Chapter 28 Washing away blood with water, kitten, stop...
Mainkuhn rushed back to the mother and son's home first.
"Monster! Aaaaaah—Don't touch me!"
The man stared at his vertical pupils and his mouth full of sharp teeth, and screamed in terror.
'I don't want to be human...'
The boy with droopy ears reluctantly rolled up his sleeves, revealing little by little his thin forearms covered in scars.
The coat he stole from the black market dealer was too wide and too big for Mainkun to carry off. He had to carefully roll it up so as not to delay his work.
'I don't want to interact with people in human form, nobody wants to...'
All tied up and neatly arranged, the half-demon boy reached out with his bare hands to grab the man hiding under the bed and dragged him out by his legs.
'So let's get this sorted out before Amélie gets back.'
"Get out of my way!"
The man was extremely uncooperative, kicking and thrashing his legs as he cried and struggled to crawl off the bed.
"Don't touch me!"
'Wait, don't move...'
As he struggled, Maine instinctively tightened his grip.
Oops.
Plop—
"Aaaaaah—!"
Just as a hot iron is branded into butter, a young man's hand, with its five long, sharp nails, presses into a human calf, causing blood to gush from broken flesh and fill the cracks in an old floor.
Oh no, I was using the lightest amount of force!
Maine immediately tore off the hem of her coat.
"W-What are you doing?!"
The man, both in pain and bewildered, watched as the boy picked up the cloth and smeared it onto his bleeding wound.
Are you bandaging me?
Humanity has developed the illusion that it can be saved.
"Young man, turning back is the right thing to do, you did the right thing!"
The man forced a smile:
"If you want money—!!"
After the wound was covered with cloth, the strangely-looking boy immediately abandoned the human and lay on the ground as if no one else was there, trying to pick at the blood in the cracks of the floor with his sharp fingernails, his expression serious as if he were dealing with an extremely difficult problem.
"???"
The man couldn't understand what was happening.
How could anyone clean under such circumstances?!
"What exactly are you—what are you?"
He became afraid again.
"......"
Because he finally discovered it.
In the eyes of that beast.
He never showed any trace of himself from beginning to end.
"There's blood in the cracks in the floor...it's hard to wash and it smells bad."
Stumbling and complaining like a child, Mainkun looked at the man with eyes full of resentment.
It's all your fault for being so scared, which made my demonic power agitated and I couldn't control it.
I don't want Fimini to sleep in the stench of blood.
"......"
So, half-demon, take it easy!
Human bones are as brittle as bird feathers, and human skin is as thin as gold paper!
Half-demon! Go think of a good idea!
May his death be peaceful, and his sleep as restful as a well-fed mountain rock, so that his future wife will not be frightened.
It made his blood freeze, the dough wrapped around the oily filling, without staining the tablecloth and plates.
"......"
"Waaaah!"
Maine picked out the most worn-out pillow from the bed and gently covered the man's mouth and nose.
If you use too much force, your head will explode.
Although Mainkun's demonic power was strong this time, it did not get out of control at all.
There are two conditions for demonic power to go out of control: one is a large amount of malice, and the other is ongoing evil.
No man met the criteria.
So Maine had no choice but to use her knee to press down on the man's forearm and straddle his abdomen to hold him in place.
First came an extremely violent struggle, accompanied by a muffled groaning sound, as the elbows slammed against the ground, creating a rapid little tune.
The middle section is a desperate dance, with the person's legs bending and straightening, the soles of their shoes weakly scraping the ground, probably trying to get up and fight back, but the boy with droopy ears sits firmly on his waist, so he can only produce slow tap-kicks.
"......"
The struggle beneath her gradually weakened, with only her fingers twitching.
Mainkun suddenly remembered that when a praying mantis is crushed in someone's hand, it will scratch the killer's palm with its tentacles.
...So, without relying on demonic power to lose control, killing someone on one's own hands and reason is just like that, nothing special, similar to crushing an insect.
"......"
So, what exactly makes human life so precious?
