------------------
[Translator - Tangrine ]
[Proofreader - Seeker ]
------------------
Chapter - 16: The Fate of Murder
“Your Grace, are you trying to stop this girl’s misfortune?”
“No. I already told you. She’s not someone you can save that way.”
“Then… how do you intend to prevent the destruction?”
“I’ll force her to admit that she’s unhappy. It’ll be miserable, but it’s necessary.”
If Zara grows too happy, the world will perish.
The game is over when she says, ‘Stay awhile! You are so beautiful!’ (Verweile doch! Du bist so schön!), and wishing that this moment would last forever.
But Zara is an unhappy person.
She’s been denying it all this time… If she were to face her own reality properly, the world would not end.
“…But didn’t you say this girl is born with a talent for killing? If she accepts her unhappiness, she might try to destroy the world herself."
“That would be just fine.”
“Sorry?”
“I’ll awaken Zara’s ‘The Fate of Murder.’ As long as she truly desires the world’s end, she’ll never be able to bring it about.”
Waking her murderous instinct just enough to kill a few people is permissible.
Even declaring herself the Demon Lord and the world’s enemy isn’t so bad.
Right now, Zara is in an unstable state.
She ought to hate this world… but for some reason, she’s absurdly compassionate.
“…Can that be called rehabilitation?”
“Depends on your point of view.”
The current Zara is unwell. She neither rages nor weeps.
She doesn’t express genuine emotion.
You could say that she suffers from a 'good child syndrome'.
Whether curing her is truly an act of compassion could be debated, but it’s unavoidable for the sake of this world.
“…….”
“Kana.”
“Yes?”
“We can save the world, right?”
Kana’s expression twisted. Her tightly pressed lips trembled.
She wasn’t sure this was the right course of action.
She is caught in the dilemma of whether a world that can only be saved by sacrificing an innocent girl is worth saving at all.
“Kana.”
“Yes?”
“If you don’t want to do it, that’s fine.”
“…What?”
Under normal circumstances, I would’ve tossed her a gold coin or two to boost morale.
But what she needs right now isn’t money—it’s clarity.
So I showed Kanaria an illusion.
A conversation between me and Priscilla—the moment I began rehabilitating Priscilla, the Witch of Suicide.
["Kanaria, you have a terrible personality."]
["What the mutt needs is loyalty, not manners. I’ll trust and follow only Your Grace."]
["That’s quite bold of you."]
["There’s no reason to be anything but bold when saving the world."]
[“I hope that spirit never changes.”]
“…So? What do you think, Kana?”
“……”
“Can you say that you’re saving the world?”
Priscilla was a criminal—no one could deny it.
She sacrificed countless lives to prolong her own.
But Zara is different.
She’s innocent and pure.
And we have to reject that goodness.
Kana’s mind was in turmoil.
I can read thoughts, but that doesn’t mean everyone always thinks logically.
Sometimes people don’t even know what they are thinking.
Sometimes they speak with no thoughts at all.
Kana's emotions were tangled so much that she couldn’t tell what she wanted to accept or reject.
But Kanaria…
Kanaria is one of the bravest, sharpest people I know.
Instead of trying to untangle the knot, she cut it.
“A dog doesn’t need virtue—just loyalty.”
“……”
“Whatever you choose, I’ll follow. Because I’m Your Grace’s loyal mutt.”
=====
Every night, Zara hears voices.
Since the day she was born, the flames hiding within her have whispered in the dark.
-Kill them. It’ll make things easier.
-I hate them.
-Why didn’t they pay me what they promised?
-It wasn’t my fault. I’m not the bad one. I’m not like that.
And every time, Zara imagines something terrifying.
A sword in her hand, just like the one the mercenary who hurt her used.
She swings the sword. There’s no need to grip it too tightly.
Just a light motion, and from the blade’s tip, slices the mercenary’s neck.
Then the monsters hiding in the sky, sewers, forests, and rivers rushed out to kill people with her.
The city falls into chaos.
A hero arrives to kill her, but dies just as meaninglessly.
She slaughters everyone who ever tormented her, and in the end, people fear her too much to ever lay a hand on her again.
And then…Blood-red tears stream from Zara’s eyes.
She turns the blade and drives it into her own chest.
-"Wake Up, Zappy!"
“Ugh.”
Zara blinked awake at the sound of a loud voice.
Wiping the drool from the corner of her mouth, she smiled faintly at the fading vision.
It was a pleasant morning.
“Heheh… I had a scary dream.”
