Volume 3 Chapter 6 Rewrite

When I saw Tina come in, my pants were still down.

“…”

… This is the male toilet right? There isn’t anyone else around but I remember seeing the male sign before coming in.

“No, wait, wait, why are you here?”

Did she sneak out? Was it a coincidence, or did she follow us the whole way? And why is she wearing a hooded cloak? She’s even holding a dagger in her right hand.

Well the first thing I have to do is to zip up. But then Tina didn’t flinch in the least and grabbed me by the collar.

“Move!” She ordered in a hoarse voice.

“Wh, where to?”

“Quit talking!”

She placed my left arm around my neck and my right around my waist then my left and right legs, and my head. Tina used a very peculiar technique to fold me up, making my vision swirl.

“Owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!”

It hurts! It freaking hurts, so bad that I feel like vomiting everything I’d just eaten but good thing Tina stopped her game soon.

“Out.” She said as she leapt out of a small window in the ceiling with me in tow.

As we passed through the small window, I was smashed into the wooden window sill and my face was cut by the glass shards with one of my teeth broken off. If I could make a voice at all, I would scream but at this time, my left foot was stuffed into my mouth and my right knee stopped my chin from opening wider.

I don’t recall Tina being so athletic. She doesn’t know how to ride a horse, and whenever we skip class and climb the wall, she always falls without my help. Yet now, she has prodigious strength and stamina that has allowed her to carry me and sprint across the roof without even panting.

“Wu wu wu wu wu wu wu wu.”

Something is poking my butt, or so I would like to say. Something doesn’t feel right about all this.

— Tina? Is it Tina?

Is it… Tina?

It was a very bumpy ride and my head smashed into obstacles at least 4 times before the one who carried me stopped. By this time, I had been unfolded and I did my best to force open my swollen eyelids. Because blood had flown into my eyes, it took a lot of effort before I could see my surroundings clearly.

We were in a small alley somewhere. Surrounding us were abandoned houses. The ground was sandy and there were piles of rotting rubbish nearby.

The one who brought me here wasn’t Tina. When she turned to face me, a sharp, scar-ridden face greeted me, along with medium-largeish breasts.

“… Who?”

“The illusion spell has been dispelled huh?” The woman said in a rather ugly, hoarse voice.

“… What did you do… To Tina…” I asked, recalling the green-haired elf’s spell that allowed one to take others’ faces as long as he killed them.

“I don’t know who you saw but it was just an illusion spell scroll that I stuck on my face which makes others see a familiar face instead of mine. Each scroll costs 2 gold pieces and is very popular amongst assassins.” She said as she wiped off the magic formation on her face.

“I’m just doing my work here after collecting money from my client. Don’t bear a grudge against me.”

Without saying any further, she gripped her dagger tightly and stabbed at my vitals.

---

I must remember to thank Alisha.

If it weren’t for her telling me not to die in the toilet, I wouldn’t have thought of sneaking a knife into my trouser pockets as insurance.

The woman was shocked when I blocked her attack but she reacted quickly and pulled away to dodge my counterattack.

Let’s use this opening to assess the situation.

Shuoxue isn’t around so I can’t heal myself. My left leg is broken, and looking at how deft she is, I probably won’t be able to escape. My right arm is probably dislocated and isn’t responding well. My forehead is bleeding and my buttocks are wet as well. I probably can’t last for too long so I’ll have to end this quickly.

“I see,” The woman said as she arched her back approached me cautiously, “You’re a tough assassination target indeed. Looks like buying that illusion spell was a prudent choice.”

“You can still turn back.”

The knife I have has limited durability. It’s already slightly dented from blocking the first attack. If she breaks it, I’m finished so all I can do is to try and dodge her attacks and stab her when I see an opening.

I’ll seize the initiative!

Using my right leg and left arm as support, I charged ag the woman. Her dagger sliced my shoulder and the sound of flesh and skin being sliced filled my ears. It’s fine, it’s not a fatal injury.

What I’m going for is her abdomen but she was very agile and slithered out of my grasp and reach like a snake so all I cut were her clothes, revealing dark-coloured skin.

Fuck! If I had 2 legs, her innards would be flying out by now.

But there wasn’t time to think. I rolled to the side and instinctively blocked the incoming attack as the woman slashed downwards.

The knife was visibly bent by now. Not good, it can’t handle another attack.

She kicked my stomach viciously with her long legs. Uwauwa, I nearly vomitted.

Using the momentum, I leapt up and aimed at her eyes.

I am a man like the wind after all. My legs are fast but so are my hands.

Her dagger was still held out and she wouldn’t be able to keep up without a doubt.

“——– What the fuck!!!”

