She appeared through the crimson blood.
“Alina..?”
This person in front of me was definitely Alina.
As I stared blankly, she stepped past me and walked towards Bordin with her gaze averted.
“Alina..! What the hell is going on?!”
“…Master.”
While Alina hesitated for a moment, looking at Bordin, he swung a dagger at her with his remaining arm.
But Alina seemed to have anticipated it.
She quickly dodged and swiftly seized his remaining arm, twisting it.
Kurgh!
“Didn’t Master always tell you to never let your guard down?”
Eventually, in pain, Bordin dropped the dagger from his hand, and Alina kicked it away from him.
Kukhuh… right… I thought something was off.
Bordin, who had lost both arms and his weapon, let out a small, inappropriate laugh.
“I can’t believe I survived this long after being poisoned by a basilisk. What did you do?”
As he glanced at me, Alina walked in between us, blocking him from my sight.
“The symptoms are the same, but I changed it to a poison that won’t harm the body.”
Kurgh…
He smiled bitterly and closed his eyes for a moment.
“Why did you betray me?!”
When Bordin opened his eyes again, the laughter was gone, replaced by a face twisted with rage and murderous intent as he yelled at Alina.
“I raised you from a cold, dark windowsill to be a fine assassin with the greatest care. Is this how you repay me?!”
At his shout, Alina’s eyes began to tremble fiercely. But she closed her eyes tightly for a moment, gathering her shaken heart.
“I’ve always thought of Master as a father.”
“Then why!!”
“…Miss has no sin, does she?”
“…What?”
“We have already committed an unforgivable sin against her. I won’t let her be hurt any further.”
Looking at Alina with a blank expression, Bordin burst into loud laughter.
“How ridiculous!! You betrayed me for such sympathy? Do you think that will change anything?”
“I just don’t want to go down the wrong path anymore.”
Seeing the resolute will in Alina’s eyes, Bordin sighed deeply.
“Then… what will you do now? Are you going to kill me?”
“Please stop, Master. I certainly don’t want to kill you.”
“Stop? Do you think that monster will spare me if I stop?”
“But you hold the imperial seal, don’t you?”
“…..”
What?
It was just a moment, but Alina’s words rang clearly in my ears.
‘The imperial seal?’
It was an item I was aware of.
It had been mentioned in the original work.
The imperial seal. A great honor and privilege given to only five individuals in the empire.
A treasure bestowed directly by the Emperor to someone who has made a significant contribution to the empire.
Just possessing this seal meant that no noble would dare disrespect you, and you could receive all kinds of favor from the imperial palace.
Besides, it granted the privilege of being pardoned for any crime except for treason against the royal family.
It was something given to the protagonist, who once saved the empire from a crisis in the original work.
But why the hell was such a treasure with Bordin?
“Please hand me the seal. Then I will protect both you and Miss.”
“You’re being presumptuous. Do you think you matter at all?”
“I will confess that I did everything.”
“What?”
Seeing Bordin’s expression of disbelief, Alina continued with a determined look.
“I will help you frame the charges so that you can escape them. With Master’s abilities, you will definitely survive afterwards.”
“Even if by some chance I survive, you will undoubtedly die, you know?”
“I don’t care.”
“….”
Bordin was momentarily lost for words at Alina’s serious gaze.
After glancing at his face, Alina turned and came closer to me.
“Alina…”
“Miss.”
“Why in the world-”
But before I could finish my sentence, Alina put her finger over my lips, stopping me.
“I know you have many questions, Miss. But right now, there’s no time. Please listen carefully to me.”
“…..”
There were so many things I wanted to ask her, but for now, I nodded, wanting to hear her story.
“I will give you the imperial seal. If you go to the palace with it, they will protect you there.”
“….What?”
“Don’t worry. No matter how powerful Athena is, she can never defeat the empire alone.”
“What do you mean…”
“If it’s about the slave brand, the Great Sage in the palace should be able to remove it without a problem.”
“Al…Alina.”
“When you get to the palace, you will be much better-”
“Alina. Wait.”
When I reached out my hand to tell her to stop, she finally halted her speech.
It was confusing.
I didn’t understand what she was talking about.
