Chapter 5: To k*ll or Not to k*ll?
“A… monster from the Abyss?”
I furrowed my brows even more, tilted my head slightly, and countered with a question.
“Are you saying you came out of the Abyss, those black swamps?”
“… Yes.” I had no intention of denying it; there was no need for lies here—it was too easy to get found out.
“Am I… a monster…?”
At that moment, I realized how incredibly stupid that question sounded. My looks, my actions, and how humans treated me were constantly shouting one thing: in their eyes, I was a detestable and terrifying monster.
Thinking about this made me unexpectedly sad.
The swordsman seemed to sense my low mood, a flicker of surprise crossing his face.
“Do you think you’re not a monster?”
“I… don’t know… I just… woke up… like this…” In truth, I wanted to say a lot more, but human language was so painfully obscure to me that I just couldn’t spit it out smoothly.
I had a ton of things I wanted to say and questions I wanted clarity on, but I didn’t know how to articulate them. I could understand everything, but speaking was another story.
“So what do you think you are? An angel sent by the Mother God of Abundance?”
A sardonic grin appeared on the swordsman’s face.
I had no clue who this Mother God was, but it didn’t stop me from hearing the sarcasm in his tone.
I was certainly no angel, but I didn’t consider myself a demon either.
“Why… k*ll me…?”
“Why k*ll you? Good question.” The swordsman chewed on a piece of grass, “Do you know what interesting things might happen if we keep hanging out in your little… dark room here?”
“… What do you want…?”
I nervously wrapped my cloak tighter around me, eyeing him warily.
What’s with this guy? I initially thought he was honorable!
Seeing my reaction, the swordsman looked momentarily baffled before bursting into quiet laughter.
“Where did your mind wander off to? I mean, we’re going to get down to business now. Let’s be serious. I didn’t come here for small talk. Answer my questions, got it?”
“Um…” My face felt warm, embarrassed.
The swordsman ignored my reaction, raising a finger.
“First question: where do you come from, and what’s your purpose for being in this world?”
?????
I was utterly confused.
Where did I come from? Earth! What’s my purpose? Earning money to go back home and get married, does that count?
Do you think I’d bother coming to this godforsaken world? Do you think it was my idea to turn into a monster? I woke up like this, and I’m just as frustrated as you are!
“I…”
“Second question: how many of you are there? Tell me when and where they might show up.”
“I…”
“Third question: why can you speak human language? How can you disguise yourself as a human? Compared to other beings like you that I’ve encountered, you’re undoubtedly the most special one. What other hidden abilities do you possess? Are you a higher lifeform from the Abyss? How many exist like you?”
“…”
“Three questions. Tell me everything you know. I’m not negotiating; I’m interrogating. If you don’t cooperate or I sense you’re lying, I’ll k*ll you. Understand?”
I get it, you j*rk.
I wanted to spit in his face. How can he be like this? Throwing a barrage of questions at me, like a string of beans, did he even give me a chance to speak properly? And sure, I’m pretty sure he asked more than three!
Though I was fuming inside, I had no choice but to answer honestly.
“I… don’t know… I just… was born… don’t… understand…”
“Since you might not be familiar with human language yet, I’ll give you another chance. Answer the first question. Where do you come from, and what’s your purpose? No rush; take your time. I’ve got all the time in the world.”
…………
What do you want me to say…? I don’t even get what you’re asking. What do you mean “we”? Are there more like me? Did they also cross over? I have no idea!
“I… really… don’t know!”
Boom—!
Electricity crackled around the swordsman, bursting forth in blinding light, and suddenly, the tip of his sword rested against my neck.
“Say it. Don’t try to fool me. At your current state, I could easily k*ll you.”
I looked at his indifferent gaze, a gulp escaping my throat involuntarily.
I couldn’t provide the information he wanted. This was bad; if this went on, I would really d*e. I couldn’t take another gamble on whether I would resurrect—I needed to find a way to escape!
This man seemed like he could communicate decently, but his stance was unwavering. Even though I might appear human at this moment, even resembling a helpless young girl, to him, I likely still looked like that dreadful monster.
We weren’t the same kind; I shouldn’t expect him to show any empathy. Ironically, I had just considered showing him vulnerability earlier, hoping he’d spare me.
