The Reincarnated Assassin Is a Genius Swordsman

Chapter 1244 "Play...?" Runaan stared at Martha, blinking blankly. "What are you suddenly talking about..." She lifted her darkened eyelids as if bewildered. "That's right. Let's play." Martha nodded, confirming that Runaan had heard correctly. "Saying let's play... with such murderous eyes...?" Runaan let out a hollow laugh while looking at Martha's eerie eyes that seemed intent on killing rather than playing. "My eyes are always like this." Martha shrugged, saying her eyes had been sharp from the beginning. "......." Runaan narrowed her clouded eyes thinly as if trying to understand Martha's intention. "What... do you... want to play?" She turned her body completely to face Martha as if telling her to speak up. "Well, it's already decided." Martha licked her lips long and lowered her hand below her waist. "Hmm..." Runaan, thinking Martha was about to draw her sword, gripped the hilt of her sword. "Here!" Martha pulled out a deck of cards from her pants pocket and held it out in front of Runaan's eyes. "Let's play a card game." She licked her lips, saying that naturally when outdoors, they should play cards. "Hmm..." Runaan sniffled while looking at the deck of cards in front of her. She awkwardly lowered the hand that had been gripping Snow Flower's sword hilt, as she had naturally expected Martha to request a sparring match. "Did you think I'd ask for a fight?" Martha chuckled while looking at Runaan's hand. "We fought recently, so there's no need to do it again. Or even if we do, we'll do it properly prepared." She calmly stroked her jaw as if confident she could defeat Runaan next time. "Don't know cards..." Runaan slowly shook her head. "I'm... going to sleep..." She turned her back again, showing no interest in card games. "Don't do that, let's play." Martha moved close to Runaan's side as if she would veto the rejection. "This is as fun as fighting with swords." She twisted her lips, saying she would teach the card game. "Won't do it... Don't know it so it's not fun..." Runaan waved her withered hand as if she had a desperate need to sleep. "No, I want to do it." Martha grabbed Runaan's wrist and pressed her lips tightly down. "Hmm..." Runaan let out a low moan as if feeling the intense heat rising from Martha's black eyes. "Then just one round..." She sighed as if thinking it would be difficult to sleep immediately anyway because of Martha. However, her eyelids writhed slowly as if demanding sleep. "Good thinking. Let's start." Martha leaned against the tree trunk and sat down, patting the ground. "Hmm..." Runaan sat down beside Martha while her eyelids trembled as if she wanted to fall asleep right away. "Poker has a lot of things to memorize. Should we do blackjack?" Martha shuffled the deck, saying it would be easy but fun. "Simply put, you and I draw cards, and whoever gets closest to 21 wins. If you get 21, shout blackjack. But if you go over 21, you lose." She fondled the cards, saying it was a very simple game but one with profound psychological warfare. "But you... also played cards...when?" Runaan tilted her head as if that point was unexpected. "I learned." Martha lightly shook her jaw as if that was all. "Alright, let's begin." She dealt one card each to herself and Runaan from the thoroughly shuffled deck. "Hmm..." Runaan licked her lips while looking at the two cards that came out: the 10 of hearts and the 3 of diamonds. "Want another card? I won't take one." Martha raised her eyebrows at Runaan as if asking what she would do after checking her own cards. "Give me more..." Runaan nodded as if thinking she still had room. "Here." Martha grinned and held out another card to Runaan. "Hmm..." Runaan didn't know card games, but seemed to have seen them somewhere as she slightly lifted the wrinkled card. The card she newly received was the 4 of clubs. "One more card..." Runaan was still at 17, so thinking she had room, she took one more card. "Ah...!" As she checked the fourth card, she gasped as if it was unbelievable and dropped the card. "How could this..." Runaan stammered in panic as the newly received card was the 9 of diamonds. "10 of hearts, 3 of diamonds, 4 of clubs, and 9 of diamonds. Total 26." Martha checked Runaan's cards and chuckled. "You, you are..." Runaan rolled her eyes quickly as if curious about Martha's cards. "Me?" Martha grinned and revealed her own cards. "5 of hearts, 10 of clubs...?" Runaan widened her eyes seeing Martha's cards totaled only 15. "Why...?" She let out an empty sigh at Martha's cards that had stopped too early. "Beginners always ruin themselves by being greedy." Martha giggled, saying she knew Runaan would lose by being greedy. "I would obviously win if I just waited, why would I follow?" She shrugged as if Runaan's psychology was obvious. "Ugh..." Runaan trembled her fingertips finely, seemingly more upset by Martha's reaction than losing at cards. "Do it again..." She said let's play one more round while slightly biting her lips. "Anytime." Martha seemed pleased and began gathering and shuffling the cards again. "Oh? Are you playing blackjack?" Krein casually approached from the side and licked his lips. "Can I join too?" He sat down beside Runaan as if he also wanted to play. "I, I also just one round..." Dorian also sat beside Krein and nodded, showing interest. Unlike the situation where they joined in to play like Martha who didn't want to let Runaan sleep, the two had serious looks in their eyes. "......." Runaan watched only Martha and the cards