Flames scorched my face, and piercing pain shot through my palms. I could not see, smell, hear, or speak.
Consciousness slowly faded from my mind. The thoughts called "me" were gradually sinking into an invisible abyss...
A light as tender and loving as a mother's suddenly shone down, pulling me back from the brink of that abyss...
I remembered who I was. I remembered my identity.
The target of the assassination spoke by my ear, trying to persuade me to surrender. He said he would grant me a quick death.
Since when could words like that be used to persuade someone to surrender? Heh. What was even more ridiculous was that, to me now, that condition was so tempting.
I did not refuse his offer. I only wanted to die quietly. At the very least, let me die with a little dignity.
And all the favors of the Tsunayashiro Clan dissipated in the flames that burned my face to nothing.
Now, I lived for myself.
And after choosing to live for myself, the first thing I wanted to do was decide how I would die.
Haha... Somehow, it felt rather ironic.
My throat hurt terribly, as if it had been torn apart. I could not utter a single word. Asano Kiyoshi, the target of the assassination, seemed to understand my thoughts. A cool layer of Reishi covered me, and my throat immediately felt much better.
After testing it, I found that I could speak normally again. I took several deep breaths of air filled with sand and dust. Honestly, it was not very clean air.
After the sand entered my lungs, it brought waves of faint pain. But still, being able to breathe felt so good. I wanted to take a few more breaths.
But I knew this was the