Taming the Protagonist

Chapter 74 : The End of Childhood · Part Four

“Hiss… Hit, how much coal does your family have left?”

In Blackwater Forest, Ruiyota rubbed her hands, wrapped in cotton gloves, and asked through chattering teeth.

“…Enough for four or five days, I guess.”

Hitana, drawing her bow taut, showed little emotion, the sharp arrowhead aimed somewhere in the forest.

“Ugh, trouble.Everyone’s running low on coal.”

Ruiyota said with a worried frown: “In this weather, we can’t do without coal.”

Hitana was silent for a moment, then said softly:“Haven’t we always gotten by like this before?”

“Hm?Didn’t you say that before, Hit?”

“…”

Hitana didn’t respond, and Ruiyota, thinking she was focused on hunting, didn’t realize what she was thinking.

In truth, no one knew what Hitana was thinking; they only knew she was working hard for the village.

The reason they couldn’t guess was that, after yesterday, Hitana seemed to stop smiling.

She became serious, yet it wasn’t quite serious, but rather… a suppressed agitation.

But seeing Hitana work so hard, the villagers did their best too, trying to leave a good impression of her in Lord Hydra’s eyes.

Ruiyota, worried that Hitana was under too much pressure, often stayed by her side when it wouldn’t interfere with her work, chatting and keeping her company to lift her spirits, even following her doggedly despite the long distances Hitana traveled.

Swoosh—!

In the silence, the whistle of an arrow piercing the air startled Ruiyota, and almost simultaneously, the muffled thud of the arrowhead sinking into flesh followed.

Hitana silently slung her bow over her shoulder, striding into the forest and dragging out a rabbit with dry fur, not particularly plump.

Ruiyota didn’t dampen the mood, saying cheerfully to Hitana: “You got something so fast!

That’s great!”

“…”

Hitana shook her head: “This kind of snow rabbit, which didn’t store enough food for hibernation and came out foraging because it was starving, isn’t worth much.”

“Hey, that doesn’t matter.It’s enough for Lord Hydra to know you’re trying, Hit.”

Ruiyota put her hands on her hips, saying carelessly: “Hunting alone wouldn’t be enough for the village anyway… uh, I mean, not even for one household—”

“How is it not enough!”

Hitana, holding the rabbit by its ears, suddenly raised her voice, turning to stare at Ruiyota.

“All these years… all these years, how did we get by?Relying entirely on what the nobles sent us?”

“I… I didn’t mean it like that.”

Ruiyota was startled by Hitana.

Hitana had a temper and often got angry, but her temper came and went quickly, and Ruiyota, a master at smoothing things over, knew how to calm her down.

But this time, Ruiyota instinctively took a small step back.

Her dear friend, with whom she’d lived for sixteen years, actually made her feel… afraid.

“…Sorry, Yota.”

Hitana lowered her eyes, saying softly: “Don’t take it to heart.”

“Um… ah, it’s fine, no big deal.”

Ruiyota scratched her head.

She didn’t really take it to heart, but Hitana’s state worried her.

“How about we head back for today?”

The girl asked tentatively.

Hitana looked down at the snow rabbit in her hand, lost in thought.

After a long pause, she gave Ruiyota a smile: “It’s okay, you go back first.I’ll hunt a bit more.”

“No way, I’m not going back.I’m sticking with you, Hit.”

Ruiyota said without hesitation: “Don’t worry, I won’t get in your way.”

“…Okay.”

On the second day after the nobles stopped sending resources, Hitana hunted four animals, earning a total of two silver coins.

A single miniature magic crystal, capable of powering a heating array for six hours, cost one gold coin.

That night, Hitana dreamed of Hydra again.

He still spouted those clichéd, hypocritical sweet words, and Hitana remained unmoved.

She felt she should be unmoved.

***

On the third day after the nobles stopped sending resources, one household ran out of coal.

Since they had a newborn and needed a constant heat source, families with surplus coal shared a little, but it wouldn’t last long.

