𝖌𝖚𝖒𝖚𝖘𝖘𝖊𝖗𝖛𝖎

f o r t y . o n e

"how many people have you killed, and how do you feel killing them?"

[name] blinked hard at the unusual question. she scratched at her chin, eyes travelling upwards in thought.

"too many to count. after about twenty, i stopped counting. i used to dread thinking about the numbers and the consequences of my actions, but after twenty, i knew i would never be able to lead a life without bloodshed and eventually accepted my fate as a murderer who robs futures," [name] explained, eyes glued to her hands. "of course, i was a child back then and was in a bit of a rebellious phase. as for how i feel when taking a person's life.. i don't feel anything. i remember a time i used to feel guilt, regret, disgust and other emotions of the sort but now, whenever i am to take someone's life, i erase my emotions and get the job done. it is the only way one would survive in an occupation as mine."

the noble stared at the girl sadly. it wasn't a shock, but it wasn't exactly normal. he dropped his vision to search for what the girl in front of him stared so intently at; her hands. he noticed the varying severities of scars on the girl's hands. behind the scars, they seemed so soft and gentle. he fought back the urge to hold them and comfort the girl. that would be most inappropriate of someone like himself. suddenly there was a sudden pause of movement. the carriage had stopped.

"huh? have we already arrived? well, talking to you made the time fly past so fast!" the noble stated, laughing and thanking the girl for the conversation. "it was more of a peaceful ride than i had expected."

[name]'s eyebrows knitted tightly as her eyes darted from left to right.

"you might want to rethink that, sir."

suddenly, from [name]'s right, the door to the carriage swung open and a weapon-carrying figure appeared. as the figure stepped a foot into the carriage, [name]'s dagger stabbed dead-straight in the middle of the figure's forehead. the figure fell forwards, head down as half of his body laid on the floor of the carriage. the thick, crimson liquid spread outwards from the figure's head. the noble shrieked, lifting his feet to avoid the blood and the corpse of the ambusher.

"forgive me for the distasteful method. i cannot waste time keeping you and the carriage clean," [name] claimed, roughly kicking the body out of the carriage and closing the door. "now, what do you propose we should do, sir?"

the noble's eyes shook and his head spun. he covered his mouth as he felt his dinner find its way up his esophagus. [name] sighed, knowing how the noble reacted was completely normal. she opened the door and stepped out only to find dozens of dead carcasses. she swiftly stood atop of the carriage to observe her surroundings and check for any sign of danger.

the area was littered with the dead bodies, red splattered across the floor and pooling around the bodies. she also noticed the dead carcass of the bull that was used to pull the carriage and the driver's unmoving body.

when she confirmed the safety of the two, she jumped off the roof of the carriage and approached the driver. she placed her hand over their mouth to check for breathing and a hand on the driver's chest to check for a heartbeat. they were breathing normally and their heartbeat was steady. they were only knocked unconscious.

i wonder why the perpetrators left them alive..? no matter. the noble comes first, [name] thought, walking back to the main body of the carriage to step inside once more to collect the noble.

"sir, please close your eyes and nose. i will escort you away from this place as the carriage is no longer usable," [name] whispered, placing a gentle hand on the noble's back and rubbing and patting as comfort. "please trust me, sir. i will, without a doubt, protect you. you will not die in my presence."

with that, the noble blindly followed [name], eyes and nose covered. he was supported out of the carriage and the two approached the driver. [name] shook and slapped the driver conscious. the driver looked around in confusion.

"if you are able to walk, follow me. we are leaving immediately," [name] demanded, turning on her heel and walking away when the servant picked himself up without a problem. "you should know where our destination is. take us there, please."

the three then travelled to their destination - another noble's residence - without any major issues. [name] bid the noble farewell, as the noble was successfully transported and her mission was now completed.

[name] exited the residence, only to immediately hear her name shouted from behind her.

"miss [last name]! please, take this," her employer pleaded, hastily making his way towards the girl and revealing a dagger with alluring gems embedded into the sheath and handle.

"is this my payment? i thought you had already deposited money?"

"no. this is a personal gift. please do not ask why and please accept it. i would love for you to keep it," the noble whispered, dropping it into [name]'s hands and backing away. "i must go now. thank you for your service. i will see you again soon, miss [last name]."

as the noble scurried away into the residence, [name] was frozen on the spot with the dagger in her hands. she looked down at the beautiful item. she lifted her head back to where the noble had disappeared to. she stifled a laugh, before sighing and bowing.

"thank you, sir. i will gratefully accept your gift. it is beautiful.. until we meet again..."

~

six months had passed. [name] spent those six months as she had before taking the hunter exam; receiving jobs from clients - regular or new - killing or protecting. her job mainly consisted of individual missions to assassinate a designated person. her family did the same. the four rarely gathered together.

most of the missions were of low difficulty and she was able to conclude it in a few days - including travel - but one of the few missions which take much longer had fell into her hands. this mission was not requested by a client, but by [name] herself.

~

hello, i'd just like to say from this point on i have literally planned almost nothing and i have no idea what i am doing :,) i'm watching the anime as i write and i'm just adding [name] in while i write what's happening so because i'm not bothered to watch the whole arc and then come back to write it