<”Haa….”>

  My breath was uneven.

  My hands shook.

  My body felt like it wasn’t even mine anymore.

  My mind refused to function.

  I forced myself to take deep breaths, inhaling and exhaling, but the weight in my chest refused to fade.

  <”Let’s assume all of those incidents were caused by Sis Hazel. How many people died by her hands?”>

  Aza’s response came instantly.

  【In the battlefield, it probably reached 1000 people.】

  【In the town in the empire, approximately 9500.】

  【In the town in the holy kingdom, about 10500.】

  【So, in total there are 21000 people from human, elf, and cat races that died by her hands.】

  【However…】

  【There is a possibility that some of those in the laboratories were already deceased. There is a scenario where all of them already died before she arrived at the laboratory.】

  【So… The lowest estimate places the number of lives she took between 14,000 and 21,000.】

  <“That's… 14 to 21 times more than what Sis Esta did.”>

  【Correct.】

  The numbers felt unreal.

  A single person shouldn’t be able to take that many lives.

  But Sis Hazel did.

  <”But her status points… They don’t match that number.”>

  【There are multiple factors: the race of her victims, whether they were trained fighters or civilians, and whether she maintained or lost control of her emotions. If her emotion peaked, she may have gained more status points than usual. And these massacres were spread across multiple incidents. The points she received per kill could vary between 1 to 10.】

  There were too many unknowns. Too many things we couldn't quantify.

  But one thing was certain—

  Sis Hazel’s hands were stained with more blood than I could even comprehend.

  Her smile, so bright and carefree.

  Her laughter, so light and innocent.

  How?

  How could she smile so naturally?

  How could she act so normal after all she had done?

  After all she had endured?

  <”Aza… Based on everything we’ve uncovered, what do you think her past was like?”>

  【...I can piece together a possible scenario.】

  I wasn’t sure if I had to hear it.

  But I wanted to.

  【The first incident started 23 years ago, meanwhile she was enslaved 30 years ago.】

  【For at least seven years, she was trained as an assassin. This explains how she developed the Shadow element.】

  【Twenty-three years ago, she was likely forced to kidnap people from her own homeland, using her shadow element.】

  【Twenty years ago, her master died. That’s when she went wild and massacred the empire’s town. She likely obtained the Decay element at that time.】

  【Then, driven by her own will, she traveled to the Holy Kingdom… and did it again.】

  I swallowed.

  She wasn’t just forced.

  At some point, she chose to kill.

  【She was likely captured after that massacre and sold back into slavery. For thirteen years, there were no recorded incidents tied to her elements.】

  【Considering her status was fake, and there were no further incidents, she likely posed as an ordinary villager.】

  I already knew what came next.

  【During that time, she must have suffered similar fate as that elf.】

  A bitter taste filled my mouth.

  【She was likely raped by soldiers.】

  I clenched my teeth so hard I thought they would shatter.

  I wanted to scream.

  I wanted to tear this entire world apart.

  How much more pain did she have to endure!?

  【Then, seven years ago, something changed. Her status was likely revealed, and she was forced onto the battlefield.】

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  【She fought against her own race. Against fellow catkin. Against elves.】

  【But at some point in the battle, her master died.】

  And then—

  【She turned on the humans soldiers.】

  She slaughtered them.

  I could picture it in my head.

  The battlefield soaked in blood.

  Bodies collapsing, their flesh rotting in seconds.

  Soldiers screaming in agony as their bodies withered into nothing.

  【I couldn’t determine what happened after that. Assuming her next master is that red-haired adventurer, probably she fainted on the battlefield with her status faked as C-Rank, and only the earth element was revealed by her. Thus, she was sold as a slave again and bought by that adventurer.】

  <”...”>

  I couldn’t speak.

  Sis Hazel’s past wasn’t a story.

  It wasn’t fiction.

  It was real.

  Aza’s analysis was incredible. But the truth behind it was unbearable.

