Chapter 46

Ignorance is foolishness.

This world is filled with things better left unknown.

Surely, this is one of them.

Even if he were a clown on stage, dancing and being laughed at by people, he wouldn't be hurt if he didn't know the truth.

“Tia, what’s wrong?”

Gadio, who had sat up in bed, asked Tia, who was standing by the window.

She was only wrapped in a thin sheet, and the outline of her body was visible through the fabric that clung to her.

On the other hand, Gadio was also bare-chested.

There was no need to mention the hidden lower half—asking about what had happened last night would be a waste of time.

“Nothing, it’s nothing.”

Tia replied, but she didn’t move from the window.

In front of her, the church was visible.

Gadio was captivated by his wife, who looked like a goddess in the morning light.

He had been dreaming.

Until the moment Tia died, he had believed that someday they would have a child and build a warm family.

So, what Gadio saw before him now was a dream he had let slip away.

It was only natural to desire it, and Tia also wished for it, so they had connected.

The reactions when they touched, the feel of her skin, her body temperature, her voice, and the affection—all of it was the same as before.

No, perhaps it had even intensified due to the long period of loss.

Without a doubt, he was holding Tia.

Undoubtedly, it was Tia Lascott.

There was no doubt, no sense of wrongness, and nothing had changed from the past—so why did Gadio feel an overwhelming sense of unease when he saw her?

“Tia, come over here.”

“Gadio, are you feeling clingy?”

Tia turned and smiled.

She approached, the sheet rustling, and sat on the edge of the bed.

Her slender fingers touched Gadio’s cheek, and she repeatedly kissed his lips, cheeks, and neck, barely touching them.

Ignorance is happiness.

Knowledge is a constraint, and wisdom and freedom cannot coexist.

That’s why Gadio wished.

Suddenly, Tia’s kisses stopped, and she looked out the window.

“Tia?”

“Hmm… What’s wrong, Gadio?”

She replied in her usual tone.

But “What’s wrong” was his line.

There was no particular sound.

No one had passed by outside, and there was no presence.

Then, what was she reacting to by looking outside?

“Hey, Tia.”

Even when he called her again,

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

She continued to look outside, her response unchanged.

Gadio’s right eyelid twitched.

Driven by unease, he forcibly pulled Tia towards him and turned her around.

She let out a surprised “Kyaa!?” and looked at Gadio with a shocked expression.

“Gadio, you’ve been acting strange since just now. Did you have a bad dream?”

—It’s you who’s strange.

He really wanted to say that, but the words stuck in his throat and wouldn’t come out.

If he said it, everything would end.

The scattered dots of unease would connect.

Gadio wished strongly in his heart.

Please, just a little more, don’t reveal the answer.

Let me dream of spending time with Tia—

◇◇◇

As something approaching Ruko, Flan drew her sword.

But her hand was trembling.

She was originally human, and a one-year-old baby at that.

Flan hadn’t abandoned her humanity to the point where she could strike without hesitation.

Fortunately, the movement speed was very slow, making it easy to escape.

“Master, behind you!”

Reacting to Milkit’s voice, Flan turned around.

There stood three men and women in white coats.

They stood still, showing no particular intention to attack, but they clearly blocked the escape route.

Their gaze was focused on Flan, and she felt the same eerie sensation as yesterday.

Should she cut down the three or kill the transformed Ruko?

Ruko’s body was still distorting, and her current form, which had been stretched, crushed, and bundled into a circular shape, was almost unrecognizable as human.

However, the twitching fingers, the drooling mouth, and especially the eyes that stared at Flan with a glint, retained a faint trace of her former self.

This hesitation was what slowed her decision.

—Don’t hesitate, there should be only one thing to protect here.

Flan told herself this.

Milkit’s trembling hand was gripping her clothes.

She had a body temperature, a breathing pattern, and a voice—there was no life more important than hers, no matter what the enemy was.

“Haaaaaah!”

Splat!

The sword she swung cut Ruko in half.

Blood splattered, and a red and yellow, semi-solid substance flowed out.

However, her body continued to pulse.

Like wringing a cloth, it twisted and spurted blood.

“Ugh…”

Flan grimaced at the sight, smell, and unpleasant sensation on her palm.

But at the same time, she felt a bit relieved.

Now, she was completely certain that this was a different existence from a human.

A lump of flesh, human-like, born from a human-like organism—this was the true nature of the infants in the village.

Perhaps Milkit’s prediction was spot on.

A body without a soul cannot give birth to a new life with a soul.

So, it can only imitate.

And as Flan approached, the will of the Origin grew stronger, causing the human form to collapse and transform into a monster.

Why the Origin was so fixated on Flan, even she didn’t know.

Perhaps the selfish actions of Jean had thrown off the plan.

To correct it, the Origin desired Flan.

There was no need to indulge in the creepy, stalker-like obsession,

“Let’s go, Milkit.”

Flan took Milkit’s hand and ran.

They passed by Ruko and moved forward, but in the opposite direction of the exit.

“Where are we going?”

“That way is blocked. I think we should go see Dafiz.”

“Is that okay…?”