Hitana changed her approach and went to the mercenary guild in Blackwater City, hoping to find high-paying jobs, but registration required a fee.

Unwilling to take more money from the village, she took on a private job.

“There, the guy in that house.”

The employer, dressed in thick cotton clothes, jerked his chin: “Get my money back, ten silver coins.”

Hitana glanced at the employer, then walked expressionlessly toward the dilapidated house he indicated.

As she pushed open the door, a massive iron rod swung at her head from the side.

Without even looking, she delivered a side kick, nearly shattering all the ribs on the ambusher’s right side.

Amid the agonized screams, Hitana stared at the man who’d opened the door for her, her dark red eyes gleaming with cruelty… never before directed at a human.

“You and the guy outside, in on this together?”

She asked.“I… I don’t know… ugh!”

Hitana punched him in the liver: “Yes or no?”

“Yes, yes!Big sister!Big sister, show mercy!”

The thug knelt, wailing and begging: “Roford’s with us… he said he could trick a little girl into coming… go after him!”

“I will.”

Hitana kicked the thug over without a shred of pity: “How much money is in here?”

“…Huh?”

Bang!

Her seemingly delicate, fair fist grazed the thug’s cheek, slamming into the floor.

“I’m asking you.”

The wolf’s eyes glinted with a twisted ferocity, her voice and gaze radiating unrestrained violence: “How much money is in here?”

Five minutes later, Hitana left the house with thirty-one silver coins and fifty-seven copper coins, and fifteen minutes later, she politely took her due payment from her employer.

In that house, she found a basement filled with torture tools and a woman’s skeleton in the corner, so she conveniently tossed the employer’s body in there too.

After leaving Chishuang City, having endured countless malice, she’d grown accustomed to taking lives.

Walking back to the village, the girl looked at the bulging coin pouch in her hand and suddenly felt a wave of nausea.

—She felt utterly disgusted that, at that moment, she’d thought, “This is a quick way to make money.”

Hitana rejected the idea of continuing to profit through such ruthless means and planned to take a small portion of the money tomorrow to register as a mercenary.

“Hey everyone, I made so many silver coins today!”

Back in the village, Hitana raised a smile, shaking the coin pouch in her hand.

“Whoa!As expected of Hitana! Amazing!”

A young man’s eyes widened: “Making so much gold in one day… huh?Silver coins?”

The muscles under Hitana’s face twitched slightly: “Yeah, silver coins, what’s wrong?”

“Oh, uh… I thought it was gold coins, er, I’m not saying it’s too little, I mean… when the village was being rebuilt, that baron paid with big bags of gold coins, so I got confused.”

“Hey, it doesn't matter, gold or silver, it’s all the same.”

Someone said lazily: “The more money Hit earns, the better she looks in Lord Hydra’s eyes, right?At this rate, we’ll be living the good life under Lord Hydra again in no time.”

“Yeah! We’ve got to help Hit out!”

“…”

Hitana struggled to keep the smile on her face, handed the money to the households most in need, and walked home amid the crowd’s cheers.

To avoid seeing Hydra, she didn’t sleep that night.

***

On the fourth day after the nobles stopped sending resources, more households ran out of coal.

Villagers began trying to sell the items gifted by the nobles to buy food and coal.

But ordinary people didn’t need those things, and the biggest noble in Blackwater City wouldn’t take them.

Merchants had spent their money hoarding necessities, and no one would buy such items at a time like this.

Hitana took five silver coins to register as a mercenary.

After passing the simple test, she began looking for high-paying commissions, but ideals were just ideals.

In a remote city like Blackwater City in Chishuang Territory, there were no big-money jobs, and even if there were, they wouldn’t go to Hitana.

Still, the girl tried her best, taking on two commissions she could complete quickly without traveling far, starting to work… truly independently for the first time.

Working tirelessly from the fourth day to the fifth night, she completed both commissions.

“Oh, Hit, don’t push yourself so hard, be kind to yourself.I’ve got some roasted meat at home—come eat tonight and rest properly.”

