Solomon awoke to the hustle and bustle of the capital.
Even though it was the middle of the night, carriage wheels still creaked over the cobblestone streets below.
Shopkeepers were closing up for the night while a few lingering customers continued haggling over prices.
Most commoners had already gone to sleep, yet the city itself refused to rest.
The inn beneath them also housed a tavern, and from where Solomon stood, it felt as though the customers hadn’t slept a wink.
They had been given free room and board for being the hundredth group to ever stay at the inn since its creation.
He hadn’t refused the offer, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
The people in the tavern hadn’t looked at them with jealousy.
It had been something far more sinister.
Something had been nagging at him ever since they stepped inside.
He slowly sat upright after hearing a faint noise.
The wooden bed creaked beneath his weight as his hand instinctively reached for the sword resting beside him.
“Is someone there?”
Silence answered him.
Only the faint groan of the floorboards beneath his feet disturbed the room.
“Of course no one would answer you,” he muttered, slapping his forehead.
Without warning, something lunged at him.
Solomon immediately swung his still-sheathed sword across his body, blocking a fatal strike aimed directly at his ribs.
Steel scraped against steel, sending sharp sparks into the darkness.
“You’re trying to harm a noble.
Are you prepared for the consequences?” He lifted one hand.
“Lumen.”
A brilliant sphere of light instantly illuminated the room, chasing the darkness into every corner.
The figure before him finally became visible.
It was a man dressed completely in black, his face hidden beneath a mask that revealed only his cold, watchful eyes.
He looked like the ninjas from the cartoons found on Earth.
Except this wasn’t a cartoon.
This was an assassin sent to take his life.
Ding
The system appeared within his field of vision as he parried a relentless flurry of strikes from his opponent.
“Light Reinforcement.”
A spell he had learned to enhance his body.
Warm mana surged through his limbs, making them lighter and stronger.
He twisted his body sharply, planting one foot before driving the other toward the assassin’s knee.
The assassin leaped upward with surprising agility and landed lightly atop the dresser.
Special Target #2 Detected
Solomon faltered.
That single moment of hesitation was enough.
The assassin slammed him onto the wooden floor.
His chest hit the floorboards with a dull thud before invisible pressure crushed him further.
A boot planted itself firmly against Solomon’s chest.
Gravity Magic.
The tip of the assassin’s blade rested against Solomon’s neck, drawing a thin line of blood that trickled beneath his collar.
“You didn’t think to ask before this?” Solomon squeezed out, his words barely audible beneath the pressure.
The blade pressed deeper into his neck.
“I don’t have time for jokes.” The assassin scoffed.
“Are you or are you not?”
“I am.”
“Then break your engagement with my lady.” The assassin held a folded contract in front of him.
“I will,” Solomon replied without hesitation.
“You would?” the assassin asked, genuine surprise flashing across his eyes.
“Yes.
Hand me the contract.”
The assassin passed it over.
Solomon tore it cleanly in half before handing the pieces back as proof.
The assassin stared silently at the torn parchment before slowly lifting his gaze back to Solomon.
“You dare reject my lady?”
“What is this guy’s problem?” Solomon cried internally.
“Does he want the engagement or not?”
Just as the blade began pressing deeper into his neck…
A knock echoed through the room.
The assassin immediately glanced toward the door before disappearing through the already open window in a blur.
“So that’s how he got in,” Solomon muttered, rubbing his neck as he slowly pushed himself back to his feet.
“Young master, are you awake?”
Marvin’s voice reached him from the other side of the door.
“It’s late, Marvin.
Can this wait till morning?”
“It can…
but I don’t want to.”
Solomon let out a weary sigh.
He bent down and picked up the handkerchief lying on the bedside table before quickly wrapping it around his neck, making sure the fresh cut remained hidden beneath the fabric.
He knew it was only a temporary solution.
By morning, someone was bound to notice.
He walked over and opened the door.
Marvin stepped inside quietly before closing the distance to the bed.
He sat down on the edge of the mattress with his hands resting neatly on his knees.
After shutting the door, Solomon joined him, lowering himself onto the bed opposite him.
“So?”
“I want to tell you about why I love cooking.”
“You remembered?”
“No…
just another small memory.”
“Don’t tell me.”
Marvin blinked.
“But…”
“It’s best you keep things in your heart, Marvin.
Marvin lowered his gaze to his hands.
“Then why did you ask if I had one in the beginning?”
“Because I felt you deserved more than this.”
The words escaped Solomon’s lips before he could process them.
His eyes widened slightly.
They hadn’t come from him.
They had risen from somewhere deep within.
“Don’t tell me I’m sharing this body with the previous owner?”
Host experienced Will Expression.
“Will Expression?”
The will of the previous owner briefly manifested.
They no longer exist…
but their will does.
“Oh great, like I didn’t have enough problems in my life.”
“Young master…
is that really you?”
Solomon’s eyes shifted toward Marvin.
The pale moonlight filtering through the window softly illuminated Marvin’s face, allowing Solomon to clearly see the hope shimmering within his eyes.
“So that’s what the original owner would have said, huh…”
“What kind of question is that, Marvin?” Solomon chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.
“I see…
so it’s you.”
Solomon couldn’t understand their pain, but he knew he would have been devastated in their shoes.
His chest tightened slightly.
Yet he couldn’t bring himself to tell them that the version they loved had long since left the world of Elaria.
“Goodnight, young master.”
“I’ll see you in the morning.”
Marvin simply lifted one hand and gave him a small wave before quietly leaving the room.
The door clicked shut behind him.
Silence settled over the room once more.
Solomon remained seated on the edge of the bed for a long moment, his fingers unconsciously brushing against the handkerchief wrapped around his neck.
When Marvin left, Solomon was finally able to process everything that had happened.
The engagement he had just destroyed.
The Special Target who happened to be an assassin.
“A special target…
tried to kill me” he muttered.
And then there was Marvin’s strange behavior.
“I knew my bad feeling was accurate.” He let out a tired yawn.
“Will I ever get a break?”
He asked himself before lying back on the bed.
He finally drifted back to sleep.