***Narration POV - Siel***
It was all the old man's fault.
If that lunatic Admel doesn't have the old man's research about the Human Soul, then he won't be able to continue doing that hideous experiment using the fragment of the Hero's Sword and my soul won't be summoned to this world of Reverie
"I'm sorry... Cough!..."
The old man looks at me and apologizes while still coughing blood.
"Sorry for what?"
"I know what you are thinking, Siel... I didn't know that Admel had a different goal using my research and the fragment of the Hero's Sword that we found."
"It is useless to apologize now, old man."
Even if he regrets what he has done in the past, the lives of the people they sacrificed for their goal won't be returned.
"There is no way you could atone for the sins you have committed..."
Saying those words made me remember how those human sacrifices died just for the sake of making my fake body. How that little girl, Siel, died to summon and bind my soul.
Remembering those moments, made my heart filled with rage.
"There is no way you should be forgiven."
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***Narration POV - Old man / Mister***
Siel was right. There is no way I and everyone else involved in that hideous experiment can be forgiven.
Using those criminals as sacrifices doesn't justify the cruelty of what we have done. Not to mention that we also use and sacrifice innocent people living in the slum.
We used those criminals like they were some kind of livestock.
We robbed the people of the slum of their families.
We took the life of those all sacrifices without any second thought.
We created a mountain of corpses that exhibits the gravity of our crime.
If a person can be forgiven after bearing all of those sins, then the one giving forgiveness should also be buried under that mountain of corpses along with us.
There is no salvation for us who committed that crime.
We all deserve that punishment for all our sins.
Yet even with that thought, I still chose to continue to live searching for a way to heal my new body.
I stay deep in the forest near the old ruins of the Holy Kingdom. It is the perfect place to continue my research since the forest has a lot of magical herbs I can use for making a cure medicine. It is a safe place for me to hide in case Admel notices that my new body is not in the Ditch and he decides to search for me.
But even after staying in the forest for over a year, I'm still unable to make the cure medicine to heal my body.
Knowing and feeling that my new body would reach the end of its life, I decided to end it all. I give up on making the cure medicine and head towards the entrance of that disgusting Ditch.
I plan to use the passage deep within the trench to infiltrate the old ruins where Admel is conducting his own experiments. I know that he is continuing to do his experiment, considering the rumors of missing people I heard when I visited the slum.
If I'm going to die then I won't die alone.
I was once the Great Mage of the Kingdom.
With the last strength within this borrowed body, I will drag Admel and his people under that mountain of corpses where we all should belong.
But when I finally arrived at the entrance of that disgusting Ditch, I found something unbelievable.
A kid, probably around 13 or 14 years old, is lying at the entrance of the Ditch. He is probably dying from blood loss and poison from the bites of the Magical Beast called Blind-Rats.
I used my APPRAISAL skills to see his System status and confirm my assumption.
I was definitely right. The kid is barely hanging on the thread of his life. But knowing that didn't concern me. After all, what I saw on his System status was something I never thought to be possible.
.
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[Goddess' Assassin System]
[Mode (1)]
[Life (3/100)]
[Mana (0/100)]
[Status (Weaken, Poisoned, Deteriorating)]
[STR (F), AGI (-F), VIT (-F), DEX (F), INT (+F)]
[Element: FIRE (__), WIND (__), LAND (__), WATER (__), LIGHT (__), DARK (-E)]
[Combat Power (30)]
[Rank (__)]
.
.
A System different from the Reverie System that all the people have.
A System named Goddess' Assassin.
A lot of questions and assumptions came to my mind after seeing that kid's System status.
Who is he? Why does he have a System connected to the Goddess? Is he perhaps a servant of the Goddess? What is he doing at the entrance of the Ditch? Why is his body deteriorating like mine? Is he also connected to the experiment that Admel is doing? Did he escape from the Ditch? Is Admel really an idiot?
Regardless of all those questions and assumptions, at that moment, I knew what I needed to do.
"I need to save this kid no matter what the cause."
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.
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***Narration POV - Siel***
It was a moment filled with silence after I said those words.
I don't know how much time has passed since the old man and I stopped talking to each other. I just keep looking down on the blood-stained floor while I regret the most absurd thing I have done after getting summoned to this world.
That is trusting this old man.
I need to get out of this place. Far away from those damn lunatics and this traitorous old man.
I tried to stand on my feet and leave. But no matter how hard I tried, I was unable to gather my strength.
"...Cough!... Cough!... You won't be able to move properly for a while, Siel. So just rest for now before you decide to leave..."
"Shut up, old man!... I don't want to hear any more lies from you!"
I don't care what he has to say. I don't want to listen to him. I don't need to hear anything. I just want to leave this place.
"...Cough!... Before you go don't forget to grab your things... Cough!..."
Shut up!... If I can't stand up and leave, then I would crawl if I had to just so I can leave this place.
"I guess this goodbye, Siel... ... ..."
When I reached the door leading outside the room, the old man said those words.
Then an unbearable silence fell inside the room.
I also stop crawling and heading outside the room after that.
"Damn it, old man..."
I can't look back.
I'm afraid of what I will see.
I just look down and stare at my teardrops staining the floor.
"Damn it, you stupid old man... Sob...Sob..."