While playing as an assassin and becoming the disciple of Nea, the head of the assassin’s guild, there are certain things you hear.
During one of the sparring sessions:
“You worm of a disciple. Is that all the grit you have? Even a worm has more determination than you.”
On another day:
“You worm of a disciple. Truly impressive. To think you’d actually follow your sky-high master’s words to the letter. Have you truly become a worm? Your movements are as slow as one.”
And on yet another day, lying on the ground clutching her crotch:
“You worm of a disciple. Too honest. Fighting is supposed to be dirty and cowardly to win. Like I did, aim for the opponent’s balls and incapacitate them.”
Worm of a disciple.
That’s what Nea called her disciple.
‘To think I’d come back to this.’
Ian chuckled as he looked at Nea, who was glaring at him from across the room.
In a certain room in the underground dungeon.
The various tools and instruments scattered around the room made it clear that this was a “torture chamber.”
Before Nea woke up, Ian had arrived at the dungeon and informed Oswell and Jurdan about her.
He told them she was the illegitimate child of Count Erce and the reason she had infiltrated Schrantz.
Ah, of course, there were things he didn’t tell them.
‘That this woman would later become the assassin who kills Hubert.’
For now, her mission was infiltration and gathering information, but a few months before the territorial wars began, she would be tasked with assassinating Hubert.
“Torture me all you want, but I don’t have any useful information for you, so don’t waste your energy and just kill me! Or are you planning to have some fun before killing me? Go ahead and try! I’ll make sure you say goodbye to the son between your legs forever!”
Nea, tied to a chair, started shouting at Ian the moment she woke up.
“A girl who doesn’t hold back her words.”
It had been 10 minutes since she woke up, and she hadn’t stopped throwing insults. Ian watched with an amused expression.
The sheer intensity of her verbal assault was almost admirable.
Though the expressions on Oswell and Jurdan, standing like screens behind him, grew increasingly sour.
They were staying quiet because Ian had told them to, but it was hard to watch him being openly insulted.
Ian, however, didn’t seem bothered and just smiled.
‘Is this the kind of guts you need to become a major figure in the underworld?’
In truth, Nea had lived a life of being cursed and ignored by people, even in the slums.
She had lived a rough life, and her sharp tongue was a defense mechanism against being ignored.
But Ian, who habitually skipped over minor story details, wouldn’t know that.
All he knew was that she was Count Erce’s illegitimate child and had lived a difficult life with her mother.
That was the extent of his knowledge about her.
It was almost a miracle that he knew even that much.
‘I knew she’d come eventually.’
But I didn’t expect her to infiltrate so soon.
This wasn’t exactly a welcome development.
In other words, it meant that spies had been planted all over the territory to gather information.
It signaled that the Grand Schrantz Alliance was starting to move in earnest.
He crossed his legs.
“Fortunately, it seems you dislike small talk. Coincidentally, I also prefer to get straight to the point.”
Ian smirked.
“Let me be blunt. Let’s make a deal.”
“A deal?”
Oswell and Jurdan, who had been quietly observing since Ian said he would handle the interrogation, were also baffled.
They had thought Ian would personally interrogate her.
They never imagined he would propose a deal.
There was no reason to make a deal with a spy in the first place.
“Your mother. She’s being held by Count Erce, right?”
She looked surprised that he knew, but soon accepted it.
Since he already knew her identity, it made sense that he would also know about her mother being held captive.
“I’ll save your mother. In return, work for me from now on, not for Count Erce.”
“Young Master, what are you…!”
They were shocked by this unexpected proposal.
Ian raised his hand to stop them.
“That bastard who’s no father to you said something similar, didn’t he? ‘If you want to save your mother, work for me!’”
Those were the words Count Erce had said to her before she became a spy.
“I don’t just make empty promises.”
Nea scoffed.
“That bastard said something similar too. It seems all nobles say the same things.”
The difference was that Count Erce had threatened her using her mother, while Ian was trying to persuade her.
‘Hmm, I guess she won’t just come over willingly.’
It would be nice if she just agreed, but without trust, it’s an unavoidable issue.
No, perhaps it’s because she inherently distrusts people, especially nobles.
“Then I have no choice. Sir Oswell, lend me your sword.”
Ian stood up and drew the sword from Oswell’s waist.
“Go ahead, kill me in one strike.”
Thinking he would kill her since she didn’t comply, she glared at him defiantly, even in the face of death.
Swish—!
His movement was instantaneous, and the sound of a clean cut echoed in her ears.
“……?”
Nea was puzzled. There was no pain.
For a moment, she thought he might have killed her painlessly, but no.
She was clearly still alive.
“Why…?”
What Ian had cut were the ropes binding her.
Ian hadn’t even touched a single thread of her clothing.
“I’ll show you tangible proof of my sincerity. Within a month, I’ll bring your mother here safely.”
“What…?”
“You just keep doing what you’ve been doing. But from now on, you’ll be assigned as my personal maid so I can keep a close eye on you.”
“Young Master, what are you…!”
Oswell and Jurdan were shocked by his bold declaration.
