episode_0076

“… what… ?”

Bella’s thoughts stopped at that incredible sight.

The eyes, which had been overflowing with emotion and turbulence just a moment ago, turned towards the man, trembling incessantly.

Meeting that gaze, the man smiled.

“Looking at your expression, it looks like you absolutely believed that I would keep my promise.”

I laughed, looking at her devastated expression, as if I was actually enjoying it.

“But what? I didn’t have any intention of doing that from the beginning.”

The man spoke in an innocent tone, like a child explaining his prank.

“You are so naive.”

Bella’s head, which had stopped working and had given up on thinking, finally moved a little and grasped the situation.

And then I realized.

That she had been deceived by a man.

“… … !”

Before the arrangement was finished, her body moved.

The unbearable passion and anger broke all her mental restraints, and she pulled out a dagger from her waist and rushed towards the man in an instant.

With all my might, with real intent to kill.

However.

“Wow, I had to use my hand right away like that.”

The man smiled without losing his composure even when the assassin was aiming for his neck.

And the next moment.

Bella was leaning against the wall in the training room.

‘uh… ?’

Bella didn’t know what had happened or why she was like this.

But that question was soon shattered.

Because the shock I felt in my stomach erased all my doubts.

Only then did Bella realize.

He said he was hit in the stomach.

“Cough… !”

Blood flowed from her mouth, as if her internal organs had been damaged.

“It’s fast, it’s fast. After all, it’s the ‘old moon’.”

Bella forced herself to stand up as she heard the man’s voice, which had a tone of mockery.

“You… … !”

There was burning anger in his eyes.

“Wow, it’s bloody.”

Bella leapt again towards the man who was smiling slyly.

It was at such a terrible speed that no one around could react.

thud!

This time too, the result was the same.

Bella tried again and again, but the result did not change.

Let alone sticking the knife into the man’s body, I couldn’t even touch it or even graze it.

After repeating the process, Bella collapsed in her seat and was unable to move.

Even so, the man adjusted his strength to leave room for Bella to move.

So, if I wanted to, I could easily stand up.

However.

Bella couldn’t do that.

I couldn’t get up anymore.

Because I realized that it was a meaningless act.

Because I realized that no matter how hard I tried, even if a miracle came, I couldn’t defeat the man.

“Hmm? Aren’t you going to do it anymore?”

Looking at Bella, who was sitting down and not moving, the man made a puzzled expression.

Then, he clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“You have no guts.”

At that time, a faint voice came out of Bella’s mouth as she sat down and lowered her head.

“… Why.”

“Hmm?”

“Why… Doing something like this… … .”

It was a question.

Why do you have to do this?

There is nothing the man can gain by doing this.

Even if there were 20,000 gold coins, it was nothing more than a small amount of money to the man, and he smashed even that to pieces with his own hands.

There is no benefit, either financially or materially.

But why did they do this and create this situation?

Bella couldn’t understand it at all.

“Ah, are you asking why?”

The man who was tilting his head clapped his hands.

“Iyura… . It’s simple. The reason why I did this… … .”

The man who had been pausing as if he were announcing an important secret opened his mouth again with a tearful smile.

“Because it’s fun.”

“… What?”

Bella’s head lifted up.

Trembling eyes turned to the man.

“I did it because it was fun.”

Calmly, as if saying something obvious.

The man said so.

“Just like that… … .”

Are you saying that they did this for just that reason?

Just for fun or something.

For entertainment.

Are you saying that he pushed the lives of many people, including himself, into a quagmire and ruined them?

“At best. I don’t mean to say that. Ah, since you are not in the position to see, it is natural that you do not know.”

Shaking his head, the man approached Bella.

Then, he bent down and looked down at Bella.

“What you see on the outside, you have no idea how interesting you have been over the past 10 years.”

An emotion close to ecstasy was written on his face.

“How fun it was to see an innocent and ordinary girl being ruined as she had no choice but to kill someone.”

The man burst out laughing.

A big smile as if you were leaving the training ground.

After laughing for a while, the man’s gaze turned downward again.

