The second and third lives were not much different. This was because everything up until now had been contingent upon Selian’s actions.
For her, there certainly was a great difference between the second and third lives—between unknowingly having her heart pierced by me and willingly offering it despite knowing everything.
Perhaps in the third life, she had conducted an extensive investigation into me and the Assassin’s Guild. Because of this, in the fourth life, the Assassins’ Guild could be wiped out right away.
However, all of this was accomplished by Selian alone, without much influence on her surroundings.
Sometimes, small actions can lead to significant changes in the future, but at least in her actions during the third life, there was no change substantial enough to alter the course of events.
Therefore, for me and for the world, there was nothing different between the second and third lives.
Both of these lives ended with me successfully assassinating her, with my failure to resist the scroll.
“Selian probably didn’t know how the regression worked…”
The power granted by the Goddess to the Hero includes many abilities, but the most crucial are undoubtedly regression and memory.
When the Hero dies, the Goddess rewinds the world, returning everything that occurred during this life to the past. Then, through the Holy Sword, she connects the Hero’s lives together, allowing them to progress forward.
After death, she ensures that the memories carry over to the next life. In my case, she helped me recall memories from my previous life.
This was something Mariel often mentioned during our consultations.
The Goddess cannot predict the future but learns from the past—this was the truth, though Mariel, who lacked the Holy Sword, could not have imagined that regression was even possible.
Regardless, the Hero is the one who initiates the regression, and at the moment of the Hero’s death, the world slowly rewinds.
How much easier it would have been if the regression happened immediately.
Why the Goddess allowed time to pass after Selian’s death or whether she needed time to rewind the world remains unknown.
Even now, as the Hero, how could a mere human understand the intentions and abilities of a Goddess?
Ultimately, what mattered was that the world continued even after her death.
This was something Selian didn’t—and couldn’t—know: a fact about the past.
“Can you remember the first time you were chosen as the Hero? When we were heading to the capital with the Saint?”
At that time, I managed, thanks to the help of the Holy Sword, to temporarily access some of the skills from my previous life. Though I couldn’t summon all of my abilities, I managed to harness what I could endure at that time.
Using the assassin’s techniques, I was able to handle the demons and minions who attacked then. Even that was only a fraction of the expertise I’d once achieved as an assassin.
If the power of the Holy Sword is about drawing strength from a past life rather than forcibly awakening latent talents, then where did my assassin’s power come from at that time?
In my first life, which ended early in a day similar to today, I wasn’t skilled enough to take on mid-level demons—not as an assassin or a swordsman. I was merely talented for a 16-year-old.
Likewise, during my fourth life, when I set out on an adventure with friends to defeat the Demon King, I was the strongest in terms of raw power. However, this was due to achieving the rank of Sword Master early, not due to my skills as an assassin.
In the fourth life where my ties to assassination were completely severed, what reason would I have had to hone my assassination techniques?
So, all the power I had during that time came from the second and third lives.
After assassinating Selian, I resumed my life as an assassin until the world rewound.
The Guild Master, displeased that I had hesitated, subjected me to an even stronger Master-Slave Mark upon my return.
Of course, since I had already succumbed the moment I stabbed Selian, the stronger mark meant nothing to me.
Surprisingly, the Guild Master judged that my being a woman was an asset to my assassination abilities. Contrary to his initial promises, he left me in my female form and continued to use me.
Was he really the Master of an assassin guild?
His judgment was surprisingly accurate. His plan to elevate me to Sword Master while refining my assassination techniques and making me the strongest assassin was proceeding smoothly.
The guild’s reputation grew after receiving a hefty bounty from Selian’s assassination. He then used me to eliminate rival guilds, expanding his power.
Even though my sword skills stagnated just before reaching Sword Master, this was more than enough to dominate other assassins.
Within just a few years, the Black Moon had become the undisputed top assassin guild on the continent—feared universally, even though few knew its true identity.
However, the Guild Master didn’t stop there. After becoming the worst assassin guild among humans, the guild crossed even the most basic lines of morality.
In truth, the moment Selian was assassinated, the Black Moon ceased to be a human organization.
I had stopped resisting the commands, the Master-Slave Mark, and my fate after that day. I had no way and no interest in knowing the identity of the client behind the assassinations.
Reflecting on it now, perhaps the client was a minion or a Demon.
After all, the new target did not seem like someone who would provoke enemies—nor was there anyone who would benefit from their death.
Saint Mariel.
Despite her eccentric personality, she harmed no one. Even if she had inadvertently caused inconvenience to others, it certainly wasn’t enough to warrant an assassination.
Especially since, with Selian’s death, Mariel had become the last hope of humanity as the Goddess’s proxy. Should she fall, humanity would face an impossible situation.
Who else, apart from minions or demons, would hire the assassination of the last hope?
Mariel’s protection was extremely tight. However, against someone with near-Sword Master swordsmanship and peak assassin skills like me, her defenses were meaningless.
Once again, I pierced the heart of Mariel, the beacon of hope for humanity.
Her fall reminded me of the moment Selian fell before me.
Even after the Saint’s death, humanity’s resistance continued.
There were still formidable figures among humanity who could challenge demons.
Among them was a girl with the talent to become the top Archmage in the continent.
In war, mages are prime targets, just like commanders.
Thus, another assassination request came.
The Guild Master, seemingly unconcerned about humanity’s survival, accepted the request, and naturally, I—the guild’s top assassin—was dispatched once more.
The talented girl who should have blossomed in the future was felled by my blade before she could flourish, perishing at an early age.
It was not just her.
An assassination request even came for a Sword Master.
By that time, I had also reached the rank of Sword Master, but I was a novice compared to him. Defeating him with my sword skills was impossible.
However, my goal was not to overpower him but to kill him.
Thus, I employed different tactics.
I took his family as hostages. I captured his daughter, who lacked his talent, and lured him to an isolated place.
He arrived willingly, worried for his daughter’s safety. Whether I still possessed any will or emotion at that point is questionable.
Without even sparing a glance at his daughter—now a lifeless body crumpled on the ground—I stared at the Sword Master charging toward me, though, in truth, he was rushing toward his daughter.
In the brief moment of grief and rage, I had already pierced his heart, just as I had his daughter’s.
The fall of the Archmage and the Sword Master tipped the balance between humanity and demons completely.
The imperial capital had already fallen, and much of the continent was corrupted by demonic energy.
Humanity had no more hope.
Still, some managed to survive and attempted a final resistance in the last city on the continent.
The lord of the house guarding the last city was not a Sword Master, but the power of his bloodline to burn away all demonic energy surpassed even that of an average Sword Master against demons.
Naturally, another assassination request came, probably the final one.
The Guild Master, who had long since allied with the demons, openly accepted an assassination request from them.
Since killing her would bring down the last line of defense humanity had left, there would be no one left to assassinate.
This job was easier than the previous ones.
The power of the bloodline she possessed only affected demonic energy, and had no effect on me, a human.
In the end, the fiery girl fell to my blade.
As Selian had said, I might have excused my actions as being forced by the Master-Slave Mark.
But how could I ever face them boldly after what I’ve done?
Their hearts, pierced by my hands, are still vivid in my memory.
I broke the sword that should have targeted the Demon King, dashed the hopes of humanity, used a normal girl as a mere means, cut short the blooming talent of the continent’s top mage, and extinguished the last fiery resistance of humanity.
This was my sin that deserved no forgiveness, no redemption—my unforgivable karma and indelible crime.
