Chapter 42: An Unfathomable Answer

Ｒｅａｄ ｏｎ​ ​Ｋ​ａｔＲｅａｄｉｎｇＣ​ａｆｅ

Translator Note

So you may have noticed there were like 3 versions uploaded and taken down and then reuploaded, I am an idiot who uploaded the wrong versions multiple times. Feel free to come into Kat’s discord and clown on me

I had prepared myself for the worst when I decided to return.

I knew I could get seriously hurt, or worse.

But I couldn’t just leave Sugar behind. If she were just a villain, I could have turned away coldly, but Louveci wasn’t just a villain.

• I’m sorry for dragging you into this. I’ll send you home, so don’t worry.
• Let’s go. Let me keep my promise.

She had made me believe in her. That’s why I felt this way.

And the excuse I had made up also played a big part in bringing Sugar back.

‘If you get hurt and can’t move, that crow will come after me next time! So you have to protect me!’

Even if Louveci were incapacitated, would Claude just back off? No. Given his dirty and petty nature, he would definitely reach out for Sugar.

If running at full speed was the only way to escape, and if safety afterward wasn’t guaranteed, then it was better to think about the more advantageous option.

It would be better for two people to block the attack rather than one, and with the commotion caused by the giant bone crow in the square, the guards would be too busy to notice. The plan was to buy time until things calmed down.

But I never imagined that Claude’s magic wouldn’t be a normal attack spell, but rather a manifestation of part of the evil god’s power.

The situation wasn’t good, but I couldn’t just stand by and watch.

So, when I blocked it, the blind apostle’s reaction was strange.

Without a word, he stared at Sugar as if he could see her. Just silently. Silently.

I thought he might be in pain, but Sugar had neutralized most of the evil god’s magic.

‘Don’t tell me…’

Fear crept in.

She was the kind of person who would rather fight her longtime comrades and followers than forcibly take Sugar to the church.

She held firm beliefs and proved with her whole being that “children should not be forced.”

Sugar believed in that. Through today’s fight, she had come to trust and rely on her.

But she had been seen. She had shown the ability to neutralize the evil god’s magic, to breathe within it.

The one who harms humans just by being near, yet still desires to be with them. And the only being who can be with such a person. The apostles present had been given that clue.

Still, I wanted to believe in Louveci’s conscience. But a bad feeling kept growing.

Sugar’s eyes filled with unease.

However, contrary to such worries, Louveci’s heart was utterly at peace.

She didn’t feel any desire to covet Sugar, nor did her conscience about respecting the child’s will clash with her duty as an apostle, causing inner conflict.

Instead, her mind was filled with the scenery of the night sky.

The starry sky that seemed to pour down its brilliance.

Her ignorant self, free from constraints.

The church had always taught that starlight and saints were dreadful, but the Louveci of the past, who couldn’t understand that teaching, would endlessly gaze at the beautiful night sky. Back then, her eyes were still fine.

It was just that those old memories came back.

Sugar, who reminded her of those old memories. Bold and free. It seemed like she could do what Louveci couldn’t.

Louveci believed in fate. If she didn’t describe everything she had experienced as fate, life would feel unbearable. In crude terms, it would be a load of crap.

So, was this meeting, even this witnessing, all fate? She had lived for over a hundred years, but she still didn’t know the answer.

She just wanted to reminisce about those free days and act according to her heart, like a child.

Louveci relaxed her expression.

Her gray eyes caught the flow of Claude’s magic. The greedily surging magic. He wasn’t like this before. If it were just her, it wouldn’t matter, but with such a friend witnessing it, it was inevitable.

Then, shifting her gaze, she saw the trembling flow of Sugar’s magic. An absurd magical nature. Pure magic.

The sound of her frightened heartbeat reached her. As if she had anticipated what attitude Louveci would take. The little one was quick to notice, which was also endearing.

Hoo. Louveci smiled as if exhaling, then hardened her resolve and spoke. Her voice was calmer than ever.

“Sugar, thank you for saving me. In return, I’ll tell you an old story.”

“…”

“Long ago, there was someone called the true savior by a certain group. This person was full of love but also so powerful that no one could approach recklessly. Still, knowing that heart, we managed to live well. And as time passed… a lot of time passed. Until about ten years ago. That’s when everything started to go wrong. We couldn’t communicate with them anymore, and they began to hurt the followers. They moved when they shouldn’t have. They tried to rise.”

