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Thump.

The moment I saw them, my heart started racing wildly.

There were many names to call them.

In the underworld, they were known as the Ruelberta Family’s hunting dogs.

On the battlefield, they were called the Saint of Death or the Annihilation Maids.

But in truth, no one knew their real names.

They were victims of inhumane experiments conducted by the Ruelberta Family in the name of magical research in the past.

“K-kill them!”

“-Gahk!?”

The maids were taking out the assassins one by one with movements that were impossible to follow with the naked eye.

It was truly terrifying power.

One assassin had his arms shattered by a maid’s flying kick and was embedded into the wall.

Another had his jaw crushed by a slender fist.

Yet another had his spine broken, meeting his end.

The unarmed maids were overwhelming assassins armed with all sorts of hidden weapons.

They were grim reapers who feared no death.

The assassins desperately resisted to escape the grasp of these reapers.

“T-these monsters!!!”

“Die!”

They roared in the darkness.

They fired poison needles.

They slashed at the maids’ arteries with daggers.

They struck vital points with hidden weapons.

But it was useless.

Even poison had no effect.

No matter how many times they were cut, the maids kept moving.

They pressed on, even with knives stuck in their vital points.

Because they would never stop until their targets were dead.

Fear spread across the assassins’ faces.

And so, the fight could only flow in one direction.

No, it could no longer even be called a fight.

It was a one-sided massacre and slaughter.

[Erosion by Personality Trait is progressing!]

[Your current Erosion Level is 30%.]

In front of that gruesome scene, I was being swallowed by emotion.

Erosion by Personality Trait.

At first, I couldn’t understand what that meant, but now I think I do.

[Erosion by Personality Trait is progressing!]

[Your current Erosion Level is 40%.]

The maids weren’t unscathed in their fight against the assassins either.

A maid with her fingers cut off.

A maid with her ribs exposed from a sword slash.

There was even a maid missing the area below her left shoulder.

But none of them bled.

Because they were corpse dolls that couldn’t feel pain.

The eyepatch of the maid protecting me had come off.

Beneath it was the face of a young woman.

Her eyes were unfocused.

Assassin’s blood flowed down like tears from those eyes.

[Erosion by Personality Trait is progressing!]

[Your current Erosion Level is 50%.]

William was watching them indifferently.

There was no emotion in his gaze.

No sympathy, no sorrow, not even a hint of fear.

That was the kind of person William was.

And then I realized.

The identity of the unknown emotion boiling up from deep within me.

It was ‘wrath.’

[Warning!]

[Erosion by Personality Trait is progressing rapidly!]

[Your sense of self is fading!]

[Your current Erosion Level is 60%.]

“…Ugh!”

At that moment, a splitting headache hit me.

I couldn’t bear it and collapsed on the spot.

“Damn bitches!”

The timing couldn’t have been worse.

A thick arm wrapped around my neck.

“Count! If you don’t want to see your son die, tell those bitches to stop right now!”

It was the leader of the blood-soaked assassin group.

By now, there were no living assassins left around.

“Hurry up! Or I’ll shove a knife in your son’s throat before you can blink!”

The cold sensation on my neck.

He meant it.

Then, William silently waved his hand.

At the same time, the maids closing in stopped in their tracks.

The assassin leader sneered.

“Ha! I thought you were heartless, but I guess even you have parental feelings, huh?”

“I have a question.”

“What?”

William slowly rose from his chair.

“How much is the value of personal emotions?”

“What? What the… Count, what kind of nonsense are you spouting now?”

“Indeed, as expected of an ignorant wretch, you wouldn’t know. Answer for me, Tristan.”

“……”

The arrow of the question suddenly turned to me.

But I was in no position to answer.

Between the splitting headache and the assassin gripping my neck.

Then William spoke.

“Is it too difficult for you? Then let me rephrase. How much is the love between parent and child worth?”

In truth, I knew the answer to that question.

I already knew enough about what kind of person William was.

The answer he wanted was easy to guess.

“It’s… worthless.”

“Correct.”

At that moment, William pulled something out from his coat.

It wasn’t the pocket watch he always carried, but something that gleamed silver.

Bang-!

A dry gunshot echoed through the room.

It happened in an instant.

A bullet had precisely pierced the assassin leader’s head, emitting a faint smoke as it embedded into the wall.

“Hmm… I’ll have to have the gunsmith adjust this. There seems to be an issue with the rifling.”

At the same time, the leader’s body collapsed limply.

“Gahk…!”

Freed from his grip, I coughed dryly.

William didn’t even ask if I was okay, but that didn’t matter to me.

[Warning!]

[Erosion by Personality Trait is progressing rapidly!]

[Erosion Level is approaching 70%!]

[It’s becoming difficult to maintain your sense of self!]

My consciousness was already stained with wrath.

With a heart full of blood, I spoke.

“…Why did you do that?”

“What are you referring to?”

After a moment of thought, William seemed to realize.

“Ah, I see. Capturing him alive to extract information would have been more valuable, right? As expected, you’re excellent.”

“Stop talking nonsense!”

My voice came out louder than I expected.

But William didn’t seem surprised at all.

He just looked at his only son with the same emotionless eyes.

“How can… how can such atrocities be forgiven?”

“Ah… I see. You’re talking about ‘this.'”

William pointed at the maids standing motionlessly.

