Chapter 21: Why Do You Trust Me?

Read​ on Kat​ReadingCafe

“Sugar! How have you been? I thought I saw you earlier. You should’ve come in sooner.”

A ghostly woman. Sugar clicked her tongue.

“I haven’t been well because of you. Get out now.”

“You seem healthy. But unlike last time, the flow of your magical energy feels turbulent. Are you training or something… Do you want to become a mage? After all, will you join us?”

As if completely ignoring her words, the guest spirit continued to smile and speak her piece.

This feels awful… Sugar shuddered, as if trying to shake off the gaze coming from behind her closed eyes.

“You’re really persistent, Louveci. This time, you’re even targeting my friend.”

“Recruiting talent requires repeating the process many times just to bring in one person. Converting requires consistency, after all.”

“Aren’t you retiring? Hurry up and leave…”

“I’d like to, but you all keep haunting me. I’m slowing down a bit. If only you’d join the church, I could leave in peace.”

“Ha! You can’t even see.”

As she said this, Sugar muttered under her breath, calling her an old hag. At this distance, Louveci, with her sharp hearing, couldn’t possibly miss it.

But.

“…Huhu.”

Whether she was angry or not, her smile only deepened. The atmosphere felt eerie.

In response, Sugar straightened her chest and stood confidently.

“Aren’t you ashamed? A grown adult pushing a child to the brink of tears. You keep trying to take me even though I’ve said no. Should I tell the guards? Call the knights? Report you to the Inquisition?”

She didn’t expect her to be scared, but her reaction was unexpected.

“Ahaha! Them! Pfft…!”

She laughed out loud. Despite being a generally reserved person, her laughter was so carefree it felt almost frivolous.

Sugar tapped the floor with her foot, watching her.

Losing her temper here would be pointless. She calmly waited for her mockery to subside.

“…Hoo, Sugar… Don’t forget that the followers of Gabriel are weaker than you think.”

“What?”

“What can those seeds holed up in their so-called ‘Holy Land’ do? I’ve been active for over 100 years. If their almighty ‘Saint’ were truly behind them, wouldn’t they have captured me, a wicked and sinister heretic, by now?”

She spoke with a mouthful of laughter, but it was different from what he’d seen before. It was a smug, ear-to-ear grin, the kind that mocks saints and belittles divinity. The face of a heretic who blasphemes the sacred.

But Sugar wasn’t one to back down.

“Judging by your reaction, you’re scared, aren’t you?”

“…Excuse me?”

“You talk big, but have you ever properly confronted them? Every time the knights show up, you run away without looking back, right? Don’t tell me running away is a skill. It’s just pathetic.”

“Hmm… But you don’t have the power to confront me either, do you?”

“Does it feel good to overpower an 11-year-old?”

“What does age matter? Only the result is important.”

“Making excuses now. Don’t look down on me too much, though. …Ah.”

“…?”

A short exclamation.

A rustling sound reached her ears, and it seemed like something was being pulled out of a pocket.

‘What is she trying to do?’

Louveci wondered.

The sound of fabric rustling, joints moving, a heartbeat. From less than a meter away, all sorts of sounds reached her.

‘Her heartbeat has quickened. She’s a bit tense. She’s pulled something out. She’s holding it in her hand—’

That’s as far as her thoughts went.

The sound of something cutting through the air. A sharp, swishing noise as something brushed past her left ear.

‘About the size of a coin… a pebble? It embedded itself in the wall behind me. A crack about a hand’s width long.’

And then Sugar’s magical energy, which had been turbulent earlier, was now calm and controlled.

Louveci recalled what she had said earlier.

-Unlike last time, the flow of your magical energy feels turbulent.

‘…She’s been infusing her magic since before she entered this room.’

The bold girl had been preparing for a threatening attack from the very beginning.

If she had prepared her magic while attacking, the change in its flow would have given her away. So she had infused her magic to its limit before entering the reception room and released it all at once.

“There was a bug behind you. I took care of it.”

And then, as if nothing had happened, she spoke, causing Louveci to let out a soft laugh.

“Really? What kind of bug was it?”

“The kind everyone hates. Black, big, and loves the dark.”

“That sounds like a metaphor.”

She felt a persistent gaze from the shadows. When she spoke, Sugar snorted.

“What are you talking about…”

To Sugar, it was nothing but the truth.

The bug, though Sugar had caught it herself from the backyard bushes (inspired by the bathroom bug incident).

She had deliberately released it, timing her attack perfectly as it passed behind Louveci.

Though her frustration was expressed through her actions, as words alone wouldn’t suffice.

She hadn’t lied.

“I went through the trouble of catching it for you, and you don’t even thank me…”

“Huh… What?”

“It was about to fly at you, so I caught it… You’re being sarcastic… What a waste of magic…”

“W-wait. Don’t be upset. Really, you just caught a bug for me?”

“Yes. Do you want me to hand you the corpse?”

‘Her hearing isn’t as sharp as I thought.’

She wondered if Louveci could even detect the sound of a bug crawling.

As she mentally measured the distance to the wall, Louveci broke into a cold sweat. Sugar’s attitude showed no signs of lying, which left her flustered.

“Wait, then why were you infusing your magic from the beginning—”

“Wow… You don’t even believe me… And yet you keep saying ‘join us’ and all that…”

“Ah, ahhh…”

“This really isn’t working…”

She spoke with genuine emotion. Contempt, disdain. The kind of emotion a child shows, which tends to be effective on adults. Even if Louveci couldn’t see, she could feel the sting on her skin.