in her hands as if it didn't matter. The characteristic of a martial artist who hated losing seemed to show. "Anytime!" Martha clapped her hands as if pleased and dealt the cards. "Nobody sleeps tonight!" Under the tree where the four people gathered, the sound of cards being dealt could be heard until the sun rose the next day. * * * "Hmm..." The man wearing the horned bear mask twisted his jaw sideways. "It seems she's not coming today." He had been waiting for someone, but clicked his tongue briefly as if stood up and turned around. "If problems arise like this..." The man in the horned bear mask scratched his neck with long nails as if worried. As if scratching was a habit, his neck was full of scratch marks everywhere. "It's fine." A low voice came from the opposite side of the man in the horned bear mask. "Because she's already been exposed a lot." A beautiful young man with short-cut silver hair and deep purple eyes calmly waved his hand. He let out a cold smile with an appearance similar to Runaan. "Now no one can turn it back. Not even Raon Zieghart." Syria Sullion. Runaan's older brother and the man who, despite having his neck severed, did not die but survived and curled up his red lips. However, as if the shock from that time remained, his neck was surrounded by long burn-like scars. "Hmm..." The man in the horned bear mask slightly narrowed his eyes as if still worried even after hearing Syria's words. "You know better. Dream Illusion magic is difficult to start. On the other hand, once you get them into the dream world, they can never escape." Syria Sullion drew a faint smile as if there was no need to worry. "At first, she also had deep wariness and endured at the door of that world, but thanks to approaching very slowly for several months, she has now completely adapted to the dream." He licked his lips long, saying he had tempted Runaan for a very long time like fishing. "You saw yesterday too. She who originally would wake from dreams with just a fingertip touch now actually likes it even when embraced." Syria licked his red lips with his tongue as if missing Runaan's warm embrace he felt yesterday. "Now if the world of Dream Illusion becomes one with reality, she'll love me even in this form. Ah, Runaan!" He grinned, saying the day when he could see Runaan directly was not far off. "Then, then..." The man in the horned bear mask looked at Syria with expectation. "Yes. My empty companion's helmet will find its owner..." Syria drew a circle with his fingertip while looking at the two Baphomet helmets on the table. "A perfect pair will be born." He let out an eerie laugh with his hands clasped together as if anticipating that day. "Of course, your wish will also be fulfilled." Syria waved his slightly trembling hand to the horned bear mask, telling him not to worry. "I will do my best!" The man in the horned bear helmet said he would continue to tempt Runaan while roughly scratching his neck with his long wrist. "Good." Syria smiled broadly saying he would look forward to it and fondled the Baphomet helmet on the table. "Two lives and..." He giggled while examining the slightly different form of the other Baphomet helmet. "One soul." * * * Whooooo. Karoon breathed in the cold dawn air and sat on the throne to begin his duties as temporary head of house. He now seemed accustomed to the position of head of house, processing important documents with determined eyes. "Is this all for today?" Karoon finished all the documents that had been piled up like mountains before noon and put down the pen stained with thick ink. "Has there been any contact from Light Wind Palace?" He licked his lips as if curious about news from Light Wind Palace that had departed for Birdnew Village. "A report came in at dawn saying they would camp near Pilshu Village. They could have gone directly, but the content was that they would rest first and then move in case of a surprise attack by Eden." Shadow Agents' Leader Chad bowed his head while holding a bundle of processed documents in his arms. "Good judgment." Karoon nodded gently as if pleased with Burren's judgment in currently leading Light Wind Palace. "Burren has also done well in the role of Vice Palace Master beside Raon." Sheryl drew a gentle smile while recalling Burren's eyes that had cast away foolishness. "He's still lacking a lot. However..." Karoon shook his jaw as if still not satisfied with Burren. "Since he's always watched the Light Wind Palace Master from behind, he'll get better." He showed expectation that Burren would grow further, thinking that Raon had guided him. "Next..." Just as Karoon was about to ask the Shadow Agents' Leader another question. Thump. An unexpected footstep was heard in the audience chamber where only Karoon, Sheryl, Roenn, and Chad were present. Thump. All four people hadn't moved from their spots, but someone's footsteps continued to emerge. That sound strangely seized people's hearing and made them unable to move. "It seems..." Just as Karoon turned his head while slightly biting his lips. Thud! The door on the left side of the audience chamber opened, and Raon walked out wearing training clothes soaked in red blood. Raon's body was full of wounds and fatigue had accumulated on his face, but his eyes sparkled more seriously and brilliantly than ever before. "I have returned. And thank you for your hard work in the meantime. From now on...." Raon stepped forward to the platform and politely bowed to Karoon sitting on the head of house's throne. "I will sit in that seat."