NOVEL NEXT Chapter 14 - Parting Words
“…What are you doing here?”
Letty asked in a low, restrained voice, her hand on her short sword.
The air around her turned so cold that Ellie, standing behind her, trembled. However, the men, either too dull or too full of themselves, didn’t notice and instead approached with sneers.
“We’re just running an errand. But we got a question for you, lady.”
Letty’s eyes narrowed.
“Answer me first. Where’s Ted?”
“Huh, Ted? Oh, him? He’s probably rotting inside by now.”
At that moment she heard their unpleasant laughter…
“Ellie, the one on the left.”
“Yes!”
Immediately, a light bullet fired from Ellie, who had been quietly gathering magic behind them, pierced the chest of the man standing on the left of the group. At the same time—
“Huh?”
Letty’s figure had vanished from the spot she stood just a moment ago.
A puzzled voice.
Before the man on the right could realise what had happened, he crumpled to the ground like a puppet with its strings cut. Letty was now behind him.
From her short sword, which she had somehow already drawn, a small amount of blood dripped.
Before the stunned man could even blink, Letty moved again. Using the force of withdrawing the sword, she slashed behind his right ankle, severing his Achilles tendon.
“Huh!?”
As the man reacted to the pain and dropped his sword, still confused. She slashed diagonally behind his left knee, straightened up, and made swift cuts across his left shoulder and right shoulder.
With no strength left in his legs, the man collapsed in a heap, just like his fallen comrade.
“Aghh! It hurts! It hurts!”
Finally registering the pain surging through his body, the man screamed in agony, unable to muster enough strength to even flail. Without a second glance at him, Letty kicked the fallen sword far away.
“Ellie, I’m sorry, but keep an eye on him.”
“Y-Yes! Please be careful!”
There were many things she wanted to ask, but that would have to wait. Watching Letty enter the hut, Ellie quietly saw her off.
Inside the hut, just as she expected, Ted lay on the floor. His hands and feet were bound, his face deformed from beatings. Stab wounds covered his body.
“Ted, are you alive?”
After a quick glance to make sure there were no other enemies, Letty rushed to Ted’s side.
“…G-Ghost… Is that… you? Why are you… here?”
“I finished work sooner than expected. Let me treat your wounds—”
Her words faltered as she saw his injuries up close. The depth of the wounds, the amount of blood, and most of all, the deathly pallor on his face… She realized.
There was no saving him.
“Heh… I guess… you really do… know your own body… better than anyone…”
Ted coughed a few times and weakly smiled—if it could still be called a smile. His face could barely move.
“Don’t talk, your wounds…”
“Heh… Since you made it in time… at least let me talk… Those guys… they clearly knew about this place… and that I was here…”
Letty, who had been trying to stop him from speaking, froze at his words.
“Does that mean someone betrayed us? There’s a leak?”
“Yeah… they even knew… about you… They were planning… to track you down… But they were unlucky… to run into you…”
Understanding what must have happened outside, Ted smirked, amused.
“Do you recognize them?”
“Unfortunately… no… Even though I’m an informant… Sorry… but I can’t help you… Maybe… Old Bob might know…”
He coughed harshly, spilling blood from the corner of his mouth. Each breath seemed to bring him pain, causing his body to tremble.
“I see… I understand.”
“…Ted, just one last thing…”
Letty, furrowing her brow with a troubled expression, spoke after a brief hesitation.
“Do you… want to rest?”
Ted’s eyes widened slightly before he gave a faint nod.
“I’m sorry… please…”
He smiled, trying to look cheerful despite the tears threatening to spill from his eyes.
“I’m really… sorry… for always making you… do things like this…”
She couldn’t bear to look directly at his face.
“Close your eyes, then.”
“Yeah…”
Perhaps, for Ted, being able to reach the end was a form of salvation. His breathing grew calmer. Letty drew her short sword and knelt beside him.
“Goodnight, Ted.”
“Yeah… Goodnight.”
With a single, swift motion, Letty brought down the short sword.
The blade, propelled with precision and force, easily pierced the hardest part of the human body, the skull, and the brain beyond it.
Ted passed away instantly, his expression peaceful.
Letty then clasped his hands together on his chest.
For the first time in her life, she felt grateful for her skills.
**Next: Sentimental Feelings for Those Who Have departed**