After My Bloodbath, I Realized… I Was the Original Killer - I Got an Assassin System…But I’m a Pacifist! (Lie)

Mochi blinked. She was now in a bedroom—more tidy, more comfy-looking than the prison-like room from before.

A bed, a window, a bathroom, and a desk with paper on it.

Mochi sighed deeply, her steps wobbling before she picked up the paper. The ink was still fresh.

Resolve the Western Plague. And I shall reveal a half-truth to you, cute little Thief.

"How gentle of you. Almost pulled my heartstrings."

She clutched her chest. Still beating.

Of... what exactly?

Ah. Rage. Frustration. And...something else that is twisting her guts.

Yet she recalled the taste of that woman's blood as she licked her hand.

It was sweet. Like the honeyed drops she had promised.

Not good. She needed a distraction.

"System." She glanced. "The rest of the reward."

<...computing...>

"Equip." She set aside the paper, extending her hand.

Pixels formed, then from her wrist, a black metal bracelet coiled inside her long sleeve—part of the Thief Guild's outfit.

"Hm..." Mochi examined the crossbolt bracelet, the blue mana shimmering inside a crystal. "A mini-crossbolt. Discreet. Lightweight. Pretty stylish."

"Takes time to draw the string, but maybe someday."

Mochi's eyes scanned down to the dried blood.

"Let's take a shower first..."

First time a speedrunner slowed down.

Mochi chuckled tiredly as her steps wiggled toward the bathroom.

---------------

"Ah... at least they have hot water here..."

Immersing herself in the wooden bucket, the naked Mochi finally relaxed.

First blood. Then a terrifying Final Boss. Last, a speedrun and some near-death experiences.

"Life has really gone by in a flash..."

What a cliché line. Mochi's hand slid water over her skin.

...was this really her skin? Too smooth. Too milky.

"The relatives would have doted on me even more if they knew I was this cute."

Oh. The bath calmed the meter. Good to know.

Guess she didn't have to beg the Guildmaster about it.

...

...truth be told, everything had come smoothly to Mochi.

Novice's Mage Ring. Reduction of mana consumption for dual-casting by 50% (limited to low-tier spells).

Thief Guild Cloak. Increased movement speed by 15%.

And of course...

She summoned the mask into her hand.

Thief Guild Mask. No effect.

Except hiding her identity.

Alongside her knowledge and the skills, the route had written itself for Mochi.

"Coupled with that bandit's ring...hehehe..."

Ah, she really liked this feeling.

Hm... but there was something different.

"I'm so exhausted..."

Relief. Satisfaction. Pride. All swelled into the most potent mix of energy drink for Mochi.

Too much had happened. Too many accomplishments. Too much to adapt to.

"System." She dismissed the mask. "Don't tell me you're male behind that screen."

<...>

"We... is it?"

Come to think of it... Mochi squinted. "You never addressed yourself as anything other than 'we.'"

"Again with that... sure." Mochi grumbled as she waved. "Tell me what I need to know about the Western Plague."

"How about that woman's true identity?"

"Then something that isn't a spoiler."

Her palms gripped the water, grunting.

<...loading...>

<...>

"Oi." A crack, in her veins. "Tch... fine. Let's go with..."

The System was omnipresent, so...

"Haelmira and her knights." Mochi smirked.

Permission? Mochi frowned. "Play footage if you can."

Mochi wasn't a streamer.

But a speedrun of that record? And with no Discorp here?

Her smirk widened. It was self-gloating time.

----------

"Commander! We just confirmed the charred remains belonged to the snake-eyed Rook, and the headless body is his brother!"

"Commander! News has arrived that Silas has fallen in his kitchen!"

"Commander! The same goes for Vespera in the East!"

"Commander! Countless bandits are escaping to the Outskirts!"

"Commander! Ple—"

"Shut the fuck up!"

Haelmira stomped the ground. The Howling Maul's corridor would have been divinely flamed if not for her discipline.

"That damn assassin bitch!" she screamed. "Twenty minutes! It hasn't even been twenty minutes since we raided this HQ, and you tell me all four are fucking dead?!"

"Madam... according to Silas' autopsy report, it should be within fifteen minutes... actually, maybe thirteen, cutting out the escape time..."

"One more word, and I'll burn you on a stake and eat you like a marshmallow, Timmy."

"Y-yes..."

Poor Timmy (actual name: Corial Stormstrider) hung his shoulders.

"Ugh..." Haelmira's palm slid over her face. "What in the world am I supposed to make of this?"

Four bandit leaders. All gone within fifteen minutes.

Even the most brilliant knights would take more than three hours, accounting for escape routes.

"Then that settles it..." She gritted her teeth. "She must be the one who killed Aldric Veyne's family. And..."

The knight clicked her tongue. "How's the bounty progress?!"

"All reports sent! Mercenaries and wandering knights are coming! Alongside... the Third Princess herself."

"Of course that spoiled monster has to butt in." Haelmira turned. "Lead me to the Howling Maul's office. We'll check if any documents are missing."

--------------

"...wait."

Mochi frowned, the satisfaction from watching the clown show fading.

"Aldric Veyne and his family were murdered?!"

Water crackled. Mochi's frame trembled.

"System!"

<...Host.>

"Essential information I missed. Tell me every part of it!"

Her gaze swiped. Thorny text twitched.

<...compiling...>

"Ha. So that's why Haelmira was sent here!" Mochi slammed her fist into the water.

Aldric Veyne? Unimportant.

That essential NPC, though? Absolutely.

"But who the hell could they be...?"

A certain purple silk-haired figure drifted in her memory before she shook her head.

Not enough evidence. She would analyze it in due time.

"Although I'm more than certain the Guildmaster has something to do with—"

...wait...

Aldric Veyne and FOUR family members.

Mochi... when she had awakened...

...

...ha?

Wait. Mochi held her head. Something was absolutely off.

"System." She glared. "Five souls. Five fucking souls."

<...>

"Say something." The emerald eye's coldness could chill even the hot water beneath. "How in the fuck did I have five souls already when I awakened?"

<...>

"I murdered them. I was the one who murdered them. Wasn't I?!"

<...>

"Screw your spoilers." Her eyes cast needles. "Answers. Now."

<...>

Ashvein... the place where the Plague originated.

The reason Vesperal Hollow thrived despite Aldric Veyne's corruption was that many had flocked here after the Western Plague spread from Ashvein.

More manpower. More taxes. More spending power.

"Tch." Mochi plumped back down, water splashing.

Still, who cared if she murdered them? Aldric's family is all trash! Lazy trash, to be precise.

The North and South benefited more from the 'migration', but some treated Vesperal Hollow as a temporary stop before the Plague died down.

All a waste though...this town still ended like a shit-hole because of Aldric Veyne's corrupted embezzlement, and clumsiness in handling welfares and relieves.

"And... that plague persisted in the Vanilla game."

No solutions.

No documents.

No dialogues.

The community had dug up implications about how the plague happened. And they concluded...

"System. Last reported syndrome from Ashvein's victim."

"As expected."

Black Death. Or Mouse Plague.

The environmental design of Ashvein gave off that atmosphere, with... well, the abundance of rats.

"System. This body is immune to disease, right?"

"Which one?"

Ah, great. A second perk that cost two skill points...