Louveci paused, recalling those memories.

“Many followers suffered. Those full of warmth offered themselves to calm them. Many people, so many people… But no one, yes, no one could solve it, which is why I’m telling this story now.”

She pointed at herself with a weak smile.

“And so, I decided to step forward. As the oldest in the church and the one with the deepest bond with them.”

She shifted her pointing hand toward Sugar.

“But then, I saw you. A child with pure magic. Infinite potential. I didn’t think it would be possible to this extent, but with you… It’s not that I value my life so much. It’s just that I’ve seen it. That’s just how it is. That’s how it turned out.”

“Can’t you pretend you didn’t see me and let me go?”

“…”

“Please. You said you’d send me home.”

“…”

“You said the will of children is the most important…”

“Yes, of course it’s the most important.”

With a meaningful smile, she gave an unfathomable answer, and Claude descended to the ground. At the same time, the crow perched on his shoulder spoke in a rough voice.

[But there’s something far more important than that. Something that makes an individual’s sense of justice insignificant… The foremost condition for followers, incomparable to anything else.]

As if he had attacked at some point, Claude stood beside Louveci in a friendly manner. It seemed he had given up on confronting her, as something far more significant had arisen.

[Above the heavens, below the earth. Nothing is more important than Damutria—]

Louveci neither affirmed nor denied his words, standing quietly.

“…”

Having heard that far, Sugar stood up. Staggering, she somehow managed to stand on both feet.

Gritting her teeth, as if organizing her thoughts. Shuddering at the endless parallel lines between the church and herself.

No more words were needed.

Regretting the past wouldn’t solve anything. There was no one who would spare her if she collapsed.

In the end, the church’s followers were beyond help.

It was a bit depressing to realize how foolish she had been to trust them, but she couldn’t just do nothing.

She had to go home.

She had to return to the side of the one she had promised to be family to.

Silently, Sugar aimed her staff and took a stance. Her eyes held a determination that couldn’t belong to a child.

Louveci also adjusted her grip on her staff.

She smiled, anticipating how this would end.

Sweat poured down like rain, and when I opened my eyes from the discomfort, I saw the sun setting.

No, was it rising?

It was hard to tell in the dim light, but the sun was in the east. So, it seemed a new day had come.

Riley got up and stretched. Having slept all day, his body felt stiff.

But he looked fairly refreshed.

‘As expected, a day’s sleep fixes everything.’

What was all the fuss about? He snorted, thinking of the white-haired girl.

He’d have to give her an earful when he saw her later.

His boyish pride was itching to assert itself. That little cold was nothing. He wanted to tell her to watch out for herself.

Thinking of seeing her at breakfast, he headed to the bathroom first. He wanted to wash off the sweat.

But when he felt around, his staff was gone.

He had planned to secretly use magic to warm the water, but the friend who shared it had taken it.

It would be like saying, “I want to catch a cold,” to wash with cold water in the middle of winter.

So, Riley quietly headed to the dining hall.

“Can I get some warm water?”

The staff ignored him. He didn’t expect much anyway.

He loitered around until the director’s younger brother came out to help in the kitchen. He had been waiting for this.

“Can I get some warm water?”

“Ah, Tommy… I heard you were sick. Are you feeling better?”

“Yes. I want to wash up, so can I have some warm water?”

“Sure… Wait a moment…”

He quickly brought a bucket of warm water.

“Ah, by the way, have you seen Sugar?”

“Huh?”

“She wasn’t around by the end of the Advent play yesterday. I wanted to at least dress her in something nice…”

“She probably hid somewhere because she didn’t want to wear it and fell asleep.”

“Is that so? I’ll have to give her a piece of my mind when I see her…”

Riley left the dining hall and headed to the bathroom.

“…”

He poured the water into a large basin and mixed it with cold water to prepare a lukewarm amount suitable for one person to wash.

After washing, the dirt and dust disappeared, revealing his shiny blond hair.

He roughly dried himself with a towel and sprinkled dust on himself again.

Maybe it was time to stop doing this.

It was bothersome, and washing only to dirty himself right after left him feeling uneasy.

If asked whether the deep-seated shame and inferiority had completely disappeared, the answer was no, but there was no need to go to such lengths anymore. He had come to accept it.

