My Status as an Assassin Obviously Exceeds the Hero's

This is chapter 297 of the main story, but the total number of chapters has somehow surpassed 300!

Thank you always for reading and supporting me! I’ll do my best to keep running until the end!

“Truly! I’m terribly—so sorry!!”

Inside the carriage bearing the Tsukimi family crest, Hazuki Tsukimi grabbed the back of Mutsuki Tsukimi’s head and forced him to bow along with her.

The four-seat carriage wasn’t spacious, and with two heads blocking the view in front of us, Sato and I exchanged a wry smile.

After smacking Mutsuki’s head with full force, Hazuki glanced around, shoved him into a nearby waiting carriage, then smiled and urged us to board before speaking for the first time.

As one of the three great houses, the Tsukimi family’s elders wouldn’t want to bow to strangers like us—even if we were the saviors of the people they’d rescued. If the head of the family, Yayoi Tsukimi, had done this, she would have used more careful language to avoid making us suspicious. It was cruel to demand that same composure from Hazuki, who is about our age and has been on edge while acting as the head’s proxy. So Hazuki’s actions made sense.

“As this man said, I noticed your presence and I was fine—no injuries—so isn’t that enough?”

“And, well, the actual victim says that, so shouldn’t that settle it? We also want to be on equal terms with Yamato Country, you know. Right?”

“Ugh, I’m sorry~. My brother-in-law…”

Sato tilted his head and smiled, and Hazuki’s eyes filled with tears as she looked up.

Well, it would be a disgrace to the benefactors of the country to have drawn a blade at them—even unknowingly—after they brought in weakened citizens. If some anti-war organization found out, they’d poke at it for sure.

Hazuki probably understands that even if she doesn’t make this public, the incident could become leverage if we fall into hardship. Even if it doesn’t become a trump card, any small favor owed to the Tsukimi family would be beneficial to us.

If only we could quickly form an alliance—then we wouldn’t have to think about things like this.

“I’m sorry I delayed my introduction—my name is Mutsuki Tsukimi. I’m the husband of the Tsukimi family head, Yayoi Tsukimi, and Hazuki’s brother-in-law.”

“…Sakuya Kohana said that the moment she saw me at the dinner, if it had been Mutsuki Tsukimi, he would’ve lunged. Maybe the situation aside, that comment was right.”

“There’s no excuse.”

I said teasingly, and Mutsuki nodded without resistance.

He admitted his guilt but didn’t look ashamed. Hazuki smacked the back of his head again. Mutsuki blinked, looking at Hazuki as if he didn’t understand why she hit him.

Sato and I introduced ourselves and then asked, “Did I look like a Demon Clan member?”

“No, you didn’t look like a Demon Clan. I’ve never actually seen a real Demon Clan, but the ones I’ve heard about are heartless fiends. Yet you looked up at the sky and found it beautiful. That made me think you were not a demon. As I said before, I attacked because it looked like you were harming Hazuki-dono.”

“…You’re strange.”

“Am I?”

Mutsuki was genuinely strange in his own calm, offbeat way—and honest. He seemed like someone who couldn’t lie. In that regard, he was an ideal match as the spouse of Yayoi, who possesses the Demon Eye that can discern truth.

“But still. If you feel guilt, then if possible, I’d like to have a proper spar with you at some point. Of course, after your frontline wounds have healed.”

Remembering the earlier skirmish where we only clashed once, I proposed it. A duel to the death would be different, but a sparring match would not be fatal.

Even if Hazuki didn’t react, Mutsuki shook his head. His silvery hair made a faint rustle like moonlight. If Commander Saran is a sun-like handsome man, this man is moonlike—handsome in a different way. Maybe I don’t get irritated by him because he’s married; regardless, his personality defangs any hostility.