The past flashed before her eyes like a vision, like fine sand flowing through her fingertips.
"——Are you loyal to the Grand Duke?"
When Vladimir picked her up, he asked the same question to him who was still "Solonik".
His parents are both murderers. His father is an elite stalker who can assassinate official wizards, and his mother is a follower of the Black Widow and can prepare powerful poisons. Both of their hands are stained with the blood of innocent people.
They didn't regret dying - intellectually speaking, Solonik also knew this kind of thing.
But he watched his mother being killed by his enemies, and his father never returned. He was expelled from the village by the people in the village... In the roaring snowstorm, he was driven out of the small village alone, holding the dagger used by his father.
Enchantment.
Young Solonik was filled with fear and uneasiness.
He walked across the snow and arrived at the big city.
He wanted to join the Hand of Winter, but was unable to accept it because of his parents' guilt; he was attacked by a frost beast raised by the mind thief, and almost died suddenly in the snow; he took his own sword and wanted to join the caravan as a guard
, only asked for a stable job and a good meal, but he was rejected because of his young age and poor swordsmanship.
He begged and worked in various places, but was defrauded of all his money. He was angry and beat the thief. He took the stolen money and wanted to learn swordsmanship, but was rejected by the instructor at the swordsmanship dojo.
"I heard about what happened in your hometown, Solonik. I won't teach you swordsmanship. You are a natural killer. When you draw your sword, you instinctively attack the vital points of others.
"You haven't killed anyone yet, and you still have time to look back - you are in good health. Exercise and do some hard work, but you will always starve to death. You have to work hard everywhere. Or you can learn to read or study.
, can also become a big shot.
"If you learn swordsmanship... no, as long as you learn any fighting technique, you may use it to kill people. And as long as you kill the first person, you will never stop. What I teach here is guard swordsmanship.
, rather than the swordsmanship of a killer."
The old teacher's comments about Solonik quickly spread throughout the city.
This thin boy from out of town, who always holds a sword and is as unruly as a lone wolf, is still very well-known in this small town.
But after word spread, no one even hired him to work.
——You will die if you continue to stay here.
Solonik was very clear in his mind.
However, he also knew...the old teacher's comments were not accurate enough.
Because he is not an unruly person and is still hiding his sharp edge. On the contrary, his sharp edge is so strong that he can't hide it even by covering his eyes with his hands.
He killed someone - it was his ninth birthday.
It is true that Solonik had never learned swordsmanship.
But it is not necessary to use a sword to kill someone.
When his father was teasing him, he showed him the weaknesses of the human body. Solonik chuckled and subconsciously kept it in mind.
A fierce duel that doesn't require sword fighting.
Just pour a puddle of slippery grease on a dark alleyway and people will slip when they walk by.
He would hide nearby, holding a heavy stone. After the man fell, he would pounce on him and hit him on the temple, back of the head, and neck. Then he would use the dagger on the man's waist to penetrate his heart and cut his throat.
——Solonik planned this.
But he soon discovered...the human body is so fragile.
His plan didn't work at all.
His mind went blank at the time.
He just hit the back of the head with all his strength... When he woke up, the man was already dead.
Killing is so easy.
Solonik thought to himself.
He took the corpse's wallet and wanted to escape the town...but he was robbed by a bigger gangster.
Stones and swords were no match for guns. He obediently handed over the stolen wallet. Only the silver coin he subconsciously kept was hidden in his mouth, and even the sword was taken away.
If he hadn't knelt down and begged for mercy in time, saving the other party a lead bullet... maybe there would have been no future.
With silver coins in his mouth and empty hands, he left the town alone under the eyes of the gangsters.
——This time, he was not as lucky as before.
Or maybe it was his punishment for killing someone. The snowstorm this time was particularly harsh.
When he was almost unconscious, he vaguely saw a pair of boots and a cane.
The man held a cane, showed no mercy to him, and did not give him any dignity... he used the cold cane to turn over his weak body, tear open his clothes, and press it against his left chest.
