The Villain is Too Good at Sniping

86. Annual Event (1)

That night, at the guest house.

Now that I had obtained Izabella Gaston’s permission, I took a short break.

I had prepared half of what I needed to take with me. The rest I could prepare just before leaving, so all that was left was to contact Izabella before departing.

The night view of Arsen outside the window.

While helping Aira with her task, I had gone out of Arsen, but this would be my official first outing.

A solo outing under the pretext of completing a request.

I had given up on taking the written test for this outing. I had taken a risk, so now it was time to get a suitable return.

Unlike when I first came to Arsen, I had surprisingly few things to take with me. As the demonic beast hunt was about to begin, I had invested all my remaining magic in creating magic bullets. Those bullets were stacked up in the storage space.

I closed the curtain and lay down on the bed.

This demonic beast hunt was something I had only seen in the setting book. This was the first time I was participating in the annual event as an Esperanza.

I would probably meet other kids, including Camille, again.

“Will Siela and Johan, and others like them, be coming too?”

The answer that came to mind was affirmative.

If they were calling me, who was living in Arsen, then they would probably have given the same order to other Esperanza kids without exception.

Sebastian, the butler, had strictly warned me that I couldn’t miss this. The Esperanza’s business was more important than any other task. If necessary, I would have to put my current task on hold.

“It’s not just a simple annual event… when you think about it, it’s like that.”

The elderly members of the Esperanza, seated on their chairs, were always fiercely guarding their positions. They hated the Sacred Church, but what they did was the same.

This summons was not just a simple call. It was clear that they also intended to check our loyalty to the family.

If I didn’t attend, citing my task as an excuse, an invisible penalty would be imposed.

But that would only apply if I was in the middle of a task. If I didn’t even have a task, it would be seen as a potential act of rebellion against the family. Even if I didn’t intend to, the elderly members would make it seem that way.

There are many hunting dogs in Esperance, and those that don’t obey orders are worse than useless.

“Tosagupeng.”

Although they appear to be innocent old men, the elders of Esperance are actually skilled assassins who have retired from the front lines.

The fact that they’ve managed to survive this long is proof of their expertise as assassins.

The retired elders, now hunters, are training the next generation of assassins, just as they were trained. They’ll send them out into the world, equipped with unbreakable chains.

This is the history of Esperance, a cycle that will continue until the organization clashes with the Hunter’s Association.

For now, it’s not worth thinking deeply about. Time is long, and the thread to unravel the solitude is still unclear.

Before I knew it, night had fallen.

I set my alarm and closed my eyes.

***

From noble mtl dot com

When I came to Arsene from Esperance, I used a motorcycle. I rode down the long highway, heading towards the Warp Gate, and eventually arrived in Arsene.

This time, I’m going back the other way.

First, I arrived in Arphen, revealed my identity, and set my destination to the outermost area. I took out the motorcycle I had stored in the underground garage in Arsene.

The road back home was as desolate as always. The empty highway stretched out endlessly, and I drove through the night, heading towards Esperance.

The mansion hidden deep in the mountains, invisible to even [Thousand Li Eye] and [Watcher’s Eye], was surrounded by a barrier that distorted visibility.

Even as an assassin of Esperance, it’s easy to get out, but to get back in, I had to follow the procedure set by Esperance.

“…Where are we?”

I used the secret code that Sebastian had taught me. One side of the barrier distorted, creating a small passage just large enough for one person to pass through. I squeezed through the gap.

And when I turned back, the scenery before me had completely changed.

The forest, teeming with demonic energy, still exuded an eerie atmosphere. The occasional strange cries from within the forest sent shivers down my spine.

I could head straight to the Esperance mansion from here, but I’d have to get through the demonic forest. With the large-scale suppression operation underway, the number of demons in the forest would be overwhelming.

…So I chose the easier route.

A sedan approached from afar. I waited until it stopped in front of me, and the door opened. A middle-aged man in a suit got out.

“Welcome, young master.”

“Sebastian.”

“You must have had a long and tiring journey. We’ve started investigating the instructor you mentioned, but the situation is still unclear…”

“That’s fine. It’s not urgent anyway.”

Just as Sebastian was about to get back into the driver’s seat, the window rolled down, and a pale hand emerged.

“I’m here. Sion.”

The man with white hair and red eyes, visible through the open window, was Camille Esperance, the successor to the Esperance family, who had been chosen instead of me.

He was my brother, yet we shared no resemblance.

“There’s a lot to talk about, but let’s get in the car first. We can’t stay here for long.”

I smiled wryly and got into the sedan.

Camille told me about what had been happening in the family while I was away.

From trivial things like Dian being sad when I left or the maids cleaning my room until it sparkled, to more serious stories I didn’t know about.

He seemed to be trying not to show his emotions in front of me, but I could see it in his eyes. Camille, who had finally found a conversation partner, was thrilled.

“…So Sirena is going on a mission?”

“At first, she wanted to follow her sister, but after getting scolded a few times, she changed her mind. I think she’ll change her name and head to the Magic Tower after this mission. She can’t go now because she’s too young.”

