“We chose an assassin because no soldier, knight, or sorcerer would’ve been able to kill the hero while staying within the bounds of normal human capability. Only a highly skilled assassin is capable of carrying out this job.”
“So I have to kill this hero, who happens to greatly exceed the strength of an ordinary man, while remaining a humble human myself.”
The reason for our difference in strength had been placed into my mind along with the information I was given earlier. The humans born in that world of swords and magic had a certain limitation placed on their abilities. From a very young age, heroes were able to break through that limitation and could become far more powerful and superior to other human beings.
The goddess, or whoever else was in charge, allowed only one hero to exist at a time.
Thus, if a hero went rogue and decided to rampage across the world, there’d be no one who could stop them. No other person could hope to best the hero in battle. That’s why this situation called for assassination.
“I understand the nature of this hero, more or less. He’s a monster. Given what I know, I’m sure I can kill him. However, I’m going to need abilities on the very high end of the human spectrum,” I said.
“Sure, I can help you out there. You’ll be equipped with the strongest possible specs a human can have, though still within reason. You will also be allowed to choose skills that would otherwise have been assigned to you at random,” the goddess explained.
Suddenly, countless skill options flooded my mind. In the world of swords and magic, people were assigned, at most, five random skills at birth. Being given the ability to choose freely from a seemingly infinite pool of skills was no small task.
Rather than simply choosing the most powerful skills, I thought it best to choose skills with strong compatibility. That way they’d add up to more than the sum of their parts.
“… You can’t choose the skills for me, can you?” I asked.
“Aw, is critical thinking not your strong suit? It would be thrilling to watch you struggle to complete the job with the weakest skills I could possibly give you, but… How about this? I’ll give you three days to mull it over, so choose wisely. Of course, that is only on the condition that you accept my request.”
“I have a number of questions I’d like to ask first. From what I’ve gleaned, it seems you’re not able to interfere excessively in worldly matters, but isn’t that exactly what you’re doing right now by sending my soul to this other world to do your dirty work?”
“You’re not wrong. Occasionally, however, it just so happens that a world is short on souls and needs an influx from another world. Then there are cases where, coincidentally , the soul-cleansing process goes wrong and memories and knowledge are accidentally left intact, and coincidentally , that person is born with great strength and powerful skills. That is the limit to which we can interfere. Unfortunately, this hero situation isn’t one where the world can be saved through conventional means.”
Evidently, the goddess was doing the most she could within her limited framework.
“Next question. I have to kill him within eighteen years, right? Can I just off him as soon as I’m ready?”
“Ah, no, that won’t do. Wait until he kills the Demon King, at least. Only the hero is capable of defeating the Demon King, so offing him before he gets the chance would doom the world in a different way.”
“I see. How many other souls have you lured here and enticed with this same proposition?”
It was hard to imagine I’d be the only person being sent to the world of swords and magic with their memories intact in order to try to assassinate the hero. If I were in the goddess’s position, I would try to up my chances by placing as many pieces on the board as I possibly could.
“Oh, now that’s a shrewd question. I can see how you were able to become your world’s most notorious assassin… The answer is none. For now, it’s just you. Even if I am a goddess, there’s no way I can pass off multiple assassins being reincarnated with all with their memories intact as pure coincidence.”
For now, she says. I made a note of that remark.
“Last question. Which is more important to you: saving the world or killing the hero? If it’s the former, then in the event that an opportunity to save the world without killing the hero presents itself, would that be good enough?”
“Saving the world is the primary goal, of course. Yes, if there was a way to secure a bright future for the world that didn’t involve the hero’s death, then that would be fine… If you really think you can make that happen, you’re more than welcome to try,” the goddess said with an unnerving smile.
“Got it. I accept your request. I’ll be reincarnated into the world of swords and magic. I do have one request of my own, however. I would prefer to be born into a family of moderate wealth. I’ll need an environment where I can train to the fullest.”
“Ah, there’s no need to worry about that. You’re being reincarnated as the scion of House Tuatha Dé. They’re that world’s greatest family of assassins. You will have every resource you need available to you, so please work hard to raise your abilities to the maximum of human potential. Once you choose your skills, I will transfer your soul to your new world.”
The goddess disappeared, and I broke into a bit of laughter. I couldn’t believe that even after being given a chance at a second life, I was still going to be stuck as an assassin.
I’d sworn to myself that if I got a second shot at life, I would live only for myself. Now I actually was getting another chance, with my memories of my past life intact no less, but I’d be a tool right from the get-go. The irony wasn’t lost on me…
Still, I wasn’t about to complain. I’d been given eighteen years to kill a single person, and I’d get to continue living as myself despite having already died.
This time, I promised to live for myself and find happiness.