Isabella's eyes widened, her face flushing bright red.
Kwon Oh-Jin felt her trembling cheeks stiffen beneath his touch.
“W-What do you mean by that?” she asked.
What I mean is that you should work your ass off under me as a demonic beast exterminator.
Obviously, he couldn't say that out loud. The most important thing now was getting her to like him and using that to his advantage.
“I’m not sure. What do you think it means?” he replied playfully.
Isabella lowered her head, still blushing. “Umm...”
Damn, this is working, he thought.
After all, their first encounter had gone well, and he had just saved her life in a crisis. It would have been strange if she didn't like him.
She's not going to develop feelings for me, though.
Saving someone’s life didn't automatically create romantic feelings. She'd probably see him as someone reliable, and that was perfect for him. If Isabella's fondness for him developed into romantic feelings, Song Ha-Eun's reaction would be troublesome to deal with.
“Mr. Oh-Jin... you really say such bold things so easily,” she remarked.
“Isn't that the same for you?” He recalled how she had called their first encounter a date at some point.
“Let's stop the small talk here... and focus on getting out of this place safe and sound.”
Kwon Oh-Jin squinted slightly, activating the Stigma of Canes Venatici. Thanks to him flinging the enemies' communication Astral Relic, there were no signs of anyone around.
We should get going, he thought, standing up.
“Are you leaving?” Isabella asked.
“We can’t stay in hiding forever.”
“... We could, though.” She pouted in disappointment.
She shook her head and also got up. “Haha, it’s nothing.”
She’s a lot more resilient than she looks, he noted. Even with hundreds of assassins on her tail, she seems pretty calm.
“Which way are we going?” she asked.
“Let’s try to get out of Rome first.”
They had to shake off the assassins who were stationed in the city.
“Sounds good!” she jovially answered.
They left the building, navigating Rome’s winding alleys with careful, muffled steps—so silent that even their breaths were barely audible.
“Doesn't this way lead toward the city?”
He was, indeed, heading toward the center of Rome.
“Didn't you say we'd be leaving the city?” she asked.
“Even if we leave on foot, isn’t there nothing but mountains around us?”
If they headed into the mountains, the assassins would have an easier time tracking them down.
“We’re going to take the Tiber River to the coast,” he declared.
Like the Han River in Seoul, the Tiber River was a long river that ran through the entire city of Rome. If they passed this river to get to the sea, even the most adept assassins wouldn’t be able to catch up.
“But we don’t have a boat,” she mentioned.
“We should be able to find one there.”
In truth, he had already prepared a boat while researching different escape routes for the past six days. If they could just get past the Colosseum, they could escape into the river.
And then, I can use Water Affinity to deal with the assassins.
Isabella nodded, likely realizing there was no better option. “Alright. I trust you, Mr. Oh-Jin.”
Once again, the two began cautiously walking. After about an hour, they came out of the alleys and onto the main road when the assassins lurking nearby caught sight of them.
“Damn it! Hurry up and catch them! We don’t have much time!”
Is it impossible to shake them off by being predictable? Kwon Oh-Jin wondered.
Soon, hundreds of assassins gathered around them.
He clicked his tongue. “So there’s really no easy way out.”
In the first place, he hadn't expected that just flinging their Astral Relic would be enough to shake them off completely.
Isabella anxiously looked at him. “Mr. Oh-Jin!”
“We’re going to run for it.”
He then picked her up and slung her over his shoulder.
If they had been moving as quietly as a mouse up to this point, now it was a fight on speed.
He secured her in place with a wire and then shot another wire to maneuver between buildings.
The assassins bellowed in urgency.
“What the fuck! Is he Spooderman or something?!”
“We can’t let them get away!”
One of the assassins sprang into the air and hurled a barrage of metal shards that resembled awls.
“Hup!” Kwon Oh-Jin swung his spear to deflect the shards.
