Volume 10 Chapter 46 Don't You Still Hate Me？
Inside the red jewel mask that Sylphina wears, I found myself in a bright red space.
The floor──an earth littered with rubble──was illuminated in red.
It was fire.
In the midst of a raging sea of flames, the town was sinking.
"...What is this?"
I cautiously took a step forward.
At my feet, there was a familiar sign.
'Lobelia Diner House'
Yes, the sign read, charred and blackened by the flames.
"...This is..."
It was a familiar sight.
My shop. The back alley. The houses next to my shop, where flowers always bloomed beautifully, were burned and crumbling.
As I walked in a daze, I stumbled upon Mx. Margaret lying in front of the butcher shop.
"Mx. Margaret...!"
I rushed over and tried to lift her up, but Mx. Margaret kept her eyes closed, unresponsive.
My precious town was being overrun by eerie monsters.
Creatures that looked like giant insects, with multiple eyes.
Huge animals with wings. Giants that crawled on many legs.
"...Mx. Margaret...?"
Mx. Margaret didn't move.
They didn't greet me with, "Lyd-Lyd, you look lively today!".
"Mx. Margaret, Mx. Margaret!"
I sat down beside Mx. Margaret, hugging her body as I called her name over and over.
Is this Arsubania? Have I fallen from the moon to the ground?
The Holy Capital was already in ruins, devastated by the monsters, and Mx. Margaret──.
Startled, I looked around and saw Eir-Eir, Ms. Famine, and Sir Roxas, all in their smaller forms, with Sir Rail collapsed as if to protect them.
"Sir Rail...!"
Everyone was limp. Their eyes were tightly shut. Their faces were pale.
They didn't move at all, like lifeless dolls. Even when I called out to them, they didn't open their eyes.
"Sir Rail, Sir Roxas... Eir-Eir, Ms. Famine...!"
Mx. Margaret's body had vanished from my hands before I even realized it.
I rushed over to Sir Rail and shook his body.
I picked up Eir-Eir and Ms. Famine.
Their usually fluffy and shiny bodies were now sooty and dirty.
"Everyone..."
Tears began to well up.
Sir Rail, who always smiled and said, "It's okay, princess," looked grumpy but still said, "I'll help too," while Sir Roxas, who was a bit odd but kind, was also silent.
They wouldn't respond anymore.
My precious Eir-Eir and Ms. Famine.
They had been with me every day, like family.
No, not like family. They are my family.
And yet──.
"Ah..."
The scenery changed again.
In front of the crumbling palace engulfed in flames, Mr. Lucian and Sir Ciel lay collapsed.
Mr. Lucian was holding a lizard-like Med, and Sir Ciel was cradling a rabbit-like Nel-Nel.
"Sir Ciel, Mr. Lucian..."
I couldn't move a single step.
They were the strongest people I knew.
Strong enough not to lose to anyone, yet they were all defeated by the monsters created by Sylphina──.
With my power, I could heal wounds, but I couldn't bring back lives.
I couldn't revive them.
"Nel-Nel, Med..."
Was I too late...? It was already too late.
I couldn't save anyone.
"...Lydia. What's the point of being a Saint if you can't save anyone?"
"Philanthropy. Such pretty words. It makes me sick. Your self-righteousness has killed everyone."
The unmoving Mr. Lucian spoke to me with just his eyes and mouth.
The unmoving Sir Ciel also said to me in a cold voice.
"...No."
Ah, no.
The flames aren't hot. There's no smell of burning wood.
Recently, kitchens use flame Magic Stones, but during the Arsubania festival, they have bonfires.
They roast marshmallows, fish, and mushrooms over the bonfire.
Then, I hear the sound of wood burning.
The flames are hot, and there's the smell of charred firewood and smoke.
Sylphina must have forgotten the heat of the flames and the smell of smoke since she had been trapped for so long.
Maybe she couldn't even create that much in her fantasies.
"...Mr. Lucian and Sir Ciel wouldn't say something like that. Sylphina, show yourself! This is an illusion! Everyone isn't weak enough to be defeated by a monster!"
I, who had been sitting down, gathered my strength in my stomach and stood up, shouting towards the burning town.
Sir Ciel, Mr. Lucian, Nel-Nel, and Med are all illusions.
So, I won't run over to them. I won't be deceived.
My chest aches, and my spine feels cold──but everyone won't be easily taken down by a monster.
They must be fighting desperately to protect the people in the town/street right now.
I can't afford to stop. I can't just sink into sadness and cry at the illusion of everyone getting hurt!
'──My heart doesn't hurt'
A voice comes from somewhere.
It sounds flat, as if it has lost all emotion.
'Even if many people die. Even if I do it. My heart doesn't hurt. I desire destruction.'
"Sylphina!"
'I will kill everyone. I want that. I will kill your precious people. Kill. Kill.'
"Everyone is really strong. They're strong because they have things they want to protect. You had that too, Sylphina! Didn't you want to protect... your baby?"
'My baby... my... my precious child, taken away... it sparkled like a jewel, it was so cute...!'
"Sylphina, please. The monster was born from you, right? Eir-Eir and the others were born from you too, right? Don't let your children do terrible things...!"
'I showed you the scene you fear the most. You should hate me. Saints only talk pretty. In reality, you can't help but hate me!'
"I don't hate you. I don't even resent you. I'm not a saint; I'm a cook from Lobelia. It's the cook's job to help those who are so sad and hungry that they can't eat because of tough times!"
The blazing town scene transformed into a red space.
In that red space, the remains of monster-like figures scattered about.
There was Sylphina, chained to the floor by a chain that stretched out.
Her golden hair spread across the floor like a river, and her black dress was dirty and tattered.
"Sylphina!"
"Lydia!"
Sir Stefan raised the holy sword over Sylphina, looking like he was about to take her head off.
As if he noticed my voice, Sir Stefan turned around.
Sylphina didn't even lift her face, as if waiting for her judgment.
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