He decided to think about it later. Riley changed his clothes and went straight up to the attic.

Who was it that said you shouldn’t stay in such a place for too long in winter? He had come to scold her if she was sleeping there.

“…?”

But no one was there. The attic was empty, with only dust rolling around.

Going downstairs, he saw the children waking up one by one and leaving their bedrooms. He caught the navy-haired girl.

“Hey, have you seen Sugar?”

“Hmm… Sugar? Oh, now that you mention it, she woke up but wasn’t next to me… Maybe she went out somewhere this morning… There was some commotion in the downtown area yesterday… The adults said it was dangerous and told us not to go out…”

Praline rubbed her eyes and answered drowsily.

“…”

Without another word, Riley went back up to the attic.

He locked the door, covered the window with a curtain, and then picked up his magic book.

Lately, he hadn’t needed to take it out much, as he had his staff and wanted to keep it secret, but now he needed it to serve the role of his staff.

Holding the magic book, he closed his eyes and concentrated. He followed the traces of the tracking magic (Trace Magic) he had placed on Sugar’s hairband.

‘…Why is it taking so long?’

If she were close, he could sense her quickly, but the farther she was, the longer it took.

It seemed she was at least outside the orphanage. She had even gone beyond the slums.

So, downtown? Why would she go there in the morning?

Hmph. Even if there was a reason, it would be something trivial.

“…”

His hands trembled for some reason.

She was a child who occasionally acted out, but the unease that washed over him made it hard to dismiss it as her usual behavior.

Suppressing his heartbeat, he calmly read the magical traces.

-Ping.

“…!”

His pupils dilated.

Just as he thought he was almost there, the magic was cut off.

Someone had just used a dispel magic!

He immediately opened the curtain and looked out the window, using visual information to gauge the distance more easily.

The last trace before it was cut off.

The forest outside the city. Sugar was somewhere near there.

And with someone who used magic.

He immediately pulled up his hood, tucked the magic book under his arm, and ran down the stairs. The children he bumped into grumbled, but it didn’t matter.

As soon as he stepped outside, he leaped onto the roof and uttered two activation words at once. Accelerated flight. He flew sharply.

As he passed over the forest, something caught his eye. Getting closer, it was deeply unsettling.

A pungent and ominous aura of magic. Trees, soil, rocks, and other natural elements had lost their color, and scattered around were human corpses. Flesh.

The traces of battle were evident everywhere. The corpses were cold and stiff, and judging by the concentration of magic in the air, it seemed to have happened last night.

And then, the decisive clue.

His breath caught as he clutched his chest.

Why was the wand-shaped staff Sugar had gifted him lying here?

His hands trembled as if it were Sugar herself, and he picked it up.

“…”

His stomach churned.

He knew in his head. Someone had fought alongside her. There was no way she could have caused such a commotion on her own. Besides, the tracking magic signal had been active until just now, so she must still be, hopefully, okay.

But even as he tried to think that, breathing became difficult.

“Haa… Huk…”

The cold air touching his skin felt unbearably sharp. His senses had become too keen.

What was so important that they had to take her away? Why couldn’t they just leave her alone with their stupid religious games?

How could they take away the family he had finally found, and now her…

There was so much left undone.

There were mountains of magic he wanted to teach her, and they were supposed to enter Stille together. He wanted to share an ordinary yet vibrant daily life with her, and even travel to other worlds.

You don’t even know my real name yet. You don’t even know my real hair color.

There’s so much I want to say, so much I want to tell you.

Even now, the faint scent of her seems to linger in my nose, but she’s not here.

The soft voice that read fairy tales is vivid in my ears, but no matter how much I search, she’s not here.

It’s only after losing something that you realize its importance. That truth weighed heavily on him.

The greater the affection, the greater the anxiety.

The greater the anxiety, the greater the hatred.

Soon, what settled in his heart was a deep resentment toward those who had done this.

“Huu… Hoo…”

The boy steadied his breath, clenched his teeth, and opened the magic book.

Magic is imagination.

The forest itself was small, but if you followed the side paths, you’d reach a mountain, so the search range was the entire area.

At Riley’s will, the unleashed magic spread out as if to devour the mountain.

No matter the cost, no matter how this ends, as long as you’re safe.

His eyes, filled with anger, burned with a blue determination.