Chapter 3: Witch
“Mr. Crowley? Are you in your room?”
Crowley Altra.
The target designated by Prince Ferdinand, and the gloomy man who has been staying here regularly since the past.
Reviewing the information gathered about him, the young assassin quietly gripped his sword.
Beside him, four comrades disguised as commoners were waiting for the signal to break in.
“Mr. Crowley? We’re here on behalf of Mr. Shylock, the usurer. The interest due this month is far overdue.”
Knock, knock. Knocking again, the assassin imitated the sound as naturally as possible.
“If you can’t pay immediately, you should write a promissory note, at least, shouldn’t you? We know you’re inside. Let’s open the door first and talk.”
“Ah, yes. So you are the people sent by Mr. Shylock?”
The languid voice from beyond the door.
“I apologize for the inconvenience. I’ll unlock the door right away.”
It doesn’t seem like they’re particularly wary.
Considering this as a great blessing, the assassin slowly pulled out his dagger.
Clang!
Soon, the sound of the latch being released was heard from inside.
Then, the assassin signaled to his comrades and carefully grabbed the doorknob.
The target is a necromancer who casts unpleasant spells.
One must never let their guard down against an unknown power.
“Break in immediately as soon as the door opens. Slash his neck so that he cannot cast a curse. Understood?”
The comrades responded with nods to the assassin’s instructions.
And the next moment.
BAM!
They quickly opened the door and rushed inside.
No, they tried to rush in.
“Agh?!”
The comrade at the head screamed.
A shadow fell at his feet.
A black energy burst forth and instantly severed his ankles.
And it didn’t end there.
“Agh!”
“No, stop! Help!”
“Cough!!”
Comrades, swallowed by their own shadows all around, cried out.
A comrade choked by a shadow, turning pale.
A comrade being devoured from the inside by a shadow that penetrated his mouth.
And a comrade screaming with his arm severed.
The four assassins were subdued in a mere second.
And the one who orchestrated this carnage was staring at them with his right hand outstretched.
“Ugh, ugh!”
The assassin, enraged, gripped the dagger upside down.
He charged at the necromancer and shouted.
“You son of a b*tch! Die!!”
“Tsk!”
The necromancer frowned and dodged the assassin’s attack.
He couldn’t react because he was busy dealing with his comrades.
“You filthy bastard! You’re just like the bloodline of an evil witch! I’ll carve out your heart right now!”
Seeing the possibility of success, the assassin brandished his dagger more fiercely and cursed.
But his expectations were shattered in a matter of seconds.
Pshhh!
“Cough!”
A piercing pain assaulted his chest.
Feeling a torment as if burned by fire, the assassin fell to the ground.
The black shadow blade pierced his back like an arrow.
“…That was close.”
Wiping the sweat that gathered on his brow, he mumbled.
What I just used was shadow manipulation, part of simple black magic.
I, a man, could only attack four people at a time.
If I hadn’t quickly changed targets, I might have been the one to get hit.
‘But they’re quick.’
The Prince’s response was faster than expected. It left a bitter taste in my mouth.
I didn’t expect assassins to come in just a few hours.
Ferdinand Hohenlaupen… he’s more reckless than I thought.
‘I have to clean up first.’
If things go as they are, it’s only a matter of time before the failure of the assassination reaches Ferdinand’s ears.
Even if I have to leave, it’s best to erase all traces of the battle.
That way, I can gain a little bit more time before meeting the princess…
“Cough, ugh…!”
At that moment, one of the assassins, who was bleeding, glared at me.
The man with bloody foam in his mouth shuddered and muttered.
“Y, you see… even a rotting tuna is still a tuna, cough! I didn’t know that the power of a low-level necromancer would be this much…”
You’re shocked by this?
If they saw the witches, they would faint.
In terms of the power of necromancy alone, it’s nothing compared to me.
But the man’s words were not over yet.
“H, however… it doesn’t matter…! After all, we are, cough! Servants carrying out the orders of his Highness…! Even though we failed to achieve our merits… I fulfilled my role, so I have no regrets…”
“What?”
What is this nonsense? He means he’s satisfied even though he tried to kill me?
I was slightly taken aback and clicked my tongue.
Suddenly, an unknown chill ran through my entire body.
I didn’t know the exact cause, but the necromancer’s instinct was warning me.
That I should leave this place immediately.
Otherwise, I would die right away.
