The World’s Finest Assassin Gets Reincarnated in Another World as an Aristocrat - Volume 5 - Chapter 1

Chapter 1 | The Assassin Tests an Improved Spell

Not long after returning home, I left to go hunting. I was stalking deep in the woods to keep from disturbing the hunting ground the citizens of the domain frequented.

“A little sister… Gaining a new family member doesn’t sound so bad.”

I was shocked at first, but that had since given way to excitement.

It also meant I could not allow myself to die. So long as I was a Tuatha Dé, my sister would be able to live as a typical noble. Yet if I died, she would inherit the clan, meaning she would have to become the blade of the kingdom.

I didn’t want that to happen. I wanted my sibling to live a regular existence.

That was what I thought about as I hunted.

I was also testing out a remodeled version of my wind probing magic.

“Found one. This new version is useful. I can tell the forest is especially lush and fertile this year. Dia will be happy to have Alvanian rabbit.”

I had a fondness for the spell that allowed me to search my surroundings by merging my consciousness with the wind to broaden my area of perception. I used it quite often.

This was an improved version of that. Until now, the variant I had employed expanded outward as a circle with me as the starting point. As the range grew wider, it became more burdensome to maintain.

It’s easy to understand if you imagine a circle. Assume I enlarged the area of my search to one meter. The scope of a circle with a radius of one meter is about three square meters, and the size of one with a radius of two meters is about twelve square meters. That’s only an increase of nine square meters.

However, if I were to expand my search area from a circle with a radius of 100 meters to a circle with a radius of 101 meters, the field would increase by 631 square meters. This problem limited the coverage of my search.

Thus, I devised a remodeled version with a new formula.

This new iteration didn’t scan an entire circle at once; it just extended a long rectangle some dozens of centimeters wide in front of me. I could only see what was ahead, but if I rotated the rectangle around myself, I could map out everything in all directions. I detected everything at a fraction of the cost, and the burden wouldn’t grow exponentially every time I increased the range.

By nature, it was pretty similar to radar, and was very effective.

There is one big weakness, though.

Because I was rotating a rectangle, I didn’t sense the entire area at all times as I had before. The time required to turn the scanning zone a full circle was less than 0.1 seconds, but oversights could still happen. Usually, that wouldn’t be a problem, but it could prove fatal in a highly mobile or close-combat scenario.

For that reason, I needed to swap which method I selected depending on the situation. I would use the circular version when 0.1 seconds could prove fatal and the rectangular one at all other times.

All right, time to start hunting.

I produced a crossbow from the Leather Crane Bag I used to store objects in an alternate space. Guns possessed greater range and power, but too much force would damage the meat. A crossbow made more sense if the goal was to bring the game back intact.

I removed the bolts loaded into the weapon and replaced them with new ones. I carried around a crossbow because it was handy in various situations. They didn’t make any noise, making them superior to firearms for some assassinations.

I took position and fired. True to my aim, the bolt sped through the trees and pierced the Alvanian rabbit’s head.

“That’s one.”

Alvanian rabbits rivaled large dogs in size and made for a substantial meal. I expected everyone to eat a lot, though, so I wanted to get one more.

I finished hunting and trekked back down the mountain. I’d successfully bagged two Alvanian rabbits and one boar. I’d also filled a basket with mushrooms and edible plants.

The Leather Crane Bag is a godsend.

Having to carry all of that without it would have been a pain.

I was going to share the meat with the commoners after I butchered the animals. We weren’t going to be able to consume such a large amount by ourselves.

Autumn was fast approaching now, and it was getting time to start thinking about winter. Undoubtedly, this game would help the citizens of the domain.

After I finished cutting up the rabbits and the boar, I handed the pelts of the former and some meat from the latter to an influential man in the village and requested that he share with everyone.

Boar was filling, and if cured in salt, it could help with getting through the winter. Alvanian rabbit pelts went for a high price, so the man was happy to have them.

He gave me fresh vegetables as a thank-you gift. I decided I would use them for the feast tomorrow.

I headed to the kitchen upon returning home. We were holding the feast tomorrow, but preparation needed to be done now.

I needed to rub the meats with spices to disguise their strong scent and let them sit overnight to sink in. It would make the food taste even better.

There were a few people in the kitchen already.

“I’m back. I’m not surprised to see you hard at work with my mom, Tarte, but I didn’t expect Dia to join you,” I remarked.

“Hey, that hurts. I’ve been thinking about learning how to cook, too,” Dia responded, puffing up her cheeks.

