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CHAPTER 28: MASTERFULLY MANIPULATING THE ASSASSIN'S MIND TO TURN THEIR LOYALTY INTO AN AMBUSH POISON!
Nuhi's scream reverberated through Sota's eardrums.
――This is bad.
――This is really bad, indeed.
"I don't want... help... I'm scared..."
――If someone has come to kill, then whatever happens to them is their responsibility.
As someone who had emerged as an exceptional teacher at a young age, Sota could understand. He comprehended his fatal mistake and the wound in the girl's heart.
――It's their responsibility, but. I don't want to hurt her...!
"Have you been raised by the mercenary group since you were born?"
In response to Sota's question, Nuhi reflexively answered due to the effects of the truth serum.
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"Yes... I've been taught by my parents since I can remember."
Using that opening, Sota continued to barrage her with questions, diverting her attention.
"Are your parents well?"
"My mother died when she gave birth to me. My father is still alive and working. He's a high-ranking member of the mercenary group."
"Do you like that job?"
"No matter what anyone says, he took pride in it. He thought I had talent too. Are these my words? I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I don't want to talk about this... I don't want to..."
"Understood. It's fine now. You don't have to talk anymore. Just wait a bit, it's the effect of the drug. The trap was set, thinking you were coming to kill. Your mind is still normal."
"The drug? No, it's a lie. You can't prepare something like that in such a short time, and I wouldn't collapse so quickly... It's a lie. You're trying to deceive me. It's not magic. It's not a drug. I don't understand. Why, what's happening? This isn't me... It's not me..."
――Unlike me, Nuhi had pride in her work. And she feels like that pride has been forcibly taken away from her, against her will.
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Sota had a bitter expression. He couldn't see her as a stranger anymore.
"Hey, calm down and let's talk...!"
"It's not me... It's not me!"
Nuhi pulled out a hidden dagger and tried to stab herself, trembling, and with a shaky hand. Naturally, Sota couldn't react quickly enough to intervene.
"Stop――"
"Well, as a result, I ended up being expelled under the condition that the incident wouldn't be made public. After that, I continued being a teacher in my hometown, a job I didn't want, until I fell ill and died. Well, here I am, still alive, but at least back in my hometown, they believe I'm dead."
"...For Nuhi, this was her test, to become a full-fledged member..."
"It's quite a coincidence, we're similar in a way. Feels like life ended in such an unexpected, unreasonable manner, doesn't it?"
"Understandable, understandable," Sota muttered and let out a sigh.
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By now, Nuhi had started to calm down a little. Her original training as an assassin had been fortunate. The effects of the poison had worn off, and she was beginning to catch up with the situation. However, she no longer had the courage to escape. Her spirit was broken.
"I want to die... Even though I hate it, I betrayed my employer... How can I return to the guild with any dignity... The very thing mercenaries shouldn't do... And yet..."
"Can't you rely on your parents?"
"Nuhi is a child born out of wedlock... If I don't produce results, I'm a burden. I have no place to go. Now that I've failed the test, I... What's going to happen to me?"
"That's tough... Want to come to this village?"
"I'd just get killed... It's better to honestly admit my failure... If word gets out that I've spilled everything like this, the consequences will be scarier than death!"
Sota slapped his hand on the table. It was deliberate, as if he had just come up with a brilliant idea.
"Alright, then let's find a way for Nuhi to make a living as a mercenary. If not producing results makes you a burden, then on the contrary, if this village offers you a big job specifically, would that cover up this failure?"
"Huh!?"
"Can't it? Would 'Crystal Night' feed their rising star, who brought in a major contract, with cold rice? If they're such a foolish organization, maybe there's no value in partnering with them, right...?"
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This appeasement was Sota's original intention. Though there were unexpected twists, he was mostly getting back to the ideal scenario he had initially envisioned.
"So, you can do it! We value fair dealings!"
"Then go quickly, with your companions who are operating elsewhere. Wait for an opportunity to redeem your honor within 'Crystal Night.' Carry weapons, stand tall, and run. I assume you understand that if you're caught by the village's elves, you'll die. You came to kill, and you might be killed too. Got it?"
Nuhi immediately picked up her dropped weapon and sheathed it. Then, she slowly stood up and locked eyes with Sota beyond the door, her eyes full of fear.
"W-Why... why are you doing this much for me? Is it because I'm a child?"
"If I thought that, I would have rushed over to you a long time ago, embraced you, and been stabbed by you. I'm just doing you a favor. Now get going."
"An order?"
"An order. You lost to me. Your pride, your information, everything was taken from you. And now, I'll give it all back to you."
"If you can do something like that... you must be a god."
"Just wait and see. And when you see, come."
Nuhi leapt up onto a house roof that was several times her height, then silently leaped from roof to roof. Her figure disappeared in an instant.
"Guess... relying on drugs wasn't the way to go. Conversation is the best way."
Sota muttered sarcastically to himself, then sat down on the floor. Empty. It was just empty.
Sentimentality would come later. Now, he needed to figure out a means to ensure that girl's life and dignity were protected.
He shook off the emptiness by recalling reality. The village was still burning.
"Len, how's the situation in the village?"
Sweating uncomfortably and running a slight fever, Sota frowned. It reminded him of the time he had suffered in the hospital.
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"The food storage is secure thanks to the village chief. The other elves who broke in are captured alive, and the fire in the fields is starting to calm down. There are a few more fires elsewhere, but everyone is summoning water elemental spirits to put them out. It's an amazing sight. The elves are holding hands, manipulating a water giant. Remember the Worm Dance? It turns out that was their practice. Do you want to see?"
"I'd love to, but today... I'm tired. If I wander around in this situation, I might end up causing more trouble."
"I see... Well then, goodnight. If someone comes by, I'll wake you up. Make sure to dispel the gas you released in the room."
Since it was a tool shed, there were no windows. Using his "Toxin Resistance" skill, Sota inhaled the surrounding diethyl ether and dissipated it.
Sota lay on the makeshift bed given by the villagers, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a towel. Memories of the time he was near death in a hospital bed flooded his mind. The pain throughout his body, the fever, and the eerie cries of a patient in the adjacent room.
"What... a god."
Even though he proclaimed his own powerlessness.
Despite receiving updates from the goddess about the firefighting progress, checking on the safe return of Asugi and Ayahi, the fear and pain in his chest kept him from sleep.
[Message: Activation of 'Toxin Resistance' skill has led to its growth. The skill has risen from Rank A to Rank S.]
[Message: Activation of 'Poison Release' skill has led to its growth. The skill has risen from Rank A to Rank S.]
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