Ch.35Do we really have to live so closely together?

# 1.

Luna’s First Memory.

Her birth mother, who abandoned her, whispered to Luna with a cold voice.

“Please don’t die and be happy, Luna.”

Don’t die.

And be happy.

A person who irresponsibly abandoned her yet calmly wished for impossibly difficult things.

Still, because she was her birth mother, Luna tried her best to fulfill those wishes.

In that place where there was no shelter,

no food,

not even water.

Urgh!

…Crunch, crunch.

Tearing apart the corpse of a magic beast filled with mana, drinking its blood and chewing its flesh.

“Kugh…!! I don’t, don’t want to die…!!”

Luna worked tirelessly to fulfill her mother’s first wish.

After spending months like that,

no, years, she finally realized.

While not dying might be somewhat achievable, becoming happy…

“…is impossible.”

It wasn’t because she had no place to sleep,

or nothing to eat,

or even no water to drink.

Luna simply,

“…just don’t understand no matter how much I think about it.”

She didn’t know what happiness was, the meaning and sensation that the word contained.

That’s why.

“…ugh.”

Without realizing it, she gave up on life and began tearing at the corpse of a special magic beast.

She had unconsciously noticed.

Ah, this demon is different from other demons.

So if I eat this magic beast’s corpse, this miserable life will end.

Her prediction was accurate.

The magical energy of the special magic beast far exceeded her built-up resistance, and Luna began to die slowly but surely, like the setting sun.

“Please don’t die and be happy, Luna.”

…No.

I’m tired now.

As the pain that had been raging due to secreted adrenaline began to fade.

For the first time in her life, freed from countless pains like cold, heat, thirst, and hunger, Luna unconsciously smiled faintly and muttered.

“…good.”

The other orphans who wandered this place, the <Gray Wasteland>, said that it was better to be alive even if rolling in mud, but well?

“…at least you all had hope.”

Whether their parents cried when abandoning them, or whispered promises to come back for them, or knew ways to escape this place.

“…I don’t have any of that.”

No parents who would return,

no promises to come back for me,

no way to escape this place.

Abandoned in this dark gray fog from the beginning of my memories, I’ve lived until now without even a shred of hope.

So,

“…I’m done now. I just want to rest.”

Because that’s my salvation.

…Slowly.

Luna finally closed her eyes.

Other children facing death would cry sorrowfully with various sadnesses, but strangely, Luna wasn’t sad.

Because she had no hope.

No love,

no hope,

no light.

Because she had never held any of these in her hands, she could accept it as it was.

“Kugh…! Ugh…!”

As the malicious magical energy twisted her insides, and her last breath was about to fade.

Luna unconsciously muttered.

“…Mom.”

She didn’t know why.

Just like other dying orphans, a word that escaped her lips without her knowing.

“…Ah.”

Tears flowed down.

She still didn’t know why, but she kept getting sadder.

She didn’t want this.

At least in her final moment, she wanted to leave with a bright smile.

But that was the end.

Flutter.

As the light faded from her emerald eyes and her already dim vision grew fainter.

Step.

A sound was heard.

The sound of something not human, something like an emotionless object, stepping on the ground.

Step, step.

The footsteps drew closer, and Luna asked with her fading consciousness.

“…Mom?”

Step.

The footsteps that had just stopped.

As if it hadn’t been heading toward Luna originally, it just turned its head to answer.

“…No. I’m not your parent.”

A pale voice.

I thought so.

This cursed world wouldn’t allow me even a shred of happiness.

Slowly.

Just as Luna was about to completely abandon the thread-like hope she had unknowingly harbored.

Step, step, step.

Whatever had been looking at Luna turned its steps, lifted her up, and whispered.

“But, if you want, I can become one.”

Even my blood-related family abandoned me, so why would you?

“……”

There was no answer.

In fact, it was natural since there had been no question.

…Grip.

A small hand covered in scars tightly gripping the collar.

It was her first meeting with Mother.

Mother, who brought Luna to the “Wandering Troupe – Lost,” took care of her with utmost devotion.

Through unknown methods, she detoxified the special magical energy that had settled in Luna’s body.

For the first time in her life, she provided food and clean water, clothes made of cloth instead of magic beast hide, and a warm place to sleep.

Of course, even that was a facility created for children to be sold at auction, terribly poor by normal standards. But to Luna, it felt like heaven.

“Mom!”

“…Luna.”

It was inevitable that she would blindly follow Mother.

Even though Mother,

Screech.

“…!!”

“Don’t move.”

“…Yes, Mom!”

Made Luna’s face full of scars,

“Smile.”

“Kugh, kuhugh…!!”

“I said smile.”

Forced her to smile while hanging her by the neck,

“You’ll die someday too.”

Whispered that there was no hope here either.

“Yes! I’ll listen well to Mom!”

Luna still loved Mother.

Because she didn’t even know that the crimes Mother committed against her were abuse.

Because it was Mother before her who had saved her from such a terrible life.

“That Mother is a monster. She should have just stuck to being a mercenary.”

“I know, right? If it weren’t for her, we could have taken orphans for free without auctions or any of that nonsense…”

“Shh…! She’s a 10th rank, you fools…!! You’ll lose your heads…!!”

Although most of the audience who came here seemed to dislike Mother, that made Luna stick even closer to her.

