Chapter 9: Bounty hunter (5)

『Hero Maker』

The game world was set in a place where Awakened individuals, possessing superhuman abilities, appeared after the blessing of mana descended.

Although new diseases caused by mana and species that threatened humanity, known as monsters, emerged, even considering that, mana was nothing short of a blessing to the world.

Not only were issues like environmental pollution and resource depletion, which were problematic even on 21st-century Earth, resolved by mana, but it also allowed humanity to advance one step further than before…

This world became cursed.

The existence of Awakened individuals further accelerated the existing wealth disparity and the formation of a class society, and the damage caused by monsters was utterly unbearable for all but specific factions.

Furthermore, Awakened individuals soon displayed power exceeding most weapons in war, and the resulting massacres made the First and Second World Wars of the original Earth seem trivial.

Abducting children who showed talent for awakening and turning them into soldiers was practically commonplace.

Moreover, there were countless instances where Awakened individuals lost control of their abilities and rampaged, turning villages and cities into ruins, so this world was simply not a place to live.

The reason I brought Elena to Hero City was not just for its medical facilities, but also because it was the place where accidents caused by such Awakened individuals occurred the least.

“I told you, send the mermaids back.”

I don’t feel pity for the villain before me, Mirjam.

Because no matter if she’s a child or anything else, the fact that she massacred people remains unchanged.

Instead, I simply disliked this cursed world that forced her to become such a villain.

[Character List]

∙Villain Name – Mirjam

∙Age – 14

∙Awakening Rank – A

∙Classification – Villain

∙Description – Monster Tamer.

A war orphan who lost both legs to a bomb in her childhood.

She is a villain affiliated with Regulus and can control monsters of Rank A or lower, with the number she can control at once varying depending on the monster’s rank.

“…I can’t do it here, the distance is too great, I have to go outside to give commands.”

“Don’t try any tricks.

I’m aware that a ship of this size allows for simple commands like retreating.”

I aimed the dagger closer.

The material of this dagger was a metal infused with high-purity mana, capable of easily cutting even an A-rank Awakened’s body.

I had no intention of going easy on her just because she was a child, and this wasn’t my first time dealing with a young Awakened.

Even if they are children, Awakened individuals cannot be underestimated.

Because if their rank is high enough, it’s entirely possible for a newborn baby, not even a year old, to obliterate an entire city.

“Oh really?

But I’ve already bought enough time, haven’t I?”

This one, too, was only a child in appearance; inside, she was a monster who had navigated battlefields since childhood.

Even now, despite being caught off guard, she was seeking a way to overcome this situation.

“Fool.”

“You’re the fool…!”

Crack!

A mermaid’s spear shot up from the floor.

But I had already expected it.

“You dodged that?!”

Because that’s a method only a child would think of.

I deftly dodged backward, then kicked the wheelchair, sending it flying outside.

Mirjam’s shock quickly turned into a scream.

“Aargh…!”

Mirjam crashed through the cabin wall and rolled onto the deck.

As an Awakened individual, she wouldn’t die from that much.

Even if a few ribs were broken, a C-rank Awakened individual already possesses a body as tough as steel.

“Gasp, ugh, you… What are you doing!

Quickly, kill that woman!

Pierce her, somehow gouge out those damned eyeballs!”

Mirjam began her final struggle.

I could feel the mermaids on the ship rushing towards this place.

It was difficult to secure a clear view in such a narrow cabin, so I used the newly formed hole to go out onto the deck.

“I, I have to escape…”

Mirjam, legless below the knees, miserably tried to crawl away.

It would have been better if she used the mermaids to move, but she had commanded them all to kill me, leaving none available.

Naturally, she couldn’t escape from me by merely crawling.

Moreover, bounties aren’t forfeited just because the target is a corpse.

Right now, those mermaids were in an extremely ferocious state compared to ordinary mermaids, and they wouldn’t calm down unless the life of their controller was taken.

I raised the dagger in my hand and plunged it downwards.

Thud!

“Ah…”

The dagger pierced about halfway through the deck.

Mirjam spotted the dagger stuck in front of her eyes and looked up at me with youthful eyes.

I no longer felt like doing anything more than this.

Mirjam likely couldn’t control the mermaids anymore due to extreme fear, and I also felt that if I killed any more living beings right now, it would be difficult to maintain my sanity.

