Part 5: Wishes Do Come True (4)

The central plaza of Centum was a complete wreck.

The remnants of skeletons and ghouls were the biggest headache. Bones rolled around in the wind, and the stench of decay wafted from the rotting ghoul corpses.

Water trickled from a shattered fountain, soaking the ground.

Benches and statues had become disfigured monstrosities.

Many shops with collapsed outer walls stood in ruins.

Yet, surprisingly, there were no severe casualties.

Most citizens had escaped with only minor injuries from tripping as they fled.

“Hmm… So that’s what happened?”

Gilbert nodded quietly.

He was a middle-aged knight and a Sword Expert. After hearing the news that the madman Jack had attacked the town, he had rushed from the territory, ready to risk his life.

But when he arrived, everything had already been resolved.

“Yes. Jack was far more vicious and powerful than we expected. When he manifested the scythe-wielding thought-form, I was sure I was going to die.”

“Well, he wouldn’t have attacked without some confidence. Seems he was hiding his strength.”

After Bolton’s report ended, Gilbert stroked his mustache with one hand and surveyed the chaotic plaza.

Fortunately, the damage was confined to the plaza, so recovery wouldn’t take too long.

“Chief, thank you.”

Gilbert approached Cody, who was nearby.

The 3rd-class mage from the association was tending to injured soldiers with healing magic.

“Thanks to you, we managed to get through this crisis.”

“I’m not the one who dealt with Jack, though.”

“What? If not you, then who could possibly take down a black mage?”

“Ah, it seems the Captain hasn’t explained yet.”

Having finished healing, Cody stood face-to-face with Gilbert.

“There’s someone incredible residing in this town. It was that person who sent Jack to the afterlife.”

“So, that person is stronger than you, Chief?”

“I couldn’t even compare. I’m not worthy of licking their boots.”

Gilbert was taken aback by Cody’s statement.

Who in the world could this person be, to command such reverence from a 3rd-class mage?

As far as Gilbert knew, Cody was the strongest individual in Centum.

“Who are they?”

“They prefer to keep their identity a secret. Don’t try to pry.”

“But I need to report this to the lord and express our gratitude.”

“You wouldn’t want to risk upsetting the person who defeated Jack, would you? As for your report, Sir Gilbert, handle it with discretion. And don’t bother with gratitude—they won’t want it.”

“Understood.”

Gilbert nodded.

If even someone like Cody was wary, Gilbert figured it was best not to push further.

Still, his curiosity about this mysterious individual gnawed at him.

How powerful could they be?

Why were they staying in the town?

And what kind of impact would they have on Centum moving forward?

Gilbert walked with Bolton through the field of undead remains.

The skeletons’ bones had been sharply severed, and the ghouls had daggers embedded between their brows.

It seemed their unexpected savior was likely a rogue.

“Do you know who this benefactor is?”

“Ah… No. They had their hood up, so I couldn’t see their face.”

“What about their name?”

“I… I don’t know,” Bolton stammered, his response hesitant.

As they walked in silence, they came upon Jack’s severed head lying on the ground.

The cut across his neck was clean.

His face was pale, drained of blood, and frozen in an expression of shock.

Jack was surprisingly young, just a youth.

Gilbert lifted his gaze to examine Jack’s body.

It was unscathed, with no visible injuries.

Except for one thing—a raven was perched on Jack’s torso, pecking at his chest.

“You! Shoo, get out of here!” Gilbert shouted.

The raven flapped its wings and flew off. Where it had been pecking, Jack’s heart was now gone, devoured by the bird.

Jack was undoubtedly dead.

*  *  *

At the same time…

Aiden was heading back to the tavern with Lucy.

The rumor of Jack’s death was spreading like wildfire.

The town was returning to peace.

Some of the citizens who had fled the plaza were now trickling back, curious to see how the chaos had ended.

“Aiden, thank you. You saved my life,” Lucy said, glancing up at him with gratitude.

“I really owe you so much. First with that recommendation letter, and now this.”

“As long as you know.”

Aiden shrugged and looked at Lucy.

Then he changed the subject.

“You didn’t get dragged into this by accident, did you? You went in willingly. You wanted to save the town, right?” Aiden’s pointed question made Lucy flinch.

He knew…

Even without being told or seeing it himself, he knew everything.

Aiden’s insight and analysis were always sharp.

“Well, I’m a resident of this town too, and I’m a 1st-class mage. I wanted to help… but I guess it was too much for me.”

“If you consider it practical experience, it wasn’t a bad decision.”

“Really? That’s surprising. You’re actually complimenting me?”

“Even if I hadn’t been there, you and the guards could have handled the undead.”

“I see…”

“But,” Aiden’s tone turned cold.

“If you were going to get involved, you should’ve accounted for Jack’s presence. If you’d considered his intervention, your decision was wrong.”

Lucy had no choice but to admit it.

At the time, all she could think about was dealing with the undead in front of her.

Jack’s appearance was too far from her mind.

Had Aiden not intervened, Lucy would have died at Jack’s hands.

The skeletons were a ‘variable,’ but Jack was a ‘constant.’

“To survive, you have to calculate. Think of every possible way you might die. So, tell me again—what should you have done in that moment?”

“I… I should’ve run. The undead were manageable, but Jack wasn’t. If I was really worried about others, I should’ve found someone else to help.”

“Good. That’s the right way.”

“But, Aiden… why didn’t you reveal your identity? If people knew what you did, you’d get rewards and recognition.”

