Ch.378Chapter 378 – Mother and Daughter Reunion

Right after Somnus disappeared.

A small commotion stirred among us.

“Emiris…?”

“No, but…!”

“Come to think of it, there were rumors that she had too much authority for just being an advisor….”

The first to react were the holy knights who originally belonged to the Emiris Order.

And Kara also muttered with wide eyes.

“…So that’s how he could be so certain of God’s will.”

Perhaps due to past experiences, Kara narrowed her eyes.

Behind her, Eve and Beatrice, both wearing rare expressions of surprise, looked at each other before turning to the person beside them.

“…You don’t seem very surprised?”

“I had my suspicions.”

“I felt divine power briefly when we were fighting earlier.”

Chris said quietly.

And Sia nodded in agreement, continuing:

“I felt it when I first used divine power here. It wasn’t originally part of the plan, but when it suddenly came out, perhaps it wasn’t properly concealed.”

“Still, it was so momentary that I only had doubts…”

They seemed composed because they had considered the possibility to some extent.

Then Sia carefully opened her mouth.

“…More importantly, aren’t you going to ask about me?”

For a moment, everyone stared blankly at Sia.

Apparently, Somnus’s true identity was more shocking, so no one had really thought about Sia.

Finally, I carefully spoke while gauging Sia’s reaction.

“…Let’s talk about that later.”

“What kind of treatment is this?”

Sia grumbled quietly.

Since there wasn’t much to say, an awkward silence fell.

After a while, Sera stepped forward and spoke.

“…Both the fact that Sia is a Demon Lord and that Somnus was Emiris are significant, but I think we need to focus on other matters right now.”

Sera said quietly.

“What’s important to us right now is Kei’s body. …Let’s put aside discussions about a god who has already fled.”

Sera’s quiet words calmed the earlier commotion.

Eve nodded and said:

“…It was certainly surprising, but Sera is right. Kei’s body is the priority now.”

“Since Somnus has fled, we need to find information here…”

After saying this, Sera looked at the hole in the floor.

Black smoke was rising from below, making it unclear what had happened.

“That’s where the Valkyries were.”

At my words, Sera nodded.

Then Kara came beside me and quietly said while looking down the hole:

“Seems like they were destroyed with divine magic.”

“Destroying evidence… How nasty.”

Beatrice said with a frown.

Since the Valkyries seemed to move according to Emiris’s will, the remaining eight must have awakened, destroyed the evidence, and left.

It was clear that he had chosen to retreat before getting caught in a fight.

“We won, but it seems we’ve gained nothing.”

Beatrice said bitterly.

We had certainly dealt another blow to Emiris, but all we obtained was a journal whose importance was unknown.

It was as if we hadn’t really gained anything.

“Don’t be so certain.”

Sia said quietly.

“It’s not all over yet. There are still those ones.”

Looking where Sia pointed, I saw the Cursed Knight kneeling.

The curse seemed to be disappearing now, as it was turning white.

“…The curse is gone, but it seems to have reached its limit…”

Chris said bitterly.

And at that moment.

The experimental subject who had been the Cursed Knight painfully turned his head toward me.

His weakening eyes met mine briefly.

Then, I walked toward the subject.

“Kei?”

“Just a moment.”

I approached the subject, asking the others including Sera for understanding.

Then, standing before him.

I spoke quietly.

“I will definitely have my revenge.”

“……”

“Rest in peace now.”

The subject did not answer.

He just lowered his head with satisfied eyes.

The sound of labored breathing stopped.

I noticed Chris approaching and joining her hands to pray for the subject’s peace.

The Cursed Knight had fallen into peaceful sleep.

‘…Now there’s only one thing left…’

Thinking this, I turned my gaze and immediately had to frown.

“…How thorough.”

The container holding the Saint’s brain was broken.

I wasn’t sure when it had been destroyed or if there had been some mechanism in place, but Emiris must have done something.

“…Lady Platina.”

Kara looked at the Saint’s brain with a hollow expression, as if she had just noticed.

I quietly called out to her.

“Kara.”

“…Wait a moment.”

Kara looked at me and said quietly.