Mainkuen held the pillow in his hand, but his mind began to wander. He inappropriately thought of the old butler and the blonde girl.
So what if I kill them? Even if millions of people hate me for it, to a monster like me that feeds on malice, aren't they just millions of specks of dust?
ah...
Mainkuhn realized this belatedly.
Speaking of which, if ten million people truly hated me and harbored ill intentions towards me...
How powerful would my demonic power have to be? It feels like I could even kill a god.
They could just barge into the Mo Mang Palace and steal their brother's information...
It would be better to drive out the current water god and let the elder brother sit on the throne and enjoy the worship of all people, wouldn't it?
"Who are you!?"
Amélie, carrying a machine saw, suddenly opened the door, interrupting Mainkuhn's increasingly dangerous fantasy.
"!!!"
The cat's short tail stood up straight, its fur bristling.
Amélie, how come you're back so quickly!?
No—I haven't transformed into cat form yet!
*
Amélie carefully observed the back of the little uninvited guest.
A boy with gray and white hair, and droopy ears covered in tiger stripes...
You clearly heard my voice, but you didn't bother to turn around?
Who are you? What do you want?
Amélie picked up the machine saw and held it in front of her as she moved forward.
Burglary and murder? That bastard is dead?
......
Such a young child? Such a good thing?
Turn around and look at me!
She raised her voice in warning:
"Don't move! I have a weapon!"
"!!"
Those words should have been avoided! Before the words were even out of her mouth, Amélie saw the boy immediately drop the pillow in his hand, bend over, hunch his back, pull his clothes tighter, and curl up into a ball on the body of the human whose life or death was unknown!
"...?"
This shrinking technique left Amélie completely bewildered.
Normally, shouldn't a murderer caught in the act be terrified, kill to cover it up, act arrogantly, kill to cover it up, or act enraged and kill to cover it up again...?
This is the first time I've heard of someone wrapping themselves up like that in Grey River.
Something's not right.
But we must confirm whether the gambler is alive or dead, no matter what.
"Hey, you..."
Amélie swallowed hard, placed her finger on the switch, and slowly approached the back of the boy with droopy ears.
"...Did you kill him?"
"Don't come any closer!!!"
The boy suddenly erupted, pulled a gun from his coat, turned around and pointed it directly at Amélie's chest!
"I, I—"
A mouthful of fangs and uneasy vertical pupils were all illuminated by the light, allowing Amélie to see them clearly!
"I, I..."
Having not spoken in human form for too long, Mainkun awkwardly steered his stiff tongue.
It's so painful... I want to escape... I want to numb my senses, I crave catnip—
The door is... behind the human—terrifying!
"Waaah! I—I am 'Lynx'! I am the serial killer Lynx!"
The beast gripped the gun in both hands, roaring menacingly, yet its voice still carried a hint of a sob.
"Get out if you don't want to die! Get out! Get out!"
"!"
The mother was indeed startled and unconsciously took a few steps back.
Yes! Keep retreating! Go, go as far as you can, you horrible creatures—
"......"
Contrary to expectations, the woman only took a few steps back before hesitating and stopping.
"Get out! Get out!"
The long fur on the animal's ears bristled with fear.
"Do you want to die—"
"......"
Amélie didn't retreat but advanced, her gaze hesitantly landing on the boy's face and the gun.
"Don't come near me—wailing!"
The gun trembled like a leaf.
"......"
Humanity has taken another step forward.
The human gripped the gun in the boy's hand.
Facing the half-demon's timid, golden, vertical pupils, the mother asked:
"Xiao En?"
......
...?
Why...
Will they recognize me?
*
Why did they recognize it?
The objective reason is that the cat-eared boy only had a coat on him and a gun in his hand.
I just met her at the black market dealer's place. Amélie is still young and doesn't have any forgetfulness.
The subjective reason is...
"It's in their eyes."
“When I come home, I make noises, and sometimes I wake Xiao En from his arms. He looks at me with a very frightened look, and it takes a long time to brush his fur to calm him down.”
The mother gave the boy a helpless look.
