Mystic Eyes of Death Perception from Zero

{T/N: It just dawned on me that 'Re: Zero' is a Japanese franchise... With that realization, I'm going to start using relevant honorifics (dono, sama, kun, san, chan...) on the translation...

e.g instead of Lady Barielle, I'll be using Barielle-sama or Barielle-dono depending on the context and who's addressing who...

Any thoughts regarding this change? Should I go ahead and implement it or should I just leave it as is?

Still, I'll use it on this chapter and see how it goes... }

...

"Stop pretending, Yae Tenzen, assassin tasked with offing Priscilla-Hime..." Graham warned.

"Alright, fine. Just when I was on the cusp of success too..." Yae sighed, finally shedding her maid's disguise.

She dropped the tray and drew the kunai from her waist, eyeing him warily.

Graham sighed, and then calmly said, "Do you really think you can defeat me, Yae? Leave now, and I might spare your life."

In truth, he was still suffering from the backlash of overusing his 'Mystic Eyes of Death Perception'. Not only could he not use his eyes, but even summoning lesser spirits was difficult. This was the price of overusing his powers.

"Oh Graham-dono, don't be so harsh~! Do you really like Priscilla-sama that much?" Yae 'teased'...

"Enough deflecting! This is about you, Yae. Is your assassination mission really that important? Who sent you? I can only guess it's one of the other royal selection factions. Perhaps a certain border count?"

Graham narrowed his eyes. It seemed he would have to fight for his life this time. Yae wasn't intimidated. Instead, she slowly approached him, kunai in hand.

"Graham-dono, I'm truly sorry. Since you've discovered me, I'll have to eliminate you before completing my mission. I actually quite liked you and Priscilla-sama..."

"Your 'liking' is rather cheap. If your idea of liking someone is slitting their throat or piercing their heart with a kunai, then I can't accept it." Graham retorted.

"Hehe~ Think whatever you want. By the way, Graham-dono, why aren't you attacking me, an assassin? Could it be... that you're temporarily unable to use that power of yours?"

The more Yae thought about it, the more it made sense. Her gaze grew intense as she studied him.

Don't misunderstand, Yae was looking for Graham's weak points, especially his neck. She couldn't resist the urge to slash it!

"Of course not," Graham drew his dagger as he continued saying, "I still have the strength to kill you. It's just... I'm a bit reluctant. Such a cute maid, about to leave me? Life is truly unpredictable."

"Is that so? If you like this cute maid so much, why don't you step aside, Graham-dono? I'm just delivering a drink to Priscilla-sama. I'll leave soon~"

"That won't do. If Priscilla-Hime dies, I'll suffer a huge loss. She still owes me a lot of rewards after all."

"Sigh, you're really stubborn." Yae sighed, then suddenly accelerated into a sprint.

"Then I'll just have to kill you!" She declared.

She hurled her sharp kunai, but Graham swiftly deflected it with his dagger. The two immediately engaged in close combat.

*Clang!*

"What's wrong, Graham-dono? Still not planning to use that power of yours to tear me apart?" Yae mocked.

"Of course not. I'm just reluctant to lose such a capable maid. Can't you give up the mission for my sake and continue being a good maid?"

"No can do~ Graham-dono. I actually hate being ordered around~" Yae giggled, then unexpectedly lashed out with a powerful kick.

*Thud!*

The blow was incredibly heavy, leaving Graham's blocking arm numb.

"Ha~!"

Her black kunai gleamed with a silvery light as she thrust it into Graham's chest.

She pulled it out, and the man's body collapsed.

Yae expressionlessly flicked the blood off her kunai and continued toward Priscilla's bedroom.

*Pah!*

A bloodied hand grabbed her leg, halting her progress.

"Ugh!"

Before she could react, she was knocked to the ground. Graham now sat on her stomach, pinning down her kunai-wielding hands.

Yae broke into a cold sweat, her eyes filled with complex emotions, "What's wrong? Still not using that power? I'm about to kill you!"

"How tragic. It seems Yae has no attachment to her life as a maid here. But I won't let you kill the Princess."

"Even at the cost of your life?"

"Death is just a state of being. I've always sought the best outcome. If you're willing to retreat, that would be ideal. We don't have any conflicting interests, do we? For an opponent you can't defeat, abandoning the mission is the smart choice, isn't it? Yae, you don't have to sacrifice yourself for someone else's goals!"

"Shut up! What do you know about me? Priscilla must die!" Yae's expression hardened. She headbutted him fiercely, taking advantage of his dazed state to plunge her kunai into his heart.

"Yes, that's right. I don't understand. Yae-san never gave me the chance to. But I'll say it again, I won't let you kill Priscilla-Hime."

Despite the blood pouring from his chest, Graham stood up once more, blocking her path.

Having killed so many and absorbed so much life force, he could still fight!

His wounds were slowly healing.

Yae gritted her teeth, staring at him with mixed emotions, "Why go this far? Priscilla is just an arrogant woman! What about her is worth this sacrifice?"

Seeing Graham in such a pitiful state made Yae deeply uncomfortable.

"Isn't it obvious? Because I've taken a liking to her! Is it strange to protect the woman you fancy?" he answered.

"Then let's start round two. Since I can't convince you, I'll knock some sense into you!"

Graham's eyes sharpened as he picked up the fallen dagger.

You can't catch a wolf without sacrificing the bait.

Without some bold moves, how could he conquer the woman he cared about?

"Hmph! You can barely stand. Don't push yourself. Don't worry, Graham-dono. If you just step aside, I won't kill you!"

Yae didn't dislike men who protected something with all their might.

She sighed.

Graham was clearly forcing himself. Did she really have to kill him?

Gritting her teeth, Yae raised her hand and slashed with her kunai!

Without a doubt, the battered man couldn't stop her, or perhaps he didn't even try.

"Ugh...!"

Yae's eyes widened in shock as Graham suddenly kissed her, panic flashing across her face.

"Thanks for the treat, Yae. I really do like mischievous maids like you."

Yae Tenzen suddenly felt her body grow weak. Waves of dizziness washed over her, and she couldn't help but show fear, "W-what did you do?"

"Don't worry. You should be familiar with this, Yae. It's something old man Leip left behind~"

Graham smiled faintly. What he had smeared on his lips was a tool left by Leip for casting curses.

Convincing this stubborn assassin was too difficult, and his time was running out.

He felt like he was about to fall unconscious, therefore he needed to find a trustworthy bodyguard for Priscilla. While Yae's strength paled in comparison to other royal selection knights, her abilities were indeed exceptional.

After some research, he discovered that curses and contracts were similar, both were means of binding. With the 'Sorcerer's Divine Protection', he successfully modified this tool into a slave contract!

Yae's face turned pale as she slumped to the ground.

She was aware of Leip's intentions and the cursed tool he had left behind...

The thought of becoming a puppet was unbearable.

"Don't worry. I don't need a doll maid. So I'll only impose one restriction on you... You must not harm Priscilla Barielle!"

With that, Graham wearily closed his eyes. He was utterly exhausted.

All that remained was Yae, staring at him with a conflicted expression.

She suddenly felt envious of Priscilla...

...

{T/N: What did I just read??}