69novels Chapter 56 Assassins
Chapter 56 Assassins
afternoon.
"It seems Ayaka is indeed very popular," Arthur thought to himself.
Because another point of light with almost no magical fluctuations is moving rapidly toward the mansion.
The magic of that point of light was very thin, as thin as a drop of ink falling into clear water, which was diluted by the water before it could spread.
Arthur knew that it was Assassin who had arrived, and that he was using the Assassin's Aura Concealment skill.
"Ayaka, a Servant has arrived."
Ayaka's pen paused for a moment on the paper. "Coming towards us? Do you know who it is?"
"It's unclear yet, but it's likely an assassin."
Arthur took the sword from his waist. "Stay inside, don't come out."
Ayaka looked into Arthur's eyes, her expression serious, and said, "What if his target isn't you?"
"I am merely a Master without a Servant, an unworthy participant in the Holy Grail War. Killing me is easier than killing you."
Arthur looked at her, his eyes filled with apology:
"I'm sorry, I was the one who said I would stand in front of you. I didn't think it through. Please stand where I can see you."
"I will stand behind you."
Arthur nodded and pushed open the door.
There was no wind on the street, as if the air itself had been sucked away. Arthur's Dragon Force River had fully unfolded, forming a net.
More than forty waterways extend outward from the heart of the furnace, seeping into the asphalt road, into the walls, into the air itself; at the center of the network is himself.
The next moment, Arthur's eyes noticed something amiss.
At the edge of the net, in the shadow of the utility pole at the end of the street, the Longli River was touched.
Those are traces of magic.
With the sword in his right hand, Arthur walked toward the trail.
The assassin's aura concealment is not invisibility, but simply making their magic extremely thin.
But no matter how thin it is, it will leave a trace if it is moved.
As Arthur approached, the air suddenly distorted at the edge of the telephone pole's shadow.
The magical particles in the air were pushed aside by something, extremely lightly and quickly, like the surface of water being parted by a fish fin.
Then the sword arrived.
Not a sound was made.
They arrived in front of Arthur from the side, from a blind spot, from an angle where no one should be.
Arthur saw it; it was a Japanese sword, with an unusually long blade.
The arc the blade traced in the air was almost invisible; only the twilight reflected from the tip of the blade resembled an extremely fine silver needle.
Arthur sidestepped, the tip of the blade grazing his throat less than half an inch away. He followed the direction of the blade's movement, moving with the blade itself to prevent the assassin from withdrawing his weapon and striking again.
The advantage of a long sword is its range, but its disadvantage is also its range; once someone gets close, all that's left of the long sword is the hilt.
The assassin clearly knew this; he flipped the blade, using the hilt as a pivot, and the tip of the blade drew a tiny circle in the air before slashing at Arthur's shoulder as he approached.
This turn was done without any build-up or preparation; it relied entirely on wrist strength.
This is a spinning slash that only a very few swordsmen can perform.
The lake-blue light in Arthur's hand shone in the sunset. He did not parry, but instead used the spine of his sword to gently guide the assassin's blade in the direction of the attack.
The force of the spinning slash was deflected by half an inch, and the tip of the blade grazed his shoulder armor, leaving a shallow mark on the blue and white armor.
The assassin sheathed his knife, holding it horizontally in front of him with the tip slightly drooping. The setting sun peeked through the cracks in the building, finally illuminating his face.
It was a man.
She wore her long hair in a ponytail, a dark blue kendo uniform, and straw sandals.
His face was young, but his eyes lacked the spark of youth.
Those eyes looked at Arthur with no murderous intent, no fighting spirit, only a very faint, detached calm, like that of an observer.
Arthur did not pursue, but touched the ground with the tip of his sword, "Sasaki Kojiro."
The assassin's eyes twitched slightly.
"No one leaked the secret to me; I just recognized you because I saw your knife."
Sasaki Kojiro was silent for a moment. He glanced at the eyes of the blond knight in front of him, which were golden dragon eyes.
Then he put the knife away, tip down, and held it upright at his side without saying a word.
He just stood there, like a tree that had been blown by the wind for a long time.
Arthur remained silent, as he sensed no murderous intent from the person before him.
The two people were separated by half a street, and the setting sun peeked through the gaps between the buildings, casting long shadows on them.
As the sunset deepened from orange-red, just as Arthur was about to break the tranquility, Sasaki Kojiro turned and walked towards the other end of the street.
Arthur just watched him, without any intention of stopping him.
After taking a few steps, Sasaki Kojiro stopped. He raised his sword, tip pointing upwards, the setting sun casting its light on the blade, and then sheathed it.
The movements were slow, as if they were doing something that didn't need to be finished.
Then his figure disappeared into the shadows between the buildings.
Ayaka walked to Arthur's side, looking in the direction Sasaki Kojiro had left. "He didn't talk to you?"
"no."
Ayaka looked at Arthur, curious, because this was completely different from what her father had written in his notes.
During the Holy Grail War, shouldn't Servants fight each other to the death with the goal of achieving final victory?
But why haven't there been many serious battles so far?
"What brought him here?"
Arthur gazed at the shadows at the end of the street, his Dragon Force River receiving feedback from his contact with Sasaki Kojiro.
"His sword is very long, but not for killing people, but for reaching something."
Ayaka's pen stopped on the notebook. She didn't ask, "What does that Servant want to reach?", but simply wrote down that sentence as well.
She realized she couldn't understand, so she stopped asking.
Back at the mansion, Arthur stood by the window, while Ayaka sat on the sofa organizing intelligence.
The kitchen light was on in the Western-style mansion across the river.
Aige stood by the sink; seven plates had already been washed and were stacked on the drain rack, her apron still up.
She looked out the window at Ayaka's mansion across the river. The lights were on in the window at the end of the second-floor corridor, and the lights were also on in the living room on the first floor.
Today she made enough for seven people, and the extra portion wasn't for Arthur, but for Ayaka.
Because she saw that after Arthur returned from her place, Ayaka would leave him rice balls, but the rice balls were cold, while the ones she made were hot.
How could Arthur eat cold food?
The omniscient and omnipotent Root Connector, she has achieved another first.
For the first time, "to prevent Arthur from being treated this way."
She reached out, took off her apron, folded it, put it in the drawer, then walked to the entryway and squatted down in front of the yellow wildflower.
The petals had fully risen, their yellow color gleaming brightly in the light. She reached out her finger and touched the petals very, very lightly.
"He met a person who didn't speak today. He must be mute, otherwise why would the person approach him and then remain silent?"
That person had a very long sword, not for killing, but for reaching something.
The sound was very soft, and the petals trembled slightly under her fingertips.
"Will I be able to reach him?"
"..."
"able."
The night unfolded quietly outside the window, the bridge over the river was lit up, and the mansion on the opposite bank was also lit up.
The two houses are separated by a river, and the river flows very slowly.