An auntie, seeing Hitana return under the night sky, couldn’t help but approach, touching her icy cheeks: “It breaks my heart to see you like this, let alone Lord Hydra.”

“You don’t need to work so hard, Hit, even if it’s not for Lord Hydra to see.”

Other villagers were also concerned: “We can hold on, and this amount of money won’t change much.Take it slow, no rush.”

“…I’m fine.”

Hitana still forced a smile for everyone, but that smile was almost a flat line, only slightly upturned at the corners: “Don’t worry.”

“We’re not worried—who’d worry about you if we don’t?”

“What nonsense, Lord Hydra’s probably worried about Hit right now!”

“Yeah, if Lord Hydra saw Hit like this, he’d be heartbroken.”

Hitana’s steps quickened as she hurried home.

Like she was fleeing.

And on the fifth night, the girl still chose not to sleep.

***

On the sixth day after the nobles stopped sending resources, Hitana’s family ran out of coal too.

But the good news was, as the only active mercenary in Blackwater City after the great cold wave, Hitana received a commission worth two gold coins, though the employer needed to evaluate her first.

The girl splashed her face with icy water, staring at herself in the mirror.

Her entire face seemed frozen, expressionless, her dark red eyes nearly devoid of light, bloodshot from days without sleep.

“Mom, Dad, I’m heading out.”

She grabbed the black bread from the table, shoved it into her mouth, chewing hard, and left without waiting for her parents’ response, rushing to Blackwater City as fast as she could.

At night, Hitana returned to the village, still greeted with the villagers’ boundless enthusiasm.

“Hit, how’d it go today?”

Her gaze slightly vacant, her vision unfocused, Hitana faltered for a moment.

She turned her head to her side, where Hydra stood, his face blurred but his smile visible, tilting his head slightly.

Yes, Hydra—he’d become so unscrupulous that even when Hitana didn’t sleep, he appeared in reality to torment her.

Or perhaps… this was just a hallucination from three days without sleep?

“How will you explain it to your dear family and friends?”

Hydra said with mock difficulty: “Tell them that commission was offered by a merchant on a whim, trying to help you out in your time of need?That, in the end, was it because of Hydra’s reputation that you got this chance?”

“Tell them that the merchant treated you to the finest tea and food, but the moment you heard the word ‘Hydra,’ you nearly flipped the table?”

“Tell them that, in the end, because of your meaningless pride, you rejected those two gold coins, and even more that could’ve helped your family and friends?”

Veins bulged on Hitana’s forehead, making her already cold, exhausted, and grim face even more terrifying; her bloodshot dark red eyes, contracting slightly, radiated an almost unrestrained ferocity.

She didn’t speak, didn’t scream hysterically, but the dangerous aura she exuded silenced the villagers.

It froze their enthusiasm and care.

In this deathly silence, Hitana walked forward expressionlessly, no longer smiling, heading toward her home.

“Not easy, is it?”

Hydra, still chattering beside her: “Hitana, you clearly know what’s right, what’s easiest, what would make everyone happy.Why are you still so stubborn?What do you gain from this stubbornness?”

Bang—

Hitana pushed open the door.

Yarlana, cooking, poked her head out from the kitchen, smiling gently: “Dinner’s almost—”

Hitana didn’t respond, silently climbing to the second floor and entering her room.

She sat numbly on the bed, staring at the mirror, at her own monstrous, ghastly reflection.

Hydra sat beside her, sighing as if defending her:

“Look at them, look at your uncles, aunties, your friends.”

“You’ve worked so hard these past few days, not even sleeping, pouring your heart and soul into making the village better.You know you don’t have good methods, but you’ve pushed yourself this far, haven’t you?”

“But have they noticed your efforts? Oh, they’ve seen you’re ‘tired,’ haha.”

“But have they cared about what your efforts have achieved?They don’t care; they only care if your value in Hydra’s eyes has grown.”

“…Shut up.”

Hitana murmured faintly: “Shut up… they’re doing it for me… they want what’s best for me.”

“Exactly, isn’t that the funniest part?They want what’s best for you, dear Hitana.”

