Ch.99. Kill or Be Killed.

“Urgh!!”

Countless droplets of blood splattered onto my skin.

Perhaps due to the cold winter, they dried quickly, giving me the sensation that my face was stiffening.

Swish-!

When I was living my previous life, did I ever think about killing someone?

No.

Only after being possessed did I even imagine it.

As they say, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” and in this place, killing happened as routinely as eating meals.

“Kuh, kuhek!”

The screams echoing from all around pierced my frontal lobe sharply, but only after seeing the blood pooled on the ground did I manage to regain my grip on reality.

And then.

I hypnotized myself internally.

‘Let’s just think of this as a game, it’s merely a realistic game where blood splatters on my face.’

Ding ♪

┗+1 Magic Power has increased.

━You have acquired the skill [Insight].

[Insight]

You can check the information, mood, stats, etc. of others.

I wiped the blood from my eyes with my sleeve and raised my voice.

“Rain Breaker!”

“Yes, young master!”

“I’ll go ahead first, cover my back and follow.”

“It-it’s dangerous. Let me go ahead instead.”

Knight Commander Rain Breaker.

Until he sparred with Jawill Wilson, he was sneering and watching from behind, but why is he so disciplined now?

‘Ah, I guess it makes sense?’

Standing at the front, I’ve already slaughtered dozens of assassins.

It seemed almost laughable now that I once wondered if I could kill someone.

At first, I was simply testing how strong I’d become with my stats.

Clearly, that was the case, but…

Watching the assassins being cut down one after another by my sword sent shivers through my entire body, as if I’d become something else.

The feeling that I needed to swing once more to avoid death seemed to be gradually returning as madness.

‘At this rate, I’ll become a murderous maniac.’

I took a deep breath while looking at Knight Commander Rain Breaker.

“Right, now that we’ve reached their hideout, you take the lead.”

“Yes! Understood.”

Rain Breaker charges ahead of me with a large sword resting on his shoulder.

The other knights also rush forward with battle cries, all charging together.

The assassins, seemingly intimidated by the intense momentum, are stumbling backward in confusion.

‘I can move slowly now, it seems.’

But why are these assassins so weak?

Have I become that strong?

It was just two months of training.

I had expected to be at most as strong as a low-ranking knight, but I far exceeded that estimation.

If I’m this powerful now, how much stronger will I become when I gain magic power?

Kuk!

I could understand why protagonists in novels become so addicted to battle.

Even I, who had decided to live an easy life, couldn’t control myself after gaining such power—adrenaline surged through every cell in my body. I wondered how much more intense it must be for protagonists who actually sought strength from the beginning.

“Young master, we’ve arrived.”

“So this is the assassins’ hideout.”

Their hideout was located at the bottom of a mountain valley that connected to outside the domain.

Originally, it was scheduled to be demolished two years later when the protagonist, Serion Lykus, would discover it by chance.

However, due to the butterfly effect caused by the corrupt business owner I had banished to the village requesting the assassins’ services, things had changed.

“I’ll go in first.”

“Yes, let’s go.”

Under the knight commander’s escort, I slowly entered their hideout.

“Uwup!”

For some reason, the knights who entered first all covered their mouths and stopped in their tracks, blocking the way.

Rio, who had entered the hideout alongside me, assessed the situation and raised his voice.

“The young master can’t see. Everyone, step aside to clear his view.”

Like the parting of the Red Sea, the knights pressed their backs against the walls.

Only then did I understand why they had stopped.

Standing in the center of the assassins’ corpses, which were strewn about in a miserable state, was a lone woman.

In one hand she held a sword, and in the other, the severed head of what appeared to be the assassin leader.

‘Fuck… fuuuck!!’

The moment I saw her, I recalled the protagonist Serion Lykus’s internal monologue when he faced the awakened Luna Brillhart.

-Through her disheveled golden hair, her unfocused eyes were enough to chill even my strong heart to the core.

No, the original description was actually toned down.

The eerie atmosphere that overwhelmed even the spirited knights made my lower body feel heavy.

Yet a chilling sensation constricted my breath, warning me that if I moved carelessly, my head might fly off from her blade.

‘Legs, please move!’

Just then, I faintly heard Luna’s voice.

“Young master…?”

I was surely hidden behind Rio’s broad back, so how did she know I was here?

Rio slowly turned his head to look at me.

His eyes urged me to say something.

I gently avoided Rio’s gaze and directed my attention to the innocent ground.

“Is that you, young master…?”

At her second call, the other knights also gradually shifted their gazes toward me.

This time, I muttered quietly, “Everyone here is a precious young master in their own household,” and tightly closed my eyes before opening them again.