-"It was just a dream. Only fucking idiots fear dreams. What matters is that you're wasting a perfectly precious morning. Get up already. A miraculous day is waiting for you."
-Who is this dumb guy? Kill him.
-No, this is just a hallucination. I'm weak and stupid, and that’s why I see things.
-Let’s die. You don’t deserve to live.
The voices overlapped in her mind.
It was a familiar morning.
Aside from the slightly odd, a macho man, everything was as usual.
“Today’s the day I’m supposed to clean Mr. Gordon’s chimney! I’d better hurry—he’ll get mad if I’m late!”
Grabbing her cleaning tools, Zara headed to Gordon’s house.
This was all she could receive.
Dirty, dangerous jobs no one else does.
Chimney sweeping. Sewer cleaning. The filthiest work in the city.
“Hello, Mr. Gordon! I’m here to clean the chimney!”
“Tch. What took you so long? Get started already.”
“Yes, sir!”
Zara didn’t need a ladder or ropes.
She climbed up onto the roof and went inside the chimney with her cleaning tools.
She moved up and down, scrubbing away the soot and ash clinging to the bricks.
Half the cleaning was done with the brush.
The other half, with her body and clothes.
“Cough! Cough!”
As she scrubbed in the thick smoke, heat, and fumes began to rise from below.
That was her signal to finish up.
She climbed out and knocked on the door.
Gordon answered with a sour look and tossed a few coins her way.
“What took you so damn long? Take it and get lost.”
“Yes, sir!”
It was far less than what they’d agreed on, but the fact that he paid her at all meant Mr. Gordon was a kind man.
“Wow! I got four whole coins today. That’s lucky!”
-“You fucking idiot!”
Just as Zara smiled, the macho man yelled.
-“Zappy, how much were you supposed to be paid?”
“Um… Twenty coins.”
-“Then you need to demand twenty coins from that fucking asshole bald guy. Your work is worth that much. You’re the only one who can clean that narrow chimney so perfectly.”
“But… sometimes the others don’t pay me anything at all.”
-“Zappy. You need to be properly angry when you’re treated unfairly. Don't make yourself cheap."
Something inside Zara wavered.
And through that tiny crack in her resolve, the other voices slithered in.
Kill the bald bastard. Just kill him and take the money.
-You’re worthless. Even one coin is too much for you.
-You’re garbage. You should’ve just fallen from the chimney and died.
The Celestial Star of Killing.
She was born under the omen of bloodshed.
Dark urges gently stroked her heart. But Zara shook her head.
“Saving a few coins on me means Mr. Gordon can spend more on his family. I don’t have anyone, so it’s better if he uses that money!”
-“You fucking asshole, Zappy. It’s not about the money. It’s about your effort. You deserve to be angry. No, you have to be angry. Knock on that damn door. Demand what you’re owed. You idiot.”
“But—”
Just as Zara began to answer, the door burst open.
Gordon stormed out.
When he saw Zara still standing outside, he clicked his tongue.
“Why the hell is that beggar still in front of my house?”
“Oh! I was just about to leave!”
“Tch. Take this and get lost.”
With a sour look, he tossed sixteen coins onto the ground.
Zara stared blankly at the scattered coins.
Then hurriedly picked them up and bowed deeply.
“Thank you very much!”
“Now scram!”
“Yes, sir!”
She walked down the street with a big grin.
This was the most money she’d ever received.
“Today’s my lucky day.”
-“It’s not luck. It’s because you stayed there like a stubborn little rock. If you’d walked away satisfied with just four coins like some pussy, none of this would’ve happened.”
“...then it’s thanks to you, Gigachad.”
-“Zappy, you did this. Yourself.”
Zara had a busy day. Things felt oddly fortunate today.
Even though she lost all the money she earned, the house she made of planks burned down, and her leg bones were broken.
But still, some good things happened too.
Now she lay on the ashes of her former home, staring blankly up at the night sky.
It was gloomy.
Shhhh—
Rain suddenly started.
Sleeping under a heavy rain, Zara’s body began to tremble.
“…I was all dirty from the chimney, but now the rain’s cleaning me up. I am lucky.”
-“Zappy. Cut the crap.”
“…Huh?”
-“You’re lying to yourself. You liar. When you got the fair pay, you were happy. But now you’re soaked and shivering like a goldfish dropped in a gutter. Why lie?”
“…Heheh.”
Zara smiled brightly.
Her clear eyes turned to look at Gigachad.
“I told you—it’s a lucky day.”
------------------
[Translator - Tangrine ]
[Proofreader - Seeker ]
------------------
