Chapter 3
BANG!
The sound of another small explosion echoed throughout the village.
A knight who had just been about to draw his sword from its sheath suddenly froze.
"Did you think I didn't see that?"
A moment later—
His head exploded.
His body collapsed to the ground before his hand could even touch the hilt of his sword.
Thud.
Blood flowed across the village's dry soil.
Izumi remained standing calmly, pointing the revolver in her hand.
Her gaze was cold.
Emotionless.
"Too slow."
The two remaining knights froze in terror.
They couldn't understand what had just happened.
There was no magic.
No chant.
No magic circle.
Their companion had simply...
Died.
Just like that.
"W-What was that?!"
"Run!!"
Without caring about a knight's honor, both of them immediately turned around and fled on horseback as fast as they could toward the Royal Capital.
They didn't even dare look back.
Meanwhile...
The village chief and a nobleman standing nearby could only remain frozen in place.
Their faces were pale.
Their bodies trembled.
The nobleman named Aroy stared at the two knight corpses lying on the ground.
His eyes widened.
"T-That's impossible..."
His voice trembled.
"Y-You... who are you?!"
He pointed at Izumi.
"I'm sure this is that filthy girl's house! Why are you here?! And where is that filthy girl?!"
Beside him, the village chief swallowed hard.
"S-She..."
His eyes fixed on Izumi's face.
"Rumi..."
"Her face is healed...!"
Aroy immediately turned toward him.
"Impossible!"
"Are you sure that's Rumi, that filthy girl?!"
The village chief nodded shakily.
"Y-Yes..."
"There's no mistake..."
Aroy began to panic.
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"But how is that possible?!"
"How could that girl kill a knight?!"
"A knight!!"
"That doesn't make any sense!"
Izumi looked at the two of them expressionlessly.
Then she slowly let out a sigh.
Her voice was low.
Yet somehow it sent chills down their spines.
"Hey..."
Her cold gaze pierced them both.
"Why have you two been so noisy this whole time?"
The village chief's body instantly stiffened.
"T-There's no mistake..."
"That's Rumi's voice..."
"But..."
"Why does the way she speaks feel completely different?"
Aroy suddenly swallowed hard.
Then a thought appeared in his mind.
"Wait..."
"Could she be possessed by a demon?!"
"A demon?!"
The village chief was equally shocked.
Aroy immediately pointed at Izumi.
"Weren't her parents executed for making a pact with a demon?!"
"Could she have done the same thing?!"
"I think..."
BANG!
BANG!
Two gunshots cut off their conversation.
"AAAGHHHH!!"
"AARRRGHH!!"
Both of them instantly collapsed while clutching their shattered legs.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
Izumi lowered her revolver.
She looked annoyed.
"If you're going to chat, wait until I'm finished talking."
She slowly walked toward them.
"You..."
Izumi's gaze stopped on the village chief.
"You're the village chief who tried to force my little sister into marriage with that nobleman, right?"
The village chief could only groan in pain.
He couldn't even answer.
"Hm."
Izumi gave a small nod.
"Not answering, huh."
"That's fine then."
BANG!
The bullet destroyed his other leg.
"AARRRGHHHH!!"
BANG!
His left arm.
BANG!
His right arm.
BANG!
His stomach.
The village chief screamed like a slaughtered animal.
His body convulsed violently on the ground.
Aroy, standing not far away, could only watch everything unfold.
His face was already covered in tears.
He had never witnessed such a brutal killing before.
Izumi pointed her revolver at the village chief's head.
"Goodbye."
BANG!
The village chief's head exploded instantly.
His body stopped moving.
Dead.
Izumi reloaded her revolver.
"Hm."
"One rat has been exterminated."
She tried to recall Rumi's memories.
"If I remember correctly..."
"There are still around fourteen rats left."
Izumi tilted her head.
"Eh?"
"Does he count too?"
If that's the case...
"Fifteen rats."
Aroy instantly froze.
Cold sweat poured from his body.
Izumi turned around and began walking away.
"W-Wait..."
Aroy called out weakly.
"Why..."
"Why are you doing all this...?"
Izumi stopped.
Then she searched through Rumi's memories for the man's face.
But there was nothing.
She didn't know him.
Izumi finally turned around.
"This time, I'll let you live."
Aroy's eyes brightened slightly.
But her next words froze the blood in his veins.
"However, if one day you accuse innocent people again just to clear your own name..."
"I swear upon my own blood."
"I will kill you."
"Every one of them."
"Your family."
"Your friends."
"The people close to you."
"I won't leave a single one alive."
That cold gaze pierced straight into his soul.
"Do you understand?"
Aroy could only nod weakly.
His body trembled violently.
Izumi finally left.
The villagers who had been watching everything in silence could do nothing but remain quiet.
No one dared stop her.
No one dared speak.
Izumi let out a long sigh.
"Hm..."
"The road to the Royal Capital is surprisingly far."
According to Rumi's memories, the journey took around six hours by horse-drawn carriage.
"Haah..."
"What a pain."
"I can't even ride a horse."
Then an idea appeared in her mind.
"Wait."
"A horse?"
A small smile appeared on her face.
Izumi raised her hand.
Unlimited Creation Skill activated.
Light appeared.
And a moment later...
An orange dirt bike materialized right in front of her.
KTM 450 SX-F.
Izumi immediately grinned.
"Hahaha..."
"This skill is actually really useful."
But just as she was about to get on the bike...
An elderly voice called out to her.
"Wait..."
Izumi turned around.
An old man stood not far away.
Polow.
Instantly, Rumi's memories surfaced.
The person who always gave her food.
The person who always treated her wounds.
The person who still cared about her even when the entire village hated her.
The only kind person in that girl's life.
Izumi fell silent for a moment.
Then lowered her gaze.
"I see..."
She looked at the old man.
"Grandpa..."
"Please don't stop me."
Polow's face was filled with worry.
"Rumi..."
"What happened to you?"
"How can you do all of this?"
"Tell Grandpa..."
"You didn't make a pact with a demon, did you?"
Tears began forming in his eyes.
Izumi simply replied.
"No."
Polow fell silent.
"There's something I need to finish."
"So please..."
"Don't stop me."
The old man clenched his clothes.
"Rumi..."
"Why do you speak like that?"
"It's as if..."
"You're not the Rumi Grandpa knows."
"Be honest with me."
"What really happened?"
Izumi remained silent for a long time.
Then she stepped closer.
And whispered something into the old man's ear.
Only once.
Brief.
Yet enough to make Polow's body freeze.
The old man's eyes widened.
His knees lost all strength.
He collapsed onto the ground.
Tears streamed down his face uncontrollably.
Meanwhile...
Izumi had already started the motorcycle.
BRRRRMMMMMMM!!
The engine's roar echoed throughout the village.
Without looking back.
Without saying another word.
She twisted the throttle.
And shot forward.
In less than five minutes,
the village had become a distant speck behind her.
The wind struck her face.
While the road stretched endlessly ahead.
Izumi gazed at the horizon.
Then smiled faintly.
"Quite troublesome, isn't it..."
The motorcycle continued racing at full speed toward the Royal Capital.