I waved her off, going over to rest on the edge of the bed so I wouldn’t have to keep getting glimpses in my peripheral.
“You’ve actually got it wrong there. I was never one to mess around that much. Here and there on occasion. But for about six years, I had a lover.”
“Really?” she stammered, her voice rising and betraying her interest. She shifted on the bed, crawling closer to me. “What was she like?”
I sighed, shrugging. “Like you, I guess. Met her on a job. We’d both taken a contract for the son of some rich nobleman. Son had gotten drunk and killed his fiancé in a stupor. Family of the girl wanted the guy dead.
“Didn’t realize it was an open contract till I found my vantage point, and to my surprise, there was someone already there. I cornered her, much like I did with you, and even then, she had a fire in her eyes.” I paused, smiling at the memory. “Despite my better judgment, she managed to convince me to team up. We killed the target, and she offered to keep working together.”
Aless knelt beside me. Her arm draped over my shoulder as she peered around to look at me. “What happened next?”
“She became my apprentice. We worked jobs together for years, and at some point, we fell in love.
“But even then, we had our differences. Liz never liked my rules, the code I live by. She thought honor made me weak. And when I refused to budge on them, we stopped working together, stopped everything.”
I rubbed my temples, trying not to notice how close Aless was to me, how her warm and sweet breath brushed along my skin.
“What happened to her?”
“She betrayed me. Took a contract for my head.” I shifted, turning to face Aless. Our faces were mere inches from each other. She leaned on me, drawing ever closer.
I stared into Aless’s gray eyes and refused to blink.
“I killed her.”
She sucked in a breath, her eyes widening. “Is that why you were so hesitant to take me on?”
“Partly. I─” A low rumbling from my stomach interrupted me. I grinned sheepishly. “Why don’t we grab something to eat, and you can fill me in on what I’ve missed these last few days.”
“Sounds good. I’m starving.” Aless smiled and crawled out of bed.
As she walked in front of me, I found that while she was wearing panties, that was all she wore. They were black and simple, but they clung to her frame well, and she knew it too. Her shapely legs and hips swayed as she walked past me.
She walked over to a dresser in the far corner and pulled out a simple, black tunic that fell to her hips.
When she was dressed, we headed down to the bar.
While still a little dusty, it was rather homey. Aless had begun to clean up the manor a bit while I’d been out. Which made the entirety of Blackfall Manor feel a little more like home than it had when we’d first stepped through the halls.
Aless headed to the kitchen and spent about an hour cooking. She wouldn’t let me help and told me to sit and relax.
It was strange, hearing the authority in her voice, but I was still exhausted, so I sat at the bar and got a nap while she cooked.
When she was done, she brought out two heaping bowls full of stew and sat down next to me as we ate.
“Apparently, the count made a huge speech about you, well, about the new killer that’s in town. Said he’d hunt you down and bring you to your swift and just end,” Aless said around a mouthful of stew.
I propped my arms on the counter and chuckled. “That’s adorable. Man has no idea who I am or where he can find me. But I know exactly where I can find him.” I took another bite of stew. Though a little bland without much seasoning, it was still quite good.
Aless was a surprisingly decent cook. Though I secretly wished I could head to The Cask and have a bowl of Christoff’s stew instead.
Man has thoroughly spoiled me for food. But I’m afraid I won’t be going there for a while. Not until my body heals.
The effects of silent night had worn off, but the cracked ribs and knife wound would take much longer. And until I was back at fighting strength, I wouldn’t chance going out. It was far too risky when I couldn’t properly defend myself.
Plus, I had Aless, who could go out in my stead. So there really was no need, unfortunately.
I finished my stew quickly and leaned back with a sigh of content. “That was good.”
She beamed at me. “Glad you enjoyed it. It’s been a while since I’ve cooked for anyone but myself.”
“Well, it was good, but tomorrow it’s my turn to cook for you.”
“You can cook?” she asked, turning toward me.
“Of course.” I nodded, pushing the bowl away from me so I could lean on the counter better. “I spent most of my time alone when I worked. Sure, I ate at a pub or restaurant most of the time, but sometimes a job would take me out of the city. I once spent three weeks in the African jungle hunting for a Spanish warlord who’d fled to the continent. Had to hunt game and live off wild fruits and vegetables the entire time.”
She looked at me sideways. Confusion abounded on her face. “African, Spanish? I don’t know those words.”
Ah, guess my universal translator wouldn’t be able to translate those words.
“Doesn’t matter. They’re just places far, far away from here. I wouldn’t expect you to know them.”
She chuckled. “You do that sometimes, you know. Speak and use phrases that I’ve never heard before. You’ve told me you’re not from Chordis, but you won’t say what continent you’re from.”
“Nowhere you’d know.” I waved her off.
She frowned, crossing her arms under her chest. “See, you’re doing it again. Do you not trust me enough to tell me?”
I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. “It’s not that I don’t trust you. I’d never let you this close to me if I didn’t trust you, but it’s not a simple answer. Me telling you would only bring up a lot more questions, and it’s not something I want to get into right now.”
Her eyes looked away from me, and she nodded. “Okay. I understand.”