“I don’t need that.”

“You’re so strange.”

With Aiden’s silence, the conversation ended.

As they walked through the stillness, Aiden thought of Jack.

In that crazed black mage, he saw a shadow of his former self.

There had been a time when Aiden teetered on the edge of death’s madness.

He had grown numb to killing.

Back then, human lives felt as insignificant as flies.

For every problem, he sought to solve it by eliminating his enemies—it was the quickest, most efficient method.

But in time, he learned restraint.

Unless it was an assassination mission, he avoided unnecessary bloodshed.

That was when he adopted his principle: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

Those who fight monsters must be careful not to become monsters themselves.

Aiden examined the abilities he had absorbed from Jack.

There were many useful ones.

Although he had assassinated countless individuals, he had rarely encountered black mages.

Low-level black mages rarely survived, and the major ones were dealt with by the order.

As a result, Aiden had mainly fought against calamity-class liches.

But liches were already dead, so their Death Qi couldn’t be absorbed.

For some reason, Life Vessels yielded no Death Qi.

Regardless…

Aiden had absorbed Jack’s Death Qi.

Mugin had devoured the mana heart he so desired.

And Lucy was unharmed.

All in all, it was a happy ending.

“Are you curious about my identity?” Aiden asked, turning to Lucy.

Lucy had been watching Aiden nervously for some time.

“Be honest. You’ve learned mind-reading, haven’t you? How else could you figure out things I haven’t even said?”

“Because it’s easy enough to guess if you think about it a little.”

“Jumping out of shadows all of a sudden, playing with that terrifying Jack like it’s nothing… There’s no one else in the world like you.”

“Probably not,” Aiden gave a vague answer, but his mind was conflicted.

By Aiden’s own definition, Lucy was his friend.

And if that was true…

Wouldn’t it be necessary to share some truths with her?

“Could you handle it if you knew who I really am?”

“The way you’re saying it makes it sound scary… Hmm… Still, tell me. I want to know.”

“You asked for it, so don’t blame me later. The truth is… I’m a retired assassin.”

“An assassin?”

“Meaning, I used to kill people for a living.”

Lucy’s eyes widened in shock, and her jaw dropped.

That was the reaction he had expected.

Nobody liked assassins.

Because the fear of becoming their target was unavoidable.

‘Maybe I shouldn’t have said anything.’

While Carl, a mercenary, might understand, Lucy wouldn’t be able to handle the weight of his identity.

“Am I disgusting to you?”

“Not really.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t think you’re a bad person, Aiden.”

“And how could you possibly know that when we’ve only known each other for so long?”

“I may not look it, but I’m great at reading people. It’s a skill I inherited from my father,” Lucy spoke confidently.

“There must have been unavoidable reasons for you to become an assassin. I want to know what they are.”

Aiden was taken aback.

He had assumed their bond would shatter the moment he revealed his secret.

“Tell me why you became an assassin.”

“Why does it matter?”

“Because the reason you became an assassin is more important than the fact that you are one.”

“It’s a miserable story. You don’t want to hear it.”

“Let me be the judge of that.”

Faced with Lucy’s persistence, Aiden had no choice but to share his past. He spoke plainly, avoiding embellishment.

The plague that had taken his parents early.

His childhood as an orphan wandering the slums.

Meeting his master.

His connection with the Thieves Guild.

Aiden recounted the longest version of his story ever told, especially the part about his life after joining the guild.

It was a first for him.

To have someone show interest in Aiden as a person, not as an assassin.

“What was it like in the Thieves Guild?”

“What kind of people were in it?”

“Didn’t you feel nervous during your first assassination?”

Lucy flooded him with questions about his time in the guild, and Aiden answered them all calmly.

But why was it?

Why did it feel like the weight in his chest was slowly melting away with every word he spoke?

And why did it feel like he had been waiting for someone to ask him these questions all along?

By the time their conversation ended, Lucy’s eyes were misty with tears.

That, too, was shocking.

The Godslayer.

The Agent of Death.

The Grim Reaper.

For the first time, Aiden had received not fear, but compassion from another person.

And that compassion…

It was warmer than anything he had ever experienced.

Perhaps that was why…

Something cold and frozen deep within him began to thaw.

“You’ve been through so much. You’re amazing, Aiden.”

Suddenly, Lucy pulled Aiden into a hug and patted his back.

Aiden bit down hard on his lip.

He couldn’t afford to let himself melt any further.

“People are staring.”

“Oh. Sorry.”

Lucy stepped back and wiped her damp eyes with her sleeve, giving him an awkward smile.

“See? Aiden, you really are a good person.”

“I’m just someone with too many sins.”

“Well, I don’t know about that. If you’re a sinner, then my father, who’s a mercenary, must be one too.”

“……”

“Anyway, today you saved me, and you saved the townspeople too. Oh, and I didn’t get the chance to say it earlier, but when you took down Jack, you looked incredible.”

“Incredible, huh? That’s a first.”

“Of course. You’ve always fought alone, haven’t you?”

The word “alone” carried a strange resonance.

Aiden tried his best to ignore it.

By the time their conversation ended, the tavern was just ahead.

The two of them entered.

Having heard of Jack’s rampage, Carl and Lyra had been worried, but they sighed in relief when they saw the pair unharmed.

“You both made it back safely.”

Carl greeted them with a broad smile.

And in that moment, Aiden realized something else.

Even without the Thieves Guild, he now had a place to return to.
 

To be continued

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