CH 15

IABCBMH Chapter 15

(athanasiafrost)

The temple was well aware from the start that someone in the dark organization “Ace” was using unauthorized holy power.

The holy power used near the capital was traced by the temple, and they discovered that demons were expelled in places where priests were not assigned.

They named my existence the “Blue Ruby”.

There is no such thing as a blue ruby. The term “sapphire” was used to describe all blue gemstones that have the same composition as rubies.

Therefore, the meaning of ‘blue ruby’ was “something that could be beautiful but cannot exist in this world.”

In other words, this was the temple’s way of warning the general public not to view my deed as beautiful, simply because I eradicate evil.

“Heh, what are the temple dogs afraid of? They should mind their own business.”

The priest who was tailing me did not even reach Lardin [1]. Barbara waved her hand in annoyance.

“They[temple] are the ones who don’t know anything other than exorcise demons. Besides, didn’t you do a good job taking care of it?”

Barbara’s reasoning was correct. I’m not sure what measures I could have taken to affect the temple’s classification of me as a first-class bounty, even though I posed no threat to “Ace.”

I generally aim my gun at a demon’s heart from a distance, and the gem gets retrieved by another member. So I hadn’t been properly tracked till I was seventeen.

However, the story changed when Johannes Noavik of the North decided to go after the ‘Blue Ruby.’ Since then, I have been pursued by Johannes for the past seven years. At that time, Johannes was twenty-one years old. As soon as he returned from the war, he began his search for the ‘Blue Ruby”.

“What? Johannes Noavik came to the capital? And he said that he would adhere to the order of the temple?”

The Noavik Knights were powerful men that could not be ignored by ‘Ace’. Johannes was a war hero who led the war to victory at a young age. He is personally leading the Knights to pursue the ‘Blue Ruby’ and was not someone to be overlooked.

“It seems like I was stabbed in the back. Tell him to stay away from the capital and continue to protect the barren northern land.” [2]

Of course, Lardin would not cease hunting demons just because the Noavik Knights were chasing after the ‘Blue Ruby’

The value of the gems that came in every time I defeated a higher demon was enormous. In addition, Lardin was still attached to the “Time Stone,” which was reportedly only dropped by the most powerful demons.

But it was not long before it was revealed that Johannes was not motivated by money. He was chasing the ‘Blue Ruby’ with all his heart, soul, and with all his might. It was a frightening obsession.

“What is wrong with this guy? Is he a human or a temple dog?”

Lardin stuck out his tongue as he added more men to guard me.

“Does he have any grudge against the ‘Blue Ruby’? Why is he so serious?”

The temple and the knights had different abilities in tracking someone down. Johannes Noavik, in particular, was a war hero.

He grasped my movements like a ghost. And the scope of the search was very wide. No matter how far away I shoot, I keep on getting stuck in his search area, creating dangerous situations.

It was a nerve-wracking to have someone pursue me. Johannes Noavik was a real nuisance.

I felt as though I had lost my breath when I first noticed his jet-black hair and golden eyes, which shone like those of a beast. I was also anxious of being caught by someone who was eager and tenacious. It had a sinister aura.

Even 8-year-old Johannes Noavik, who lacked any kind of holy power, was able to destroy the most powerful demon, so I suppose I can too.

I was therefore extremely relieved the day I used my own hands to blow up “Ace.”

It was because the pursuit of Johannes Noavik was as equally unpleasant for me as the shooting exercises and the assassination of demons under the command of the organization.

Despite the fact that we had no grudges against one another, our relationship may be characterized as poor. Being able to finally turn off the evil completely was just as good as getting away from Ace.

“… Yes. You can now live a life that has nothing to do with Johannes Noavik..”

Vincent nodded his head in understanding.

“If you don’t kill any more demons, Johannes Noavik will never know of your existence.”

“Wow…”

I let out an exclamation in desperation.

Freedom. Freedom. Such a daunting term never crossed my mind as something that might happen to me. I assumed that even hope was burnt to black. [3]

Can I see a doctor now? I’ve been fretting over the pain in my heart that I’ve suffered from since arriving to Ace.

“By the way…”

I rolled my eyes and mumbled blankly. I was no longer an Ace special weapon; rather, I was a corrupted 24-year-old woman with no knowledge on how to contribute to society.

“What can I do to make a living then? Shooting is all I am capable of.”

“It would be best to refrain from using a gun going forward. Because they are unstable by nature, guns are rarely used.”

Vincent gave a clear advice.

“It’ll only be a matter of time until your connection to ‘Blue Ruby’ is traced, if you establish a reputation as a marksman.”

“Then what?”

I began to ponder deeply. Making a living was a crucial concern, regardless of whether I shoot guns or not.

“Do I have to make a living by hunting illegally? You mentioned that they drop jewels.”

Although I had never handled the diamond before, it was the most sensible option I could come up with.

