༺ Finding A Place Is Hard! (12) ༻
Even though he went mad and senile.
White Wizard, Faust von Walpurgis, was still quite a big shot.
As I crushed his throat under my foot, I could feel rich and deep karma accumulating within me.
Level 50.
I was getting increasingly closer to it.
“This is bad.”
I cursed a bit while looking at the body of the old man that was turning cold.
Thud—
Then, footsteps could be heard from behind me.
Turning my head, there stood the White Wizard Friede, clutching her staff, looking at me.
“I won’t go easy on you because you’re a woman.”
A light yet serious warning.
I wasn’t one to go easy on people, whether it was a woman, elderly, or child, who came at me.
An egalitarian in the truest sense.
“…With the books burned and the previous head dead, our loss is certain… But I’m not foolish enough to make you my enemy over something vain like this. I can’t beat you.”
Friede stated calmly.
“Smart.” I replied, even as I wondered if it might be a bluff – when Friede, still holding her staff, spoke in a tense voice.
“My father… The former head was strong. But he was defeated miserably due to his arrogance and carelessness. I think I understand why. You are stronger than anyone I’ve seen. But you seem ridiculous, like a clown.”
“……”
“Bees and snakes, the dangerous creatures with lethal venom, all emit strong warning colors. They exude threats all over their bodies to overwhelm their counterparts. But you are the opposite. Easily underestimated…”
“Is that so?”
“Even now, I still wonder if I could win if I attacked you – that’s the false hope you plant in me. Is this your strategy? Never to show off, but to suppress yourself like a tiger, crouching and repressing yourself, crawling on the ground?”
Perhaps because she was still young, Friede seemed smarter than her father, Faust.
She had discerned that I was someone easily underestimated compared to my real presence.
This was a kind of deception tactic.
Swiftly, with a dagger hidden in my bosom, I silenced opponents who underestimated me.
Slashing those who thought of me as weak.
Friede declared with certainty.
“You’re deceiving everyone. No, not people – you’re deceiving the world itself. 「Nocturne’s Vessel」. So the rumors were true.”
“……”
“Let’s return to the question I asked when we first met. Judas, do you hear hallucinations or have nightmares? No… you’re probably past that stage. You’ve become a nightmare yourself… Poor human…”
“Let’s stop uncovering someone else’s means of livelihood there. I can’t guarantee your life either if you talk more. There might be prying ears all around us.”
To those with a keen sense like Friede, deception was not easily successful.
Fortunately, it seemed that there would be no need for pointless fights—just as I thought so, a boy who appeared to be about ten years old showed up and hid behind Friede.
“…Mom.”
The boy’s prince power, male equivalent of princess power, seemed to be B grade.
He would fetch a pretty penny if I kidnapped him for ransom.
“Mom, what’s happening…? Who is that person…? I’m scared… Why is Grandpa…?”
“It’s okay, Sieg. Nothing’s wrong. Quickly go back to your room. Hurry. Lock the door and don’t come out until I tell you to…!”
Friede shielded the boy, who appeared to be her son, behind her and once again pointed her wand at me.
The woman, who had been nonchalant with her words until just now, began to tense with anxiety.
A bead of sweat even trickled down from her forehead.
Perhaps she was bracing herself to protect her child?
To others, this scene might look like that of a robber who broke in, killed an old man, and is now threatening a poor mother and child.
I would definitely appear to be the villain.
And in reality, it wasn’t much different.
“Are you afraid of me?”
“…”
The woman didn’t answer.
Hiding the child behind her, she seemed unable to speak.
I said to her seriously.
“That fear might just extend your life a bit. Now stop being a nuisance to me. I’ve memorized your son’s face. You’re not foolish enough not to understand what that means, right?”
I threatened the woman, as a villain should.
Then Friede frowned and slowly nodded.
“…Understood.”
That was the end of today’s events.
I searched the dead old man’s belongings.
I had to find Aru.
“Where is it?”
But the bead was nowhere to be seen.
The only thing that came out from the belongings was a magically sealed scroll.
It seemed like quite an expensive item.
Indeed, indeed.
It reeked of ‘treasure’.
I immediately activated my self-proclaimed Rank S skill, 「Insight」.
「Walpurgis Household Scroll: A scroll containing the secret truths of the Walpurgis family. When read by someone with the aptitude, it can lead to magical achievements. Magic Ability +1, Princess Power +1」
Oh, holy shh…!
