Right now, both of us were in the center of the room, and as I just mentioned, the first to move was Rona. Due to the aphrodisiac-based poison she had given me, my movements were sluggish.
She quickly headed toward the closet and opened its doors. She retrieved a stiletto from among the clothes inside. It was ideal for assassination and she aimed the dagger at my face, blocking my way to advance. I couldn't run towards a dagger with my arms open. I had to stop. Right now, my nose should have been emitting smoke like someone in a furious rage. I thought to myself, 'This isn't the right time to draw my axe.' I needed to wait for his move and act according to it.
Rona lunged forward rapidly. I took a few steps back and returned to the center of the room, watching as she aimed the dagger right at my neck. She was really fast. I had no choice but to divert the hand holding the dagger. So, I casually sliced my shoulder with her dagger. Even in the punch Viola threw at me, I hadn't bled. This was the first time I was wounded by a weapon in my life. I had to make sure this was the last.
"Your move is quite technical. Where did you learn it?"
Of course, I didn't answer her question. Nobody knew my secret, so I wasn't about to make the mistake of revealing it to her.
Rona attacked again. This time, she swung the dagger in the opposite direction from his previous attack. I dodged by bending and I felt a hardness against my back. I had already reached the wall of the room. Rona didn't miss her chance and attacked to stab the stiletto right into my left eye. The dagger scraped my cheek and embedded itself into the wall. At that moment, I saw that Rona's face was getting closer to mine. With his tiny stature, he really seemed like he was trying to headbutt me.
"No!"
At the same time, I used the sole of my foot to step on one of her feet. She must have been in real pain because her headbutt attempt was left half-done. The opportunity was now mine. I would do what he hadn't finished. I headbutted the beatiful face of that nalia. My forehead hit her nose and I watched as her nose broke and she fell to the ground, likely due to the head trauma.
But I couldn't afford to wait even a split second.
Suddenly, a tomahawk appeared in my hand. The handle was made of oak. Aside from being steel, there was nothing particularly special about it, but it was a sharp axe. The extra weight was meant to increase the force generated. That's why it wasn't very suitable for throwing. Right now, I wanted to attack him with this axe, drive it into his body, and see his blood flow. My body was crying out for this, but I suppressed these impulses in my mind. I should be waiting to see what my opponent, who was kneeling with one foot, was going to do. People like her, as much as they are dependent on what they are taught, also harbor great hatred for everything outside of that. At this moment, I was a parasite opposing what she valued and that deep-seated hatred had been imprinted in her mind's core. I needed to use this hatred.
Without looking at me, she suddenly lunged forward and made a thrust aimed at my heart. Her attack was incredibly fast but it was very easy to read. Even before she started her assault, I had predicted what she would do and had moved to my left to escape. This way, her attack was futile and once again, the stiletto was embedded in the wall. I could feel the depths of her rage and she was so blinded that she didn't even notice the axe in my hands. I grasped the axe with both hands and swung it fast enough to strike her.
"ARGGHHHHH!!"
My axe was lodged in her back. It shattered her bones and destroyed her internal organs. I was breathing heavily, trying to control my adrenaline mixed with the poison. I didn't know how much longer I could endure because I saw that Rona was afraid. She was leaning against the wall, her head turned and she was directing a look at me that asked me not to kill her. Judging by the blood coming from his mouth, it looked like she was already experiencing internal bleeding from my attack and it was clear that she would die within a few seconds unless a highly skilled healer arrived. Losing consciousness was just a matter of moments.
But I couldn't wait.
I pulled my axe out from where I had embedded it. Then I looked at her like she was a worthless piece of trash. I wanted to laugh at the stark contrast between what we had gone through a few hours ago and what was happening now but I couldn't. Then, I struck her again with my axe. This time, it was higher up than my previous strike. That was enough to kill her. She didn't even make a sound and the corrupted sparkle in her eyes disappeared.
I dropped the axe and fell onto my back. I was trying to understand how many seconds had passed since all this started. It couldn't have been longer than twenty seconds. Within these twenty seconds, I could very well die.
"I didn't die…"
After saying this aloud, I looked at the corpse, which was standing in a strange position against the wall. Then I felt like I was going to vomit, so I got up. I didn't want to suffocate in my own vomit. Moreover, my vision was starting to blur.
"What's happening to me?"
I had a suspicion. I grabbed the sleeve of my academy uniform and pulled with all my might. The fabric tore, and I started to clearly examine the wound I had received on my shoulder.
"Shit, there's another poison on the dagger!"
A bluish tint had formed around the cut and judging by the symptoms I was experiencing, it should have already mixed with my blood. I had an incredible pain in my stomach and I didn't feel well at all. The thought that I might not have a chance to survive if that dagger caused a direct wound to me sent a shiver down my spine. She was faster than me, but our strength was equal. I don't know how we compare in other stats but since I was facing someone like Rona, I had the advantage. I was the lucky one.
But now, I wasn't sure if I could still consider myself lucky.
I had killed someone. A living being. It felt strange to think about that. One day, during my adventures, I had envisioned how I would kill huge disgusting monsters. I had never imagined killing someone like myself. Even if I created a seed of hatred towards that cult Rona belonged to, I couldn't help feeling sorry for her. I thought, 'Poor girl... she must have trusted the ones who raised her entire life.'
These thoughts led to other questions attacking my mind.
I killed a naila. The Academy might be independent but it's located within Natura, the capital of Ucretnight kingdom. Ucretnight's already had one of the nalia kingdoms corrupted. Killing a nalia sent by Tunlua to the Academy would only deepen inter-racial tensions.
But was Rona really from Tunlua? She had told me so, and she seemed to be telling the truth but I couldn't trust her words. I even had to question whether her name truly was Rona.
I wasn't safe at all.
Sooner or later, it would be revealed that the nalia had been killed. When that happened, no one would suspect he was affiliated with a cult. Even if I told everyone the truth, I lacked the evidence to prove it. There were even those ready to use this as an opportunity. I thought to myself, 'The others...' and I considered the other six nalias. They tended to spend time together and I had never seen them interact much with other people or with the three demons in our class. Who could say whether they were all linked to a cult like Rona? Moreover, if they used this to testify falsely that I was a cult member, my situation would be over. If, just like Rona, they had been raised as cult members from birth, they would definitely do that. Rona had told me that orphans grew up in churches. It was one of the two things I knew to be true. The other was that she didn't like carrots. How did these churches operate? Were there cult members only in the church where Rona was raised or were there more?
'Shouldn't killing someone resolve those problems? Why did more trouble come my way?' I wondered. I needed to find a way to get out of this situation somehow. I had to hide the corpse, clean up the surroundings, eliminate any evidence that I was involved and do other things I needed to consider.
At that moment, I heard that voice I never wanted to hear again, the creaking hinges of the door as it opened. Reflexively, I covered my face. I was hoping that the person opening the door would be scared and run away. That way, they wouldn't see my face, and I would still be theoretically safe.
But I didn't hear any shouting or screaming.
"Wow... it looks like some dirty work has been done here."
I heard a cold, familiar voice. The person in front of me wasn't an ordinary individual. How many people could remain so calm when faced with such brutality?
Entering the room was Sin of the Flower, also known as Zui, who looked directly at me with short, wavy blue hair, blue eyes and a confident stance despite being shorter than me. There was no emotion visible on his face. She had a slight smile. I couldn't help swallowing hard. After looking at me for a few seconds, I saw her carefully close the door. Then she turned to me and asked a question that seemed normal to others but was completely unexpected for me:
"Would you like me to help you?"