༺ Cradle (5) ༻
It was an unexpected encounter.
Yet, upon further reflection, there was a sense of inevitability to it.
After all, no records of the previous Apostle of Death existed prior to her appearance in the world.
For that reason, there was also a rumor that the ‘Holy Kingdom deliberately withheld information about her,’ but Vera now knew that this was not true.
‘It makes sense there are no records if she was in a place like this.’
Who in the world would imagine that a human being who grew up in the Cradle of the Dead could exist?
Vera looked at the young girl, the Apostle of Death trembling before him, and collected his thoughts with an empty sigh.
‘What do we do next…?’
There was a lot to consider.
If this young girl who possessed a stigma was the only human living here, then she must be connected to Maleus in some way.
Even if she was an Apostle like him, carelessly interfering could make the situation difficult to handle.
It was more than just a mere speculation; the evidence was right here.
Rattle rattle rattle rattle—!
The skeletons began making a fuss as soon as they stopped holding onto the girl.
This girl was not manipulating them.
‘The Power of Death does not manipulate the dead.’
Rather, it could be said to be the opposite.
It was a power that formed a contract with the dead who long for rest and allowed them to slumber.
Therefore, if the dead were helping her, it would be right to assume that it was either of their own will or due to the orders of Maleus.
“Hueee…”
The girl firmly shut her eyes.
Vera felt a sudden rush of discomfort.
She was around the same age as Renee when he first met her. The discomfort arose from the challenge of soothing such a young girl, which was still a difficult task for Vera.
‘…Let’s take her to the Saint for now.’
There were many parts that were difficult to decide on alone, and also because he needed to reassure the girl to find out more.
Thinking that it would be a wise decision to return to the group and consult with them, Vera dragged the girl with him.
“Hueeeek!!!”
As if to entertain him on the way, the girl screamed in fear until the moment they arrived at the group.
***
A little while later, as Renee was calming the terrified girl Vera had brought, she questioned in disbelief at the words she heard.
“…What? An Apostle? This child?”
How could she not be surprised that the identity of the pursuer was not only this frightened child but also an Apostle?
Renee turned her head and looked in the girl’s direction again, concentrating on her senses.
The child was shaking as if there was an earthquake when she first arrived, but was only slightly shivering now.
I think she’s starting to feel a bit more relieved now.
While organizing her surprised thoughts, Renee finally asked after some contemplation.
“Excuse me, can you tell me your name?”
There were things she had to inquire about right away, but she decided to ask this question first to put the girl at ease.
After all, considering her size discernable by touch, the sound of her voice, and her actions, it was apparent that the girl was considerably younger than Renee. She seemed to be terrified. If Renee were to probe her immediately, it could potentially come across as threatening.
With these thoughts in mind, Renee gently stroked the girl’s back as she posed the question. The girl slowly raised her head and looked at Renee.
Although she looked anxious and was still trembling, the girl relaxed a bit at Renee’s gentle demeanor and answered.
“…Jenny.”
It was a faint, feeble reply, like the buzzing of a mosquito.
However, relieved to hear a response despite her timid demeanor, Renee’s face brightened up, and she returned the greeting.
“Ah, nice to meet you! I’m Renee.”
The girl, Jenny, was taken aback by Renee’s cheerful voice and flinched, her eyes darting around.
It was because she wasn’t used to human warmth.
Feeling strangely at ease by the soft and warm atmosphere, Jenny suddenly realized this and stiffened.
‘I-I can’t let my guard down…!’
Didn’t His Majesty say that humans are deceitful animals and that one must always be suspicious of them?
Jenny sealed her lips once more. She pressed them together so firmly and with such determination that she even held her breath.
A brief standoff.
The first to surrender was Jenny, who had been holding her breath for too long and had to breathe.
“Phew…!”
While inhaling the refreshing air that rushed into her lungs, Jenny realized that she didn’t need to hold her breath just to keep her mouth shut.
Following this train of thought, a look of ‘oops!’ appeared on her face.
‘Idiot!’
She was an idiot.
From a distance, the group watching Jenny each added a comment with a different expression.
The twins spoke first.
“New Apostle seems like inexperienced friend.”
“Marek teach new friend.”
Next, Miller opened his mouth.
“Um, what should we call it? Ah, that’s it. An undersocialized beast.”
Norn and Hela brought up warm smiles at the innocent appearance of Jenny, and Aisha’s eyes sparkled.
Seeing a peer who seemed meek, a mischievous idea came to her.
Aisha giggled. Vera promptly flicked her forehead with a ‘thwack!’ to prevent any trouble Aisha might cause.
“Ow!”
“Don’t mess around.”
“Tch—”
Looking at Aisha clicking her tongue, Vera suddenly had a thought.
‘It’s not like this is a daycare…’
He was thinking about how more and more kids seemed to be appearing, oblivious to the fact that he himself was the biggest kid.
***
Ultimately, they learned nothing more from the girl named Jenny. This was because she had both shut her mouth and eyes.
It was a difficult situation.
For the group, an unexpected variable had emerged. Adding to that, they didn’t know how that variable would act.
