WETRIED TRANSLATIONS

Wizard of the Abyss

[Translator – Aren]

Chapter 162 - Past (12)

"..."

The Knight silently raised their sword.

At a glance, they were clearly no longer in a normal condition. The arm holding the sword was trembling, and blood was seeping out from beneath their helmet.

Even so, they were still a Knight. Sharmia swallowed hard and carefully stepped backward.

She had learned the bare minimum of self-defense, but it wasn’t the kind meant for real combat. It was closer to calisthenics taught under complete protection. There was no way it would work against a Knight.

As she watched them advance slowly, like a wounded bear, Sharmia cautiously lit a flame behind her hand.

She had been learning magic for less than two days. A small flame, less lethal than a dagger, was the only means of resistance she had. If it failed, she would simply be captured.

'...Will it really end with just being taken back?'

A Knight dispatched by the Imperial Palace wouldn’t kill her, the princess.

Even though she knew that in her head… the murderous glare in the Knight’s eyes didn’t feel like this would end with just that.

The Knight bent their knees. The sword traced a trajectory that would pierce straight through her neck—

Sharmia flinched, knowing her resistance was meaningless.

And then…

"...Kh-kgh…”

-Thud.

They collapsed face-first onto the ground, coughing up black blood. All the strength that had been poured into their sword completely disappeared, the blade embedding itself several meters away from their hand.

"...Huh?"

Tilting her head in confusion, Sharmia didn’t dare to approach, so she just observed them from a distance.

When she looked at him more closely… She noticed that their back was heaving violently, their breathing ragged, and one of their legs was bent at an unnatural angle.

The Knight’s condition was far worse than she had first thought.

"Just what did he do…?”

It had to have been that mysterious man…

But knowing that he only used telekinesis, she couldn’t understand this situation at all.

Even with her limited knowledge of magic, she had heard that telekinesis was a weak spell unsuitable for battle. Granting such freedom and destructive power to an invisible force was just absurd.

However, it was considered a high-tier spell precisely because of how versatile it was—but to reduce a Knight to this state with just telekinesis?

Even the master of a Magic Tower couldn’t do something like that so easily.

A slight chill ran across Sharmia’s skin as she stepped back again.

Whatever the case, this was an opportunity.

"I’m sorry. I have somewhere I need to go.”

She said that to the Knight, bowed her head, and began to retreat.

She didn’t know how long the assassin she had seen earlier could hold back that monstrous wizard, but it certainly wouldn’t be long.

This was probably her only chance to escape—

"...Cough."

As if grabbing at her ankle, the Knight coughed up blood again.

Even the rise and fall of their chest was slowing now.

Soon, they would stop breathing.

It was an obvious fact she was aware of even without experience.

'It’s none of my concern.’

Sharmia hardened her resolve and turned away.

Perhaps it was better for that Knight this way.

If one lived too long, they would end up seeing the horrors ahead. Perhaps death was kinder.

Perhaps that was the best solution of all. Becoming a princess who kills everyone in the Empire so they never have to witness the coming disaster.

What she herself was trying to do wasn’t so different. She simply didn’t want to die…

"...Ugh."

Realizing the contradiction in her reasoning, she stopped in her tracks.

Saying death was better for others, while desperately seeking a way for herself not to die.

Conflicted, Sharmia clenched her teeth and glanced back.

"..."

In the end, she let out a sigh and turned back toward the Knight.

-Riiip!

She carefully rolled the Knight onto their back, tore her skirt to make bandages, and began removing pieces of the armor one by one.

Then her eyes widened.

"Y-you’re a woman?”

Not only that, she was barely older than Sharmia, making her a boy, no, girl soldier.

Remembering that movement, Sharmia frowned. As far as she knew, there were no Knights that were young and talented enough to reach the rank of Knight of Heavenly Retribution with that level of talent.

But her thoughts stopped when she saw the bruises. They were so dark they were almost black.

"Wait, seriously. What did he even do to you…?”

Pulling nearby branches to use as makeshift splints, Sharmia continued emergency treatment, and the more she treated her, the more unbelievable the truth became.

These wounds weren’t something done by telekinesis. It was as if her entire body had been crushed inside a gigantic press.

What could one possibly do to bring about such results? Did he grab her whole body with telekinesis and squeeze her? She tilted her head in confusion but never stopped moving her hands.

If there was any silver lining, it was that she’d been compressed rather than beaten. Aside from shattered bones and crushed organs, there were no large external wounds.

Of course, for a normal person, injuries like that wouldn’t just be called ‘severe.’ They would cause their instant death.

But a Knight was different. There were no cuts, no burns, and the bleeding was mostly internal from crushed organs. With proper first aid, she should be able to recover quickly.

Knowing that, Sharmia focused not on stopping the bleeding but on stabilizing the body so it could heal naturally.

"…Hgk, khugh..."

Once she laid the Knight flat and wrapped a few bandages around her, she seemed to start to feel the pain, considering that she was clenching her teeth.

"If you can hear me, open your mouth.”

“...”

"Hurry. You don't want to die of dehydration, do you?”

Realizing that Sharmia was treating her, the Knight hesitated, then slightly opened her mouth.

-Drip, drip, drip

Like feeding a baby bird, Sharmia gently poured water into it. Only then did the Knight’s expression soften, her head tilting back as she began to breathe more steadily.

At this point, she should be able to recover on her own. As Sharmia sighed and stood up…

"Kgh, why…?”