Instead, I was the one who suffered an attack to my eye.

A long, thin column of flames went past my nostrils, burnt my fringe and took away my left eye instantly. Immediately, my left waist was stabbed and the woman sent me flying with a kick.

The back of my head landed hard against the brick wall but even so I held on to the knife for fear of losing it. The woman hold her torn clothes as she spun her dagger, the fire serpent coiling around its blade.

“This is my wand as well.” She sneered.

“That’s a fucking hack!”

How can you use magic in a physical duel! Bloody hell, even assassins should have standards and morals!

Tears fell profusely from my remaining eye, not because I was crying, but because of the heat from before. After losing one eye, my vision was becoming blurry.

Humans, and many other organisms, have 2 eyes which allow for depth perception, a vital trait. Right now, the one-eyed me isn’t even sure if he can accurately hit his target.

“You lost because of inexperience,” The woman said as she walked over, her dagger burning brightly as she did so, “And magic.”

“… Actually, I know how to do those things as well.”

Magic and the like.

“…?”

When she saw me move, the woman immediately stopped and got into a defensive stance.

But she’s wrong, I’m not getting ready to attack her.

“I just wanted to play around and see if I could defeat you but it looks like I failed.” I said as I picked up the bent and damaged but still usable kitchen knife, “Now then…” And stabbed it into my heart as the woman looked on in utter shock.

*Badump* *Badump*

“Kuh… Let me change hearts before I play with you again.”

---

Lucille, in gratitude of helping to found the nation; Blancoise, in commemoration of undying loyalty to the royal family; Janedeline, a reward for countless military victories; Drewcille, in recognition of sound and just governance. These 4 royal names were bestowed upon the Faburando family by several kings throughout the history of Txarango and enshrined the Faburando family as the most glorious noble family in Txarango. And as its only heir, Tina has inherited this honour. As there are no princesses nor a queen in Txarango, and Deca, the only other noble family that can hold a candle to Faburando, keeps a low profile, so it can be said that Tina is the most exquisite and noble woman in all of Txarango.

Alisha reviewed her information as she spied at Tina who sat opposite her.

… What is she here for?

While Alisha was drinking her drink in a daze, Tina pushed open the glass door and looked about in the restaurant. When she spotted Alisha, she staggered over and sat on Molan’s seat.

It seems like she had walked a lot and when she saw Molan’s untouched drink, she took it and began drinking immediately.

And drank.

And drank.

Up till now, she has not spoken a single word.

“Miss… Tina? You’re Miss Tina right?” Alisha asked timidly.

“Un.” Tina grunted and raised her gaze to look at Alisha.

And she continued drinking.

…

… That’s it? Alisha was caught offguard. At least say something, like what are your intentions in coming here.

It can’t be helped, Alisha thought as she decided to break the silence.

“I am Alisha Rosa Czedtofany and I’m your–” Seems like we hadn’t spoken before, Alisha thought for a moment before concluding, “Classmate.”

“Un.”

“Eh, umm, you came out to look around today as well?”

Tina shook her head.

“I followed you both.”

“Ah? Why? What business do you have with me?”

“…”

“A, are you looking for Molan?”

“Where is he?”

“As I expected. Umm, he just left to go to the toilet and hasn’t come back yet but he should be back soon.”

Tina nodded and continued to drink. Though she’s actually sucking on the straw, the liquid in the cup hasn’t really diminished.

“… Miss Tina, what… Business do you have with Molan?”

Tina remained silent.

“Is, is it inconvenient to tell me? I, I guess so… Haha…”

I’m his master! Alisha screamed in her heart,

I know your family has a very celebrated history but I’m the princess of Rosa alright? My status is not below yours! No no, clearly I’m better by a bit right? Where did you get the guts to be so brazen!

Alisha felt like there was a live volcano in her heart, yet she could not spew out her lava. She stared at Tina with hatred, and considered whether she ought to lose her temper and make a scene.

But the more she stared at Tina, the more diminished she felt. To think that someone could be so perfect, with pure clean looks, smooth white skin, and long curly eyelashes that made her winks ever so moving. She didn’t like talking and her expression hardly wavered but that made one all the more curious as to how beautiful her smile might be; perhaps her smile would be like the spring winds which blew away the winter chills and brought flower buds out of the ground.

Alisha felt like a deflated ball that collapsed from a deep-seated feeling of defeat. Beautiful looks were a woman’s greatest weapon. She might have an M2HB but Tina had a box of atomic bombs.

When she was kidnapped by the terror organisation, she had also keenly felt this sense of defeat and inferiority when the elven girl’s brilliance shone beyond everything and Molan had taken her hand without even looking at Alisha.