She moved to get up, but I reached out and grabbed her arm. “Look, I promise to tell you everything eventually. Just not right now.”
She nodded again, but this time there was a small smile there. “Promise?”
“Promise.”
Trying to change the subject, I motioned to her. “So, how’d you get your scars?”
Aless eyed me with a laugh and shook her head. “Uh-uh. Nope. You don’t get to withhold on me about your past and then get to ask about mine.” She shifted on the stool. “Tell you what, when you’re honest about your past, I’ll be honest about mine.”
I sighed, fighting a smile, and turned back to my stew. “Hell, I’ve told you more about my past than anyone else,” I muttered. “Should count for something.”
“What was that?” she asked.
“Nothing.”
She smiled as she finished her food. When I finished mine, we both headed upstairs.
My injuries and the medicine I was on made me very sleepy, so I wanted nothing more than to pass out, but I couldn’t. I needed to take care of the wound first.
I haven’t bled out yet, so I don’t think there’s any internal bleeding, but I still need to get it sewn up.
Back in the room, there was a small bag with medical supplies in it. It seemed Aless had gone overboard and purchased more than was necessary.
Though it was a waste of money, I found it kind of cute. It meant she’d panicked and overreacted.
It was the little things like that that told me more about her than words ever could. Her actions spoke of a girl who cared about my wellbeing. Even if we’d only known each other for a short while. Aless seemed to be a genuine person. That was something I didn’t find very often.
I walked over to the bag and pulled out everything I needed. I unwrapped the bandage and glanced at the wound. It seemed better than it should be, less inflamed and angry, but it was still
a little bloody.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Aless asked as she came into the room.
“Stitching myself back up, what’s it look like?”
I grabbed the needle and thin twine as well as the bottle of disinfectant. I poured it liberally on the wound.
“Fucking hell!” I hissed as a stinging pain crawled over my skin and into the wound. A wave of cold hit me and my eyes watered. “Son of a bitch, that’s not fun.”
Aless chuckled at my expense and knelt, peering at the wound. “That’s what you get for getting stabbed.”
“Don’t make me stab you just when I started liking you.”
She just laughed more, but she blushed and quieted down after that.
When the pain went away, I poured the disinfectant over the needle.
“Ember.”
A small flame appeared at my fingertip, and I brought it to the small piece of metal. The alcohol in the disinfectant caught with a rush, and the whole thing went up. I quickly fanned the metal, wincing as the flames bit at my flesh.
Aless’s eyes widened a bit. “You can do magic?”
I shook my head and sighed. “Don’t get too excited. I can only use the single spell.” I tied the twine to the needle and leaned back as I looked down at the wound. “I plan on finding someone to teach me, but I’ve been a little busy since I’ve gotten into town.”
The needle slipped into my skin, and it burned and itched like fire ants were biting me. I held my breath and, as quick as I could, stitched the wound closed.
Your Medicine(Self-care) skill has increased by 1! [Medicine(Self-care): 3 (Novice)] +25 Exp!
“Wow, fifteen stitches. Though you had room for two more,” Aless said, grabbing the scissors and snipping the twine for me.
“Yeah, well. I’m not a doctor.” I blew out a breath and nodded at her. “Thanks.”
“Course.” She smiled, handing me fresh gauze. “But I expect you to return the favor when you start training me.”
I waved her off and wrapped the wound. When it was done, I laid back on the bed and closed my eyes. “Later. I need sleep. Lots of sleep.”
She came to rest on the edge of the mattress. “Get some sleep. I’ll keep an eye on you.”
I tried to mumble my thanks again, but I was already fast asleep.
Chapter 20- Rest and Training
Sleep was something I hadn’t had much of since I arrived in the city, and my body was playing catch up.
I slept for a long time. For weeks while I recovered.
I spent a lot of time sleeping, and when I wasn’t sleeping, I was still resting, but I lounged in the library on the couch, reading, trying to learn more about the world.
But, after a couple of days like that, I began to get antsy again. I couldn’t train, not with the risk of opening up my wound, but I could train Aless.
She was thrilled to begin and took to it immediately. Of course, that was because of her previous career as a thief, so she had the basics of stealth down for the most part. Her technique was good, but she still had room for improvement. I taught her my way of sneaking, and after two or three weeks, she’d nearly integrated it into her own style.
I also taught her combat. It would take years, if not decades, to teach her all I knew about combat, so I didn’t even bother trying to teach her everything. I taught her what I was best at.
Knife fighting and throwing.
“Keep your arm back,” I said, coming around behind Aless.
The two of us were in one of the many training rooms in Blackfall Manor. This one was mostly barren save for a row of target dummies along the far wall. It seemed to be an archery training room judging by the racks of bows beside me, but it would serve as well for knife practice.
Aless had one of my knives clutched in her grip. Her arm was back, but her form was off.
I slid around her. My hands went to her waist as I positioned her correctly, shifting her hips and lowering her center of gravity to offer a more stable platform to throw from.
“You feel that? How much more aligned your body is? Remember that feeling and try to replicate it each time you set up to throw.
