Ch. 154

He was holding me so tightly it was almost strange that nothing hurt.

What kind of technique is this?!

“Hey! Let go of me!”

Prince or not, do you have a death wish?!

“Run!”

“What? What are they saying now?”

“You all, hurry!”

Ash shouted, blocking me with his whole body, but the bandits, much like I had earlier, burst into laughter.

“Pwahaha!”

“Keek!”

“What’s with them? Over one woman…”

The wind whooshed—and Rai jumped.

He soared through the air like he was flying and landed in front of the bandit leader in the blink of an eye.

Following my hostility, he immediately lunged for the leader’s throat with a savage ferocity.

With one massive paw—like a boulder—Rai slammed the man to the ground.

‘Thud!’

Two sounds followed.

The axe clanging uselessly against Rai’s body like an egg cracking on a rock, and the crunching, no—ripping—sound of the leader’s neck.

‘Crack.’

It was as easy as taking a big bite out of a banana. And it happened so fast, the bandit leader probably didn’t even realize he’d died.

[‘Ptooey!’]

Rai hated putting anything that wasn’t metal in his mouth, and spat out the remaining flesh with disgust, wiggling his tongue to get rid of the taste. Then he wagged his tail to choose the next target.

That gap existed because I hadn’t yet decided on the next kill.

“So? Anyone else feel like laughing?”

Besides the boss, who else annoyed me?

Who’s next?

If Rai bites your neck, it’ll vanish, and all that’ll be left is your rolling head. Anyone curious to try?

“G-Geenie!”

“Ugh, my ears!”

Ash cried out from right behind me, still holding me tightly, but just because he wouldn’t let go didn’t mean I couldn’t kill. (T/N: This is what I hate about Ash, too goodie two shoes.)

No matter how emotionally he clung to me, it was pointless. I had Rai—my wireless killing machine!

I simply gave a nod, and Rai began tearing into the closest enemies.

“Gyaaagh!”

Once Rai sank his teeth into something, that part of the body was basically gone. In no time, half-limbed corpses started piling up. Rai even crushed their skulls to ensure they didn’t suffer.

Finally, realizing the situation, the remaining bandits turned and ran toward the woods.

“Save us!”

“She’s a demon!”

Rai was built for close-quarters combat, so when enemies scattered like this—

“Undine, your turn.”

—I just used another spirit. ‘Plop, plop.’ With a series of cute little sounds, the fleeing bandits were trapped in water orbs and dragged back to me.

You think you can escape ‘me’? The only place you’re going is the grave!

“Stop!”

“You stop first!”

…Right, I had to escape from Ash first.

“Listen to me! Miss Geenie, you can’t solve everything by killing!”

“Why not?!”

“Because life is precious! Please, let them go! Quickly!”

“Nope!”

‘Grrrr!’ I thought he was trying to protect me, but it turns out he was protecting ‘them’?! No way!

Being gently soothed while trapped in another man’s arms made me feel like a rabid dog.

“You can’t just kill people like that! That’s basic human decency!”

“They’re the ones who attacked us first!”

“But that’s not a crime punishable by death!”

“They told you to leave me behind! With the horses! Do you know how disgusting that feels? Do you?!”

“…I do. I get that you’re angry…”

Ash clearly had no intention of letting go, and I started feeling… weird.

A human’s embrace was so warm. And when our bodies pressed together, it was practically burning.

Plus, that pleading voice—coming from right behind me and in my favorite tone—made me flinch without realizing.

If it’s come to this, there’s no choice. I’ll use my sealed technique! My first time trying it… Ultimate move! ‘Reverse Headbutt!’

“Guh!”

It was a self-defense move I once read about in a book. My head was pretty solid, so when it collided with Ash’s nose, I felt a solid ‘crunch.’

‘Thwack!’ Judging by the sound, it worked—his grip loosened. I then slammed my head back into his chin and finally broke free.

“How ‘dare’ you try to stop me?! That’s ten years off your—huh.”

Just as I turned around in triumph to point a finger at him, I saw Ash clutching his nose. And that red stuff dripping under his chin… unmistakably blood.

He must’ve broken his nose—no way you could call that just a nosebleed with that much blood pouring out.

Weird. My head’s totally fine. I gave it a quick rub, but it didn’t even feel sore. I didn’t know my secret weapon was ‘that’ powerful.

“…”

A strange silence fell between me, Ash, Lox, and Chad. Drops of blood from Ash’s nose were splattering on the dirt, turning it a dark crimson.

“…You okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Ahem, well. Should’ve trained your nose bones more. Don’t make me feel guilty, geez.”

“I’m okay, really… but more importantly, please let them go! They’ll die like that!”

Since I dragged the bandits here by trapping just their heads in water, while I argued with Ash, they’d all reached the brink of drowning.

They were all struggling, clutching at their throats in desperation—but it wasn’t helping.

