Why can't humans do it too?

“...It’s Nona,” Suer said with a smile, having recognized who was knocking on the door. He put down the animal hide he was holding for the moment and said, “What’s the matter? Children need to go to bed early tonight.”

Chapter Thirty-One: Nona

“Nona isn’t a child anymore! Even Ke’er said Nona can help her now!” The little girl reflexively raised her voice to retort, but then suddenly became weak and stopped talking. She just bit her lower lip tightly, her beautiful purple eyes darting around frantically, refusing to look at Su’er’s face.

'This child has reached the age where he has worries...' Seeing this, Su Er couldn't help but think with amusement.

He always followed behind her, calling her "brother" repeatedly, and always spoke his mind.

"Alright, Nona's all grown up now, she's a young lady," Su'er said, turning to sit sideways and waving at him with a smile. "So, is something bothering you? You can tell your big brother, okay?"

"……Um."

With a weak "yes," Suer saw the little girl with blue-purple hair slowly shuffle in from the doorway, carrying a small wooden puppet in her arms—the 'doll' Suer had made for her before.

She must have done something wrong, Su'er thought with a smile. After all, for this usually energetic girl to look so timid, was Ke'er going to spank her?

But such speculation vanished abruptly upon hearing Nona's next words, and even the hand stroking Nona's head trembled slightly.

"Surge... Father... he'll never come back..."

Nona shifted uncomfortably on Suer's lap, clutching the puppet tightly in her arms, yet she couldn't help but lower her head in sorrow, still murmuring softly.

In such a world, even a young child like Nona, who is not even nine years old, clearly understands the meaning of death, and no one would hide this fact from her.

Suer suddenly understood why Nona had come today.

In fact, after Riku told him about Ivan's death, Sull was going to Maruda and Nona's place. Even though he couldn't bring back the dead, he still felt that Maruda and Nona needed the company of familiar people at that time. However, this plan was stopped by Cole, who was waiting there, when he went out.

In her own words, Sull looked too frightening at that time and was not suitable to meet Maruda and Nona, so it would be better to let Cole accompany them alone for the time being.

After that, Suer had been racking his brains in his room, thinking and preparing for something, so much so that he didn't realize it was this time. When Nona knocked on the door and came in, he didn't even react—Suer had even forgotten that Ivan was dead.

He hadn't yet adjusted to this void; it was as if everything was the same as before. Nona had only come to him to play and relieve the loneliness of a child.

He was wrong.

“…Hmm,” not knowing what to say, Suer could only respond in a low voice, and stroked Nona’s hand even harder.

"Nona saw the crystal that represented her father hanging on the stone... Sister Masha and Uncle Kalim's crystals used to hang there too... Everyone was blessing them, but... but Nona still wanted her father to come back..." Her eyes were already blurry. As Nona spoke, she gently leaned on Suer's shoulder and pressed her face tightly against it, her voice already trembling with sobs.

"I want Daddy to hold Nona again, I want Daddy to tickle Nona with his beard, and I want to ride on Daddy's shoulders again... I really, really want Daddy to come back! Surgo!" Nona sobbed and cried out loudly, her tears soaking through her clothes.

"……Feel sorry."

Unable to say much, or even anything at all, every word seemed pale and inadequate. Suer could only helplessly raise his head and stare at the cave ceiling, as if oblivious to the stinging pain in his shoulder wound, gently pulling Nona into his arms and patting her back repeatedly.

Sobbing, it took Nona a long time to gradually calm down, but she remained nestled in Suer's arms without looking up.

"...Mom kept crying too. Every time she saw the things Dad left behind, she cried so sadly, but Mom would still smile and comfort Nona," the little girl's childish voice rang out. "But every time Nona saw Mom crying, she couldn't help herself either..."

He patted her back silently.

"……Feel sorry."

Besides these words, Suer really couldn't find any more to say at this moment. He just apologized, for himself, for Riku, and for everyone.

