Chapter 30
Chapter 30
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Hunt the Weak First. (8)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Even I thought it was a flimsy excuse.
I wanted to live. Desperately, I truly wanted to live.
So Noah begged and pleaded, tears and snot streaming down his face.
"Please, just spare my life! I'll forget all about today and live quietly like a dead rat! I swear I won't get involved in this business again!"
As he babbled on desperately, he suddenly realized something.
'Me... I'm still alive?'
The fact that he could speak like this meant he was still breathing. The young man hadn't killed him yet and was just standing there silently.
'Why... is it so quiet?'
Noah slowly lifted his head. He met the gaze of the young man, who had his brows furrowed deeply and wore a smile that looked like he might burst into tears.
"......?"
Noah's eyes widened in shock. He witnessed the color draining from the young man's pupils, like black smoke dissipating.
'Th-that color?'
A beautiful bluish-purple, like lilac. This distinctive eye color resembled the features of someone widely known in high society.
'A-Abel Kindriel?'
Noah's thoughts ended there.
"Ahh."
Abel grinned.
"It's you."
An innocently pure yet utterly cruel smile.
❖ ❖ ❖
My blackened vision returned to its normal colors, and the blood-red figures of people regained their proper shapes.
The sensation of returning after being consumed by Requiem felt...
'Refreshing.'
But also a bit melancholic.
The exhilarating high that had wrapped around my body, making me feel like I could do anything, was fading away.
"......"
I squeezed my eyes shut and then opened them. Finally, full control over my body returned.
"Ughhh..."
In front of me, Noah had collapsed to the floor. His face was a mess of tears and snot, soaked in his own urine on the wet ground.
"It's you."
I flashed a pleased smile.
"You managed not to die somehow."
He could have died much earlier.
When fused with Requiem, it's hard to distinguish friend from foe.
All living beings appear as burning red flames, and I can only differentiate the strong from the weak based on the size of those flames.
Thus, my slaughter was carried out in the most efficient way possible to harvest life force.
'Moritz, was it?'
For instance, someone who blatantly turned their back and tried to flee from me. If Noah had done the same, he would have lost his life much faster.
Grabbing my pant leg had been his best choice. It saved him—and this territory.
"Let's see."
The prison was a hellscape I'd created. The slaves hadn't even resisted, forming a pile of corpses in their original positions.
A pitch-black slaughter scene, without a single drop of blood splattered.
"You've eaten well, haven't you?"
I chuckled and ran a hand through my hair. The gnawing hunger in my gut that had been tormenting me moment by moment had finally quieted.
"I'm full."
It was the sensation of finally sating a hunger that no amount of stuffed stomach from regular food could satisfy.
I was thoroughly satisfied. A deep contentment welled up, like after a proper feast in ages.
I lightly patted my belly and turned around.
"H-Hiiik..."
Noah stared at me, pale as a ghost. His expression screamed, 'Why are you here?'
"Ah."
I grabbed a fistful of my hair and examined it. The inky black was fading away, like ink dissolving.
Similarly, the black aura that had covered my eyes should have vanished by now.
'Black Gale.'
That's what they called the original Abel when he went berserk. With black hair, black eyes swirling with void-like darkness as he moved.
"You're lucky."
Now back to my perfect 'Abel' form, I smiled gently at Noah.
"Ugh..."
Noah's face turned ashen as he bowed his head deeply. He knew his fate from my single word.
"A-Ab..."
Requiem shot out like a flash and stopped right before Noah's lips.
"-!"
Noah clamped his mouth shut and recoiled. The instinctive reaction of someone who knew what happened if struck there.
I gave a sinister grin.
"Watch your mouth. Okay?"
Noah gritted his teeth and nodded frantically.
"Good. Curiosity satisfied now?"
Noah's eyes bulged like saucers as he shook his head up and down vigorously. Then he started shaking it side to side.
"Mmph, mmph!"
"Not yet? You were so curious who bought all those slaves."
Noah couldn't bring himself to speak and just shook his head desperately. His pitiful eyes pleaded.
Please spare me. I won't tell a soul.
"Ah, right."
Pretending not to notice, I murmured slowly.
"I said you were lucky."
"Hic."
Tears welled up in Noah's eyes again. I slowly approached him and stood before him.
"For now, thanks."
Thanks to you, I snapped out of it. I swallowed the rest.
"-?!"
Surprised by the unexpected words, Noah jerked his head up. The moment his wide eyes met mine,
Swoosh—
Requiem pierced into Noah's chest.
"Guh!"
