Pfeil let his shoulders relax and sighed once he had neutralized the rebels in the capital city.
“Pathetic. It was a truly tedious battle.”
The rebels were humans who claimed to be descended from the Magician Empire. They had been rallied by Rasmus and had once decided against rebelling. However, upon learning of the Progenitor’s revival, they had become invigorated. Pfeil had accepted Rasmus’s request to help stop them, but ignoring Rasmus’s attempts to resolve the situation with words, Pfeil responded with a bow and arrows.
Scattered on the ground were about twenty individuals, writhing in pain with arrows in their legs. At first glance, they appeared to be ordinary citizens of the Wethered Kingdom, but inwardly, they were unfortunate humans captivated by a past they barely understood.
“I can sympathize. There are always weak individuals in any era who dislike the present. However, I show no mercy. My family is shedding blood to protect the ‘present.’ I have no qualms about shooting down those who would devalue that.
“…Pfeil… Thank you for your efforts.”
“There’s no need. However, there were a few things I wanted to say to you.”
“I’ll listen to anything you have to say.”
“It’s not like I have anything to say to you about Olivier Alway at this point. Jared, who should be the one to say it, is ignoring you, so I’ll do the same. But there is something I need to ask—what do you intend to do from now on?”
“Why would you ask that?”
Rasmus’s question caused Pfeil to frown.
“Why do you ask? Wasn’t your objective to kill the Progenitor? That objective should not have changed.”
“Yes.”
“You couldn’t bring yourself to sacrifice Cassandra Hagedorff. Therefore, you disrupted the Progenitor’s revival. You tried to postpone the problem and start over elsewhere.”
“I won’t deny it. I was willing to abandon my objective for Cassandra’s sake.”
“But, fortunately for you and unfortunately for us, the Progenitor revived using Olivier’s body. So, I will ask. What do you intend to do about Olivier?”
Depending on his answer, Pfeil had intended to kill him on the spot. Currently, Jared, who was both a rival and a friend, was striving to gain power for Olivier’s sake.
Pfeil felt a mixture of surprise that someone so strong could become even stronger and an exhilaration at the thought of fighting such a Jared. Furthermore, as a man, Pfeil respected Jared for dedicating himself to Olivier to such an extent. This was precisely why he felt it was important to know Rasmus’s future intentions.
“What I intend to do from now on, huh? Yes, well, if possible, I want to kill the Progenitor.”
“Hoh. Very honest. For the sake of that courage, I will kill you without making you suffer.”
“Wait. That’s not it. I don’t mean I want to do anything to Olivier. To be completely honest, if Cassandra weren’t the Vessel, I would have other options. But, if I were to harm Olivier…”
“Even if Jared does nothing, I will personally take responsibility for killing you and Cassandra Hagedorff.”
“That’s precisely why I’ve decided to do nothing.”
“Hmph. I’ll say it’s a good intention.”
To Pfeil, Olivier was already family. She was a precious person who had accepted him when he had lost his own family long ago and was all alone. Thanks to her, he had made friends and found someone to love. He felt he could never repay that debt, even in a lifetime.
Pfeil himself had not given up on Olivier. If Jared hadn’t given up, he believed there was hope. That was why, if anyone were to try and harm her, he felt he had to stop them, even at the cost of his own life.
Should she somehow be harmed, he was prepared to become an assassin once more and ensure that those involved faced a suitably regretful end. To clear his worries, he wanted to kill Rasmus right then and there. He also wanted to kill Cassandra, who had wronged Olivier and Jared, in a gruesome manner. He was desperately suppressing these burning emotions.
“You’ve changed, Pfeil. You, who once killed emotionlessly like a doll, now have friends, family, and seem happy.”
“Then you should know that I cannot forgive you for trying to destroy that happiness.”
“…Yes. I understand. In the end, I and Cassandra—no, Cassandra ended up imitating my bad traits. I suppose I’m the kind of ugly person who says pleasant things but stops at nothing to achieve their goals.”
“If you’re aware of it, I’ll lend you a knife. Go ahead and cut your own throat.”
“If I could die that easily, I would have committed suicide long ago. Although I’m tired of living, I cannot abandon my responsibilities.”
“Nonsense. Utter nonsense. Your responsibility is merely to let an ancestor you never even met rest in peace. As far as I’m concerned, regardless of the process, the Progenitor accepted immortality themselves. Suffering and regretting are all their own problems; it has nothing to do with us living in the present.”
As if he had nothing more to say, Pfeil turned on his heel and walked away.
“This is your last warning. Do not interfere with Jared.”
He didn’t need a reply. If Rasmus stubbornly continued to plot something, Pfeil’s arrow would be the one to pierce him.
Pfeil sprang off the ground and headed towards the home of the woman he loved. He couldn’t bear to return to that mansion, where he had lost Olivier without his knowledge. Now, the only place his heart could find peace was by the side of the woman he loved. Picturing her, the boy’s lips curved into a smile, and he unconsciously quickened his pace.
