To the Man Destined to Kill Me - Chapter 65

The bullet flying toward Noah was blocked by an invisible shield and fell to the ground. Scott, unfazed, loaded the next bullet. This time, he aimed directly at Noah’s heart.

Noah calmly showed both his palms in a gesture of surrender. Even so, Scott didn’t lower his gun.

“You. Why are you coming out of that room?”

Noah answered with silence. Scott felt a surge of anger. The hand holding the gun trembled.

Maybe it wasn’t the worst-case scenario he had imagined. He tried to deny all kinds of thoughts, but just the fact that Noah had come out of Scarlett’s room filled him with uncontrollable resistance.

“…Scarlett is inside. Please don’t do this here.”

“I won’t kill you. Get lost, go back to your country.”

“Wifland is my country.”

“Your bloodline is from Natalia’s cursed family.”

“That family was erased from the world. The Natalia Empire too. I will stay by Scarlett’s side. No matter who I am or what I must do, I will never leave her.”

“This is insane.”

“I truly love her.”

“You said she was your sister.”

“I thought so at the time. But you know the truth. We are not real siblings.”

“You crazy bastard.”

As Scott fired the gun, an invisible force pulled the barrel upward. The loud gunshot, like before, was erased by magic.

The bullet lodged into the ceiling, and after a moment, it fell with a clatter at Noah’s feet. Scott’s eyelids twitched.

“You really don’t know your place.”

“I won’t show mercy a third time.”

“Fine. Try to kill me. I won’t show you mercy anymore either. Cursed blood! I spared you for Scarlett’s sake, and now you talk about love? Nonsense.”

Scott loaded his gun again. He knew a gun wouldn’t work against a magician like Noah. But he had to shoot. Otherwise, the rage burning inside him might turn against his own sister.

“It looks like Ashford’s luck ends here.”

As soon as he got back, he would order Julia Ashford’s death. He would gather all Cravitz’s magicians and tear her to pieces.

“You think you’re invincible just because Victor Lebedev is backing you.”

“Why should I care about what you say? If you’re not Scarlett’s brother, I have no reason to treat you with respect.”

“Arrogant bastard.”

“You’re the arrogant one.”

“Why were you coming out of my sister’s room?”

“…”

Noah’s silence made Scott’s face grow even harsher. He pressed the gun threateningly closer, urging for an answer.

“Speak. Why were you in Scarlett’s room?”

If he had done anything improper, Scott would make sure death was a mercy for him.

“You don’t need to know.”

“Really? Then I’ll check myself.”

“She’s sleeping. Don’t wake her up for no reason.”

“Sleeping?”

Scott’s eyebrows shot up. From the words alone, it sounded like he was playing the role of a caring brother, maybe even singing a lullaby. But something about the nuance was off. There was a strange intimacy that made Scott uneasy.

His patience was wearing thin. An instinctive fear gnawed at his nerves. Terrible thoughts filled his mind.

He suddenly remembered how Scarlett had defended Noah. How she had shown mercy and compassion toward him. Those choices now seemed terrifying.

Fear was clouding his judgment. He observed Noah closely—his grim expression, yet somehow brighter complexion, his relaxed attitude, and even the way he looked at Scott as if he were being generous.

Scott reached a conclusion. Noah Ashford had to die here. It was an instinct that felt almost like faith.

“I’ll see for myself.”

After moving your corpse out of the way.

Just as Scott’s finger tightened on the trigger, a white door opened behind Noah and Scarlett came out. Her face was hazy with sleep. At first, she seemed surprised to see Scott, but when she realized he had a loaded gun, she panicked. Scott spoke.

“I thought I’d show you in person what kind of company Cravitz really is.”

“Put it down. Why are you doing something so dangerous?”

Scarlett tried to block Noah, but Noah pulled her behind him to shield her from the gun. Facing the barrel itself was dangerous. Scott’s eyes narrowed. His sharp gaze examined Scarlett closely.

Her staggering steps, the reddish marks left on her neck, their unusually close relationship, their hands tightly clasped together.

Scott’s face twisted in rage.

Bang!

Even though Scarlett was watching, he fired the gun at Noah without hesitation. Today, he had no intention of letting that damned beast live.

