David threw Vania's corpse, which had served its purpose, in front of Ryan like trash.
Tuk...
Ryan froze when he saw that.
"Let him go."
At David's command, the guards holding Ryan fell.
His legs gave way, and he slumped to the ground. Ryan, blinking blankly, barely managed to crawl with his trembling body over and held the fallen Vania in his arms.
With a dazed expression, he put his ear to the corner of the corpse's mouth and attempted a meaningless check to see if it was breathing.
David watched the scene in silence.
From the beginning, there was no intention to spare Vania. After all, she had received the royal surname.
Whether the Imperial Family intended to use Vania or not, the fact that they eliminated someone who shared the name 'Valencier' will serve as a warning.
The price for daring to mess with a person with supernatural abilities
They had to be held accountable for that arrogant behavior in some way.
"It looks like you've grown quite attached."
"..."
"So you shouldn't have gotten involved with the Imperial Family. It's not that I don't know the resentment you harbor towards your father. Even so, you should have only acted as much as possible."
David spoke with a look of pity as he watched Ryan bury his face deep in the neck of the dead Vania.
"Is it that fun to upset your father? You fool."
"..."
"Make sure to compose yourself quickly, and."
David took off the glove from the hand that had been torturing Vania, threw it beside him as if in mourning, and spoke.
"Bring me the knight order and private soldiers you have raised, as well as the mercenary monsters entrusted to you by the Imperial Family. Gather your full strength as quickly as possible and come to my territory."
He paused. Ryan slowly raised his head and looked at David with empty eyes.
David chuckled.
"I am sparing your life mercifully despite you betraying your family and wagging your tail at the Imperial Household, so you must pay the price."
"..."
"Do not feel wronged. Your roots are in Wassenberg. You have been dedicating the devotion you should have devoted to the family to the wrong places, so now find your rightful place."
David pointed out the window.
The territory Ryan has built up over the years.
A vast land and many people.
"Don't forget that there are still many lives on your end besides that kid."
At the dirty threat, Ryan let out a hollow laugh.
"Brother..."
"..."
"Even a bug squirms when stepped on... After doing something like this, aren't you afraid?"
Ryan's eyes were empty. David read the piercing, murderous intent within them.
"My father and brother abandoned me. So I was all alone..."
"..."
"Still, because of that, I have managed to stay alive without going crazy until now... Because there is still at least one blood relative left who calls me family."
"..."
"I have to stand for this kid because I have to take responsibility for how I tenaciously managed to survive, even penniless and as a criminal. I tried to live like a decent human being, but..."
As he stammered, Ryan pulled Vania's body, which he was holding even tighter.
"What my brother killed today wasn't my sister... it was my life up until now."
David listened to him in silence. He had enough mercy to tolerate his shocked younger brother's tantrums.
"I will never forget this moment until the day I die. So... I will give you the cruelest death in the world. Even if you beg like a dog... I will absolutely not spare you."
Tears flowing from empty, mad eyes. Anger is unable to find its direction,
Murder is pouring quietly.
It was the desperate struggle of an unremarkable bug that had lost someone precious.
"And, even in death, I won't let you go peacefully. I'll tear your corpse to shreds... leaving no trace of its form, and chew it up."
"Yes."
David nodded, spoke generously to his younger brother, and left.
“If you can.”
***
My sister died.
Alexander could not say a word as he watched Ryan open the door to the chapel basement and enter. Ryan stood there with unfocused eyes, holding Vania's limp body in his arms.
...Yes
My sister died.
He knew she was going to die, but he still hoped she wouldn't.
"Alex, if I die, your role is important. Please take care of Dad."
Alexander recalled his sister's voice as she earnestly urged him on.
"His mental state is shattered, so I don't know what he might do. It would be a big problem if he got worked up and threw a fit, so you have to soothe him well to prevent any impulsive behavior."
He has to do as he's asked.
His mouth didn't drop.
Why?
It was because he was scared.
Ryan laid Vania's body on the bed, watched over it in silence, and then slumped down haphazardly on the floor beside it.
That was the first time Alexander knew about it.
That just by watching someone's facial expression, you can feel the choking sensation of murderous intent.
Ryan's eyes were empty.
No.
Overflowing anger and murderous intent fill every nook and cranny, making the eyes, having lost their light, appear merely empty.