“It was worth the investment. They never tire, never disobey orders. Truly an excellent invention-.”

“They’re people!”

[Warning!]

[Erosion by Personality Trait is progressing rapidly!]

[Erosion Level is approaching 80%!]

[It’s becoming difficult to maintain your sense of self!]

Damn it.

Clutching my head, burning with anger, I spoke.

“They are people…”

“Is that so.”

William tilted his head as if he didn’t understand.

His black hair, tied up like mine, swayed.

“That’s strange. They have no emotions. They can’t even think. They’re no different from dolls. Yet you can still call them people?”

“Disgusting. Your way of thinking is disgusting. It makes me sick.”

“I see… I’ll take note.”

William nodded.

That only made my anger surge again.

“How can you still call yourself human?”

“I am undoubtedly human.”

“Don’t make me laugh! You’re not human!”

“Is that so.”

Moonlight poured through the window.

My fist, filled with cold light, clenched tightly.

If I didn’t, I felt like I would punch the man in front of me.

William opened his mouth.

“Humans… don’t remember most of their childhood. Do you know why?”

I didn’t answer.

William didn’t seem to expect an answer either, as he continued on his own.

“Because it’s not important. That’s why we forget.”

William walked to the window.

“I, too, have forgotten the things that happened long ago.”

William’s face, illuminated by the moonlight, was the same as always.

With a mechanical, unwavering voice, he spoke to me.

“You’re still young, Tristan. So…”

I swallowed.

“…you’ll forget what happened today too.”

“Don’t make me laugh. Who are you to decide that?”

At my question, William shook his head.

“You’re still so young.”

“What…?”

“You’ve already forgotten. Your past.”

“…What are you talking about?”

I asked again, feeling a sense of foreboding.

William sighed and pointed at the maids standing beside him.

“You called them ‘people’ earlier.”

“…?”

“Muiry, Rika, Cynthia, and Bess.”

He listed the names one by one.

The number matched the maids standing beside me.

But something felt off.

‘I’ should have been hearing those names for the first time.

Why did I feel uncontrollable anger every time I heard those names?

William waved his hand, and the tallest maid removed her eyepatch.

The face of a simple-looking woman was revealed.

“Muiry was the one who changed your diapers.”

Thump.

The next maid removed her eyepatch.

A young maid with her arm cut off.

“Rika was the one who prepared your snacks in the kitchen.”

Thump.

The next maid removed her eyepatch.

She was also young, missing her shoulder.

“Cynthia was the one in charge of your education.”

Thump.

And the last maid was the one standing next to me.

The youngest-looking maid among them.

William looked at her and spoke.

“And Bess… was the one who, forgetting her place, developed romantic feelings for the ‘young master’ she served.”

Stop.

[Warning!]

[Erosion by Personality Trait is progressing rapidly!]

[Erosion Level is approaching 90%!]

[It’s becoming increasingly difficult to maintain your sense of self!]

William looked at me with pity.

“It seems you’ve even forgotten the names of the nannies who raised you.”

“……!”

I screamed silently.

[Conditions have been met!]

[Tristan’s locked memories are flowing back!]

The memories Tristan desperately tried to forget.

Memories he couldn’t bear to remember came flooding back.

I lunged at William.

“Muiry…! Muiry was like a caring mother to me!”

Wham!

I swung my fist with all my might at his face.

“Rika was always smiling, even in the busy kitchen!”

Wham!

“Cynthia was my only teacher!”

Wham!

I looked at the girl next to me, the one named Bess, and sighed.

“Bess… Bess was… the first girl who told me she liked me!”

My fist trembled.

My fist hurt.

But my chest hurt even more.

As if pouring out boiling anger, my eyes burned.

“You…! You took everything from me! Everything!”

Tears fell.

Because their voices came back to me.

These weren’t ‘my’ memories.

They were the memories Tristan had forgotten, the memories he wanted to forget.

When I realized it, I was already gripping William’s neck.

Even then, William looked at me without a hint of disturbance.

His mouth opened.

“…Be angry, Tristan.”

[Erosion Level is approaching 95%!]

“Just as I did to my predecessor, accept the wrath that has been passed down to the Ruelberta Family.”

[Erosion Level is approaching 99%!]

Then, William placed something in my hand.

I felt the cold, heavy weight of metal.

The barrel of a revolver was pointed at his chest.

Click.

“Shoot. This is your wrath.”

My finger touched the trigger.

The history of the Ruelberta Family, stained with tragedy.

Having witnessed its dark side, I despaired and raged.

I couldn’t forgive my father, William, or the Ruelberta Family.

But…

I took my finger off the trigger.

Swallowing the anger that had risen to my throat.

“The curse that has fallen upon the Ruelberta Family will end here.”

It’s too early to be angry.

Not until I’ve witnessed all the truths hidden within this family.

Not until I’ve saved the world that was destroyed by the player.

I will endure.

“…Is that your answer?”

I met William’s gaze.

His eyes were different from usual.

Not the empty eyes he always had, but eyes that were looking straight at his son.

“I see…”

William grabbed the revolver in my hand and spoke.

“You don’t need to forgive me.”

Bang-!

A mist of blood spread.

[The trial has ended!]

[You have endured the trial of the Personality Trait ‘Wrath’!]

[A setting alteration has occurred!]

[You have awakened to a new Personality Trait!]

[You have gained the Personality Trait ‘Patience’!]

 

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