Give children a little self-destruction shock to their worldview.

Why……?

Despite her delight, Mayumi Haga remained vigilant.

She couldn't find Urzana in her backpack before, but now she appeared as soon as she was summoned by magic... Yuga Mayumi couldn't figure out what was going on.

She had carefully inspected the backpack beforehand and found no signs of calamity contamination in the area near where Urzana's core was stored.

In other words, the calamity within Urzana's core has not yet overflowed, or perhaps, for some reason, the calamity's contamination has disappeared...

By combining the fire, Mayumi Haga felt she had come to a conclusion.

Perhaps Senior Urzana has successfully revived using the power of the fire.

But why?

Why won't the other person come to see me?

Mayumi Haga looked at Urzana with a puzzled expression, noticing that the other woman's outfit looked very familiar.

This was a suit that she had wanted to give to the other person, but never had the chance to give it to; it was a suit that only giants could wear.

"..." Mayumi Haga stared at Urzana in confusion, while the latter seemed to be stung by this gaze, turning her head away and choosing not to meet her junior's eyes.

The atmosphere became quite strange for a moment. Hitomi Tono, the homeroom teacher, and Megaran didn't say anything, because it wouldn't be wise to interrupt at this time.

Ulzana said in a low voice, "I'm sorry, Mayumi."

She dared not meet with her juniors because she felt guilty.

Chapter Ninety-Five: A Mother Without Children and a Child Without a Mother

When Urzana woke up, she found herself in a place that was both strange and familiar.

It's strange because she's never been here before, so it's not surprising that she feels unfamiliar.

It's familiar because everything around her is familiar, and the way they're arranged is also familiarly messy, piled up haphazardly, forming a high mountain that's quite spectacular.

There is no sun or moon here, and no sunrise or sunset. It is pitch black all around, with only some luminous materials providing light.

Having previously stuck her head into a backpack out of curiosity, Urzana quickly deduced from the quantity and arrangement of the materials that this was Mayumi Haga's backpack.

...Mayumi.

Unbearable memories flooded back, and after regaining her senses, Urzana was shocked to realize how many terrible things she had done.

It was so bad that she never had the face to appear in front of Mayumi Haga again.

Ulzana was the first guardian to be corrupted.

After leaving the capable and independent Haga Mayumi, she chose to return to her own tribe.

Ulzana, originally a half-giant, had half-wielder blood in her veins. Although her father chose to become a craftsman and abandoned witchcraft, that talent still tragically fell upon her.

However, she had not systematically studied witchcraft. The only power this aptitude granted her was a greater ability to comprehend the meaning of the world's consciousness, giving her a more acute perception than ordinary guardians.

Since the dawn of a new era, the Guardians have gradually reached the brink of being sidelined. Ulzana knew that Mayumi Haga might be the last Guardian bound to the world... After Mayumi, there would be none more.

Because the bloodline of the ancient race is about to disappear completely.

The reason why guardians become guardians is not only because they have extraordinary talent and luck that have caught the eye of the world's consciousness... but also because of the distance between them and the [Long River].

Ancient races were those that arose directly from the long river.

Legend has it that in the beginning of the world, a crystal-white river flowed through the chaos.

The spray from the river splashed and fell to the ground, becoming aquatic creatures. The pebbles at the bottom of the river remained still, and from them the giants were born. The river stirred the wind, and in the wind came the songs of the elves.

There were several small fish in the river, which later swam into the sky and transformed into dragons with scales and claws.

These races, which were born from the very beginning, have a close connection with the River. They made a pact to maintain the existence of the River, and each race must act to protect the stability of the world.

They sent their strongest and most promising warriors to walk on the ground, defend order, obey the commands of the world consciousness, and maintain the world's operation.

These were the guardians from the beginning.

These guardians have made a pact with the world, and therefore cannot die easily. But guardians are still human after all. When Ulzana was young, she heard that some guardians could not bear immortality, regarded it as a curse, and chose to end their own lives.

The Guardian's self-destruction is to detonate the core.

Unlike Mayumi Haga's blessing, the core detonation only releases a beautiful but very short-lived firework, and then the beautiful core turns into air... just like a firework that melts into the air.

That unbearably long life came to an end.

She thought that perhaps one day she would also choose to end her own life.

However, she would choose to finish her own work first. She would not leave a mess for others before completing all her tasks and departing on her own.

In the process of constantly receiving and completing jobs, she met Mayumi Haga.

That child who was always silent, yet loved to gaze at her with sparkling, hopeful eyes.

The last descendants of the elves.

You couldn't tell at all that she had elven blood... but that didn't really matter, since a guardian's physical condition was fixed, and being chosen as a guardian meant being unable to have children.

Mayumi Haga was chosen to be the guardian, which means that the elves will become extinct after her.

Urzana is also unable to have children.

She was chosen in her teens and has been traveling in this state for who knows how long... Even the children born to friends she met on her journey have become guardians, but she has not changed at all.

She looked at Mayumi Haga as if she were looking at a child she could never have.

The other party was so vibrant and full of energy, like the morning sun, yet fixed in the sky.

There's no doubt that Urzana really likes Mayumi Haga.

The child bears the mark of her friend; she is intelligent and strong, and always cares about her… For example, Mayumi has several pieces of giant clothing she collected during her journey in her backpack, ready to give them to her the next time they meet.

After completing her apprenticeship, Mayumi Haga began traveling alone. Occasionally, they would meet on their respective paths and then exchange items they had collected during their journeys.

Mayumi Haga's collecting obsession far exceeded Urzana's imagination.

This energetic little one seems to be running wild all over the world, wanting to explore every place, and thus acquiring many good things that she herself couldn't find.