After arriving home, Julia rummaged through a pile of junk and pulled out a tranquilizer dart. Ironically, it was a product from Cravitz.

“This has to work.”

With her magic sealed, the only way she could physically overpower Noah was by using a weapon.

Of course, she could break her own seal anytime. She had used a self-releasing sealing spell just in case of emergencies. Thanks to that, Noah had unknowingly broken his own seal and awakened his magic powers.

“This is the last time.”

The last time. She had finally reached the moment she had feared all her life.

Knock, knock.

Someone tapped on the door. Julia quickly hid the tranquilizer inside her clothes and cautiously opened the front door.

“What is it now?”

The person standing there was Victor Lebedev.

“I have a proposal.”

“You could’ve just sent a letter.”

“You never reply. Are you planning to keep me standing out here? This isn’t something we should discuss at the door.”

“…Come in.”

As Julia stepped aside, Victor squeezed himself inside. He gave a low cough at the dusty air, and Julia served him a cheap drink.

“What is it?”

Victor didn’t even glance at the drink. He said,

“Come with me to Natalia.”

“I said I’m not going.”

“The Mage Alliance has caught a scent. I don’t know if they know about Noah yet, but they’ve realized you’re alive. They’ll come soon.”

Julia’s face turned pale. Even though she was a powerful first-class magician, she couldn’t take on the united Mage Alliance alone.

The Mage Alliance was like the flow of history itself. She hadn’t run away because she was confident she could resist them.

“Give Noah to us. Then we’ll have a reason to protect you. No matter what you did in the past, no matter who you killed, you will be the mother of the royal family of Natalia.”

“…”

She trembled endlessly. It wasn’t fear for her own death. It was the uncertainty of whether the nobles could defeat the Mage Alliance and protect Noah.

“Not all magicians cooperate with the Mage Alliance. And you know the reason why Natalia’s class system lasted so long.”

In Natalia, rank was determined by the strength of one’s bloodline. Magical power was inherited through blood.

Most nobles were powerful magicians. The Mage Alliance was formed by magicians from lower classes who wanted to destroy the hierarchy. Julia had belonged to the latter.

“The final war is coming.”

In her generation, there had been a fierce clash between noble magicians trying to maintain the system and the Mage Alliance trying to overthrow it. That war had led to the emperor’s assassination and the collapse of the royal family.

The descendants of the dead had now grown into young adults. The nobles would dream of revenge, and the Mage Alliance would squeeze out their remaining strength to overthrow the world.

“I don’t want to push him into the storm of the times.”

“Natalia needs an imperial family. To symbolize the glory of the past, support the present, and guide the future. Noah will become Natalia’s emperor, the last heir of the royal family.”

“This is all your greed. Natalia this, Natalia that. None of it means anything.”

“The truth will come out eventually. It’s only a matter of when. The Mage Alliance has already caught the scent and they’ll uncover everything. Noah has no choice. Be killed by them or become emperor. Isn’t glory better than death?”

“And if he becomes emperor? What if the royal family is overthrown again? You know what it means to say you’ll protect me. With these hands…”

She looked down at her hands, lost in old memories. With these very hands, she had killed Noah’s father—Emperor Joseph of Natalia.

“Fight for Noah.”

“Fight?”

“Yes. Just like you killed Joseph in the past.”

Julia flinched visibly. Victor spoke casually about his friend’s death.

“This time, kill the Mage Alliance. After it’s all over, admit your crimes and pay the price. That’s the only way you and Noah can live together.”

It was an unrealistic suggestion. Noah would never just watch her go to prison. Her mere existence would cause endless problems.

That’s why she had to die during the war. That way, everything could be hidden under the word “death.”

If she could turn back time, she would undo that day. She deeply regretted the horrible act she had committed, not even knowing who she had killed. A single mistake had trapped her in endless guilt.

“I’ll think about it positively.”

It was a lie. She didn’t want Noah, her son, to stand at the center of this turbulent era. He had never experienced the horrors of a chaotic time.

The world doesn’t just change. Blood must be shed, and people will end up doubting each other and surviving through hatred.

That’s why she had decided to seize the last chance John had given her. Even if Noah ended up resenting her, she had no choice.

Because she was Noah’s mother.

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