episode_0217

“… But.”

I have a question.

“Why don’t you kill the villain, Stella?”

So I asked right away.

Even though I have been shaking hands with Stella countless times while wearing a mask, I have never once felt alive.

It’s a strange thing. Killing the villain is no problem. So when heroes apprehend villains, they prefer to kill them outright.

However, Stella has not killed even a single life so far. Even when arresting criminals, they always spared their lives. Occasionally, when encountering a strong enemy, I would break at least one limb.

I only committed murder once. When you save me. The eight demons that rushed in with King were annihilated. It was a time when I was in complete panic because of the sacrifices I had made for myself.

“Juk… Dani?”

“There was even an article not long ago. ‘Why are all the villains who faced Cheonwoong Stella alive?’ It was quite famous, wasn’t it?”

“Ahh… Well, did you see that?”

“I collect everything about Stella.”

Stella blushed and hesitated for a moment. Is there a story that you are reluctant to talk about?

“Actually… .”

Stella parted her lips in a more cautious tone. It was a voice that seemed to reveal shameful details.

“My father was a thief. You usually worked soundly, but why… 20 years ago, it was a time when the entire continent was in poverty. Because a terrible drought is hitting the continent… .”

I don’t know because I wasn’t on the continent at that time. But I nodded as if I roughly understood.

“So, my father sometimes stole. It was a time when there was not enough food even though mothers went to the factory day and night and fathers worked all day. I grew up eating the bread my father stole.”

“Yes, yes.”

“But, one day. My father doesn’t come home until late at night. I went out of the house, rubbing my sleepy eyes to see what was going on, and saw several police officers gathered on the street. Several people were gathered together to look at the headless corpse. He said it was good that the thief was caught… .”

“Ahh… .”

“What you think is correct. The identity of the body was my father. That day, he stopped by a bakery to steal something for me, who was starving, but was caught by a hero who happened to be there and got his head blown off. Of course, under imperial law, theft is not a crime that deserves that level of punishment, but heroes are allowed to do anything as long as it doesn’t harm humanity against criminals, right? The country is in disarray.”

I get a general feel for it. So, is it a trauma?

“Of course, my father’s actions were wrong. Theft is a crime, right? But sometimes, if only my family hadn’t been poor, if there hadn’t been a drought, if only that hero had been a little more generous… I used to have that kind of imagination sometimes. My father would never have engaged in theft, committed a crime for a living, or had the hero kill him.”

“Well, um… .”

“So after I became a hero, I avoided murder as much as possible. I don’t know what other people think of me like this, but I want to give those criminals at least as much of a chance as I do. That’s why laws and prisons exist, right?”

“Aha… I understood. Such a story… . I’m sorry.”

“No. Rather, I thought it should be revealed someday. There aren’t many heroes who are non-killing… Ah, now that this has happened, do you want to see my mother sometime soon?”

“Good.”

Until now, Stella had never told me about her parents. Maybe it’s because they know I’m an orphan.

Nevertheless, the fact that I am trying to introduce the mother is proof that I have become that trustworthy.

Heroes inevitably try to hide their identities. This is why they wear masks when they go out into society.

Stella is not like that. This is because he was very famous since his school days. However, even Stella has completely hidden anything related to her family from the media.

That’s why I live in such a shabby villa. Reporters do not know that Stella’s residence is here. So, sooner or later, I will personally distribute it to the media.

Hehe, it feels refreshing to imagine Stella, who suffered from being tormented by reporters who came to her at any time of the day or night, and eventually chose to move. I want to see her face stained with discomfort.

Yes, to be honest, I want to corrupt Stella. So I want to test it.

There is no need to mention that Stella is the ‘existence of salvation’ that the Lord said, but verification is still necessary, right?

And crucially.

I hope that the prophecy arranged by the Lord is wrong. I want to see the nose of that proud absolute being flattened.

“But, Stella, despite her unfortunate past, is not particularly obsessed with money.”

“Huh?”

“Usually, people who were poor when they were young tend to reveal their money when they grow up. On the contrary, Stella is very frugal despite her position of being able to make endless amounts of money.”

