Chapter 109
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Suicide
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Guh! Hack.
Wendy could barely breathe.
Her stomach hurt so much.
It seemed the protective barrier Myohail had cast on her had completely shattered from the attack shed just taken.
Blood was mixed in with her coughsinternal injuries, no doubt.
The rain was pouring harder now.
With her final bastion shattered, the rain began gnawing at her breath.
Wendy staggered to her feet.
Looking around, the other students seemed to have successfully escaped.
Relief washed over her, mingled with loneliness.
Cough, cough.
It wasnt all that surprising.
Wendy was a prodigy whod skipped grades at a young agea celebrity at school.
Shed forgotten while hanging out with Shia and Luna, but plenty of students envied her and tried to pick on her.
Wendy had always treated them kindly, no matter their jealous or aggressive attitudes.
It was a defensive measure, meant to eliminate any chance of clashing with them.
If she ever slipped up and caused an incident, her identity might be exposed.
And that would hurt her master, Tristan, above all else.
Count
Wendy brushed the mud off her staff.
Shed already received so many favors from Tristan. This time, she wanted to repay him.
The other four students, excluding her, were children of high-ranking noble families.
If they didnt return safely, the schools owner, Tristan, wouldnt escape the blame.
Of course, the Tristan she knew wouldnt care about such criticism.
Still, Wendy wanted to protect them.
So no one could criticize Tristan.
So no one could point fingers at her master.
Even if it meant her body breaking apart.
A chilling dread settled over the gloomy forest in the pouring rain.
Crunch. Cr-runch.
A zombie Minotaur was devouring the corpses of monsters right in front of her.
The gruesome sounds of flesh and bone being chewed made Wendy want to turn away.
But she couldnt.
The Minotaurs murky eyes were fixed on her, refusing to look away.
As if she were next on the menu after this meal.
The thought sent a shiver down her spine.
Am I going to be eaten?
It was terrifying. So terrifying.
Terrifying enough to bring tears to her eyes.
Wendy barely held her ground against the fear.
The monster before her wasnt an ordinary one.
She spotted black mana slithering behind its back. At the same time, she recalled what Myohail had taught her before.
In extremely rare cases, monsters could grow stronger through longevity or devouring their own kind, evolving into a new existence.
And that was precisely.
A demon.
She didnt want to consider it.
Demons were said to be on a whole different level from regular monsters.
No way she could fight it alone.
But.
Wendy couldnt retreat.
This monster would likely become the most dangerous thing inside the barrier.
Which meant the lives of the students shed let escape couldnt be guaranteed either.
Prurrr.
The Minotaur finished its meal and rose.
The monster corpses on the ground had vanished cleanly.
The dark, murky mana rippling behind it had grown even stronger.
Wendys instincts screamed.
This thing was about to become a demon.
And right now, before the demonization fully progressed, was her only chance.
Groooar!
It roared.
Wendy swiftly traced a spell circle in the air.
The Minotaur swung its fist at it.
-Shatter!
The moment its fist touched the circle, it let out a sharp crack and broke.
Ugh!
The impact sent Wendy flying backward.
The Minotaur stepped forward to pursue her. But it couldnt.
Grooo?!
Its arm hung stiffly toward the ground, trembling.
The fist that had touched her spell circle was frozen white.
Enraged by her trick, it bellowed.
Groooaaar!
Stay still!
Wendy gripped her staff tighter.
This time, she drew the circle on the ground.
Ice pillars erupted from the spot where the Minotaur stood.
Thick pillars instantly surrounded it, trapping it in place.
There cough.
Wendy calmly manipulated the spell, starting to crush it with the ice pillars.
Groooaaar!
Trapped between the pillars, the Minotaur thrashed wildly.
It desperately tried to break free.
But with one arm frozen solid, even that seemed difficult.
Wendy was certain.
She could crush it between the ice like this.
Shed used a lot of mana creating the pillars, but it was worth the strain.
The moment she tried to pour mana into the spell for the finishing blow.
Wendy collapsed with a silent scream.
