ยฉNovelBuddy
The Best Assassin, Incarnated into a Different World's Aristocrat-Chapter 86 โ The assassin discovers Tarteโs power
Chapter 86 - The assassin discovers Tarteโs power
Translator: VALIANT
After we finished checking out Diaโs skills, it was finally Tarteโs turn. ๐๐e๐๐ฌ๐ฒ๐๐ท๐๐e๐.c๐m
I already thought Dia was amazing, but her skills were just as impressive. They worked nicely with the skills I gave her throughใMy Loyal Knightsใ.
And as for Tarteโsโฆ
[My skills are so cool!] (Tarte)
[Rather than cool, Iโd say theyโre appropriate for you.] (Lugh)
[Yeah, they kinda suit you so perfectly itโs almost scary.] (Dia)
The three of us took a look at her appraisal sheet.
Except for the ones I granted her throughใMy Loyal Knightsใ, her skills were written as follows.
?ใSquireโs Devotionใ
A-rank.
Can be activated by making a contract with an individual that the user has acknowledged as their master from the bottom of their soul.
The contract is made by confirming the master-servant relationship after direct mucous membrane contact, and accepting it. The contract will fail if the other party is not acknowledged by the userโs soul. Changing masters is impossible.
While this ability is active, every ability of both the user and the master is enhanced. Additionally, should the master die, the user can revive and heal them in exchange for their own life.
?ใSpearmanshipใ
C-rank.
Enhances the userโs physical abilities when equipped with a spear, as well as the power, speed, and accuracy of spear attacks.
?ใEffortใ
D-rank.
Grants the user with a talent for effort, a personality inclined to hard work, and easy recovery of concentration and mental strength.
[ใSquireโs Devotionใ. It would work just fine with a member of the opposite sex, but how would this go with someone of the same sexโฆ?] (Lugh)
[It would still work between two men.] (Dia)
[Youโre not wrong, butโฆ] (Lugh)
โฆThis is another skill you canโt activate unless you know how to do it.
After all, this wouldnโt work unless you had a deep relationship with the one you recognized as your master to begin with.
And I couldnโt think of any kind of situation where one would bother to confirm that a master-servant relationship had been established after doing that sort of thing.
[Um, Lugh-sama, we should use this skill immediately! Because it would make us both stronger together!] (Tarte)
Tarte was looking at me with her eyes full of hope.
Itโs true that while the conditions were strict, a skill that enhanced all the abilities of two people was extraordinary.
But the reason it stood out so much among the other A-rank skills was because it was disposable.
Once you had designated someone as your master, you couldnโt choose anybody else. If your master died or you cut ties with them, the skill would become completely dead at that point.
Also, the fact that the enhancement didnโt last constantly, but only during activation was also a bad point.
Thatโs why it was treated as an A-rank skill, unlikeใMy Loyal Knightsใ.
[Tarte, you have to promise me one thing. You should actively enhance all your abilities.] (Lugh)
Although we needed to verify the strength and mana consumption at the time of and during activation, it wasnโt a bad idea to use it.
Howeverโฆ
[That last part. The one about how you could save my life in exchange for your own. Promise me youโll never use that ability.] (Lugh)
No doubt that last part was the main point of this skill, given the name.
But I didnโt want her to use that.
[โฆMy deepest apologies. But I cannot promise you that. Because if the need ever arises, I will not hesitate to use it. I cannot lie to you about this.] (Tarte)
Tarte hung her head.
[In that case, I canโt accept the contract.] (Lugh)
Tarte was no longer just a tool. I didnโt need a skill that required me to sacrifice my family.
[Lugh, isnโt that a little weird?] (Dia)
[Whatโs weird?] (Lugh)
[The fact that you donโt want to make use of this skill because you donโt want to sacrifice Tarte. That means youโll use it only when you die. Are you planning to die?] (Dia)
[Of course not.] (Lugh)
[Then thereโs nothing to worry about.ใSquireโs Devotionใwill make you stronger and less likely to die, right? Itโs weird that although you donโt want to die, thinking about what would happen after your death makes you more likely to die.] (Dia)
She sure said a lot.
But it did make sense.
[Lugh-sama!] (Tarte)
When I turned my attention to Tarte, she was staring at me with a determined look. Then, she put her hands on the back of my neck and forcibly locked her lips with mine. She gave me an adult kiss.
I couldโve avoided it if I wanted to.
But when I saw the look on Tarteโs face, I lost the will to dodge.