Then, the subtle trembling of magic in the air.
Then I could finally grasp the meaning of the assassin’s words.
‘Could it be!?’
And the emotions of shock and horror arose for a moment.
Kwahhh-!!
The wooden wall of the room collapsed with a clear sound like a wave.
And the giant arrow magic made of light.
Pierced through my abdomen in a blink of an eye.
“Light arrow.”
On the rooftop where a strong wind was blowing.
The 5th-rank mage, Nathaniel, cast the spell with a glint in his eyes.
Although his skills were lacking, the knife-wielding bait faithfully performed their duty.
Using this as a stepping stone, he could unleash a decisive blow to end the prey’s life.
“Wretched thing.”
Looking at the room on the second floor, which had collapsed in half, Nathaniel spoke coldly.
“I caught it.”
“…That wasn’t it.”
Entering the collapsed room on the second floor, Nathaniel grumbled with a vexed voice.
The corpses of the assassins, cold and lifeless.
Kicking them irritably, Nathaniel looked around.
At least the spell had definitely hit.
The sensation of hitting the target was one thing, there was a large amount of blood flowing in the room.
The problem was that the person who spilled that blood was nowhere to be seen.
“Cockroach.”
He changed the name from ordinary insects to troublesome cockroaches.
Nathaniel was a mage on the verge of promotion to the 6th rank.
But he managed to escape his magic somehow.
He heard that he was a low-level necromancer. He was more formidable than he thought.
“I will never let it go. Never.”
Clenching his fist, Nathaniel snapped his fingers.
The assassins’ corpses caught fire with a roar.
He planned to burn them thoroughly, so their identities couldn’t be identified.
Watching the flames burning fiercely, he jumped out of the ruined inn wall.
And then he searched everywhere to find traces left by his prey.
“…Found it.”
He soon found the bloodstains of the escaping prey.
Blood droplets scattered here and there, showed the escape route.
He seemed to have fled through the back alleys, avoiding the eyes of the crowd.
“For Prince Ferdinand.”
Stepping forward, Nathaniel recited.
The hound dispatched by the Prince followed the scent of the young necromancer’s blood, entering deeper and deeper into the back alley.
Even if he had managed to escape, he was already mortally wounded. He couldn’t have gone far.
As he thought so, Nathaniel succeeded in reaching the end of the bloodstains.
“…Ha.”
At the same time, the mage’s lips twisted distastefully.
“That’s quite a clever move.”
A dead end with nowhere else to run.
Lying on top of it was the headless corpse of an assassin.
Then, he realized that he had been too focused on the necromancer and had not checked the number of corpses of his subordinates.
“Did he use necromancy to manipulate it this far?”
Even a low-level necromancer could do that. It wasn’t a far distance.
But something more important was in order.
Looking at the horrific condition of the corpse, Nathaniel expressed his doubt.
“But where did the head go?”
“Ugh, haah. Haah…”
Dripping from the dark sewer.
I felt as if I were about to faint, but I gritted my teeth and struggled through this filthy drain.
If I stopped for a moment, I felt like the mage would catch up.
‘I can’t die like this…!’
The abdomen was pierced by the offensive spell, Light Arrow.
Applying necromancy, I kneaded the assassin’s head and temporarily sealed it.
But the problem was that it was only temporary. I was in danger of my life if I didn’t get medical attention soon.
I barely stopped the bleeding, but the special mana infused into the arrow was slowly causing necrosis of my organs.
‘I can’t go where there are people.’
It was uncertain whether I could get help.
If I went to the hospital, it’d be as if I was advertising that I wanted to die.
I had to find a way to live in a secluded place.
‘But how?’
Should I go to the illegal clinic that operates in the black market?
Or should I meet the black market mages who sell artificial organs?
If I could meet someone who’s tight-lipped and has great skills…!
“Ugh…”
But my body was the first to reach its limit.
The iron bars where the clear moonlight shines. In front of it, I collapsed, losing my strength.
I hate to admit it, but this is truly the end.
“…Cigarette.”
If I’m going to die anyway. I wish I could smoke one last time.
Thinking of a favorite luxury at the end of my life.
It was such an unsightly, terrifyingly, and miserable life.
‘Oppa. It hurts. I’m in so much pain.’
Is it because I’m about to die? Suddenly, my sister’s voice echoed.
The child who couldn’t get out of bed due to an incurable disease.