Her left shoulder suddenly burned like a hot poker had been driven into it.
A white spearwhose origin she couldnt tellhad pierced clean through her shoulder.
It took time to realize it was one of the monsters own bones.
Groooaaar!
It had ripped out its own rib and thrown it.
And it worked.
Her staff slipped from her hand as the spell circle destabilized. The mana-formed ice pillars crumbled powerlessly.
Freed, the Minotaur approached Wendy.
The tables had turned.
Its massive foot stomped down on her tiny, fallen body.
Wendy vomited blood.
The impact felt like it had cracked her ribs.
She reached for her staff, but it was crushed under the monsters foot.
Prurrr.
The Minotaur looked down at her mockingly.
Even as a mindless zombie, the progressing demonization seemed to fill it with malice, no need to hide its emotions.
It slowly shifted its weight as it watched her suffer.
Ugh.
She couldnt breathe.
Couldnt move anymore.
Then, one word flashed through Wendys mind.
Death.
Her body was already a wreck from the earlier fight.
And she had no strength left even to recover.
No hope of survival.
Sniff.
No. If she was going to die anyway.
As a servant of the Ruelverta family.
As Tristans exclusive maid, she wanted to keep her pride.
Prurrr.
The Minotaurs foot began pressing down on her chest.
Steeling herself, Wendy squeezed her remaining mana into her fingers and started drawing a spell circle.
The medium for the spell was her body. No everything she had.
Im sorry.
It was frustrating.
Shed trained so hard, yet she couldnt rise to the occasion. Couldnt achieve a good outcome.
Hic.
Tears streamed uncontrollably from Wendys eyes.
She had no face to show Tristan.
Im sorry. Count.
....
.....
But if her life could buy the students safe return, at least it would save Tristans face.
Cough.
Wendy resolved to pour out every last drop of her mana.
Her body would explode alongside the monster, shattering into pieces.
I wanted to see you.
Death didnt scare her.
The only fear was never seeing him again.
I really wanted to see you.
Shed wanted to die by his side, at the very end. Was that too greedy?
A single warm tear trickled from the corner of her eye.
I wanted to tell you I love you.
Finally, Wendys fingers stopped.
Shed completed the final spell circle.
Cough.
In her oxygen-starved haze, Wendy wondered.
If she died, would he grieve for her? Miss her? Remember her?
Her trembling fingers reached to infuse the circle with mana.
Dont do something so foolish.
Thats what Tristan would surely say.
In a voice choked with sobs, Wendy spoke her final words to him.
Im sorry sob.
Dont do something foolish, I said.
Eh?
But why was a response coming?
Bang!
The moment Wendy steeled herself for death, a dry gunshot rang out from somewhere.
At the same instant, the Minotaurs head snapped to the side as if struck.
Its foot lifted from her chest as a result.
Then, rapid fire began.
Bang! Bang!
Eerily precise marksmanship.
Gunshots rang out at perfect, measured intervals.
Bang!
Blood sprayed from the Minotaurs head with each one.
Grooo!
The recoil made it lose balance and drop to one knee.
Just as it nearly toppled.
Click.
The sound of a chamber echoing empty.
Out of bullets.
Tch.
A man clicked his tongue.
The Minotaur wasnt fully incapacitated.
It wobbled but was trying to steady itself and stand again.
Thats when it happened.
Boom!
?!
The Minotaurs head exploded with a thunderous roar.
Blood and flesh sprayed, but didnt reach the man.
Nothing remained above its shoulders.
Wendys blurred vision caught a smoking gun barrel.
No mistake.
That gun was his.
Forgetting her pain, Wendy looked up.
Through tear-filled eyes, he stood there like a dream.
Wendy.
M-Master.
The black noble, Tristan, gazed down at her with a terrifying expression shed never seen before.
If you try to kill yourself again.
But even seeing that, Wendy smiled faintly.
Ill kill you myself.
Because his cold gaze was so dearly missed.
So lovable.
Thud.
The massive body of the Minotaur collapsed into the mud with a heavy sound.