Then.

“Young Master Selden Alphonse…”

With a gloomy resonance, she directed her steps toward me.

And the kind knights, now pressed even more firmly against the walls than before, cleared the way for Luna Brillhart.

Even Rio, whom I had trusted, had somehow blended in with them.

Fuck…

Unconsciously, strength gathered in my hand gripping the sword.

This was an animal instinct for survival.

‘Can I defeat the awakened Luna Brillhart with my current strength?’

A thousand thoughts raced through my mind in that brief moment.

Her footsteps, mixed with blood, seemed to follow the rhythm of death itself.

‘Kill or be killed.’

Just as I was about to raise my head from the ground and lift my sword—

“I knew you would come to save me, young master.”

Her unfocused eyes suddenly regained life, and tears welled up, rolling down her cheeks.

Then she fell into my arms with a soft “thud” and immediately lost consciousness.

-V-victory! We’ve cleared out the assassins!

-Long live Young Master Selden Alphonse!!!

-We always knew the young master wasn’t a scoundrel after all!!?

-Long live the Alphonse family!!

The knights raised their swords and shields, roaring triumphantly as if savoring victory.

I alone wore a despairing expression among them.

‘Hah… I feel even more alone today.’

*

In a tavern located in a dark alley where it seemed no one would pass by, I opened the wooden door with Rio, which creaked as Riden, who had already arrived, stood up and bowed his head.

“Young master, you’ve arrived?”

“There are surprisingly many people here.”

“This place is known for its exceptional cooking skills.”

“Really? Then order me the best they have.”

Perhaps because it was a tavern deep in the alley?

Quite a few rough-looking faces could be seen among the patrons.

It felt like a secret hideout where criminal groups from novels would gather to drink.

Shortly after, the owner placed a steaming, generous turkey that had clearly just come from the grill onto our table and hastily bowed his head.

“It-it’s an honor to prepare food for the young master!”

The tavern owner trembled with fear.

Since this was my first visit to the village, it seemed my reputation as a scoundrel had not yet faded.

“I’ll enjoy it.”

I waved my hand lightly and looked around the tavern again.

The crowd that had been there when we arrived had already disappeared, leaving an empty space to greet me.

I wondered if something had happened in that short time.

“There were many customers just a moment ago, why are there none now?”

Riden gave me an incredulous look, as if he couldn’t believe I didn’t know.

“May I speak frankly?”

“What is it?”

“It seems everyone noticed you were the young master and left the tavern.”

Ah…

So the criminals weren’t them, but me.

I cleared my throat in embarrassment.

“Rio.”

“Yes, please command me.”

“Pay generously when we settle the bill. The owner shouldn’t suffer losses because of me.”

“Yes! Understood.”

“Now, everyone, let’s eat.”

I dipped the tender meat into the sauce and ate it, feeling a sweetness spread in my mouth.

Having never eaten turkey dishes in my previous life, the taste felt quite fresh.

“Young master, what happened to her?”

“Who?”

“That person from before…”

Seeing Riden trailing off, I had a feeling about whom he was referring to.

My appetite suddenly diminished as she was mentioned.

I gently placed the turkey meat I had picked up with my fork back onto the white plate.

“Were you there too?”

“Yes, I followed you on impulse.”

“You’re talking about Luna Brillhart?”

“Yes, I’ve only heard about awakening, but seeing it in person for the first time made me very curious. I heard that one gains tremendous power and a unique personal ability…”

There are quite a few awakened individuals across the vast continent.

However, the measure of strength varies depending on one’s personal ability.

In that sense, Luna would be among the strongest.

“Didn’t I say that all information comes with an appropriate price?”

“…I’ll pay for all the food today.”

“Good. Luna is still unconscious.”

“Even though it’s been three days already?”

“It’s just the after-effects of awakening; she’ll recover soon enough.”

“I thought she’d regain consciousness within a day at most, but the aftermath seems severe.”

Luna had been in a comatose state for three days.

I was hoping she wouldn’t wake up at all, as I was prepared to support her parents for life.

Too cruel, you say?

That I’m a heartless human?

No, this was also for her sake.

According to the original story, her personal ability was ‘Murderous Spirit.’

Even at rest, she would overflow with the desire to kill, and the more she resisted, the weaker she would become.

The problem was that once she reached her limit, a bloody massacre would begin.

‘Is it fate to kill people after all?’

The water has already been spilled.

The only solution left is to care for the awakened Luna and then subtly hand her over to the protagonist.

That’s why I sought out Riden today.

Having eaten a fair amount of food,

I adjusted my posture to engage in more serious conversation.

“Riden, are there any trash bastards around here?”