The more water they swallowed, the more their strength drained. Most had already gone limp. Only seven were still breathing—the other five had been killed by Rai.

Looking back, I saw the torn-up corpses scattered around the rest stop.

“Miss Geenie!”

Ash’s concern for the bandits was palpable, but that was none of my business.

I shrugged and replied cheekily.

“Don’t wanna.”

‘Seriously?’ Worrying about that now? Ash, your ‘nose’ is bleeding like crazy. Compared to that, them dying is nothing. Not even a gram of concern.

“Please…! For my sake, if nothing else, just let them go.”

“Pff.”

I don’t fall for fake faces! I just picked my ear in response.

“…Please hear me out. I know you’re strong. I also know you’re dangerous enough that it’s scary. But if you kill everyone who annoys you, no one will be left alive!”

“I hate people who don’t treat others like human beings. Those kinds of people deserve to get the same treatment back.” (T/N: Yes, Geenie! Stick with your principles! )

“…”

“And I ‘can’ do it.”

This world is survival of the fittest.

If someone else can’t do something but I can, and I ‘want’ to, then I should. Not doing it would be stupid.

“I don’t kill everyone. Only those who pick fights with me.”

“I get it. I really do. But still… this is too much. The leader’s already dead. You wiped out a third of them. Isn’t that enough?”

“Ash, you’re too soft! Killing them all is a ‘blessing’ for future travelers passing through! This is all for their safety!”

“…Please stop pretending that’s your motivation.”

Ugh, sharp guy. When did he figure me out so well? He even knows I’m weakest to him, huh?

“Yes, they were in the wrong. But that doesn’t mean they ‘have’ to pay with their lives. That’s all I’m saying. It’s not that you’re wrong, just… that it’s too much.”

“I decide what’s ‘too much.’ They messed with ‘me!’ Even if I let them go, what about ‘my’ anger? Huh?!”

It’s not like I can kill ‘you!’ Forgiveness? Not in my vocabulary! Even if it exists, I’d never find it!

“They should pay with the law. They’re bandits—turn them over to the patrol units and…”

“No!”

“Stop growling… Okay, Miss Geenie! Their heads probably have bounties on them! If we turn them in, we’ll get a reward!”

“What, you think I’m broke? I’ve got money to burn, thank you very much.”

“But you ‘don’t’ leave money lying on the road, right? If we turn them in, we’ll at least cover the inn fees! You’re not gonna throw that away, are you?”

“…Tempting.”

Sounded pretty convincing.

The thought that killing them meant losing money made me feel like ‘I’ was being robbed… Killing bandits and losing out financially? No thanks.

And since he was the party leader, I figured I’d at least pretend to listen.

“I’ll say this clearly. If you’re going to kill them all, then please don’t travel with us anymore.”

“What? That’s low.”

“Says the one who—never mind.”

Guess I have no choice but to spare them.

I snapped my fingers, and the bandits were released. Their water orbs popped and they flopped to the ground, soaked to the bone.

Rai returned to my side, casually strolling over.

He hadn’t made a move since I started thinking about sparing them, so he’d only taken five lives.

A quick glance told me one of the released bandits wasn’t breathing. One more drowned while we argued. So six dead, six alive.

Tch. ‘Half’ survived? No—think positive. ‘Half’ are dead.

“Lucky bastards.”

The surviving bandits didn’t even think about running. Too scared to even crawl away, they just trembled on the ground, knowing they wouldn’t get far.

With Rai and me around, they could tell escaping was impossible.

“…I think we’re traveling with someone terrifying. I seriously suggest kicking her out.”

“You want to die? Shut it.”

“See, Chad! This woman values inn money more than bandit lives! She’s dangerous!”

“Hey, Lox? I can hear you, you know?”

“You have serious empathy issues! It’s terrifying just being near you!”

Lox wasn’t yelling at the bandits—he was yelling at ‘me.’ He was right to be scared, but he didn’t ‘fully’ understand how scary I could be.

I looked back and snapped my fingers.

‘Pop!’

“Gyah!”

A water orb the size of a head exploded right in front of Lox.

He shrieked and toppled over in shock. Chad, worried he might be next, avoided my gaze altogether.

“Both of you, quit it. I’m only sparing you because of Ash. And ‘you guys!’ Know how lucky you are! You walking inn fees!”

“Miss Geenie!”

Ash was the only one who wasn’t afraid of me.

“Seriously! You’re impossible to look away from!”

“Well, I ‘am’ kind of captivating.”

“So now you’re threatening your own team?!”

“Oh my, we were on the same team? You badmouthed me so much I couldn’t tell.”

While I played innocent, Rai was busy trying to spit out something stuck in his mouth.

[‘Ptuh—ptooey.’]

It was a peaceful scene.

Well, I mean, there was never ‘really’ any danger to ‘our’ side in the first place.