ABM – Chapter 34

Translator(s): DCThanatos    Editor(s): (None)    Proofreader(s): Merp-Merp    TLC(s): ShimizuA


How to Trick a Lunatic

The girl raised the knife over her head with a backhand grip. However, the knife never came down and stabbed Shizuru.

“……Huh?”

From the back of the girl’s throat, a sound barely came out, which wasn’t a voice. Just a little before piercing Shizuru’s chest, the tip of the knife had stopped suddenly. The reason for the interruption of the girl’s movement wasn’t because of the way she held the knife. Even the reason that he could counterattack was not the reason why the attack was prevented.

Simply――she was being caressed.

He gave a smile that instinctively relieved people. With gentle hands, the girl’s head was being stroked.

“You’re a good girl aren’t you?”

His words were told in a calm way, but she didn’t know of such words. However, for the girl, someone had never been given words such as those not once. With the exception of Shizuru, this had only happened a total of three times.

“Up until now, you’ve been doing your very best for your mother this whole time. Not everyone can afford to be single-minded like you. Even the things you do aren’t things everyone can do” (TN: The last sentence actually says “actions” and not “things” but saying “actions” seemed weird.)

Shizuru could spit out lies like breathing,  however, what he said wasn’t a lie. The behavior of the girl certainly wasn’t normal. However, the direction of the girl’s feelings for her mother has been distorted, so much that he could merely sense the direct degree of the distortion. Other than calling her a good girl, Shizuru didn’t know how to express it.

“No reward will be gained from actions like you killing my companion. You only think about the sake of killing for your mother without thinking about yourself.”

That girl said she should be lonely because her mother was lonely. In other words, she desired to be next to her mother. He didn’t want to leave, and he didn’t want to kill her either. While telling that she had killed her mother, a color of loneliness appeared in the girl’s eyes as she told it.

“Doesn’t matter how much you want to fulfill your wish,”

It could be expected she would want to be praised by her mother. It could be expected that she would want to be patted on the head by her mother. It could be expected that she would want to be embraced in her mother’s arms. It could be expected that she wanted to receive her mother’s love.

“–However, I’m sorry young lady. The fact is that I cannot afford to be killed by you.”

—————————————————————————————-

“Shizuru. I have 3 absolute orders for you.”

This is, when Shizuru had first come to this world, not much time had passed. One day, Richelieu who taught him almost completely, said such one day,

“First of all. Always abide by my instructions.”

Shizuru himself didn’t even get a chance to choose to consent, as Richelieu raised one finger. In the first place, she might not have even considered an objection.

“Next, second. Be killed by no one”

Because he was a human, it was inevitable that one day he would die. However, it is a shame as a killer to be killed by someone. Therefore, don’t be killed. No matter who your opponent is, you’re not allowed to be killed and die.

“That’s it. Now today, we start your training”

“……Eh? Excuse me, Richelieu-san, what about the third one……?”

“We’ll go over the last direction later on. Now engrave these two into your memories.”

—————————————————————————————-

By the way, 7 years had passed and the third had still not been decided even now. It seemed Richelieu successfully engraved that order into his heart and made him keep following it.

――Ever since that day, Richelieu repeated it whenever she got the chance.

Therefore, it was completely imprinted. To the extent where it became the foundation of his thinking and ideas. Even though Shizuru wanted to escape, there were two reasons why it would not be executed. The second one was an absolute order imposed by Richelieu. Not once had anything been said about escaping the organization. If it said so even once, Shizuru would leave the imperial capital within a day. Unfortunately, that kind of future won’t come. He was skillful and diligent, but because he had a lack of independence, he didn’t speak out or defy most things. Such was the competency of a killer who had 7 years of training and experience. With his aptitude and talent as a magician, he built a network of information around the imperial capital.

Apart from being able to fight, he had a wide range of talents. If you counted up, it would be endless. In other words, Shizuru was too excellent. Furthermore, if he was picked up by someone, and wasn’t abducted by Richelieu… Richelieu was sure that he would make a name for himself in some way or another in some other place. In any case, Shizuru didn’t do anything against Richelieu’s orders.

If she said to kill, he would kill any opponent. If she told him not to kill, then no matter what deadly territory he stood in, no one would be killed. Loyalty and blind beliefs are slightly different… This was, so to speak, Shizuru’s repayment of a favor. Even though he was kidnapped, even though he had lost his memory, he was rescued and raised.

—————————————————————————————-

“―― So Shizuru, no matter how much one desired, no matter how much one begged, no matter how much one wished.”

