Slaughter
by Afuhfuihgs
I left the building. Since I had no choice but to stay in Paradise for 7 days, we agreed to spend our time as we pleased and meet here again. Raellan and Lamine left, saying they would explore Paradise instead of returning home.
“Ross, are you going back home?”
“…I don’t know. I probably will.”
Ellie looked at me with worried eyes at my answer.
“If you get attached to Paradise, it will be harder to leave.”
“That’s probably the grace period he’s aiming for.”
“You don’t have to go home. There are many hotels and places to stay. Do you want to stay together during the grace period? We could explore Paradise together.”
At Ellie’s question, I gave a bitter smile and shook my head. It wasn’t that I disliked being with her. We lived in the same house on the 3rd floor for a while, and it’s mostly comfortable and fun to be with Ellie.
Ellie stared at me, seemingly curious about the reason for my refusal. I didn’t have to answer just because she was demanding an answer, but I told Ellie the truth.
“…I just want to be alone. Since it’s Paradise, I bet there’s a cafe that sells the most delicious coffee in the world.”
I really just wanted to be alone. It’s not that I don’t want to go home, but I’m the type of person who prefers to adapt to the pain rather than reduce it with painkillers.
“Ah, I understand. You’ve been with people constantly.”
I don’t know what part of my answer gave Ellie joy, but she gave a very bright smile after a long time. Seeing that, I somehow added unnecessary words.
“Let’s spend some time alone and meet later. There will be plenty of time to explore Paradise then.”
As expected, Ellie’s smile deepened. It seems I added those words because I wanted to see that smile. Indeed, I was the type to share my friend’s joy.
“Okay, I understand. Then, see you later.”
After Ellie left, I turned around and took out my citizen card. I checked the map and headed towards the place marked as [Paradise’s Best Cafe]. The weather in Paradise was fantastic, and the streets were clean and beautiful without a single piece of trash.
***
This is what it would be like if you mixed European style with fantasy. The cafe, with its deep beige color and cozy atmosphere, seemed to focus more on comfort than extravagance. The understated interior, plush chairs, tables of moderate height, and the harmony of moonlight coming through the windows and soft reddish-orange lighting had a magic that made people feel languid.
The cafe wasn’t large, but it was just the right size for the owner to manage alone. The unique smell of the cafe was also attractive, and the soft music flowing from the magic music box served as a moderate noise that prevented one from being too immersed in thought, reminding you that it was a cafe.
Even the coffee is delicious. It had a slightly sour taste, but even that harmonized with the aroma, making me feel satisfied. As expected, you can hardly fail if you try something that says “Actively Recommended by the Cafe Owner.” Several books that customers could freely read were also꽂혀 (kkotyeo – inserted/placed) on the wall like a bookshelf. I took out a book that I liked, sat in a comfortable chair, and read while drinking coffee.
I read for a long time, losing track of time in the long-awaited leisure. I refilled my coffee in the middle. The last chapter of the book. As I was smiling happily at the sight of the protagonist reaching a happy ending, someone plopped down in the chair opposite me without permission.
“…?”
A stranger. The woman with ash-gray hair and black eyes was definitely a first-timer. It was like a combination of Estelle and Ellie’s impressions. I don’t know why she’s giving me a lewd smile like a succubus.
“Hello. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
I closed the book at the bright greeting and tilted my head.
“Do you know who I am?”
“Yes. You and I have something in common.”
She said with a deep smile.
“We were used by that piece of trash, Nelson.”
I immediately tried to materialize a Shadow Spear, but somehow nothing happened. Attempts to draw up mana also failed. Looking at me like that, she chuckled softly.
“You can’t fight in Paradise, except in certain places.”
“…Who are you?”
At my question, the woman arbitrarily drank the remaining coffee. And then she started with a nonsensical remark.
“Before Nelson became the headmaster, when he was the vice-principal of Transcendence Academy, there were several slums in the capital. In those slums, there was a beggar girl who lived by rummaging through the trash cans in front of the nobles’ mansions, eating food that was in decent condition, or food that was rotten or moldy.”
“…I don’t want to know about the unfortunate past of someone whose name I don’t even know.”
“Listen, it’ll be fun. One day, the beggar girl heard a rumor about a great magician. So, she thought that the trash coming out of that magician’s house must be really good. She rummaged through the trash of that house with a few beggars she hung out with and accidentally found a piece of paper rolled up like a ball.”
