CH 88

"Ho ho, you've outdone all the others who have visited here so far. If they had been as excellent as you, I would have enjoyed myself more."

Ho, ho. It laughed with its mouth parted

--It's a gray hound.

Not a metaphor.

Standing amidst the trunk of a tree, the assassin's gaze fell on a grey dog sporting bushy grey eyebrows.

The dog looked similar to a Miniature Schnauzer breed in Desmond's previous life, 

--A monster.

This must be the 《Grey Hound》's  【Grey hound】that many have heard about.

The assassin suddenly put his hand on the knife at his waist with "natural" movement. The "naturalness" of the action is like the wind blowing. It is nothing more than a "naturally occurring phenomenon". No one can stop the wind from blowing, even if one is averse to strong wind.

That is exactly the movement the assassin made with his hand towards the knife.

That person reached for his waist. Trying to take the blade to kill.

But what of that?

Even though it is apparent, the movement is so natural that it went unnoticed.

That is the essence of the skill "stealth."

【Naturalness】.

You know it, but you can't perceive it.

You can see it, but you are not aware of it.

Without awareness, before you know it, your sense is being stolen away from you, along with your head.

The assassin is not holding up the knife that he has pulled out.

It is a very "unnatural" action.

Holding the knife in his hand, the assassin approaches the gray dog with the gait of a humming man, as if he is just out for a walk.

"Ho"

And the gray dog laughed.

The laughing dog.

Unnatural.

The dog that can speak.

Also unnatural.

Killing a dog with a knife.

Natural.

Very much so.

Then there came the sound of metal and teeth clashing.

sparks flying.

He couldn't kill the dog.

But that is natural.

The assassin tried to leave the area...

--But that was impossible.

If it had been a typical foe - no, even a skilled assassin - his neck would have been sliced. Trying to deal with an opponent in an unnatural way will put you on the back foot. While feeling a sense of discomfort, he managed to resist the urge to bite back, making him a first-class professional.

But the person in front of him--

"Hoho, this is something."

The dog was circling in front of the assassin.

It was a "natural" movement.

The dog asked the man to play with him because there's no one else in the area except him. It was as "natural" and "unnatural" at the same time.

"Interesting. There are not so many people who can use such a technique. --Are you with <Ephemera>?　A shadow belonging to a noble family. Performs work that cannot bespeak. --I've long missed such a strong scent." the dog sniffed "But it's not entirely right for me to judge. I'm just a gray dog after all."

His cheerful tone is like that of a good-natured old man. Combined with the dog's appearance, it seems "natural".

The talking dog and the silent assassin.

Putting the sword aside, the scene is strange, yet somewhat comical and lighthearted.

However, beneath the surface, there were many, many sword exchanged.

--It's impossible. There was no way to win, not even a way to escape.

The assassin tries to step out with his right foot.

Naturally.

the dog's gaze turns toward him. "Naturally"

He stops "Unnaturally"

The assassin tries to throw another weapon.

Naturally.

the dog's fangs intercepted in the shot. "Naturally"

"Unnaturally" he stopped.

All of the assassin's attempts were discarded as "unnatural" without any real action being taken. 

――Not good.

Gradually, the assassin's 【Naturalness】 was being neutralized just by being around this dog, as if a thin veil was being removed layer by layer.

At this rate, he felt that he would not be able to use it anymore.

One cannot tell what is natural and what is unnatural when it is made incomprehensible by something that has transcended the natural concept.

For example, a person may become so tense that they do not know how to move their limbs. The more "natural" something is, the more conscious we become of it, and the less we know how to do it.

It was similar to that.

At this rate--

"Ho!"

The dog chuckled.

"Don't you think this is enough?"

And the dog speaks.

It talks.

And Nods.

"Why don't you surrender?　I, for one, would regret the death of a person of your caliber. It would be --- so uninteresting."

-- shudders.

Then.

The gray dog's eyes widened and its fangs snapped at the assassin.

It was the form of a smile.

But of a carnivore, of a predator.

--Ah, I cannot win this.

The assassin thought.

But still, he is, after all, a " Shadow".

He holds up a knife.

"Unnaturally", but "naturally".

"Hoho!"

And the dog laughed again.

""………………""

What the assassin are trying to uphold is not their mission, but just their pride.

To the nobles, an assassin is nothing but dirt.

They are nothing.

And yet, the assassin also felt that they had gained something from the mission.

Not for the sake of the master, but for their own self.

Then, both of them...

-- kicked off and rushed through the forest.

Every time they crossed swords, sparks flew and a metallic clanged followed.

A dog's fangs and an assassin's knife. If the two fought a fair fight, the assassin's body weight would probably be greater than the dog's. However, one should not be underestimated the canine's physique. Although it may be small, every part of it is a mass of muscles.

Without any stagnation, the four limbs that kick the ground send out a strong momentum that makes all the muscles in the body move.

Its stability in its neck enables it to withstand strenuous movements, and its supple joint allow for a fluid flow of energy. Flexible change of direction. On top of that, his small frame allows him to move with great agility.