—————————————————————————————-

This is the reason that he cannot be killed by anyone.

“Au…”

She felt troubled by Shizuru’s smile, as well as the feeling of being stroked by gentle hands. The girl didn’t know what to do anymore and became flustered, and began to dither. It was only natural. The other party to whom he smiled at would not be able to take in both his smile, as well as continue malice and anything of the like in all at the same time, causing the mind to fail. The partner to whom is now also poured with such gentleness, along with these thoughts, is tempered superficially in this way. (Merp: Basically, one gets accustomed to this gentle feeling and will become addicted, causing them to be docile.) This is because there are human beings who can kill without hesitation.

“Hey, young lady. Will you not kill me?”

The tip of the knife, which was on the verge of penetrating his chest, began to tremble. Then, her cheeks were held between his hands simultaneously, and the girl’s hand grew weak. A sharp, high-pitched sound was made as the knife fell onto the ground made of brick. It was sharp but fragile, although the thin blade didn’t have any chips, it was damaged a little from that.

…… Thinking back, the girl used the knife at least once when she killed the man from before.

Both the bone and meat were cut off together, as the result, it was a different kind of ability from Richelieu, which immediately crushed the specialized weapon.

“…….Bu, but……but, mother is…… “

“Are you lonely?”

The boy’s slender finger was gently put on her lips. The girl, while being flustered, she nodded with red eyes.

――But then, the girl suddenly realized.

(Wh…… what…… ?)

I’m not lonely…… The hole in my chest, which has been vacant in my chest since I killed mother has disappeared. That’s it. As long as I’m lonely, mother’s loneliness grows. But now it’s different. I’m not lonely, cold, or in pain. Why didn’t I notice such a simple thing? When I was together with Shizuru, I didn’t feel lonely. And if I’m not lonely, then mother isn’t lonely either. In other words――mother won’t be lonely anymore.

“Mother……Mother  won’t be lonely anymore……?”

“Well, I don’t understand. But, if you think so, then is it not so if you think so?”

It was only the selfish imagination of living things, the imposition of the opinion of what a dead person thinks about, rather than the cause. She grew up without knowing honesty from the beginning, the girl ended up crazy, but that point didn’t differ from an ordinary person.

So, in conclusion. A girl who had never been loved wouldn’t be able to consider her own happiness. A human who can’t consider their own happiness also can’t consider their own unhappiness. Thus, since the girl could not understand her own loneliness, she thought that her mother is lonely. She was struggling to fill the loneliness which she could never fill.

“ …… I’m not, lonely…… But, then, I…… “

She didn’t know what she should do. Her thoughts swayed and weren’t in order.

“一Want to come with me?”

At that time, Shizuru directed words that she never imagined would be said to her. The girl opened her eyes wide and blinked.

“……Huh?”

“Actually, I was looking for you as well. If you are fine with it, you can come to my place”

The girl’s brain melted like goo. The words that were spoken echoed around in her head many, many times as she ruminated.

“I will have you help with my work. If that’s okay”

Shizuru’s finger brushed across the girl’s throat. If his finger had been a knife, the girl would have been dead by now. The girl should have felt a strong fear of death, but in this situation, Shizuru held her life. Her back arched with pleasure, causing her to be unable to stand.

“Oh.”

Although she started to sink down, she was picked up. She was so embarrassed that she could hear her heart beat so violently, that it might have burst. There was no power in her body at all, and her temperature was so high that a fire could have been lit inside. Several droplets of tears ran down from her light green eyes, without her understanding why.

“How about it? What do you want to do?”

The question was gently repeated. A drop on her cheek was wiped away by Shizuru’s finger.

Such a question――I have no idea.

She frustratingly tried to move her inarticulate tongue. The girl frantically wanted to try and speak.

“I’ll go…… I, I…… With Shizuru, follow, forever ……!

“I see…… hm, thanks.”

Shizuru looked at the girl with a complicated expression while she was answering for an instant. But soon, his smile softened and he pushed aside her pure white bangs and planted a kiss on her forehead.

“If possible, I’ll become your family.”

He whispered softly into her ear.

“A…… Ah――”

His voice tickled her earlobe. A jolt ran along her spine, her heart was beating fast, as she memorized the shocked feeling at her stomach. The euphoria was so much that her pupils dilated.

――And in that way, she was given happiness for the first time. She was given kindness, that was completely over a lethal dose. Just like that, the breaker failed, and her physical consciousness was severed.

7 thoughts on “ABM – Chapter 34”

Leave a Reply