"Why should I apologize, Surge?" the little girl asked, confused. "We all depend on you, Surge, to survive. Every time we go out, it's you who risk your lives..."

Finally, she sat up straight from Suer's chest, but Nona didn't raise her head. The little girl with blue-purple hair kept her head down and said timidly, "But, but Nona..."

She bit her lip hard, so hard that even Suer reached out to help her relax, but Nona pushed him away.

"But Nona said some really hurtful things to Riku... Nona must be terrible, right?"

As if she had lost all her spirit, Nona said dejectedly and timidly, and began to sob softly once again.

“…Huh?”, Su Er stared blankly, his mouth agape.

"It's because of Riku and Sulgo's hard work that everyone can live here safely, but... but Nona said such hurtful things to Riku! Not only did she hit Riku, but she also said things like, 'Why didn't it be Riku who died, but Dad?'"

"It's so cruel! This is so cruel, Nona!" she screamed, her voice hoarse as if she were having an emotional breakdown, tears streaming down her face as she suddenly lifted it. "Nona knows it! But, but I just can't control myself! The thought of Daddy dying, the thought of never seeing him again! Nona, Nona just..."

I couldn't cry.

"So, so it's really unfair to Riku, Nona knows all about it, it's all Nona's fault..."

"Riku, Riku must be so heartbroken... It's all Nona's fault..."

The little girl's tears streamed down her face like raindrops, and no amount of wiping them away with her sleeve could stop them.

But Suhr had had enough—he had had enough of this world.

Chapter Thirty-Two: Transfer

"...You are all our heroes," the little girl sobbed. "Whether it's Daddy, Sulgo, Riku, or everyone else, you are all heroes who protected us..."

"She said those things to the hero... Nona, Nona must be in a terrible state..."

The little girl's world was filled with despair.

Unable to listen to Nona continue, Suer hugged the little girl tightly, as if trying to merge her with himself, sharing her pain, her warmth, and her sorrow.

hero.

Such heavy words.

A hero who escapes by sacrificing himself?

"No," Sur said through trembling teeth, "You're not wrong, Nona."

"It's all Nona's fault! It is!" Nona retorted loudly, only to be hugged even tighter by Suer in the next moment, making her voice sound muffled.

Without saying a word, Suer just gasped for breath, holding Nona and shaking her back and forth.

He could no longer tolerate it.

Nona's apology, her thoughtfulness, her kindness... she's so sensible, so incredibly sensible—why the hell is she so sensible!

Suer was so angry he couldn't control himself.

A child who is not even nine years old, in a normal world, should be sweetly hugged in her parents' arms right now, right? The thing she thinks about most every day is to secretly find a chance to sneak out to play, to beg her parents to buy her the newest and prettiest little dresses, and to play happily with other children her age, never thinking about any worries.

But Nona was so sensible; she understood the logic of the world, knew the suffering of others, and even knew how to share that feeling—even though the person who died was her father.

why?

Why should victims who have already suffered grief be expected to rationally empathize with others?

Why is he such a child?

Suer's temples were throbbing; he couldn't accept this world.

This world was abnormal to Sull, like a monster that defied reason.

"It's alright, Nona, it's alright..." Suer could only murmur this over and over again, as if he were holding a baby to sleep, gently rocking him.

Lost in time, Suer held Nona in her arms, gently patting her back until she heard the little girl's soft breathing in her embrace.

After placing the sleeping Nona on his bed and covering her with a blanket, Suer looked down at his clothes, which were stained with tears and snot, and couldn't help but smile bitterly. But compared to this small matter, perhaps because he had released his suppressed emotions, Nona's expression was incredibly peaceful as she slept, untroubled by any worries. She should be able to get a good rest.

After thinking for a moment, Suer sat back down at the table, picked up another piece of animal hide from the side, pondered for a moment, and then began to write on it. It wasn't a very long message. After finishing writing and checking it several times, he placed it next to the sleeping Nona's pillow.

This was his final hope and blessing for Nona.

