76 – Agillem (11)
“…Wh-what…?”
In the face of this unbelievable sight, Bella’s mind came to a halt.
Her eyes, which had been overflowing with emotion just moments ago, now trembled incessantly as they focused on the man.
Meeting her gaze, the man smiled.
“Seeing that expression, it seems you wholeheartedly believed I would keep my promise.”
Truly enjoying her bewildered expression, he chuckled.
“But, you see. I never had any intention of keeping it from the start.”
Speaking with an innocent tone, like a child explaining their prank, the man continued his story.
“You are truly endlessly innocent.”
Bella, whose mind had frozen, finally managed to move a bit and grasp the situation.
And she realized.
That she had been deceived by the man.
“This…!”
Before she could finish organizing her thoughts, her body moved.
An unbearable rage, anger shattering all mental barriers, led her to draw a dagger from her waist and rush towards the man in a split second.
With all her might, truly intending to kill.
However.
“Well, must I wait until your hand is actually on me like this.”
Even as a top assassin aimed for his throat, the man didn’t lose his composure and smiled.
And the next moment.
Bella found herself leaning against the wall in the training room.
‘What…?’
Bella couldn’t understand what had happened, why she was in this state.
But that question was soon shattered.
The impact felt in her abdomen erased all doubts.
Only then did Bella realize.
That she had been hit in the abdomen.
*Clang…!*
As if her organs were damaged, blood flowed from her mouth.
“Fast, very fast. Truly ‘Grimmdal’ after all.”
Struggling to rise, Bella forced her body up while hearing the man’s voice filled with mocking tones.
“You…!”
Burning anger was reflected in her eyes.
“Oh, fierce.”
Facing the man who smiled nonchalantly, Bella leaped towards him again.
Although at a speed so swift that no one around could react.
Thud!
Once again, the outcome was the same.
No matter how many times Bella tried to rise, the result remained unchanged.
Not only did she fail to stab the man with the knife, she couldn’t even touch or graze him.
After repeating this process, Bella ended up hesitatingly seated, unable to move.
Even so, the man regulated his strength, leaving Bella with the ability to move if she wished.
Thus, if she desired, she could have easily risen.
However.
Bella didn’t do so.
She could no longer rise.
She realized it was a futile act.
She had come to know that no matter how much she struggled, even if a miracle occurred, she couldn’t defeat the man.
“Hmm? Not going to try anymore?”
The man looked puzzled at Bella, who remained seated without moving.
Then, he clicked his tongue and shook his head.
“No perseverance.”
At that moment, a faint voice escaped from Bella, who was sitting with her head bowed.
“…Why.”
“Hmm?”
“Why… would you do this….”
It was a question.
Why bother doing this.
By doing this, the man gained nothing.
Even if it were 20,000 gold coins, it was just pocket change for the man, and she had even ruined that with her own hands.
Financially, materially, there was no gain at all.
So why do this, create this situation.
Bella simply couldn’t understand that.
“Oh, asking for the reason?”
The man, who had been tilting his head, clapped his hands.
“The reason… is simple. The reason I went to such lengths to do this is because….”
As if revealing a significant secret, the man hesitated, then with a torn smile, he spoke again.
“Because it’s fun.”
“…What?”
Bella’s head lifted.
Her trembling gaze met the man’s.
“Because it’s fun.”
As if stating an obvious fact.
The man said so.
“Just for that….”
Just for such a reason, did he carry out this act.
Just for fun.
For entertainment.
Is it about plunging one’s own life and many others into the abyss and destroying them?
“Just that. It’s not that severe. Ah, you don’t understand because you’re just a spectator.”
The man approached Bella, tilting his head.
Then, he bent down to look at Bella.
“Do you know how entertaining it was for you to watch the way you’ve been for the past ten years, which you, from an outsider’s perspective, have no idea about?”
There was an emotion on his face that almost resembled ecstatic delight.
“How entertaining it was to see an innocent and ordinary girl gradually deteriorate by killing people against her will.”
The man burst into laughter.
A laughter that seemed like the training ground was departing.
After laughing for a while, the man’s gaze returned downwards.
