Settling the Serious Match

I was four years old on the day I realized this world was rotten.

“Lilith, starting today, this person is your papa.”

I was born in a small town to the west. I had a father and a mother. I didn’t have any siblings, but we lived a modest, happy life.

Or so I’d selfishly told myself.

“Hello, Lilith-chan. It’s nice to meet you.”

I only learned the truth much later, but the lives of the impoverished are often built upon the most loathsome businesses. In my town, the most popular trade was human trafficking. Men and women with no money would have children, wait until they displayed a certain level of intelligence, and then put them up for sale. It was a tedious process, but apparently, it was a simple job that yielded a decent profit.

It took a very long time for me to realize that my parents’ love had been a total sham.

“...Like this?”

“Yes, exactly. That’s the carotid artery.”

Once you were sold, your life depended entirely on your buyer. You could be a pet, a laborer, or a plaything for someone’s depravity. My first master wanted a child Silent Witch.

In a twisted sense, I was raised with great care and affection. I was taught which parts of the human body to break to ensure the most efficient results. I was taught how much a person could endure before they lost the ability to speak during an interrogation. Before I knew it, killing people had become as casual as eating breakfast.

“Lilith, the job is over. Get out of this town.”

“Wait, what do you mean—?”

“It’s over.”

When I was ten, I was discarded again. Someone high up in the hierarchy had their eye on me; with that one sentence, I was rendered useless. Apparently, simply keeping me around had become a liability. My master eventually hired assassins to kill me.

How absurd. The world must really hate me.

And so, I said goodbye to my master.

The days that followed were harsh, but they were also fun. In the first country I visited, I ate delicious food I’d never seen before, and it slowly restored the heart I had begun to forget. And then...

“Do you want work?”

“Yes. I heard through the back channels that you were looking for someone skilled.”

“...I am not looking for a child.”

“I may be a child, but I have the skills. Would you like to see for yourself?”

“—Very well.”

I earned Zebis-san’s approval and was hired by House Fanscent. I was taught that nobles attract a lot of resentment, and that a true butler is one who works in the shadows, proactively handling threats without the master ever noticing. So, I spent my time purging the evil that sought to harm House Fanscent from the darkness.

I don’t kill women, children, or the innocent. That was the one rule I was taught, and I followed it religiously.

During all this, the eldest son, Weiss-sama, was a bit of a handful. To be honest, his attempts at harassment weren’t even very good. More than anything, I just hated how he wasted my time.

But then, he suddenly changed.

“...Sorry. Did that hurt?”

I was stunned. At first, I thought it was an act. But I was wrong. Weiss-sama—he truly changed from that day forward. It was a revelation. Weiss-sama taught me that people actually could change.

From then on, I found myself chasing after him. Part of it was a desire to reclaim something I’d lost, but I also began to sincerely respect the way he acknowledged his past faults and tried to live righteously.

Yet here I am, facing off against him.

The thing is, I still have a hidden side that I haven’t shown him yet. Weiss-sama doesn’t know the real me. This exam is about collecting rings, and everyone else is the enemy. Weiss-sama understands that perfectly.

In that case... I’m going to give this everything I’ve got.

To win against Weiss-sama, I need to sink into the deep, deep darkness. I need the old me.

I thought I didn’t need her anymore. But the current me doesn’t stand a chance of winning.

Remember. Remember those days. Just for this one moment...

Deeper... deeper into the dark...

————

――――――――

—Ah, it’s bEEn a whilE.

hAvE yOu bEeN wElL?

▽

A sinister mana began to drape itself over Lilith. It was a cocktail of bloodlust and madness unlike anything I’d ever felt. To my absolute horror, she vanished into thin air.

No, that’s not quite right. She had completely suppressed her mana.

Dark Eye allows me to perceive an opponent’s mana and visualize their form. Thanks to that, I can see enemies even in pitch-black darkness. Even a normal person can see to some extent if they flood their eyes with mana. But Lilith had completely erased her presence—and her mana along with it.

That’s impossible. No matter how much you suppress your power, a tiny amount of mana naturally leaks from the human body. She’s zeroing it out perfectly?

Whish!

Out of nowhere, a sharp knife came whistling through the air. I activated Time Lapse and checked the projectile as it passed me by. It was a concealed throwing knife coated in matte black. It was enchanted, too—the power behind it was staggering.

Lilith did this?

I couldn't sense any mana. I couldn't see a figure. But I was surrounded by an overwhelming aura of murder. I had no idea where she was. I’d thought I knew everything about Lilith Scarlet—her movements, her personality, her combat prowess.

I was dead wrong. I thought I understood everything because I knew the "plot" of the original work and the future.

Haha... Honestly? I’m grateful.

Lilith, if you’re actually this strong... then I don't have to hold back when I crush you.

Whish—whish—whish—whish—whish— —Whish—whish—whish—!

She unleashed a seemingly endless barrage of knives, yet her figure remained completely hidden. The speed was terrifying. A normal underclassman would have been knocked cold by the first strike. Even with my high resistances, I’d take significant damage if any of those connected.

But I dodged. I dodged and dodged and dodged. I focused every nerve in my body, trying to catch the faintest hint of her presence.

There. Lilith was flooding her mana for just a split second when she attacked.

I’ll strike right there!

Whish!

The next instant, I charged straight ahead. She was right at the source of that knife. I pushed Time Lapse and Dark Eye to their limits, barely managing to perceive a microscopic trace of mana in the darkness.

It took both of those skills just to find her. What terrifying talent. When it comes to pure mana manipulation technique, she might actually be better than me.

But that alone isn't enough to win.

Lilith realized I’d pinpointed her location, but I already had her in my sights. She moved through the darkness at high speed, drawing more knives. She had eight of them—each with a different enchantment—and she flicked them toward me from between her fingers with blinding speed.

God, she's fast!

She must have flooded the gaps between her fingers with mana and then detonated it like gunpowder the moment she threw them.

Man, combat really is a constant learning experience. This is great.

However...

“Sorry, Lilith. If I were anyone else, this might’ve ended differently.”

I swatted every single knife out of the air, used Unnatural to accelerate, and cut her down. As her mana leaked out, she slumped forward on the spot. The bloodlust vanished, and her mana levels plummeted instantly.

“Kh...”

I couldn't afford to go easy on her. Even through her training uniform, that had to have hurt like hell.

...But this is for the best.

I walked over slowly and took Lilith’s ring. It would be easy to finish her off here, but...

“...Why... don’t you finish it?”

“Rings are the only things that grant points. There’s no point in taking you out of the game. If I have time for that, I’d rather go look for the next ring. Later.”

...That was the truth. There was no benefit to defeating her. However, Lilith’s mana was nearly depleted; she’d probably pass out soon. Just moving would be a struggle.

This forest is dangerous, but the Undead Monsters here tend to be the type that stay still rather than roam around. As long as she doesn't do anything reckless, she should survive. That said, if she ends up with zero rings, she might get expelled.

Well, what you do now is up to you, Lilith.

“...Thank you... so much. I... I will never give up.”

As I walked away, I saw that the light in Lilith’s eyes hadn't faded.

Heh. That’s my maid for you.

I let a small smile slip and vanished into the woods.