Toma: Reincarnated as the Knight's Adopted Son

Chapter 62: The Attack

Winter in the capital is colder than in Ashud.

I wanted to visit the Alilac Dungeon, but the heavy snow that had fallen over the past few days had blanketed the ground in white, so I decided to wait.

On such a day, Lord Dardale came to visit. From the neighbor's entrance to ours, wooden planks had been laid down across the snow. Where did he even get those planks?

“The brewery in Bettanbaums territory has been shut down. Moreover, it was discovered that Viscount Fayatt had been forcing workers to produce King of Liquors, pocketing all the profits for himself,” Lord Dardale reported.

The brewery had been closed, and efforts were underway to recall King of Liquors from the market. However, with a significant amount already sold to the general public, the recall was proving difficult.

Complete recovery seemed unlikely, but a joint decree from the King and the Pope warned against consuming King of Liquors.

“What will happen to Viscount Fayatt?”
“He’s been detained by the Royal Knights. While he claims ignorance about the poison, given that he was profiting from it, such an excuse won’t hold water.”

Lord Dardale speculated that, at best, Fayatt would be stripped of his title, and at worst, his house would be dissolved entirely.

“Additionally, during the investigation, evidence emerged linking Marquis Lightstar to this affair.”
“Did Viscount Fayatt confess to this?”
“No, it was discovered in documents seized during the investigation. Profits from King of Liquors were flowing to the Lightstar family.”

It seemed likely that Lightstar orchestrated the theft of the sake mold, which Fayatt then used to produce King of Liquors. If Fayatt were desperate enough to save himself, he might expose Lightstar.

“So it depends on Viscount Fayatt’s testimony?”
“Exactly.”

Grandfather was already taking steps to corner Lightstar, and this incident with Viscount Fayatt could further tighten the noose.

“The kingdom will handle the rest from here.”

This was a matter for the kingdom, so the temple would leave the investigation and punishment of Viscount Fayatt to the state. However, since the temple had identified the poison in King of Liquors, they would likely receive detailed reports.

That night, I was in my room performing Conversion.@@novelbin@@

Thanks to the light-collecting lamps, the house remained brightly lit even at night. Once the snow melted, I planned to visit the Alilac Dungeon in the capital.

As I focused on Conversion, a sudden chill ran through me.

The double wooden windows, which I was sure I had shut, had blown open. Likely due to the wind, as they were quite old.

As I stood to close the window, I felt a strange sensation and instinctively leapt backward.

A dagger embedded itself in the floor where I had been standing.

“What?”
“Tch.”

A sharp click of the tongue followed, and another dagger flew toward me.

I flipped the table to block the dagger, sending everything on it clattering loudly to the floor.

“Who’s there?!”

A figure clad in black, resembling a ninja, appeared.

With no weapon at hand, I was at a disadvantage in the confines of the room.

= Individual Info =
Name: Berg
Race: Dark Human
Info: Male, 33, Healthy
Title: Assassin
Rank: B
Attribute: Dark
Blessing: Dark Swordsman
Level: 180
Skills: Dark Swordsmanship (Lv. 4), Shadow Movement (Lv. 3), Throwing (Lv. 3)

I instinctively checked his stats.

This man was an assassin!

“You’ve got sharp instincts,” he said.
“You’re an assassin, huh? Who hired you?”

In response, he slashed the table in two with his sword.

I rolled backward as Berg pursued me, aiming a thrust at my chest. I narrowly evaded by rolling further away.

But then, a blade suddenly emerged from the floor and pierced my left shoulder.

“Ugh! What was that...?”

It seemed to be a technique from his Dark Swordsmanship—an attack that could strike through shadows or darkness.

Defending against such a technique would be difficult. It was perfect for assassination.

“Tch, you dodged. I was aiming for your heart.”

Twisting my body at the last moment had saved me, but blood was pouring from my left shoulder.

I couldn’t afford to let this drag out. If I didn’t end it quickly, things would only get worse.

“You won’t escape now.”
“I’m not dying here!”
“Gah?!”

I activated Conversion at that moment, and blood gushed from Berg’s left shoulder.

“W-what?! What’s happening?! What did you do?!”

He stared at me in shock as the bleeding from my shoulder had miraculously stopped.

“What did you do?!”
“Like I’d tell you!”

Now it was my turn. I closed the distance in an instant and delivered a flying knee strike to Berg’s face.

The satisfying crunch of his nose breaking confirmed a direct hit.

Berg flew backward, slamming into the wall before collapsing in a heap.

Just then, the door burst open. Fearing reinforcements, I braced myself.

“Toma, are you alright?!”
“Toma?!”
“What happened?!”

Ben, Shamy, and several temple knights rushed into the room.

“That bastard!”

Ben drew his weapon as soon as he saw the black-clad intruder.

“Is he dead?”
“No, just unconscious. Restrain him, please.”

The temple knights subdued Berg and removed his mask, revealing a man with dark, sharp features.

“Toma, your shoulder—”

Shamy hurried to heal me with magic, but I stopped her.

“I’m fine. The injury’s gone.”

Using the Event Conversion ability I had learned at level 4, I swapped the state of my injured left shoulder with Berg’s.

The wound that had been mine was now his, while I stood unscathed.

This ability consumed a massive amount of mana—15,000 points in this instance. Had it been a full-body injury, I wouldn’t have had enough mana to perform the swap.

Exhaling deeply, I slumped to the floor.

“That was a close one…”

Good thing I’d leveled up. Without higher stats, I wouldn’t have survived.

Soon after, the butler, Rude, arrived to clean up and provide me with a change of clothes.

Blood was splattered everywhere, and it would take considerable time to clean. A room stained with blood is unnerving, to say the least.

Lord Dardale, having heard about the commotion, arrived shortly after.

“How could an intruder get into Toma-sama’s private chambers?! What is the purpose of the guards?!”

Normally calm and collected, Lord Dardale’s rare outburst carried an unexpected intensity.

“We sincerely apologize!”

Rudolf Bach, the head of the temple knights guarding the Roxfall estate, bowed deeply.

“Rudolf, make sure this never happens again,” Lord Dardale ordered.
“Yes, my lord. We will increase security to ensure Toma-sama’s safety.”

“But stricter security will make it suffocating…”
“This is non-negotiable! With Toma-sama’s life at risk, additional guards are necessary!”

Lord Dardale’s firm stance made it clear he wouldn’t relent.

“But who sent this assassin after me?”
“The most likely culprit at this time is someone connected to Viscount Fayatt. However, we will conduct a thorough investigation,” Lord Dardale assured me.
“The temple will investigate?”
“Yes. Since this incident occurred at the Roxfall estate, which falls under temple jurisdiction, we have the right to conduct the investigation.”

I didn’t realize that.

At that moment, I doubted Berg would give us any useful information…