Chapter 27: Anna Margret III (part 2)

“…What are you, really?”

I felt a sigh rising in my chest.

“What are you talking about?”

“Nothing.”

The man standing before me was the Black Wolf—the boss of the assassins from the original “Ambush” episode.

A character who was surprisingly popular, even as a villain. Fans said he was cool, admired the twist of him wielding a greatsword while being an assassin.

But it bothered me.

The numbness in my left arm was getting worse. I’d already lost too much physical strength.

I wasn’t sure I could win easily.

So, I decided to rest—just for a bit—before making my move.

“D*mn it.”

I let the sigh out. Nothing was going the way I’d hoped.

***

[Anna’s POV]

“Wouldn’t everything be easier if I just died?”

“…What are you saying?”

“After all, I’m not at home. It’ll be fine if I just disappear.”

Anna couldn’t understand what Reina was saying. Not even a little.

She didn’t know what this girl was talking about.

Anna had come here to kill Reina. She’d seen countless deaths.

But this—this was new.

In her experience, people facing death either begged for help, broke down crying, or went mad. Some even fainted on the spot.

But not this girl.

Reina wasn’t even seven years old. And she was facing death with chilling indifference.

It terrified Anna.

She had to kill her.

If she didn’t, her own values—her whole worldview—would be shaken.

Driven by that fear, Anna stood, gripping the knife in her right hand. She stepped toward Reina.

“…”

Reina looked up at her, her face unreadable.

That blank expression chilled Anna to the core.

Anna grabbed Reina by the collar, forced her to lie flat on the bed, and raised the knife over her chest.

Just as she was about to thrust it in—

“There was someone who looked after me like this.”

Anna froze.

Reina was smiling.

“Ah… ah… ahhhh…!”

The fear in Anna’s heart twisted into something else. Something deeper.

Reina’s small face blurred through Anna’s tears.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Life doesn’t return once it’s gone.

Reina knew that—but she had accepted her death.

Even so, her tiny arms trembled before the end.

Anna saw it.

And in that moment, she finally understood her guilt.

Only then did she realize how precious life truly was.

Her apology wasn’t just for Reina—it was for everyone she had ever killed.

Even so, Anna had been raised and brainwashed from birth to be an assassin.

It was a stain she would carry forever.

Realizing that, Anna buried her face in Reina’s chest—this little girl who was so much younger than her—and whispered her atonement.

She kept apologizing, over and over, until the servants burst into Reina’s room.

***

“I’ll tell you everything,” Anna confessed.

And she did.

She revealed she belonged to the assassin organization Avatar. That she had come to kill Reina at someone’s request. She held nothing back.

“I want to atone now… and live for Lady Reina.”

That was Anna’s truth.

By all logic, her request should’ve been impossible.

But surprisingly, it was Reina’s father—Duke Richard—who gave her a chance.

He recognized her potential and decided to hire her.

Of course, not without conditions.

Anna had to take a blood oath swearing loyalty to the Duchy of Roselia.

If she ever broke that oath, she would die instantly. Her magical power would ignite, burning her soul in the flames of Hell for eternity.

But Anna didn’t hesitate.

She had already decided to dedicate her life to atonement.

After that, Anna was removed from Reina’s side and began her training anew.

She wasn’t allowed near Reina—not even news about her.

Every night, she was tasked with eliminating Avatar assassins sent to silence her.

It was grueling.

But Anna never once complained.

Three years passed like that.

Eventually, she was appointed as Reina’s personal handmaid.

***

“Why am I suddenly remembering that time…?”

Was it because she missed the Lady of Roselia so much?

But there was no going back now.

Her body would rot here in prison, forgotten.

Wouldn’t dying be easier?

Ironically, Anna now understood the despair Reina had once spoken aloud.

Realizing this, Anna let out a bitter laugh and slowly closed her eyes.

***

“Anna.”

“…Lady Reina?”

Anna’s eyes snapped open at the sound of her voice.

“Sorry, it’s Ike. Wake up soon. We have to go back.”

“…Young Master Ike? How…?”

She looked up—and saw Ike.

He was in horrible shape. His forehead was torn open, blood pouring over one eye. His left arm hung limp, blue with poison. A deep gash exposed the bone in his right thigh. His body was covered in wounds.

He looked like he could collapse at any moment.

“What the hell are you doing…?”

“Don’t ask for details,” Ike muttered. “If I talk too much, I might actually pass out. Let’s move. Fast.”

His breathing was ragged. Each word sounded like a struggle.

In this condition, if he faced the Black Wolf again, he wouldn’t stand a chance.

“Young Master Ike, you need to hide—he’ll be back soon—”

“He? The Black Wolf? Yeah, he was strong. If I’d let my guard down, I would’ve died. But I managed to take him down somehow.”

He dropped something to the floor—a pocket watch. The one the Black Wolf always carried.

“It’s over, Anna. So let’s go back. I’m really, really tired.”

“…Why would you…”

“Do we really need to talk about that now?” Ike muttered. “Reina says she’s lonely without you—her loyal maid. So yell at me later. Just go back to Heros, write her a letter. Say you’re sorry for disappearing.”

The prison door creaked open.

Ike stepped inside, grabbed Anna’s hand, and pulled her to her feet.

“Didn’t I tell you to protect Reina no matter what?”

“Yes. So to protect her—”

“Of course you protect her. But that means staying by her side. What’s the point of suffering alone?”

Ike laughed, as if pain didn’t exist.

“You and I—we’re both suffering because of your young lady, aren’t we?”

At those words, Anna slowly smiled.

“…Still, I’m on your side.”

“The same goes for me.”

And together, leaning on each other, they walked out of the prison.