An item that increases both magic ability and princess power?
Incroyable.
But it wasn’t the ‘Aru’ I was looking for.
I’d keep it for now, but just as I was starting to feel a bit tired, Friede reached out to me.
“You…”
On her white glove laid a small bead.
Friede spoke.
“I want to ask you one thing. Is Naru really your daughter…?”
“Yes.”
“… Are you certain?”
Certain?
What did she mean by that now?
Friede shouldn’t know that Naru came from 6 years in the future.
But there was only one answer I could give here.
“Even if she’s not actually my daughter, if I consider her my daughter, then she is. If I consider her a stranger, even if we’re blood-related, she’s a stranger. You’re educated, so you should know better than me, right?”
“……”
Swoosh—
I took the bead and returned to the dark underground.
But Brigitte was not in the dungeon.
Where did she go?
After searching around for a while, I realized there was a narrow gap in the dungeon and within it was a secret space.
It was a cramped space.
It was so full with just two adults that we had to bend our waists forcibly.
A few candles were lit, and all sorts of things were piled up, but it felt quite cozy.
“A nice hiding place.”
I said.
Then Brigitte, who was sewing a doll in the hiding place, said,
“This was my home. It was my room. And this teddy bear Aru was my one and only family. I had forgotten about it for a long time but…”
Swoosh—
I held out the bead to Brigitte.
After receiving it, Brigitte showed a complex expression.
Then she asked me.
“My father… the head of the family…?”
“He’s gone now. He had an accident during a reckless magic experiment. That’s what will be announced at least.”
Killing a colleague’s father turned out to be more horrible than I thought.
Especially if that colleague was a woman I cared about.
Soon Brigitte, holding the bead in her hand, whispered softly.
“Judas, I’ve made you go through a terrible experience.”
“Adding a few more pictures to my awful memory album now wouldn’t even be noticeable. Besides, is that bead enough? Unfortunately, I couldn’t steal your diary. It was burnt and gone.”
“For now, this is enough. Just this alone.”
Brigitte inserted the bead I had handed her into the teddy bear.
Then, with quite skilled hands, she sewed up the bear’s belly, and slowly the bear’s body began to move as if creaking.
“…Brigitte…!”
Finally, the teddy bear raised its arms wide.
But the voice was small.
It sounded like it came from a broken radio.
“Aru, I’m glad.”
However, watching this, Brigitte let out a small sigh of relief.
She must have felt fortunate just to hear the doll speaking.
“Brigitte, we need to get out of here…”
“It’s okay now.”
Brigitte stroked the flustered doll with her hand.
Then teddy bear Aru tilted its head in confusion.
“Is… it okay now? Brigitte, you won’t cry anymore…?”
“Yes.”
“I’m not sure what happened… but I’m glad… it turned out well.”
“Ung, ung.”
“I’m relieved. And Brigitte, it was so nice to see you after a long time. What happened while I was away? Did you have lots of fun? Eat plenty of strawberries?”
“Yes. I ate a lot.”
Brigitte shared her many stories.
Graduating as a top student from school.
Traveling the world to defeat the Demon King, and so on.
While listening to the stories for a while, the teddy bear, Aru, suddenly hugged Brigitte tightly.
“…What an amazing story! And I’m glad! I was… really worried… when I knew… you had left… this mansion. But it seems you’re doing well. Now I…”
“Let’s go together, Aru. I know a nice place. You’d like it too. There are also little ones who would enjoy playing with you!”
“Should I…? It sounds fun… But sadly… my time is almost up… Brigitte, it was good to see your face…”
“I will, I will make you again! I don’t exactly remember how, but I’ve done it once, so somehow… I will do it again…!”
“Ung, ung.”
The teddy bear Aru shook its head from side to side.
And then said in a small voice.
“Brigitte, you don’t need me anymore… I’ve always dreamed… that you would forget about me… that you would become happy… Now, I can rest in peace…”
“……”
“Farewell, wonderful grown-up… Brigitte… Goodbye. Forever…”
That was the end of the teddy bear’s words.
Brigitte didn’t cry or get angry anymore.
She just hugged the teddy bear tightly.
* * *
Brigitte clung to the teddy bear for a while without saying a word.
Then, after a few minutes, she lifted her swollen face and whispered.