“Magic Tower… I’m not really recommending it.”

“It’s not me, it’s Sirena’s decision. There are many swordsmen in Esperance, but magicians are rare.”

The air was stifling, so Camil opened the window. As the cold wind hit him, he gazed outside with a relieved expression.

“It’s regrettable, but to properly learn magic, I’ll eventually have to leave Esperanza. I can’t stay cooped up in the mansion forever. Now, among my peers, only Yohan is left. That annoying guy who doesn’t listen to me.”

Camil spoke thus, putting his hand into his pocket. A cigarette appeared between his fingers. Just as he was about to put it to his lips, he caught Sebastian’s eye in the rearview mirror.

“Not now, Camil-doryeongnim. You might provoke your magic.”

“…I forgot.”

However, it wasn’t just Camil who was startled by those words.

“Why, Sion?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

It was just that he had some bad memories related to cigarettes.

Camil gazed at him strangely for a moment, then calmly sat down and looked outside. The Esperanza mansion in the distance was gradually getting closer.

“We’re here.”

“……”

Sebastian lightly passed through the main gate and parked the car in a corner of the training ground. Then, he immediately opened the door beside it.

The Esperanza staff, who were standing on the training ground, approached in a line.

“Welcome, Sion-doryeongnim.”

“I’ve been waiting.”

Two maids emerged to greet us. Although I didn’t expect it, among the approaching staff was also Diana Esperanza.

“It’s been a while. Sion Esperanza.”

“Mother.”

I briefly bowed my head.

Perhaps it was because of the memories of Sion that lingered within me, but I felt a sense of awkwardness at Diana’s faintly smiling face.

***

There was no separate welcome ceremony.

I spent the day in my old room, where I used to stay. According to Sebastian, the children who would be sent out on external missions would arrive by tomorrow.

Following his advice to take it easy for the time being, I cleaned my room and killed time. In the process, I had a slight conflict with a maid. I think her name was Sallia Difon.

– I’ll clean the room, sir.

– No, it’s okay. You can go rest.

– It’s my job to manage this place.

– Ah, I’ll do it myself, so it’s fine.

What was different from Arsen was that the maids here were willing to take care of even the room cleaning.

However, I had grown accustomed to tidying up my room with my own hands while living in Arsen, so the maid’s kindness felt burdensome.

Perhaps it was a sense of vigilance. I felt like I would become too reliant on the maids, so I directly picked up the broom myself.

Incidentally, there was one unexpected fact.

I thought I would be the latest to arrive, but it turned out that I wasn’t the latest – it was Ciella Esperanza.

Evening time.

Among the Esperanza children gathered around the dinner table, Diana Esperanza, seated at the head, began to speak softly.

“It’s been a while since we’ve all gathered in one place. Everyone.”

Diana’s gaze swept across the children seated at the table, one by one. First, Camil and Yohan, then Serena and Ciella. And lastly, it was me.

Although over a hundred children had participated in the training, only five of us, including me, had survived.

Moreover, Esperanza’s assassins often got involved in black operations, and it was rare for them to return alive. In the end, only a handful were left.

Knowing that fact, they were sorrowful.

Dian Esperriend’s hand, which was pouring wine, felt awkward and unnatural.

“I think everyone has had a hard time so far. From now on, there will be even more difficult paths ahead. But I, as always, will support you all.”

“…….”

“…….”

There was no one who responded to Dian. Everyone’s faces were heavy, recalling the rigorous training they had undergone a long time ago.

“Still, I hope that next year, we can all gather in one place again during the demon-slaying festival. I hope we can sit down together again in this dining hall, and I believe it will definitely happen.”

Although the children were gathered here now, there was no guarantee that they would be able to do so next year.

As time passed, the empty seats would increase. Those seats would be replaced by new children, but even if the empty seats were filled, the emptiness in their hearts would remain.

It was an unavoidable fate that Esperriend would continue to receive requests and undergo harsh training.

I knew it, the children gathered here knew it, and even Dian Esperriend and the instructors knew it. That’s why no one said anything more. They just silently picked up their utensils and started eating.

But I knew that this fate was not eternal.

“Then, let’s make a toast for Esperriend.”

Dian Esperriend was the first to raise his glass. Camil Esperriend took over the baton.

“Let’s do it once.”

The sound of clinking wine glasses was heard. The frozen atmosphere finally began to thaw.

“Me too, unnie?”

“Yes, let’s do it.”

“It’s not my drink, though.”

“It’s okay even if it’s not your drink.”

Sirena and Ciela clinked their glasses together.

“SION.”

Late, Camil Esperriend’s gaze was felt. Without a word, he lightly clinked his glass.

The hunting dog would grow into a hunter, and eventually, the cycle of raising hunting dogs would be broken.

Esperriend would crumble from within, and the Hunter’s Association, seizing the opportunity, would reduce it to ashes.

Camil, Johan, Ciela, Sirena, and I, Sion Esperriend.

I vaguely knew that the five of us gathered here would become the main axis in the future.

For some reason, my intuition was telling me so.