  <”Thirty years ago, she was still a child, right?”>

  【Correct. A 40-year-old catkin has the body and mind of an 8-year-old human.】

  An eight-year-old child, trained as an assassin.

  <”How do they train assassins?”>

  【In broad daylight, they pose as normal children. They play, guide travelers, and blend into society. This is how they learn to wear perfect fake expressions.】

  So this is the reason Sis Hazel was able to wear such a happy expression despite all the pain she had experienced…

  【At night, they train their aura, mana, and physical bodies.】

  【They sleep two to a room, forming a close bond with their only friend.】

  【To gain experience in battle… they are made to fight against other pairs. In a duel or battle royale.】

  <”... Wait… You mean—”>

  【Yes. They are forced to kill other children.】

  Crazy…

  Their master even let go of the potential human resources as if they were just trash, only to produce better quality.

  They preferred quality over quantity.

  But the method to obtain such quality was so cruel.

  【It will be repeated several times for a few years until their master was satisfied with the result, then they will take a final test.】

  <“Final test? Isn’t killing other kids for a few years already enough to get experiences?”>

  【The final test is used to finalize their emotions.】

  <”...Finalize their emotions?”>

  【They must fight and kill their only friend.】

  The room spun.

  I felt nauseous.

  <”Wha… What?”>

  I barely managed to get the words out.

  My eyes trembled.

  For seven years, they walked on thorny paths.

  The only thing that can ease their pain,

  the only one who could give them happy moments,

  was their only roommate.

  Yet—

  They are forced to erase their only reason to live,

  using their own hands.

  How cruel is it…?

  【Master, calm down.】

  After everything…

  After suffering for years…

  They are forced to kill the only person they have left…

  How cruel.

  How monstrous.

  What kind of world allows this to happen!?

  I looked down at my hands.

  They wouldn’t stop shaking.

  The tears started flowing down from my eyes.

  【Master, calm down!】

  I had a similar experience.

  My only friends in my previous life had died due to accidents and sickness.

  Just by receiving information about my friend's death was enough to create trauma for me.

  So, I understood the pain of losing a friend.

  But, can I really understand her pain?

  She was forced to kill her own friend with her own hands!

  My whole body trembled.

  I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

  Sis Hazel…

  She must have smiled.

  She must have laughed.

  She must have found warmth in that one person.

  And then, she had to kill them.

  I imagined myself in her position.

  What if my friend died in front of my eyes?

  What if I had to kill the only person who ever cared about me?

  What if I had to destroy my only reason for living?

  No, no, no, no, no!

  I can’t!

  I don’t want to imagine it!

  【Master!】

  "Ha... Ha… Ha… Ha…"

  I was breathing too fast. I felt like I was going to pass out.

  Killing her only friend.

  Kidnapping her own people.

  Witnessing human experiments.

  Being used as a tool for men’s desires.

  Slaughtering thousands.

  Being thrown into war.

  Even now, she was still being forced into life-threatening battles.

  How did she survive?

  How could she still smile!?

  【MASTER!】

  I snapped back to reality.

  Aza’s voice was louder than ever.

  “Ha... Ha… Ha… Ha…” My breathing was ragged.

  【Master, let’s sleep.】

  <”But…”>

  【No but!】

  For the first time, she sounded angry.

  She can feel what I felt, so my previous state was felt by her too.

  <”... Sorry, Aza.”>

  【Stop! Stop worrying about me! Stop thinking about others’ situations too! Our conversation for tonight is over! Go sleep right now!】

  <”O-Okay…”>

  So scary!

  It can’t be helped.

  I have to sleep now, although I don’t know whether I can sleep after thinking about Sis Esta’s and Sis Hazel’s past.

  I laid down, exhausted.

  As my consciousness faded, a final thought lingered.

  Somehow, I think Aza’s voice was not as mechanical as before.

  But probably it's just my imagination.