When the light faded, I found myself under the night sky. I looked up, confused, then slowly got to my feet; I had teleported right behind my house.
"Haaaah... I'm exhausted."
Realizing I was no longer in danger, I let myself fall onto the grass. That day, I had survived an escape from a Grade 4 monster, one Grade 3, and two Grade 2s.
Pretty insane, now that I think about it.
Lying on the grass, I raised my arm to look at the rune. It had finally deactivated. And yet, thanks to that crazy adventure, I was beginning to understand a bit more about the bad luck that haunted me.
As the Will of the World had explained, the curse chasing me had only one goal: to kill me. It didn't influence every event, only those potentially fatal to me.
To give an example: if I found myself in front of two closed boxes, one with a treasure and the other empty, the chances of choosing the right one would still be 50%, just like anyone else. The bad luck couldn't interfere with decisions already made or binary outcomes.
Also, it wasn't all-powerful. As hostile as it was, it could only act within the limits of reality. It couldn't make a volcano erupt under my feet or summon a Grade 9 monster out of nowhere—unless the conditions were already there.
This awareness gave rise to a new theory. Maybe in the past two days, the bad luck hadn't activated simply because I hadn't faced any real danger. If there was no threat, then the curse couldn't strike effectively either.
However, this theory had a lot of holes—and one element that worried me. Suppose I moved to the safest place in the world, with no threat to my life. I suspected that the bad luck inside me could build up so much that it might start generating its events.
But does it only attack me directly?
That was the question that scared me the most. Let's say I was badly injured and needed a rare ingredient to heal. Would the curse prevent me from finding it? Or was I just being paranoid?
Honestly, I didn't know. But having to live with that fear wasn't ideal.
"Adel?"
It was my sister's voice that snapped me out of my thoughts. I turned slightly, finding her just a few steps away, with a confused expression on her face.
"Sister." I smiled at her, still lying on the grass.
"What are you doing out here? I was starting to worry with how late it's gotten."
"I was just relaxing a bit. It's nice out, right? The air's fresh."
"That's true… it is a lovely evening." She nodded. "So? How was work?"
"Oh, nothing special. Just running around a bit, some tasks here and there. All normal."
To avoid making her worry, I came up with the excuse that I had started working as a porter. That would explain any future delays and the money I was bringing in. Most importantly, it would erase the idea from her head that I was seeing someone.
No, I was serious. That idea alone would further damage the little sanity I had left.
"As long as you're okay." She smiled, stepping closer—but suddenly stopped. "A-Adel… is that blood?!"
Shit.
I had completely forgotten how I looked.
"Y-Your clothes are all torn! And these stains… is it really blood?!"
I saw tears welling up in her eyes as she gently grabbed my arm, as if the slightest touch might make my wounds worse.
"Lena, calm down, please."
"How can I?! Who did this to you?! I'll never forgive them! Why do you always have to suffer so much?!"
She hugged me tightly, cursing an imaginary culprit and swearing revenge. Considering the culprits were Grade 2 and above monsters, her reaction was as sweet as it was absurd. But I appreciated it. Truly.
Ahh, my dear, sweet, and kind sister, you're too good and naïve for this world. If only you knew what kind of monster you are holding in your arms.
Sometimes I wanted to be honest with her, to tell her everything. But then I'd ask myself: what's the point? To destroy this little lie that allowed us to live in peace?
In the end, I decided I would tell her something. Maybe that I had received a stigma. A half-truth that would explain my strength and put her mind at ease.
It took an eternity to calm her down. I made up a story on the spot, answering a thousand questions with the calm and conviction of a skilled actor. In the end, she seemed almost convinced.
"So… while you were up on the mast of a ship, you slipped and got these injuries, and the mark on your back came from rubbing against a rope?" she asked again, still not fully convinced.
"Exactly. And it's nothing serious. Look: no major wounds."
