No, it looks like the problem will be on the same level as me after all.
There were two people to my right.
One bedridden, connected to numerous tubes inside of which was a liquid very similar to that in the flasks.
And the other one.
The other kept standing with his back to me.
I still had a chance to deal with it quickly, if I took advantage of the cloak before entering, but how was I supposed to know that the person inside would be at the same core grade as me.
I saw the marquis weaker.
Was there any way I could have known about it beforehand?
That's unlikely.
Just should have been a little more cautious.
And here, after everything, I think that I would be the last person to let carelessness get me killed.
Now the chance is gone, even if he doesn't show it, I know that he senses my presence.
Fighting in a limited space without a way to move through the shadows.
This is the moment to leave.
I wanted to have a quiet couple of years, but a couple of years on the run will do too.
Better than death.
Without taking my eyes off him, I slowly walked backwards towards the exit.
"Princess is dead?"
He didn't even turn around asking the question that immediately stopped me from leaving.
Maybe there's still a chance here?
Lie, get close with a dagger in my hand and end it all with one strike.
Good thing that my mind works faster than my mouth.
Sick, though better said dying.
Empty mansion.
Empire.
And an assassination attempt on the crown princess, which I clearly shouldn't have survived.
I have to admit my assumptions were a bit wrong.
On the other hand, now I have an opportunity.
If something important was stored somewhere, it would be here.
And while it's hard to tell from a certain point, but I would say he looks like a person who doesn't sleep for a week.
Now, it's time to reconsider what I have.
Yes, I can't move through the shadows here.
And yes, the shadows themselves would burn faster than they could do any damage, but I still have ten daggers.
Two really, made of ihor steel that I can't afford to lose.
That leaves me with two ordinary ones, and six enhanced ones to provide various effects.
With everything else, my chances aren't that bad.
"No."
I replied, drawing my dagger in the process and hiding it behind my back.
Now, it's a matter of seconds before things escalate to violence.
"Why?"
Instead, I get another question. This is the first time I've met someone in these circumstances face-to-face, but I'm glad to know that I don't miss much.
Oh, yeah, I have to answer something.
"Because I didn't want to."
And it's not a lie either, just an insufficient reason.
If it wasn't for the fact that it's a hundred percent death, I--.
Since when did I start lying to myself? I still wouldn't do it.
Some people can be really annoying with their morale.
And already dead, so there's not even a way to argue about it.
And how much simpler my life would be, if it weren't for that line on the sand.
Though, I think I was clean after deciding to not burn the world down.
That was the moment when I looked at my shadow.
I'll have time to figure it out later.
"Why didn't you kill her?"
Same question for a second time?
I returned my attention back to him.
His shoulders were shaking.
Seems that he doesn't even expect me to respond.
"If you would just." He finally turned and stared at my cloaked face. "If you just killed her."
The last signs of sanity were beginning to disappear in his gaze.
"Then my son." His voice began to trailed off as he clenched his fists. "They would have given the medicine to my son."
I don't think it's worth pointing out the obvious right now.
First, when people finally realize that making promises and keeping them are two different things. Those people who he refers to really master making promises and then sweep the skeletons under the carpet.
Second, after having a closer look at the man lying on the bed.
The symptoms of aether overuse become quite noticeable, from blue veins spreading out from the center of the chest, to dead pale skin in addition to loose nails and hair.
Disgusting thing, and once you cross the line of using more aether than you have, that's the end.
Every single person who forms a core has been told not to use more aether than they have, in order to prevent this from happening, in rare cases people learn it through experience, by watching someone else who suffers from exactly that fate.
It's hard to imagine the level of agony he's enduring at this point.
And no amount of artificial sleep is going to save him from that.
And yes, the cure simply doesn't exist.
"So answer me why?!" he started shouting. "Why does my son have to die because of you?!"
Blood began to flow from his clenched fists.
I guess with that, I confidently can say there's nothing left of his sanity.
That's troublesome.
Madness makes people unpredictable.
I shouldn't have let him to ramble.
"You didn't want to." An insane maniacal smile began to form on his face. "My son is going to die because you didn't want to accomplish the only thing you're fit for in your pathetic life."
Considering the situation, I won't take it personally, but continuing to stand there and do nothing is no longer an option.
"Fine."
When he said that, he became completely expressionless.
Next second his brown eyes ignited with a red flame.
After another second, ash began to fall from his red hair.
"If u dont want to save my son's life." His skin began to glow red. "Then u can just die."
With that last world, his hands turned into claws with flame burning under its scales.