“My father died because of that money. I just couldn’t like it.”

“… .”

“… Well, that doesn’t mean I’m going to starve! As long as I live, Mr. Evans will never, ever starve! If Mr. Evans wants, I can give him a bunch of money.”

“No. are you okay. I like Stella like that.”

He seemed to be slightly touched and held Stella in his arms, with dewdrops like jade beads at the end of her smooth eyes. felt good. A fragrant smell settled on the tip of my nose.

*****

Unfortunately, Stella’s mother and I were unable to formally meet.

The moment when you are about to leave the house, dressed neatly as usual, as the owner of a flower shop and a professional barista.

This is because a middle-aged woman wearing ordinary clothes was standing in front of the house. What can I say, she was a woman who looked much older than her age due to her tanned face and full of wrinkles. It must have been a life of hardship.

“Uh, Mom?”

“… There you are.”

“Uh… Stella’s mother… ?”

“Would you like to talk to me?”

She was Stella’s mother.

“Uh, Mom! Why are you suddenly here without any contact? !”

“… Here, I would like to see the article.”

Mother handed us a newspaper she had folded in her arms.

There was a special feature on the front page of the newspaper.

Also, in the article, there was a photo of Stella, smiling brightly, walking down an alley with her arms around a man with a mosaic but clearly male physique.

“Um, how does that… ! That alley is a place where no one goes… !”

Stella, who briefly glanced at the article, was astonished. I snapped my fingers together with an embarrassed look on my face.

Actually, that’s a photo I took. It was distributed to newspaper companies.

I just wanted to see Stella suffer because of suspicions and such, but I never thought her mother would see and come visit. I didn’t expect this.

“Stella, if you are dating a man, you should tell him in advance.”

“So this is… !”

“Hey, what is your name?”

“Haha… This is Evans. Evans Grant. Are you Stella’s mother? ?”

“… That’s right. I’d like to talk to you for a moment, is that okay?”

“Uh, Mom! I take care of this… !”

“You want to be quiet. If you were going to meet a man, you should have told me in advance.”

The mother seemed somewhat sensitive. Stella, who was being stabbed, couldn’t even utter a sound.

I quietly followed my mother. She found a place like a cafe where she could talk quietly. I happened to say that I ran a cafe and flower shop, and we went into the cafe on the first floor next door to Stella’s house.

I offered my mother Americano. Since they are mother and daughter, I thought they might have the same eating habits as Stella. But the mother refused. It’s so expensive that I don’t feel like eating it.

Is this the aftermath of raising Stella alone and in poverty? For some reason, I have the feeling that Stella will be saved a lot.

“You, since when did you start dating my daughter?”

“It was nine months ago.”

“9 months… We’ve known each other for quite some time. Why are you meeting my daughter?”

“Umm… It’s hard to define in one word, but I like it. I like Stella.”

“What exactly?”

“They say love is an overlapping feeling. I’ve been seeing Stella for a long time. In doing so, I naturally developed a liking for him. If you ask me what exactly is good… hmm… entire? ha ha ha… .”

“… You have a good impression. The smile is also pure and gentle.”

My mother looked at me with almost penetrating eyes.

“To be honest, objectively speaking, my daughter is an amazing woman.”

“That’s right.”

“Even most noble families would line up to court our daughter. He is one of the greatest heroes on the continent.”

“Yes, I know.”

“I thought there would be something special if my daughter chose someone like that, but surprisingly, she was nothing but ordinary. Rather, I think that’s why it’s so special.”

She didn’t seem to reject me at all. Although it seems a bit wary.

“If your daughter wants to meet you, I have no intention of opposing your relationship. Oh, what did you do in the past?”

“I served as a military doctor.”

“Thank goodness. No matter how much I respected Stella’s wishes, I was against meeting a man with a dirty past. Why are you now running a flower shop after leaving the military?”

“Haha… .”

Suddenly, a funny imagination occurred to me.

“Good.”

“Hmm?”

“I really like it.”

Using this ending could bring a different kind of despair to Stella. Hehe, I should leave it as a last resort.