TSSAH 13

Chapter 13

“Ah, the underground dungeon.”

Well, that’s the only place a failed assassin would be taken.

I glanced briefly at Senior Jake, who was nodding and snorting with excitement at his own deduction, as if pleased with himself.

He’s surprisingly well-connected and knows a lot.

Just then, Senior Jake’s pot-lid-sized hand slapped my back once more.

“Ow! Why’d you hit me?!”

“So, rookie, did you see anything or not?!”

“I’m not an animal—use your words!”

“Your senior is practically your father in the sky!”

“You only act like a senior at times like this!”

When I talked back, Senior Jake clenched his fist.

*’This is a knuckle sandwich!’*

I’d made the mistake of taking one before—it hurt on a completely different level from getting slapped on the back with an open palm.

I quickly raised both arms in a defensive stance and shouted.

“I’m telling the truth! It’s true that an assassin got in!”

“Really? What kind of crazy bastard would do something that insane?”

“I don’t know. Must’ve been on something—he wasn’t in his right mind. His eyes were bloodshot, and by the end he was foaming at the mouth and charging.”

“The world’s really gone to the dogs, I tell you.”

Senior Jake clicked his tongue and muttered like an old man, then abruptly turned to me.

“But how do you know all that in such detail? Did you actually see it?!”

“Yeah, I saw it. Right in front of me.”

“Good heavens! As expected, our lucky charm! So that rumor’s true too? Some young kid, not even from the Royal Guard, took down that assassin in one blow!”

I stepped back to dodge Senior Jake, who was shoving his excited face toward mine, and nodded.

“Yes, I saw it.”

“Who was it, damn it! The Little Hero of the Office!”

What the hell is that cheesy nickname?

I frowned for a moment, then answered.

“Me.”

“Wha…?”

“It was me. One blow… well, it wasn’t quite that, but I did push him over from behind. Ended up in the ward for a bit because of it.”

I deliberately left out the part about the assassin using Barga poison and wearing Wickers’ assassination boots.

No need for that to be known.

“You, you? Rookie, you’re the Little Hero of the Office?”

“No, who came up with that weird nickname?”

And why does it have to have ‘Little’ attached?

Runnelk Ains’s body wasn’t particularly sturdy, but it wasn’t far off from average build either.

It’s just that everyone in Knox was ridiculously huge.

Among them, Senior Jake—who had a body like a bear—wrapped his thick arms around my shoulders and, in an instant, hoisted me up like a bundle tucked under his arm.

“Let’s go!”

“Why are you doing this?! Use your words! I said use words!”

“We’re going to the guard post to hear the whole story, from start to finish!”

I kicked my legs, but there was no overcoming Senior Jake, who was excited as a rhinoceros.

“I’m going already! I’m going anyway!”

A night when even the moon hung eerily.

The illuminated guard post for the night shift looked even more cramped, packed with large-built action team members.

“…So when I opened my eyes, I was in the ward.”

“Whoa!”

“Our maknae’s awesome!”

As I finished speaking, the senior action team members pounded the table, slapped their knees, and let out boisterous cheers.

Though Knox’s discipline was quite strict, and they couldn’t touch a drop of alcohol during duty, their faces were flushed red.

“Hey hey, can you see this? Goosebumps on my arms?!”

“I see them, sir! My hair’s standing on end, sir!”

Senior Wügen and Senior Hartmann, who were even older than Senior Jake, shoved their arms and necks at each other’s faces, making a huge fuss.

Though it seemed free-spirited at first glance, the other action team members—some sitting comfortably in chairs, others leaning against windowsills according to the strict hierarchy—were equally excited, like children listening to a heroic tale.

In contrast, I, the actual protagonist of the story, couldn’t hide my bored expression.

*’Third time now, third time.’*

Ever since Senior Jake dragged me to the guard post, I’d repeated the same story three times already, and my mouth was starting to ache.

Whenever I tried to skip even a little bit to save myself the trouble, I’d get scolded with, “You can’t skip the most important parts!”—so I couldn’t gloss over anything.

“Hah.”

I’d rather be going through hellish training.