"A homeless puppy, has he ever killed anyone?"
A low, emotionless voice sounded: "The desire is very strong...
"So, let me ask you - if you had another chance, who would you like to be?"
...Is this person a fool?
At that time, the dying Solonik had such an idea in his mind.
He didn't have the strength to respond.
——This is how it should be.
But a warm current was introduced into his heart through the cane.
His chest became extremely cold, but his body gained strength.
He came back to life.
Realizing this miracle belatedly, Solonik stood up, knelt in the snow in disbelief, and looked up at the middle-aged man wearing a heavy cloak.
At that moment, he was as great as a god.
"If you had another chance, who would you like to be?"
The middle-aged man's deep voice sounded again: "Or...do you want power?"
"...Ah, I think! Master Wizard!"
He blurted out: "I want power! Please give me the power to kill people!"
In Solonik's mind at that time, only wizards had such magical power.
But the moment he said these words... he already regretted it.
However, at that time, his mind was hazy and he could only tell the truth instinctively.
"oh?"
After hearing Solonik's words, the middle-aged man chuckled: "Is it the power used to kill people?
"So...how far can you go for this power?"
"Sir, you saved my life."
Little Solonik said without hesitation: "If it's for the sake of the master, I can kill people... If you have any enemies, I will kill them for you! I will never reveal any information about you. If I fail, I will
Take the poison - as long as it's for the sake of the master, I won't even give up my life!"
This is what he learned from his father.
"[As long as it's for the master, I won't even give up my life]."
The middle-aged man repeated the sentence and laughed out loud for the second time: "Then remember this sentence, puppy."
"yes!"
"So - are you loyal to the Grand Duke?"
Grand Duke...
To be honest, Solonik was very vague about this concept.
He didn't even know how many levels there were in the nobility, and he had never even seen the mansions of noble gentlemen. He only heard about it occasionally and knew that Grand Duke Ivan was a good man...that's all.
——But what does that have to do with him?
He is the child of a murderer, and he is also a young murderer. He is not a subject protected by the Duke of Winter, and perhaps he should be sent to the gallows.
"Whether you are loyal or not... you have the final say, sir."
Solonik replied without hesitation: "I listen to you."
"Great answer.
"Then, take my cane and stand up. Homeless puppy—"
The middle-aged man replied calmly with a voice without any emotion: "From now on, you are a human being."
——From now on, I am a human being.
This voice sounded in Solonik's ears.
He took a deep breath and took the cane handed over by the middle-aged man to express his surrender.
...even after that.
After he joined the Hand of Winter, he never cared about the political situation in Winter.
He has not been trained in torture techniques and counter-torture techniques, nor has he studied the doctrines of military, political and interpersonal communication. Even these courses are taught within the Hand of Winter.
What kind of border nobles, what kind of divine blood nobles, what kind of wizard families, what kind of ritualist families... Solonik doesn't care about those at all.
His teacher Vladimir said that whoever was a traitor and betrayed the Grand Duke, he would kill that person. His most talented and irreplaceable thing was his killing skills.
Everything within reach can kill - with talent and a hundred times the diligence, his killing skills have become more and more sophisticated, and even the "Ten Fingers" are not as good as him.
Just as the old teacher said...he is a born killer.
From the moment he killed the first person, his talent could no longer be hidden.
He can easily kill people who are much bigger and stronger than himself. Not just because the other party underestimates the enemy...but because he acts without any scruples.
The blood of [the murderer] flows in his veins.
——Other than that, he is useless.
until……
Until that "Professor Wolf" gave him a second life.
"I……"
Selicia's voice trembled.
She was silent for a moment.
Under Zhuo Ya's invisible gaze, she lowered her head: "Of course I am loyal."
"'Solonik' is fine no matter what, he is just a lost dog..."
Professor Wolf's magnetic voice seemed to echo in her ears: "But the respected and beloved 'Miss Selicia' is not necessarily..."
"She is a person. A free person...a beauty who always pleases people."