“Well, how do you feel? The feeling of your efforts over the past ten years, the blood and sweat crumbling before your eyes. The feeling that your life sacrificed for that was worthless. The feeling of killing numerous people for something utterly worthless.”
“…”
Bella couldn’t give any response.
As the man said, everything had collapsed.
The goals she had only dreamed of, even the dreams.
The blood, sweat, and effort shed for the day when the promise would be fulfilled.
Faintly, but always harboring hope in a corner of her heart.
In the end, her ten years were utterly worthless.
And she, for that worthless thing, ended up killing numerous people.
The fact mercilessly struck her heart.
“Are you sad? Miserable? Or perhaps sorry for the people who died because of you? Huh? How do you feel?”
Looking into Bella’s eyes losing their light, the man subtly whispered.
Facing her, who couldn’t respond, he unilaterally spoke.
His face was bright with what seemed like sheer joy in this situation.
It was precisely at that moment that an interruption came to that man.
“How dare you…!”
“I’ll kill you…!”
Some of the members who had been silently watching the scene now rushed forward.
Each of them, gripping their weapons, ran towards the man, familiar faces to Bella.
With tears streaming down their distorted faces, they couldn’t stand still.
They had learned why Bella had entered the underworld and become an assassin through a series of conversations.
How Bella had stained her hands with blood for them, dedicating her life.
That’s why they couldn’t just stand there quietly.
The fear towards the man had already been engulfed by a burst of anger.
Without thinking about the consequences, they all rushed towards the man.
“Stop…!”
Seeing the scene unfold, Bella, who had been absent-minded, hurriedly spoke up to stop them.
Their future seemed so obvious to them.
But.
Thud!
“Ugh…!”
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Her scream didn’t reach them.
About a dozen who were charging towards the man were collectively bounced off and slammed into the wall.
After that, trembling, they couldn’t get up anymore.
Watching them, Bella felt her heart sink as if it dropped heavily.
The only solace was that they were all still breathing, not in immediate danger, but that didn’t comfort Bella much.
“Hmm… What should I do with these guys.”
Knowing their lives were in the man’s hands.
“I should kill them for daring to defy me… but then, I’ll lose the chains to bind you.”
The man’s gaze turned back to Bella.
“So, I’ll show some mercy and spare them. Of course, it’s up to you in the end.”
The man continued.
“How much this time? 40,000 gold coins? And the timeframe… let’s say roughly 15 years? It should be easier for you to collect now that you’ve become famous. Ah, don’t worry. I’ll really keep my promise this time.”
The voice, laying out as if offering great mercy, didn’t reach Bella’s ears.
No, it did reach her, but she didn’t want to hear it anymore.
Because she knew.
She knew the man’s words were lies.
That he would never keep his promise.
Yet.
She couldn’t refuse the man’s words.
After all, whether it was her life or the lives of people like family to her, they were at the mercy of the man’s will.
If she rejected the proposal here, he would mercilessly kill them all.
The man had given her a choice.
Whether to leave them to die here, or to follow his words, undertake another mission, and collect money.
There was no hope in either direction, she knew well.
Even if it meant deceiving herself to protect those dear to her.
Even if there was no hope at the end.
But.
To accept such a choice right away.
To repeat meaningless acts once again.
She was just too tired.
“…….”
The light faded from Bella’s eyes.
In the end.
In the end, was she just a plaything in that man’s hands, dancing like a toy until the end?
Living a life where she never achieved her goals, only repeating meaningless actions and struggling in agony?
In a life where hope did not exist.
The ordinary life she had dreamt of turned out to be nothing but a dream.
Before her eyes, everything became as dark as the night sky.
That was the moment.
“You did well to follow.”
A familiar voice was heard.
Was it a hallucination?
It was more reasonable to think of it as one.
After all, that voice should never be heard here.
However.
Despite knowing it couldn’t be real, Bella’s head instinctively turned towards the direction of the voice.
And she saw.
A familiar face.
The one she had spent the most time with recently.
The one she had hoped to see in the future she had dreamed of, Wade Heblon.
He was entering the training ground with a face she had never seen before, a cold and stern expression.
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