The woman continued, pretending to unfold an invisible piece of paper.
“What was written on that paper was a failed attempt at a spell that Nelson had created as a joke. But when I saw it, I somehow knew the cause of the failure. So, using a fingernail-sized piece of chalk, I drew the modified spell in the trash can. Then, I got distracted by a cold piece of pizza that a beggar found and forgot about it.”
“…You realized the error in the spell just by looking at it?”
“I have really good eyes.”
They were the same black eyes as Ellie’s, but unlike Ellie’s eyes, which shone like obsidian, the woman’s eyes were as dark as the abyss.
“Nelson accidentally found the spell I drew. He found me among the beggars rummaging through the trash and took me in as his disciple, saying I was a child with shining talent.”
I snorted. The woman frowned at my reaction.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because it’s a clumsy lie. Ellie is Nelson’s only disciple.”
At my rebuttal, the woman laughed as if she was enjoying it.
“The official disciple, yes. But I was Nelson’s adopted daughter. One of the ways to possess a parentless beggar orphan with shining talent is through adoption. I received a staff as a gift from Nelson, and I learned magic. So, you can say I’m a disciple.”
The setting in the novel that Nelson had an adopted daughter did not exist. Perhaps the plausibility connected to the discarded setting created the setting of an adopted daughter, so I couldn’t completely deny her words.
“…Do you have any evidence?”
“I want to show you my magic, but unfortunately, it’s impossible here. If you want, we can move to another place after the story is over.”
The woman, who was smiling brightly, continued the story.
“Nelson said he would enroll me as a student at Transcendence Academy in a few years. I, who had been living by eating leftovers that others had eaten, felt immense gratitude to Nelson for the abundant food and warm bed. So, I thought that anything he said was right. Like a fucking idiot.”
The woman leaned her upper body towards me and rested her chin on her hand, causing her ash-gray hair to flow down her shoulder. Tilting her head slightly, she asked me a question.
“Giving a child who has nothing infinite love. If you give a child who has never been given a warm meal a warm stew with no sour taste, the child will be overwhelmed with gratitude. And that’s not even the end. Instead of the ground, you give them a soft room and let them live a new life? What do you think it would be like?”
“…They would be grateful.”
“They become blindly trusting, beyond gratitude. They come to believe that this person is the only one they can trust in the world. They come to think that all the suffering they’ve endured was all to meet Nelson. Just like how you mistakenly think that the person who made you feel self-conscious in front of the entire student body for being late to the entrance ceremony is a benefactor who helped you escape your miserable academy life.”
Without realizing it, I kicked back my chair and stood up. Smiling mockingly at me as I grabbed her collar and glared at her, she continued.
“He was nice to you for no reason, right? You thought he was a benefactor, and you never questioned his incomprehensible actions, right? That’s not affection at all. It’s Nelson’s trick. One day, Nelson brought a guest. Then, he told me to show the guest the magic I had learned. So, I happily showed everything I had. I thought I could finally repay Nelson’s love.”
The woman gently wrapped her hand around my wrist, which was grabbing her collar. With a face that looked like she was about to shed tears at any moment, she said to me.
“The next day, I followed Nelson to the church. It was the first time I had gone out since becoming Nelson’s daughter, so I spent a lot of time styling my hair. But Nelson handed the hand he was holding to yesterday’s guest. That guest dragged me into the basement of the church without any windows. Calling me a saint candidate.”
Without realizing it, the strength in my hand weakened. As the hand grabbing her collar loosened, she gripped my wrist even more tightly and shouted.
“I waited in the basement, where there was only darkness every day. Even with the threat that I would never be taken out unless I emitted light myself, I expected Nelson to save me. But Nelson never came to see me even once. He didn’t even tell me the reason why he abandoned me. Until I completely collapsed in that dark basement. And finally, I realized.”
The hand that was holding my wrist slowly moved up towards my face. Gently caressing my cheek, she gave a sad smile with a gaze as if looking at a fool.
“The happiness and warmth that I felt for the first time in my life were actually just the act of scattering feed to fatten up livestock for slaughter. Nelson watched with a smile as the stupid pig felt grateful for the actions of the owner who gave it food and oinked happily.”
Looking into my eyes, she twisted one corner of her mouth and said.
“Nelson fed us plenty of feed packaged as affection to fatten us up. So that he can slaughter us whenever he needs us, so that we can mistake the act of holding a knife to our necks as affection without any suspicion.”
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