Then, the long kiss ended.
[Please be my master. And then, please donโt die so as not to let me die. Even without this skill, if you died, I would die too.] (Tarte)
โPlease donโt die so as not to let me dieโ, huh.
โฆThatโs not fair. If you tell me something like that, then how can I get out of this?
[Alright. Then I ask you once again. I want you to be my squire.] (Lugh)
The moment I said those words, Tarteโs soul and mine were united by something hot.
A master-servant bond. It firmly tied us together.
I could feel Tarte in my soul.
[Lugh-sama, I can feel you flowing into me. I feel like I can use this skill now.ใSquireโs Devotionใ!] (Tarte)
Tarte activated her skill.
At that same moment, I began to feel her presence more strongly.
I could feel my physical abilities, mana, kinetic vision, reflexes, thinking ability, calculating ability, and every other ability improving.
[Iโฆ I feel stronger. Also, I feel so close to you, it puts me at ease. I wish this could last forever.] (Tarte)
[Yeah, itโs a pleasant feeling.] (Lugh)
It wasnโt just power. I could feel Tarteโs feelings being conveyed to me.
โฆNo, this was beyond that kind of level. I could actually hear what Tarte was thinking.
ใWas it too daring of me to kiss him like that? What if Lugh-sama thinks of me as a lewd girl because of that? But it felt really good. I want to do it again. I feel so hot from kissing him. I think Iโll go to his room latโ โฆHuh? I can hear Lugh-sama thinking โI can hear everythingโ? What theโฆ? Eh? Eh? Huh? Ah, so you would like a meat dish for dinner? Yes, certaโ WAITWHAAAAAAAATTT!?ใ(Tarte)
It appears that we can overhear each otherโs thoughts when this ability is active.
In that case, letโs try one more experiment.
ใTarte, if you can hear my thoughts, raise your right hand.ใ
ใTarte, if you can hear my thoughts, kiss me again.ใ
I ran those two thoughts in parallel.
Tarte raised her right hand.
But she didnโt kiss me.
I see, the superficial thoughts are shared, but not the deeper thoughts.
Assassins used different thoughts and memories on the outside and on the inside as a countermeasure against torture and truth serum.
Even if the latter was used, the inquisitors would only be able to dig up the outer layer of truths, not the deeper layer.
This was a technique that could be mastered with special training.
โฆIt seems that with this skill, the thoughts you donโt want others to hear canโt be heard.
On the other hand, Tarteโs face turned deep red and was blowing smoke.
ใUugghhโฆ! How embarrassingโฆ I need to stop having creepy thoughts. Especially the naughty onesโ But wait! He can hear me trying not to have dirty thoughts right now! Thatโs also embarrassing. I should stop thinking about not having perverted thoughts, and just focus on Lugh-samaโs pectoral muscโ Wait no, this doesnโt work. The more I try not to think about that, the more my head is filled withโ Aaaaahhhโฆ!ใ(Tarte)
This power seemed to be dangerous for Tarte.
Though in my opinion, it was an interesting one.
Besides, it still had its advantages. Being able to use telepathy was convenient.
Real-time communication was a huge plus when working in tandem.
It could also be used for secret conversations.
[Lugh, youโve been smirking for the past while now.] (Dia)
[I just find Tarte so funny.] (Lugh)
And so adorable.
[Tarte, do you feel tired when you activate this power?] (Lugh)
[Eh? N-No, I donโt feel tired at all.] (Tarte)
[I see, in that case, letโs continue the experiment.] (Lugh)
Now that sheโs activated her power, we should try out some things.
First, I determined the area of effect.
When I moved away, the connection was cut off at about 200 meters.
Even when I turned back, the connection wasnโt automatically reestablished.
Tarte tried to activate the skill again, but it didnโt work.
So I suggested that she try to use it again every minute. It seemed to be the kind of skill that couldnโt be reactivated for a while after every use. I wanted to know how long the interval was.
[Um, Lugh-sama, Iโm sorry for having so many inappropriate thoughts.] (Tarte)
[Itโs okay, they were cute to hear. But you know, you should work a little harder on your mental training. So you can clear away any idle thoughts, that is.] (Lugh)
[Yes, sir! I will do my best!] (Tarte)
Whenever she was fighting, she could display excellent concentration, but not being able to do that at any time was a problem.