“Now, how do you feel? It feels like your 10 years of hard work, blood and sweat were shattered before my eyes. I feel like I know that the life you gave for it wasn’t worth anything. I feel like I killed so many people for something so worthless.”

“… … .”

Bella couldn’t come up with any answer.

Just as the man said, everything was destroyed.

Goals and dreams that I only dreamed of.

The blood, sweat, and effort shed for that day when the promise would come true.

The hope that was faint, but always held in a corner of my heart.

In the end, his 10 years were of no value.

And he himself ended up killing countless people for that worthless thing.

That fact crushed her heart cruelly.

“Sad? Are you miserable? Or are you sorry for the people who died for you? huh? How about it?”

Looking at Bella’s eyes losing their light, the man whispered softly.

I spoke one-sidedly to her who could not respond in any way.

There was a bright smile on his face, as if he was extremely happy about this situation and this moment.

It was at that moment that the man was disturbed.

“How dare you… !”

“I’ll kill you… !”

Some of the members who were quietly watching the scene came forward.

The people who were running towards the man, each holding their weapons, were familiar faces to Bella.

They all had their faces distorted and shedding tears.

Why did Bella enter the dark night and become an assassin?

I learned the reason through a series of conversations.

That Bella had blood on her hands and sacrificed her life for them.

That’s why they couldn’t just stand still.

Any fear towards the man had already been consumed by anger that threatened to explode.

They all rushed towards the man without even thinking about what happened next.

“Not… … !”

Seeing that scene, Bella, who had been in a daze, hurriedly opened her mouth to try to stop them.

Because their future was so clearly visible.

but.

bang!

“Wow… !”

Her cries never reached them.

Dozens of people who were running towards the man were thrown away all at once and crashed into the wall.

After that, I just fell down and couldn’t get up again.

Looking at that scene, Bella felt as if her heart was going to drop.

The good news was that everyone was still alive and their lives were not in immediate danger, but that wasn’t much of a consolation to Bella.

“Hmm… What should we do with these guys?”

Because they knew that their life and death depended on the man’s hands.

“Considering that you dared to rebel, you deserve to be killed… Then there will be no more chains to bind you.”

The man’s gaze returned to Bella again.

“So, I will show special mercy and save your life. Of course, it’s all up to you.”

The man continued speaking.

“How much should we do this time? 40,000 gold coins? The period… I guess roughly 15 years? Now that you have become famous, collecting will be easier than before. Oh, don’t worry. This time, I will really keep my promise.”

The voice that spoke as if it were a great mercy did not reach Bella’s ears.

No, I came in, but I didn’t want to hear any more.

Because I knew.

That what the man said was a lie.

There’s no way he could ever keep his promise.

However.

Still, she couldn’t refuse the man’s words.

Regardless of his own life, the lives of people who are like family to him depend on the man’s will.

If you refuse the offer here, I will kill every single one of them.

The man presented her with a choice.

Are you going to let them die here, or are you going to follow your words and collect money by carrying out the request again?

She knew full well that there was no hope either way.

In order to protect your precious people, you have to at least pretend to be deceived.

Even if there is no hope at the end.

but.

To accept such a choice right away.

To repeat something meaningless again.

She was so exhausted.

“… … .”

The light went out from Bella’s eyes.

at last.

In the end, does she end up playing into that man’s hands and has no choice but to dance like a toy until the end?

Will I have no choice but to struggle in pain, repeating meaningless actions, without achieving any goals for the rest of my life?

In a life where such hope does not exist.

Knowing that the ordinary life she dreamed of was really just a dream.

The sight before her eyes became as dark as the dark night sky.

It was then.

“Good thing you followed along.”

I heard a familiar voice.

Is it auditory hallucination?

It would be more correct to think of it as an auditory hallucination.

Well, it was a voice that could never be heard here.

however.

Even though she knew it couldn’t happen, Bella’s head naturally turned in the direction the voice came from.

And saw.

A familiar face.

We’ve been spending the most time together recently.

Wade Heblon, the man she hoped would be in the future she dreamed of.

He was entering the training ground with an expression on his face that she had never seen before.

Seeing you for the first time, with a cold, calm face.