The Village of Return (10)
I couldn't just hurl blind murder at him.
I didn't have any means to kill that guy, and he was already a crazy bastard who'd soaked a person once already.
That was why, to me, there was only one method.
"Yes, I've been feeling so lonely lately~."
The chance to find an opening beside him.
I was a slum rat who'd grown up watching and learning, so the cheap, seductive words from a whore were natural.
"Huhuhu, right? Since it's that girl who acted all high and mighty just because of her face! Good. From today on, you're mine. I'll make sure you don't starve every day, and I'll let you sleep without freezing. You know I'm a clan executive, right?"
"Hehe, of course..."
"Yeah. You can't know Hans without knowing me. I'm going to be someone who rises to the upper clans soon!"
That guy was also a slum rat who'd grown up watching and learning.
On top of that, he was stupid enough, so hiding his true nature was no problem at all.
The first goal was to find Jedon.
But there was no way to find him just by charging in blindly.
So first, I should gather information around here.
That guy... I'd just have to sweet-talk him somehow.
***
So a month passed.
Hans started openly approaching me.
There was no direct touching, but he kept saying things like "You're mine" and "You have to say you love me."
He was good at saying words that could make anyone's face scrunch up in an instant.
Whenever that happened, Cecil would change the topic or answer vaguely to let the conversation drift.
But today...
"Cecil."
"Ye."
"Cecil?"
"...Yes, oppa."
"Huhuhu."
Even before, but today he was especially clingy with Cecil.
That sight was quite unsettling.
"You said it, right? Love needs time."
"Yes."
"A month isn't enough? For a formal relationship between a man and a woman who's fallen in love."
'Love is bullshit.'
If they'd truly fallen for each other, a month was nothing. They could date after just one day.
But he believed that just time passing was enough to solve everything.
"A month is too short. I want to do a romantic love like in fairy tales."
"Th-that's enough though..."
"And most of all, there's no romantic confession. So... like, handing flowers under the moonlight or something."
"Under the moonlight... flowers... I understand. If more time is needed, I'll wait."
Hans gobbled up the information Cecil had deliberately let slip and disappeared in a hurry.
Cecil watched him for a moment, then pulled out the notebook in her pocket.
It was filled with the information she'd gathered while staying by the fat and stupid Hans.
Everything that might relate to Jedon... but.
"...Tsk."
It was useless.
It wasn't completely unnecessary, but it wasn't useful either.
But there was information that could be obtained since there was no info about Jedon.
Namely, that Jedon was not here.
If he was alive and active in some form, rumors would have spread.
And since he was a capable and handsome guy, even more so.
"Hmm..."
So, to put it simply.
It was about time to leave this village.
***
A month was quite a long time.
To make a stupid, capable-less Hans the core executive of the clan.
Of course, when asked about the circumstances, he said it was a structure where rank up automatically after accumulating years. But for kids, being close in age and lacking fear was just scary.
Jedon, who had beaten up his brothers at that age, was probably special.
Setting that aside.
He was a well-known person even within the clan.
Hans had a girl like that?
A snake in the grass. On top of that, trying to live by hooking up with one guy?
...Ugh, she's pretty.
Because rumors about it had spread quietly.
It seemed the source of the rumor was Hans himself.
Anyway, because of that, the clan house was quite freely accessible.
"It's dangerous..."
"What's your name? Should I tell oppa?"
"A-ah, no!"
It was cheap blackmail, but what did the kids know?
Cecil flicked the frozen kid and walked past.
***
The moonlight was like a faint lantern.
A small light that dimly illuminated places the sun couldn't reach.
Cecil liked that light.
There was no way, but it felt like a little candle allowed only for her somewhere.
That was why she liked the moonlight.
Cecil's stamina wasn't something to be envied, but her flexibility and elasticity made her look like a skilled professional.
She could easily climb the rafters of the clan house attic.
She hadn't wanted to do it once, and she still wanted to throw it now.
But the fact that Hans had marked her as a woman must have been a frighteningly weird name.
Right.
