Chapter 100

No.

They must have evacuated.

They must have gone, and that baby seat would have been in the way when evacuating, so they probably just carried the baby and left.

But…

But what if they were planning to evacuate tomorrow morning…?

And what if they were in a deep sleep…?

My fingers clenched.

The image of a nameless baby holding my finger and babbling “abubu” came to mind.

The sound of a rattle echoed.

The image of the baby trying to put the rattle I gave them into their mouth came to mind.

The image of the shop owner, who said, “They’ve seen so many people, so they’re not shy,” came to mind.

The image of the shop owner, who said, “They were fussing earlier but just fell asleep,” came to mind.

The image of the baby, chubby with pitch-black bead-like eyes, smiling at me came to mind.

The warmth when I held the baby,

The squirming sensation in my arms,

The scent of formula on their forehead.

If all of that is gone now.

What should I do—

“Ah.”

Even my voice wouldn’t come out easily.

I tried to stand up but collapsed to my knees.

Even as debris from the building dug into my knees, I couldn’t feel the pain.

My arm, barely supporting me on the ground, felt heavy.

“Get up, Vesprede.”

A sensation of my hair being grabbed.

Pain shot through me as my body was yanked upright.

Escario’s face appeared before me.

His face, grinning at me, was clearly visible.

“Huh? Vesprede, why are you crying?”

I didn’t know.

Only after hearing Escario’s words did I feel the tears streaming down my cheeks.

「Baby, look. This is a flower.」

「Pretty baby, if you wear this, you’ll catch a cold. Here, put on this outfit.」

「Siblings shouldn’t fight. The older one protects the younger, and the younger follows the older. You should cherish each other.」

「Oh, a flower headband. Are you giving it to me? Thank you, baby.」

The words of an unknown woman buzzed in my head.

「Stop it, stop it! They’re not toys for you to play with as you please!」

「Vesprede! This is blasphemy!」

「Don’t talk nonsense! You trash who can’t even cherish your creations, what divinity do you have!」

「Shut up!」

「I told you not to lump me in with trash like you!」

「Shut your mouth right now, Vesprede!」

「You shut up, you maggot!」

「What did you say!」

The voices of a man and a woman alternated, buzzing in my head.

Probably Vesprede’s memories.

Always showing me memories, but when will you give me power?

When, exactly.

When.

When will you give it?

When!

When!!

I couldn’t protect a single baby.

I couldn’t protect the baby who smiled brightly at me.

Not just the baby, but their parents too.

All the countless futures that could have unfolded for the baby were closed off in this moment.

Because of me.

Because I was powerless.

Because I was weak.

“What’s this?”

Escario snatched the piece of the baby seat I was holding.

“What is this filthy thing?”

“Give… it back…”

Give it back.

Give it back.

It’s a trace of my baby.

The last trace of my beloved baby.

Give it back.

Please, give it back.

“Hoh?”

Even as I struggled to stand while being held by my hair, Escario smirked strangely as I reached out for the piece.

“This must be precious to you.”

With a flicker, a small flame rose, and the piece of the baby seat burned away.

“No, no…”

I kept believing, over and over, that it couldn’t be, that it surely couldn’t be, but still…

It felt like even the baby who should have been lying in that baby seat, babbling away, was burning up and disappearing.

Escario burst into maniacal laughter, finding my despair amusing.

The laughter echoed harshly through the ruins, and in it, I felt like the only one trapped in frustration.

“This ruin must have been an important place for you. Since you’re coming to me anyway, I’ll sever even your lingering attachments.”

Escario muttered an incantation and raised his hand.

A golden glow gathered above his palm, forming a small light source. The small light, the size of a ping-pong ball, grew to the size of a volleyball, then a basketball.

“Go, light of salvation.”

With a light gesture, the basketball floated up and flew into the ruins of the chicken shop.

“No, no!”

I felt my hair being pulled out.

Intense pain should have overwhelmed me, but now, pain meant nothing.

