I was almost confused by the sheer level of joy these people were showing at my apparent death.
I was pretty sure I even saw a few people wearing custom shirts that read:
[You have slain an Awakened Devil: The Dark City's Butcher]
Now, I wasn't sure whether I should feel proud that they thought I was an Awakened Devil… or furious that they somehow managed to make merchandise out of my fake death before I did.
Honestly, that part pissed me off the most.
I watched the crowd for a moment longer, then made my way toward the center of it—where people were clearly buying the shirts. I was careful not to bump into anyone. Invisible didn't mean untouchable, and explaining why a drunk suddenly felt an unseen shoulder slam into him would be… inconvenient.
And of course—of course—running the stall was Aiko.
Caster stood beside her, smiling like an idiot, handing out shirts and collecting payment.
"One soul shard per shirt!" Aiko announced cheerfully.
A complete scam.
Which only made me angrier.
Why wasn't I profiting from this?
I clenched my jaw. Normally, I'd pull Caster aside and tell him to keep some distance from Aiko. I didn't need him getting attached—especially when it was painfully obvious he already had, judging by the way he looked at her like she'd personally invented happiness.
But unfortunately, I had bigger problems than managing Caster's terrible taste.
One of the biggest being that certain people needed to know I wasn't actually dead.
And the first of them was Kai.
He was useful. Extremely so.
Not loyal to Gunlaug, but always hovering close to his forces. A skilled archer. Capable of flight. And most importantly—he could detect lies.
I'd considered offering him a contract for a long time. But I already knew the answer would be no.
Kai wasn't the kind of person who could follow me.
He feared killing humans.
That was what I liked about Caster, actually. He had no problem taking a life as long as it benefited him.
Kai, on the other hand… friendship was the better option. And friendship required loyalty.
Which meant telling him the truth.
I learned that lesson after my last death. Assuming people wouldn't care was far worse than letting them know I was still breathing.
I found Kai perched on the castle roof, legs dangling over the edge, watching the festival below.
"…Ehhh," I muttered, looking up. "I really have to climb, don't I?"
I did.
Even using my blood to assist the climb, it still took nearly half an hour. By the time I reached the top, I was already annoyed.
Kai didn't turn when I arrived. He was still watching the celebration, a small, tired smile on his face.
I pulled back my hood. No one could see me from this high up.
"Hey, Kai. What's up?"
I tried to sound normal. Casual.
I wasn't used to talking with friends. Most of my conversations involved Gluttony or Feltan—and neither of them were exactly normal.
'Excuse you. I am very normal by symbiote standards,' Gluttony snapped.
Yes. Of course.
Kai's smile faltered.
"Oh, you finally—"
He turned.
And froze.
"…Um," he said slowly. "What happened to your entire body?"
I rolled my eyes.
"Oh, you know. I tried controlling the blood of an ancient horror. It tried to kill me. I survived by burning myself alive."
Kai stared at me.
"…Really?"
"Yeah."
"How did that even happen?"
I sighed and sat beside him.
"It's a long story. Short version? I am never touching that blood again unless I want to be well done."
Kai snorted.
"I'd say you're well past that."
I laughed despite myself.
"So," I asked, nodding toward the crowd below, "why aren't you down there singing? Half of them would kill to hear you."
Kai glanced down at the festival.
"I don't like the song," he said quietly. "It's… bad."
That wasn't the whole answer. I could tell.
But it wasn't my place to press.
"Fair," I said. "Though I will say, the way they're portraying my so-called death is pretty unflattering."
Kai rolled his eyes.
"Which death? You've died, what—four times now? Honestly, I knew you weren't dead before I even confirmed it."
That caught my attention.
"Oh? And why's that?"
Kai laughed like I'd told a joke—then stopped when he realized I was serious.
"Well, for starters, I knew Changing Star was lying when she said she killed you. And even without my ability, I'm not stupid enough to believe they could kill you and walk away without half the city burning."
Silence stretched between us.
Then Kai turned to face me.
"Hey. I want to ask you something."
I nodded. "Go ahead."
He hesitated, eyes fixed on me.
"Do you feel remorse for killing so many people?" he asked. "Why did you kill them?"
I wasn't expecting that.
That was on me, really. Kai was moral to his core. Expecting him to just… accept what I'd done was idiotic.
Effie was similar, but different. She wasn't against killing—just against killing without reason. With her, I could argue self-defense.
Kai?
I couldn't lie.
He would know.
"It was either me or them," I said carefully. "Only one of us could live. I chose myself. And after that… people decided hunting me was a good idea. Over and over again."
Kai watched me closely.
"But did you try not to kill?" he pressed. "Or did you just take the easy option?"
I exhaled slowly.
"At first, I did. But sparing someone never ended it. They came back. With more people. Better armor. Better weapons. I decided my life wasn't worth risking for someone who wanted me dead."
Kai's jaw tightened.
"Do you even care?" he asked. "Do you remember the people you killed?"
I met his gaze.
"I have a question for you," I said. "Answer it, and you'll have my answer."
He nodded cautiously.
"Do you remember every nightmare creature you've killed? Did you ever hesitate? Did you ever try to save them?"
Kai frowned.
"…No."
"So why should I save humans?" I asked quietly. "What makes them different?"
He opened his mouth to interrupt.
"Nothing," I continued. "Every creature—human, animal, abomination—just wants to reach tomorrow. I don't feel remorse for sacrificing someone else's tomorrow so I can reach my own."
Kai looked away.
"I knew you wouldn't change," he said after a moment.
"Probably," I replied.
"Can you at least promise me you won't kill people for no reason anymore?"
I shook my head.
"If someone tries to kill me, they should be ready to die. If they aren't, they shouldn't try."
Kai stood.
"I don't know if I can be friends with a murderer," he said quietly. "But… I'll think about what you said."
Then he stepped off the edge of the roof and flew back down toward the festival.
I stayed where I was for a few minutes, watching the lights flicker below.
Unfortunately, I still had other people I needed to inform, so I climbed down from the castle and walked towards the castle doors, trying to get inside.