Hydra hooked her chin, gently stroking it.

“They love you so much, so why… are you in such pain?”

Downstairs, the door seemed to be pushed open again, so softly, as if not wanting Hitana to notice.

But with Hitana’s hearing, how could she not know what was happening below?

“…Yota? What’s wrong?”

“Aunt Yarlana, is Hit doing okay?”

“She… she’s exhausted. I tried to convince her to rest two days ago, but she wouldn’t listen.”

“Is Hit… still not over it? Is she pretending to be fine so we won’t worry?”

The mother said sorrowfully: “Maybe… maybe she still feels guilty toward Lord Hydra, so she doesn’t want to contact him.”

“Hit’s really… why won’t she talk to us? Aunt Yarlana, you and Uncle Orlan should talk to her, convince her to reach out to Lord Hydra. If she doesn’t say anything, how will we know what Lord Hydra thinks?”

“I… but Hit seems…”

“Lana, Yota’s right.”

The father’s steady yet sorrowful voice carried through the floor to Hitana’s ears.

“Hit’s condition is already bad. It’s not just exhaustion—she’s doubting herself. Back then… when she dropped out of the academy, when she saw us grieving, she had the same expression. That child even thought about dying… We can’t let her keep tormenting herself like this, absolutely not.”

“All of us might not be able to help her, but Lord Hydra, who’s willing to let Hit sacrifice so much and is equally willing to sacrifice for her, surely can.”

“In this world, only Lord Hydra can save Hit.”

Dad, Mom, Yota…

Why… Why can’t you help me? You’re the only ones who can help me.

You’re all I have left.

So in your eyes… without Hydra, am I really that worthless?

“Isn’t that just the truth?”

Hydra sat beside Hitana, as if knowing her thoughts, chuckling softly.

The discussion downstairs faded, and the sound of footsteps climbing the stairs grew closer, stopping at Hitana’s closed door.

After three or four seconds, a knock sounded, and her father Orlan said softly: “Hit, Mom and Dad have something to talk to you about. Can we come in?”

No response came.

“…Hit? Hit?”

Orlan’s voice grew anxious outside the door.

Getting no reply, he couldn’t wait any longer and pushed the door open, only to find… the room empty.

Only the window was open, merciless cold wind and snow drifting onto the floor.

***

Under the cover of night, Hitana wandered aimlessly outside the village.

Her vacant gaze made her seem like a soulless corpse, the deathly void in her eyes even emptier than when she trudged through the snow in Chishuang City.

Because back then, she faced moral torment, the agony of her beliefs, the slaughter of her ideals.

But now, after all these days, what Hitana endured… was something far crueler, cruel beyond measure.

It was the destruction of herself at its core.

The Hitana in her own eyes and the Hitana in the eyes of everyone else in the world were no longer the same being.

In the eyes of those she loved most, she wasn’t the village’s greatest hunter, not some hot-tempered kid, not a genius who might have had a bright future but ruined it, leaving others to sigh in regret.

In this village, in the eyes of everyone she loved deeply, everything Hitana Lansmarlos had experienced before… held no value anymore.

Because she was reduced to a single attribute—Hydra’s vassal.

What remained for Hitana wasn’t the people she loved, nor their love for her.

In their boundless love, they saw her efforts as atonement to Hydra, as groveling to please him, tying her sorrow, joy, anger, and numbness all to Hydra.

She became someone who lived for Hydra, the very parasite she despised most—in the eyes of those she loved, that’s what she was.

And the absurd, laughable truth was that, unknowingly… it had become reality.

Just as the phantom of Hydra had said to her—

[Isn’t that just the truth?]

Hitana Lansmarlos was dead.

The proud, confident fool, the wild beast who dared to challenge any authority, had been killed by everything she loved.

Nothing mattered anymore.

Her value, her existence—henceforth, in the eyes of everything she cherished… she would live only for Hydra.

As Hitana’s soul lay dead, a low, hoarse voice suddenly came from ahead.

“Has it come to this?”

