The man had only taken a few steps forward when Jeril pulled out the stone she’d been hiding behind her back.
Whack!
The stone flew in a perfect arc and landed squarely on the forehead of that rude bastard.
A cracking sound echoed crisply down the alley.
Jeril immediately ran toward Caron and dropped to her knees. The wound was worse than she’d thought — the blood loss was severe.
“Kal, hang on just a little longer.”
As she began to summon a massive surge of mana—
Whoosh!
A blade sliced through the air. Caron’s hand pressed against the back of her neck, forcing her backward.
“How dare you… me…”
The man, clutching his bloodied forehead with one hand, staggered but still swung his sword.
Even with a crater in his skull, he was still moving — proof that trash never dies easily.
But he was forgetting one thing.
“With sword skills that slow, where are you even planning to swing that thing?”
Jeril had once been called “the rabbit” before she transmigrated — because she was good at running away.
Now rediscovering that old talent, she darted back and forth, narrowly dodging his swings.
Behind her, a weak laugh escaped Caron’s lips.
‘Dying man still has the energy to sneer, huh?’
Jeril ducked again to avoid another slash. The man seemed to lose what was left of his temper.
“You little—! Stop running!”
“If you were me, would you just stand there?”
This guy was completely insane!
Even as she hopped around, Jeril kept a close eye on the man’s Sin counter.
It must never reach 100.
Then—
“Catch!”
From behind, a silver pistol flew toward her — Kal’s.
Jeril snatched it midair and aimed it straight at the man. The alley went dead silent.
“…Hey, lady. You planning to pull that trigger?”
“Yeah.”
Her words were confident, but her hand trembled ever so slightly.
Could she really kill someone?
[Sister!]
Jeril’s face twisted in horror. The hesitation gave the man time to lunge forward.
‘I might not be able to kill someone… but I can smack them.’
She flipped the gun and cracked him across the head with the grip.
Clang!
A sharp metallic sound rang out — just as the blade grazed her side.
“Ugh…!”
The cut was deep; blood spilled freely onto the ground.
Caron, who had been lying motionless, stirred at the sound. By the time Jeril turned toward him, the man with the ridiculous endurance was rushing at her again.
Click.
But his momentum didn’t last long.
Caron had somehow reached her side, wrenching the gun from her hands and reloading it.
“Ugh…”
His eyelids trembled — his vision was blurring. The finger on the trigger twitched erratically.
Damn it. The blade must have been poisoned.
Even a red mage’s regenerative power had its limits.
“Both of you… No, all three of you are going to die here. Doesn’t matter. I only need to kill you, Refe—”
“Shut up.”
Bang!
The gunshot cut him off cold. The bullet tore through the man’s shoulder.
Caron groaned from the recoil, reloaded —
“Jeril!”
Someone came running from the other end of the alley. Jeril barely lifted her head.
That familiar uniform—
“Ian, don’t!”
Not because she feared for him — he was the commander of the Imperial Knights, after all.
But still—
“Drop the gun, or this one dies.”
The cornered assassin had seized Ian as a hostage.
Caron froze. Ian, who had rushed in unguarded, swept his gaze across the grisly scene.
“Jeril, hold on a little longer.”
“No… don’t…”
Her clear blue eyes were trembling with fear.
He’s going to die. Again. Just like that child.
The silence that followed lasted only a second.
Bang.
Caron’s gunshot hit the assassin’s chest at the same time Ian’s sword sliced through his neck.
Hot blood splattered across the alley. No matter how many times she’d seen it, Jeril could never get used to it.
She shut her trembling eyes, exhaled shakily.
God, she hated this.
When she finally spoke, her voice came out flat, almost emotionless.
“…Ian. Please go call for people.”
“Jeril, your wound is deep. You need immediate—”
“Ian. Go call for people.”
“…What?”
“Now.”
Her calm gaze fell on Kal’s dying form.
The silver pistol lay discarded at the far end of the alley. Jeril pressed her hand against her wound and whispered silently:
Please. Just go.
“I can treat myself.”
“But—”
“I need an antidote. Bring it back.”
After a moment’s hesitation, he nodded and began to walk away. His brow furrowed, as if something didn’t sit right.
Jeril waited until his boots disappeared around the corner — then surrounded her hands with blue light.
Her silver hair began to glow faintly azure.
“Ugh…”
She pressed healing magic directly into the wound. She had to finish before anyone else arrived.
“Kal, can you hear me?”
Her trembling hands searched for his pulse — it took several tries before she found it.
“…Huh?”
The artery under her fingers was pounding — wildly, unnaturally.
No… someone dying shouldn’t have a pulse like this.
“R… run…”
“Kal, what are you—”
【Kill.】
“Q-quickly… as far… as you can…”
【He’s annoying. Kill him.】
The faster the whispers grew, the redder his hair turned, his once-dark strands glowing like burning embers.
Caron bit his tongue hard — desperate to fight the voice clawing at his mind.
But it was useless.
“Kal…?”
Boom!
A massive explosion ripped through the alley.
Jeril’s neck stung as shards of stone flew past. The wall beside her collapsed in a roar.
Crimson lines appeared on her pale skin.
‘He’s in full rampage.’
Even from a few steps away, she could see the veins throbbing beneath his skin, his chest heaving irregularly like a time bomb about to explode.
‘How do I stop him?’
She stood frozen, staring— until voices sounded from the street.
“What was that noise?”
“Sounded like an explosion—”
“Stay back!”
It was Ian’s knights. But before they could react, Kal raised his gun.
Bang! Bang!
Without hesitation, two shots rang out — both knights dropped instantly.
A cold shimmer flared above Caron’s head.
“Ugh…”
That was the third death today. Jeril barely had time to stifle her scream before something slammed into her back.
“Ah!”
The hot muzzle of a gun was now pressed against her heart.
She was trapped — pinned between the wall and Caron. No way out. The cold barrel against her skin made her heart race.
Her brain went blank. All she could move was her mouth.
“If you kill me, I’ll haunt you! I’ll turn into a ghost and follow you everywhere!”
“…”
“I’ll hang upside down from your ceiling every night and dive straight at your— ack!”
Click. The gun’s chamber rotated ominously. Apparently, she’d said something she shouldn’t have.
Was she really going to die here? Not by the duke — but by Kal?
“…Shut up.”
He was talking. That’s a good sign!
Jeril’s eyes lit up. “Oh, really? That’s it? I can do more! Every time you walk down the stairs, I’ll grab your pant leg so you—”
“You just won’t stop talking…”
“…Huh?”
“I have to kill you.”
Scratch that. Not a good sign at all. She froze, eyes darting desperately — then saw it.
His right hand gripping the gun. The finger on the trigger.
They were fighting each other.
His finger trembled, refusing to pull.
“…You don’t actually want to kill me, do you?”
“…”
“Your hand seems to think differently.”
Caron’s hand shook harder — as if his body was resisting his own mind.
“You don’t want to, right?”
“…”
“You’d regret it if you did.”
“Shut… up.”
“Then go ahead. Pull the trigger if I’m wrong.”
