Am I a violent person?

I don't think so. I have been trained in the art of Assassination and sword arts, and some of the other ones such as movement training, stealth, subterfuge, and the vital points of the human anatomy.

Needless to say, I have been trained as a living weapon and more. Yet I don't feel like a living weapon, I feel like myself. The only difference between the past me and the present me is that I know how to kill a person before they even realize they are dead.

And if the target realizes they are being assassinated, maybe due to my lack of skills, still, it is already too late. By the time they realized they were attacked, they were already dead as I have said.

Taking all that into account, I still haven't wounded a person so badly that they start bleeding like spilled milk. At worst, I have knocked someone out but that's the limit. I haven't killed anyone.

And I don't plan to unless I need to. That's my rule. Killing is of last resort, and if by chance I can end a confrontation by incapacition, then so be it. I once told Mr Samuel about this and all he said was this.

“Good Luck Kid.”

That was a nice thing to say if it was coming from Mr Samuel, though there was another tone mixed into how he said it. I forgot what it was called, but I think it was sarcasm. Anyways.

I hate to injure anybody more than necessary, and I was following that code. Well, that was until now.

“Insolent Child.”

A massive amount of guilt welled up inside of me, as there was an impulse rising within me to put down my sword and start apologizing.

“I'm Sor-”

Before I could even plead my innocence(desperate I know), the world suddenly started spinning, and it took me a few seconds to realize that I was plopped onto the ground. Oh no. Maybe this wasn't the best idea I had. I haven't had any good ideas recently, now that I think about it.

“Being young is such a privilege, don't you agree kid.”

“…”

I had no response. There was something about blood blossoming from my head that made me reluctant to speak. Spikes of pain crept into me, but there were no thoughts of running away. Only thoughts of what the hell happened in a split second, a split second which I usually was able to react to in a normal day, but somehow not right now.

Creeped me out honestly.

“You did not think ahead did you not, Cosmo.”

“No, I did not.”

At least, I know how to reply to that. I didn't bother picking myself up quickly. I had a feeling that I would be lying down anyway. It was indeed very strange. Now, how do I figure this thing out?

“On account of yourself being under his protection, I will not kill you. The consequences of it are too annoying.”

A sense of relief started to well within me, yet it was deflated as fast as it came when he finished his sentence.

“But a punishment is in order.”

Yeah, I'm not staying. I stood up in a rush, summoned my swords, and I thought that it wouldn't appear but it did luckily. The sound of thunder crackled and in the next moment, I was several meters away from the old man.

I gazed behind me, seeing that the old man made no flick of his sleeve or even the snapping of his fingers. He only smiled in response, like a genial old man who was reminiscent of my grandparents.

When I looked in the front, I saw that the old man was there. I halted just in time to not crash into him. Crashing against an old man who had reality-warping powers I found out, wasn't such a good idea. Speaking of good ideas, I need a good idea to get out of this hitch.

“Now now little one, when someone does something wrong, shouldn't they be punished first?”

“Well, yes… But I did nothing wrong… I think?”

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“You think? I see I see. Nevertheless, you have insulted me for no reason, and thus, warranting a punishment.”

. In my head, there was good reason for me to ‘attack’, but from another point of view, maybe not.

“But you did try to”

“Tut tut, time for punishment young one.”

He snapped his fingers, and reality started warping around me. The symbols and sigils that floated around me were confusing, to say the least.

It made me doozy, lightheaded as even the sight of those sigils was enough to make me stumble in place. The longer I gazed at those sigils, the more and more it tried pulling me in, lulling me into a hypnotized state of unknown conditions.

With the remaining semblance of will I had in me, I pulled myself out of that dastardly state and woke up. I felt my back become drenched in sweat, my head pounding as if Mr. Samuel was swatting me in the head with the but of his chokuto.

I shook myself off and gazed around my current environment. Surprisingly, it was not the white space I was expecting. Instead, it was a dimension full of color. If I didn't know that I was dealing with a person of immense power who could change the very fabric of reality, then I would think that I was off into Fairly Land or something.

Nope, I am assured of myself that I was still dealing with that old man. Maybe assaulting him out of the blue was not such a good idea, but hey, that life. I thought that it was the best decision could make and I still think that way. Dealing with this situation is just going to be an annoying process.

