The Lazy Swordmaster Chapter 10:

How many minutes had passed?
1 minute?
3 minutes?
Perhaps even 10 minutes had passed .
Yet the duel didn't seem anywhere close to concluding .

'Damn it, **** it, **** it!'

Veins began to show on Ian's forehead, along with a film of sweat covering his whole face .
His old body has reached its physical limit from the prolonged, intense combat .

'I can't waste any more time!'

It was for Riley's safety .
And considering his condition, allowing the fight to drag on any longer would be dangerous .

'The next strike . . . I'll finish it with the next strike . '

Ian tightened his grip on his sword .
He was preparing himself for a perilous gamble .
If he lost, his life might be at risk, but there was no other choice .

'No risk, no reward!'

Ian focused his gaze and dashed forward with a different stance than before .
The hooded man noticed Ian's desperation, and reacted without any hesitation .

"Kuuk?!"

In the end, Ian's decision turned out to be a mistake .
The enemy had already anticipated that move .
Ian's sword parted the empty air, and the hooded man managed to slip through his defenses and attack from behind .

'Fuck!'

Would this be where his life ended?
Ian's sweat dripped in the air .
At that moment, Ian felt as if the world had stopped .
Perhaps it was a flashback? Ian's brain acknowledged  his upcoming demise and began to show his past .
The days working as a mercenary . . .
Retiring and working in the Iphelleta House . . .
Meeting Riley .
It was a life rife with danger and excitement .

'Young Master, forgive me . . . '

Ian apologised, for he would die before fulfilling his duty to Riley .
Ian had given up on his life .

" . . . !'

Woosh!

A dagger flew from an unknown corner and drove itself into the hooded man's shoulder .

"Kuk?!"

The hooded man was startled .
That dagger just now belonged to his comrade .
Was there a traitor?
. . . Then who?
Even before that . . . How could a third party who could neither be seen nor detected manage to hit him with a dagger?
That was something even his superior could not do .

' . . . An opening!'

Ian did not miss the brief moment, and his eyes glinted with hope .
The deciding factor between a winner and a loser was paper-thin difference when it came to a duel between two masters .
That moment changed the flow of combat .

" . . . Uck!"

Instantly .
Ian's sword sliced the hooded man's neck .
The hooded man clutched his throat .
Blood spilled through his fingers, and he fell on his knees .
Then he his chest slammed onto the ground lifelessly

"Huck, Hoo, Hoo . . . . "

Ian, who had just escaped certain death began to rein in his wild breathing .
He wasn't sure what had just occurred, but all that mattered was the objective that remained .
He had no time right now to think about the duel that had just taken place .

" . . . Young Master!"

Ian ran through the corridor, driven by his worry for his lazy master .

---

Hhmmmm . . .

A murmur could be heard from the corridor .
Riley was the one who made the uttering .

"That's odd . . . "

Riley looked down at his hand, with which he had just thrown something with all his strength .
The result wasn't what he had expected .

"Why did it miss?"

A knife throw .
That is what it would be called in normal circumstances, but what Riley had just performed was nothing short of a miracle .

"I was going for his heart . . . "

Riley's blade throw had ricocheted from the wall . . .
. . Twice .
He had calculated the angle for the throw so only the handle would hit the wall .
After that, it had indeed landed on his target, but not where he had wanted it . This was why Riley was not satisfied with the result .

"I guess that's to be expected?"

The knife throw was his most used skill back in his previous life .
Although blessed with the sword, he lacked talent for any skills with range such as archery or magic . Therefore, this was one of his compromises to deal with such a disadvantage .

"This body is different from before, and quite a lot of time has passed . "

Riley stretched his hands open and closed as he spoke to himself .
If an average person had heard it, they would lose consciousness on the spot .
There was a possibility of 'friendly fire' if he were to miss, not even to mention the distance between him and the target .
Yet Riley was confident .
That he would never hit Ian who was in combat, and that it would only hit the hooded man .
That was backed up by skill and experience equivalent to his confidence .
Although it was all gained in his previous life .

