Chapter 25: Chapter 25 – Assassins

Slowly, I stepped out of the private room. Outside the private room was a corridor that extended to a large area where the normal dining area was located.

My iron sword was sheathed, so I didn't scare the other customers. When I looked out of the window in the corridor, it was already sunset. So that was why they moved.

Also, even when I said to leave it to me, Rania followed closely from behind, and we stepped out together.

According to my skill, the 5 assassins that infiltrated the restaurant were spread around. Two of them were in the normal dining area, and three of them acted like guests of this restaurant.

Their hostility was clear, and that was why my skill detected them.

"There are 20 assassins, probably from the Sin Kingdom, targeting me, the new Paladin. I'd like you to protect the civilians who accidentally got involved in the fight. I'll bait the assassins to the nearby alleyway."

"Alright." She replied shortly. "I'll trust you with the assassin. Please be careful, Arthur."

"Don't worry. I can handle them without any problem."

Thankfully she didn't try to stop me like the usual heroine in some movies or novels. Because she lived in this world, she knew the danger of not trusting her comrade and overestimating the enemies.

I was also stronger than her. It was no exaggeration when people called her the closest to being a Paladin. Looking at her Level alone, she was only 5 levels short of the minimum requirement for her status.

But her <Swordsmanship> and <Holy Magic> may still not be up to the satisfying Lv yet. That was why she knew that I, the Paladin, was stronger than her.

"Well, let's move. I will go out first. The assassins are sitting near the corridor." I pointed in the direction where the assassins sat. "When the two men in that place moved, follow me quietly."

"Got it."

We began to move after she answered. At first, I walked alone toward the exit. I noticed two men wearing casual clothes glancing at me as I passed them. They couldn't escape my senses as I was now at my maximum alert.

One of them dropped a fork, which was probably a way to communicate with the assassins outside as I noticed some of them began to move through my <Presence Detection> radar.

I hid my smile under my hand as I exited the restaurant. The assassins were after me, as I had expected. And surprisingly, I could get their information using my normal <Appraisal> through the information displayed on the radar.

Most of them were level 20, but 3 assassins stood out to me. They were females, and one of them was level 32. It seemed like she was the leader.

'I guess I found my target to interrogate.'

I had many ways to interrogate people. Truth serum, honest pills, illusion smoke, and many more. But from what had happened back in Horizon Online, there was one sure way to get information from people.

'Feed false information and make them think you're their savior. That way, they will become obedient to you.'

Licking my lips in excitement, I stepped into the alleyway not far from the restaurant. I wasn't a sadist, but I had no remorse for my enemies, especially those who came to kill me.

The assassins followed me. I knew they would think that this was their chance to kill me.

This place was dark, with almost no light, as the sun slowly began to hide in the west. All assassins were now situated around the roof of the buildings on my right and left, except for the other two who waited near the alleyway's entrance.

'It's time.'

I stopped moving at the end of the alleyway. It was a dead-end with a high building blocking from three corners.

The assassins near the entrance stepped out from the shadow, showing themselves. They have already changed their clothes to all black. That was fast. I wanted to know how they did it.

"Hey, Mister!" I called out to them as they silently approached me, brandishing the daggers from their backs. I knew their goals. It was to distract me from detecting the other assassins.

But that was too late. And they were too naïve for assassins.

<Flash>

I used a skill derived from my Swordsmanship.

For an instant, my body turned into a lightning flash and disappeared from where I had stood before.

When I reappeared again, I was already behind the two assassins with my blade drawn, blood covered the edge slightly.

"You should just call your friends instead of sneaking around with two people."

As soon as I said that, the two assassins standing before me got cut into a few pieces. Their blood spurted like a fountain as pieces of meat that looked like cubes fell to the ground with a thud.

[Ding! You had killed a person! Your Sins increased by 5!]

[You won't gain Sins from killing a person anymore!]

The other assassins immediately dropped from the roof at once. I looked up at them and ruled out one assassin from my target. Finding her was quite easy, as she had a rather conspicuous body shape that didn't suit being an assassin. A slender waist and a rather big pair of boobs.

They dropped like rain, and each threw a knife at me to stop my movement. However, I easily blocked all of their attacks by swinging my sword down, creating a shockwave that stopped the knives in mid-air.

The assassins quickly changed their weapon to a one-bladed sword behind their back. The blade glistened with a purple liquid.

'They coated it with poison, huh? I guess they wanted to make me unconscious instead of killing me. But…'

That would only work against people in this world. Not for me.

"Useless!"

I took a step forward and used one of my swordsmanship skills.

"<Whirlwind>."

My sword danced, creating blades of wind that cut through the assassins' knives and bodies like butter. Cutting marks embedded deep on the wall of the buildings as their bodies couldn't stop the blades of wind.

They could only let out a grunt before dropping dead with loud thuds like a sack of rice before even reaching me, with the exception of one assassin.

"Die!"

It was the leader of the assassin. She swung her blade at me, which I dodged easily. But she didn't stop there. She immediately pivoted using her leg on the floor drenched by blood and sent a roundhouse kick, which I blocked with my hand.

She kept pushing. Her movement was fast, and each of her attacks was deadly. I would give her 9 out of 10 in terms of beauty in her attacks.

"Hahaha." I laughed as I kept dodging and blocking her attack. I planned to humiliate her until she was tired, dancing around the alleyway filled with her comrade's corpses.

Her mask came undone as I blocked another attack, showing me her tanned skin and beautiful face. Her red eyes widened in surprise as her white hair unruffled alongside her hood. She had a surprised look on her face as her long ears twitched.

This was enough. I had enough fun playing around with her and humiliated her skill. This would show the spy, whoever it was, that I wasn't someone who assassins could kill.

Using the backhanded side of my sword, I delivered a blow to her stomach, lifting her up and causing her to spew out air from her lungs.

"Gah!"

It was a soft blow, so she didn't fall unconscious yet. But then, before her feet could even touch the ground again, I knocked her out with the back of my hand and grabbed her body.

It seemed like I hit her too hard as there was a cracking sound when my hand touched her neck. Her breathing also stopped. Her chest stopped moving as soon as I hit her.

'This is bad.'

"<High Heal>." I hurriedly activated a healing skill to make sure that she was fine. Her breathing returned, and I felt relieved. "Phew, that was close."