Why should I go to the imperial palace?
“Miss. Time is-”
“Alina. I don’t understand. Why must I go to the palace?”
Alina promptly answered my question.
“Don’t you want to be free?”
Her words left my mind blank for a moment.
Because the idea of freedom felt so foreign.
“Freedom…?”
“It’s living a life not confined here, but one where you can follow your own will and be free.”
“……”
“Make new friends, do everything you want to do, live freely, Miss.”
Seeing Alina’s warm smile as she looked at me, I realized her words were not a joke.
‘Freedom…?’
Though it was a sudden proposition, I pondered for a moment.
Not in this suffocating mansion, but somewhere else, doing what I want.
A life of freedom, not bound by anyone as Alina said.
But paradoxically, I felt I wouldn’t be happy at all in that life.
“I… don’t want to.”
“What?”
Alina looked taken aback, her eyes widening in shock as she stared at me.
Having somewhat recovered from the poison’s paralysis, I took a step back to look at her.
“I don’t want a life without Athena.”
“….”
“You said it yourself. Someone like me is of no help.”
“Miss.. that… that’s…”
At my words, Alina’s eyes began to shake violently.
I cannot forget it. The countless irremediable wounds I received from many people.
Among them, the most decisive was when Alina herself brutally turned her back on me.
The closer I was to her, the more I trusted her, the sharper that betrayal felt.
“Thanks for helping me… but I’m going to stay here.”
“…..”
Honestly, I didn’t even know why she was helping me this much.
Was it out of sympathy for me?
Or because she felt sorry for me and reached out?
Perhaps it was out of guilt for helping me.
None of it provided any comfort to me.
I had suffered enough from pitying eyes directed at me.
“It’s okay now, Alina. You don’t have to do anything for me anymore.”
“Miss…”
When Alina looked at me with sad eyes, I almost teared up.
Thank you. And I’m sorry, Alina.
Kukhuh…
As Alina and I looked at each other with emotion in our eyes, I heard Bordin’s shallow laughter behind us.
Turning my head, despite his serious injuries, he was looking down, trying hard to stifle his laughter.
“…Why are you laughing?”
I didn’t know why, but his laughter irritated me.
Rising to my feet, fully recovered, I glared at him, and he smirked at me.
“I’m sorry, Miss. It’s just so funny, I couldn’t help it. By the way, it seems you trust Athena quite a lot.”
Despite Bordin’s sneering, I looked at him confidently and said.
“Because I love her.”
Kuhk! Love… love, you say…
Seeing him laugh over and over again made my face scrunch up.
Why on earth was he laughing like that?
“How pathetic… You don’t even realize you’re dancing in the hands of that monster. It’s amusing how you’ve fallen in love with her.”
“….What are you talking about?”
“Kheh… Curious, are you?”
As Bordin struggled to sit up, Alina pointed her blade at him in warning.
“Master, please remain still.”
“Alina. I’m just trying to tell the truth to Miss. You know how foolish she appears right now, right?”
“…..”
“If you truly care for her, you should tell her the truth, shouldn’t you?”
At Bordin’s words, Alina’s body flinched slightly.
“…..It’s too early still.”
“Rather, if you take Miss to the palace as per your plan, telling her the truth would be much quicker than meaningless persuasion.”
“…..”
Alina cautiously glanced at me.
In her expression, I could see concern, sadness, and guilt mingled together.
…Why was she looking at me like that?
Avoiding her burdensome gaze, I spoke to Bordin.
“..What do you want to say?”
I demanded an answer from him, and he readily obliged.
“Listen carefully, Miss.”
As he extended his broken arm forward, a grotesque sound of bones twisting began to fill the room.
“The humiliation, shame, self-loathing, powerlessness, and guilt you’ve experienced since arriving at this mansion.”
He looked at me with a huge smile on his face.
“Do you believe all of that was orchestrated by Athena?”
“…..What do you mean?”
One side of my face scrunched in disbelief. Seeing my reaction, Bordin let out a loud laugh before continuing.
“That’s right. The incidents that occurred here were all part of a plan.”
“Your downfall was desperately desired by none other than Athena.”
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