The Lazy Swordmaster Chapter 9:
Tampering with evidence
The hooded men who snuck into the Iphelleta House .
None of them could move a muscle any longer ; this was due to the mysterious stranger who just spoke to them .
‘Just then . . . ‘
It was more than enough to shock them when the stranger managed to detect, listen in and intercept their Mental Message* .
*Mental Message, previously known as ‘Jeone Um’ .
TLN: After further interpretation, we would like to clarify that Jeone Um allows a person to speak and make it so that what is said can only be heard to whom the speaker wishes . Like telepathy . We couldn’t quite decide on what to go with for the previous chapter but from now on we will translate it as “Mental Message” . Thanks FudgeNouget!
‘How . . . ‘
Not to mention he had managed to send the message to every single one, who were all hidden meticulously .
It was understandable that all of them were stunned .
‘ . . . And where?’
The leader of the hooded men, Tes quickly turned his eyes around .
No matter where he looked, he couldn’t find the Mental Message’s point of origin .
Which meant there was a clear difference in ability between them and the stranger .
‘The Iphelleta House had someone who could hide his presence this well?’
As far as Tes knew, the Iphelleta House did not consider assassins as equals .
In fact, the house was a congregation of people who despised and wouldn’t hesitate to get rid of them if they ever saw one .
‘It’s as if . . . ‘
Tes gulped nervously .
Considering the skill of the Mental Message, the stranger was at least as skilled and powerful as himself .
It was not easy to remove such a powerful presence .
But . . . he couldn’t sense him at all .
‘I’m seeing a ghost . . . ‘
Presence, or mana .
Or anything else .
Along with such power, there are distinct features which get left behind . They can be used to distinguish them immediately from the rest .
But even those features could not be found, as if it really was a ghost .
This was a feat only the most skilled assassins could accomplish .
‘Tsk . ‘
Underneath the mask, Tes frowned .
He did not like it .
The situation he was in .
The fact his daughter was cornered, that he flinched against some random stranger .
‘I don’t know who’s joke this is, but there must be something holding him back if he decides to hide like this . ‘
Otherwise there is no reason for him to remain in the shadows .
If he wanted to continue threatening them, he should of kept sending that killing intent at them .
That’s what Tes believed .
‘Don’t . . . annoy me?’
Tes clutched his dagger as he remembered those words .
He had no intent on annoying him .
In fact, he hated such situations .
All he needed was his colleague’s body and the dagger .
Quietly .
Then, all their business in the house would be done .
<We are moving . >
He had come all the way here to help his troubled daughter .
They had to move now, otherwise the mission would be impossible to complete before they began .
The warning from the previous Mental Message hadn’t come back since then .
There was no time to waste .
<I will go to the ‘son’s office’ where the dagger is . >
Tes jumped out of the bush he was hiding in .
As he slips into the mansion like the wind, his subordinates gain heart and follow behind him .
The hooded figures begin slipping into nooks and crannies of the mansion like rats .
<No . 2 to 10 will take the body . >
Tes ordered though Mental Message .
<The rest will make some noise to gain the mansion’s attention . If in danger, remove all evidence through suicide . >
Bang!
As soon as his second order was given, an explosion occurred somewhere in the mansion .
It seems the fight had already begun .
—
“You sons of bitches!”
The old man shouted .
He was wearing butler’s clothes and held a straight sword in one hand .
It was a normal sword, but it was made of good steel and boasted superior hardness .
The old man swung his blade .
“Uuuck!”
“Kuuck!”
How could a man well into his 50s have so much strength?
With but a single strike two hooded men were knocked back .
“Where do you think this is!”
The old man swung at them once more .
The blade suddenly glowed blue and showed its power despite the gap between them .
” . . . !”
The aura blade .
The blue light was shot from the blade and cut through the hooded men along with their daggers .
“Hm! Were they just grunts?”
The old man shook his arm and turned around .
“Ian-nim!”
“Sera!”
Sera .
She was one of the maids serving in the mansion .
It seemed the chat for reunion will be cut short, as the sword she held also had blood on it .
“I will take care of Lady Iris’ room . Ian-nim should go protect Young Master!”
It meant to find and bring Riley back from the garden .
Ian understood and nodded in agreement . He moved immediately .
“Alright, don’t push yourself! I’ll be right back!”
It would only take 10 seconds for Ian to reach the gardens from Lady Iris’s room .
If there weren’t any obstacles .
‘Young master, please . . . ‘
Riley would often play ‘hide and seek’ in times of danger .
Ian ran through the corridor .
Praying that Riley would once again show that ability and get himself to safety .
‘Please be safe!’
1 second . . .
5 seconds . . .
7 seconds in, Ian met with an obstacle .
“Tsk!”
Ian’s facial expression crumbled .
From his presence, one could tell this was not your run-of-the-mill fighter .
It would likely take some time .
Time that could determine Riley’s life or death at any moment .
This wasn’t what Ian wanted .
“I do not like to run my mouth too much, but I’ll let you live if you leave now . “
Ian threatened the hooded man .
His sword glowing blue with killing intent .
” . . . “
Even so, the hooded man stayed silent .
He simply tucked his chin, and pulled his dagger .
He didn’t know Ian’s intention, but he wasn’t letting him pass .
“You **** . “
From the reaction of his eyes, the hooded man was not deaf .
Ian grinded his teeth in anger as the man ignored his warning .
“I have no time-…”
Ian stopped mid sentence and charged toward the man, and the sword and dagger met .
Bang!
Sparks flew and Ian’s arm engaged with the hooded man’s .
” . . . -to play with you!”
Ian shouted as he twisted his body .
Just when some distance was made between them, Ian’s and the hooded man’s weapons swung at different angles .
Aiming for each other’s lives .
‘Ku?’
Was it due to the fact that two blades imbued with mana clashed?
The two mana blades’ trajectories faded slowly .
Afterwards, Ian’s shoes could be heard sliding on the carpet .
“Fuck!”
Ian swore as he was pushed back .
The match was a draw .
In strength, of all things .
‘What power from such an old man . . . ‘
The same was the case for the hooded man .
He was just as surprised as Ian .
As one of the 5 strongest people in the guild, he didn’t expect to be pushed back like this .
Thankfully the mask was hiding his emotions right now .
“Move you lil’ bitch!”
” . . . “
Ian had been watching his tongue since he began working as a butler, but his habit from his mercenary days was starting to show .
“Move it . . . no move your mute **** out of here! Just **** off!”
At this point he was swearing like in the old days .
His face turned red like the face of a demon .
That’s how desperate he was .
Any more time wasted, and there was no telling what might happen to Riley .
‘I can’t . . . let this man pass . ‘
The hooded man cracked his wrist which was still shaking from the strike before, and fixed his stance .
He believed this old man was nothing short of extraordinary .
‘That **** . . . ‘
Ian tucked his chin in .
If he could kill a man by glaring, the hooded man would of died a hundred times over .
Sadly, he didn’t have such powers .
The hooded man was quite the adversary .
‘Young master! Wait for me . . . just hold on a little longer!”
Ian grinded his teeth .
‘These old bones will come and get you . ‘