「──hihihih──」

「Guoh!?」

The next moment, the “old woman” who had beaten up Tahir attacked this way too. Naamarud who was late to escape got hit and sent flying.

「Naamarud!」

Sareema who saw that sight reflexively turned around. I see, what they -->>

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