[Your remaining skills areใSpearmanshipใandใEffortใ, huh. Both of them are easy to use.] (Lugh)
[I always thought Tarteโs spearmanship was awesome, but I didnโt think it was a skill.] (Dia)
When I selectedใMartial Artsใas my C-rank skill, I was putting emphasis on versatility, that is to say, the ability to properly use every kind of weapon, but if we were talking about using one specific weapon, then her skill was stronger than mine.
[Yes! I think I can have more confidence in my spearmanship from now on! And if I have the skill calledใEffortใ, then I need to work harder and harder. Because I can put in even more effort than others!] (Tarte)
I know Tarte wouldโve still been a go-getter even if she didnโt have such a skill.
[What will you do from now on? Since you have theใSpearmanshipใskill, you might want to stop training with guns and focus only on your spear.] (Lugh)
[Not at all. Guns are convenient to use on the spur of the moment. Like this, when itโs in my pocket!] (Tarte)
Tarte flipped up her skirt, pulled out a pistol set in a holster on her thigh, and held it up.
Fast and fluid. A quick draw at light speed.
You could see the effort that went into it.
[With your speed, it makes for a fine weapon.] (Lugh)
[Yes, if I am up against a spearman, I just have to reach for my pocket and fire at them. Also, itโs much faster than assembling my spear, which comes in handy when a battle suddenly breaks out.] (Tarte)
Her pistol had a short range, but it was easy to handle. It could be used for such feats.
[Hey Lugh, her skill activates itself when she uses a spear, right? In that case, why donโt you make her a spear that can shoot like a gun?] (Dia)
[Would that still count as a spear? โฆItโs not unfeasible. Alright, letโs give it a shot.] (Lugh)
This concept was exceedingly close to that of a bayonet.
The only thing was that if she used a weapon like that, rather than focusing on her spear and reaching for the gun in her pocket, she would be switching between the gun for long-range fights, and the spear for close-range ones.
[Please, by all means!] (Tarte)
[Donโt get your hopes too high. Itโll be impossible to make it foldable like your current spear, the structure would be too fragile. So its performance as a spear wonโt be that great.] (Lugh)
[Even so, I would love to be able to attack at long range!] (Tarte)
In Tarteโs case, wind wasnโt a suitable affinity for attacking, and she didnโt have much talent for magic herself, so she could use long-range attacks with it.
Thatโs probably why she was envious of Dia and me, who were capable of it.
[Now weโve got a good understanding of you girlsโ skills.] (Lugh)
[Lugh, we donโt know yours yet! We told you about our skills, so tell us about yours too.] (Dia)
[Ah! I would like to know as well!] (Tarte)
I smiled and explained my skills to them.
I told them aboutใRapid Recoveryใ,ใSpell Weaverใ,ใLimitless GrowthใใMartial Artsใ, and the ones I got from the Hero.
[This is insane! How come you have skills of every rank!? Iโve never heard of anything like that!] (Dia)
[I was just lucky.] (Lugh)
[Huh? You didnโt explain your D-rank skill. You taught me long ago that absolutely everyone was born with a D-rank skill, Lugh-sama.] (Tarte)
[That one is a secret. โฆItโs a trump card that Iโm saving for a one-time surprise attack. Thatโs why Iโve decided never to tell anyone about it.] (Lugh)
I decided so the instant I acquired this skill.
Should anyone ever find out about this skill, it would become worthless.
But as long as nobody knew, it was my ace in the hole. Even if Tarte and Dia were the ones asking me about it, I wouldnโt tell them.
[Wow, youโre keeping it a secret from us after we revealed everything to you? Thatโs just foul play. Now Iโm dying to know!] (Dia)
[So am Iโฆ But if Lugh-sama decided to keep it a secret, thenโฆ] (Tarte)
They both complained about it, but I couldnโt tell what I couldnโt tell.
[Well then, weโd better go back to the mansion. Maha sent us some delicious and interesting sweets from abroad.] (Lugh)
[Ah! Heโs running away!] (Dia)
[Please wait for me, Lugh-sama!] (Tarte)
We now had a good grasp of the girlsโ skills.
Knowing them and using them more effectively would make us even stronger.
Now, all thatโs left to do is hatch ourใPossibility Eggsใ.
I was also proceeding with my research on that matter. ๐ณ๐๐e๐e๐๐ฃ๐๐ฏ๐๐ก.๐เซฆ๏ฝ
My efforts would surely pay off before long.
But for now, letโs just relax with some good tea and sweets.
Rest is important too.