A few days later
I was a again called by the n.o.bleman.
“So you’ve come, beast girl.”
I was called to the bas.e.m.e.nt.
It was filled with a strong smell of death.
When I entered the room, I faced the n.o.bleman, and one of the children from our village.
The child that I’ve played with before was bound so he couldn’t move.
“……!”
While *purupuru* trembling, the beastman boy faced me, and seeked help.
There was a puddle by his feet.
By this point, I’d already realized it.
“Well then, show me.”
(Possibly, was the question from before⸺)
“Here, go ahead.”
⸺*Karan*, a knife was tossed in front of me.
“⸺Kill him.”
*Zokuri* My back trembled.
“……Nnn! Nn!”
*Bubun*, the boy shook his head.
While spilling tears, the boy sought help from me.
“……What are you doing? Hurry up.”
*Girori* The n.o.bleman glared at me.
“Wh,why? What reason is there to kill him……?”
“Hurry up and kill him.”
The man spoke coldly.
“You chose didn’t you? To show me the scene of you killing your comrades.”
Then, he *niyari* grinned.
“……ah……”
I, understand,
That this is my fate.
*Purupuru* My hand trembled.
I pick up the knife fallen on the floor.
“Nnn—! Nnn, nnn—!”
I hit the boy who was desperately shaking his head and resisting with the knife.
Then⸺
“⸺⸺⸺⸺⸺”
⸺*Zuchu*.
The feeling of cutting meat.
There was blood flowing from the boy’s body.
“……Fumu. Well, this is okay.”
While comparing the dead boy and I, who was in a daze, the n.o.bleman was able to reasonably enjoy himself, and snickered.
At the end, he whispered from behind me:
“……You made an excellent choice. You loved your family to even sacrifice a comrade from your village. I’m impressed.”
I don’t avert my eyes away from the corpse.
I can’t avert them.
“Nevertheless, at the same time you made one mistake.”
From the man’s voice, it seemed that he truly found it unfortunate, and mourned.
……A mistake?
Even though I’ve done so much, a mistake?
⸺*Buwari*
My cold sweat won’t stop.
“Your little sister wasn’t admitted to the hospital⸺she was taken to a certain laboratory.”
For a while, I wasn’t able to understand those words.
(⸺What, does that mean? A labo……ratory?)
My palm’s sweat.
It *jitori* oozed.
(⸺No way. Nowaynowaynoway⸺!)
My head was filled with the worst ideas.
(Such such such! Is such a thing okay?
This⸺even though I killed! Even though I killed! Even though I’ve killed! EventhoughIkilledEventhoughIkilledEventhoughIkilled!)
“She had a pretty rare disease. I’ve been having her let me use her for human experiments⸺no, as an experimental animal.”
When I heard that⸺something inside of me broke.
Something that was important up until then.
Something I protected no matter how tough things were.
Something that I protected, for my family.
It, broke.
“⸺Uwaaaaaa!!”
I leapt onto that man, and dropped my fist onto his face.
However, it didn’t reach him.
⸺An invisible wall.
It was born between the n.o.bleman and I, and got in my way.
“⸺I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you! I’ll definitely kill yooouuu!”
Even while I knew it was pointless, I continued pummeling the wall, and kept crying.
“I’ll be expecting from you from now on.
And, I’ll bless you.
Right now, you’ve grown a little.
You’re no longer just a beast.
That anger, those feelings,
You’re more human-like than humans!”
The n.o.bleman said so, and disappeared from in front of me.
I just earnestly killed, killed, killed when I was forced into the underground jail, and kept screaming.
“I will absolutely kill yooouuu!!!”
After I was placed into the underground jail, I was taken somewhere different.
It was a battle training facility.
Because of my intent to kill, I was evaluated highly and raised as a soldier.
Fortunately, the body I was given by my parents had a considerable amount of talent for battle.
In order to kill that man, I earnestly kept honing my abilities.
And now, I’m here because of a lucky accident that happened when I was on my way to the next n.o.ble.
Ellie woke up.
(⸺This is disgusting, there’s so much sweat.)
Everything was from the past. From the time she was a slave.
Since she fought for the first time in a while, did she get worked up?
Is it because she found a place where she could sleep with peace of mind?
(⸺What a bad dream.)
Like that, Ellie went into the kitchen, and drank a gla.s.s of water.
“Fuu……”
Like that, she washed her face with some water.
Then, within the darkness where the dim light of a star flowed in,
(⸺What a bad face.)
Ellie smiled bitterly at her face that was reflected in the water.
Sorrow.
Rage.
Emptiness.
In her face packed with those emotions, her pupils shone red in the dark.
Her fangs were bared, her ears were *pin* standing, and all her body hair stood on end.
“I’ll absolutely never forgive him……I’ll definitely kill that man.”
I remember what that man said, word by word.
I’ll never forget it. Absolutely.
Until I kill him. Until I die.
Fortunately, one of the strongest magicians, the sorcerer of ‘fire’ is here.
If I train here, even if that man is my opponent, I should be able to at least return an arrow.
……I want to think so.
Moreover, if I use her position as a sorcerer, and the power of the humans here, even creating a chance to a.s.sa.s.sinate that man……
Thinking that far ahead, Ellie realized that she was floating an ugly smile just like that man’s on her face.
“⸺!?”
Reflected in the water was an excessively wretched smile, like that of the slaves’ human lord.
It was a smile that comes to mind when he was thinking of how to use us therianthropes.
(⸺Ugly. How ugly I am.)
Ellie stiffened up for a while because of the shock⸺
“⸺Uoe, oeeee.”
She vomited to her physiological disgust.
⸺This is bad, thinking of using them.
The man named Edgar, and the sorcerer named Arisa.
The two of them are undoubtedly worried about me.
Just by living together with them for a while, I understood that immediately.
Only using them, is bad.
Their smiles to me, their att.i.tudes, and their kindness.
All that was proof that they were happy.
That’s why, no matter what, I absolutely can’t let them get involved in my revenge⸺
“U……uaa……aaaa……”
Her tears fell.
(⸺It’s painful……it’s painful……mother……father……Milly…….save me, somebody……)
Ellie sat down on the spot, and cried quietly⸺while tightly holding her choker.
In order to not forget her revenge.
And, to not forget her sins.