Ch.248Epilogue – Nevertheless, They Wished to Live On (4) [Main Story End]

I trust Merilyn.

Even though she was born of the Demon Tribe, I firmly believe her feelings for me are genuine…

In fact, because she’s a demon who’s true to her desires, I strongly believe she won’t betray me, the foundation of those feelings.

However, that trust only extends to her feelings toward me; it would be unreasonable to expect that same goodwill to be fully extended to others.

This thought grew stronger the more I recalled past conversations with her.

‘Ms. Merilyn, what exactly do you think of Ms. Irie that makes you dislike her so much?’

‘She’s a punching bag that can be beaten until the finale.’

‘…Excuse me?’

‘No, not finale—intermission would be more accurate. She and I are actors on a stage, and our fight could be considered a performance in itself. Hehehe.’

Besides that, she’d say things like “fighting isn’t about winning but making the opponent angry,” or when asked what she does on holidays, she’d answer that she torments Irie… Her endless malice toward Irie was something even I couldn’t do anything about.

Moreover, considering she once tried to punch Irie’s belly when she was pregnant, there’s a significant possibility that her malice might have extended to the child as well.

“Ex-excuse me, has anyone seen Ms. Merilyn around here?!”

“Ah, she went that way carrying a child.”

Unable to overlook this, I ran around the ark making inquiries, and sailors who had spotted her invariably pointed in one direction, becoming our guides.

That direction is… yes, where Merilyn’s room is located.

“By the way, both of you look pale… Did Ms. Merilyn cause some trouble again?”

“She might cause trouble. No, she might have already caused it!”

I wanted to request help through a public announcement, but there wasn’t enough time.

Given that we didn’t know what might happen to our child, we couldn’t afford to waste time taking detours.

“Haha, I don’t know where you two are rushing to, but take it easy.”

“That’s right, there’s nothing particularly dangerous on the ark, is there? Let’s be relaxed.”

People casually tossed such remarks, unaware of our situation.

Those words were somewhat reassuring, but even that reassurance vanished when I saw Irie’s sorrowful face as she ran beside me.

“Wh-what should we do about our child? She might be torturing them right now. Or maybe throwing them to sharks while underwater…”

“No matter what, that’s going too far…”

“Hyoseong, you don’t understand! Do you have any idea how much I suffered at that woman’s hands before you woke up?!”

…It seems she’s developed various traumas beyond what I had anticipated.

Seeing her trembling with anxiety made my own heart race again, despite my attempts to calm down.

Deciding to prioritize finding Merilyn first, I finally arrived at her room with Irie.

“Ms. Merilyn! What are you doing… Huh?”

And then came an exclamation from Irie, who entered first.

Following her into the room, I understood why she had reacted that way.

We were witnessing something we could never have imagined from the Merilyn we knew.

“Ururururu~ Baa~”

“Kyawuu~!”

“Hehe, are you having fun? I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. Shall we try a card trick next? Or should I sing you a lullaby?”

“Auwa, nyaaa~!”

“Aww~ my sweet baby~ I wonder who you take after to be this cute~? It must be because you take after Hyoseong, right? Hehe~”

Merilyn was playing with the child, hugging them and nuzzling their cheek.

As we stood there dumbfounded, Merilyn soon noticed our presence and shifted her gaze toward me.

“Oh my, Hyoseong, you’re awake?”

“Ah, yes… I just woke up today.”

“My goodness~ I didn’t know you were awake because I hadn’t visited you yet. If I had heard the news, I would have come to see you right away with this child.”

“Umm, yes. Thank you for your concern, but… what are you doing right now?”

“What do you mean what am I doing~ I’m playing with our child, of course.”

Merilyn said this while gently stroking the child in her arms.

The fact that the child wasn’t rejecting her touch suggested that she had been playing well with the child while we were absent.

That was fortunate, if anything.

I had genuinely worried she might be torturing the child…

“…Ahem.”

But perhaps it was too early to feel relieved?

Irie, still with a stern expression, cleared her throat and approached Merilyn, glaring at her with narrowed eyes.

“Um, Ms. Merilyn? I appreciate you playing with my child, but… why are you caring for the child alone in your room?”

“Because I wanted to bond with this child~ You know, it’s better to be alone together than with others when it comes to building a bond, right?”

“Ah, yes. To build a bond…”

Her gaze shifted toward the child in Merilyn’s arms.

Seeing the child still giggling in Merilyn’s embrace, Irie seemed unsettled and began reaching out toward the child.

“Well, I’m glad you just played nicely with them. I’ll thank you for that, but first, let me take them back into my arms…”

*Slap!*

“…Ms. Merilyn?”

“What’s wrong, Ms. Irie?”

Irie smiled as she looked down at her hand that had been pushed away.

No, her lips were smiling, but her forehead was furrowed.

Anyone could see she was angry at Merilyn, who was clearly feigning innocence.

“Give them back right now!”

“I can’t do that. This child is mine.”

“Wh-what did you say?!”

Irie was taken aback by this unexpected statement.

Facing this reaction, Merilyn hugged the child tighter and burst into laughter with momentum.

“Ha! Do you think a mother who abandoned her own child to follow her husband deserves to be called a mother? Meanwhile, I’ve always been there for this child when they were alone!”

“Stop with these absurd claims! That child is mine and Hyoseong’s! How dare you claim to be their mother when you don’t even share blood with them?!”

