Chapter 7
In a dark alley, I stepped into the trap set by the man and woman who had been observing Eve and me as if they had found something interesting.
Due to the tight schedule of reaching the Demon King’s castle within a week, I knew I couldn’t enjoy this for long, but I told myself I would have enough time to return and savor it later, treating it as a preliminary investigation and an appetizer.
As I followed the periodically placed streetlights in the distance, I felt it might never end, so I casually unraveled the tangled mana circuits and scattered sensing magic to get a grasp of my surroundings.
Illuminating a radius of thirty meters, I noted everything from the leftover wooden skewer in my hand to the stones scattered on the ground, the man and woman from earlier gasping for breath, and the sight of knives flying around in a bar as a brawl broke out—scenes I could never see back at the mansion.
Among the many pieces of information, the most intriguing to me was a large figure that seemed to belong to a man, on the outskirts of my sensing range.
Although I could only tell he was a shadow, I could feel his broad shoulders, sturdy arms, and large hands. I couldn’t help but be certain that he was one of the ones I had seen earlier.
I can call myself a chef. The despair I serve to the guests who enter my life and the expressions they savor the taste of that despair awaken my own understanding of what true happiness is—my own mark, so to speak.
Therefore, that mountain-like fellow could rightly be viewed as an ingredient on my cutting board.
I can call myself a puppeteer. I weave threads into the arms, legs, and joints of the puppets that come up on my stage and manipulate them as I wish, guiding the story to its conclusion.
Of course, that conclusion is always a tragedy, but feeling the transformation from a puppet resembling a human to a true human is the reason for my existence.
Still, just in case our paths might overlap, it would be wise to observe a little longer.
I walk along the path. The man who had been following me at a consistent distance also walks after me.
I stop my feet. As expected, the moment I stop, his footsteps halt as well.
It’s certain. That’s my ingredient. That’s my puppet. However, there’s not much time left. I should be satisfied with realizing the security situation here isn’t good and prepare to leave.
After all, I wouldn’t want Eve to be marked as someone detestable by the Demon King.
Just then, a side alley appears before me, so I should take care of it there before heading back. As soon as I make up my mind, I start running forward, and the man begins to run at the same speed as me, as if waiting for the cue.
Before long, I reached a distance where I could fall and touch my nose, turned the corner, and pressed my back against the wall.
To someone who looked like he couldn’t even properly use mana, let alone be a Sword Master, Archmage, or Saint, my wooden skewer would be sufficient.
Thud, thud.
I focus on the sound of shoes growing steadily louder at the speed I was running earlier, waiting for the optimal timing. When fishing, you need to pull up the line only when the fish has firmly taken the bait.
Thud, thud…
The shadow of the man elongated under the faint light of the distant streetlight caught my eye. Considering the length of his strides and the remaining distance, just three steps more.
Thud… thud… thud…
Now’s the time…!
I cast a body enhancement spell and infused my remaining mana into the wooden skewer in my hand to increase its piercing power.
Before his footsteps ended, I lunged unexpectedly, catching him off guard. As expected, he was the man with the red eyes I had seen earlier. I couldn’t see where the woman had gone, but that wasn’t my concern.
Seeing him try to block my attack aimed at his neck with a startled expression made me chuckle internally. There was no way that an attack enhanced by mana in both my body and weapon could be blocked by flesh and muscle.
After I killed him, I would have to offer a prayer for his soul.
Thud.
The sound of flesh piercing and blood splattering on the ground. My skewer, which I believed would penetrate his hand and lodge into his neck, was sadly thwarted by his grasp.
Given his ability to handle mana to such a degree, he might be able to win against the lower noble knights in a war in the Middle Realm. This seemed to be a more significant problem than I thought.
I had no choice but to attempt to drive the skewer aimed at his neck deeper with both hands, but having successfully dealt with the first attack, he bent his hand and easily crushed my shabby weapon, leaving it broken.
Oh no, this is really a mess. My sister must be waiting.
Having completely failed the ambush, I quickly reached for the dagger gifted by my sister to finish him off before he could make his next move. However, just as I was about to draw it from its sheath, he dealt a powerful blow to my side with his intact hand.
Thud.
Crash.
His punch sent me flying, and I broke through the glass window of an unknown shop, unwittingly committing an act of trespassing against my will. Thankfully, there was no one inside, but if Eve found out, I would be scolded far worse than a fountain could handle.
Regardless, I tried to get up to end the situation, but my legs felt weak, and I collapsed again. Looking at my ankle, the blue bruise suggested it was completely twisted.
From a purely situational perspective, it was quite fantastic for me, but Eve and I had an important summons from the Demon King…! Of all times for something happy to happen, it had to be in this troublesome situation. What a lucky day this is.
Creak, crack.
The shards of glass, which had already shattered into hundreds of pieces, crunched beneath my shoes, breaking into countless pieces again, announcing his approach. Seeing me unable to get up, he scoffed and grabbed my neck with one hand, lifting me off the ground.
“Ugh… c-cough…”
I struggled to breathe as my neck tightened, feeling increasingly suffocated. My vision began to narrow slightly.
“Ugh…”
His grip tightened, and I couldn’t even make a small whimper.
“……”
I had heard that a person could only maintain consciousness for about nine seconds when being strangled; it felt like about seven seconds had already passed. Just before my consciousness slipped away, I drew a glinting dagger from the sheath at my waist and slashed it across the man’s throat.
“What the…!”
“Cough… haaa…”
As I collapsed onto the ground, I coughed repeatedly, rubbing my sore throat as I observed the situation. He reached out to stop the blood spurting from the gap in his neck, but the fountain of blood showed no signs of stopping, forming a puddle around him.
“Ha… ha… ha!!”
His desperate attempts to cling to life were so contrasting to my intent to kill that I couldn’t help but find it amusing. Perhaps unable to endure any longer, his body crumpled to the ground in front of me.
Seeing his still-glimmering eyes suddenly made my mood plummet.
I wished those eyes would be tainted with fear.
I hoped those eyes would go dark, like the depths of the ocean or a corner of the universe with not a single star.
I picked up the dagger that had fallen on the ground and approached him. Then,
Thud.
I decided to end his short life a little more quickly, as it would soon come to an end anyway.
Thud.
The sensation I felt from the blade was different from when I had cut his throat. As he let out a small ‘gurgle…’ I felt a pang of pity, but he brought this upon himself.
How nice it would be if he died quickly. Why waste time with futile resistance? The killings you’ve done in the past wouldn’t even reach my toes.
Thud.
From a tiny pocket on the chest of his shirt, a card with a symbol I had never seen before fell out. It seemed to belong to one of the organizations based in the town, but what did it matter? I would be leaving here by tomorrow morning anyway.
Thud.
The flames that had burned brightly in his eyes were rapidly extinguishing. It would be boring if he died so soon. I had to finish him off before the last ember was blown away by the wind.
Thud.
I stabbed him.
Thud.
I stabbed again.
Thud.
I stabbed once more.
Once more…
Thud.
I felt something hit the back of my head strongly, and I fell forward. Ah, I had drawn all the mana I was using for sensing magic into the fight.
It was probably that woman who hit me from behind. When I tried to look back, my stiff neck wouldn’t turn, and when I tried to listen, my ears were filled with ringing, rendering me unable to hear anything. There was nothing I could do.
I’m sorry, Eve. After all this effort, can’t I enjoy it a little?
Hehe.
My vision flickered. My consciousness was being sucked into emptiness.
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