Translator(s): ShimizuA Editor(s): Yuzuha Proofreader(s): Merp-Merp
An innocent anomaly
Shizuru rushed to the collapsed man‘s side. He crouched and held the man’s hand, not worrying about drenching his clothes and shoes with the gushing blood.
“――Heed me, O White Goddess! ――El Sabri Vushke Kitra Yste―― Repair!” [1]
Magic used by humans need an aria, unlike those used by magical beasts, and the length would differ depending on the rank. 3 parts for lower rank. 5 parts for middle rank. 7 parts for higher rank. In this regard, it was same for any color or magic system. As the magic becomes stronger, the aria becomes longer and the magic power consumption increased. Shizuru was invoking Repair, a higher rank magic than Heal. It was a middle rank magic that could cure any wounds and some diseases as long as long as the part to be cured was not missing. Furthermore, if it was on a white day, the efficiency and healing rate also rose. But――There still was a limit to what he could do. He couldn’t cure people that already died. Instant death. The man that was alive a few seconds ago has already died.
“ …… Amen” [2]
Soon after his hand was filled with overflowing light. With that hand, Shizuru peacefully closed the man’s opened eyes and made a sign of the cross. In this world, prayer words don’t exist. Except for work he always did this when someone died before him. He faintly remembered that someone taught him to mourn the dead this way. Eventually, after he finished his prayer, Shizuru stood up and sent his gaze towards one point. A long gray hair that looked like it was cut off against one’s will was reflecting the white moonlight. Light green eyes that shone brightly in the dark. And … somehow her attire was back to the ragged clothes from before.
――’It couldn’t be’, he thought. But, it was possible, he also thought.
Once again, Shizuru overlooks the man’s corpse. It seemed that she just tore the head, but actually it wasn’t just that. At the moment of attack, including the heart, she struck 4 different places with fatal blows. Accurately avoiding the bones and skillfully sewing through the gap. One couldn’t replicate it if they weren’t familiar with human anatomy. And also, the wound on the victim was the same as the usual. Not just the targeted place. Even the blade angle and deepness of the wound. Shizuru knew their habits since he was a doctor, and so everything was consistent. Therefore, Shizuru tried to confirm instead of asking. Towards the girl who was able to meet him again, he said it with convincing tone.
“You were Chopper, weren’t you?”
“Chopper……?”
The girl tilted her head to Shizuru’s words, who without reason showed some relief. …… Well, that was reasonable. Chopper was a name given by the guards, there was no formal name given.
“For the past 2 months, it was you who killed many people in the neighborhood right?”
“Yeah.”
The girl nodded shamelessly. As if to say ‘what’s wrong with that?’, but Shizuru didn’t change his expression and kept asking her with a thin smile.
“Why did you do that?”
“ …… to take them, to mother’s place.”
Knife in her hand. The girl gripped Shizuru’s knife tightly on her chest, and unsteadily stepped closer to Shizuru. For now, there was no murderous intent. Therefore, Shizuru only took 1 step. The girl’s mouth opened a little.
“Mother?”
“Yeah. Mother hated me.”
She started telling a story that felt outside of context. What was the relationship between her mother hating her and her indiscriminate murder?
“But I really love my mother. Because I love her I wanted to make her wish come true.”
“You’re a good girl.”
“ …… Ehehe.”
The girl laughed humorously. By the way, since Shizuru was a little curious about something, he asked the girl.
“What happened with the clothes I gave you before?”
“Ah…… I don’t want it to get dirty. So I put it away.”
Put it away. That means it was a proof that she has a hidden base somewhere if you didn’t count her home. He was interested in how that helped her in always escaping the guards’ pursuit.
“I see. Please tell more about your stories. What did your mother want?”
“ …… au”
It seems the girl happy that he showed some interest since her face was bright red. Shizuru took 1 more step in approaching the girl. There were about 3 meters between them.
“Ano, ne? Mother said that it’s better if I didn’t exist, that I should just die.”
“ …… I see.”
She said it while fidgeting her body. Hearing that Shizuru distorted his expression a bit sadly.
―― Unfortunately, people who verbally abused their child still existed everywhere. Particularly often in single-parent and poor families, places with bad public order, etc. Even worse, there were cases where they really did get killed. That’s why he couldn’t say to the girl who was neglected by her parents that she was blessed.
“But I was scared. I scared of death.”
“Oh…… But you still want to grant your mother’s wish right? So what did you do?”
“Yeah. So instead of me, I killed mother. Whether I died or mother died, I would still disappear from in front of mother.”
“ …… Oh, I see……”
How did she come up with that answer? Simultaneously, Shizuru understood what the words, ‘I want to take them to mother’s place’ she talked about meant.
“But since I killed mother, I was lonely. Because, I really love mother.”
Shizuru nodded in understanding, and kept coming closer to the girl. 2 more meters.
“Because I was lonely, I thought that mother was also lonely. After abusing me, mother seemed to have a little fun.”
The more he heard, he knew she wasn’t a good mother. But he knew, to her, she was her only family, an important existence. There wasn’t not even a shred of hatred in her eyes when she talked about her mother. The girl becomes more talkative after being conscious of Shizuru who listened and kept asking her. And Shizuru had narrowed their distance to 1 meter. He keeps on talking as if to cut through her barrier.
“But since I can’t be near mother side, and mother didn’t want me to be near her, and I’m scared to kill myself, so that’s why I killed other people.”
“I will bring many to my mother who is alone in a dark place.”
“She won’t be lonely and cold because there will be many people.”
“But I’m sure mother is still lonely. Because I’m still lonely. So mother must be lonely too.”
“I have killed many people but I’m still lonely, so mother still lonely too.”
“ …… But, but, do ya’ know? While I was with you recently, I wasn’t lonely. It was warm, my heart throbbing, my back trembling, and there was butterflies in my tummy.”
“So I thought, if I take Shizuru to mother I’m sure she won’t be lonely anymore.”
“I’m always waiting for you to be alone, forever.”
“That woman who trampled you before, also the big black wolf too, also the woman with purple eye too, also the 2 in 1 woman too, there was nobody beside you.”
“So, nobody will disturb us.”
Noticeably their distance had almost become zero. The girl holding the knife in her right hand, and her left hand grabbed Shizuru’s cuff tightly.
“Shizuru.”
Shizuru couldn’t escape while being called by her childish voice. He realized it was pointless to escape.
She slowly raised her hand. With a knife remodeled from a sword, with the handle which was longer than the blade. The silver blade reflecting the white moonlight.
“――Can you die?”
Footnotes: