After I said those words, I created spikes of ice in front of me. And with no time for Nicole to react, the spines hit several parts of her body.

Four of them in total.

Her two legs, her stomach, and her left shoulder.

After being hit, Nicole fell to the ground without making a sound. It was as if she felt no pain even though all the spikers were in her body and her blood was leaking and staining the floor red.

Then I approached her in slow steps.

Nicole was looking at me with a smile on her face.

"So you chose to do this instead of having fun with me? That's funny. Hahahahaha." Nicole started laughing, and the pool of blood on the floor got bigger by the second.

I continued to stare at her as she laughed. And after coughing up some blood, Nicole looked at me again.

"I hope this time you succeed in destroying the world." I felt my heart palpitate and took a few steps back. Nicole began to lose the sparkle in her eyes and died soon after.

I left her body on the house floor and ran out of there as fast as possible.

"I didn't do anything wrong, she tried to blackmail me, and I killed her." Like when I killed Dan, I was not feeling guilty for killing her. It was scary how my mind had changed.

I would never kill someone in my old life, but now I killed two people and treated it like it was no big deal.

####

I arrived at the inn soon after. I went to my room and lay down.

Before I went to sleep, I kept thinking about Nicole. Luckily this didn't disturb my sleep; I was able to sleep peacefully and woke up the next day. The first thing I did was wash my face.

In front of the mirror, I looked at my eyes again. "They are beautiful. It's a shame they scare people." I put on my eye patch and went down the stairs. And when I got there, I started to overhear some conversations.

"Did you hear about the girl who was found dead this morning? It seems that her friends found her body."

"Someone killed her?"

"Apparently, yes. From what they said, someone pierced her body with some projectiles created with magic."

"Couldn't it be a wound from a blade?"

"Maybe... The guards are after whoever did this but haven't found anything yet."

I listened to the conversation between the two men as I finished eating. Then I watched them leave the inn and sighed. "Looks like they've already discovered her body. Damn, I wonder what will happen if they find out I did that?"

Will Maine and Julia suspect me?

"Sophia?"

"Huh?"

I looked ahead and saw a woman standing there. I freaked out, thinking it was Nicole's friends, but it was just the receptionist.

"There is an escort mission for Everan. I said I would come to warn you about it, didn't I?"

"Oh, sure. Thanks for letting me know." The woman bowed her head and then left the inn.

"All right, let's get out of this town." I left the rest of the coffee on the table and left the inn. I ran towards the guild and found the same receptionist who had come to my inn. She smiled and handed me a paper when she saw me.

"Here it is. Your Rank is very low, but if you want to talk to the person who asked for the mission, she may allow you to go along."

"She?"

"Yes. She's over there."

I looked at one of the tables and saw a woman sitting there. She was holding a drinking glass. Her hair was black and long, and she wore a black jacket over a white shirt. The pants she was wearing were black, and her shoes looked expensive.

So I approached her while holding the mission paper.

"Excuse me?"

"Hm? Who are you?" The woman looked at me, surprised at my approach. I then sat down at the table along with her.

"My name is Sophia. I want to go to Everan, and unfortunately, my Rank is not high enough to accept this mission. Will you allow me to go with you? I promise I can help."

"..." The woman looked at me for a while and then smiled. "My name is Clay. It is a pleasure. Why do you want to go to Everan?" Like the other merchants, she asked.

"I am going to the capital. I need to find my mother; she is a bit ill."

"I understand. I see no problem in letting you come with me. However, you will have to take care of your food, and you will have to get a place to sleep. I don't have enough food and a tent for you."

"Sure, no problem." That sounds like a lie to me, but whatever.

"Okay. We'll leave in a little while; the adventurers I hired are coming."

"Oh, sure. I'll pick up my stuff at the inn, is that okay?"

"I'll wait for you here."

####

I picked up my things at the inn and then canceled my stay. The inn's owner seemed very sad about my departure for some reason. Maybe she liked me? But I didn't even talk to her much.

I walked quickly towards the guild and found a carriage in front of the guild. Maybe it was the same size as Thaddeus' carriage?

Then with a smile, I entered the guild. However, I stopped my steps right away. The smile on my face disappeared.

Sitting at the table with Clay were the two girls I hadn't expected to see again before I left town. Maine and Julia. The two girls were talking to Clay while smiling.

It was as if nothing had happened.

"Damn... This is weird. No, this is creepy! What's going on here?" I took a few steps back and left the guild. I didn't want to go on this trip with those two girls. It's not a good idea.

There is something very wrong going on here. I can't feel calm.

IgorRSAW

Favorite? :3