The sight of her looking at me with a haggard face and sobbing came to mind vividly.
‘Oppa. Make me a promise.’
My seventeenth birthday.
In front of the younger brother who received his sister’s death instead of a birthday present, the child gave a faint smile.
‘Live a long life for me.’
‘See a lot of things I couldn’t see, eat a lot of things I couldn’t eat.’
‘Enjoy the happiness I couldn’t enjoy, Oppa.’
‘Promise… you’ll keep it, right?’
“Sorry.”
I was trying to keep my promise. Even though it was difficult, I had persevered and never given up.
But it seems that I, Oppa, will end here.
For you, I was going to grab the damn happiness at least once… to be honest, it wasn’t easy.
But please forgive me, as I did my best.
“…It’s okay.”
I closed my eyelids with a sigh.
Anyway, the apology is something to be asked when meeting in Heaven.
Besides, I didn’t have any attachment to this life. It may have been a good thing.
A life that was miserably tough and bitter. It wouldn’t be bad to end it like this.
Let’s stop worrying uselessly.
Anyway, the life of a necromancer is miserable like this if he’s Altra, the descendant of the ancient witch.
Yes. It’s just like that.
It was my fate to not even bother.
It’s just that this was my destiny.
…
…
…
“Stop joking! Cough!”
“What, what did I do wrong…!! You bastards-!!”
Have I ever caused even minor harm to others?
Have I ever praised the ancient witch with my own mouth?
Did I personally offer human sacrifices and worship the devil?
Did I curse and kill the people I hated with necromancy?
Did I ever commit robbery because it was hard to live?
Have I ever broken the rules that you break like you’re eating and drinking, not even once?
“I… I tried, cough!!”
To live normally. To live happily.
To live like a human. To be respected.
I worked hard every day, to the point where my hands and feet were blistered and my mind was worn out!
But the result is this pathetic end?
Never being able to eat what I want, never being able to wear what I want, and never being able to go where I want.
The friends that everyone naturally made, and the family that I had as a matter of course.
I can’t even have something similar, and I’m dying like a dog…
Is this the reward for all that struggle?!
“I’ll… I’ll kill you all…!!”
Gritting my teeth, I thought of the faces of those who made me end up like this.
I burned my hatred, grinding my teeth with a “ba-deuk, ba-deuk” sound.
“Just watch…! I, I’ll surely, cough!! Even as a ghost!! Even if I can’t go to heaven and wander forever!! Everything…!!”
At that point, the last strand of life was cut off.
Recognizing the death that had finally come, I let everything go.
Strength, will, emotions, and everything else.
And the moment I lowered my head.
‘You have a very good mindset.’
The voice of someone I didn’t know, and a cold and chilling laughter.
‘I will bless your path, my lovely child. So, please, fulfill my long-standing wish.’
With this, I fell into the darkness.
“Umm…”
I shifted my body, feeling the throbbing pain.
Then, I felt the sensations of my arms and legs, moving more easily than I thought.
What is this? Did my soul finally leave my body and come to the afterlife?
But my body is aching too much.
As I said that, I opened my eyes.
Chirp. Chirp, chirp.
“…”
The song of the birds and the morning sun seeping through.
It was the morning of the next day. Amazingly.
‘…I guess I somehow survived.’
Admiring the mysteries of the human body, I gave a slight, heavy smile.
Was it because I struggled so hard and complained before dying?
I endured a full night with such a serious injury.
As I looked up at the sky that had turned blue, I was about to touch my wound.
“Huh?”
It was fine.
My Light Arrow hit and burst my organs. The area I had carefully welded with necromancy was so clean.
I looked down to see what had happened.
Srrk.
A soft sound, like rubbing sandpaper.
At the same time, long hair fell down.
But it wasn’t the original dark short hair.
Long hair that swayed like silver waves, long enough to reach my chest.
Moreover, the state of my body was a bit strange from before.
I feel like my chest is a little heavy…
“Huh?”
Mal-kang, Mal-kang. A plump lump of fat was held in both hands.
And the feeling of emptiness in my lower body.
“Mi, mirror!”
I hurried to the puddle on the ground.
What was reflected on the surface was…
“Woman?”
A strangely snow-white hair.
Brilliant golden eyes like amber jewels.
A skin that was pale, yet flawless.
And a prominent nose and plump lips.
A beauty I’ve never seen before, not Crowley Altra, was waiting for me.