I always took Dia as more of a gourmand than a chef. Her lending a hand with food was rare. I wasn’t sure exactly how she was actually assisting, however.

“Ah, welcome back. You’ve done as splendid a job as ever, Lugh. I don’t know how you always find so much delicious meat in such a short amount of time,” said Mom.

“The Alvanian rabbit and the boar both look delicious,” Tarte commented.

“Did you say Alvanian rabbit?! Please make stew and gratin! That’s been my favorite ever since you served it to me all those years ago!” Dia’s mouth was practically watering already.

“That’s what I’m planning on doing with the rabbit. I’m going to make tataki with the boar,” I answered.

I’d searched for Alvanian rabbit in the first place to make Dia her favorite cream stew and gratin, so that was already my intention. I intended to prepare tataki with the boar because I wanted to test out another new spell as I cooked.

“Lugh, what is tataki? I’ve never heard of it,” said Mom.

“That’ll be a surprise for tomorrow. Are you all working on fermented runamass?” I questioned.

“That’s right. I know how much you and Cian love it,” my mother answered.

She and Tarte were preparing fish. Tuatha Dé had a large lake, and as such, its citizens ate a lot of fish-based meals. Runamass, a type of trout, was a signature taste of our domain.

There had long been restrictions on fishing in Tuatha Dé to protect the blessings of nature, and it was banned outright during the breeding season. Thus, the people developed a method of preserving fish to eat during that period.

Initially, the intention was only preservation, but once the Tuatha Dé domain became wealthy around the time of my grandfather’s generation, some began to think of using this method to create delicious foods.

Dried runamass dishes made in Tuatha Dé took an extremely long time to prepare using reasonable methods and had quite a distinct taste. They were so good that I was confident they would sell even in the commercial city of Milteu.

Mom and Tarte were making fermented runamass. It was a regional dish in Tuatha Dé produced by fermenting the fish in rice bran made from wheat. This preserved the meat and also intensified the taste. Fermented runamass was excellent steamed, and it was custom to eat it that way on special occasions.

One might find the idea of fermenting fish in rice bran odd, but in my previous world, it wasn’t all that rare for people to do so. In principle, it didn’t differ much from salted rice malt.

“Wow, this is really nice runamass. It’s large and weighty,” I observed.

This was an exceptional specimen. You didn’t see one this good very often.

“Hans gave it to us as a celebratory gift. With runamass like this, you just have to salt it overnight and steam it!” replied my mother.

“I’m sure it’ll be amazing. Although…people from other domains tend not to like it when cooked that way. Shouldn’t we fry it since Nevan and Dia are here?” I asked.

In my opinion, salting and steaming only made the runamass more delectable. Unfortunately, fermented dishes were always accompanied by a peculiar scent that many couldn’t abide. There were even some in the Tuatha Dé domain who couldn’t handle it. Masking that odor was impossible, unfortunately.

Dia and Nevan had never even heard of rice bran, so I estimated an 80 to 90 percent chance they would react negatively. Considering that, it seemed best to fry the runamass with plenty of spices. Admittedly, that did feel like a waste, though.

“Hmm-hmm-hmm, that won’t do. I am set on steaming it. You cannot become a Tuatha Dé woman if you don’t familiarize yourself with this taste! I’m making you and your father’s favorite dish, and you can’t convince me otherwise!” she proclaimed, jabbing a finger at the fermenting runamass with great vigor.

She had a point, but I thought it would be best to ease Dia and Nevan into this dish.

That gave me an idea.

“Mom, can you leave the steamed fish to me?”

“…You’re definitely plotting something.”

“Not at all. I just learned a delicious way of steaming seafood while in Milteu, and I want you to try it. It makes the fish moist without losing any of the flavor. It was so good it made me question all the steamed meals I’d ever eaten in my life. I think fermented runamass would be amazing prepared that way.”

“Urgh, I can’t help but be interested by that. Fine. But promise me this—you will make steamed fish.”

“Yeah, no problem,” I agreed with a grin.

Saying that I learned this method in Milteu was a lie. It was actually a skill I’d picked up in my previous life. It was the best method for steaming food that I knew. I was sure it would make my mother happy and enable Dia and Nevan to enjoy the runamass as well.

I’d originally learned how to cook to disguise myself as a chef and get near my assassination targets. It was a strange feeling knowing that ability would now bring joy to my mom, girlfriend, and friends.

In my first life, I lived as a tool. But I could say with pride that it hadn’t been a waste. The great variety of techniques I gained back then enabled me to put smiles on the faces of my loved ones.