Having to put on a performance in front of people like this.

I didn’t even do this back when I fell into a trap at Wickers, took down ten assassins from a rival organization, and returned without a scratch.

*’Being the maknae really is miserable.’*

Back in my day, it wasn’t like this.

When a fresh-faced new recruit came in, we’d treat them like gold and take good care of them.

*’Even if they got caught spying, we’d send them home nicely.’*

The young face I’d pulled from my memory after a long time was blurry.

All that came to mind clearly was a small frame and lips that had gone white and dry from tension.

*’What was that kid’s name again.’*

Just then, Senior Jake sidled up to me and whispered.

“Rookie, let’s go out.”

Snapping back to attention, I saw the others were still busy chattering among themselves.

I’d endured three times, but four was out of the question.

If they made me tell the story again—from the moment I first saw the Green Trading Company’s head to when I woke up in the ward—I might just lunge at Senior Jake and shave off his mustache, senior or not.

“Hey! Where are you two going?!”

But sharp-eyed Senior Hartmann spotted us as we were about to grab the guard post door handle and shouted.

“I heard Senior Graf is coming to see the Little Hero later too!”

That bastard, seriously!

Fortunately, no incident of insubordination occurred on my part.

Senior Jake stepped in and smoothly deflected with his usual good cheer.

“Come on, we still have to look like we’re working, don’t we? Rookie and I will be standing right out front—call us when Senior Graf arrives!”

Then he tugged at my clothes, saying, “Let’s go, hurry.”

“…Please call us.”

I bowed politely and quickly slipped out of the guard post.

Once outside, the other action team members gathered around the campfire grinned at me.

“Good work, Rookie.”

“You did what even the Royal Guard couldn’t, so everyone’s excited—just bear with it a little longer.”

“…Yes.”

Still, breathing in the cool night air seemed to lift my mood a little, so I answered sullenly.

Then I picked up a twig and poked at the fire while asking.

“But are we going to be okay?”

“Huh? Us?”

“We did let the Green Trading Company’s head through, after all. I was just wondering if any fallout might come our way.”

“Ah, I thought you were worried about something else. It’s fine. If we were going to be punished for that, we’d have gotten the order already. The fact that nothing’s been said means they’re letting it slide. To be blunt, what were we supposed to do about a guest personally invited by Deacon Gold?”

Senior Jake waved his hand dismissively as he answered, and the others around us also looked at me fondly and laughed.

“The seniors know we’re fine, that’s why they’re acting like this.”

“Then that’s a relief.”

“Rookie, you’re actually pretty cautious, huh?”

The seniors’ eyes sparkled simultaneously.

The look of having found a weakness ripe for teasing.

But I asked with a deliberately serious face.

“Seniors, you’ve never seen His Grace the Duke up close, have you?”

“Would we have?”

“Then what about DuPont Clansher?”

“Oh, I ran into him once in the corridor when I was running an errand at the main building.”

A senior with a close-cropped head answered innocently.

“The atmosphere… whew, it was no joke.”

“Exactly. So for this incident, those kinds of people could have summoned us and reprimanded us, right?”

*Gulp.*

Someone’s dry swallow echoed loudly.

“Don’t, don’t say things like that.”

“Just thinking about it…”

“At least I stopped the assassin—if something had actually happened, none of us would have been safe, would we?”

So that means you should treat me well.

The noisy chatter from inside felt distant as the area in front of the guard post fell deathly quiet.

After gauging their reactions, I stirred the embers as if playing with fire and spoke up.

“But, you know. For an organization like Knox, there must be tons of secrets that can’t be revealed to the outside, right?”

“Secrets?”

“Yeah. Like this incident too—nobody knows what happened to the Green Trading Company’s head.”

“He’s obviously in the underground dungeon.”

A senior in the corner, smoking a cigarette, said with a laugh.

“If he’s still alive, that is.”

At that, everyone burst out laughing as if they’d heard a good joke.

I matched their rhythm and nodded along, then prodded a little more.

“By the way, were there any interesting rumors going around before I joined? You seniors have been at Knox a long time, so you must know a lot.”