CH 111

Kidnapping case 5

I’ve been hurt a few times in this world.

I’m used to the pain.

I’ve even almost died.

So, I’m not going to say that this level of pain is not as painful as a broken bone,……, but I’m not going to say that it’s such a strong point.

What hurts, hurts.

A cold sweat ran down my forehead.

I want to get out of here right now. 

I just want to go to sleep and forget all the …… inconvenient things already.

I long for the sweet reality of …… waking up tomorrow to find that it was all a dream.

And then it’s on to the finals of the quadrennial.

A nervous-looking me is standing on the stage of the final game.

Berg in front of me.

The battle for the championship begins now.

And I have a lot of friends who support me.

I want …… Monet to be among them.

“Let’s go home… to, together.”

I’ve had enough of this, I realized I’m a fool.

I can’t help you with my words anymore.

I’m not a hero.

But …… can’t we just hope for tomorrow to be business as usual?

“How …… good-natured are you to leave with me, or do you still …… not seem to be in enough pain?”

“Don’t be a sycophantic ……! Don’t…”

I don’t care what happens to the ones who don’t matter.

If I can’t help them all, I have to choose only the ones that really matter.

I know that it is my duty as a wizard with ths power.

I once told Farren that it would be arrogant to help them all.

That’s right.

It’s an arrogant idea.

I know that, too.

But I don’t have the nerve to abandon a friend I care about.

“Monet is an …… important …… person—guhhhhh.”

Monet pulled a knife out of nowhere and stuck it in my shoulder.

The pain is compounded by the pain of the dislodged shoulder.

“Would you shut up if I cut down this arm, or would you rather I cut off your head?”

With that, Monet pulled the knife from my shoulder and brought it up to my neck.

The blood ran down from my neck.

“Huh, …….”

Poison and intense pain.

I’m thirsty.

In my mouth, the taste of blood quickly spread.

I’m not sure what’s going on with my head.

“I know you think I can’t kill you Owen, but I’ll tell you …… I’ve killed so many people, even innocent children, just one of you—!”

Monet’s voice sounded like it was trembling.

How easy would it be to kill me?

You’ve got to be kidding me.

“Then …… kill me quickly …….”

“You don’t have to tell me–!”

The knife plunges into my back.

“Yes, ……”

I’m not sure if it’s the poison or the …extreme pain that’s dulling my senses.

For some reason, I want to believe her even though Monet has put me through so much.

Part of me doesn’t want to think that everything I’ve ever done with her is a lie.

I admit that I have feelings for her.

But that’s not all.

My gut is telling me that Monet is not a bad person.

“…………”

My consciousness became so clouded that I can’t tell if it’s reality or a dream.

I thought that maybe this was really a dream.

How much easier it would be if I could think that and let go of my consciousness.

But if I let go of my consciousness, some things will spill out.

There’s something I don’t want to let go of.

That’s why I grit my teeth and stay conscious.

“Did you …… kill the kid ……?”

“Yes, …just with this knife.”

“It was …your mind …that killed him.”

Monet squeezed and tightened her grip on my shoulder.

“Don’t talk to me like you know what you’re talking about. —You don’t know anything about me!”

Monet’s voice echoed through the forest.

I grabbed the ground with my left hand and dug my nails into the dirt just barely.

“Earth …”

The soil at the spot where my right hand was touching changed shape.

Then the soil with the pointed tip starts to move towards Monet’s eyes.

At that moment, I saw that Monet had quickly distanced herself from me.

I flip myself over, freeing myself from the weight on my back.

Then I looked up at the sky.

The blue sky was visible for a moment through the trees.

But it was quickly hidden by Monet’s face.

“I’ll finish…”

Monet said something, but I couldn’t quite make out what she was saying.

My vision is hazy.

All I can hear is the sound of my own ragged breathing.

It’s time to go.

My eyelids are heavy.

I try to move my right hand, but it doesn’t move at all the way I want it to.

I can’t afford to use magic anymore.

Monet covered me from above, holding my right arm.

“Goodbye.”

Through my hazy vision, I saw Monet swinging a knife at me.

And that’s when.

“—Would you like to stop there?”

I could hear Julian’s voice.