Ch. 58 - He Killed Her (2)

*** Arte's POV ***



I struggled to push him off after that but continued to fail.

"It's useless, Wretch." He grinned. "The only way to save yourself is by killing me."

"Kill… you…?"

"Right. However, you can't, can you? If you are smart, there was no way you wouldn't kill me when I said I would pluck your eyes. Blame yourself for being naive, hahahaha."

Grandpa laughed and said something again. However, my attention was focused elsewhere.

'Kill him. I have to kill him?'

My heartbeat quickened at once. I should be scared, and yet--

'No, then Oppa would be sad.'

Oppa would be sad if I died, too. So if there was a way to push grandpa away without killing him…

However, before I could reach an answer, grandpa released one of his hands, giving me room to breathe. I inhaled sharply and regained clarity for a moment.

Did grandpa change his mind? That's what I thought. However, when I realized one of his hands was grabbing the dagger, I froze.

"Hehe, hehehehe." He laughed. "It's time to die, you wretch."

"No…"

Grandpa's dagger glinted with malice. He held it down, aiming for my neck. A few seconds later, that dagger would end me. However, it was not my death that made me widen my eyes in panic.



[Your gift, ???, woke up from slumber and gazed upon the world]

[Warning! Because you had sealed its power, your gift "??? (SSS)" has been downgraded to "Heart-Throbbing Star Pull (F)"]

[Remember your past to unlock the seal!]



As my breathing got rougher and my heartbeat quickened, I seemed to remember a scene from the past. Right. This scene, this bloodlust, this pain. It was not something new to me. Because back then, I, too, had experienced something similar.



***



Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab. Stab.

.

He killed her. He killed her. He killed her.

He killed her. He killed her. He killed her.

He killed her. He killed her. He killed her.

He killed her. He killed her. He killed her.

He killed her. He killed her. He killed her.

He killed her. He killed her. He killed her.

He killed her. He killed her. He killed her.

He killed her. He killed her. He killed her.

He killed her. He killed her. He killed her.

He killed her. He killed her. He killed her.

He killed her. He killed her. He killed her.

He killed her. He killed her. He killed her.

He killed her. He killed her. He killed her.



***

"Ah…"



[You remembered a fragment of the past]

[Your gift has risen to E-grade]



My body stopped trembling. As his knife was about to stab me, I no longer hesitated and gave it my all.

"[Wind Wall]"

Suddenly, the knife hit a wall and a fierce wind blasted him to the far end. He groaned as his body smashed into a tree and slid to the ground.

"Kehok?! H-how?"

"Look at your hand."

"Heuk?!"

He looked at his hand and was shocked. The hand he used to strangle me was not there.

To be precise, I cut it using the wind and blasted it off somewhere. That was the reason the wind successfully blasted his body this time.

"AAAH! My hand… my hand…"

Grandpa screamed in agony as he noticed the pain. However, my attention was no longer on him.

The dagger was no longer in his hand. He dropped it right beside me. I picked the dagger and walked towards him.

I didn't know why, but my heart ached whenever I remembered the vision just now. Who was the one doing the stab? Who was the one taking the stab?

Despite all of them being obvious strangers, I couldn't help but continue to shed tears. The world became blurry as water droplets fell to my cheeks.

"I'm sorry, Grandpa," I said, "I can't die here."

"Haa… haa…" He was sweating profusely and glaring at me. "So what? Are you going to kill me?"

"Yes."

"There's no way you could-- Heok?!"

I swung the knife downward and it stabbed into the ground. Had he not dodged, it would stab him instead.

"W-wait! Hold on, let's talk about things a bit more."

"I'm not talking to liars."

"Heok?!"

Another stab. Grandpa rolled to the right.

Why didn't it hit? Should I stab like the stabber's instead?

'How did he hold the dagger again? Like this? This?'

I mimicked the movement and managed to stab it more fluidly this time. It was faster and stronger too. Almost as if there was an unknown force guiding me on what to do.

'Is this a skill?'

I think Oppa mentioned a similar sensation the time he first learned a skill. If I guessed right, by mimicking the stabbing motion just now, I have learned a skill.

'I don't like it.'

It was as if I became similar to the stabber in my memory. He seemed like a bad guy, so I dislike it even more. However, right now, it was more important to save Oppa.

I stabbed again and pierced grandpa's left leg this time. He screamed and crawled on the ground, his face wet with tears.

I pulled the knife and stabbed it on his other feet this time. He begged for forgiveness. However, I won't fall for his lies again.

I stabbed his remaining hand. And he finally stopped crawling. Now, all he did was laugh in despair and glared at me.

"You've done it now… Wretch." He said, gasping for breath. "Congratulations. You are about to become a murderer like me and many others. How does it feel to be one?"

He grinned as if looking forward to my answer. I tilted my head.

"What of it?"

"Huh? Huh??"

"You are clearly a baddie. I don't think there is anything wrong with killing a baddie?"

"No. No, no, no! What about humanity? What about compassion? Love? Peace?! Are you going to throw away your humanity by doing this?!"

"Ehew. If grandpa cared about those, would you try to kill us?" I said, "I no longer see grandpa as human the moment you tried to stab me. Just like that stabber."

"What?! What are you talking about?! I am human! I am--"

I pulled out the knife and aimed it to his neck. He gasped and hurriedly corrected his words.

He said so many things and spouted so many lies just to not get killed. But why should I listen to him?

What did he do when I talked nicely to him? Did he let us go? He didn't. So there was no reason for me to let him go, either.

I ignored his plea and swung the dagger down. Grandpa seemed to faint from that alone. However, I didn't stop. My dagger would definitely have stabbed him if not for the man who grabbed my hand from behind.

"That's enough, Mademoiselle." He said. "There is no need to dirty your hands."

Then, suddenly, grandpa's neck was severed. I didn't even know how it happened, but it seemed to be the doing of this man.

I turned around and blinked at the brown-haired and brown-eyed man that suddenly appeared. He wore glasses that made him look like someone smart, but his strength when he stopped me and killed grandpa just now suggested otherwise.

"Who?"

"Me? Oh, I'm so very glad you asked." He smiled. "My name is of the utmost secret, but if it were to gain the interest of a beauty such as you, Mademoiselle, it is but a small price to pay."

The man put his right hand on his chest and made an exaggerated bowing gesture. And then, he introduced himself.

"It is none other than I, the great Prometheus. However, to the ignorant masses, I am better known by my title." He smiled. "I am the Prophet. The mastermind behind it all."

He grinned and looked directly at me. That was the moment another liar popped up.

------------


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Chapter end