"It looks exactly the same as your eyes now."
"......?"
Mainkun unconsciously opened his mouth, revealing a mouthful of fangs.
“You also had this expression when I was having fish soup with Xiao En the second time we met.”
...You...you've misread it!
Are humans really such unreasonable creatures?
The eye contact and such are completely unfounded!
"Xiao En, why did you turn into a cat...?"
There was no fear, not even anger at being deceived, only deep worry and doubt:
"It's better and more convenient to live if we look like humans."
Mainkuen opened his mouth, wanting to loudly rebuke Amélie's stupidity and blind faith, but as soon as he opened his mouth...
"vomit!"
But all that came out was a loud groan of nausea.
"Xiao En? What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
No, I cannot allow my perfect cat form to be tainted by my human form!
Avoiding the hands of humans who wanted to help him, Mainkun pressed down his downy ears and tucked the long hair on them behind his head.
"I...I am a lynx, a ruthless killer."
Mainkuhn pressed his sharp fingernails against the human's chest, glared, and stammered a threat:
"I just killed your... ex-lover, and now I'm going to kill you!"
"Lynx?"
Um!
Mainkuhn nodded firmly.
"...Ha, a cruel killer."
Amélie once wondered why, despite the lynx's fearsome reputation and rumors circulating throughout Fontainebleau, there wasn't a single complete report in the newspapers.
Oh, I see.
Minors, and minors who have gone astray.
It seems that even those well-dressed upper-class people still have a heart full of compassion.
The mother held the machine saw in one hand and patted the half-demon's head with the other.
“I have seen with my own eyes what kind of child you are, and I know it clearly in my heart.”
Powerful strength, unique appearance, amazing disguise, and a kind soul.
And much confusion and panic.
"There is one point that should be corrected now."
Buzz————
The machine saw was switched on, and the mother, holding the weapon, cleaved it high into the torso of her former lover!
"Aaaaaah—! Amélie!"
It turns out the man had simply fainted from suffocation!
Mainkuhn was unfamiliar with the gentle method of suffocation, and Amélie's return was too quick, allowing him to successfully escape from the realm of death.
It's okay, Amélie will fix this mistake herself!
"Aaaaaah—!"
One saw cut into the waist, another saw into the leg, another saw cut into the knee, and another saw cut open the chest.
Buzz—Buzz—
The bones ached from the blade, the gears spilled blood, the intestines fell into the boiler, and the kidneys rose towards the overhead light.
Hunger, shame, guilt, despair, resentment.
Years of suffering have all turned into blood and ink, which has been splashed all over this house that is about to be confiscated!
This is not an evil act; it is a satisfying act of revenge.
The tidy little home, which the half-demon tried his best to maintain, was destroyed by his mother.
"Are you trying to kill him for me and Fimini, little lynx?"
Finally, the mother removed the fascia from her eyelashes and gave Maine a triumphant smile.
"But in the end, it was me who killed that beast."
People of the world, I was once an ignorant fool, and now I am an ignorant sinner.
But I also understand that we shouldn't let a child, or an immature young animal, bear the sins we should have to suffer.
*
"...You're crazy."
Mainkuhn has a lot to say.
However, his tongue was still sealed by the shadows of the past, and he could only utter the strongest emotions.
"You're insane! Insane!"
The clothes Mainkun had stolen from the black market dealer were covered in blood and completely ruined.
Fortunately, he is small in stature and develops more slowly than his peers.
[You'll be arrested! You humans get arrested for murder!]
Amélie rummaged through her old clothes and found some unisex pieces that fit her well.
[You should tell me! Let me end his life!]
The mother dragged the trembling boy into the toilet, washed his hands and feet with water, wiped his hair with a wet towel, and all his exposed, bleeding skin.
[You can't catch me, but you can catch you!]
In autumn, you should wear a sweater. What kind of behavior is it to just throw on a coat and run around like that?
Amélie looked at the clean kitten she had cleaned and was extremely satisfied.
'You've been arrested, what will happen to Fimini?'