Noah's face twisted in agony. He bit down hard to stifle any sound, splitting his lips as blood trickled out.
I deliberately pushed the sword in slowly, until the hilt touched his body.
"So, I'll let you die nicely."
"Gh, guh!"
I stared indifferently at his pain-contorted eyes. I completely ignored the triumphant cheers of Requiem ringing in my ears.
Clunk.
The moment the hilt touched Noah's body,
"Farewell."
I twisted my hand with all my might. The blade shredded his heart.
"Cough!"
Noah let out a choked gasp and breathed his last.
Requiem wanted to stay lodged and absorb the remnants of his life force,
"Hmph."
But I pulled it out without hesitation.
Thud.
Noah's body crumpled. Still with some life force left.
His chest bore a massive hole left by Requiem—a charred black wound only it could inflict.
"Now,"
I raised my hand gripping Requiem.
"Satisfied?"
No answer came. Even if it did, I had no intention of listening to Requiem.
"Whew."
I shook my hand through the air as if flicking off water. Requiem, which had clung like a leech earlier, came off easily this time.
Partly because Requiem was reasonably satisfied,
"Not bad."
But also because I could remain calm even after a fresh kill. I'd succeeded in fully separating my rampaging heart from myself.
"Whew."
I closed my eyes and spread out my absolute domain. In this building, aside from me and the prison slaves, no life remained.
"Five of them."
Slaves originally meant for me but who ended up back here. They were still unconscious from the drug, slumped against the walls in sleep.
"You're really lucky."
Out of the twelve, they were selected first as slaves, so they survived like this.
"Be grateful I'm full."
I hate overeating, after all.
I smirked, pulled my robe's hood back up, and looked for the back door leading out of the shop.
"Ah, so full and sleepy."
Humming a tune as I went.
❖ ❖ ❖
A few days later.
I spent another peaceful day as usual. Of course, there were some slight changes.
Knock knock.
"Young Master, it's me."
I replied without looking up from the endless documents.
"Come in."
The office door opened.
"Pardon the intrusion."
Philip's voice came, followed by the sound of him pushing a cart.
He entered and began meticulously setting the table. I, deep in paperwork, suddenly looked up.
"What's this? Why set it there?"
"Pardon?"
Philip stood before a separate table next to my desk.
"Ah, I thought there wouldn't be enough space on your work desk..."
"So why'd you bring so much?"
The table held a full course: salad, soup, and generous meats.
I scowled, twisting my lips.
"I said 'simple,' didn't I?"
"Uh, well."
Philip glanced nervously at my expression and stammered awkwardly.
"You said simple, so I reduced the portion from usual..."
I eyed the spread. It was less than my 'usual,' but still double a normal person's meal.
"Just bring stuff I can grab and eat roughly."
Philip blinked, then bowed his head.
"Understood."
He rummaged through the food, picking out what I wanted.
Clink.
Soon, a plate was set beside me. I glanced at it and smirked in satisfaction.
"Good."
On the plate were bite-sized sandwiches and fork-friendly fruit chunks.
I munched on them between stamping documents, focusing on work.
Philip watched me with a confused expression.
'Why is he like this again?'
I could understand his bewilderment.
Just days ago, I'd devoured several portions like a possessed man, and now I'd slashed the amount drastically. Even if this was normal.
I slowly chewed and swallowed a sandwich.
'I'm really not that hungry.'
Thanks to the feast at the slave market days ago, I truly wasn't famished. So for workdays, simple office meals seemed fine like before.
'Or rather...'
The food just didn't taste as good as before?
The exquisite flavor of killing humans with Requiem had imprinted more strongly on my brain.
'I need to hold back for a while.'
I had no intention of committing murder just for fine dining. That was the first step to being seduced by Requiem.
'Killing for pleasure is the most dangerous.'
My kills must only serve as a leash to prevent Requiem from starving and rampaging.
'This should hold me for a bit.'
I popped a pineapple chunk into my mouth. The tangy sweetness zinged my tongue as I rolled it around.
"......"
Philip watched me intently. As I quietly ate the fruit without complaint, he secretly sighed in relief.
I glanced at his relieved face and chuckled softly.
'Still, thanks to that, I handled things cleanly.'
Killing humans always leaves corpses—inescapable traces. If the guards found them, it'd be trouble.
'You gotta target shady types for no loose ends.'
Random street murders were idiotic.
So for my next kill, I'd aim for masked operators like this time.
'Or maybe notorious wanted criminals.'
The empire would thank me and bow for taking them out.
Then,
'Hm?'
I spotted a familiar name in the documents.
'Alessia Scuzen?'