Despite Johannes Noavik’s terrible presence, not even the most passionate pursuer was aware of all the demons that I hunted.

In addition, I might be able to buy time in another nation since Johannes Noavik only lingered in the area surrounding the capital. I might be able to earn enough money to start a small shop if I hunt demons a few more times.

At the moment, I was in agony at the reality of my newfound independence. Vincent asked in a nonchalant tone.

“Have you ever considered that such a day would arrive? Have you ever given any thought to what you want to accomplish after escaping Ace?”

“Ah, yes.”

I responded without thinking twice. I gave Vincent’s dumbfounded expression a single shrug.

“I actually ran away once. Was it when I was fifteen?”

As if it were his first time, Vincent raised his glasses. I kept my composure while I spoke.

“On that particular day, there was just one guard there. He then suddenly entered the woods while claiming to need to relieve himself. This was the first time I’d ever been left alone outside, so I hesitated for only 10 seconds before sprinting away.”

Vincent pinched his brows as he judged that the escape was risky. It was all in the past anyway, so I calmly continued.

“I just thought I despised living like this… I was about to run across someone who could help me get to the temple in the middle of the night. If I am ordained as a priest there, I  wonder whether they will protect me.”

“…Obviously, if it was an excursion with a guard, it would have been to catch demons. However, it is a decent strategy using your powers in its own way, except that people don’t frequently stroll around in the middle of the night when demons are unsettling.”

It was a realistic and neat analysis. It appeared as though he was reporting on the effectiveness of his weapon. I’m not sure, but Vincent also didn’t appear to have a typical personality. Nevertheless, I remained silent.

“And just as I was ready to clutch to a bystander who I had luckily found, I was caught.”

As if he knew the ending anyway, Vincent muttered with a light sigh.

“But Ace isn’t that stupid to miss a 15-year-old, you know.”

I had a taste of hell that day, and I’ve never had anything comparable since. I later informed Vincent what Barbara had told him rather than giving him a more detailed account of the day.

“Later, I learned that the plan was to offer them a little window of opportunity to escape so that they could be mercilessly caught and punished, s o that I won’t ever have the desire to run away again.”

Vincent raised his head and watched the distant stars as though he couldn’t bear to respond. I wasn’t even looking for an answer.

There were even more words I was unable to speak because we were in the same place and managed to escape together. As such we walked quietly for a while.

My heart was throbbing and aching again. I didn’t show Vincent the anguish because I was used to dealing with it alone.

And after walking quite a bit, Vincent asked calmly.

“If you have nowhere to go and nothing you want to do, would you like to come with me?”

I looked at Vincent after blinking. His short brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and his round glasses brilliantly reflected his shimmering green eyes.

I didn’t have much knowledge of Vincent. We appeared to be close when he was younger because he is the same age as me and came from the same orphanage.

Proper memories of him stopped at the age of seven.

Vincent, a scrawny seven-year-old, constantly read difficult books in the corner of the orphanage and drew strange drawings on the back of the flyers.

We used to hang out and play a variety of games. Vincent detested messing with his body, in contrast to the other boys who were mischievous, so I suppose I got along well with him well.

However, once I entered Ace, I was completely alone and had no chance to even have a decent conversation with him. He  had to make my own weapons, of course, but I couldn’t say I grew up with him.

“Of course, the choice is yours.”

Time has turned seven-year-old Vincent and I into twenty-four year old adults who were sold to a criminal organization together.

When we last met, Vincent and I were around the same height, but he had since gotten taller. It could be because I was smaller than the usual person, undernourished, and unable to get enough sleep as a child.

“Will you go with me?”

I was mostly confined and had minimal contact with outsiders, making me even more out of touch and less social than Vincent. To me, the world was a scary place, and freedom was an unknown territory that I hadn’t experienced yet.

But I did know one thing. I found it difficult to trust people. In particular, it was frequently quite humiliating to judge someone based just on one characteristic. It was something I naturally picked up from Ace.

I didn’t think too badly of Barbara either. When she patiently revealed even obscure details that regular people were unaware of, she felt like a good teacher. Barbara, however, was also responsible for imprisoning, abusing, and raising me as a weapon.

Vincent was therefore not automatically trustworthy just because we managed to escape together. Because he was also in some ways using me. I’m not sure if he intended to exploit me again.

While I was hesitating, Vincent answered in a low-pitched voice.

“I’m considering travelling to the south. T he fact that money can be used to purchase your identity, It’s the ideal opportunity for criminals like us to clear up our past and move on.”

[1] Lardin does not care that the temple is chasing after her.

[2] Lardin is talking about Johannes meddling with his business and to go back to where he came from.

[3] Like the saying “Go up in Smokes” meaning destroyed dreams.

**From here on out, evil spirits will be replaced by demons.

I just realized that Chapter 14 had so much typo, I wanted to cry while reading it.

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