“I…”
Panicking, my heart was racing like crazy. Embarrassingly, I even felt a bit of a need to pee.
What to do? The knights were undoubtedly waiting outside, along with that pesky old man. The swordsman was right; given my current state, killing me would be trivial. He didn’t even need to coordinate with anyone like before; he could handle it solo.
“Really… don’t know… I… woke up… you all… attacked…”
“Are you saying it’s our fault?”
The swordsman smirked in a way that sent chills down my spine. His impatience was growing.
“No… I… didn’t want… to hurt…”
Don’t panic, don’t panic. Calm down and carefully recall my previous feelings; maybe I could somehow release the black smoke again…
“You say you don’t want to harm us? Do you have any idea how many of our Church Knights you slaughtered today?” His eyes narrowed like slits, a glimmer of lethal intent shining through.
I trembled at his look.
“You all… harmed… me…”
The words that came out were pitifully feeble.
“It seems we have nothing more to discuss.” The swordsman lifted his chilling smile, “Do you think you’re innocent? How laughable. Just a monster crawling out from the Abyss, only bringing disaster to this world, and now you want to vent your grievances to me? How bored am I to waste so many words with you?”
“…”
I had no idea what to say to him, just stubbornly staring back.
Clenching my fists.
“Honestly, I’m not sure I want to just k*ll you. You’re the only one among all the monsters from the Abyss who can communicate normally. If I take you back, the Church would be thrilled. They have their ways, and they’d use every kind of unimaginable cruelty on you to pry the information out of you. I’m giving you one last chance: tell me everything you know, and you can d*e without pain, or I toss you to the Church’s Underground Prison, and you’ll end up in their hands, unable to live, unable to d*e. You’re clever, so I’ll count to three, and you decide.”
The swordsman’s eyes told me he would follow through with his threats.
But what could I say? How to say it?
“Three.”
“Wait… I… came… with… companions…”
The connection to the black smoke hadn’t been reestablished, and I was desperate to say something to buy time, but the more anxious I got, the more jumbled my words became, and I didn’t even know what I was saying.
“Two.”
The swordsman remained stoic, declaring my countdown to d*ath.
“Uh…”
Black smoke, I’m counting on you! Hurry, hurry!
“One.”
He raised his sword again, lightning shimmering once more, poised to bring it down, and my head would surely be forced to relocate.
“Not…! I just… I just… want to… live…!”
I stared at him, eyes welling up with tears, reflecting the swordsman’s face in a blur. I tilted my head back, desperately blinking, trying not to let the tears fall.
God, if you really exist, please hear my plea.
Since you granted me a second chance at life, please don’t let me d*e so cluelessly again.
I want to say goodbye to my once cowardly self, to no longer flee, but to face everything bravely.
Let me live on with this body of a monster, strongly, and well.
…………
Carlos hesitated.
He looked at the monster, who had closed her eyes, clenched her fists, seemingly prepared to face d*ath, trembling slightly, whether from the lightning or fear.
This battle hadn’t lasted long at all. From the moment it began, he had been lurking in the shadows, waiting to deal the monster a fatal blow. Archbishop Ansiel had given him this chance, and he had succeeded. After delivering those two strikes, he had thought the monster was done for, but then, as its body turned to ash, it unexpectedly transformed into a human girl.
Carlos had observed her emotional shifts throughout, trying to pinpoint a hint that was anything but human. But now, he truly felt he was about to k*ll a defenseless, delicate girl.
He was a Pope Knight of the Holy Church, a hero slaying Abyss creatures, having dispatched thirteen monsters counting this one. Yet he had never hesitated like this before.
This special Abyss monster was unlike those mindless beasts, who only followed their instincts to devour everything. She exhibited considerable intelligence and emotion; she felt fear, sadness, and even cried—she could even think about right and wrong.
Carlos wasn’t sure if killing her would be beneficial in the long run.
She could be the key to unlocking all the mysteries.
He observed the Abyss monster before him, who looked like a 15 or 16-year-old human girl.
Naive, fragile, beautiful, and stubbornly defiant.
He couldn’t deny that if she truly were human, she would undoubtedly be the prettiest girl he’d ever seen.
He was getting a headache.
To strike or not to strike.
That is the question.
