Danmaku, my skills refresh weekly.

"But, that kind of suffering..."

"You could have committed suicide, but you're unwilling to suffer even the slightest hardship before you perish. Is that all? And you call yourself loyal to Lord Thanatos?"

As if his worldview had been utterly shattered, Uncle Illion stood frozen in place, his lips trembling, and stammered:

"Am I... not loyal enough?"

Chapter 43 Tiny Wings

Outside the house.

Charles changed into clean, commoner's clothes and waved to the young girl who was seeing him off.

"Well then, see you next time. I think if you need anything, you'll come to me on your own, and you'll know how to find me."

Cassandra waved her hand to send the plague away, then closed the door, leaned against the wall, and gasped for breath.

Does he... really want to send me to the entertainment district?

Father... also agrees?

Her gaze fell on the man sitting in the chair, holding his head and talking to himself.

After his family members passed away one after another, this man changed. His mind became twisted, and he believed that the world was wrong, and that he himself was wrong to be born into this era.

If someone has the power, perhaps a madman who wants to change the world will emerge.

Unfortunately, a man is just an ordinary person, powerless to do anything but numb himself with the thought of an afterlife. That's true, this life has been too hard; it's better to end it sooner and start the next round. This life is given!

This seemingly absurd idea became feasible in the hands of the gods.

In this age of gods, the gods are not cold statues; they stand before the people. Making wishes to the gods, an act that seems to seek spiritual solace, is no longer superstition or illusion.

"Lord Thanatos said... that in the next life, our family can be together again..." Uncle Illion looked up, his eyes bloodshot, at Cassandra.

"Dad, Daddy..."

Cassandra shook her head, her legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground.

As a child, she was powerless to resist her father if he really intended to send her to a brothel...

However, Illion's crimson eyes suddenly welled up with tears, and a heavy sigh echoed in the room, lingering for a long time.

"Kassan-chan..."

"babble--"

"You... must be very tired from acting all the time."

"Eh?"

“I’ve always made my daughter pretend in front of me; I’m such an irresponsible father.”

"..."

"You...run away..."

"Eh?"

Cassandra stared incredulously at the man who was so engrossed in the lie of the "afterlife."

"I'm sorry..." The man buried his head in his knees.

"If simply sacrificing my life could bring happiness to my family in the next life, that would be easy. But if it means sacrificing Cassan-chan... my last... my last treasure, Cassan-chan..."

"I'm sorry... I just wanted to escape with you... to escape this shitty world. I just wanted... maybe dying sooner would be happier than living. And... maybe I should have listened to you, I should have listened to you sooner."

Cassandra didn't understand why her father suddenly realized the truth and believed her prophecy, but everything changed when that man arrived.

She also understood her father's good intentions.

For this man, without me, he might have already escaped from this world.

Cassandra went up to the poor man, hugged his head, and gently stroked it.

a moment

“Let’s…go together,” Cassandra said through gritted teeth.

“No.” Illion shook his head with a bitter smile. “I can’t go back. I’m marked by death; death is my final destiny. You’re different. If it were you, you could. Leave here, find a safe country to live in, and if possible, find a husband who loves you…”

It was as if he was giving his last words.

“Dad…I’m leaving, what about you?” Cassandra seemed to sense something, and fear appeared on her face.

"I...? I can't keep your mother, sister, and brother waiting for me too long." The man's gaze was unfocused, lost in thought:

“I remember your mother loved the rice stalks on the farm. She would always be busy until very late when she came home. She was also afraid of the dark and would always say that someone had died somewhere there, asking me to hold a lantern for her. Your younger brother was still small, and every time he came home he would ask me to teach him how to hunt. Your older sister was ambitious and said she wanted to go to the newly established school district, but unfortunately I couldn't teach her…”

"!"

Memories surfaced one by one, and it took the man a long time to come back to his senses.

Seeing the visible pain on his daughter's face, Uncle Illion stroked Cassandra's hair:

"Don't worry, Lord Thanatos won't let me die for the time being. As long as I'm alive, you're safe. Let's go, we'll set off first thing tomorrow morning."

As he spoke, he began packing Cassandra's luggage, stuffing all the valuables in the house into bundles. The man breathed a sigh of relief.

Cassandra understood...

Her father died several years ago, but now he has unexpectedly come back to life. However, it seems that this father will soon leave her again, going to a place she can never find again.

Cassandra lay in bed, nightmares relentlessly striking her.

Everything changed because of that man; images of him keep flashing in my dreams.

Do you hate him? Do you hate him for driving your father to his death? But he has brought your father, who has been 'dead' for many years, back to life.

Doesn't she hate him? He said he would sell himself to a brothel... which made her father truly make up his mind to leave her.

In her dream, years after she fled the port city, that man found her again.

He pressed himself against the wall, muttering, "Why didn't you come to me? Why didn't you come to me! If you won't come to me, then die!"

Blood stained her dream, and Cassandra awoke from a nightmare.

This time, there are no special annotations. To avoid the dead end of the future, all you need to do is go find him...

The first thing she did upon waking up was to find her father.

She summoned the greatest courage of her life and spoke with resounding conviction:

"Dad, I'm going to a brothel! To find that man!"

"Uh... Cassan-chan, you... you wouldn't happen to have a crush on her, would you?"

???

Cassandra's small face was full of confusion: "That man won't let me go, it's no use going anywhere."

The man who had made up his mind had a mental breakdown.

No, I was like that yesterday, weren't you supposed to be reluctantly carrying the things I prepared and running away? Why did you jump into the fire?

Before the man could persuade her, Cassandra's small face turned serious, and she said in a deep voice:

“Dad, that man lied to you. Brothels don’t let kids serve customers. I still have a few years to study there. And it’s impossible for him to ambush a cadre.”

"That……"

"He must have ulterior motives for targeting me. Instead of wasting my energy running away, I should just go find him!"

"This... what should we do?"

"You must find a way to rescue me! You're an adventurer, go and defeat the monster. I'll wait for you... I'll hold on until the day you come to save me! I hope you can become my hero!"

So... you must live to save me.

Cassandra concocts a lie that is nine parts true and one part false, trying to give this man some motivation to live.

Ugh... I was so mean.

I know perfectly well that death was your final wish. But...

If I die at the hands of a monster and go to the heavens, I can tell my mother that I died accidentally while avenging my family.

At that time, the younger brother will probably call Dad an idiot, and Mom will smile as she cleans Dad's wounds.

Instead of... a madman who steals other people's happiness.

Chapter 44 The Possibility of Self-Learning Magic

The gate to the port city.

Charles skillfully hailed a 'taxi' and felt a unique sense of novelty as he boarded this horse-drawn mode of transport.

There was no check as expected; perhaps not wanting to attract Orario's attention, Ciel easily left the city.

The carriage's final destination was a village outside of Orario, quite a distance away.

Charles rested his arm on the window sill of the carriage, enjoying the scenery along the way.

What will happen to Cassandra's family afterward? Ciel has no interest in what Uncle Illion will ultimately choose.

He was not a member of the Rudra family at all, so the idea of ​​selling people to brothels was completely out of the question.

However, Ciel saw "love" hidden beneath the madness in the old man's eyes, proving that he wasn't completely beyond redemption. So he simply tried to awaken that love in this way, hoping to see if it could bring him to his senses.

As it turns out, not all members of the secret faction are hysterical madmen...

Each of them may have been an honest person, with their own reasons for choosing how to live their lives. Those believers also have the right to choose how to end their lives.

This point...

That's none of my business...

Of course, that's assuming you don't mess with me.

"So, never mess with an honest person."