“I don’t know, but I don’t think he was lying to us. Maybe Dafiz himself didn’t know.”

Flan and Milkit ran down the corridor.

Suddenly, a door to the side opened, and a man appeared.

The man reached out to Flan as she passed by, and his palm touched her upper arm for a moment.

Thud!

A dull sound and a heavy impact hit Flan.

“Gah…!”

Her arm bent in an unnatural direction, as if a second joint had formed.

Her humerus was completely broken, facing outward, and cold sweat broke out all over her body from the intense pain.

She lost her balance but didn’t stop running.

“Master, are you okay!?”

“This… much… I’ll… heal… on my own!”

In fact, the regeneration had already started.

Her speed decreased because she couldn’t swing her arm, but the man didn’t chase after her despite his attack.

He watched Flan’s back with the same emotionless eyes.

Even though he could catch up with Milkit, he didn’t pursue—there was one possible reason.

It was unnecessary.

As they turned the corner, five men and women stood in front of them.

“Master, those people!”

Since they were inside the facility, they were probably related to the revived researchers.

They lived in the residential area of the facility.

If one’s partner left the room without explanation to react to Flan’s approach—

“Hey, what’s going on? Why did you suddenly go outside?”

Naturally, the other half left in the room would find it strange and follow.

The hand of the living man who came out of the room touched the shoulder of the revived woman.

“A… a? What… is… this… ah… ah… ah… aaaaaah!”

The right hand twisted, and the force spread throughout the body.

The man, whose blood was squeezed out like a sponge, died before he could understand the situation.

In a way, he was fortunate.

He died without realizing that he was killed by the person he loved.

Seeing this, the hesitation in Flan’s heart disappeared.

Even if the body was human and someone desired a replica, it was still wrong.

“Milkit, stay a bit behind.”

“Yes!”

Flan’s voice became low and sharp.

Her mindset shifted to a state of combat.

As their hands separated, Flan ran down the corridor in a low posture and pounced on the woman who had just killed her lover.

A black blade, darker than the subspace, was smoothly drawn out, and it sliced through the woman’s chest along with the hand extended towards Flan.

Click—she felt the hard sensation in her hand.

The moment she touched the accursed crystal embedded where the heart should be,

“Reversal!”

Flan channeled magic power from her palm into the sword, reversing the spiral that swirled inside.

Unable to withstand the negative energy, the black, semi-transparent crystal cracked and shattered.

The woman’s body, having lost its source of life, collapsed.

Without a second glance, Flan set her sights on the next target.

The two men approaching.

With a light swing, she blew away the four arms that reached out to her.

The wounds did not close.

Unlike Ouga and Ruko, they did not twist into spirals but bled like ordinary humans.

This might be the result of the control Dafiz mentioned.

At least, their faces did not become a mass of flesh like the Children’s.

—So, he wasn’t lying, at least not about that.

He had believed in the possibility of reviving Suzy and continued his research with dedication.

The most evil thing was that the Origin used this desire as a stepping stone to achieve its own goals—

“Haaaaaah!”

Using the momentum, Flan spun around.

She added more Prana and struck the men who continued to advance despite losing their arms.

The semi-circular trajectory of her sword deeply cut into their abdomens.

Blood and intestines spilled out from the open wounds, but they showed no signs of pain, only a slight stagger.

They no longer tried to maintain a human appearance and attacked Flan with the will of the Origin.

Bang!

—A moment later, the upper bodies of the men were blown away.

By injecting Prana inside the enemy and causing it to explode—this was a technique known as a Ki Sword Burst.

Flan didn’t know its official name.

It was a skill she had naturally mastered through daily training—once it was set, it was the most lethal strike.

The Origin Core fell to the ground amidst the scattered remains.

Flan approached it and looked at the dead body with a sad expression.

Then she shook her head.

There was no time for sentimentality.

She placed the tip of her sword and activated the reversal magic, destroying the core.

Suddenly, Milkit clung to her back.

“Milkit, it’s dangerous, you should stay back—”

“They’re coming from behind too.”

Behind her, expressionless people were approaching.

They walked politely, so they wouldn’t catch up immediately, but they were trying to overwhelm them with sheer numbers.

The number of dead in front of them was also increasing.

The distant screams were probably from researchers killed in the same way as the man earlier.

“Calling himself a god, Origin sure doesn’t know how to hold back, does he?”

If you’re going to deceive, do it thoroughly.

If you’re going to kill, do it grandly.

Using petty methods to toy with people’s hearts, causing harm with half-hearted actions—Flan was thoroughly fed up with the low level of it all.

Perhaps the main body was elsewhere, and the interference from a distance made it difficult to use its full power.

But the fact that it resorted to such underhanded tactics, despite claiming to be a god, was particularly unpleasant.

Flan glared resolutely at the front.

She lowered the tip of her sword and swept it horizontally.

The released Prana remained stationary.

Then, she quickly swung it vertically, creating a cross.

From this cross, an invisible force spread thinly, forming a shield-like membrane in front of Flan.

This could defend against attacks, but what was needed was a way to clear the crowd of puppets in front.

After confirming that no living beings were in the line of fire, Flan placed the tip