# 163. The Beginning (5)
*The only place I can go without Uncle is here.*
Trudge— Trudge—
Hare walked with lifeless steps through the alley where she'd lived as a child.
A gloomy, foul-smelling place like a sewer.
For Hare, it was a familiar space that required no adjustment.
"Uncle. Uncle. Uncle. Uncle. Uncle."
Hare walked while repeating "Uncle" like a madwoman.
At the sight of her, even the beggars lying on the ground fled to avoid her.
Despite her beautiful appearance, Hare looked visibly insane.
"Uncle... Uncle..."
Hair disheveled and covering her eyes.
Dirt on her clothes from rolling down the mountain.
Blood flowing from her hands.
Every visible detail announced that she had lost her mind.
However, there were those who took such simple information lightly.
"Hey, I don't remember collecting a toll from you?"
"Uncle... why did you leave me behind..."
"...This bitch is ignoring me? Hey, stop right there."
A group of thugs with rough faces.
In the Garbage Dump where Hare was born, there were many such thugs.
A thug with a burly build approached Hare with threatening steps and grabbed her shoulder.
"When someone talks to you, you should listen, huh? Fuck, are you ignoring me because I'm in this shitty dump?"
"Uncle..."
"What? What's she babbling about? Hey, what's she saying?"
"Uh, she keeps muttering something about an uncle?"
The thug's companion brought his ear closer to listen more carefully to Hare's words.
"Hmm..."
"So, can you tell what she's saying?"
"Hold on, I'm not sure. Hehe."
The thug brought his ear even closer to feel Hare's breath.
The next time the thug opened his mouth, his voice had turned into a scream.
"Aaaargh—!! My, my ear—!! B-Boss—!! That bitch bit off my ear—!!"
"Fuck! She's crazy! Get ready to fight!"
"Ptui—"
Hare had bitten off the man's ear.
She glowed with red eyes as she swiftly assessed the situation around her.
*Four men. One dagger. Two longswords. One crossbow.*
This place hasn't changed even after all this time.
Actually, this works out well.
It's a good opportunity.
"A good opportunity to take revenge on you people who got Uncle killed."
"W-What?! When did I ever kill your dad—"
"Die."
With that death cry, Hare slashed the carotid artery in the burly thug's neck.
A red fountain sprayed toward the sky, and Hare turned the man's body to scatter the blood spray forward.
The thugs couldn't open their eyes properly.
"F-Fuuuck—!!"
"Uncle died because of you."
"What did I ever do—"
"...You must have wronged Uncle at least once."
You must have cursed at Uncle as he passed by.
You must have sprayed your stench at Uncle.
You definitely bothered Uncle.
You people have to be like that.
"Kuh, kuuugh..."
"So die for Uncle's sake."
Stab—
Hare used the thug as a shield and plunged her dagger into the thugs' vital points.
Unlike when she was with Uncle, there was no mercy in her attacks, and the thugs' corpses were severely mutilated.
It was all behavior Hare did to lessen her own guilt.
Hare leisurely left the alley that had become a sea of blood, muttering.
"Uncle definitely... died hurt because of bad people like them... So I have to take revenge..."
I have to.
I have to take revenge.
Because I love Uncle the most.
Hoping someone would attempt something bad toward her, Hare walked the alley again with the dagger hidden in her clothes.
"Where did Hare go..."
This is driving me crazy...!
Luna scratched her head in frustration.
She had searched the city for two weeks to find Hare, but couldn't find a single strand of her pink hair.
"Uncle said to find her within seven days if possible...!"
Why isn't her location written in the book...!
Luna wanted to throw the book in frustration, but since it was a keepsake Uncle left behind, she had no choice but to hug it.
After wandering around the city again today, Luna finally reached a place she'd never been before.
"...No one would be here by the looks of it."
Would Hare really enter such a filthy space?
"I know she's from this kind of back alley, but would she want to come back to a place like this..."
But she wasn't anywhere else.
I should go in once.
Just in case she might be there.
So Luna covered her nose against the stench and entered the alley.
"It's gloomy... and unpleasant..."
—Endure it, Hero. This too is a trial.
"Sh-Shut up...! I don't want to hear your voice—!"
Bang—!!
As soon as Luna heard the Holy Sword's voice, she immediately slammed her fist into the wall.