In the darkness, a massive, beastly figure, towering and fearsome, slowly emerged.

Hitana glanced at him numbly, said nothing, and kept walking forward.

“This is… Hydra’s method and audacity. Impressive.”

The man crossed his arms, saying gravely: “When your name spread beyond Chishuang Territory, we began studying you, Hitana Lansmarlos.”

“From your birth to now, twenty-six people worked seven days and nights without sleep to fully understand you.”

“At the same time, we monitored every move of Hydra, not missing a single detail since he set foot in Chishuang Territory.”

“And we reached an unbelievable conclusion.”

Bound by an invisible force, Hitana heard this hulking man, the “Snow Monster” the village had taken in, say:

“All of Hydra’s high-profile actions from the beginning to now were to win over public sentiment to the greatest extent.That sentiment is useless to him… but to you, Lans, it’s very useful.”

“Under his command, with your reckless, arrogant, restless nature, you were bound to make countless mistakes under his indulgence, and are those mistakes related to Hydra?”

“—Of course not. As Hydra’s reputation soars, reaching a point where almost no one would believe he could be wrong, all his actions are deemed correct. But you, who go against him, no matter what you think or do, receive only error and denial.”

“Snow Monster” stepped toward Hitana, looking down at her expressionlessly:

“Hydra spent over a month, and everything he did was to turn the entirety of Chishuang Territory into a cage that imprisons only you.”

“To achieve this, the orchestration of events, the control over your mindset, the foresight of the situation’s trends, the insight into all of Chishuang Territory…”

Snow Monster closed his eyes briefly, then opened them, his pupils blazing with fervor:

“This is… Anselm Hydra! The true mediator and… dominator we need, who can perfectly build a new nation after toppling the Empire!”

“…What are you trying to say?”

Hitana’s voice was utterly hollow: “Are you trying to emphasize Hydra’s greatness?I probably understand him better than you, better than anyone in the world.”

“No, I’m just explaining the cause and effect before making my demand.”

Snow Monster said calmly: “So, let me introduce myself.I come from [New World], the Revolutionary Army.You can keep calling me Snow Monster, or…”

“Wendigo.”

“We currently lack a visionary with exceptional knowledge, someone with insights into the Empire, even the entire human societal system, that transcends the era.”

Though massive in stature, Wendigo spoke calmly, without overwhelming pressure: “Destruction alone isn’t enough.A new nation built on the knowledge of this era is doomed to repeat the same mistakes.”

“We need a genius, one who can conceive a society that surpasses the Empire’s corrupt structure, ending this foolish cycle.”

“Hydra’s domain is the most indisputable paradise in the entire Empire.Since he took over Flamel’s management of the territory, we’ve sent sixteen people to infiltrate.Thirteen betrayed us, and three even turned double agents against us.”

“Undoubtedly,” Wendigo said deliberately, “Anselm Hydra is the genius we need.”

“So, what does this have to do with me?”

Hitana still looked at Wendigo with hollow eyes: “Are you trying to prove his greatness to make me submit to him?”

“No, quite the opposite.”

Wendigo stepped closer, his massive shadow under the moonlight nearly engulfing Hitana.

“You must never become his Contract Head.We will do everything to prevent Hydra from having a Contract Head.”

Wendigo’s voice was cold and hard as iron: “A complete Hydra is a disaster on par with the Flame-Feasting Royalty.The Flame-Feasting Royalty must be destroyed, and so must Hydra.”

“But as it happens… This generation’s Hydra, Anselm Hydra, still has no Contract Head, and Flamel’s life is nearing its end.As long as we ensure Anselm has no Contract Head when Flamel falls, we can safely work with him to overthrow the Empire and create a New World.”

“Hitana Lansmarlos, Hydra’s efforts toward you clearly show he sees you as a Contract Head.”

The man raised his hand, saying expressionlessly: “So now, I give you two choices.”

“First, watch me destroy your village and kill everyone in it.”

“Second, kill yourself right now.”

Hitana looked at this human monster, her utterly dead and hollow heart stirring with faint ripples.