“If Tashian can be a mother to Hyoseong through her heart, why can’t I do the same?!”

To justify her actions with an irrefutable argument here.

What devilishly eloquent reasoning!

“Look even now. Our baby is clearly enjoying being with me. Right, baby?”

“Kyawuu~”

The child giggled and wiggled their hands while nestled in Merilyn’s arms.

Seeing this, Irie, who had been trembling with anger, set aside her fury and began to spread her arms.

“Come here, my baby. Let’s have some milk~”

“Mau, ma. Ma!”

“Kyaak! How unfair to use your breasts to win the child’s favor! You lewd, cowardly, perverted sex fiend!”

“Who are you calling lewd! I’m just doing what any mother would naturally do!”

A squabble began over the child.

The child, caught in between, seemed to be enjoying the commotion itself, judging by their squeals.

Come to think of it, these two always had this kind of atmosphere. I miss this too.

“Alright, let’s do this.”

At the end of the argument, Merilyn carefully placed the child on the ground.

Then, standing on the opposite side from Irie, she confidently put her hands on her hips and began to speak.

“From now on, let’s leave the choice to the child. Let them decide which of us, Ms. Irie or me, is more suitable to be their mother!”

“…I gave birth to this child, why should I participate in such a ridiculous contest?”

“Hehe, are you perhaps afraid? If you’re scared, just take the child with your own hands. I’ll generously accept your inadequacy with a heart as vast as the ocean.”

“Grr! Fine! Let’s see who wins!”

Finally playing into Merilyn’s hands, Irie stood on the opposite side.

Afterward, both women sat down and focused on attracting the child’s attention.

“Come, come, my baby, over here. I’m your mommy~”

“My baby, you liked playing with me, right? Come here, and I’ll show you even more fun magic tricks~”

“…Ttaeu, ah.”

The child looked back and forth between the two women.

Were they really having such a hard time deciding? Just as I was wondering this, the child’s gaze began to move toward where I was standing.

“Nyau?”

The baby tilted their head with their gaze fixed on me.

I carefully closed the distance with the baby and lowered myself in front of them.

“Awu, ah. Nyaa~”

Yes, they’re responding to me.

More strongly than to Irie, their birth mother, or Merilyn, who had spent time with them.

They recognized my existence more strongly, despite just meeting me.

“Do you know who I am?”

I asked with hope in my voice.

“Awu…?”

This innocent, small child.

With a modest hope that through their innate instinct, they would recognize the person before them as their real father.

“…I’m your daddy.”

Unable to wait for that moment, I answered and carefully reached out my hand to the child, saying:

“For this moment…”

All my efforts until now.

Feeling that all the hardships and life-threatening battles I went through existed solely to meet this tiny life that came from me.

“I’ve been running to meet you like this, I’m your daddy.”

Holding the child in my arms, I took their small hand reaching toward me and asked in a low voice:

“Will you allow me to be your father?”

Even though I couldn’t be there at the moment of birth.

Even though I lost consciousness for a month, missing the chance to meet them.

Hoping that at least now I would be granted the right to be with this child and watch them grow.

“…ppa.”

Was it in response to my expectation?

After some time had passed since my question, the child’s small hand, staring intently at me, began to grip my hand tightly.

“Ah, awu, pp…”

And with a smile spreading across their face, they spoke.

Recognizing the person before them as family, directly expressing the blood connection with their own mouth.

“Uhyo!”

…No.

Why is “Uhyo” coming out here?

“Uh, um. Baby?”

“Uhyo~! Uhyooo~!!”

“No. Baby, you should say ‘daddy’ here, not ‘Uhyo.’ Come on, repeat after me. Da. Ddy?”

“U. Hyo.”

“No…”

“Uhyo~! Uhyoooo~! Kyawuaaa~!”

Damn it, is this ability of mine this severe even in this important moment?!

“Pfft!”

Hearing laughter in this moment of bewilderment, I couldn’t help but turn my gaze, and I saw Merilyn holding her stomach as she laughed.

“Ahahahahahaha! Look at Hyoseong’s shocked face! Not ‘daddy’ but ‘Uhyo,’ they said! Ahahahaha!”

“…Ms. Merilyn, you find this funny?”

“I’m, I’m sorry, Hyoseong. I shouldn’t laugh, but, but I couldn’t help it…!”

“No, not you too, Ms. Irie…”

“Uhyooo! Uhyoooo~!”

The two women burst into laughter, ignoring my burning frustration.

And the child, excitedly shouting my name.

As frustrating as the situation should have felt, somehow the irony didn’t seem so bad.

“Yes, it’s Uhyo! Hahaha!”

So I laughed.

Setting aside my anxiety about what might happen next, I chose to laugh heartily in this moment.

Celebrating this moment seized after overcoming harsh adversity.

Believing that at least for now, I was allowed to be with the people I love, holding the child I love in my arms.

****

A world infinitely cruel and harsh to live in.

Even the strongest beings are crushed by merciless disasters, and cries for salvation always come as torture, driving innocent lambs to despair.

Nevertheless, no one knows the future, and because no one knows the future, no one can provide a clear answer.

That was the world they lived in.

In such a world, they had to live on.

Yet they wanted to move forward.

Even if a desperate future awaited them, they remembered their present happiness.

They wanted to move forward, believing that everything born from it had meaning.

Yes, they wanted to live.

They wanted to love.

[The Foreign Laborer Who Was Loved by Transcendents (End)]