As they emerged from the alley and ran onto the main road, he began to see civilians casually strolling along.
“D-Did a gate open or something?”
“Get out the way, motherfuckers!” the assassins yelled, relentlessly swinging their weapons at the murmuring crowd as they continued their pursuit.
Kwon Oh-Jin couldn’t believe they'd go this far. Crazy bastards. Isn't the Black Star Society's faction in Italy supposed to have a good reputation?
If they had just killed everyone, it would have been to eliminate any witnesses, but this felt more like they were just getting rid of annoying hindrances, leaving some critically injured than dead. They simply swung their weapons against those blocking their path, apathetic to their carefully forged heroic image.
An unsettling chill ran down Kwon Oh-Jin’s spine.
Like misaligned gears grinding against each other, the chain of cause and effect had been thrown into disarray.
What’s going on? What went wrong? Which part did I miscalculate?
Questions flooded his mind one after another, but no clear answers surfaced.
A fierce explosion swept through their surroundings.
“Ugh!” He jumped just in time to avoid the attack.
Damn it. There's no time to stand around with hundreds of assassins chasing us. I’ll deal with these bastards first and then think about the situation.
He charged forward, violently thrusting his spear as a torrent of blue lightning erupted, blasting away the assassins in his path.
“Stop him! Stop him, goddamn it!”
Kwon Oh-Jin overwhelmed the assassins with sheer might, but moments later, they lunged at him again, swarming like a pack of starving piranhas.
He fiercely swung his spear to fend them off. “Ugh!”
“Die!” an assassin screamed, targeting Isabella with a sharp blade, but Kwon Oh-Jin raised his arm to block the attack.
The blade dug into his forearm, and blood gushed out.
“Kyaaa!” Isabella shrieked.
A sharp pain shot through him, but it was easy enough to ignore. “Explosive Lightning.”
“M-Mr. Oh-Jin..." Isabella stammered. "Y-Your arm!”
“It’s alright,” he answered briefly and faced the oncoming assailants. Before long, over a hundred assassins surrounded him completely.
Should I call Vega? No... not yet. Let me try to create a better picture first.
The picture of crisis still seemed a bit plain and unfinished.
Feathers made from lightning fiercely swept through the area, followed by pained screams.
Kwon Oh-Jin continued running toward the river, slashing through the assassins along the way.
His wounds multiplied after every step. Soon, he was covered in large and small cuts, soaking him in blood.
Isabella subtly loosened her grip on Kwon Oh-Jin’s back. “Mr. Oh-Jin... you should go without me."
Her voice slightly trembled.
“We're almost there,” he replied.
“It's already too late! Even if we reach the river, we can't escape...”
“It's okay.” He grabbed the neck of a charging assassin and broke it instantly. “I’ll make sure that everything’s okay.”
Her eyes trembled. “Mr. Oh-Jin...”
This is good, he noted. The highlight of the play is approaching.
After running for about five more minutes while struggling to deal with the assassins, the two managed to reach the river.
“W-We’re here!” he exclaimed.
On the river bathed in the red sunset, there was a single boat that Kwon Oh-Jin had prepared in advance.
“The boat over there, you can... get on it,” he muttered softly.
With every step he took, blood poured out onto the floor. He deliberately stumbled and panted heavily. “Hurry, get on the boat... I'll buy you some time...”
Like a protagonist who was willing to sacrifice his life to save the heroine, he urged her toward the boat and turned around.
“But then what about you, Mr. Oh-Jin?!”
“No! I can't leave you behind!”
Bursting with emotion, he pushed her toward the boat.
Tears streamed down her face as she looked at him. “M-Mr. Oh-Jin...”
“Ah.” He swayed and fell to his knees on the ground.
“Q-Quickly... run...”
Forcing out a voice that sounded like it could shatter at any moment, he closed his eyes.
An ear-splitting scream rang out from Isabella. “Noooooo!”
