Chapter 1
Standing on the Shadow of Death
Assassin weapon. Human vacuum. Princess of the lab.
All of these were terms that referred to me.
An agent of a secret research facility in the Iblis Empire, and its top assassin.
That was who I was.
But now…
“Rosie, you are being discarded.”
The woman standing before me smiled faintly. Against the backdrop of a grey derelict building, her red hair fluttered like a curtain before my eyes.
Her name was Ruin.
The director of the secret research facility, and the one who had brought me, an orphan, to the lab.
“How dare you try to leave the facility after becoming an ‘Arc’? You have no fear.”
The top agents, known as ‘Arcs’, raised through illegal drugs and combat under the name ‘Project Arc’.
Their purpose was singular.
To assassinate the imperial family of the enemy nation, the Castium Empire.
The three Arcs, including me, had succeeded in poisoning the Emperor to death three years after becoming Arcs.
The very man Ruin had always emphasized was as greedy, vicious, and satanic as they come.
But the moment I saw him, in his fear of death, his face turning purplish-blue… I realized it.
The one we were trying to kill wasn’t a Satan, but a human being.
That all this time, we had been trained for so long to kill other humans.
I didn’t want to kill any more humans. So I tried to persuade the other Arcs to escape with me.
But at the meeting place, only Ruin stood, instead of them.
Declaring me ‘discarded’.
‘I can’t die easily.’
I immediately drew the two daggers hidden at my waist and lowered my stance.
“Ruin. You’re discarding me? You think you can kill me easily? By yourself?”
Then she grinned.
“You still haven’t figured me out? My cherished Rosie was a fool after all.”
“…What?”
“Do you really think I came here alone?”
As Ruin moved her hand, two people emerged from behind the wall.
Alexion, and Theodore. My fellow ‘Arcs’.
“Alex! Theo!”
Feeling a surge of relief, I quickly called out to them.
Maybe they were here to keep their promise to me.
If we killed Ruin here, we could succeed in escaping.
Alex handled poisons masterfully, and Theo was proficient in all sorts of magic; killing Ruin would be trivial.
“You came. You didn’t forget our promise.”
But their faces were darker than the overcast sky itself.
As if something unbearably tragic was about to happen.
‘Surely not.’
As I looked at them with anxious eyes, Ruin raised her hand and commanded them.
“Theo, begin.”
But the moment Ruin called his name, Theo bit his lip hard and reached his hand out towards me.
“…I’m sorry, Rosie.”
Then, black rose vines sprouted from beneath my feet and bound me.
While I was off guard, the vines climbed up my body, tightly wrapping around me, even my face.
“Theo, what are you doing!”
Struggling in this unexpected situation, Alex approached next.
Holding his primary weapon, a sword coated with a virulent poison.
‘Surely not.’
Stab!
He approached without hesitation and pierced me.
Without a moment’s doubt.
“……!”
A sharp pain shot through my abdomen. Simultaneously, red blood gushed from my mouth.
As I looked up at Alex with unfocused eyes, he opened his mouth as if singing a verse.
“Until the star of Castium falls, and eternal darkness descends.”
It was the motto of ‘Project Arc’.
“Rosie, the life of an Arc is a mission given to us by the guardian deity Esca. We must walk the path of that mission, no matter how many lives it takes.”
“Please, Alex…”
My brows furrowed automatically from the indescribable pain.
My gaze turned to Theo. He faltered, looking at me cautiously, and spoke.
“…I’m sorry, Rosie. Esca said it, didn’t she? Those who kick away their noble and great mission with their own feet are merely stragglers left out of the new heaven.”
“Ha.”
Only then did I realize.
That Alex and Theo had betrayed me.
As I writhed in agony, Ruin spoke.
“Ah, what a waste. To lose my Rosie, who was like a daughter to me… But it’s fine. A new ‘Project Arc’ has begun. I can just make another daughter.”
I couldn’t believe my ears.
That horrific project, which had driven countless children to their deaths, was starting again?
Did that mean more orphans like me had to be sacrificed?
‘No, absolutely not!’
But death didn’t wait for me.
After the world seemed to halt for an instant, my vision blurred uncontrollably.
I sensed the end was approaching.
“Well then, farewell, Rosie.”
They turned their backs and left. I was left alone before I knew it.
“…Ah.”
