It was 5 years ago.
It was only a year since I started reading forgotten ancients, when I was a newbie.
Immortal received one quest from a character.
"… … Immortal Lord, please hear our plea. You are the only hero capable of shouldering this task right now."
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[Quest List]
- NEW! Assassinate 'Malrikon, the Ruined Merchant'.
… … .
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That is, a request to assassinate Malrikon, the head of the Ruins Merchant Association.
"Oh, it's a new quest."
At that time, Immortal didn't really know what kind of guild the Ruins Merchant was.
The only bit of information Immortal knew was that they ran an underground fighting arena.
he set out on a journey to assassinate Malrikon, the lord of the Ruins, with a fresh mind, to avenge his death in the death Game.
"Hah, shit… what's so difficult about this?"
But unlike how lighthearted Immortal initially was when Immortal approached the quest, the difficulty of the mission was really fucking hard.
The underground arena is a place from which there is no escape no matter what you do.
Conversely, this also meant that the underground arena was an area that was very difficult for characters to infiltrate.
It was no easy task to get through the high-level guards scattered everywhere and reach Malrikon, who was hiding on the top floor of the underground arena.
"Okay. Let's see who wins."
Of course, Immortal was so determined that Immortal didn't give up on that damn quest until the very end.
After hundreds of attempts, they finally managed to sneak into a key facility.
When Immortal finally faced "Shadow Knight Loren," who could be called the final boss of the Malrikon Assassination quest, Immortal spent a long time researching patterns and gimmicks to defeat him.
And after all that effort… … .
『Phu-!』
… … Immortal was able to defeat Shadow Knight Lauren and stab Malrikon, the head of the Ruined Merchant Association, in the heart while he was sitting proudly on his chair, wearing a mask.
〔Quest: 'Assassination of Malrikon, the Ruined Merchant' completed.〕
"Haa, I'm finally kill him...."
Exactly half a month.
That was the time it took Immortal to complete the Malrikon assassination quest.
"What should I do today?"
A few more days passed since then.
Immortal had completely forgotten about Malrikon, the owner of the ruins.
"uh?"
… …until Malrikon was seen returning to the illegal auction house alive and well.
"Crazy, why is this guy alive?"
there's no way the character Immortal killed would be walking around alive and well.
"hmm...."
So Immortal abandoned the quest he was working on.
Then, with a half-hearted heart, Immortal tried to track down Malrikon and the ruins.
"uh?"
Soon after, he noticed something shocking.
Every time Malrikon appears at an official event, his robe-covered physique changes subtly.
… … It was several years later that Immortal learned the 'true identity' of Malrikon, the owner of the Ruins Chamber Orchestra.
* * *
okay.
Malrikon often disguised herself as a maid.
Who would dare to expect that someone as big as the owner of a ruined merchant would act like a maid?
It was a simple trick that took advantage of the fact that it is dark under the lamp.
'Of course, this kind of cute trick doesn't work on me.'
Well, I'm a veteran who's dedicated 5 years to this Novel.
Saaaaah-.
The chilly air hovering over the top floor.
Everyone in the room was looking at me with wary eyes.
Some of them slowly reached out towards their waists.
As if preparing to take out a weapon at a moment's notice in case of an emergency.
"...."
All the servants currently in the room were superhumans over level 60.
Even among them was the Shadow Knight Loren, one of Shav's named Charater.
'On the other hand, I… … .'
I glanced at the MP window.
〔MP: 0/1〕
My magic power was still at 0.
Because the stat responsible for mana recovery is only 1, the MP recovery speed is extremely slow.
What's more, I didn't even have a sword in my hand...
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[Soul of the Sword Master]
(Unavailable)
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… … Naturally, the skill was unusable.
"...."
A life-threatening situation where one moment's notice could mean the end of one's life.
In this desperate situation, surrounded by high-level enemies, all I had was this weak body with an average stat of 1.
Still, there is only one reason why I can be so shameless and bold like this.
'I killed the human butcher jenkoid with one stroke.'
Of course, behind it all was the 12-star skill called [Soul of the Sword Master]… … .
'… …They are completely unaware of these facts.'
From now on, we can make full use of that point.
I tried to look as relaxed as possible, trying to make myself look as strong as possible.
A blank expression appeared on his face, as if he had no interest in the likes of you.
'It's a kind of bluff.'
Fortunately, my bravado seemed to be working.
The expressions of the servants looking at me were tense and hard, which was proof of that.
"Who are you?"
Not long after, the real Malrikon, who was disguised as a maid, cautiously opened his mouth.
"Who are you to know my identity? No, more importantly… why on earth did you come all the way to the underground arena?"
Without a second's hesitation, I blurted out the answer I had been preparing.
