SSS-Class Sui**de Hunter - Chapter 99

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Episode 99. Your Heart (3)
3
Blank.
-Zombie. Hey, Kim Zombie.
In this world, there is an onomatopoeia called “blank”—it can mean nonsense, or it can mean your mind has gone utterly empty.
Blank.
-Kim Zombie? Kim Bapssae? Sect Leader? Listen here, Sa Wang. You deaf?
I am blank. I cannot tell the difference between blank and myself. I am the blankness, and the blankness is me.
Only one image surfaces in my mind now.
A crimson carpet. Scarlet eyes. Blue fragrance. A voice. A touch.
-This bastard. He’s struck. He’s struck hard. That look in his eyes—it’s exactly the same as when that Jekal brat fell for the Starlight Lord.
What is love, anyway……?
Confucius once said: love was a lily.
Silver Lily…….
-I’m sorry, zombie. This is all my fault. Our ranks are different. Too different. Because of me, you’ve ended up falling for someone beneath your station.
As I stared blankly, the Backhoe Spirit was picking his nose with a finger. This had to be the worst posture a person could adopt while apologizing—though, well, he wasn’t a person but a ghost.
Right, not human at all…….
-But honestly, it’s hilarious. Keep going, more.
I mumbled blankly to myself.
‘Suicide…….’
-Huh?
‘If I killed myself, I could experience what happened before all over again, right……?’
-Insane bastard……. Yet you still have enough sense not to say suicide regression out loud. Thank God for that, at least. But you know this is being broadcast to everyone in the Tower, right…….
“Suicide…….”
-And there goes that last bit of sense! This crazy fool! Hey! Sparkle!
[Sparkle springs up and smacks the Hero’s head.]
“Aaaagh!”
I wrapped my head in my arms and rolled across the garden’s grass.
“I know I’m not in my right mind right now! But I keep seeing Miss’s face and I don’t know what to do!”
-He’s already added the honorific. The madness is loading its second round…….
“Ah, I absolutely cannot wash my face today. And even if I do, I won’t scrub my ears. I can still smell the lily scent a little, can’t I? Would you like to smell my ear to check?”
-Second round loading…….
“How many times did the Crown Prince save the world in his past lives that he gets to be loved by Miss? Dammit. I need the internet. Internet and a computer. I need to flood every trending post with comments saying ‘I want to be like the Crown Prince too’…….”
-Third round. Shit…….
“Oh, love! Sweet poison! Irresistible addiction! My heart!”
-Now I know. If this bastard falls in love, he’ll become the most unhinged thing in the universe. And I gave him advice anyway—which makes me a real bastard.
“I’m not the only one going crazy!”
[Your immersion in the character deepens.]
[Your current Immersion Rate is 21%.]
“See? My original butler’s immersion is climbing too. It means we’re both harboring the same feelings, doesn’t it? It means my butler has fallen for Silver Lily as well!”
-Wait, didn’t that butler like Gold Hairpin or Purple Hawk before?
“Ha, you don’t understand. Does love have to dig into just one person? Love isn’t like that, is it? Love is, you see, love is… love.”
-Wow, and it’s only been half a day since he fell in love for the first time…….
I sprawled out flat on the grass. Midday. Academy class time. The Heresy Inquisitor, the Crown Prince, Silver Lily—they were all in class right now.
“How can I save Silver Lily? Wait, save? That’s not my place. Just… how can I make Miss happy?”
-As the one responsible for unleashing your madness upon the world, let me offer you some advice.
The Backhoe Spirit grunted.
-Now is not the time to think about that, my boy.
“Then when should I be thinking about it, elder?”
-You need to know your partner better first.
“Know your partner.”
-Yes. In romance, it’s important to keep making impressions on them. Among strangers, it gets awkward. But you’re her full-time attendant. You’re guaranteed time together just by existing. You have a geographical advantage.
“A geographical advantage…….”
-That’s right. So observe your partner more freely.
