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“Huh… Huh!? Mr. Koutei!?”
“Indeed! This one has come to aid you, as you were outnumbered!”

Ignoring the corrosive knife, the armored robot pulled away the children who were restraining me. It was Mr. Koutei, who was supposed to be Miss Roche’s bodyguard. But why was he here?

“Following Lady Roche’s orders to guard you was the right decision! However, to think it’s the followers of Orcus…”
“Oh my, a golem? Could you not interfere, please?”
“This one refuses. Ma’am, you should surrender instead. You have no chance of winning.”
“Is that so? Everyone, bite your tongue and die.”
“Ah——! Mr. Koutei, stop the children!!”

Ms. Mytia swiftly drew a sign in the air with her knife, issuing a merciless command for the children to commit suicide. The children, controlled by the evil spirits, would likely follow through without hesitation. We had to stop them quickly…

“……? O-Oh, dear… Why aren’t they dying?”
“Worry not, Lady Momo. Fortunately, This one is the worst opponent for her in terms of compatibility.”

Just as Mr.Koutei said, the children collapsed on the spot before they could bite their tongues. They were breathing properly, and their faces weren’t pale; they were simply unconscious.

“Well, this one’s unique constitution purifies most impurities upon contact. Hostages are useless against this one.”
“Wow! Mr. Koutei, you’re amazing!”

The faces of the fallen children looked peaceful, as if a burden had been lifted. With the worry of the children being controlled gone, all that was left was to stop Ms. Mytia.

“Ms. Mytia, drop your weapon! Let’s end this!”
“Oh my, no, I don’t want to.”

Even with the children down, Ms. Mytia didn’t give up. She plunged her knife into the wooden floor. The poison that had corroded the orphanage’s walls would do the same to the floor. And beneath that floor surely was…

“Mr. Koutei, please take care of the children!”
“Lady Momo!?”

When I was wandering around earlier, there was a part of the floor where my footsteps echoed loudly. There must be a hidden space underneath, and she was planning to escape into it. Mr. Koutei couldn’t follow due to his size; it was my job to stop Ms. Mytia.

“Ms. Mytia, wait!!”
“Oh, you’re chasing me, Miss Momose? Very well, let me enlighten you.”

The floorboards, rotted in an instant, gave way, and we both fell into the hidden space below. It was a terrifyingly dark and deep place, with an indescribable stench that choked me.

“Ugh… cough! Ugh…”

If I had eaten breakfast, I would have thrown it all up. Tears welled up, and I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I couldn’t land properly and crashed onto the ground, but thanks to the Gift, I wasn’t hurt.

“Cough, cough… M-Ms. Mytia… are you okay…?”
“Oh my, you’re so kind to worry about me even now.”
“Ah, good. You’re safe!”

I couldn’t see, but from her voice, it seemed she wasn’t hurt. Then, with a sudden sense of foreboding, I dodged backward, just as a knife sliced through the air where I had been.

“Please, don’t dodge. I know you’re a good person, so let’s live together forever.”
“No! Why did you start worshiping such a dangerous god!?”
“Oh dear, what a naive thing to say. Have you ever been beaten by your own parents?”
“…What?”
“I have. My father was terrible. He’d get drunk, be in a bad mood, and hit me just because he wanted to feel superior.”

As I kept dodging her wildly swinging knife, Ms. Mytia continued to speak as if sharing a casual conversation.

“But one day, I couldn’t take it anymore and hit my sleeping father over the head with a bottle. Again and again and again!”
“Wha…!”
“When his head was smashed and he stopped moving, my terrifying father was nothing more than meat! It’s strange, isn’t it? Once a person dies, they’re all the same!”

Unable to keep dodging with my eyes closed, a knife finally grazed my upper arm. A searing pain followed by the unpleasant sensation of something bubbling and spreading from the wound. So this is what it feels like for your arm to rot.

“Isn’t it wonderful? Death is equal. After we die, we can all get along by continuing to live!”
“T-That’s absurd…”
“Why? Understand me, please. Understand my god. Why does everyone have to bully me!?”

The more we talked, the more Ms. Mytia heated up, seeming to forget any fatigue. The underground space wasn’t infinite, and I was being driven into a corner against the wall. I realized I had to make a decision.

“It all ends when people die… There’s no continuation. I don’t want to keep living as some ghost!”
“Oh, I’ll make you understand with your body!”

She’s coming. Even without seeing, I could sense it. My back was against the wall, and there was nowhere left to dodge. I raised my arms to protect my vitals as best as I could. As the knife sliced through the murky air and touched my arm, I twisted and kicked out with all my might.

“……Oh?”
“…I-I’m sorry, I’m sorry…!”

Hurting someone with all my strength for the first time in this world felt anything but good. My leg, driven by pure reflex, had the solid feeling of breaking a bone. Without being able to see, I couldn’t gauge the force properly, and I felt a chill as I realized the extent of the power I wielded.

“Oh, oh my… How could you do this…”
“Please stop, any more and it won’t just be a broken bone! You might end up with lasting injuries…!”
“No, noo… I won’t end here. I need to make more corpses…”
“——First Gale.”

A voice from above was followed by a strong gust of wind, blowing away the murky air. I took a deep breath of the refreshingly sweet air, wiped my tears, and opened my eyes.

Standing between me and Ms. Mytia was the person who had saved me countless times in this world—

“…Hey, didn’t I tell you to refrain from acting on your own?”
“M-Master…!”