“The knife in your hand is just about twelve inches, which means that for every six feet, it rotates once. It takes a long damn time to judge distance accurately by sight alone, but it’s one of my most valuable skills when I need to throw a knife. It tells me how I need to throw to get my blade to land where I want.”
I moved to her hand, tweaking her fingers. Her grip was wrong. “Keep your thumb along the back of the handle. Use it to line up where you want your knife to go.”
“Right.” She nodded, her face a bit flushed.
I stepped back as Aless wound her back. She flung the knife at the target. It spun halfway through the air and landed flush with the target. The blade and hilt struck vertical to the dummy and bounced harmlessly off the straw.
A miss.
“Okay, what does that tell you?” I asked.
“That I’m throwing at the wrong distance. But I’m not sure if I should take a step forward or back.”
I shrugged, handing her another knife. “Keep trying until you figure it out.”
Your Teaching skill has increased by 2! [Teaching: 2 (Novice)] +50 Exp!
(Warning! Continued advancement along this path could lead to a potential Job change)
Do you wish to delete this skill and forfeit the Exp?
Yes/No?
Yes.
It went that way for weeks.
After three weeks, she picked up the basic forms and attacks and would probably stand a chance against an untrained opponent. However, she’d get slaughtered if she went up against anybody with actual training.
I made it clear that attacking was a last resort. It was only if she had no other options left to her.
If she wasn’t training, she was out of the house running errands or assigned tasks. I had to give it to her. She was a very dutiful apprentice. She also spent a lot of time dealing with the pickpockets, trying to win them over and get them to form into a small gang under her.
It was slow going, but those who knew her and worked under her back when she was a part of the Foxes leapt at the chance to be a part of something like that again and quickly joined up.
For the most part, at the moment, we kept it simple and let them go about their lives exactly as they had before, but only now they reported to Aless with any information they deemed worthwhile, and we paid them a little bit of vahn for it.
It wasn’t much, but considering, I wasn’t exactly swimming in wealth before I got injured. I had to pay Angela for not just the medicine and healing supplies, which weren’t cheap at all, but also Aless’s armor and equipment meant that my once bulging coin purse was looking rather defeated these past weeks.
Still, I knew it would prove to be a worthwhile investment in the long run.
Hell, even in the short run.
One of Aless’s gang of pickpockets, which she’d affectionately dubbed her Prowlers, had acquired the location of the missing shipment of Thanatos, which had been missing for over a month. They’d overheard where it was being stored, and Aless came and told me straight away.
“A man named Ramsey has the lost shipment of Thanatos,” she said as she entered the study. “He’s a court official who has his fingers in a lot of shady dealings from what the Prowlers tell me.”
“Ramsey?” I rubbed my chin. “Captain Mays had lunch with a Ramsey the day he died, and from the conversation I overheard, they’d taken possession of what had to be the Thanatos and transported it to a villa.
“But that was a month ago. Why do they still have it?”
She shrugged, coming over and plopping down next to me. “Maybe they couldn’t sell it. Charles ran the drugs, and with him dead, the drug pushers probably went to ground.”
“So Count Vohra stole the shipment of drugs, with no real plan of how to sell it, which doesn’t make sense. At all.”
Aless was q
uiet for a long moment. The both of us lost in thought.
Why would he─
“Huh, maybe he did have a plan after all.”
“What do you mean?” she asked, sitting up.
“What if Count Vohra had a plan all along? He stole the Thanatos because Charles was getting too bold. What if he was also planning on taking Charles down as well?”
“But you killed him before they could make their move.” She nodded. “That makes sense.”
“Plus, I just happen to grab every bit of information on his whole network in the process.” I grinned, fiddling with the dimension ring on my finger. “Depriving them of taking over the drug trade in the city.”
“That sounds about right,” she said, nodding. “But what do we do about the Thanatos shipment?”
“We’re not thieves, but assassins. We don’t take theft jobs…normally.” I held up my hand to stop her barrage of questions. “Normally, we don’t run thieves contracts. I usually left those jobs to the guilds back home. The thieves handled the thefts, the assassins handled the kills, the drug peddlers handled the drugs, and the pickpockets handled the crowds. We all stayed out of each other’s way but worked together to keep the balance.”
“But there’s no organization here,” she replied.
“Which is why I’m not saying no,” I said. “I’m still getting used to the idea that there isn’t a network in place.”
I sat up off the sofa and stretched, wincing slightly at the tug on my abdomen. But that’s all it was. The wound had healed for the most part. My new durability skill and whatever potions this world had healed my wound better and faster than I’d ever experienced before.
Though I wasn’t a hundred percent better, that would take several more weeks, I could at least train again.
I threw on a black shirt, courtesy of Angela. She’d made me a damn near closet full of new clothes as a get-well gift. I still had to pay for them, but she did give me a good discount. I guess that was where the gift part came into play.
When I was dressed, I turned back to Aless. “Look, if you and your Prowlers want to take the job, I won’t stop you. You’re an adult, and until we get some more contracts in, you’re not an assassin yet. So, you can take the job.
Isekai Assassin: Volume 1 Page 24