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“We were originally street urchins wandering around Lambert. No home, no parents, just kids who had nothing. All we could do at that young age was steal.”

In reality, it’s very rare for normal families with normal children to be born in such abnormal cities.

Most of them either came from other areas, were abandoned in the entertainment district, or were children who escaped from the slave market, with parents being a rarity.

That’s no different for this manager.

“You know about the Gunther who was killed, right? He wasn’t always such a troublemaker. He only knew how to use his fists, so he didn’t hesitate to rob and raid, but because of that, many kids like me managed to survive somehow…”

“Were you siblings?”

“How could that be? We didn’t look anything alike! We were just friends! Friends! That was all in the past though…”

It was an unexpected outburst.

“In any case, we were the kind that it wouldn’t be surprising if we were caught anytime, or if we died anytime. At that time, I, like others, just foolishly hoped for tomorrow to be the same as today. But not the Gunther. He wanted to end this tedious street life, and to do that, he chose to rob the Lambert cage.”

“You joined him?”

“He couldn’t do it alone. Eventually, it formed a kind of thieves’ guild to rob the cage. What do you think happened?”

It was a question with a predetermined answer.

“You must have failed.”

“That’s right. We failed. We got caught right at the entrance before even trying anything. So what do you think happened next?”

Unlike the quick response before, this time I couldn’t come up with an easy answer.

It’s not that I don’t know.

The teenage children who came to rob the cage,

They were nothing more than unwanted thieves in the eyes of the cage, with no value as guests.

Thinking that they were sent off well is a big mistake.

It would be one of two things.

Either they were beaten to a pulp so they couldn’t even whimper again, or they were mercilessly killed right there.

“They’re all dead….”

The correct answer was the latter.

“Exactly. Everyone, except me and Gunther who were waiting outside, died. They said the thieves had to be punished. We lost all the friends who were like family in an instant.”

As I had already expected it, I wasn’t particularly surprised.

“Do you know? Actually, I felt quite relieved back then.”

“Relieved?”

“Yes. Because I felt like there was no need to cling to life anymore. Somehow, I felt relieved. Life had nothing good left to offer anyway, so I thought it was better to die quickly now.”

A bitter smile formed on her lips.

“It was Lindsay who saved me. She said living to avoid death is what people do, but I seemed like someone who couldn’t die and was just living. Then Lindsay reached out to me, asking if I would live for myself this time.”

It’s probably because she held that hand that she’s here in this position now.

“I wasn’t the only one who survived. Gunther, who cursed until the end, also managed to survive somehow. From then on, he just started working as a cage employee. Gunther, who had a bit of a knack for fighting, was quickly promoted to a guard, and I ended up doing odd jobs within the lodging facility.”

Her eyes, which had been fixed on the corpses, suddenly turned to the dagger clenched in her hand.

“But that was just a side job. The moment Lindsay took me in, I had to become a blade for her. From then on, I honed my skills with the blade every day.”

A blade, once grasped in hand, doesn’t naturally develop.

Perhaps Lindsay judged that she had talent for swordsmanship, and even assassination techniques.

Indeed, the movements she showed demonstrated a talent that couldn’t be achieved in a short time with mere effort.

“At first, it was all good. It felt like I was working hard to earn a living legitimately. But Gunther, it seems, wasn’t satisfied. After dominating the arena, he left the cage not long after. Lindsay didn’t really stop him either. She felt like she had used him enough and it was time to let him go…”

“Why did you stay?”

She couldn’t immediately respond.

“Actually, before he left, Gunther said something to me. He said I should leave too, that he would take care of me, and that we should get out of this miserable place quickly. But I couldn’t. The Gunther back then wasn’t the Gunther I knew anymore. He was just a cruel murderer who insisted that everything useless should be disposed of…”

I expected there to be some connection with that guy Gunther, but it seems like their relationship was closer than I thought.

The person themselves might not realize they’ve changed, but those around them who watch can often tell.

It couldn’t help but be sad.

Seeing your childhood friend gradually deteriorate into someone who revels in bloodshed.

Well, looking into her eyes now, it seems like she doesn’t have any of those emotions anymore.

“Don’t feel too sorry for me. It’s been twisted for so long already.”

“You don’t blame me…”

“What’s there to blame you for! You did the right thing by killing him! He wouldn’t have been any help to the world if he had lived!”

She seemed genuinely empathetic.

“The conversation went off track for a moment, didn’t it? You asked why I told the guest to leave? When I first saw the guest, I immediately thought of ourselves. Before reaching the cage, we still felt happy being together… When Lindsay first mentioned killing the guest, I immediately thought of my friends who had already left. So that’s why I told the guest to leave. I didn’t want to witness such deaths anymore.”

“Was that also why you tried to keep me from going to the arena?”

“Yes, that’s right. But it seems like it was a needless worry. I never imagined an assassin from the Mist would come…”

I smiled without saying a word.

Her gaze returned to Lindsay’s body.

“Even though the owner died, you don’t seem to show any signs of sadness.”

“Yeah, that’s right. I received a new life from her, but I don’t feel particularly sad, despite feeling empty.”