But not from anger, not from fear, but from… absurdity.

“Haha… hahaha…”

Hitana didn’t laugh loudly but convulsed with broken, irrational laughter.

What was wrong with this world?

Nobles, Hydra, the Revolutionary Army.

The Revolutionary Army, claiming to overthrow the Empire’s corrupt rule, wanted to force her to suicide by threatening to kill everything she loved.

Just to ensure Hydra didn’t have his Contract Head, to keep him from being too powerful, so he could… join the Revolutionary Army?

And the nobles… kept supporting her village, giving them extravagant resources without expecting anything in return.

Even if it was for Hydra’s sake, they made the village better.

Hydra… What about Hydra?

Hydra was the one both sides sought to please and win over—nobles currying his favor, the Revolutionary Army praising him.

“You may not believe Hydra would join the Revolutionary Army, but I can tell you, Hydra has never stood with the Empire, nor is he bound to the Emperor.”

“He only stands with those who can offer him [reason], and that’s all.”

Wendigo raised his head slightly, his confidence and composure undeniable: “And we are confident we can give him what he needs.”

“So… I have to die for that?”

Hitana laughed: “Haha, I have to die for this?”

She no longer knew what words could describe the absurdity she’d heard, or perhaps the girl, who had lost her sanity, had little mind left to think about such things.

“…There is indeed disagreement among us, as some suggested you could be recruited.

Having Hydra gain a Contract Head would also give us an ally.”

Wendigo stared at Hitana: “But I—we—think it’s unnecessary.Those people are troublesome too, so we acted first.That’s why… I’ve been lurking in your village for so long, waiting for your return.”

“Hydra gaining a Contract Head doesn’t mean gaining an ally; it means… adding instability.”

“Besides,” the man paused, saying expressionlessly, “you have no value.”

You have no value.

Her fellow oppressed, who wanted to kill all those damned nobles, even topple the Empire, who should have been on her side, said this.

“Compared to Hydra, you’re nothing, Lans.We’ve studied your talent, and it’s indeed noteworthy, but that’s all… Ten years back, we could find someone with your talent, or even greater.”

Wendigo declared: “Compared to your own value, I believe keeping Hydra in his least threatening state is more meaningful.”

No… value.

My enemies, my kin.

My kin say I have no value and praise my enemy.

They say my value lies only in keeping my enemy… unthreatening.

Heh… hehehe… hahahaha…

Wendigo watched Hitana’s expression crumble further, nearing complete mental collapse, and frowned slightly: “I didn’t give you time to hesitate… I thought explaining Hydra’s schemes would make you let go of any attachment to him, but it seems we need to act faster.”

Haha, he even thinks I have some attachment to Hydra—

Hitana’s frenzied thoughts stopped in that instant.

Because, in Wendigo’s massive hand, larger than a human head, a person appeared out of nowhere.

Her name was Ruiyota Naringa, Hitana’s best friend.

“Huh, how did I… ah!Hitana, you’re—”

Crack.

With a gentle twist of two fingers, the face bearing a joyful smile slumped to one side with a crisp snap.

“One,” Wendigo said expressionlessly.

“Ten seconds.

If you don’t kill yourself now, the next one’s up.”

A piercing, anguished scream shattered the night.

The utterly deranged Hitana struck Wendigo with a fist, only to be swatted away more than ten meters by a single slap from him.

“You have eight seconds left, seven seconds—”

“Beast! I’ll kill you!”

The wild beast roared as she charged at Wendigo, the terrifying aura around her causing his brow to raise slightly, though it quickly returned to normal.

“This alone is still not enough.”

He swatted Hitana away with another slap, saying: “A fifty-meter radius has been sealed with the most perfect barrier, blocking all communication and observation.”

“I’m not killing you out of respect for Anselm and Flamel, the two generations of Hydra.

I can’t be certain what Anselm has done to you. The safest way to ensure your death is to make you kill yourself—time’s up.”

Another person appeared in Wendigo’s hand, this time her friend Carver, who didn’t even have time to react or see Hitana before his neck was snapped.