The traces of the baby that might have remained there, even the smallest mark, something tiny that would let me remember and cherish that child—

As the light descended, everything disappeared.

As the light descended, everything vanished.

As if nothing had ever been there, only a round crater remained.

Behind me, collapsing in despair, only Escario’s laughter echoed.

*

Escario thought it was all over now.

Look.

The one called the Mother-Body of the Evil Magical Girl, Vesprede, is lying there, isn’t she?

Now, all I have to do is go over, retrieve her, and return to the temple.

It was never a fight she could win.

Vesprede doesn’t even have her memories, and despite being a god, she can’t even wield her power properly. There’s no way she could defeat Escario, the God of the Light Realm.

The only concern was Elphem, but it seems they’re not here.

Escario whistled leisurely as he reached out.

A faint light extended toward the fallen Vesprede.

The light, illuminating the thick darkness of the night, flew toward Vesprede.

“Huh?”

Was it a coincidence?

Around her, lying there, a strong resistance formed, and the light could no longer approach.

“What’s going on?”

Escario’s brow furrowed.

How dare she resist even in this state.

If she just accepted her fate and surrendered her body, it would be easier for both of us.

With beauty surpassing Vesprede’s, I intended to take care of her and make her my wife, but how dare she refuse me, not knowing her place.

Two, three, four strands of light…

So many strands of light reached out toward the fallen Vesprede, enough to wrap around her entire body.

But they didn’t touch her.

An invisible barrier surrounded her, rejecting the light.

– Whoosh…

A chilly wind blew.

Cold, damp, and humid, like a wind blowing from a swamp.

The wind gathered around Vesprede.

“What is this…?”

Even after living for eternity, this was the first time Escario had seen such a sight.

The wind continued to gather around her unconscious body.

The wind grew fiercer, turning into a storm, and the wind gathering around Vesprede grew even stronger.

“What, what…? What is this?!”

Escario, sensing something unusual, took a step back.

Then, he frowned.

Who am I?

The God-Emperor of the Light Realm, the greatest realm in the celestial world, whom even the Divine Realm dares not treat lightly.

The only one who hasn’t kneeled before my innate divine power and immense strength is Vesprede.

And now, to retreat before some wind?!

“Arrogant.”

Escario’s hand rose to shoulder height.

A light source formed above his palm, then floated up and flew toward Vesprede.

The light flew into the center of the gathering wind.

But, the light—

– Kwaang!

With a sudden explosion, a black torrent surged up, sweeping away the light without a trace.

It was an immense torrent.

Escario, who had been so confident moments ago, now stood with his mouth agape, looking up at the torrent that seemed to pierce the sky.

The dark night, the starry sky.

The torrent surged as if to erase even the starlight and moonlight.

Some of the nearby angels, Vitkar, were swept away by the torrent and disappeared.

“What in the world is this…?”

Even Escario was seeing this bizarre spectacle for the first time.

– Flutter…

At the sudden sound of wings spreading, Escario finally looked down.

Pitch-black wings, deep and dark like an abyss with no bottom.

Six pairs of those wings spread within the torrent.

Truly massive wings.

Without any decoration, only darkness.

“…Could it be.”

Tensing his body, Escario also spread his wings.

Six pairs of white wings.

Those wings shone brightly in the darkness.

“Escario.”

A dark, turbid voice, as if coming from the depths of hell, echoed from within the torrent.

“Do you know the despair of a child who has lost their parents?”

“Vesprede. What nonsense are you spouting?”

Escario chuckled.

Gods are naturally born.

The concept of parents doesn’t exist for gods.

Vesprede is just a strange existence.

“Do you know the pain of parents who have lost their child?”

“Why should I care about such things?”

Gods don’t have children.

Creations are just toys to alleviate boredom in eternity.

Only Vesprede, who is so devoted to such creations, is a strange existence.

“Is that so. Very well.”

The torrent slowly subsided.

“I will show you.”

Her voice, low and menacing, accompanied the receding torrent.

“I will show you, directly.”

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