The Schattern family was one of the strongest assassin families in the world, if not the strongest.

They had existed for generations and were feared not only by common folk but by nobles as well, having never once failed to kill a target.

"Give us a name and they shall never see the light of the next day."

You just had to give them a name and that person would be dead before the next sunrise. It didn’t matter if you were a noble or royalty.

Once they marked you, you could only pray it would be painless.

That was why their services were so expensive.

Because of how spread out they were across the world and thanks to their shadow powers, they were never caught.

They had killed heirs, princesses, princes, political figures, even a king, and were never found.

Not until the 45th family head of the Laurent family was tasked by the king of that era to hunt them down. A task no one else would take, but the Laurents feared nothing.

The family head was the strongest man of his time, and with his finest members at his side, they managed to find the main headquarters of the Schattern, which had been deemed impossible to locate.

No one expected where they had been hiding.

Section 5 of the Lands of Horror, where no sane human would ever think to live, where monsters capable of wiping out entire cities roamed freely.

Only the truly insane would choose that place as a home.

Which was exactly what made it the perfect hiding spot.

So the 45th family head ventured into that land, and after months of battle and bloodshed, he killed the Schattern family head, the leader of all the assassins.

Rather than wiping the family out entirely, he offered them a choice. Swear under a contract to protect his future descendants, and they would live.

It was a brilliant move. Having the deadliest assassins in the world guarding your bloodline meant no one could touch them.

The king at the time objected, but eventually had to accept it, partly because the Laurents had already paid a heavy price in lives. His only condition was that the Schattern would take no more assassination contracts and would spend their years atoning for what they had done.

The 45th Laurent family head agreed without complaint.

And so the Schattern came under the Laurents, and had served them for centuries since.

The way they raised their assassins was brutal and cruel, but that cruelty was exactly what produced such terrifying killers.

So it made sense that Ezio didn’t remember his own birthday. When every single hour someone might be trying to kill you, things like birthdays stop mattering.

I felt a little guilty for writing such a story into existence, but I couldn’t really blame myself. I had never imagined any of this would become real.

"I see." I finally said.

’Don’t feel sorry for me, Yves. That was just how I was raised.’ Ezio replied, unbothered.

’Anyway, speaking of things you’ve been avoiding, what about your fiancée? Do you think she’ll call the engagement off now that you’ve awakened?’ Ezio asked.

I had almost forgotten about that.

From Yves’s memories, I had learned that he had a fiancée.

His family had arranged for him to marry the youngest daughter of a Viscount family, back before it became clear he couldn’t awaken.

Marrying into a Duke family of the Arkens Empire was a significant achievement for anyone, given how powerful the Laurents were. For a Viscount, it meant a rise in status, expanded business opportunities, and the merging of bloodlines that could produce stronger children in the next generation.

Any girl told she was marrying a Duke’s son would be overjoyed. Discovering that her fiancé was powerless was another matter entirely.

So she had refused the engagement, stating there was no point in marrying someone weaker than herself.

That had been a humiliating blow to the Laurents, and word had spread across the Kingdom.

Since Yves couldn’t awaken, his family had called him a disappointment, removed him from the main mansion, and had him live alone in a separate one far away.

Yves had never made his own feelings about the engagement clear, so the situation had simply been left unresolved.

Now that I had awakened, everything changed.

She might decide to resume the engagement. I wasn’t going to allow that.

For Yves’s sake and my own.

She was pretty, but I had no interest in her, so no.

"If she decides to continue the engagement, I’ll be the one to call it off." I replied. "Besides, I doubt she even knows I’ve awakened yet."

’The main family already knows though.’

"I expected that."

It wasn’t surprising. Even exiled from the main mansion, Yves was still being watched, and not just by Ezio.

I could already picture the faces of those in the family who had written Yves off.

They would be even more surprised when I won the Rite of Passage.

’When we return, there will likely be someone sent from the main family to bring you back. Now that you’ve awakened, you’re eligible for the Rite of Passage.’ Ezio said.

"And I’m going to win it, so get ready to hand your life over to me." I smirked.

’Honestly, at the rate you’re growing, I can’t say it’s impossible. But don’t underestimate your siblings.’

They were strong. But I knew everything about them, their abilities, their tendencies, their weaknesses. I had written them myself. Losing was not an option.

"I know. That’s exactly why I have to keep pushing."

...

Ezio listened to Yves’s confident words and found himself quietly admitting that he was probably going to lose the bet.

Yves was growing fast, too fast, and despite being a full year behind his siblings, his skills were improving at a rate that defied reason, especially with that cheat gift of his.

Normally that would have bothered him, or at least made him uneasy. Strangely, it didn’t.

For some reason, it didn’t seem like such a bad thing to lose.

The more time he spent on this trip, the more he understood Yves. The boy was different from every other noble he had guarded.

He reminded Ezio of someone. Someone who had once been precious to him, someone whose memory only ever brought pain.

’Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.’

As they kept talking, they finally reached the end of the hole.