Chapter 43: Goodbye Alice
The next day, after the king's party, Desmond woke up and proceeded to Alice's room, expecting to find her as she usually was. However, he was taken aback by what he saw. Alice was deeply engrossed in meditation, still dressed in the same attire she had worn to the party the previous night. It appeared that she hadn't slept at all.
Desmond patiently waited for a couple of hours until Alice finally opened her eyes. "Hey, sis, how are you?" he greeted her.
Alice slowly focused her gaze on Desmond, who was standing beside her. "How long have you been here?"
Glancing at the window, Alice noticed that the sun was already high in the sky. "Ah!" she exclaimed, immediately rushing out of her room.
Perplexed, Desmond followed Alice and made his way to the courtyard, intending to carry out his usual training routine.
...
In the courtyard, once Desmond arrived, he found himself unable to start training as usual. His mind was preoccupied with thoughts about the progress of his research. "How much longer until it's complete?" he wondered.
[Creating Task...
Used 1 Slot
Status: Working 0%]
[Working 50% ..]
[Status: Completed]
[Saving to Database…]
[Data Saved!]
[Estimated time: 4 years]
[Unused Slot 1]
Desmond mused to himself, "Hmm, it won't be much longer... Have you analyzed Elizabeth's status yet?"
[Creating Task...
Used 1 Slot
Status: Working 0%]
[Working 50% ..]
[Status: Completed]
[Saving to Database…]
[Data Saved!]
[
-Status-
Name: Elizabeth
Gender: Female
Age: 6 years
Race: Human
Class: Witch
Occupation: Heir of the North Kingdom
Unique Energy: 9.06
Strength: 5.15
Agility: 6.00
Stamina: 2.00
Trait Effect:
Tolerance (Unique)
Increase Healing Effect and Range by 20%
When healing an Evil trait, decrease effect by -50% for one day. Instead of healing, it inflicts light damage by 5% (total healing)
Increase Amount of Unique Energy Gathering +0.003
]
As Desmond examined Elizabeth's traits, his eyes narrowed. He thought to himself, 'My observations from yesterday were correct. This trait is quite troublesome. It's possible that lower-grade traits with similar effects also have an anti-evil property. Fortunately, not all healing spells necessarily include the anti-evil trait.'
...
-Several days before the King's Party-
In the courtyard, Desmond was diligently training as usual. Just as he was about to resume his practice, Alice called out to him.
"Brother!"
He turned to see Alice, dressed neatly. With a smile, Desmond teased her, "Aren't you going shopping today, sis?"
Feeling annoyed by Desmond's behavior, Alice was tempted to punish him, but she reminded herself of something more important. "Listen, I want to tell you a few things that Mom said before she left for duty."
Upon hearing their mother's name, Desmond's expression turned serious, and he nodded. "Don't worry; I'm all ears." He looked around cautiously and then back at Alice. "But before that, come with me, sis. I have something important to tell you as well."
Without waiting for Alice's response, Desmond took her hand and activated the Custom Spell.
...
Desmond carried Alice while running invisibly through the streets. Since his energy had reached the minimum requirement to become a wizard, he could activate the custom spell for one hour.
Passing by the bakery and various buildings, they finally arrived at the border between the inner city and the outer city. "Thank you for staying quiet all this time," Desmond said. "I will explain everything once we reach the outer city."
"Just a little longer, stay silent, and don't ask any questions, sis."
Alice didn't feel the need to ask questions. As Desmond held her hand and carried her, her mind relaxed, and she felt almost lulled to sleep. She only woke up when Desmond spoke again.
Continuing their journey, they walked in silence under the hot sun.
...
Upon reaching the outer city, Desmond led Alice directly to the location where she was kidnapped. Along the way, Alice slowly recalled the details of where she had been abducted.
She wanted to ask Desmond about it, but she remembered his instruction to remain silent. Filled with hesitation, worry, and an eagerness to ask questions, Alice felt confused. Unbeknownst to her, they arrived in front of the alley where she had been taken.
Desmond entered the alley slowly. At the end, Alice saw several demons bound with iron ropes. The ropes emitted a bluish glow, resembling a magical item. Memories of the traumatic incident flooded back, and Alice had an instinctual desire to jump off Desmond's back and run away. However, her body seemed to have a different plan.
She clung tightly to Desmond's back, accidentally pulling his hair in the process. Feeling the pain, Desmond couldn't bear it any longer. "Sis, calm down. You can get off now."
He deactivated his custom spell and beheld Alice's condition. Tremors wracked her body, and her eyes held a distant gaze, as if lost in a void. Desmond cautiously advanced, drawing closer to one of the menacing demons. "First, I want you to shed your fear of these creatures," he declared with conviction.
Alice witnessed the demon's desperate plea for help, yet it struggled in vain against its impending fate. Desmond's voice resonated with power as he chanted, and an ethereal knife materialized from a swirling mass of iron. Slowly and deliberately, he sliced through the demon's neck, revealing to Alice the precise technique of lethal precision.
Although a cloth muffled the demon's screams, the pain etched on its face was apparent to Alice. She could sense the agony even without the piercing shrieks that were stifled.
"Sto-op. Brother!" Alice couldn't bear witnessing such brutality, her perception of Desmond shifting from a hero to a cold-blooded villain.
Desmond halted his action and withdrew the knife from the demon's neck, causing a spurt of crimson to spray forth. Several droplets of blood splashed across Alice's face, accentuating her already terror-stricken expression.
"What d-id yo-u d-o, br-ot-her?" Her trembling hands pointed at the fallen demon, her shock palpable.
Observing Alice's reaction, Desmond felt a twinge of satisfaction, nodding slowly. "Let me make myself clear, sis. Never hesitate to take a life."
As he approached Alice, she instinctively recoiled, gradually inching away from him. In her eyes, he had ceased to be her brother; he had transformed into a devil wearing a human facade. Witnessing Alice's retreat, Desmond's disappointment was evident as he shook his head.
After one human takes the life of another, there are two distinct paths they may follow. The first type is plagued by fear, haunted by their actions, and burdened with guilt. Although they may eventually heal with time, remnants of their remorse endure.
The second type embraces the grim reality, accepting it as an intrinsic part of their existence. They adapt to the act of killing after the initial murder, perceiving all humans as destined for the same fate. Their purpose becomes to expedite this inevitable end.
Desmond belonged to the second category, shaped by the influence of the world he once inhabited. He had inherited not just a name but also a legacy steeped in training that desensitized him to the art of killing. Firearm drills and other rigorous exercises had become second nature, nearly eroding his capacity for empathy.
If it weren't for the code of ethics governing his organization, which emphasized the protection and well-being of family, he might have even contemplated eliminating Alice and his own kin as he grew older.