“I want to offer a prayer to my mother.”

Kara was Platina’s clone.

Since she was born from Platina, she had the right to call her mother.

She quietly knelt down and began to pray for the Saint’s peace.

Chris also sat down beside Kara to pray, and the holy knights knelt behind them to offer their prayers.

“…Rest in peace, Saint Platina.”

Chris said quietly while praying.

Golden divine power gently enveloped the Saint’s brain, praying for her peace.

And at that moment.

A faint light rose from the Saint’s brain.

[…Ma…]

Was it divine magic?

A gentle voice spread through my mind.

“The Saint…!”

“Even in such a state, she’s using divine magic…”

The holy knights exclaimed in surprise.

Meanwhile,

[…Take…the knowledge…within me…]

The message began to become clearer.

As if using her last strength, the Saint’s brain began to emit more light.

[Protect the world my daughter will live in, from the evil god…]

I nodded quietly.

Soon the light emanating from the Saint’s brain ceased.

Then Kurus rose from his seat, carefully approached the Saint’s brain, and shook his head slightly, saying:

“…She has passed away.”

“A miracle created with her final strength.”

Sia said quietly.

And as if it were her own way of showing respect, I saw her bow her head respectfully toward where the Saint’s brain was.

‘…Those were her last words.’

It must have been said knowing she could no longer survive.

After pondering briefly but ultimately realizing there was no other way, I looked at Beatrice.

“…Beatrice.”

“I understand.”

At my words, Beatrice quietly approached the brain.

Then, using magic, she gently lifted the container holding the brain.

“Honestly, I really don’t want to do this.”

“I’m sorry.”

I apologized to Beatrice, who looked very bitter.

But according to the Saint’s last wishes, only Beatrice could discover the knowledge left in the Saint’s brain, so there was no choice.

Even though the deceased had given permission with her last strength, it still felt like desecrating the dead, which was very uncomfortable.

Soon Beatrice sighed deeply and said quietly:

“…Right. This kind of thing should be done by a bad person.”

“Beatrice.”

“Leave it to me, Togu. …I’ll definitely find the information the Saint left behind. According to Somnus, there should be clues about your body and about dimensions.”

According to Somnus, the Saint’s brain had been used by him like a computer.

The probability of some information being left behind was high.

Beatrice, who had also noticed this fact, hardened her expression and said:

“…With luck, we might even find out what that damned being is planning. I’ll be thorough.”

As if for that purpose, Beatrice steeled her expression.

I bowed my head to her once more, and Beatrice quietly smiled.

Then, turning her gaze to Kara, she said:

“…The order’s a bit mixed up, but I’ll apologize again. For handling your mother’s remains carelessly.”

Knowing the grief of losing family, Beatrice bowed her head to Kara.

And Kara answered with a gentle smile:

“It’s alright. Do as my mother wished.”

Kara looked at Beatrice, then at me.

“…She asked you to drive the evil god from this world, didn’t she? If the knowledge in her remains can be put to good use, that would truly be my mother’s wish.”

“Kara.”

I quietly called out to Kara, who was speaking calmly.

Kara smiled slightly and continued:

“If you still feel uncomfortable, I’d like you to grant me one request.”

“A request?”

“Yes.”

Kara quietly looked back and said:

“…Earlier, do you remember that room with others exactly like me, or rather, my sisters?”

I nodded at Kara’s words.

She was clearly referring to the other Saint clones we had discovered shortly after entering the laboratory.

“Emiris didn’t wake them during the battle. I don’t know if it’s because they’re incomplete, or if there’s some other problem, or if he simply lost interest.”

Kara said quietly.

“Still, we can’t just leave them here. And they are clearly living beings.”

Kara looked at me and said:

“Please, save my sisters.”

Sisters.

That’s how Kara referred to those like herself.

“It might turn out they have bodies that can’t live long, or perhaps Emiris has done something that might make them seeds of destruction in the future. Even so…”

Kara quietly looked at me.

“I’d like your help.”

Her eyes trembled slightly.

The answer was already decided.

“I’ll do whatever I can.”

I said quietly to Kara.