"Huh?"

The Knight glanced at her and asked,

"Why are you helping me, cough..."

"...You didn’t do anything that deserved death.”

"I was trying to kill you. Didn’t you realize that?”

Sharmia’s eyes widened at that blunt declaration as she stood there frozen in shock.

So she really had been trying to kill her.

Of course, she had sensed that something was off… But as Sharmia stepped back, she looked at that armor again and slowly nodded.

"So that’s why I didn't recognize you.”

"..."

"You weren’t a Knight, were you? Then how did you get that armor…?”

"I don’t know either. I received it from my master.”

"Your master? You mean that assassin?”

"Yes."

That was—unbelievable.

"Wh-why?”

"...?"

When Sharmia voiced her confusion, the Knight looked back at her with a similarly confused expression.

"That armor and the way you move… You possess skills close to a Knight of Heavenly Retribution. No, you’re someone whose skill can’t even be compared to an ordinary assassin.”

"I don’t really understand what you’re trying to say.”

"What I mean is—why are you living as a slave when you have that kind of power?”

"...”

Sharmia simply couldn’t comprehend how someone who possessed the strength to do anything lived with a collar around their neck as a slave.

And even worse, she even took part in an attempt to assassinate a princess, which was no different from ordering her to commit suicide.

Why would she obey such a command when she had that much power? Seeing Sharmia’s incredulous expression, the Knight forced a smile.

"If I kill my master, what do I have left?”

"You’d have the freedom to do whatever you want.”

"In other words, I’d have nothing."

The Knight muttered, her unfocused eyes drifting up toward the sky.

"Without master, I’m nothing more than a purposeless murderer.”

"So even though you have the power to resist, you’ll just keep killing people?”

"Since I was sold off from the orphanage, the only things I’ve learned are how to kill and cut things. The only ways I know to make money are killing people for pay, stealing, or taking things by force.”

Her words were only filled with endless resignation instead of desperate hatred.

As if she had already given up on herself.

"The only way I know to stay alive is by killing. Even if I don’t work for my master, I’ll end up killing people for money anyway, or killing someone because I couldn’t pay for my food.”

"...You could join the Knights as an apprentice. With your ability, I’m sure you’d…”

"My sword isn’t a Knight’s sword.”

"Huh?"

"I tried once. I entered as an apprentice to take on an assassination mission from the inside. During the first trial, a Knight silently watched the other applicants’ demonstrations, and then the moment it was my turn, he drew his blade and tried to kill me.”

Now she spoke with an air of detachment.

"It went a little differently from what was planned, but before I cut off his head, I asked him why he tried to kill me.”

"...What did he say?”

"He said my sword was a demon’s blade. That only those who train their entire lives to target vital points, kill people, grip the sword in reverse, and fight with the resolve to take their opponent’s lives at the cost of their own could wield a blade like that…”

"..."

"That is my nature. No matter how great my swordsmanship is, it only exists to kill. From the moment I was born, from the moment I was trained, it was always that way. It can’t be fixed anymore.”

After finishing those words, she glanced at Sharmia, who looked rather shaken.

"I volunteered for this assassination.”

"...”

When the Knight had first asked why Sharmia helped her, it hadn’t been a question asked out of gratitude.

It was closer to anger, asking why she bothered to save her.

Sharmia was sharp.

She understood what the Knight wanted.

Sharmia quietly drew a dagger from her waist while the Knight closed her eyes.

It seems as if she had been waiting for this moment all along.

* * *

If there was one good thing about Sharmia running away…

It was that I no longer had to worry about her being affected by my power.

-Boom!

"Whew…”

Every tree in the area had been crushed flat, as if a typhoon had torn through the forest.

Watching the unconscious assassin fall from the air and roll across the ground, I felt some slight unease as I scanned the surroundings.

Lately, it felt less like I was human and more like I was turning into a walking natural disaster.

If one really thought about it, that had been true for some time now. Being able to observe, understand, and manipulate things across hundreds of meters whenever I wanted couldn’t possibly be called human anymore, right?

...Now wasn’t the time to dwell on that fact, though. I quickly searched the fallen assassin’s clothes with my Tide Sense and pulled out a small mirror.

It was the princess’s hand mirror. After staring at it for a moment, I hurled it against a nearby rock and shattered it.

"Tsk.”

So the future Sharmia had actually interfered after all.

Was her goal to make Sharmia turn against me?

Just as I was about to move, hoping I’d reach her before she erased her memories, my Tide Sense informed me that something was approaching.

"?"

Sharmia’s destination was coming closer.

…To me that is…

"I’d be damned. You’ve already caused quite a ruckus.”

A frivolous, cackling old man came into view.

Azrael had followed the trail and caught up to me.

"Why are you here?”

"Hold on a second, okay?”

As I took a step forward, Azrael panicked and threw up his hands.

"Though people call me crazy all the time, even I'm not stupid enough to pick a fight with that. I’m not here to fight, so calm down.”

"I'm not planning to kill you either. Just tell me why you’re here.”

"To keep a promise.”

"...A promise?”

"I'll say this first. I don't know anything. Beating it out of me won’t get you anywhere.”

Azrael opened with words that seemed rather nonsensical to me.

"I’ll hand it over to you. Start by telling me your name.”

"I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

"What do you think I walk around carrying in my head?”

Azrael snorted, looking at me with pity.

"Obviously, memories.”

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