Every time she sees me, she waves and runs over with a smile, stuffing her overflowing pockets into my arms, listing them off as if they were precious treasures: "This is Night Core Fruit, this is..."

Urzana felt it was quite interesting, as if she had finally found a little home in this world. She used to wander the world, and no one remembered her, but Mayumi Haga remembered her, and that gave her a sense of belonging.

Perhaps it would be really nice to have a junior who is also a guardian.

Urzana thought.

Until one day, she witnessed a calamity.

She was consumed by calamity.

Because of her wizarding lineage, she was more sensitive to the existence of calamities, and therefore, when she was exploring alone, she was the first to fall into the abyss of corruption.

Unable to bear the pain of the calamity eroding her core, her sanity gradually faded, and her spirit, controlled by agony, collapsed even more rapidly. The calamity ravaged her through her increased spirituality.

In that state, she did something very inappropriate to Mayumi.

How could she say such things to a child? How could she hurt that child, torturing him with words until he was covered in wounds?

She made a mistake.

She had no face to be Mayumi Haga's senior anymore.

I was supposed to exist as a protector for that child...

Urzana felt extremely frustrated and annoyed. The fire saved her spirit from that endless pain, but in her clear mind, she fell into a new kind of suffering.

It was precisely because of this shame that Urzana chose to run away when Mayumi Haga was looking for her.

She hid herself away, intending to end her life in Mayumi Haga's backpack.

Chapter Ninety-Six: Yuga Mayumi is really going to drop the little pearl.

"I'm sorry, Mayumi."

Urzana's guilty and evasive gaze could not escape Mayumi Haga's eyes.

The girl, who thought she had once again lost her senior, didn't show any surprise, but the hint of joy was also diminished.

She remained calm: "Why should I apologize to you, senior? Isn't this something that had no other choice?"

Even if it were in Mayumi Haga's backpack, Urzana could easily have left a message to make Mayumi notice her. But she chose to hide and avoid contact with Mayumi Haga.

“I…” Urzana keenly noticed that Mayumi Haga was slightly different from usual; her tone was deliberately flat, which seemed a little suspicious, and her gaze was slightly gloomy.

Looking closer, Mayumi Haga was staring intently into Urzana's eyes, trying to find an answer.

She was only slightly unhappy, and this subtle unhappiness was noticed by the person who was once closest to her.

Feeling wronged? Not really. Feeling sad? Not really either.

However, amidst the confusion lies a flammable element; the more carefully one thinks, the more the inner flame will ignite.

The senior doesn't want to see me.

Even if he were resurrected and regained his senses, he wouldn't want to face himself.

Did I do something wrong? Or did I not do well enough and thus disappoint my senior?

Mayumi Haga knew the answer wasn't with her.

But the closer she got to the truth, the more unbelievable it became for Mayumi Haga.

Even though she had always been alone, the person she was closest to and relied on the most didn't have the courage to see her again after waking up.

Even though she knew it didn't really count, Mayumi Haga still felt abandoned.

When her senior was still not fully awake after being corrupted, she was able to tell herself that this was not what her senior Urzana truly thought.

But now, Mayumi Haga can no longer tell herself that.

She knew she shouldn't act on emotion, and that she should be more rational in her approach to everything. With her senior's awakening, she had more support, and some of the burden on her shoulders would be lightened… This was a good thing.

However, she was hurt by the fact that her senior, Urzana, did not want to see her, and thus developed some emotions that she shouldn't have had.

It's really only a tiny bit.

She may not care about others, but Urzana is her teacher and her second mother.

Ulzana was avoiding her, signaling her rejection.

Mayumi Haga tightly shut her mouth, shifted her gaze to the side, and stared intently at the floor, no longer looking at Urzana.

Why don't you want to see yourself?

She didn't intend to ask that question; the answer was no longer important at that moment.

The truth is, she was abandoned by her mother again.

Mayumi Haga had no intention of continuing to reminisce with her seniors. She said softly, "I'll go get some drinks. Please have a seat."

"...Mayumi?" Tono Hitomi sensed the subtle change in the atmosphere and immediately followed her to the kitchen, carefully tugging at Mayumi Haga's sleeve. "What's wrong?"

Mayumi Haga was using up the last of the orange juice in the refrigerator. She remained silent and did not answer immediately.

She poured four glasses, then looked at the four glasses, which were all smaller than half of Urzana's palm, and finally replaced one of the glasses with another larger one.

Since your body has shrunk a bit, this cup should be fine for you, right...?

Mayumi Haga looked around but still didn't bring out a larger cup.

Please make do with this, senior.

she thinks.

In the living room, Megrana looked at Urzana and the homeroom teacher sitting on the sofa, exchanging bewildered glances, and couldn't help but sigh silently.

What kind of situation is this?

This was the first time she had ever seen Mayumi Haga angry... Although it wasn't obvious, she was clearly unhappy.

Wow, it's rare to see that guy show his emotions. Just how important is this guardian to Mayumi?

Megrane wasn't entirely clear on the current situation either, and trying to persuade that saw-mouthed gourd, Mayumi Haga, was no easy task.

The homeroom teacher stared at the woman, who was noticeably larger than average, for a moment, then smiled and asked, "Are you Yuhe's parent?"

Although it was a little strange that Yuga didn't think Sugiyama Rika was the parent in his mind, and the parent in front of him didn't look like Yuga at all, and the clothes he was wearing were completely different from the fashionable style, the homeroom teacher still decided to conduct a home visit to the guardian in front of him.

Looking at the petite old woman in front of her, Urzana subconsciously lowered her voice: "Mayumi? Her mother asked me to help take care of her... so I guess I'm her elder."

Thinking of this, Urzana felt a pang of guilt towards Mayumi Haga.