Chapter 44 – Assassination Family Raven (2)

Cian Crow, currently Cian Raven, was originally from the Crow family, a branch of the Raven family.

The Raven family, which is in charge of the empire’s dirty work, has a position similar to that of a duke, but does not actually have a title.

Also, everyone knows that the Raven family is a family of assassins, but they were reluctant to mention it directly in front of family members.

Although the Assassin family is not allowed to exist in the Empire, the Empire allows its existence under the authority of the Emperor, and the Raven Family places two conditions on accepting assassination requests.

First, the reward for the request is your life.

Money, jewels, and power have no value.

If you want to ask an assassin to assassinate you, you have to sacrifice your life.

There are two exceptions, but very few people can use them.

Second, the additional request made by the emperor while acknowledging the Raven family is valid.

You must prove that it is not a misunderstanding that you want to take revenge on the other person by killing them, but that the target is clear.

If you bring blood traces or a collection of evidence and rumors, the Raven family will investigate and execute.

For example, nobles who looked down on the first condition attempted to kill a political opponent using the life of a servant, and the noble was killed by an assassin from the Raven family.

This is because if you try to harm another person’s life, you have violated the first condition: you must risk your own life.

And the second condition, validity, is also the reason why the Empire is currently treating it as a dog on a leash, and although the Raven family is an assassin family, it is no longer an assassin family.

In some ways, the condition of replacing life with life was too easy an equivalent exchange, so people were dying every day.

The emperor, who could not see that, issued an order to conduct a proper investigation to find out whether the other person’s death at the cost of his life was necessary.

For example, if someone stole money, the child was asked to find out whether the money was just money for food or for a family member’s hospital expenses.

In the past, even if the money was money to buy food, if you sacrificed your life for the Raven family and wanted to kill them, they would kill you, but now you have the authority to refuse.

The Crow family, a branch of the Raven family, was in charge of such investigations, and I became a member of the Raven family because of one thing that made me special as a member of the Crow family.

【Skill: Shadow Mastery (F)】

【The shadow leaves no trace.】

【One. Shadow Craft: Materializes shadows.】

‘I learned it in reverse.’

There was an order to the vision skill Shadow Mastery passed down in the Raven family.

First, learn the basic stealth technique of assimilating with the shadow.

Next, you learn the ability to add physical power to the almost magical shadow, and finally, you gain the ability to materialize the shadow.

That’s the normal order to learn Shadow Master, but Cian Raven was learned in the opposite way.

I succeeded in materializing the shadow and was on my way to realizing the rest.

Okay. There wasn’t much of a problem as long as I was learning skills that I could learn someday.

Currently, only the head of the Raven family, the three heads of the family, and myself can use the materialization of the shadow.

‘I think I got screwed by someone from my family because of that.’

It was clear that he had taken poison alone and was pretending to die because something had happened.

If we find that guy and kill him, will we get some answers?

“I’m hungry.”

Even though the poison has been neutralized, he has not regained his original strength, and now he is just a man sitting next to the fountain in the center of the village without money and struggling.

*

It doesn’t come.

I thought someone from the Crow family would recognize me if I stayed still in an open area in the center of the village.

Using the slightly higher assimilation rate, I found the most necessary memories in the current situation.

Should we go to a bar where the Crow family’s intelligence agent might be located? To be exact, it is not a bar, but a home located third on the left from the largest bar.

A little after noon, I went to a bar street on the outskirts of town.

Although the bar was empty without any customers due to time constraints, children were seen using this time to clean the inside and outside the bar.

They are probably orphans with nowhere to go or children born to women who work in bars.

Among the places where such children clean, they went to the largest bar, and to the family home that was third on the left.

A house with a bit of a strange feeling remains, as if it had been dug up on expensive land.

There was a bit of a smell in front because it was full of trash, but it was tolerable.

Knock knock knock

When I knocked lightly on the door, I heard a woman’s voice coming from inside.

“Haaam… I’m not selling the house.”

“Of course, if I sell this house, I’ll be in big trouble. What was it…”

I don’t remember my password.

Even when I was Sian Lee, I couldn’t remember my home password, so I kept swiping my fingerprints, but it seems I’m weak at passwords and passwords.

Should I just use Shadow Craft on the door handle and open it?

“Is it still there?”

“I forgot my password.”

“Haha. What kind of house needs a password?”

Then, footsteps were heard inside, and the latched door opened slightly.

From the outside, it looked like a house made of wood, but it immediately occurred to me that it was full of iron plates inside.

