AWLITEB Chapter 10

After leaving the tavern, Isabella pulled the bracelet from her cloak pocket and smiled with satisfaction.

"I think that's a pretty good time."

Isabella headed toward the alley and looked back at the tavern. Genos would follow soon, and then she could return to his mansion.

But when the tavern door opened and someone came out... it was Marok.

Isabella still held the bracelet in her hand, and Marok spotted it too.

Sensing danger, Isabella immediately turned and ran, but Marok, a former knight, was far too fast.

Marok grabbed her hair and threw her to the ground.

"Ahhh!"

Isabella barely managed to brace with both hands, avoiding hitting her head.

'Even awakening as a witch doesn't change getting beaten up.'

"You dare steal my bracelet?!"

Marok kicked the wall in fury.

'Should have run as soon as I came out. It would have been perfect!' Even in this situation, Isabella's expression crumpled with regret.

Marok grabbed Isabella's hair and lifted her head. He glared at her face with eyes full of rage and murderous intent.

"You dare make up such a story to steal my belongings? Filthy thing."

Marok roughly released her hair and pulled a dagger from his jacket.

'Wait. This situation is going wrong.'

Isabella bit her dry lips as she watched the blade glinting under the night street.

"I knew it. There's not a single person in this world to trust. Everyone's the same."

Marok muttered as if deranged, scraping his dagger across the wall.

Screeeeech—the blade grinding against rough stone burrowed into Isabella's ears.

She needed to concentrate. But seeing that sword made it difficult.

Isabella watched Marok warily while slowly getting to her feet.

She needed to use magic like when she'd killed the drunk before—but she had an ominous feeling that the sword flying toward her heart would be much faster.

Then, behind Marok's back, she saw Genos.

'Thank god!' Isabella quickly raised her hand.

Marok turned around too.

"H-help me!"

When Isabella shouted, Marok asked while pointing his sword at her.

"You know her?"

Genos met Marok's eyes and answered.

"No."

At Genos's curt response, Marok's gaze returned to Isabella.

'What?!'

Isabella's expression turned to shock, but Genos merely leaned his shoulder against the wall leisurely.

'Maybe me being a witch was all a lie? Maybe the Grand Duke conspired with Rosalie to mock me this whole time?'

'Maybe killing that drunk was just a once-in-a-lifetime miracle?'

Her head spun busily with countless thoughts.

"You came prepared to die when you stole from someone, right?"

Marok asked, stabbing his dagger into the wall—thunk, thunk.

Isabella swallowed dry saliva and gave an awkward smile. Facing death's crisis, laughter leaked out as a last resort.

"How about we solve this problem with conversation?"

"Crazy b*tch."

Marok laughed emptily.

"Money. I'll pay you back with money."

Isabella reached into her pocket and pulled out the earrings and necklace.

"I'll give you all of this. They're real jewels."

"If you had real jewels hanging all over you like that, why would you steal a metal bracelet?"

'I don't know either. I don't know why I had to steal your bracelet specifically!'

Isabella held out her trembling hand with the jewels.

"They're real jewels! At least check them, please!"

"Don't need them, you damned b*tch. I'm going to kill you."

Marok gritted his teeth.

Isabella looked at Genos desperately, and Genos mouthed words.

'Bracelet. Without it. You. White. Family.'

'What?!'

Isabella doubted her own eyes.

'That's what you have to say now? I'm about to die!'

"How should I kill you?"

Marok asked with a snickering laugh. His earlier politeness and manners were truly nowhere to be found. Madness rolled in his bloodshot eyes.

"If you don't mind, could you refrain from murder? And I'd appreciate it if you'd hand over the bracelet too."

Isabella clasped both hands together.

She'd said it seriously, but Marok smiled.

"You've really lost it."

Marok's lips slowly closed. He no longer showed even a trace of amusement.

"Playtime's over. Die!"

Marok's dagger flew through the air.

Isabella couldn't even scream.

'I'm going to die.'

She squeezed her eyes shut as the dagger rushed toward her.

Her wretched life flashed before her eyes like a film strip.

But the next moment.

Instead of pain from a hole in her head, she felt only heavy weight through her hand.

Isabella's eyes flew open in shock.

Marok's wrist was caught in her hand. His face turned bright red as he tried to break free.

Isabella felt like she was playing with a small child.

Energy and power surged from her toes through her entire body, heating her up.

The witch's "Strength" ability.

Isabella couldn't believe she was wrestling with an adult man when Rosalie's mere shoulder brush used to make her stagger.

"What, what kind of trick are you using!"

Marok's face reddened further as he struggled harder. But nothing changed.

When Isabella shoved his wrist forcefully, Marok tumbled to the ground. The dagger fell with a clang.

Spectator Genos looked down at the sprawling Marok leisurely.

"Sorry, but I really need that bracelet. Actually, it's not for me, but anyway—I'll pay for it with jewels, so could you please leave?"

Isabella asked as politely as possible, but such words couldn't work in this situation.

"You messed with the wrong person. I'm going to kill you!"

Marok sprang up and lunged at Isabella. He gripped her throat with both hands with all his strength.

Isabella grabbed Marok's wrists, but the witch's strength ability wouldn't activate this time.

She struggled, choking.

Her breath grew labored and oxygen disappeared.

Physically it was agonizing, but strangely her mind gradually grew calm. She wasn't afraid at all.