Knowing she was a spy, he was planning to keep her close!
They were worried she might escape or relay important information to Count Erce’s household.
Moreover, there was no guarantee she wouldn’t try to harm Ian if she had malicious intentions.
They pleaded with him to reconsider, but…
“I understand Sir Oswell and Advisor Jurdan’s concerns. But this time, please trust me and follow my lead.”
Ian showed no signs of worry and simply asked them to trust him.
His words made it clear he had no intention of backing down and would push forward with his plan.
Oswell cautiously asked, “Young Master, do you intend to take her under your wing?”
“As expected, Sir Oswell is the only one who understands my thoughts. Exactly. I plan to make her my vassal.”
Without hesitation, Oswell and Jurdan both slapped their foreheads.
‘Even so, this is too much!’
Ian’s ability to recognize talent had already been proven.
Sera, whom he recruited, suddenly became an alchemist and was already showing her skills.
Dwayne, who was once an ordinary soldier, was demonstrating remarkable archery skills within the knight order.
And the weapons and armor that Olgrim repaired or newly crafted were highly praised by the soldiers.
In that regard, Ian’s eye for talent was undeniable.
It was well-known that Ian didn’t discriminate based on status and would employ anyone with ability.
No, this was something Hugo excelled at.
After all, Hugo was the one who hired people based on their abilities, regardless of their background.
As the saying goes, parents are a mirror to their children.
It was easy to understand if you thought Ian was imitating his father.
‘But trying to recruit a spy from a hostile family is going too far!’
That was the general sentiment.
Of course, Ian had his own reasons.
To prevent Hubert’s assassination?
Yes, that was certainly part of it, but there was something even more important.
‘This is the perfect opportunity to pay back the insults she throwed at me as her “worm of a disciple”!’
It was also a chance to get back at her for all the tangled events she didn’t even know about.
But that wasn’t the only reason.
‘If I recruit her as a vassal, she won’t become an assassin.’
If her environment changed, she wouldn’t have to go into the underworld, and thus wouldn’t walk the path of an assassin.
But her skills in information gathering and manipulation could still be utilized.
‘After all, the difficulty of the Schrantz raid was said to decrease depending on whether she was present or not.’
Ian, who had experienced the Schrantz raid at its highest difficulty because he hadn’t noticed her infiltration, knew that she would likely infiltrate the lord’s castle later.
If he could successfully recruit her as his vassal, he could prevent the schemes of hostile families in advance.
‘At the very least, the number of plots against the territory would significantly decrease.’
Ian laughed inwardly. In contrast, Nea couldn’t bring herself to smile.
‘What kind of person is this?’
Everything was confusing.
Talk of making her a vassal, and so on.
She couldn’t follow his train of thought.
In truth, not just Nea, but Jurdan and Oswell were equally confused.
But regardless of what others thought, Ian didn’t care at all.
He was simply overjoyed at the prospect of gaining a talented individual.
‘She will definitely become my ally.’
Having lived a life where she was never acknowledged or respected by anyone, always ignored.
‘She’s someone who craves trust, faith, and recognition more than anyone else.’
That was the key to winning her over.
Just as a child starved of love yearns for affection, she longed for recognition more than anything.
‘Well, there’s one more thing needed.’
If he could add just one more thing to seal the deal, she would follow him for life.
That one missing piece was:
‘Making Count Erce suffer.’
You might think Hugo would be the one who hated Count Erce the most, but no.
It was Nea, his own blood, born as an illegitimate child and oppressed.
No, simply saying she “disliked” him wouldn’t suffice.
“Hate” was a more fitting word.
He was her father, yet he held her mother hostage and used her as a disposable tool.
The very fact that they shared the same blood made her loathe herself.
Moreover, given her personality, she wouldn’t simply hand over information. Instead, she would use it to increase her own value or as a bargaining chip to save her mother.
‘And even if she stays by my side, she won’t try to kill me.’
Ian’s confidence stemmed from one thing.
‘She’s probably holding onto a sliver of hope.’
In reality, while Nea wore a confused expression, she was also racking her brain.
She was weighing her options, trying to figure out what was best.
And she held a faint hope.
The hope that Ian might actually be able to rescue her mother.
‘Even if she learns the family’s secrets, there’s no need to worry for now.’
Because she wouldn’t just hand over the information.
He had promised her a month.
For that month, he would patiently wait.
“So, what will you do? I’d like a clear answer.”
Ian demanded a response, but Nea was still puzzled as to why he was going to such lengths.
Her so-called father saw her as nothing more than a disposable card to be used and discarded.
‘What does he plan to use me for?’
Naturally, she thought Ian also intended to use her for something.
But.
‘If I’m going to be used, it’s better to be used by him than by that disgusting man.’
If she was going to be used by someone, it was better to be used by Ian than by that repulsive man.
“If you can save my mother, do as you please. If you succeed, you can roast me or boil me afterward.”
Finally, after weighing her options, she decided to accept his proposal.
She saw it as an opportunity to get back at Count Erce and decided to place her hopes in Ian.