Though her mind wouldn't collapse thanks to the Holy Sword's help, her mental state had been painful every time the Holy Sword spoke since Uncle left.
It was fair to say Luna's patience was always at its limit.
"I'll find Hare quickly and leave... so never open your mouth... Got it?"
—...
"Haa..."
I miss Uncle...
Luna sighed.
After thinking of Uncle for a moment, she headed deeper into the alley.
And before long, she was able to spot a woman with a familiar face.
"I've seen her somewhere, who was it?"
"...I'm Irina, commander of the Sylvester Knights."
"Ah, right. Uncle's friend..."
This person doesn't know Uncle died...
Hmm...
Should I tell her Uncle died...?
"...Why are you staring at me like that? Do you have something to say?"
"N-No! I was just wondering why the knights are here!"
"For the citizens' safety, of course. If you came here as Jun's disciple... you must have heard the news too?"
"News?"
What news is she talking about?
Irina spoke while looking at a knight approaching her.
"Right, what was over there?"
"There were five corpses stabbed to death with a dagger."
Huh, a dagger?
"All corpses stabbed with a dagger?"
"Yes, corpses stabbed roughly twenty times each. All vital points were penetrated."
"...That makes 65 people including today."
Stabbing vital points?
That's something Hare's good at, isn't it?
*Something's strange...? More than that, 65 people...?*
Gulp—
Luna swallowed dryly and asked while maintaining as calm an expression as possible.
"Um, Knight Irina."
"What?"
"Could I see those corpses too...?"
"There's no problem with Jun's disciple seeing them. However, your intent must be clear. What did you come here for?"
"I..."
...I should leave out Hare's name.
"I came to search here after receiving a request from Uncle..."
"Then, can we consider this incident the work of the Grimoire?"
"Y-Yes... Well, probably..."
"...I see. Understood."
At Luna's awkward acting, Irina momentarily felt suspicious.
However, since she was an old colleague's disciple, she didn't suspect deeply and took Luna to where the corpses were.
Seeing the state of those corpses, Luna couldn't help but be shocked.
*It's the same. No, the skill is even better...*
Does she have different skills when dealing with other people?
The workmanship of stabbing the opponent's vital points without a single error.
For some reason, it even looked like the vital points were stabbed after the people died.
*This is...*
Luna squeezed her eyes shut and picked up something that had fallen around the corpse, hiding it in her pocket.
"What are you doing, Luna?"
"N-Nothing! I didn't do anything!"
"...If you're done looking at the corpses, come out."
"Yes!"
Phew—
She didn't notice.
But while it's good she didn't notice...
*This confirms the culprit is definitely Hare...?*
Luna carefully took out Hare's pink hair from her pocket.
Though it was covered in blood, this was definitely Hare's hair.
Just two weeks after Uncle left, her friend had become a murderer being pursued by the knights.
*Before Hare gets arrested...! I have to find her before the knights...!*
If Hare's locked in prison, we can't defeat the Demon King!
We can't proceed with what the Goddess said about Uncle!
So...!
"I-I'll be going now! Take care...!"
I'm running away!
The moment she moved her steps stealthily, trying to escape from Irina's sight.
"Wait, Luna."
"Eek—!"
"I have one thing to ask."
Irina hardened her expression and asked in a serious tone.
Luna was preparing to run away since she couldn't get caught.
However, at Irina's following words, all her strength drained away.
"Is Jun... doing well with Aina...?"
"..."
"The two of them are doing well together, right...?"
A suffocating question.
She couldn't breathe well, and it felt like the circuits in her head were firmly blocked.
Though it was a trivial question to Irina who didn't know the situation, Luna was extremely stressed as the atmosphere and situation from that time came to mind.
Still, she had no choice but to smile.
"O-Of course... Uncle is doing well..."
"...Is that so. That's a relief."
"Yes, it's a relief... Then, I'll be going now..."
Luna trudged away from the spot.
*At least I didn't lie.*
Uncle will be doing well.
Because I'll definitely make it that way later.
"The Goddess said if things go well, she might be able to revive Uncle..."
When Uncle returns, everything will go back to normal.
So I'm going to bring Hare, who became a murderer, back home.
The Hero who couldn't fall muttered so and wandered the alleys to find Hare.
As she did so, suddenly.
It had become pitch-black evening.