Rather, as life's flame slowly extinguished, something inside her seemed to writhe.

Isabella's lips began twitching upward. She didn't know why she was smiling.

As a smile appeared on her face, goosebumps rose on Marok's body. He squeezed harder.

"Y-you, crazy! Filthy monster! Die, die!"

Marok screamed and shoved Isabella entirely against the wall.

Her back hit the wall with a thud, and her windpipe constricted more firmly.

But still Isabella wasn't afraid. Only Marok's curses were unpleasant.

Isabella frowned with displeasure even as her face turned deathly pale.

That look naturally made Marok more afraid. To hide it, he shouted louder.

"You, you don't know how terrifying I am! I, I even killed a three-year-old child. I massacred an entire family for money! I'll kill you the same way! Die!"

Just as Marok thrashed, veins bulging on the backs of his hands—

A tiny red light began blooming from Isabella's fingertips.

Marok's eyes widened at the sudden light.

"R-red light...?"

In that moment, vivid red light burst brilliantly from Isabella's hand.

"AHHHHH!"

Marok screamed and collapsed to the ground.

A perfect circular hole, as if drawn with a compass, pierced through his foot.

The red light at her fingertips gradually faded.

Isabella looked down at her hand.

Just like when power had burst out to block the blade, magic had erupted unconsciously again.

"Ahhh, ahhhhh!"

Marok writhed and twisted his entire body, screaming. Tears dripped from both eyes and uncontrollable shouts burst from his mouth.

Blood flowed steadily from the hole in his foot.

Isabella sighed and shook her head.

"Sorry. But do you know how disgusting it feels to be choked? No, setting that aside, why use such language? Do you know how cheap and worthless you look? You don't look manly at all. Just cheap and rude."

"Ahhh, ahh!"

"I've heard that kind of talk my whole life, and now I'm hearing it again even outside! Ugh, I'm sick of it!"

"Ahhh! Ahhhhh!"

"Are you even listening to me right now?"

Isabella asked seriously of the man with a hole in his foot. Naturally, Marok couldn't hear anything.

"This won't work. Then you should experience it yourself. How disgusting it feels to hear such words."

Isabella climbed over Marok's body and began choking him.

The force wasn't very strong, but Marok couldn't shake her off due to the pain in his foot.

"You crazy bastard! Wicked bastard! Filthy bastard!"

She was clearly saying it to teach him that disgusting feeling, but every time those words left her mouth, she somehow felt exhilarated.

The Marok before her eyes looked like Martha, then Rosalie, then Ethan.

A grin spread across Isabella's lips.

In that moment, a strange reaction occurred in her body.

Heat crawling up from her toes heated her entire body, then her heart pounded madly. Her whole body felt like it would explode.

Hot flames felt like they were penetrating through her body like pipes. Her entire body, especially her heart, burned to the point of bursting.

Tremendous strength entered Isabella's hands. Marok's face turned deathly white in an instant.

Simultaneously, a rich fragrance flowed from Isabella's body. No flower garden anywhere could have such a sweet, thick seductive scent.

In that moment, Marok's eyes filled with love.

A gaze mixed with tremendous affection, respect, and love. Marok moved his pale lips.

'I love you.'

"What?"

It was a love confession more absurd than snow in midsummer.

Before she could even finish being surprised by his confession, vivid red light burst from Isabella's palm.

The magic was so strong that Isabella was thrown backward.

"Ahhh!"

She tumbled to the ground, and Marok died with a hole through the center of his throat.

Isabella clutched her leg that had scraped properly against the ground, her expression crumpling.

"Are you all right?"

Only then did Genos push off the wall and approach.

As he walked toward Isabella, he set fire to Marok's body, now a corpse.

"Look."

As Genos crouched before Isabella and examined her leg, Isabella's gaze went to the corpse burning brightly behind him.

"C-can you burn him here? There are people right in front of the alley!"

"Look around for anyone sane on this street. Everyone's drunk on either alcohol or drugs, one or the other. Why do you think I brought you here specifically?"

Genos said while continuing to examine only Isabella's leg.

Isabella stared blankly at the blazing flames before shifting her gaze to Genos.

"Did I just kill someone again?"

"Yes."

"Then why didn't you stop me?"

"What are you talking about?"

"What do you mean what am I talking about... The task you gave me was stealing the bracelet. Not killing someone."

"Either way, you secured the bracelet as I ordered."

Genos pulled the bracelet from her cloak pocket and showed it.

"Get a grip, Isabella. There will be countless more incidents like this, and you're going to act like this over killing just one person... no, two? Besides, those two were a drunk about to commit a crime and a knight wanted for felonies."

Genos shook his head as if he didn't understand.

"...I was so unfamiliar with myself when I killed him. I always thought I wasn't completely sane anyway, but. Just now I really was..."

"Intoxicated, weren't you?"

"What?"

"You seemed intoxicated by murder."

Genos helped Isabella to her feet.

Isabella avoided his gaze and shook her head.

"That's. That's nonsense."

At Isabella's pathetic excuse, Genos smiled.

"But I can't tell which of the three abilities is most exceptional. When you got excited, all three burst out simultaneously."

"...I can walk by myself."

Isabella pushed away Genos trying to support her and trudged ahead.

She trembled as she passed the burning corpse.

Isabella walked quickly, and Genos kicked the corpse several times to break the bones into small pieces before following her.

A satisfied smile hung on Genos's lips.