“S-Sugar, calm down. I’m sorry for misunderstanding. And thank you. I didn’t expect your method to be so… aggressive, no, that’s not it… I just didn’t realize you were actually catching a bug.”

“Excuses. Too late. I’m already upset. It’s over. You should leave now.”

At the sharp rejection, Louveci tightly closed her mouth. Unsure of what to do, she simply clasped her hands together.

Fidgeting as if deep in thought, she slightly raised her head.

“…What can I do to make you feel better?”

Is she really going this far?

It was a ploy to find an excuse to kick her out over something trivial. A simple pretext. But she didn’t expect Louveci to take it so seriously.

Sugar glanced at Louveci with a slightly annoyed expression.

She’s cunning, but in a way, she also seems a bit naive. Well, she’s been obsessed with religion for a hundred years, so maybe that’s just how she is.

“…You wouldn’t agree to never show your face again, would you?”

“No. Not that.”

“How absurd… Then just consider it a debt. You owe me one favor later.”

“Within the limits of what I can do?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Alright… Let’s do that.”

The woman readily agreed and let out a sigh.

Regardless of the truth of today’s events, once she had a foothold, she would cling to it.

She thought it was unwise to give this girl any leeway.

‘Such a bold child…’

Though she seemed momentarily flustered, her expression gradually brightened. Her ‘eyes’ were never wrong, after all. She needed a child like this.

One who speaks her mind, knows how to scheme, and even creates debts.

How does she manage to act so adorably?

She wanted to take her away right then and there.

To spread the gospel together, roam the world, teach her magic, and laugh at her impulsive actions.

To tell her stories about the night sky and raise her with her own hands.

Just imagining it made her so happy that a smile bloomed on her face.

Seeing her suddenly brighten up, Sugar could only rub her arms in shock.

“…Well, since I owe you, I should probably head back for today.”

She couldn’t force things. She had to maintain her rationality—

With that regret, Louveci opened her mouth.

Today was a bust anyway. With things turning out like this, there was no point in staying longer.

“Yeah, go ahead.”

“I’m already looking forward to our next meeting. Let’s get along well from now on.”

“Forget it. Let’s not see each other for a few years.”

By then, I’ll have grown strong enough to capture all of you and send you to the Holy Land.

With that warm farewell in mind, Louveci stood up from her seat.

She gathered the magic staff and box she had memorized the positions of by the sounds they made when they fell, tucking them into her arms.

“Ah… Another failure today…”

Though she bowed her head to Sugar, she glanced at Tommy standing behind her.

The magical energy that had been aggressively directed like thorns in her direction had calmed the moment Sugar entered.

‘Either I’ll take both of them, or I’ll take neither. It’s one or the other.’

Guessing the relationship between the two, she bowed her head to him as well and left the reception room.

The director, waiting in the lobby, greeted her.

“Ah! You’re back… So, how did it go…?”

She had used a fake identity, saying she had ‘an eye on a child,’ to enter the orphanage.

Originally, the director was supposed to join for a three-way meeting, but her earnest request to speak with the child alone had been granted.

Her clothes, clearly made of high-quality material, caught the director’s eye, and she eagerly awaited her response, her eyes gleaming at the thought of the responsibility fee.

“Yes. The child’s resistance is quite strong. But I liked him, so I’ll give it more time to get closer. Eventually, his heart will soften… I’ll visit occasionally. Please take good care of both children in the meantime.”

“Of course! …But both children?”

Didn’t she only meet Tommy?—The bewildered director was met with a sly smile from Louveci as she tapped her staff on the floor and left it all behind.

Sugar, who had roughly covered the crack in the reception room wall and the bug corpse with paper before leaving.

It was good that Louveci left quietly.

‘That woman. She seems to like it even more when I get feisty.’

Sugar and her might be similar in temperament, but Sugar absolutely refused to admit it, shuddering at the thought.

Anyway, it’s settled for now. Louveci is gone, and the two of them are safe.

Now, she was concerned about Tommy, whom she had dragged along. They had gone straight to the attic, but she wasn’t sure how to comfort him.

First, her friend had left, seemingly upset by her comment about disliking blondes. Then, someone who made her stomach churn came and shook up her already troubled heart.

She didn’t hear the details of the conversation. Louveci had provoked Tommy, and in his anger, Tommy had pushed the box away. That’s all she knew. Whether magic was involved or not, only the muffled sounds of arguing had come from outside the window.

Worried, she had infused a pebble with magic and was spying when she saw the scene, prompting her to rush in.

Turning her gaze, she saw Tommy crouched on the floor, tearing pieces of newspaper bit by bit. His vacant eyes stared as he shredded the paper into scraps, creating a pile of trash.

The situation seemed more serious than she thought, so she took a deep breath.

Preparing herself, she tiptoed over and sat down beside him. To avoid startling him, she leaned her shoulder slightly against his, sharing warmth.

“Hey… Tommy.”

What should she say first?

Start with an apology for what happened earlier. She didn’t know why he was upset, but since he was hurt, she should apologize.

“About what I said in the backyard earlier…”

But her words were abruptly cut off.

As if it didn’t matter, the other person suddenly asked a completely different question.

“—Why do you trust me?”

The eyes that met hers were endlessly deep and empty.