"But all that blood…"
"It's just sweat mixed with dirt. Come on, if I'd really lost that much blood, do you think I could still talk with this much energy?"
Logic convinced her more than any words.
"You're not wrong… haaah, what a relief."
Seeing her finally calm down lifted a weight off me, too. She was too kind. Too kind, for someone like me.
"Lena, can I ask you something?"
"Hm? Sure."
"You… what do you wish for? Do you have a dream? An ambition?"
That was something I'd been wanting to ask her for a while. In the old timeline, I had stolen her life. In this one, I wanted to give her anything she desired.
"Hmm… seeing you healthy, meeting a nice girl, watching you get married, and having lots of kids. I can already picture my little nieces and nephews! They'd be adorable!"
Her enthusiasm hit me like a dagger. My expression froze.
Yeah… maybe I really couldn't give her everything she wanted.
Let's say getting married would already be a miracle… but children? No, that was a topic I never wanted to touch. Ever again.
"I appreciate the thought," I said with a forced smile. "But I meant something about you."
"I don't know." Her expression grew more serious. "I've never really thought about it."
"Come on, there must be something you'd like to do."
"Really, I don't know. Like I said, it's enough for me that you're okay."
She ruffled my hair with a sweet smile. Her concern moved me deeply, but I didn't want her entire life to revolve around me.
"Lena… you're my sister, but sometimes you act more like a mother. Just like you want me to be happy, I want you to be happy. I want you to chase your dreams, not live your life worrying about me."
"You… you'll make me cry."
She hugged me again, trying to hold back tears. Then, after a long breath, she spoke.
"Don't laugh, okay?"
"Promise."
"I'd like… to go to the continent."
"…That's it? That's not even a problem."
Her bitter smile reminded me that, for islanders, leaving the archipelago was forbidden. But once I had taken care of the factions, that rule would no longer exist.
"And what would you like to do, once you're there?"
"Open a clothing shop…" she said softly, a bit embarrassed.
I admit it surprised me, but thinking back on how often she hummed while sewing, maybe it made sense.
"I can picture it."
Her smile widened, and she blushed slightly before adding, in a nearly inaudible voice: "And… start a family."
I stiffened again. What had she just said?
"D-Don't get me wrong! You'll always be my family! But… sometimes I think about a husband… some k-kids… that's normal at my age, right?"
The more she spoke, the redder she became. And she was right. At twenty-two, that was perfectly normal.
Everything's fine. No problem at all.
"…So, what kind of man should I kil—I mean, what kind of man would you want as a husband?"
"It's embarrassing to tell you, you know?" she huffed, blushing.
"Come on, I'm just curious."
Curious about who I'll need to kill.
"W-Well… he should be tall. And strong."
"Mhm." I nodded.
At least he'll survive a few hits before dying.
"Kind, polite… funny. Someone who supports me when things get tough."
"I see."
So he has to be all that too… too bad.
"H-handsome."
Makes sense. He should have at least half my charm before I kill him.
"R-rich… no! Forget the last one!"
Watching her get flustered like that was adorable. However, with the list she was giving me, I began to think that I'd need to eliminate quite a few people.
"Now it's my turn. What do you wish for?"
Hearing her question, I felt embarrassed about how long my list was. Torture the demons to death. Watch the draconians fight each other with the hope of being spared. Feed the giants their own flesh. Lock the arcane elves in brothels, where they'd be used as sex tools by the very races they despised. Finally, tear the wings off the angels and watch their bodies melt in acid.
I had to admit—even to myself—that it wasn't a normal list. But this hatred, this insatiable rage burning inside me, couldn't be silenced as long as they still existed in our world.
But when I thought about it, I couldn't see anything beyond my revenge. In a world where the alien races no longer existed… I simply couldn't picture myself in it.
There was just too much filth inside me to live even a remotely normal life. So, there was only one thing I could wish for.
"I'd say… to find some peace."
A peace brought by my death.