After a long period of deliberation, the group made a decision.
“Let’s head to the old castle first,” Miller said.
“Regardless of what it is, isn’t it certain that this slow little girl is related to Maleus? If we go, we might be able to find out something. We’re headed in the same direction anyways.”
It was a statement that accurately captured the current situation.
In Renee’s arms, Jenny heard this statement and glared at Miller with a forceful look when she heard him refer to her as a ‘slow little girl.’
However, her continual cowardice hadn’t disappeared even at this moment. When Miller directed his gaze towards Jenny, she firmly nestled her head in Renee’s arms.
…It could be considered a significant development. After all, she had recognized Renee as someone she could feel safe with.
Feeling Jenny trembling, burying her face in her chest, Renee laughed awkwardly and replied.
“Um, let’s begin with that for now, shall we?”
For Renee, it was an uncomfortable situation.
Being an Apostle, she had to get along with this child, but the child was completely unwilling to speak, and no one in the group was familiar enough with children to approach her kindly.
The only ones she could have any hope for were Norn and Aisha, but Norn wouldn’t approach her because he had been traumatized when Aisha told him, ‘Get lost. Uncle reeks of an old man.’ at their first meeting, and Aisha kept being held back by Vera for some reason.
A sigh slipped out from Renee’s lips.
‘We need to take her to a place where she can feel comfortable.’
If we can safely take her to the old castle, we can at least convince her that we aren’t bad people.
While Renee was thinking this, Vera asked.
“…Then what do we do about those things? The skeletons that were with this child are still roaming around.”
At his question, Renee finally realized the source of that constant, noisy ‘clack clack clack’ sound since Vera’s return.
It seemed to be the sound of a skeleton’s bones.
“Um, it doesn’t seem like they’re trying to harm us, so can’t we just ignore it and move on? If they want to follow, they’ll do it on their own.”
“Yes, let’s proceed with that assumption.”
After the decision was made, Renee gently stroked Jenny’s head and said.
“Okay, we’ll take you home… um, the old castle is your home, right?”
With a nod, Jenny’s head bobbed up and down.
“So, do you want to come with us as we take you home?”
Jenny peeked up and looked straight at Renee’s face, then slowly removed herself from Renee’s arms and stood on her own.
Renee let out a quiet sigh of relief at Jenny’s cooperative behavior, then gently took Jenny’s hand again and spoke in the same kind tone as before.
“Um, I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but I can’t see. So, would you be able to guide me?”
Jenny’s gaze never left the hand holding hers.
For some reason, she felt her heart pounding.
‘Warm…’
The touch was soft and warm. It was so unfamiliar and amazing.
Despite trying to suppress it, Jenny felt a continuous release of emotions, eventually nodding her head and opening her mouth.
“…Yes.”
This prompted a bright smile to appear on Renee’s lips.
***
She’s a quick adapter. That’s the perfect way to describe her.
Renee thought.
A child who was shaking like a leaf out of fear when she first saw her was now able to walk alongside the group with her trembling reduced to just minor flinching. How could she not feel proud of this?
While she was technically a stranger to the child she had only met a few hours ago, seeing the child who had relied on her grow in such a short time made Renee somewhat understand what it felt to be like to be a mother.
About ten minutes had passed after they started walking towards the old castle. Finally able to move freely, Aisha poked and teased Jenny, whose body kept squirming in response.
Seeing Jenny’s jittery reaction, Aisha quickly lost interest. With a pouty expression suggesting that she found it boring, she soon turned her target to Renee.
Aisha glanced at Renee, scanning her mood.
Seeing Renee’s happy smiling face, Aisha instinctively judged that, ‘If I do it now, it’ll be a big hit!’
She acted quickly.
“Renee.”
“Yes?”
“Aren’t you going to do that thing this time?”
Renee’s head tilted. Feeling her heart pound at Renee’s puzzled reaction, Aisha shouted with a beaming smile.
“A love rival!”
It was a low blow.
Thud—
Renee’s steps stopped. Her body began to shake. Her skin, slowly reddening, eventually matched the color of a blazing sunset.
She instantly understood the meaning behind those words. Renee was susceptible to the human tendency of unconsciously overreacting to one’s embarrassing past, and her inborn awareness of her darkest moments allowed her to think this way.
‘No, I’ve changed…!’
Renee reprimanded herself.
She was no longer that kind of person. She was not her embarrassing past self who would label any woman as a love rival.
Now she was an adult who knew how to be understanding and tolerant!
Huff! Renee took a deep breath.
Showing embarrassment here would mean defeat. She couldn’t self-destruct while surrounded by the group. It was a desperate struggle to maintain her last shred of dignity.
However, it was a failed attempt.
“N-n-no… I wasn’t…”
With a shaky voice, Renee crumbled miserably. Her body started shuddering violently.
The group deliberately turned away from Renee while Jenny felt a sense of kinship towards her.
Aisha, who was grinning from ear to ear…
Smack!
“Aah!”
“Mannerless brat.”
Fortunately, she was punished by Vera.
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