“Huh? Sian…? Mr.?”

Fortunately, it seems like someone knows me.

“Can I come in?”

“Yes. Yes…”

After the door was closed once again, he undid the latch and let me in.

Perhaps because it was completely separated from the outside, there was no longer any foul smell from the garbage at the entrance.

Unlike the shabby interior of the house, there were various books placed inside the neatly organized house.

There were also magic tools for contacting the Crow family, and they don’t seem to be neglecting information collection.

The woman placed the dagger on her table and bowed her head deeply towards me.

“I’m sorry I didn’t notice right away.”

“No. I just forgot the password.”

“Because the Raven family doesn’t really know the Crow branch’s password in the first place…? Ah. Anyway, this month’s password is ‘The white dove was pierced.'”

A white dove was pierced. The password was too specific to be called a password, and Cian Raven’s memories returned a little.

There was a reason why the temple leader kicked me out.

“Currently, the Raven family understands that Sian has gone missing while on a mission. Shall we relay the information to the family?”

“No, I’m going back tomorrow when the warp gate opens anyway. It would be nice if I could surprise the matriarch with my return.”

“I understand that you won’t be surprised. Is there anything you need?”

“Bob, and money to use the warp gate.”

“I will prepare it right away.”

I asked her to get up from her seat and prepare her meal.

“What’s your name?”

“This is Terry Crow.”

“I remember.”

“Thank you!”

She smiled brightly, her black hair like mine flowing, and began to prepare her meal.

Are you saying that I have become a member of the original family even though we are from the same branch?

When I go to my main family, I am treated like dirt, but my branch family doesn’t seem to know that.

Rather than sitting idly by and waiting, it would be important to test your skills.

“Shadow Craft.”

Since it is the vision of the assassin family, there is no need to chant, and although it is a skill that requires no chanting as a basic skill, I muttered softly.

I didn’t think much about the shape, but I ended up with a black dagger slightly larger than my hand.

As it was made using shadows, it was black, and the shape was slightly blurry, but the blade part was alive and well, so I felt that it was not enough to kill life.

I swung the dagger that materialized the shadow in the air.

Not feeling any weight is also a big advantage.

And there was one more skill I was concerned about: the Black Spiritslayer Sword?

I opened the status window and checked the Black Spirit Sword.

【Skill: Black Death Sword (E)】

【The necessary abilities for assassination were refined through swordsmanship.】

【One. Yeongtu (影套): Cover the shadow and make it difficult for others to find you.】

【2. Yeonggeom (影劍): Hides the blade in the shadows.】

Originally, I had to learn the Shadow Masters in order and hide myself in the shadows, but that didn’t work, so I learned them separately.

It seems that the one who assimilates with the shadow and creates thorns from the shadow to pierce the enemy is stronger, but why is the materialization of the shadow the last step?

I thought as I removed the shadow dagger in my hand.

They say that materialization has different advantages than others, and I felt envious of the magical part.

“Sian, the meal is ready. Although it is insufficient, it has been prepared with great care.”

The meal prepared by Terry Crow was the universal food of this world.

Bread, soup and pasta. Maybe it was because I was hungry, but it was quite delicious.

After eating, I asked Terry Crow.

“What is Seongguk’s reaction to piercing the white dove?”

“I sent a letter of protest to the Empire because it is clear that the Raven family was responsible, but I don’t think it will escalate into a war. It was too black to be called a white dove.”

I nodded at those words.

A high-ranking priest of the Holy Kingdom, if you list the sins committed by the person that ‘that guy’ and I went to assassinate, he was a guy who deserved to die.

He molested and killed numerous women, including the younger sister of the man who paid the price, and yet continued his life as a high-ranking priest under the pretext of being able to accept the power of God.

I thought that perhaps the Holy Kingdom sent such a letter of protest because they failed to punish the high-ranking priest’s sins, and that they were rather grateful to us for uprooting the rot.

‘But ‘that guy’.’

We went to assassinate together, but the information about ‘that guy’ was vague.

Perhaps when I go to Raven’s home, I’ll find out why I felt angry towards ‘that guy’.

“I will go out for a moment and then come back.”

“Are you going to stay here the night?”

“Okay. I’ll stay here.”

“Yes. You don’t need a password, just need to hear your voice. And here are the funds for your activity.”

I received three silver coins with 10 written on them.

30 Silver would be quite useful.

“Then I will prepare it before you come back.”

Was there something else I ordered?

Ah. It seems like they are saying that they will prepare the money to use the warp gate.