Thinking of little Fiminy, who had just been sent to the Fireplace House branch, Mainkuen felt anguish.
No! Fimini can't be without her mother after she's rescued!
That's the only way.
The boy took off and headed towards the crime scene.
All you need to do is write on the wall, "[The one who killed this person was a lynx]", and everything will be solved.
"Xiao En, come back."
Amélie pressed down on his shoulders and covered his scarved neck with a scarf.
"Ah... I haven't asked your real name yet?"
Sigh, this child has so many scars.
It must have gone through a lot of painful experiences to become a cat, living cautiously alongside humans.
"Why the expression? Good child, I'm just asking for your name, don't be afraid... If you don't want to say, then don't."
Covering the boy's overly conspicuous ears with her hood, Amélie led Maine out of the house because the boy wouldn't let his mother hold his hand with its sharp nails.
"Ah, Amélie, where are we going?"
Maine's most complete and successful sentence today.
Oh dear, this child asked the same question as Fimi.
Amélie laughed, her shoes stained with blood, her steps light.
"Go and turn yourself in."
"You have to stay with me, Xiao En."
*
“Dear officer, please listen to me. I have committed many crimes today.”
Today, in order to protect my son from the evil moneylenders, I have abandoned him in an orphanage that they cannot afford; this is my first sin.
Today, in exchange for a more lethal weapon, I sold a cat that didn't belong to me; this is my second sin.
Today, I killed my husband; there's nothing more to say about that. This is my third sin.
Today, I deliberately stained the house used to pay off the debt with human blood. From now on, as a haunted house located in the Gray River, it will be worthless.
This is revenge on those loan shark bastards! They knew I would suffer even more from the pain of others, yet they hired teenagers to be beaten in front of me for a pittance, just to make my soul wail! To squeeze money out of my body!
......
Finally, this is the final sin, and the most serious sin.
I used the law to save my life.
So that in the future, I can meet Fimini again under the sun.
“Those moneylenders really wanted to kill me, so I killed my inactive husband in the hope of hiding in Mero Petersburg to escape their clutches.”
From then on, neither I nor my child Fimini had to live a precarious life.
The price is a temporary separation.
"So that's how it is... Sigh."
The police officer sent someone to verify, and then asked Amélie:
"What is your relationship with the young man who accompanied you?"
"......"
The boy, who had been forcibly pulled into the crowd, was very anxious. He lowered his head, hugged his knees with both hands, pressed down on his cat ears, and huddled uneasily in the chair.
"ah."
Amélie glanced at him from afar, her heart heavy with guilt.
“That’s my eldest son, his name is En, he’s a timid child.”
"He's frightened, please be gentle with him."
"That's natural."
Amélie watched as the officer pulled over his subordinate and pointed at Xiao En, giving him a few words of advice.
Actually, there's something else, officer. I'm not sure if this is a good deed or a bad one.
Out of guilt... or love? I forcibly displayed rules and order to the ignorant young beast, shattering his originally flawless wild state of mind.
Clearly, he doesn't understand or comprehend what I'm doing right now.
But after that, every time he killed someone, he would think of me. My confession would plunge him into endless self-doubt.
Am I doing the right thing? Is this approach okay?
Isn't it a good thing to get rid of the bad guys? Why did Amélie turn herself in? Should I stop?
Hahaha... He'll keep agonizing over this, agonizing over it all the way to hell or heaven.
He definitely will, because he's a good kid.
......
Amélie saw her subordinate leave, draped a blanket over the cat-eared boy, and gently comforted him in a soft voice.
Hmm, Xiao En shrank even tighter; he's really scared of people.
Why would such a timid child transform into a cat, quietly approaching us, helping us, and then raising a butcher's knife?
"......."
Amélie instinctively felt that it must be a tragic story.
But no matter what, the one who wields the knife will die by the knife, and the killer will always be killed. As long as this child continues to kill, he will hardly have a peaceful end.
Xiao En has nothing to do with justice or rules.
I hope you can live in peace, so stop being a lynx.
Wipe away the blood and go walk in the sun.
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