RETURN OF THE FEMALE KNIGHT

17. I'd Better Make Sure

"How...how did you get in?"

Jimin closed the door and approached Lalisa before answering. He noted her surprise expression and spoke in a low voice.

"Infiltration is my specialty."

"W-what? You mean you snuck in here?"

"To be exact, I got a fake job as a food carrier. In a word, yes."

Lalisa looked at Jimin with more surprise than before. House Blaise was a well-known family in the empire who trained knights. The number of them on the castle grounds was greater than that of any other family. Even if he came into the castle in disguise, he had to steal past all that security reach the room of the count's daughter.

However, the breach was justifiable in some ways. As Jungkook had said, Jimin's abilities were exceptional. But what if Jimin's aim was Lalisa's life? Although Lalisa had her sword to protect her, as a daughter of a count she was already in enough danger. She felt a chill creep down her spine.

"Let me ask you one more thing. Sir Kasha, have you ever approached someone this way and assassinated someone?"

"That's..."

He formed his words slowly. What he said came as a shock, despite the monotone sound of his voice.

"...That's what I'm best at."

Jimin, who already seemed to have extraordinary abilities, was most skilled at assassination...

Lalisa had a headache for a moment, but this was to be expected. When they first met, she thought he looked more appropriate as assassin than a knight. Lalisa wondered what Jungkook was thinking, but he was not there to answer her question. She spoke to Jimin instead.

"Let me ask you directly. If your mission was to assassinate me, can you kill me in Blaise Castle and escape? What are your chances of success?"

"There is a difference between infiltrating a castle to have a secret conversation, and another for the purpose of taking another person's life. Each variable would need to be calculated exponentially. And within Blaise Castle, there's not a very high probability of success. Moreso, after an assassination it would be almost impossible for me to live and escape."

Lalisa smiled when she heard the answer.

"If you put that in a different sense, you can kill me if you risk your life?"

Jimin had no knowledge of Lalisa's swordsmanship abilities, but there still stood the chance of an successful assassination attempt.

For the first time, Jimin did not answer, and Lalisa took it as tacit confirmation. How many assassins in the Ruford Empire could answer like Jimin now?

Jimin Kasha. It was a name she had never heard of in her last life. She envied how Jungkook had such a capable man.

"Let me ask you one last question."

"You've already said you'd ask one last question."

Jimin's expression remained inscrutable, but he calmly parried away Lalisa's repeated questions as if he felt uncomfortable answering them. His observation wasn't wrong, but she ignored it and asked her question anyway.

"Why are you answering my questions?"

She had not met Jimin many times, but she could tell his personality at a glance. It seemed uncharacteristic of him that he would answer to her. Jimin answered in as dry a manner as before.

"The General told me to obey you unconditionally."

"Ah..."

This was new information for her. She didn't expect Jungkook to pay attention to these details, but he was helping her out more than she realized. She felt grateful to him. She didn't completely trust him yet, but she appreciated his services for her.