“But…….”
-But what?
“This world’s going to end soon anyway.”
-Hmm.
The Backhoe Spirit folded his arms.
-That is indeed the problem.
There was something subtle about the Backhoe Spirit’s tone. It felt as though the “problem” I had mentioned and the one it spoke of were two entirely different things.
But just then, the bell rang to signal the end of class, so I didn’t get a chance to ask why its inflection had been so peculiar.
The true nature of the problem revealed itself that very night.
4
The night was dark as the clouds swallowed the moon.
The candlelight burning in the dormitory struggled valiantly against the gloom, yet it was clear that the effort fell short. Sormewin Academy lay submerged in shadow.
“Think of this as a reward for the remarkable thing you showed me.”
Through it all, Silver Lily led the way, holding a lamp aloft in her own hands.
I followed behind her, careful not to tread upon her shadow.
“I shall reveal my secret to you.”
……
Silver Lily wore a nightgown—a white one-piece dress that hung loosely about her frame. Each time the hem fluttered, my heart leaped in sync; was this, as the Backhoe Spirit had suggested, my circuits firing at full capacity? And yet, could such madness truly feel this warm?
“Follow me.”
Silver Lily walked. The midnight corridors held no other soul. As I trailed behind, my gaze fixed upon her fingers, illuminated by the lamplight.
“What are you thinking of right now?”
Silver Lily spoke suddenly.
“Pardon?”
“I asked what you were thinking. I can feel your eyes upon me. I’m curious.”
……
“Though my claim upon you is merely temporary, you are my personal servant. Would it not be nothing but disloyalty to refuse your mistress when she asks? Since I have expressed my curiosity, you are bound to answer.”
I hesitated.
“It was…….”
“Speak.”
“I was thinking… that I wanted to hold your hand, Miss.”
The moment the words left my mouth, it felt as though not my tongue but my heart had spilled forth. The sensation was shame.
Even when I heard that song from Sparkle, I had never felt so mortified. Truly. My face burned so hot I thought I would die.
“Hmm.”
Just then, something enclosed my left hand.
It was Silver Lily’s hand.
Skin. Touch. The cool temperature. The moment her delicate fingers interlaced with mine, I nearly mistook it for my heart being squeezed within her grasp. The scent of flowers bloomed thick in my mind.
Simply from holding hands.
“M-Miss.”
“Have you thought of nothing but me all day long?”
My tongue went dry in my mouth.
“Did you yearn for my touch and fragrance? Did you imagine them?”
“That is to say…….”
“Answer me. If you do not speak truthfully, I shall release your hand.”
“I-I did think of you.”
“Clearly.”
My head grew dizzy.
“All day long, Miss, I could think of nothing but you.”
The flower’s fragrance became a whisper against my ear.
“Well spoken. You are my faithful servant.”
[Your Immersion Rate with this character is deepening.]
[Your current Immersion Rate is 29%.]
Now.
I don’t know what anything is anymore.
I just… don’t know.
“M-Miss, this isn’t right.”
“What isn’t right?”
Think.
I need to think.
“I am… from beyond this world. I merely borrowed the body of a servant…….”
“And?”
[The Silver-Plated Heart gazes upon you.]
“Did you not say that you see me as ‘human’?”
“I…….”
“Was it a lie?”
[The Silver-Plated Heart gazes upon you.]
“After all, do you see me as merely a ‘native’ or ‘inhabitant’ like the other apostles do? Or, to use the terminology of Hamustra who sent you, do you see me as a mere ‘character’?”
[A Silver-Plated Heart that you…….]
“I…….”
I managed to speak.
“I… no, rather, I. That is to say, my true master is Gold Hairpin.
[Your immersion with this character deepens.]
[Your current Immersion Rate is 30%.]
“As for me, I merely agreed to attend to the Lady Silver Lily for a time on assignment, and therefore…….”
“That too is a strange thing to say.”
Silver Lily gazed at me.