The first time he saw a girl and tried to touch her.
When someone stronger than him appeared and made touching impossible, he was the kind of person who would kill the girl.
It was obvious how such a person would treat his subordinates.
Anyway.
Cecil grumbled as she carried the things down to the attic.
Clank!
It fell with quite a loud scraping noise.
It was a bucket filled with iron fragments.
Of course, it was a slum so poor that even cheap scrap iron was hard to come by, so she'd mixed in stone fragments and lime powder to make it as jagged and painful as possible.
She hadn't forgotten to cover the top with newspaper to disguise it.
Yes.
This was the attic of the clan house.
The place she'd guided Hans to as a confession spot, and the place where he would be killed.
***
He'd come here every day, not once or twice.
Collecting supplies so he wouldn't get caught was harder than expected, and there were more materials than expected in the traps because of that.
In a situation where every little movement was being watched, it was impossible for that news not to reach Hans.
"Leave it."
"Eh? But..."
"But what? If you have something to say, say it, bastard."
Hans just gave a slimy laugh.
Hadn't she said it?
Under the moonlight, prepare flowers.
The place where the moonlight would shine, I will find it, so prepare flowers.
Of course, she thought it was better to eat even one more piece of dried meat with the money for flowers, but whatever.
She hadn't said she didn't want it.
As his wife, she would accept her husband's request and go see.
"Huhuhu, I might end up being ripped off and living poorly. No, rather, I wish that were the case. I'd use it as an excuse for education...!"
"Eh?"
"What? Haven't you gone yet?"
"Then, I'll go."
"Get lost."
So one day, two days.
Cecil had been waiting for him to call her, but there was no news.
Even the visits to Cecil's attic had decreased!
Why? Was he lying to her?
Had he just not been able to forget that guy?
This slut, after all the good I did for her.
Should I have done a confirmation kill?
Tsk. The corpse was probably already rotting.
I should have cut off his head and kept it.
He was young and low-ranking, yet he was acting arrogant.
In the end, the same bastard who always got on my nerves and would die by the sword anyway.
A dog living on his own ego.
No matter how I thought about it, I killed him well.
Perhaps that was the most correct judgment of his life.
Because he got tossed around everywhere and did nothing but act high and mighty, and died with no real resistance.
Wasn't I shining more because of that?
No, it wasn't that the guy who was already dead was important.
Cecil.
The problem was that girl.
No, rather, the problem was more on this side.
Living under a guy who got ahead just because of his looks, why didn't she give her body to me?
I was several times superior to that guy.
What was lacking in me that pushed me away like this?
Frustrated, on the evening of that day at the dinner table, I asked a subordinate.
It seemed like everything had passed, but for some reason Cecil was quiet.
She said to investigate if there was no approach from other executives or upper clans.
Since this girl was naturally like that, there was no chance she had hooked up with another guy.
That way.
Then the subordinate said.
"Brother."
"Why?"
"Uh, I don't really know about men and women. Originally, the women around here don't get close to upper clan or executive brothers, do they?"
"So?"
"Eh-hey, put your fist in. If it was just 'I don't know,' I wouldn't have opened my mouth."
"...Speak."
Then the subordinate opened his mouth with a sly smile and a wicked expression.
"He was definitely waiting."
"Waiting? For what?"
"Of course, for brother-nim's confession! Why, didn't you say you wanted a romantic love like in a fairy tale? A single 'I love you' with a cool guy like brother-nim setting the mood!"
"...Oh?"
"Then the lady should go straight to brother-nim and...! Huhuhu, I'll keep my mouth shut."
"...Khehehe, on the bed?"
"Yes! What else would it mean that you were running around in the attic! You were preparing a honeymoon house to stay with brother-nim, right!"
"What's your name again?"
"Max, brother!"
"Yeah, Max. I'll remember you."
"Then brother. If it works out well, can I try it just once...?"
"Bastard, where are you trying to push?"
"S-sorry."
"There's up and down, you know, bro. Wait. It won't take long."
