Wof 13 Years Old ⑩
I thought I’d been living reasonably carefully.
But I also thought something like this might happen eventually.
I’m aware that I’m not normal.
It’s not that big of a deal, but still.
I have memories of a past life. I have knowledge from a past life.
For some reason, my physical abilities are higher compared to others my age.
Maybe because of my past life experience, my learning ability isn’t bad either.
And then, this is probably the biggest threat.
I possess four Relics.
All of them are useful, and [ Vanish ] in particular is dangerous.
But even more dangerous is the fourth Relic.
With all this, being humble and saying “No, no, it’s nothing. I’m just perfectly normal” would be excessively sarcastic.
I know my own power best.
But I’m not arrogant enough to say I can use it perfectly.
I want to live freely, just as I like.
Sometimes I go to the Junkyard and find treasures.
I sell them at Arifa-san’s place.
If I sell something for a bit more, I indulge myself a little.
It’s a reward for myself. That’s my current life.
I want to continue this life.
In one year, I’ll become a Seeker.
Even then, I want to continue a similar lifestyle.
It’s not like becoming a Seeker is my future dream or anything like that.
Becoming a Seeker is for the sake of living. That’s probably true for most.
I’m not aiming to become a Tier I Seeker.
I don’t want to become a hero either.
Many people would probably think it’s a plain and boring life.
A happy life of steady, small gains.
This is my ideal life.
I still have hardships now, and my life isn’t rich, but it’s still not bad.
That’s why I had decided. If someone appeared who would maliciously interfere with this life…
I would decide what to do based on their attitude.
Yes. What to do. I’ll decide.
I am prepared.
It’s the determination and will to survive in this world.
I obediently followed their instructions.
And we arrived at a dead-end alleyway.
It was easy to imagine the meaning behind being brought here, and I couldn’t help but sigh.
Bobbis approached me, grinning sleazily.
“Heyyy you. Heard ya got money.”
“That’s right. This guy. He’s got hundreds of thousands!”
“More importantly, let’s just kill ‘im quick!”
“Kill ‘im and take it!”
“Hold on… killing?”
Too shortsighted.
Things are getting rough.
“Shut upppp, youuuu! How dare you, last time!”
“We won’t forgive youuuuu!!”
“Even if you’re scared now, you’re gonna die!”
“Bobbis-san. Are you sure about this?”
I asked calmly.
Bobbis looked puzzled.
“About what?”
“Killing me… are you really going that far?”
“Then hand over the money. All of it.”
“I’ll ask one more time. Are you going to kill me?”
“Huh?”
“What’s with you, bastard!”
“Bobbis-san! Just kill this guy already!”
“Are you really going to kill me?”
“What an annoying brat. Enough. Die.”
Bobbis drew his sword and launched a ball of fire at me.
A Relic? It looked powerful enough to burn me to death if it hit.
I confirmed. I warned. I even gave a final notice.
In that case, it can’t be helped.
I extinguished the fireball and instantly appeared in front of Bobbis.
With a basketball-sized [ Vanish ], I brushed it from his face down to his right shoulder.
Only that part vanished completely.
A chunk of flesh spraying blood fell with a raw, unpleasant sound.
“Eh…”
“Heh…”
“W-wha, B-Bobbis… sama?”
The three froze.
Their gazes were fixed on what used to be Bobbis.
A dark red mass of flesh. Something that couldn’t be called pretty, even as a compliment.
I turned towards them.
“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!”
The first one tried to run.
I instantly threw a Knife. This Knife was a used one.
Its shape resembled my previous Knife.
It stabbed quite deeply into the fleeing man’s back.
He collapsed like a frog and didn’t move. In that case, I could ignore him.
I vanished the abdomen of the second guy, who was frozen and trembling.
“Goboohh!”
He vomited blood, collapsed, and died.
Then, I put the first one, immobilized by the knife in his back, out of his misery.
The third one had lost strength in his legs.
He was sobbing uncontrollably, hyperventilating, and had wet himself.
“P-p-p-p-p-p-p, p-please. P-please. I waz wrong, forgib me.”
“I confirmed, I warned. I gave the final notice.”
I vanished the head, starting from the face, of the third man desperately begging for his life.
His head vanished clean off his neck. An eyesore.
Afterwards, I started vanishing the corpses.
Before that, I checked Bobbis’s Seeker Emblem.
“…Just a bluff, huh.”
He was Tier V.
Disgusted, I returned the Emblem to nothingness as well.
I looked around and murmured sadly.
“They didn’t discard their malice.”
They were the ones who chose this outcome.
I have the ethics from my past life.
Killing people is something one must not do.
It is the worst sin.
I don’t like it either.
No, it’s not just people, it’s monsters too.
I will likely never get used to the act of killing.
That’s why I always leave the option not to kill.
But if they still don’t choose that option, I close my eyes.
Even if I hate it… I won’t hesitate.
Letting them go last time was also an act of mercy.
But if they don’t understand that, if they still bare their fangs, I won’t show mercy.
Sometimes, leniency corners you.
And you die.
I don’t want to die.
So, once I’ve decided, I prepare myself.
This isn’t my past life.
I am living in this world.
A week has passed since then.
Their disappearance hasn’t caused any commotion at all.
No one seems to care, as if they never existed in the first place.
That’s probably how it is.
In this world, the only ones who notice and grieve when someone dies are their friends, lovers, and family.
They didn’t have any. That’s all.
I don’t have anything either.
The only thing I want to protect is this life of mine.
So, if I were to die…
I think I’d be remembered, just a little.
But eventually, I’d be forgotten.
That might be a little lonely.
It might be sad.
But that’s fine with me.
That will be my end.
That being said, I won’t die so easily.
My, Wof’s, 13-year-old days will continue from now on.
In their own way.