“Are you still wasting effort?”

Wendigo looked down at Hitana, who kept attacking him but caused no harm, not even tearing his clothes: “Seven seconds until the next one.”

“Wait… no, don’t!”

With her palms bloodied and bones shattered, Hitana screamed in abject terror: “Don’t!

I’ll die, I’ll kill myself!Don’t!”

“Good.”

Wendigo nodded with satisfaction: “I’ll watch from a distance.Don’t try to escape or contact Hydra.Any move you make, and I’ll risk offending Hydra to kill everyone in the village.”

Wendigo’s figure vanished, leaving Hitana, her body broken with who-knows-how-many bones, slumped on the ground.

Her friend’s face showed no pain, still bearing the joy of finding her.

Hitana no longer screamed, no longer cried.

She looked at her friends’ bodies, convulsing with sharp, broken, frenzied, and… deathly silent laughter.

Ah, so I’m nothing.

I’m nothing, without Hydra, without Anselm, I’m nothing.

I can only watch him kill Yota and Carver, then obey him and kill myself.

Even this, his demand that I die, his willingness to kill everyone in the village, is just to make Anselm less threatening.

My value is only this much.

So I’m nothing.

In that moment, Hitana finally understood.

“Hehe… so this… is what you wanted.”

Hitana dazedly tugged at her face, drool dripping from her mouth: “So this is what you wanted, Anselm, hehehe… hahaha…”

The reason Hydra trampled her dignity and life back then, Hitana finally understood.

—That devil didn’t want an ignorant, oblivious clown or loyal dog, contentedly unaware of her manipulated life.

What he wanted was someone who, even knowing her life had been toyed with and shattered, her dignity and value ground to dust, even in her rage and hatred, under the merciless slaughter of love and the mocking scorn of reality… would recognize her weakness, her worthlessness, her lack of value.

And become a wraith who willingly abandons herself.

A puppet who voluntarily kills herself.

Because at this moment, when Hitana was already dead, the self-harming wolf realized one thing.

—In this world, everyone denied her value.

The people she wanted to help denied her value, the people she loved denied her value, even… those who should have been her kin, walking the same path, denied her value.

But the one person, the one she hated to her core, told her countless times:

[I deeply believe in your talent and strength.]

In this desperate, laughable, absurd moment of finality, Hitana understood this truth.

That devil, the one she hated, the one she loved.

Even in wanting to erase herself and kill her soul.

Never once… denied the meaning and value of her existence.

Hitana drew the dagger from her waist, aiming it at her heart.

I’m sorry, Anselm, I’m sorry… I realized it… too late.

If I’d known, I’d have been your puppet.

Even if I had nothing left, even if I abandoned my dignity and self, you’d still… care, you’d still respect and acknowledge me, right?

I’m sorry, I can’t be your puppet, I’m going to die like this.

It… doesn’t seem so bad.

Because I… because I don’t want to be your puppet.

Do I have to become that to stay by your side?

If I die like this, I won’t have to worry, won’t have to agonize, won’t have to suffer over this, won’t

I have to hate you anymore.

Her trembling hand gripped the dagger, the faint clarity born in endless despair, and the rekindled desire sparked by that clarity, made the girl unable to kill herself without hesitation.

But if she died… she wouldn’t even have the right to be a puppet.

Anselm, would you grieve for me?

Anselm, am I really… that valuable?

“Anselm…”

The dead girl, in this moment, longed for a response that shouldn’t exist.

Tears streaming down her face, she pressed the dagger’s tip against her heart:

“Don’t… don’t give up on me.”

And in that instant—

A darkness deeper than the night poured from a gate.

It was a purity that encompassed everything and all, a transcendence that embraced all things and laws.

It was the abyss.

The beast standing at the abyss’s end cast a glance upon the mortal world and so, Anselm Hydra stepped out from that abyssal gate, descending upon the earth.

“I heard you, dear Hitana.”

The devil crouched down, gently wiping the tears from her face.

“So, I’ve come to fulfill my promise.”