Soon Kara’s expression began to brighten slightly, and I looked at Beatrice and Sera.

The two of them nodded and said:

“If Togu says so, I’m fine with it. Though there are things we need to do first.”

“I’ll help you as much as I can.”

When Sera’s gentle words rang out, Kara stared blankly at the two for a moment.

“From what I saw earlier, they should be able to get up and move if we use a specific method. I’ve already found the data…”

“Since we’ll need to use that container for Kei anyway, and we need to do safety checks, waking Kara’s sisters is something we would have to do anyway.”

Sera said with a smile.

“So I’ll help you.”

“Not just us, but Sia and the young lady from the trading company will help too.”

Beatrice said, looking at Eve.

Eve nodded with a gentle smile.

Soon Kara shifted her gaze around as if embarrassed.

She quietly bowed her head and said:

“Thank you.”

I didn’t answer, just quietly nodded.

“Of course I’ll help too, Kara.”

“Chris.”

Chris approached Kara, who was smiling weakly, with a smile.

“I’m glad.”

Chris smiled gently as she approached Kara.

Soon the two women who looked exactly alike held hands and smiled.

And at that moment, when Chris gently held and shook Kara’s hand.

Perhaps because it had weakened considerably, the chain of the broken pendant snapped and fell to the floor.

“Ah, the pendant…”

Chris quickly picked up the pendant.

Come to think of it, I heard that pendant was given to Diana by her daughter Platina.

‘…Did Saint Platina know everything?’

That she wouldn’t die peacefully.

And that her enemy was the very god she served.

The fact that she prepared a pendant with magic rather than divine power might have been intentional, to prevent her opponent—knowing it was the god she served—from easily neutralizing the pendant.

Of course, given who the opponent was, it would only be a small comfort, but still, she was a Saint who prepared a magical pendant to protect her bloodline.

‘Thanks to that, Chris was able to survive.’

In the end, Platina had left a pendant to protect her bloodline, which had saved Chris.

Even though she had been reduced to a miserable state with only her brain remaining, and ultimately died.

Still, even in such a state, she had managed to deal a significant blow to the god.

‘I can’t just leave someone like that in this state.’

I would need to discuss it with my companions, but I felt we couldn’t just take her brain and leave.

For Diana’s sake, and for her sake, I needed to think of a solution.

…Of course, the immediate priority was for Beatrice to extract information.

‘Let’s deal with the immediate issues first.’

Right now, we needed to get information from the Saint’s brain and rescue Kara’s sisters.

I decided to focus on that for now.

While I was thinking about what to do next during this brief time, Chris had picked up the pendant.

With the pendant on her palm, Chris quietly said:

“Ugh, it was already cracked, but the impact from falling…”

Unlike before, the pendant had a slightly wider gap now.

Because of that, a face was visible through the gap in the pendant.

A woman with a gentle smile, almost identical to Kara and very similar to Chris, could be seen through the pendant.

“There was a portrait inside.”

“It must be Lady Platina.”

Sera and Eve said quietly.

And then.

As if entranced, Chris opened the pendant with wide eyes.

“…No way…”

Chris seemed very shocked by the portrait inside.

Come to think of it, she might not have had time to look inside since she received the pendant right before entering the laboratory.

As Chris stared at Platina’s portrait with wide eyes.

The next moment, with a thud.

Chris dropped the pendant once more.

“Chris?”

Sera looked at Chris with surprise.

But Chris’s face had turned pale.

She widened her eyes as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

“Chris, what’s wrong…”

I urgently asked, seeing Chris’s face turn white.

However, Chris didn’t seem to notice that I had called her.

“…It can’t be…”

Chris spoke in a dazed voice.

“…Just now, that, I mean…this now…that earlier…”

“Chris?”

I called Chris again.

But Chris just kept her eyes fixed on Platina’s portrait while looking at the Saint’s brain that Beatrice was holding.

“…Are you saying that moment just now was when I reunited with my mother…?”

As if she couldn’t believe it herself.

A trembling voice flowed from Chris’s mouth as she continued to stare at the portrait in the pendant.

It was right after that when Chris collapsed to the ground.