Profound regret engulfed me.
Was death really the only reward for a life lived overcoming the fear of death, rigorous training, and the side effects of drugs?
For someone who once made targets tremble just by existing, this was truly pitiful.
‘If there is a next life… I don’t want to kill anyone anymore.’
‘If I can, I want to use my strength to protect someone this time.’
Finally, my eyes closed. Just as a single tear rolled down…
Poor child.
The world turned white, and a warm voice I’d never heard before settled over me.
And then…
“Miss Rosie, are you asleep?”
My consciousness felt faint, as if sunk to the ocean floor. I couldn’t even muster strength in my limp hands and feet.
Of course, I was dead.
But it was strange. Surely all sensation should disappear upon death.
Why could I hear a human voice?
“Miss Rosie! Wake up!”
Then, someone shook my shoulders vigorously. In that instant, my mind snapped back to awareness, and my body moved on its own.
Ten years raised as an Arc. Because one lesson had been drilled into my very bones and flesh during that time.
‘Subdue any threatening presence. Kill if necessary.’
In an instant, my eyes flew open. I pinned her down, snatched the pen from her hand, and held it to her throat.
The startled woman cried out.
“What are you doing? You suddenly collapsed during the interview, I was just waking you up!”
“I was in an interview?”
“Yes! You applied for the maid position at the Imperial Palace and were being interviewed when you suddenly fell asleep!”
…What is she talking about? I clearly died, poisoned by Alex?
And what’s this about an Imperial Palace maid position?
‘Ah, is this… a dream?’
‘If it’s a dream, I need to wake up.’
Without hesitation, I slammed my head against the wall.
Thwump!
A round hole was punched into the stone wall. The woman who saw it screamed.
“Kyaaah! What are you doing!”
“…Strange.”
The vivid impact and vibration. This definitely meant I was alive.
But how?
I turned my head sharply towards the woman and asked.
“What is the date today?”
“Miss Rosie! Wipe the blood off first before speaking!”
“Ah, don’t mind this. It’s fine.”
“How is that fin— Sigh! It’s the 21st of February, Imperial Year 680!”
It was one year after my death.
‘I woke up after one year? And in a place I’ve never seen before?’
Holding my head in my hands, I was in turmoil when she asked me again.
“Are you alright? Can you continue the interview?”
“I’m sorry. I think I hit my head when I fainted earlier. My memory is still hazy…”
“You injured your head? Then we must cancel the maid interview.”
“Indeed.”
Two women sitting side-by-side in chairs nodded in agreement.
Judging by their presence in the same room, they seemed to be fellow interviewees.
“We cannot hire someone with a head injury as a maid for the Imperial Family.”
“Please fail her immediately. Frankly, I’d like one less competitor.”
Only then did I notice the name tags on their chests.
I hurriedly looked down at my own name tag; ‘Rosie’ was written on it.
‘What in the world is going on?’
‘I thought I was dead, but I’m alive and interviewing?’
‘For a palace maid position, no less?’
“It can’t be helped.”
As I stood there dazed, the interviewer sighed and spoke to me.
“We will consider Miss Rosie’s interview as never having happened. Please leave.”
“Ah, yes.”
My mind in chaos, I was about to open the door and leave when I noticed the carpet spread on the floor.
The carpet was a mess with the blood from my head. For some reason, it bothered me.
‘If left like this, it won’t come out.’
I knew very well how to clean blood.
Having carried out numerous missions as an ‘Arc’, I was more thorough than anyone at cleaning up afterwards.
“I’ll borrow this for a moment.”
“Wait, what are you doing?”
I took the pitcher of cold water placed on her desk and, without hesitation, poured it onto the carpet.
As the cold water soaked in, the blood diluted and the stain lightened.
But the women in the chairs were in an uproar.
“Kyah! Pouring cold water? Are you insane?”
“Do you have any idea how much this carpet costs?”
Amidst the commotion, only the interviewer’s expression was different.
Pretending not to hear their screams, I clearly informed the interviewer.
“For the remaining stain, rub it with coarse salt, then wipe it with vinegar. It should come out cleanly.”
“……!”
Her eyes widened, but I bowed my head in farewell.
“Then I’ll be going. Goodbye.”
Just then, the interviewer, who had been silently observing me, stopped me.
“Wait. Stop right there.”
