My Harem of Dangerous and Crazy Women as a Reincarnated Necromancer-Chapter 18: Killing the Lying Bitch

"Elyndra Ashford," Aria breathed, her voice trembling. "The Knight of the Dawn. And you—" her gaze locked onto Yuki, "—you’re the Silent Death. The assassin who vanished six months ago."

She looked back at Mark, and the horror in her eyes transformed into something else.

Disgust.

Raw, visceral disgust.

"You’re a monster," she said, her voice now firm, filled with absolute certainty. "A fucking monster."

Mark felt something cold settle in his chest.

"Funny... I was just about to say the same thing about you."

"Me?" Aria let out a harsh, bitter laugh—nothing like the soft voice she’d been faking. "I’m not the one who defiles corpses. I’m not the one who enslaves the dead. I’m not the one who turns heroes into mindless puppets."

"We’re not mindless puppets," Ely said quietly, dangerously. "We’re fully aware... and we serve our master willingly."

"Willingly?" Aria spat. "You don’t even have free will! He’s twisted your minds, turned you into... into—"

"Into what?" Mark asked. "Into people with a purpose?"

"Into slaves!" Aria shouted. "Into abominations! Don’t you get what you’ve done? They were heroines! Legends! Women who dedicated their lives to protecting others, to fighting evil... and you turned them into your personal harem of corpses!"

"Master," Ely’s voice was tight with barely contained rage, "let me kill her... please."

"Not yet."

"You know what’s funny?" Mark said aloud, taking a step toward Aria.

"That you’re right... I’ve done terrible things. Morally questionable things... things that would probably damn me to whatever hell exists in this world."

Mark stopped right in front of her, close enough to see the hatred burning in her mismatched eyes.

"But at least I’m honest about it... you, on the other hand, pretended to be grateful, kind. You even pretended you wanted to be my friend."

"I had to," Aria said coldly. "It was the only way to get close enough to kill you."

"The girl in the forest," Mark said, pieces clicking into place. "Your sister... that was a trap too?"

"Of course it was."

Aria smiled, cruel and triumphant.

"We needed to see what you were capable of. We needed to confirm the reports about a necromancer clearing high-level dungeons solo."

"The bandits..."

"Those useless idiots were just hired actors... they were supposed to rough her up enough to make it look real, then you were supposed to intervene. After that, a team would ambush you on the road."

"But that didn’t happen."

"No."

For the first time, frustration crossed Aria’s face.

"The team got hit by demi-humans before they reached the ambush point. Pure bad luck... so we had to improvise. That’s why I came myself to finish the job."

’Master,’ Yuki’s voice echoed in his mind, ’she’s probably stalling for reinforcements.’

’I know.’

"So what now?" Mark asked. "You failed to kill me, your cover’s blown—what’s your next move?"

"My next move?"

Aria laughed again.

"I don’t need one. The moment I don’t report back, the guild will know something went wrong, and they’ll send a full team of S-rank adventurers... maybe even SSS... to hunt you down like the animal you are."

"You sound very sure of that."

"I am. Because unlike you, I’m not alone. I have the entire guild behind me. The whole city. The whole world, really... everyone hates necromancers, so no one’s going to shed a tear when you die."

"And you’ll be the heroine who exposed me?"

"Exactly."

Aria’s smile widened.

"There’s just one problem with your plan," Mark said softly.

"Oh yeah? What’s that?"

"You’re assuming you’ll live long enough to see it."

Aria’s smile faltered. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"You... you can’t kill me... I’m an SSS-rank support. If I die, they’ll investigate and find out—"

"Find out what?" Mark interrupted. "That you lured an F-rank adventurer into an abandoned building in the worst part of the city? That you tried to assassinate him? That you died trying?"

He took another step closer.

Aria tried to back away, but Yuki’s blade kept her perfectly still.

"You said it yourself: everyone hates necromancers. Who’s going to believe I killed an SSS-rank adventurer?"

"You bastard!"

"I’ve been called worse."

Mark raised his hand, fingers approaching Aria’s throat.

She struggled, but Ely and Yuki held her completely immobile.

"Wait, wait!" Aria’s voice rose in panic. "You can’t, this isn’t..."

"Isn’t what?"

Mark’s hands closed around her neck.

"Fair?"

"You’re right. It’s not fair... just like it wasn’t fair when you tried to stab me in the back, or when you used your sister as bait, or when you called Ely and Yuki abominations."

Mark tightened his grip.

Not enough to kill her.

Not yet.

Just enough to make breathing difficult.

"Want to know the real difference between us?" Mark said with eerie calm.

"You think you’re righteous. You think you’re the hero. You think killing me would make the world a better place."

He squeezed harder.

Aria’s face turned red, her hands clawing uselessly at his arms.

"But I know exactly what I am. I know I’m not a good person. I know I’ve done terrible things. And I’m okay with that."

Aria’s eyes started to bulge, her movements growing weaker.

"Because at the end of the day, I’m just trying to survive. And you... you’re just another obstacle."

He squeezed even harder.

Aria’s mouth opened, trying to form words, trying to breathe.

And then she spat.

The saliva hit Mark’s face, warm and disgusting.

"Go... to... hell..." she managed, barely a whisper. "You’re... a monster... a fucking... monster... and everyone... will know..."

"Maybe," Mark said. "But you won’t be here to see it... or maybe you will, hehe."

He squeezed with all his strength.

Aria’s struggles intensified for a moment, one last desperate attempt to break free.

Then they weakened.

And finally... stopped.

Her eyes—those distinctive heterochromatic eyes—stared at him with such intense hatred that it seemed to burn even as the life faded from them.

And then... nothing.

Mark held on for another minute, just to be sure.

When he finally let go, Aria’s body slumped to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.

She was dead.

Mark stared at the corpse, then at his own hands, then at the reality of what he’d just done.

’I killed her with my own hands... it wasn’t Ely or Yuki. It was me.’

"Master," Ely’s voice was soft, concerned. "Are you okay?"

"I..."

Mark’s voice sounded strange even to his own ears.

"I don’t know."

He’d killed before.

Indirectly—monsters in dungeons.

But always through Ely.

This was different.

This was his hands around someone’s throat, feeling the life slip away, watching the light go out in their eyes.

He should feel guilty.

Horrified.

He should feel... something.

But all Mark felt was emptiness.

"Master," Yuki spoke for the first time, her voice barely a whisper. "What do we do with the body?"

Mark looked at Aria’s corpse—her white dress now stained with dirt, her face frozen in hatred and fear.

Then he made a decision.

"We’re taking her with us," he said. "I need... I need to do something."

"Master?" Ely asked, confused.