When I Cleared the Death Game World, I Reincarnated as a Villainous Noble Even if They Talk About Doom Flags, I'm Actually Immortal. - Chapter 16

Hebimiya was a master of the Seven Flash Moon-Cutting Style.

That much was true.

But there was a lot he hadn’t mentioned.

The Seven Flash Moon-Cutting Style was less a sword art and more akin to assassination techniques.

As long as the target was eliminated, anything was fair game.

Techniques such as magically enhanced slashes and wire-based cutting strikes, which would be considered taboo in conventional swordsmanship, were all part of its arsenal.

Furthermore, while Hebimiya had mastered the style, he was no longer a samurai or a swordsman of honor.

He had once belonged to the samurai order that upheld the Seven Flash Moon-Cutting Style, but after losing to his younger sister-in-discipline, he had fled in disgrace.

Now, he wandered from place to place, making his living as an assassin.

And right now—he was still an assassin.

He wasn’t hired as Lior’s sword instructor.

He was hired by Mason as an assassin.

(Tch… This client sure loves making things complicated. “Make it look like an accident during training”—what a pain.)

That was Mason’s request:

“Kill Lior under the guise of a training accident.”

If Lior’s death looked like a genuine accident, suspicion wouldn’t fall on Mason.

(Well, lucky for him, the Seven Flash Moon-Cutting Style has plenty of lethal training exercises. Not that I plan on wasting time with anything but the deadly ones.)

Mason probably wanted a more drawn-out approach to make the “accident” seem more natural.

But Hebimiya couldn’t care less.

He wasn’t going to play along with that charade.

The sooner he killed Lior, the sooner it would be over.

(Humans can survive underwater for about three minutes. Any longer, and death is almost guaranteed… He should be dead by now. Time to pull him up.)

Hebimiya yanked the rope.

The tension felt right—there was no struggling from the other end.

Lior’s body was limp.

By now, he was nothing more than a corpse.

“L-Lord Lior!? Lord Lior, please wake up! Lord Lior!!”

Just as Hebimiya had expected,

Lior was completely motionless when he was pulled from the lake.

Not even the slightest twitch.

Hebimiya’s assassin’s instincts told him, “He’s dead.”

“Ahh… looks like he didn’t make it.”

“What!? You said this would be safe, damn you!”

“Well, turns out the young master was weaker than I thought…”

“I’ll kill you where you stand.”

Laura’s voice dropped to an icy whisper as she unsheathed her sword.

Her intent was clear—she meant to cut Hebimiya down right here and now.

Hebimiya wasn’t about to die either.

He placed a hand on his blade, prepared to strike the moment she moved.

If she attacked in anger, he could claim self-defense.

Mason would cover up the incident.

However—before they could clash,

A small figure suddenly stepped between them.

“Please, wait a moment.”

It was Felicia, the maid with black canine ears twitching atop her head.

She had been silently following behind them the entire time.

Now, she knelt beside Lior’s body—and then…

She pressed her lips to his.

Jolt!

Lior’s body convulsed.

A moment later—

“Cough! Hack!”

He gasped violently, spewing out water as his chest heaved.

“L-Lord Lior! Thank goodness…!!”

Laura immediately embraced the coughing Lior, gently rubbing his back as if comforting a child.

Meanwhile, Hebimiya’s eyes widened in shock.

(…What!?)*

(He was definitely dead!?)*

(Do you have any idea how many corpses I’ve seen? My instincts never fail me—so how the hell is he still alive!?!?)

Yet, completely unfazed by Hebimiya’s shock,

Felicia calmly dabbed Lior’s wet face with a towel, as if his survival was completely expected.

“Lord Lior, how are you feeling?”

“Drowning’s not really my thing… but yeah, I think I’m okay. Did you save me, Felicia?”

“Yes. I apologize for my boldness, but I used the artificial respiration technique you once taught me. Please forgive me for… placing my lips upon yours.”

“Ah, yeah… I do remember teaching you about that when we were talking about river safety. I’m impressed you remembered. Good job.”

Lior placed a hand on Felicia’s head and gently ruffled her hair.

Her ears twitched, and her fluffy tail wagged excitedly beneath her skirt.

“W-Woof… Thank you, my lord…”

After ruffling Felicia’s hair to his satisfaction, Lior casually stood up and looked out over the lake.

“Alright, Master Hebimiya, let’s go again.”

“…What?”

“Huh? The point of this training is to reach the surface on my own, right? I’d like to try again.”

What the hell is this kid saying?

A cold sweat ran down Hebimiya’s forehead.

Just moments ago, Lior had died.

At least, according to Hebimiya’s instincts, he should have been dead.

Even now, it was hard to believe he had actually survived.

Yet, here he was—voluntarily asking to do it again.

To Lior, as long as it made him stronger, dying wasn’t an issue.

(…What is this kid? A monster? How can he nearly drown and immediately ask for more?)

A shiver ran down Hebimiya’s spine.

Had he unknowingly nurtured something terrifying?

The Seven Flash Moon-Cutting Style was real.

Hebimiya had seen firsthand how true monsters emerged from its training.

If Lior—a boy with such an unnatural obsession with strength—fully immersed himself in the Seven Flash Moon-Cutting Style, what would happen?

Hebimiya didn’t dare to think further.

(I need to kill this kid. I won’t let another monster like my sister-in-discipline be born.)

Hebimiya turned his gaze toward Lior, who tilted his head as if to ask, “Aren’t you going to throw me?”

“…Alright. If that’s what you want, we’ll go again.”

“Lord Lior, please wait! This training is far too dangerous!”

“It’s fine! I’ll do better this time!”

“This isn’t about effort—!”

“He’s the one who wants it, so drop it. Here we go.”

“Please and thank you.”

Whoosh!

Once again, Lior was hurled into the lake.

Splash!

He plunged into the water, creating the same burst of spray as before.

Just like last time, bubbles floated to the surface as he sank.

“Ahh… This time, make sure you pull him up sooner!”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it.”

Throwing Lior into the lake twice in a row was risky.

If Hebimiya kept pushing it, someone might catch on to what he was actually trying to do.

This time, he really did intend to pull Lior out before it was too late.

But before he could—

something changed.

“Is it just me, or is the water rippling?”

“No way… Could he already…?”

“Ah! Lord Lior’s head just broke the surface!”

For a brief moment, Lior’s face emerged from the lake.

Where he had been sinking, the lake was at least three meters deep.

And yet—

despite the weight shackled to him,

despite the water resistance,

Lior had just launched himself upward.

“In this short time… his magic control’s already improved!?”

Hebimiya had carefully calculated the weight and depth to ensure that Lior would drown.

It was meant to be impossible.

Yet, Lior had already overcome that hurdle.

In mere moments.

(…No matter. There are plenty of other ways. I’ll finish him next time.)

In his mind, Hebimiya saw the image of an egg cracking open.

He quickly shook off the thought, turning his attention back to Lior, who was climbing out of the water.