After all, the original Capella didn’t become a drug addict for no reason.

“If you want to live, try to make do with that, whether it’s fortunate or unfortunate.

Your opponent is just an ordinary person in terms of physical ability.”

I put down the dagger and went into the cabin.

My original objective was achieved, so it was time to head back.

“Wh-why.”

‘Why aren’t you killing me?’ she seemed to ask.

I simply didn’t feel like killing her.

Was this mercy then?

Or merely a whim?

No.

Neither.

I couldn’t kill her, so I didn’t.

If I had dealt with Mirjam here, the target of the one coming here right now would have shifted to me.

“The mermaids are suddenly retreating, aren’t they?”

The mermaids passed by me.

The reason the mermaids ignored me and left wasn’t because Mirjam had summoned them.

The reason they were going outside was to instinctively sense the approaching threat and eliminate it by any means necessary.

“We’re alive… But, is that snow falling outside?”

“Yeah, it rarely snows here even in winter…”

It would be fortunate if it were just snow.

Because what’s coming here right now is a truly dreadful monster.

“Wait, isn’t the snow an odd color?”

The snow falling from the sky had a golden hue.

“The ship, the ship is shaking!”

I preferred not to kiss the wall again, so I held onto the railing and braced myself.

“…What are you guys doing?”

Mirjam muttered in an anxious voice.

As the particles of snow falling from the sky grew larger, a colossal monster that had rammed into the passenger ship appeared, boasting an immense size.

The ship lurched again from the impact.

I didn’t know by what principle it could stand in the middle of the sea, but it was likely capable of overturning this passenger ship if it wished.

The monster let out a shriek and lunged to kill whatever had suddenly appeared before its eyes.

It swung its massive, menacing hand as if swatting a fly, but…

“Was it merely for this?”

It seemed like a weak final struggle.

Crunch!

Following that, the monster’s body was pierced by massive ice.

Seeing that, the corpses of the monsters outside the Floor C barrier came to mind.

“That voice… No way-”

That’s right.

The real one had appeared.

A truly insane one, capable of making someone like me seem fake, had appeared.

The one commonly known as the Golden Witch.

She looked as if a beautiful blonde angel was descending.

Her magic always had a golden hue, which was the origin of her epithet, and at the same time…

“The cause of my one and only Christmas of the year being spent so wretchedly.”

The Golden Witch was a true monster, holding the position of an S-rank hero, even in Hero City, where countless Awakened individuals gathered.

Rather than getting caught by a monster like that, it would have been better to be caught by me.

I gazed at the deck with a bitter feeling.

At the same time, the Golden Witch looked down.

For a witch among the top-tier magic-attribute Awakened, discerning that Mirjam was the cause of this entire situation was not difficult at all.

“…Just because of one legless child like this.”

The Witch descended onto the deck.

The mermaids, who had been standing as if protecting Mirjam, were already dead, their bodies pierced by the snow falling from the sky.

“Ah…”

“A weak, pathetic, orphaned child.”

Her body, frozen as if unable to move.

Mirjam’s body slowly floated into the air, and the Witch gazed at Mirjam’s right eye.

“Still… those blue eyes are quite striking.”

And the Witch, with a benevolent smile…

I simply couldn’t bear to watch the next sight.

…!

Mirjam’s piteous scream followed.

Mirjam dropped the dagger she held and searched for her right eye, which no longer existed.

“It’s a color that reminds me of a beautiful winter sea.”

The Witch plucked out Mirjam’s right eye and placed it inside a golden case, as if to cherish it.

Seeing that maddening sight, my reason quieted.

If I had killed Mirjam, it would have been me screaming and having an eye gouged out there.

That’s the truly insane one.

What’s even more terrifying is that there are at least five more beings with a nature equivalent to the Golden Witch in Hero City alone.

Five S-rank heroes and the gardeners who tend to their city.

‘…’

Fearing the Witch might notice me, I quickly tried to leave.

Fortunately, those lunatics definitely protected the residents of their own city, but this was still outside Hero City, so I couldn’t feel safe.

In the current situation, no one would find it strange if one more person disappeared.

A fake like me couldn’t offer any resistance against such a real one.

But…

“Where are you off to in such a hurry?”

Was it already too late?

When I blinked, the Golden Witch was already standing in front of me, blocking my path with a smile.

“The one with beautiful crimson eyes.”