The young master, Ize Kudo followed the sound of the voice and his eyes soon landed on Jizen who was calmly sitting on a bamboo chair.
He began to shiver profusely but he gritted his teeth as he said:
"W...w-who are you?? WHY ARE YOU DOING ALL THIS WHAT DID I EVER DO TO YOU!!!"
Jizen simply sighed as he listened to Ize's rantings, despite his desire for vengeance he didn't have an ounce of hatred towards Ize because instead of hatred he was grateful.
"You asked me why I'm doing all this? But even if I told you why, I doubt very strongly that the knowledge would change anything at all.
But let's say I take the time to explain it to you...what do you think would happen then?"
Jizen chuckle as he slowly rose up from the chair and approached Ize, he could smell the fear and confusion and he... liked it.
As he approached Ize, he noticed a bronze mirror and picked up as he analysed his appearance, his scleras were pitch black and his pupils were gold.
His skin was slightly pale however nothing else had changed.
Jizen then wondered why they didn't recognise him however he soon remembered that the lighting was so weak that his facial features were not pronounced.
"I am no one but a servant of Lord Muzan, I was passing this area and noticed that a village was... annihilated and after connecting the dots they led to you...
what's up with that... isn't it a crime, wait let me use my phone and Ch...Ohhh"
Ize Kudo was just the son of a concubine meaning he had the right of acquiring his father's position but he lacked support, what Jizen couldn't understand...was the role of his family in all this.
"What does a mere servant like you know, you dare attack a true noble" Ize released a smirk and said:
" You should lick my Fe..ACKKKK!!!!"
Jizen instantly appeared infront of Ize and began to choke him while lifting him off the ground, he then sighed as he said:
"I asked a simple question...learn to reciprocate properly or I'll kill both you and the woman...if you do well and please me I might let you go"
Ize began to gasp for air as soon as Jizen released his grasp, he coughed until he began to calm down.
"I was here to steal the mines of the Tenshiji clan to expand my influence and power in order to attain the favour of the elders of the clan"
Ize began to explain his plans while berating the Tenshiji clan in the process, Jizen began to understand that Ize sold the mines to other nobles in order to expand his influence and power.
Jizen's clan was nothing but a disposable chess piece in the process, thanks to his connections Ize was able to steal from Jizen's clan and frame them for treason which led to a ' justified ' execution.
'This....is so complicated, Despite his age he's very cunning, intelligent and strategic... but he has too much pride and he could've won if I wasn't reborn '
[New Quest issued
Quest:Grant your killer mercy
Quest Reward: Synthesized taste of normality]
Jizen looked at the system pop up and began to chuckle, the request itself was absurd but then he began to wonder... what is mercy.
Mercy is often considered a virtue, showing strength in restraint and kindness even when it isn't required.
"I cannot hate you because you allowed me to be reborn" Jizen then pondered for a brief moment and said:
"I couldn't use my legs, my arms, my eyes. I couldn't walk. I was cursed. But thanks to you, I can now walk, breathe, and see.
Instead of hatred, I feel gratitude.
You, despite taking my life, have given me another and for that, I am grateful.
But gratitude does not mean mercy, mercy is not letting you linger in regret, nor is it offering you a chance to change.
No, the highest mercy....the only true mercy for you ....is release.
Ize Kudo, for the atrocities you have committed, I will grant you the highest mercy one can receive.
Instant death."
Jizen struck with an open palm, his hand slamming into Ize's chest, the moment it landed, Ize's heart exploded killing him instantly
[Congratulations you have completed a Quest
Quest Reward: Synthesized taste of normality
Would you like to receive the reward now Y/N]
'Not now system'
Jizen observed Ize's corpse as it dropped to the floor.
He then moved closer to his 'sweetheart,' softly rubbing her cheeks to calm her down.
After a brief moment, he spoke in a smooth, soft, and warm voice:
"Urame... remember me"
"J-j-jizen WAAAAAHHHH!!!!"
She immediately pulled him in for a hug as she began to cry, Jizen reciprocated a warmer hug as he said:
"Shhhhhh... it's okay I forgive you, temptation led you astray, but knowing right from wrong means you were never lost only willing... Still, I forgive you"
The hug began to tighten and bones began to crack, Urame begged for forgiveness however all she felt were tears of Jizen dropping on her shoulders.
"Urame you broke my heart and I shall take yours... goodbye"
Urame immediately felt a hand pierce her chest, fingers wrapping around her heart before ripping it out.
A sharp, searing pain consumed her, but it quickly faded into a dull, hollow emptiness.
Her body trembled as a wave of coldness spread through her limbs, her vision blurring as the world around her began to slip away.
Without any final words or a way of telling Jizen her side of the story, she died making her death absolute and final.
Jizen simply sighed and took a brief moment of silence to acknowledge the atrocities he had done, he didn't want to justify his choices but he felt as if he wasn't obligated to take accountability.
He spotted a chest filled with Yen coins, opened it, and, with a motion of hesitation, laid Urame's heart on top of the pile, its warmth staining the cold metal red.
He closed the chest, picked up Ize's corpse and with a swift kick he set the tent ablaze with the spreading flame from the lamp.
While the tent was burning, Jizen spotted barrels of whale oil and began to pour the oil over the corpses, horse, the trees and lit them ablaze to cover his tracks.
Jizen looked at the burning camp and thought:
'Carrying both Ize's corpse and this chest is not that hard....I feel as if I have grown but I haven't directly feasted on the human flesh... there should be a hidden cave within these mountains I'll think about it later '