"Aigoo, of course it will, brother! This bro is becoming an adult thanks to brother!"
"Khehehe. Don't talk about things going wrong."
"Of course, brother!"
The conversation was too vulgar and full of bravado for the kids who hadn't even gone through second puberty, but what could I do. This was the slums.
Hans gave a hint to the subordinate waiting outside with a confident expression.
"Call Cecil. To the attic of the clan building."
"Yes."
In his pocket was a flower he'd always carried, just in case it would be used.
"...Tsk. It had withered already."
It was a rough flower that had grown anywhere. It had life, after all. It could live without water or nutrients.
But the one that had been snapped and looked bad was exactly like today's Cecil, so I decided to take it as it was.
After today... Cecil would be mine too.
That cheeky thing under my feet....
"Kukuku."
This back would be left for later joy.
***
"Lady."
"Call me Cecil."
"Yes, Cecil-nim. Hans-ssi calls you to the attic of the clan house."
"...Yes. I understand."
Anyway, the little brats had seen too much, so they were overly pompous.
If they heard just the words, they thought I was some big shot from the underworld.
It was a feeling that kept rising unpleasantly every time I faced these people.
A month.
Even though I was looking for Jedon, in truth, I didn't even know if he was alive or dead.
The probability that I couldn't get any information was highest because he was dead somewhere else.
In such a situation, I had lived with the person who killed Jedon for a month.
That, and acting as a girl who had fallen in love.
My patience was starting to reach its limit.
Now it was hard to hold on.
After today, I wouldn't be able to drag it out anymore, and he would probably give up on me.
"...So be it."
Rather, I would die.
Rather than giving my body to my enemy, I would rather die.
With that in mind, Cecil headed to the attic.
The path to the attic felt long.
But even so, when I steadied my heart and climbed up.
"You're here, Cecil."
There was Hans standing with a slanted posture.
Moonlight was leaking in through the window.
In his hand was already a snapped, withered flower.
That flower seemed to represent his fate, and a strange smile came out.
"Yes, oppa."
The word oppa sent a disgusting feeling rising from my throat.
...Endure. Either me or that guy.
One of them would die today.
"Cecil. I have something to say to you."
Hans hardened his expression and approached me.
I grabbed his hand as if I'd been waiting for it.
"Come here."
"Eh?"
The place under the window where the moonlight showed best.
"Here is where the moonlight shows best."
"Was it here every night where you looked at the moonlight?"
"...Yes."
First, I succeeded in guiding Hans to the location.
What. The moment I'd dreamed of every day. No mistakes.
Now, above Hans's head.
There was a bucket full of sharp, pointed iron fragments.
"Cecil."
"Yes."
"You probably waited too. I was too late."
"...No."
"No need to pretend."
I really wasn't. You pig.
"Hans."
"Uh, yes? Heh, heh.... Yeah. Calling me by name is nice."
"Look at the moonlight."
I should have heard more.
But.
Because Hans's words, one after another, were too disgusting.
I couldn't hide the surging killing intent.
I turned Hans's gaze faster than planned.
"Nice."
"Yes."
I checked Hans's gaze with a sidelong glance.
It wasn't empty words; Hans's eyes were fixed on the window.
Not yet.
"Hans."
"Why?"
"What do you like about me?"
Of course, he didn't listen to the answer.
It was because if I did, he might try to kill me right away.
Not yet.
"Cecil."
"Yes."
"Words that should be said are coming."
Hans said that and turned to me, opening his mouth.
"I love you."
Instantly, I had to use all my strength not to swing the dagger tucked in my sleeve.
That was what it was like to have a confession from a man who killed his lover.
Disgusting and ugly.
If possible, I wanted to stab him in the stomach and bury him.
It must have hurt more than this.
Did it hurt? Jedon would have hurt more.
Did it hurt just with this?
But I endured.
"Hans."
"Yes."
"Close your eyes."
"...! Understood."
Why?
Because there was no more need to endure.
Cecil pulled the rope connected to the bucket with all her might.
---
"Kill him"