I guess her emotions have dulled to that extent.

Well, it’s not a bad thing.

For anyone who handles a blade, emotions are just unnecessary elements.

Once the job is done, there’s no reason to linger.

I turned away from her.

“Are you leaving?”

“The job is done.”

“Can I ask just one thing?”

I turned around and nodded my head.

“Is Zion your real name?”

I shook my head again in response.

“If you’re okay with it, could you tell me? The guest’s name…?”

I stared at her intently, wondering why she was curious about it now.

“There’s no particular reason! Most of the guests who come to the cage register under aliases, not their real names. If it’s difficult for you to say, you don’t have to! It’s just my personal desire to know the guest’s real name.”

Throughout my entire current existence, I’ve never left a purification job name behind.

It’s not like I deliberately didn’t say it.

It’s just that once the job is done, there’s no one left to listen.

In fact, there’s no need for me to say it, since it wouldn’t benefit me in any way, but…

“Cyan. Cyan Vert….”

It probably wouldn’t hurt.

For some reason, I have a feeling that my relationship with her won’t end here.

I left Lambert along that path.

* * *

“Your face has changed a lot, hasn’t it?”

Her eyebrows furrowed at the somewhat out-of-the-blue comment.

“Have you been injured?”

“Well, they say you can’t really say someone has changed unless there’s a physical change. When people gain enlightenment, their demeanor changes.”

Smooth transition, isn’t it?

Since we didn’t come to exchange comfortable reunion sentiments, I went straight to the point.

“You gave quite a heavy assignment for the break homework…”

“If it resulted in something for you, then it’s worth it, isn’t it?”

She smiled as if to say, “What’s the problem?”

I discreetly pulled out an item while pretending to blow my nose.

“Lindsay Nihalov… She seemed to really dislike the leader.”

The expression on the leader’s face was subtly changing as they examined the item.

“Surely, she had this?”

What I presented was a single dagger.

While it’s important who the owner of the dagger is, right now, it’s more important to focus on what kind of dagger this is.

A black blade enveloped by the night sky of darkness.

Such an eerie black sword not found in the market, nor made to order.

It’s an exclusive dagger only high-ranking members of the Mist can possess.

Perhaps the leader also has the same dagger.

“Lindsay was the descendant of some fallen aristocrat who fled from the slave market. The surname Nihalov is probably an alias. She joined the Mist to break free from all the chains that bound her.”

The leader’s chin rested on their hand as if an old memory had come to mind, a strange smile playing on their lips.

“She desired the future that the Mist pursued more than anyone else. It was almost as if she was born for it.”

“Did you ever consider quelling that desire?”

“Of course, I did. I told her to wait with hope that her time would come when she desired it. But it was futile. Her desire never seemed to wane, like a burning flame.”

The leader examined the dagger with interest.

“But in the end, she couldn’t wait and left the organization. I never imagined she still had the Mist’s dagger.”

The leader’s gaze turned back to me.

“Tell me straight. Was she the only one you killed?”

“…Surely, you don’t think it was just her?”

She flashed a satisfied smile.

“I’ve said it before, but you can display a flawless performance to the point where I have nothing to teach you. But the more perfect you are, the more you need to realize what you can and cannot do with your power. That’s the only way you can use your power without regrets.”

Using power without regrets…

Well, that’s true.

This lifetime is dedicated to living without regrets.

Naturally, I must use all the power I have without regret.

“Well, it wasn’t a particularly difficult task, was it? Even though she was an assassin from the Mist, she didn’t pose any threat to you.”

“…Do you really think so?”

“Whether you think so or not, it’s not like there were any other issues, right?”

As expected, she was unaware.

I changed my mind.

I had originally planned not to bring it out, but I felt it might be better to show it.

I dramatically pulled out another item from my pocket and placed it on the table.

“…The Ring of Absorption?”

It was an artifact she couldn’t possibly be unaware of, given her undercover employment as an academy instructor.

“What do you think is contained within this?”

From her expression, it seems she’s already realized what’s inside.

Her lips tremble like waves, her forehead creasing like a valley.

Seeing such a rare subtle reaction from the leader, akin to a poker face, is quite refreshing.

“This, too, is an item the target possessed. She mentioned that when she left the organization, she imbued the power of mist into this.”

Within the ring, a black mist imbued with the power of Aeru was slowly emanating like burning smoke.

“When… when did she…”

“Considering she was also a member of the Mist, couldn’t she freely traverse the Aeru’s void?”

In truth, the power of the gods isn’t as common as the air around us, but encapsulating it in such artifacts isn’t too difficult.

Even now, if one desires, the energy of this space we and the leader currently occupy could be captured within the ring.

Consider this: could there be someone who could be oblivious as a mosquito feeds on their arm?

Even if they could tolerate it for a while, there wouldn’t be anyone who wouldn’t notice, especially in a space where their power is abundant, if someone were to siphon it away.

That’s why the wretched god allowed it.

Ignorance would be a problem; awareness would be an even greater one.

“Aeru!!”

The mist figure, which had been approaching us just moments ago, suddenly retreated into the distance.