…

“You are insane.”

“Shut it. You of all should know that he must be punished. Attacking me to that extent warrants an immediate execution, but on the account of him, it will not end that way.”

“Bastard.”

Samuel swung his Chokuto at Abraham, yet his weapon hovered sightly above Abrham's clothes. Abraham didn't seem surprised, and, expected it. If there was one thing he knew about Samuel, it was his impulsive temper.

“There is no respect nowadays for their elders, oh this generation is doomed.”

“You have to earn it first old man.”

Abraham seemed to have had enough and just gave a sigh, flicking his hand and in the next moment, Samuel realized that his Chokuto was gone. He didn't seem disturbed by it, reacting with only indifference, reaching out to his sides, only to realize again that his dagger, too, was gone.

“So Old Man, what did you do to Cosmo?”

“Now I know where he learned it from…”, muttered Abraham under his breath. Samuel keenly heard it due to his enhanced hearing but ignored it, yet there was a slight grin on the side of his face.

Abraham coughed lightly before replying.

“As I said, it is a punishment, yet at the same time, it is also a test. Now whether he can pass the test, or even survive for that matter, is another question.”

“You are an old crackpot.”

Abraham seemingly had had enough of attitude from young people for today, as he flicked his hand in the air, with Samuel vanishing bit by bit. Samuel realized it yet only smiled in response and did nothing about it.

At the last moment when his head was disappearing, he mouthed the word ‘Crackpot’, before finally disappearing from the scene. Abraham quietly started where he vanished, not seemingly bothered by the words Samuel spoke.

He shrugged his shoulders and summoned a screen in front of him. Displayed on that screen was Cosmo, walking in a field of meadows and flowers, the beauty of it seemingly penetrating the screen behind it. There was a slight smile that appeared on Abraham's face, gazing simply at the field of flowers in front of him.

“Elenor…”

In the next moment, he was gone. Leaving only a screen that showed Cosmo Le Strange, both weapons are drawn, walking tensely in a field of color.

…

My sister would love this place.

She does indeed love swords more than anyone I have ever met, and that's saying something. Surrounded by a legion of Assassins every single day, each proficient in the art of the blade, with their love for it, by my guesses, matching it.

With my sister though, it was different. It seemed like there was a different kind of obsession with it. So different that I never saw her in my entire life, without carrying a sword by her side.

Made me think that at some point, it was a part of her body. The same as humans having arms, except my sister had her swords. Never letting it out of her sight no matter where she went. I'm not surprised that she spent more time with her sword than with me.

Going back to my previous point, she is worryingly obsessed with swords, yet at the same time, she has a garden of her own. My mother also had her garden, which was then emulated by my sister. Seeing her tend to her flowers like a mother taking care of her child, sometimes makes me forget that she wields her blade like an out-of-control maniac whenever I make trouble for our parents.

And trust me, it was a lot.

Despite gripping my swords as tightly as possible, I never forgot to admire the scene in front of me. It reminds me of her, the sight of my sister crouching down on the ground, and gently caressing the flowers she grew. Unknowingly a smile crept up into my face.

Maybe it was because of my memory of her, or maybe it was because there was this one time when I accidentally damaged one of her flowers, as she proceeded to chase me throughout the city with her sword gleaming under the blazing sun.

Thankfully, she forgave me at the end, but not without er um… a proper ‘punishment’. Still sends chills down my spine to this day, yet somehow, somehow it made me smile.

I miss her.

“Cosmo…”

If I focus, I can still hear her voice, echoing in the colorful field of flowers. Which, if I look closely, resembles the garden my sister has.

“Cosmo…”

Wait a minute…

I crouched down and looked closely at the flower planted. It had a sapphire blue color, its petals slightly shimmering with brilliance. I gently touched its petal, and it slightly shattered at its edges. Even more confusingly, this flower seems to be the same kind of flower I broke all those years ago.

My heart started beating like a drum, sweat accumulating on my forehead like never before as I took a slight gulp down my throat. A shadow overcasted me, its figure resembling that of someone I both feared and loved.

“What did you do…”

The shadow's voice too, was somehow the same.