“You said you thought only of me all day long. Inverted, does that not mean you did not think of Gold Hairpin at all?”
“That is…….”
“Was it a lie?”
[A Silver-Plated Heart that…….]
“No. It was not a lie, I…….”
My head.
My breath.
“If so, then your master is no longer Gold Hairpin, but me, is it not?”
“That is…….”
“Try calling me Master.”
The interlaced fingers tightened slightly.
“Even just once is enough. Say it with sincerity.”
“…….”
“If you let that word pass your lips, I shall bestow a reward upon you.”
A reward.
“A sweet reward, I promise.”
For reasons I could not fathom, my heart grew sweetly heavy at those words.
I was about to open my mouth without thinking.
—Gongja.
A soft call.
[Sparkle trembles and restores the Hero’s senses.]
A Constellation’s warning.
That both of them showed such a reaction, this languid intoxication I was now feeling—all of it felt familiar.
The same sensation I had felt when I saw Silver Lily interrogating the servants in the Basement.
A premonition of danger.
“Hmm?”
Silver Lily turned to look at me. Red eyes within her still-expressionless face fixed upon me.
“Why do you hesitate?”
A whisper.
“Do you not desire a reward?”
A reward.
“Just once is sufficient.”
Just once…….
If only once. As a test, would it not be all right if I did it just once?
True, I feel the danger. But then again. Even if something went wrong, I possess the power to turn back time. Yes… I have such power. So it should be worthwhile to take on a little risk. Or rather, thinking about it more carefully, “taking on a risk” might not even be the right way to phrase it. Isn’t it necessary to gather information about what might happen if I let those words pass my lips? Why, when there were once traitors among the Rankers, when I first faced the Demon King of Autumn Rain, didn’t similar situations align in certain ways? So wouldn’t it be fine? To say just one thing. If it goes wrong, I can simply rewind time once. It will just end there. I have such an ability after all.
Then perhaps, truly perhaps, even if I let such words pass my lips…….
「But you know I’m the Flame Emperor, don’t you?」
「Then you should die for me.」
My nape grew cold.
「Sa Wang.」
「I believe in you.」
The tips of my fingers froze.
「My Lord.」
My head.
「My disciple.」
My senses snapped awake.
The fog before my eyes cleared. My mind grew sharp. As though desperately trying to reinforce what had frozen still until now, thought raced with sudden clarity.
Was I someone who could submit so easily?
Had the weight upon my shoulders been so light?
No.
I am the Lord of Agui.
And the deputy leader of the Demon Cult.
I have lived to avoid becoming like Yusu.
That is why, so as not to treat even a single death as inevitable, I fled across the snow fields with the Philosopher’s Stone Lord.
“…I apologize, my lady.”
I placed my palm upon the back of Silver Lily’s hand. Even if it was only words.
Precisely because it was only words.
“Apologize for what?”
“I cannot acknowledge you as my true master.”
I wish to learn the joy of love. I am learning it. But even so, I do not wish to learn it to the point of losing [myself].
At the very least, I cannot enter into a one-sided relationship with anyone.
“If you truly wish to claim my heart, then you must employ a different method.”
“Speak. I will listen.”
“I will serve you as my master, so you must also take me as yours.”
“…….”
“I will treasure your judgment over my own. I will accept your counsel as weightier than my convictions. I will not hold myself as most precious. I will follow you. But in return.”
I gazed upon Silver Lily’s face. With hands joined together, the distance between us was very small. Those crimson eyes. I understood then that they were the very color of her heart.
“You must treat me the same way.”
“…….”
“If you do something wrong, I will tell you it was wrong. Everything I think truly, everything I see, everything I feel—I will confess to you without a shred of falsehood. But a one-sided bond is unbearable. If I surrender my heart to you, what shall I breathe with? One day my breath will fail and I will perish. Only if you give me your heart in return can I continue to live.”
I gripped Silver Lily’s hand more firmly.