Furthermore, the brain that controls the dog is the 《Gray Hound》 a mercenary who has fought many battles in the past. Though small, this wild animal is equipped with a skillful and expert mind.

Its fangs and claws wield a ferocious edge.

The assassin slashed down his knife diagonally to the left. That is a milestone. He chooses his next move according to the dog's reaction. The dog dodged to the right. Then, he kicked up to the right side.

The dog moves backward by a hair length.

Jupmping up, while still has momentum of his kick, he used 【Fixed(Position)】on his ankle. Turning it to a pivot point and then folded other limbs, switching his knife to the right, he swing his entire body at the maximum speed. His neck turns around first, gazes fixed on the dog, and the body follows. Now upside-down and knife pointed toward it, he deactivated【Fixed】then kicked the air and reaped forward as if his body was a knife, aiming at the front left leg. 

"Ho!"

The dog snickered.

The assassin hit the left forefoot.

No, the foot blocked it.

However, he pressed on, causing the dog to lift off the ground.

Now that he was suspended, the options he could take narrowed down. The assassin delivers a follow-up attack while adjusting his own stance. 

Fighting is like playing Chess. The assassin tries to narrow down his opponent's options by eliminating the possible moves, and then he tries to connect them, leading to decisive attack. Once you have achieved that, the check is called.

This is not a fistfight between amateurs.

It is an exchange of refined and well-developed skills and techniques.

All they did now was just a series of small moves. Or rather. just subtle.

Limbs movements, feints, bluff, gaze, the spirit, etc. ........

In a competition when all players are on equal footing, flashiness is a guaranteed way to lose, therefore they play steadily and gradually to increase their cards.

--Stacking up move after move.

Sweat soaked the assassin's skin. Only a single dog. Such a thing should be an easy opponent for a skilled assassin. But he couldn't grasp it. They were evenly matched. No, he was pushing. It is the assassin who is getting closer to the king. But he was only able to make it to just that.

"Hoho, you're doing your best I see."

The dog smile.

Can he hold on?

-- No.

It is the assassin who is making the push. That much is certain. But despite the suffocating offense, Randolph the 《Gray Hound》 had plenty room to spare. Why? Because what he is doing is controlling the 【Grey hound】. He is not confronting the assassin physically. He's just controlled the dog remotely.

*slash*

The assassin get the check mate. He neatly gouged out the cervical vertebrae and severed the animal's neck.

But.

"Hoho, how far can you go I wonder?"

The forest stirred as if it were billowing.

Through a gap in the trees, there's another gray dog.

The same breed of dog that the assassin had just decapitated.

One.

Two.

Three.

And more.

Their sizes varied. They ranged from small dogs to ones as big as calfs.

One by one, the packs of greyhounds began to show their appearance.

The voice emerged from the mouth of the dog's decapiteted head.

"Well now, I'm very fortunate to meet you."

The dog's lips lets out the words.

Right now there are only a few of those who infiltrate  Aldora. And they have been taken care of. Therefore, there is no problem in allocating more Grey hound to this area.

That's right, this is the magic used by Randolph Steiner. 【Grey hound】 is more than just the ability to control a single dog. He sends these dogs all over Aldora. Sometimes automatic, sometimes with manual control. These dogs are not a real dog nor alive. They're just magical beings created completely from scratch by Randolph.

By using them, he had single-handedly performed the counter-intelligence operations for Aldora. Although there were more visitors than before, it was not so much that he cannot handle them.

Though it would be more difficult if all the guests cooperated with each other.

Each of the guests had their own agenda. It was easy enough to defeat them individually.

That is exactly why.

He triple the amount.

Is it possible to deploy such a pack of animals with such skill? What kind of training allows this to happen? No, it cannot be called training. It's torture, madness. The skill must be based on the accumulation of such things that one would hesitate to even mention, let alone undergo.

The assassin shuddered with horror and tinge of pity.

--that means I wasn't a match for him in the beginning. ......

Resignation.

But at the same time, he also felt a burning desire. It was a failure as an assassin, as a "shadow". But

She held up her knife.

Her opponent was the legendary 《Gray Hound》 one of the most powerful individuals in the world.

It is worthy of death.

She rushes forward. With her whole body and soul.

"That's the spirit."

The dog laughs.

Laugh.

Laugh.

Laugh.

--The whole pack Laugh.

Today on the impenetrable territory of Aldora, ruled by the Damwead's Heretic, Randolph is whipping his old bones - no, he's happily entertaining his guests.

But the lord didn't know about it at all.

--Well, it seems that Desmond-sama is holding a tea party for the ladies today.

Oh, that's good. Meanwhile, I was invited into another state of affairs.

--Interesting.

I am but a dog with a sword.

and today, I shall run wild to my heart's content.

There is the sound of dog teeth clashing in Aldora's forest.

It echos.

It clanged.

"Now, let's pick it up, shall we? Hohoho."

Grandpa Randolph is so busy, he doesn't have time to grow old