"Well, it was a dagger as well . "

Riley gazed under him .
The previous owner of the dagger and his companions and were all on the ground with their mouths agape .
They were all dead .

'Woops, too many useless thoughts . '

Riley rubbed his shoes on the carpet to remove the blood stains on them, realizing that Ian may enter at any moment if he were to stay idle .
It was to get rid of the proof .
If anyone from the mansion were to see Riley standing atop the corpses of assassins, or find any proof of his corresponding actions, his leisurely life would end at that moment .
That's not what Riley wanted .

"Ahem, ahem!"

Riley cleared his throat to clear the atmosphere and quickly exited the area .

---

" . . . Hm? Ian?"
"Y-, Young Master!"

At this moment, Ian remembered why the word ‘reassurance’ existed .
It was all thanks to the boy who was rounding the corner .
How thankful he was to meet the master who had irritated him so much before .

"What's going on? You're sweating quite a bit . "
"Young Master . . . "
"What? Did you go for a run?"
"No, it's nothing . "

Riley asked with a smirk and Ian shook his head with tears in his eyes .
Riley tilted his head in reaction to the old man's face of salvation .
It were as if he didn't know anything .

" . . . ?"
"Where have you been? Weren't you at the gardens before?"
"Hm? Ah, about that . . . "

Riley flinched at the unexpected question, but Ian showed no signs of noticing it .

"I was in the bathroom, but why? Is something happening?"

Riley asked as if worried about the sweat-covered Ian .
Ian answered with a serious look on his face .

"The assassins have invaded the mansion . "
"Assassins?"

As Riley acted surprised, Ian nodded his head .

"Yes . It must be about that incident before . "

It concerned that situation that had taken place previously .
The discovery of the body of an assassin must have been the reason they had come to the mansion .

"The situation now is different from before . This time, staying alone is really dangerous . "
"This is . . . not a joke?"
"I am dead serious . "

Riley started to look around the area as if unable to believe it .
The mansion seemed too quiet, but there were occasional sword clashes that could be heard from afar .
It was the proof that Ian was speaking the truth .

"What in god's name is happening . . . "

As Riley swallowed his spit, he quickly turned his head and asked Ian .

"Ian, what about Mother? Is she alright?"

That was the first thing he was worried about .
The rumours about his laziness might have been widespread, but his love for his mother was second to none .
Ian's face relaxed at the boy's concern .

"Sera is defending her . It should be alright, since she's quite the energetic one . "
"Is that so? Ha, that’s good . "

Riley made a sigh of relief .

"We should reconvene with Sera now . "

Ian spoke after observing the corridors .
The bloodthirst in the mansion was getting thicker .
It was likely that Stein had finally entered combat .
Both Ryan and Lloyd must have been be making use of their blades as well .

"Right now, we are the most vulnerable party in the entire mansion . "

Riley was the weakest within the Iphelleta House .
But!
That's why he had to be protected .
To protect the seed that had not yet sprouted .
One that he would  watch the moment it bloomed with both his eyes .
As Ian steadied his resolve, he looked kindly towards Riley .

"I'll take the lead . Make sure you stay right behind me, since we don't know what’s going to happen . "
"Ian, wait . "

As Ian was about to move with his sword unsheathed, Riley raised his and to stop him .

"Now that I think about it . . . I saw something weird in the toilet . "
"Something weird?"
"Maybe, it's connected to the invaders in the mansion . "

Ian turned curious after hearing those words from the boy .
Ian had looked after Riley since he was an infant .
Maybe he was pointing to something special, just like his previous 'hide and seek . '
That thought crossed his mind .

"I brought it with me just in case . "

Riley's hand moved to his right pocket .
Just what had the boy discovered?
As Ian tried to speculate what it could be, the object showed itself .

" . . . Young Master, that is . . . ?"

Ian's brows furrowed after laying his sights on the object in question