Reincarnated As The Villainess's Best Friend
Chapter 31: Return of the Doll-Faced Assassin

Chapter 31: Return of the Doll-Faced Assassin

I grabbed Fumiko with my left arm, pulling her back from the table, while I reached out in front of me with my right.

But then, she let out a soft gasp.

I had caught the arrow mid-air, but not before its tip pierced beneath the right side of her chest.

I threw it aside, then, cushioning her head with my left arm, I quickly pulled us both to the ground.

"Ouch..." she winced, contorting her face.

My ribs flared with pain when I hit the ground, but I was much less concerned about myself.

I lifted Fumiko and examined the spot beneath her chest. Her blood had already soaked through her white robe, but the wound didn’t seem deep.

Another arrow flew overhead, lodging itself in the wall behind us.

"Does it hurt?" I asked.

She winced again. "It’s not that bad. I’ll be fine."

With much effort, she sat upright and placed her right hand over the bleeding.

"Pass me the wine."

I reached for the bottle on the table and handed it to her. She poured out its contents on the bleeding spot, while bracing the pain.

Another arrow flew past.

"Stay low," I said, pulling out the dagger in my sleeve.

"Rin, wait..."

I ran towards the door and stepped outside.

Once again, I stood face to face with the doll-faced assassin.

She was dressed in the same attire, the only difference being that she was wielding a crossbow this time instead of a sword.

Without hesitation, she aimed at me and fired.

I tilted my head to the left, watching the arrow fly past.

"Too slow."

She reached for a quiver on her back, but before she could pull out an arrow, I hurled my dagger straight at her.

Right before it struck her, I heard her mutter a sound.

Almost immediately, everything froze.

Then, unnaturally, everything began to move in reverse.

The dagger flew straight back, with its handle pointed at me. I could feel my arm reach up and grab it, in the same manner and position in which I threw it.

After it returned my hand again, I regained control of my body.

"Too s... slow."

Those were the same words I had said earlier. Something wasn’t right.

By the time I figured out what happened, the assassin was long gone.

I ran back into the house. Miss Fumiko sat on the ground, pressing down a soft rag against her wound.

"Did you get her?" she asked.

I shook my head. "Let me fetch a healer."

"There’s no need," she grunted. "I have a healing potion stored somewhere in the kitchen. I just need to find it."

Fumiko was hurt, but her wound wasn’t a life-threatening one. Gently, I sat on the ground beside her and wrapped my arms around her.

"I’m sorry," I said, trying to calm her.

"No... It’s not your fault."

"It is... I brought an assassin to your doorstep."

"Don’t beat yourself for that... There was no way you could tell that she’d track you here."

Miss Fumiko was trying to be nice with her words, but the fact was that I put her in danger by coming here.

However, her statement raised a pretty important question.

How on earth did the assassin find me?

*****

Just before the break of dawn, I left Fumiko’s house.

She had fallen asleep on my chest, while I stayed awake, keeping watch, on the entire house, and on her.

I could feel her heart, beating against mine. And part of me wished I could hold her like that forever. But hours before dawn, I carried her to her bed and tucked her in beneath the sheets.

Then, I decided to return to the inn.

I had to find Theo.

It had been four days since I last saw him, and there was no guarantee that he’d be there. But now I had gotten some new information, and he was the only one who could make sense of it, and tell me what else I needed to know.

But before I could sneak out of the academy, I needed to grab my dark cloak, from my own room.

I crept out of the tutors’ area, and made my way to the male nobles’ dorm, silently evading the night guards under the cover of darkness.

The main doors to the dorm were locked, so I made use of the secret entrance that led right into the courtyard.

Once inside, I made my way upstairs, treading slowly to reduce my noise as little as possible.

When I got to my door, I noticed a little light leaking from beneath.

Someone was in my room! Again!

I silently pulled out my dagger. Then, I reached for the door handle and gave it a gentle nudge.

The door creaked open, its hinges loudly announcing my return.

I didn’t see the intruder at first, but as soon as I stepped into he room, I heard a blade unsheath behind the door.

I turned around sharply and parried the long sword headed for my neck.

"Master Rin?"

I raised a brow.

"Theo?"

He nodded and immediately pulled his sword away from me.

"Pardon me," he bowed his head, and sheathed his sword. "I thought you were an assassin."

"Same here," I replied, closing the door. "How long have you been here?"

"Hours. I came looking for you."

He reached beneath his cloak and pulled out a small scroll.

"What’s that?" I asked.

"A message. I went to the coven to find out what I could about your assassin. This is their response."

"What does it say?"

He tossed the scroll on the table.

"Two weeks ago, an unregistered assassin came to the coven, seeking information and a map of Viridale. It’s not unusual for unregistered assassins to drop by, but what stood out, was what the assassin wore."

"A doll-faced mask."

Theo nodded affirmatively.

"The coven keeper was able to extract some information about her, like where she was from."

"Let me guess... Xindao?"

Theo’s eyes widened.

"How did you...?"

"What else did he find out?" I cut him off.

"He persuaded the assassin to reveal her target."

"And it’s me."

Theo gave a half-nod.

"You, and another."

"Who?"

"The girl... Lucy Daevalia."

My stomach sank at the mention of her name. Apparently, everything bad that has been happening to me was somehow connected to her.

Distraught, I moved to the reading table and sat down in the chair beside it.

Theo shifted forward, his voice a little more encouraging.

"You need not worry. I’m going to stop her before she harms you."

"No. You won’t."

He paused, seemingly surprised by my pessimistic statement.

"How do you mean?" he asked.

I let out a sigh.

"She’s not just an assassin, Theo... she’s a mage."