“Annoying fatsos. Don’t listen to them, Mom. You have Luna!”

Because Mother was her mom.

Even if she did something wrong, Luna never wanted to be separated from her.

“…Why?”

“Hm? What?”

“Why do you keep sticking to me?”

“Hm? Isn’t it obvious?”

Luna tilted her head and answered.

“You’re my mom.”

You’re my family.

So you’re my mom.

“You’ll stick close to me until you’re sold or die, right? You understand?”

I love you, Mom.

The girl smiled.

A smile drawn from sincerity, not forced like before.

# 2.

She died.

Mom died.

She was by my side just a moment ago, but in the blink of an eye, she was gone.

I expected it.

Death in this place, the <Gray Wasteland>, appeared regardless of time and place.

Farewell is a friend.

I’ve already forgotten the name of your friend who just died, but I haven’t forgotten the name of farewell.

No,

I couldn’t forget.

Just when I was about to forget, it would come back and torment me again.

“Please……”

Just like now.

“Aaaaah…!!!”

Luna, holding Mother’s severed upper body, threw back her head and wailed.

【Warning.】

【The 4th member – <Luna>, is going berserk due to the 0th mask – <Mother(S-)>.】

【The <Gray Mask> resonates.】

As tears flowed from behind the blackened gray mask, the other members who were staggering toward her also shed tears.

The current Luna is the past Luna.

A child who, dominated by Mother’s influence, had forgotten the time when she was saved by the Black Wolf.

“Don’t resist, Luna.”

“Why? It hurts if I don’t.”

“Because it’s better to be in pain than to die.”

“Yes, Mom!”

A child who carried a huge lump in her heart because she had swallowed so much pain.

Therefore,

now that she thinks Mother is dead.

Luna, who no longer has reason to swallow pain or carry that lump, turned her head with a screech toward the culprit of the current situation.

“Die.”

Emerald eyes flashing eerily through the gray mask.

Following her gaze filled with both sorrow and anger, the other masks also moved.

Crack, crack.

Hanryang habitually loosening his body.

Swish!

Ruby scattering numerous flesh dolls as she pulled her hand out of her pocket.

…Tap.

Dallan tapping the end of his sword hilt with his thumb.

Due to the Black Wolf’s restriction, they couldn’t draw out their full power, but with Mother’s thoughts permeating them, their ranks had risen to a similar level.

Three S-class monsters.

Including Luna, it would be four, but she didn’t seem like she would directly engage.

Nahan assessed the situation as he watched the three members staggering toward him.

‘As Mother’s mental world collapsed, the effect of the Black Curtain ended. I can’t maintain maximum output continuously like in the mental world.’

So what’s left?

‘Artifact, Flash of Sunlight, Golden Battlefield.’

He had used Flash of Sunlight, but since he used it after absorbing power, he didn’t experience exhaustion and could probably use it once more.

Thanks to Iaso’s necklace, the probability of dying physically was slim, and thanks to Vulcanus’s ring, he could break most magic.

‘Should I borrow power again with the Ghost Sword’s necklace and subdue them with the Black Curtain?’

But how?

The condition for using the <Ghost Sword’s Necklace> is to make contact with the target from whom you want to borrow power.

Just now, he was able to borrow power because he was judged to have made contact with Mother’s mental world, but in the case of people, he had to make direct contact.

But if he makes contact with those three now?

‘I’ll either be in excruciating pain, or if I’m lucky, I’ll die.’

The current Luna firmly believes that I killed ‘Mother,’ and the other three share that emotion.

But using Flash of Sunlight might endanger the members, and there were no allies nearby to use Golden Battlefield.

“…Aga, ssi.”

“No… No.”

“…Rose.”

As the ominous aura of the approaching S-class monsters grew closer, the anger that had boiled up at witnessing Mother’s atrocities instantly cooled.

‘…Should I just run?’

Should I flee far away and then live on, praying that the members don’t die?

‘…Or it might be good to gather the remaining members and come back.’

It was a moment’s time.

In the suddenly overwhelming situation, he only had time to think during the blink of an eye.

“……”

“……”

“……”

When he opened his eyes again,

the other three members had surrounded Nahan and were aiming for his neck.

Hanryang’s fist,

Ruby’s flesh dolls,

Dallan’s rugged sword.

They were swung with all their might, about to tear off Nahan’s neck.

-Brother, please fulfill my dream instead–

Shut up.

I don’t plan on just dying anymore.

‘Iaso’s ring will restore its owner even if only a speck of life force remains.’

Then, except for that one speck of life force, I’ll use all the rest for the Black Curtain–.

Just as Nahan was about to use his best move, which he had only imagined but never attempted.

Thud!!

The three people who had been close to him were pushed back as if struck by something, and a calm, gentle voice was heard from the side.

“I apologize for being late, Captain.”

Brilliant silver hair,

golden eyes,

a faint smile.

Lactea Babylonia.

The woman who resembled a cold blade forged from platinum had protected Nahan.

“This first.”

Lactea handed something like a bracelet to Nahan and immediately turned around, adding.

“I’ll clean this up quickly.”

The next moment.

Crack!

Lactea, who had instantly approached Luna, lifted her by the neck and whispered.

“I told you. If the Captain is disappointed once more…”

I’ll kill all of you and then myself.