-259- Dirtying someone else's hand

Rozen wasn't sure if this was his own perception or not. But in this moment, he genuinely felt a lack of any uplifting or despondent emotions from the rapier-wielding girl before him.

The emotion he sensed was gray, and it was desolation. It was as if she had stopped thinking, feeling joy, or experiencing anything around her, and had abandoned her entire future. That's how Rozen felt from the rapier girl.

And that's why she said what she did.

"It doesn't matter."

The rapier-wielding girl spoke in a cold tone.

"I didn't come here for others' approval, nor did I come here to interact with them."

So, why did the rapier-wielding girl come here?

The answer was simple.

"I just want to give it my all and fall down when I'm exhausted."

The rapier-wielding girl turned her back.

"If my end is to die by someone else's hands, then so be it."

If this truly was her end, she would accept it with equanimity.

That's what the girl wanted to convey.

In this situation, whether finding a foothold or being framed, while she might not appear to be indifferent, she decided to let go of it all.

After all...

"In the end, it's all the same. It doesn't matter."

With these words, the girl prepared to leave.

Watching the retreating figure of the rapier-wielding girl, though Rozen didn't know anything about her appearance, he still instinctively understood.

He understood how pitiful this girl truly was.

Because...

"You're quite similar to how I used to be."

Almost involuntarily, Rozen blurted out these words.

This made the girl halt her steps.

Had Rozen expressed concern for her safety, she would have ignored it and left.

Had Rozen looked down upon and mocked her actions, she would have remained unfazed, leaving him only a departing figure.

In that case, this girl would have become a trivial passerby in Rozen's life, further becoming a small sacrifice in this world, falling at the end of her struggle.

However, Rozen neither showed concern for her safety nor contemptuously mocked her actions. Instead, as if looking at something familiar, he uttered these words.

And it was this sentence that altered the trajectory of the girl's life, causing her to halt her steps.

And so...

"Similar...?"

The rapier-wielding girl didn't turn back; she merely murmured her question.

To this, Rozen straightforwardly nodded.

Then, he continued.

"No hope."

"No future in sight."

"Only destined fate and an end is visible."

"So, I gave up on pursuing."

"So, I gave up on striving."

"But before the end arrives, I still want to struggle with all my might."

"Is that your current sentiment?"

Rozen spoke these words without any hint of delicacy, causing the rapier-wielding girl to lower her head.

Rozen was unaware of how the girl's expression changed in that moment or what thoughts were running through her mind. Yet, he could still understand.

The reason had already been stated.

"Like how I used to be, there's no other way."

Rozen summarized it with these words.

Indeed.

There was no other way.

Past Rozen was just like that.

Before receiving the "miracle," Rozen was a child destined to perish at the age of two. Even though, due to special circumstances, his two-year-old self still possessed complete thoughts and consciousness, this very fact made him acutely aware of how unreasonable the events that occurred to him were.

No possibility of rescue.

No method of salvation.

There was only lying on a sickbed, waiting for death to arrive.

So, back then, Rozen had given up hope and given up on the future, only struggling with his last ounce of strength. Yet, he had already accepted his irretrievable end.

Even if Rozen didn't know what kind of person she used to be, her current thoughts and ideas weren't that surprising.

Trapped in this death game, unable to leave, unable to guarantee her safety, how cruel and desperate must it be for a young girl? Even though Kayaba Akihiko had left conditions to save themselves, after a whole month, the first floor of Aincrad still remained unexplored, while there were still 99 more floors above, each scarier and more formidable than the last. Even with the intention to strive and persevere, facing these digitized challenges, how many times did players need to approach the brink of despair and death to reach the end?

Perhaps it was more fitting to ask, could anyone truly reach the end?

At least, there was no sign of such hope at present.

Wasn't the girl just like this?

Unable to see the hope of escape.

Unable to see the light of redemption.

Therefore, she chose to struggle until her last strength was exhausted, to calmly, serenely, and unemotionally accept her own end.

This, wasn't it exactly like the past Rozen?

Given this, Rozen could understand and even empathize.

"Is it just self-destructive behavior?" Rozen said this without sarcasm or provocation, his gaze fixed on the girl's back as he calmly spoke.

Ironically, this attitude lent an indescribable persuasiveness to his words.

The rapier girl moved slightly, looking at Rozen.

Although he still couldn't see her appearance clearly, Rozen could distinctly feel her gaze, as sharp as a sword, piercing into him.

"So, why have you survived until now?" the girl's question was low and hoarse, "Didn't you give up?"

Rozen had only one answer for that question.

"Because of a miracle."

Rozen's direct response left the girl momentarily stunned.

"A miracle...?" the girl repeated, her voice filled with disbelief.

"Exactly, a miracle."

Rozen provided a short and honest reply.

This caused the rapier girl to fall into a momentary silence, then she retorted sarcastically.

"That kind of thing... is utterly unreliable..."

Upon hearing this, Rozen chuckled.

"Perhaps."

That's all Rozen said.

"But because many people refuse to give it up, that's how they finally achieve what they desire."

Hearing this, the rapier girl opened her mouth as if to say something but ultimately refrained.

Because of Rozen's words.

"Even if you want to give it your all and then die, you shouldn't be going out like this."

Rozen's tone reverted to being lazy and casual as he spoke.

"This is a death game after all. Killing a player is equivalent to taking a living, breathing life. Perhaps the player who harms you will later suffer from psychological trauma, never recovering for a lifetime. At that point, you won't just be deciding your own fate, but the fate of others as well. So, at the very least, could you refrain from dirtying someone else's hands?"

Rozen's words left the girl in silence.