He could hear the assassins footsteps gathering from afar. With his eyes shut, the corners of his lips rose.
All the preparations for the climax of the play were complete. Now, he just needed to lie there until she found herself in a life-or-death situation. Then, he would receive Vega's blessing and wipe out the assassins.
The main character should always awaken during a real crisis.
It was perfect writing—the protagonist, who everyone thought was out of the picture, would make a magnificent comeback and swiftly wipe out the enemies.
Kwon Oh-Jin felt a thrilling sense of accomplishment since he had put so much effort into this plan.
Soon after, he sensed the assassins surrounding them.
“You managed to run like a rat, Isabella," one said. "But this is where it ends.”
They glared at her with murderous eyes.
Kwon Oh-Jin barely opened his eyes to see the scene unfold. Alright then. Shall I wake up Vega?
Just as he was about to infuse his necklace with mana, his vision started to distort.
[Some of Awakener Lee Shin-Hyuk’s records have been successfully restored.]
Unfamiliar memories started flooding his mind.
“If only... I had met Isabella that day... would things be different now?”
Kwon Oh-Jin was flabbergasted. Huh? Weren’t all of these memories restored already?
“If only I had met her back then...!”
Lee Shin-Hyuk crushed the rooftop railing under his grip and lowered his head.
Ah. Come to think of it, they said the memories would be gathered in increments as the restoration proceeds. What the hell? These memories are showing up now after I've already resolved everything.
“I should’ve met Isabella and—!”
Pffttt! Yeah, you punk. I saved her just like you wanted. In fact, I shot an entire drama around saving her, man.
“—killed that bitch back then!”
Yeah, yeah. You wanted to kill Isabella two years ago—wait, what? The fuck?
“If I could’ve killed that crazy bitch while she was weakened by the Curse of the Purple Shroud...”
What? Not save her, but kill her?
“I could have prevented this disaster!”
Motherfucker, you should have told me that straight from the beginning, damn it!
Kwon Oh-Jin felt like a hammer had been smashed on the back of his head. His mind ran wild at the incomprehensible situation.
Isabella's piercing cry echoed in his ears.
“Don't die, Mr. Oh-Jin! Hic! Hic! Wuaaah!”
The assassins, having surrounded her, drew their weapons as they approached closer.
“You have nowhere to run now!”
“Stay still and you won't get hurt.”
They swallowed hard, their faces tense as they cautiously approached her.
Isabella's shoulders trembled as she wept, looking like a fragile, frightened puppy out in the rain.
One of the assassins tightly gripped his weapon and bellowed, “Drop the pathetic act, Leech Queen!”
... Huh? Kwon Oh-Jin glanced at Isabella, who had turned quiet.
The assassin continued, “No matter what expression you make now, after brutally tearing apart our members...”
“Oh?” A chilling, murderous aura infiltrated Isabella’s blue eyes. She slowly straightened her back as if she had never been scared in the first place. “Leech, huh?”
Her overwhelming aura suffocated those in the vicinity as she grew sharp, glistening fangs.
“Isn't 'leech' a bit much to call a beautiful lady?” she asked.
The assassins' faces turned pale at her explosive killing intent.
“Hmph.” Isabella scanned the assassins surrounding her and then looked down at Kwon Oh-Jin on the ground. “Let's see... you’re not really dead, right?”
She tilted her head innocently as she placed her fingers around his neck.
“Oh? You’re still alive! Phew. That's a relief.” She licked her lips with a seductive smile. “I haven’t found such high-grade prey in so long. I can’t lose it so easily, khahaha!”
A sinister laugh escaped her as she slowly turned. “There’s so many of you! Seriously, being popular is exhausting.”
“Sh-Shut up!” an assassin yelled as they surrounded her with wobbly feet.
She calmly muttered, “Now... I wonder how your blood tastes?”
Isabella Colgrande, the Leech Queen—the third-ranked Executor of the Black Star Society—smiled coldly.