“If you wish to see me lose myself, then you must lose yourself for me.”
And Silver Lily pulled her hand away. She stepped back two paces, as though struck by an unexpected blow.
“…Indeed.”
Yet Silver Lily’s expressionless face had not crumbled.
“You are unlike the other foolish apostles. I took you for a docile little thing… but you were not unfamiliar with love so much as unfamiliar with living itself. You simply hurried too much.”
“You sought to seduce me into servitude, did you not?”
“It was my error. I underestimated you.”
Silver Lily bit her lip briefly. Even that face struck fear into the heart with its beauty. In the corridor at night, even the white moonlight bent to cast shadows around her.
“Yes. I am not so easy a man, you see.”
“A pity. It would be pleasant if you surrendered everything to me and found peace.”
“You said understanding and responsibility are not separate things. One-sided responsibility is merely one-sided understanding. I did not come to you seeking such a thing.”
My heart raced, but I held it in.
“So what is this secret you mean to tell me?”
“…….”
Silver Lily turned and walked away.
“…My house possesses a treasure handed down since ancient times. A sword shrouded in legends that seem almost like jest. They say it is a blade that grants any wish one makes, without fail.”
The end of the corridor.
Where even moonlight ceased to drift in, a bundle of curtains lay draped. They were thick, crimson curtains. The bundle was arranged as if concealing something.
“But there is a condition.”
Silver Lily’s fingertips grasped the hem of the curtain. With a flutter, it was swept aside. Beyond the drape stood a full-length mirror of the sort one might find in a powder room.
And.
“When one makes a wish, one must pierce one’s own heart with the blade.”
A sword was embedded in the center of the mirror.
Silver Lily stood before the mirror.
Where the blade was lodged, it happened to pierce where Silver Lily’s heart lay.
[Sparkle senses the presence of its sister blade.]
The Holy Sword at my waist trembled.
[Sparkle recognizes it as the third sister blade of the guardian swords.]
Drip. Drop.
Blood fell drop by drop from the mirror into which the sword was driven. The curtains that concealed the mirror were not originally crimson. The blood flowing from the mirror’s heart had stained them red.
[It is called the Blade of Supplication.]
“This was before I became a Regressor. The Crown Prince was to be united with Gold Hairpin. I was so deeply grieved, so wounded by it, that I threw myself upon the family sword and made a wish.”
“What wish……?”
Silver Lily’s lips moved.
—May my love endure forever.
“And so my life became eternal.”
“…….”
“Even in death I do not die. My heart toward the Crown Prince remains unchanged. My heart has been fixed in place since that day.”
Silver Lily took my hand.
She drew it to her breast.
Where the heart should be. Where it must exist.
“You said you desired my heart?”
But.
No heartbeat echoed from that place.
“Forgive me.”
Silver Lily spoke.
“I have no heart to offer you.”
[A Silver-Plated Heart regards you.]
And then blood flowing from the mirror began to pool, taking on a small shape.
Though smaller in size, it was the same creature that had slaughtered the Holy Paladin and the Count in the previous cycle.
A demon’s form.
I couldn’t say whether the blood flowing from the mirror had conjured this thing or forged it—whether it had been summoned or created.
“Come.”
But Silver Lily raised her sword with practiced ease.
“Help me.”
The blade was leveled at the small demon.
“It is time to finish today’s work.”
S-Rank Hunter: Must Die to Live (Serial)
Author | Shin Noa
Publisher | Kim Ju-hyung
Published by | J Plus Media Co., Ltd.
Marketing | Han Jae-hyuk
Address | 204, 288 Digital-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul (Guro-dong, Daelung Post Tower 1st)
Email | [email protected]
Website | www.jayplemedia.com
© Shin Noa 2019
※This work is published by J Plus Media Co., Ltd. in accordance with a contract with the copyright holder. The content may not be used in any form or by any means without permission from the publisher and author.
Violation of this may result in criminal and civil legal liability.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————