Alexander could not even be shocked by Vania's death and could only gasp for breath in fear.
Today.
It seemed that Wassenberg had made a mistake that could never be undone.
Ryan, who completely crushed the last act of mercy that would have left the body intact just like before the regression...
A very foolish mistake.
***
It's warm.
The feeling of plunging into warm bathwater.
At first, I was unable to think. My consciousness, floating in a white halo, gradually became clearer, and from then on, I was able to think.
I died.
Dead...
Surprisingly, I don't know how to describe the pain at the time of death.
There is no way that trauma could remain.
It is because the sensations from that time vanished as if erased.
Indeed, this superpower was said to perfectly restore even the mind.
Now that I can think, let's start worrying.
It seems Ryan held out well until the very end, but it is scary not knowing what happened afterward.
Did Ryan endure until the very end?
What if he went berserk and killed David after seeing my corpse?
Then we're screwed.
“Are you a person with special abilities?”
"That is the reason I tried to bring you into the family. Father has suspected you for a long time."
I was so surprised I almost fainted when David asked that.
As expected, a father's keen intuition.
This is why a last-minute mass hunt is essential. You must not attempt to eliminate them individually.
Imagine people with supernatural abilities disappearing and dying one by one, step by step.
Would a father with such good intuition have dismissed it lightly?
If you don't feel a sense of unease, you're truly a fool.
So, we captured Diana and Gabriel and set up a negotiation table so that Father would summon the superpowered individuals for a mass hunt.
Wow. What a perfect plan!
...But if Ryan killed David, it would all be for nothing!
Let's imagine.
With a dense communication network, Father will receive news of David's misfortune faster than anyone else and respond accordingly.
Hide and seek, start.
To use the instant kill ability, Ryan must keep the target within his line of sight.
It means that if something is hidden inside a closet, you have to open the closet door to 'see' it.
If you don't want to die? All you have to do is hide well.
But should we just keep hiding?
Those wretched bastards will take everyone scattered across this land of the empire hostage and attempt a merciless massacre.
And they will shout at the imperial palace.
If you don't want to see all those people die, kill Ryan, gouge out his eyes, or make him commit suicide.
...Now that I think about it, it's really hopeless.
So, I shouldn't say this, but by my death this time, we gained a great benefit.
Ryan, who never opened his mouth even at my death, was tantamount to submitting evidence that 'I have no power. I am incompetent.'
Father will now let go of his heightened nerves and let his guard down, making the undertaking much easier.
Of course, that is assuming Ryan endured the darkness after I died.
However, even if he messed things up, I have no intention of blaming him.
Who dares to say anything to our lion, who!
Just go back! People make mistakes!
I'm ready to try again as many times as needed for my beloved Ryan!
But still, being tortured again is scary.
What if Ryan can't hold out even on the second try?
3rd time. 4th time, infinite repetition?
Damn it, do I have to die about a thousand times?
Argh!
I wish Ryan were in front of me when I woke up.
Then everything is perfect.
Please.
I don't want to die again...
<Eye of the Mirror, Immortal Blood>
My eyes opened.
Just as I had hoped, Ryan was there.
Ryan, who became handsome.
Ryan has a sharper jawline.
Ryan, who clearly hadn't eaten anything for three days.
"A spectacular comeback!"
I sprang up and sat up.
Ryan is speechless.
He just stares at me silently.
"Haha, were you surprised to see me controlling death?"
"..."
There's no reply.
I immediately understood why Alex was acting so cheerfully after his resurrection.
I myself am completely unaffected, but those who experienced my death suffer tremendous damage.
Pretending to be cheerful was a kind of cure. To heal the family's mental health.
"Eeeee. Aren't you glad to see me? Why is your expression like that..."
Ryan hugged me.
No. Rather than hugging, he pressed my chest deeply against his, making us touch.
Thump.
Thump. thump.
Thump. thump. thump.
A healthy beating heart.
We can feel each other's presence.
Perhaps he wanted to confirm that I was alive and well, like this.
"Hi? I'm back."
As I quietly greeted him, Ryan pulled me away from his embrace and looked at me.
His eyes are wet in no time.
He approached again, held my cheek with trembling hands, and affectionately pressed his forehead against mine while rubbing it.
I barely whispered in a voice holding back tears.
“...Yes, hi.”
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