After changing his clothes and making one last round of packing, Suer took the densely covered animal hide with the writing already on it, lit the lamp, and looked around the cave one last time, engraving every detail of the cave into his mind.

“…Sulge…” In her sleep, Nona gripped the corner of the blanket as if she were holding Sulge’s hand, and a sweet smile appeared on her lips. “…Good luck.”

"..."

Call ~

Suer extinguished the lights.

Good dreams.

--------------

He stuffed a handful of grass into the beak of the bird-bearing beast in the pen, and seeing the intelligent animal affectionately rubbing its head against his hand, Su'er took the opportunity to pat its head.

These are four-legged animals, somewhat similar to horses, but with bird-like beaks and two spiraling, slender horns on their heads. Instead of a horse's tail, they have long tails like dinosaur tails. Suer calls them bird-borne beasts. These are the domesticated animals used by humans in this world for transportation and carrying goods. To be honest, they are quite intelligent, not only knowing how to hide themselves in danger, but also having the ability to find their way automatically.

After untying the reins of the bird-like beast, Su'er led it towards the edge of the settlement.

It was nighttime, the time when most people in the settlement were resting. Although they lived in caves, Riku and Sur still managed to set up a timer for everyone and asked them to follow the rotation of day and night.

Thanks to this incident, Suer no longer has to worry about running into too many people at this time, which makes things much more convenient.

When Suer led the bird-beast to the stone pillar in the center of the settlement, he couldn't help but stop and look at the forty-eight crystals wrapped around the top of the pillar. Compared to its previous appearance, the one representing Ivan was now quietly sitting there, swaying slightly, perhaps because it had seen Suer's arrival.

"Don't worry too much about Nona, Ivan. That child is different from you; she's very smart..." With a slightly amused expression, Suer looked around, wanting to etch this scene into his mind.

"Ah, Sur!"

Suddenly, a familiar shout rang out. When Sull turned around, he saw Kredo standing there. The young man, who had just recovered, still had a lingering weakness on his face, but more than anything, he was filled with curiosity.

"Sul, you're going out at this time...? The expedition just ended, right? You should still have enough supplies," Kredo ran over and asked, puzzled.

"There are some things that need to be taken care of," Sull explained briefly, then patted Credo on the shoulder and asked, "How's the recovery going?"

"Yes, I'm much better now, all thanks to the herbs you brought back, Suer. It really saved my life," Credo said with an innocent grin, scratching his head. "Um, I heard from Ke'er that you stayed by my side and watched over me when I was sick. Thank you so much, Suer."

"No need to be so polite. If you encounter any difficulties or have any questions in the future, remember to ask Lenny. If Lenny doesn't know, ask Riku. Take good care of yourself and don't be so reckless anymore," Suer said with a smile, waving his hand. "By the way, since you're here, I don't need to bother the gatekeeper. Give this to Riku after you wake up tomorrow."

As he spoke, Sull handed the bound animal hide, covered in writing, to Credo.

Chapter Thirty-Three: I Was Born for This

"Huh? Should I hand it over?" Credo looked a little nervous. "If it's something important, you should give it to Riku yourself, Sur..."

"Are you still a little afraid of Riku?" Sur looked at the nervous and uneasy young man with amusement.

Perhaps it's because he usually acts too cold and authoritative, but Credo is always a little afraid of Riku.

"Hahaha," as expected, upon hearing Sull say it so directly, Credo awkwardly scratched his head.

"It's alright, Riku is actually a cold-faced but warm-hearted person. You'll find out once you spend more time with him," Suer comforted him with a smile.

"Well, I know Riku is a good person, but I always feel so nervous around him... cough cough. Well then, leave this task to me! Sur! I'll definitely deliver it to Riku intact tomorrow!" Credo stood up straight and solemnly promised, "I absolutely won't peek!"

With a soft chuckle, Sull patted Credo on the shoulder again without saying anything more, then led the bird-bearer toward the gate. The guards there had already seen him approaching, and Credo was right beside him.