The Sixth Stigmata—Annise Redby

An Assassin of the Holy Church—I compared Annise Redby’s stats with my own.

Her class is Assassin, the same as Ruru from the former Hero party.

Her level rivals an A-Rank Adventurer, but compared to Kaine, who fought me to the death earlier, she doesn’t come close.

“I basically follow my boss’s orders—I’m getting paid, after all. But I’m not so devout that I’d happily die just because my boss told me to.”

“At least Kaine, that clergyman, was the kind of person who could stake his life on his faith.

“That one is a certified lunatic even within the Holy Church. If they use Senior Kaine as the standard, I’m done for.”

Annise laughed and continued, treating her colleague as a lunatic.

“So, big brother, I have a proposal—could you let me go this time?”

“Huh? You’re the one who came all the way to my hideout—what are you talking about?”

“I was just ordered to do it. Given my position, if I don’t follow orders my head’s on the line—here’s the scenario we’re going with —”

Annise snapped her finger and raised her index finger.

“—We raided the Shadow Necromancer’s hideout, but big brother Sid was too much for us, so we retreated and barely escaped with our lives—if we can spin that excuse, the boss should be satisfied.”

“…………”

‘—Sid—you don’t mean to fall for this brat’s nonsense, do you?’

I was torn.

The Holy Church is my target for revenge, and the Holy Church has marked the Shadow Necromancer (me) for extermination.

But like the sister girl I once fought alongside—Florence—who was an exception, not all clergymen hold the Shikai Tribe as an enemy to be hated.

I may still be a villain, but I’m not such a demon that I can kill people who mean no harm.

“Please! I’m begging you! Look—”

Annise clasped her hands together and pleaded.

At the very least, she hadn’t harmed Rin, whom she could have killed at any time.

And Rin, who had spent most of her life as a slave, let her guard down and was happily chatting.

She was happy to have a friend her age.

I’ve ordered the Goblin Lord to kill intruders without exception, so this could be considered self-defense.

If they’re a Shadow, I can resurrect them as many times as I want using MP.

So far, Annise hasn’t caused me any losses.

“Fine—I’ll accept that condition.”

If I fought her seriously here, Rin might see it.

If she saw her first friend killed by her master (me), it could become a deep trauma for Rin.

‘If she’s calculated all those assumptions into this negotiation—what a schemer.’

“Big brother Sid, as expected! You get it~! Oh, now that I look, you’re tall with long legs and pretty handsome~! If I were a guy, I’d have fallen for you at first sight!”

Why the hell?

Isn’t it usually the other way around?

And there was a little tone to the way she said ‘big brother’ that felt suggestive…

I won’t hand my Rin over to some nobody off the street.

“I’d like to make it look like we fought but couldn’t win, so could you do that little chop to the back of my neck to knock me out? And it’d be great if you could dump me on the road outside the forest afterwards.”

“Understood.”

I followed Annise as she poked the back of my neck, made a knife-hand, and raised it.

And just as I was about to bring it down—a killing intent.

――Swoosh!

“――――!?!”

One of my fingers――fell off.

――Skrk skrk skrk skrk!!

The next moment, all my fingers detached from my body, and my knuckles—my wrist—were sliced off one after another.

“――――Fuhit!”

Annise produced a dagger at blinding speed and slashed my arm into a bloody mess as it came down.

Like food cut into bite-sized pieces, everything beyond my wrist was chopped into countless bits of flesh!

“Wha!?!”

‘Fool! I told you not to let your guard down!’

Red eyes fixed on me.

There was no trace left of the carefree, playful girl.

I recognized those sharp eyes.

They were the same eyes as the assassin who slipped up and failed to finish me before, Ruru――the eyes of an Assassin.

“Like little Rinrin says. Big brother Sid, you’re really—too kind, aren’t you?”