“…Am I too old to play with dolls?”
“No.”
I took Brigitte’s hand.
“I’m going to steal you away now.”
As we escaped the secret base and out of the prison, a woman with glasses was growling.
“You can’t go! Brigitte, this is your home! Where are you going?! Look at what you’ve done! Everything is broken and shattered! As if our family didn’t have enough debts!”
Tsk, I thought Friede and I already had a deal?
Just as I was thinking of stepping in, Brigitte grabbed my shoulder and stepped forward.
“Gudrid, I’ve hated you since the old days. Destruction!”
It was a quick spell chant.
The round destruction orb Brigitte launched flew towards Gudrid.
But as Brigitte’s sister, Gudrid was not to be underestimated.
“Wall. Defense!”
Two quick spell chants.
A thin wall appeared, protecting Gudrid’s body.
“So they say you’re the Mage of The Black Jewel, but it’s nothing special! I’m at least Gold rank; have you heard of Seeker Gudrid?!”
Gudrid snorted with disdain.
However, the simple barrier Gudrid created ultimately could not withstand Brigitte’s destructive power and shattered with a crash.
“What? How could a two-word spell be overpowered by a single word…!? Ah, noo…!”
Gudrid protected her stomach with both hands.
Because of that, the spell missed the stomach and hit her chest squarely.
“Guah…!”
In the end, Gudrid fell with a pathetic scream.
While she was unable to regain her senses, struck in the chest and only teary-eyed, Brigitte stepped on Gudrid’s wrist as she tried to reach for her wand and pointed her finger at her stomach.
“Destruc─.”
“Ju-Just a moment…! There’s a baby in my belly…. It will be born soon…. A daughter. If you’re going to kill me, please, at least save my… my daughter….”
“……”
Brigitte’s eyes changed to a strangely complex expression.
The tip of her finger aiming at her sister also trembled with a subtle feeling.
Just then, something popped out with a snap.
“Mom!”
It was a little girl.
Her platinum blonde hair was tied in pigtails.
Her princess level was quite high.
Around A-grade.
Perhaps she could have a good match with Tywin.
Such a girl clung to Gudrid and cried out while sobbing.
“…Do-Don’t bully my mom! Waaah, waaah, waaah!”
“Morgan! Run away! Quickly! This, this place is dangerous…!”
Morgan didn’t understand her Mom’s words.
Shivering uncontrollably, filled with fear and sorrow, she probably couldn’t speak normally.
Even I could feel how much the girl loved her mother.
Brigitte, who couldn’t become a villain after all, must have felt it too.
“It’s strange. Even that horrible sister seems to love her children.”
“…Of course. They are my children….”
“Then what was I? Wasn’t I part of this family? Where is my mother even in this situation?”
Brigitte looked around and added loudly.
“I’ve felt it for a long time. This isn’t my home. It never was my home. Today is the end of this dreadful connection with you all.”
━━─.
Brigitte muttered something.
It seemed to be a rapid incantation of more than seven words, as far as I could tell.
Whooooosh—
Finally, there was a sound of something falling from the sky.
Boom—!
It was the sound of a meteorite smashing everything to pieces.
Swoosh—
That’s when Friede appeared.
I was momentarily tense, but Friede just looked at the collapsing roof and said nothing.
Brigitte then spoke to such a Friede.
“Thinking back now, Sister Friede didn’t torment me. She just stood by, just like now. She only watched. It was you who sent me to the Graham Academy, wasn’t it?”
“…I’m sorry for you. But back then, I was only 15 years old….”
“I wasn’t even ten years old.”
“…This time, I really wanted to get along with you.”
Friede drew a circle in the air with her finger, and soon a round, oval shape appeared before us.
It was a dimensional gate.
I instinctively knew where the dimensional gate led.
It must be my home.
Where everyone was waiting.
* * *
Waveeee—
Stepping out of the dimensional gate, I saw the garden.
It was the garden of my 「Junk Mansion」, visited once by a lady with a parasol.
In a neatly arranged garden.
It was just Brigitte and I under the brighter-than-expected moonlight.
Despite all that had happened, there was no need for any word to be spoken.
Sometimes silence itself was more than necessary to fill a person’s heart.
While we maintained that long silence.
Brigitte looked at the drained pond and whispered softly.
“…You know, I’ve been thinking. Maybe I’m Naru’s mother-.”
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