"I don't think it's something to say in a situation where there are so many ears listening."
"...what?"
Malrikon opened his eyes.
"Are you requesting a private meeting with me right now?"
I nodded silently.
Then, the reaction from the ruins' upper part was immediate.
"Absolutely not, Master!"
A voice coming from behind.
The eagle mask that had been pretending to be Malrikon all this time stood up urgently and spoke in a trembling voice.
"I wonder what the mastermind will do when we are alone together…!"
chuck-.
At that moment, Malrikon raised one hand.
At that gesture of silence, the eagle mask simply shut its mouth.
Malrikon, who had been staring at me with a blank expression for a while, slowly opened his mouth again.
"My subordinate is right."
"...."
"It's dangerous to meet you alone. Especially when you're the kind of person who killed the human butcher jenkoid with a single stroke."
jenkoid spoke with a hint of tension in his voice.
"So prove it to me. That you won't hurt me when we're alone together."
I burst out laughing inwardly.
Prove to yourself that you won't harm yourself when you're alone.
It was a truly absurd demand.
No matter what I said, Malrikon would deny it and say he didn't believe me.
'Of course, I have a surefire way to change her mind… … .'
I'll use that important card later.
For now, we need to show strength.
In this situation, taking the lead in the conversation was more important than anything else.
"Proof."
I let out a snicker.
Taking care to make the mockery seem leisurely.
"I think I've already proven myself enough."
"...what?"
"You are not very perceptive."
jenkoid frowned slightly as if to ask what that meant.
But I didn't care and continued speaking in a calm voice.
"If I had intended to harm you, I would have killed everyone here long ago."
"...!"
"...!"
Throb-.
As soon as I finished speaking, which was almost like a threat, everyone in the room trembled.
A suffocating silence weighed heavily on the air inside the room.
'… … Did it work?'
Of course, now I was just showing off my ridiculous boasts.
Perhaps, in my current physical condition, I wouldn't be able to defeat even Malrikon, a mere ordinary person, let alone Loren, the strongest Shadow Knight here.
'But as I said before, they don't know that fact.'
And no matter how full of boastful the line may be.
If the person who said those words was the one who killed the human butcher jenkoid with one stroke… … .
"...."
"...."
"...."
… … No one can ignore my warning.
'Well, I guess this is all I have to do to act strong.'
A situation where the initiative has completely passed to me.
Well then, I think it's time to take out the cards I've prepared.
'Malrikon, the owner of the ruins.'
According to the story, she has been looking for one person for a very long time.
When She was young.
The days of being a vagabond, unable to settle down in any city and wandering aimlessly through unexplored lands teeming with ferocious monsters.
"There was a savior who saved the lives of Malrikon and her father when they were in danger of death."
『Swish-!』
The traveler, who appeared wearing a robe, cut down the monster that was trying to devour Malrikon and her father with one stroke of his sword.
"Are you alright, little miss?"
『Ah, ahh… … .』
The memory of that time was etched into the young Malrikon's mind.
From that day on, Malrikon wanted to somehow find the unknown traveler who had saved his life and repay his debt.
But it was never easy.
At that time, the traveler's face was covered by his robe, and even his voice was becoming increasingly blurred as it was ravaged by the passage of time.
'Of course, I am not the savior, Malrikon was looking for.'
but....
That doesn't mean I shouldn't use the 'information' I know.
"ostrich."
"...!"
"Leah de Malrikon."
Huh-.
Malrikon opened his eyes wide when he heard what I said.
She is extremely agitated.
It was a stark contrast to his previous behavior of trying not to show his emotions.
"Oh, how did you get my name...."
Lea de Malrikon.
That was the full name of the ruined merchant Malrikon.
Few people in this world knew her full name.
Lea de Malrikon himself.
Her parents.
The unknown savior who saved her life.
And finally… … .
"My name is not Little Miss, sir."
"I am Lea de Malrikon."
"Although I am now a worthless girl wandering in an undeveloped area, I will surely become a giant who will rule this world in 10 years."
"So, if you ever need help, please come to me. I will repay this debt of gratitude for saving my life."
… … Having read the novel for 5 years and having known all the stories of the important characters, I also knew her full name.
"Think carefully, Malrikon."
"...."
"Why do you think the person who saved your life and your father's life once would come and harm you now?"
okay.
I am not the savior Malrikon was looking for.
But that didn't mean I couldn't act like that person.
'Even more so if there is no need to fear the consequences.'
According to the original story, the savior Malrikon is looking for has already lost his life at this point.
That means there's absolutely nothing wrong with me impersonating that character.
'I feel sorry for that character, but… … .'
… … I will swallow up the merits of the person who has already died.
Since I was unfairly dragged into the novel world, I was determined to survive by any means necessary.