The sight of a young Lucy wearing a mischievous grin froze my thoughts in place.
The figure I expected beyond the door was a monster poised to claim my life, not a little girl giggling at as if mocking my existence.
Uh. Wait. So now I have to deal with young Lucy? How? What am I supposed to compete with her in?
While it’s true that I’m ruthless when it cos to dealing with enemies, I’m not cruel enough to crack open the skull of a tiny kid. Even the worthless Main God wouldn’t have tossed young Lucy here just to see her suffer.
So, what’s the point? What am I supposed to do? Is this supposed to be a sugaki showdown? A battle of insults to see who can piss off the other the fastest?
Ha. Don’t be ridiculous. While it’s true that the Main God is a degenerate, I can’t imagine even he’d create this entire setup just to watch two sugaki hurl insults at each other.
…Right? He wouldn’t go that far, would he? I an, he’s still supposed to be a god, so there’s no way he’d sink to that level of depravity.
The young Lucy continued to chuckle silently, and, feeling overwheld, I raised my hands in a desperate plea for help.
"Grandpa! What do I do?!"
But no answer ca.
"Grandpa? Grandpa!"
Only my own hollow voice echoed in my mind. In a panic, I channeled divinity into my mace, hoping to rouse the presence within it. Instead, I realized he had fallen into a deep slumber.
...This is definitely the work of that worthless Main God. If he was the one who woke Grandpa, he could just as easily send him back into sleep. But what’s hiding beyond this that warrants such an annoying move?
Tsk, tsk. I was staring blankly at my mace when I heard the sound of a small foot tapping against the ground. Looking up, I saw young Lucy stomping lightly on the floor, drawing my attention.
She locked eyes with , then started walking ahead without a word, occasionally glancing back as if checking to see if I’d follow.
Follow… her? After a mont of hesitation, I began to walk. Young Lucy gave a small nod and proceeded into the cave with light, almost playful steps.
"Hey."
Huh? My voice ca out normally? Confirming that the sugaki Skill’s translation effect wasn’t active, I hurried to catch up with young Lucy and called out to her.
"Lucy?"
She looked up at , as if asking Why are you calling ? but didn’t reply. I doubted her temperant would have been this calm even as a child, so maybe she just couldn’t speak?
Still, it seed like she could hear , so I decided to ask her questions and watch her reactions.
"Where are we going?"
Hearing my question, she tilted her head before using her hand to draw a square and then a triangle above it.
It wasn’t hard to understand her aning. Ho. Young Lucy was saying that we were heading to her ho.
Not long after, I realized what she ant. The barren cave gave way to a grassy adow, and the Allen family estate ca into view.
Following young Lucy inside without hesitation, I found that the scenery changed again once we entered the building.
"Mira, are you sure I can hold her? What if sothing goes wrong?"
"What do you think a baby is?"
"A fragile artifact?"
"Haha, Benedict. This child is yours. She’s not that fragile."
The woman, Mira, handed over the baby almost dismissively. Benedict, flustered but careful, gingerly cradled the child.
The baby wriggled in his unfamiliar grasp, then froze upon eting his stern face.
"Uh. Uh. What do I do? She looks like she’s about to cry!"
"What else? Calm her down. Give it a try."
"You’re making it sound too easy!"
Startled by his booming voice, the baby scrunched up her face, teetering on the verge of tears. Panicking, Benedict made a ridiculous expression, contorting his features.
Given his naturally intense face, his attempt looked more like a demon erging from hell than a clown. Yet, the baby, with her peculiar sense of humor, giggled at his antics.
"Mira! She’s laughing!"
"See? You’re doing fine. Why were you so nervous?"
The scene of their happy, ordinary conversation faded as the scenery shifted again. The baby, who could barely react monts ago, was now toddling around on her own.
She was undeniably adorable, the kind of child anyone would want to treat kindly. Yet the household staff viewed her with unkind eyes.
"Hey, you! Where’s Mama?"
The problem was her tone. Nobody knew where she had picked up such aggressive phrasing, but it naturally fostered hostility from those around her. Servants muttered to themselves, questioning how such a child could be born to such virtuous parents.
But I understood.
I could hear the truth in the girl’s heart. She didn’t want to speak that way. The sa cursed blessing afflicting was embedded within her as well.
Against her will, her words inflicted wounds on others, and her spirit was slowly rotting from the inside out.
Why was I given this curse?
Why can’t I say a single word of my own choosing?
Why can’t I say I love you, thank you, or I’m sorry?
Why am I the only one who has to bear this pain?
What did I do wrong?
Huh? Huh? Why ?
"Lucy."
The only reason she didn’t crumble under the weight of her pain was the unyielding love of her parents.
Benedict, her father, would laugh and find her words endearing no matter how sharp they were. Mira, her mother, would gently embrace her, her smile never wavering.
Naturally, the girl beca soone who never wanted to leave their side. The mont she stepped away from her parents, she would face an onslaught of hostility she wasn’t brave enough to endure.
While others might see it differently, the girl thought it was enough. If interacting with others ant inevitable hatred, she wanted nothing more than to remain within the safety of the estate forever.
Tsk, tsk.
Feeling sothing tugging at my waist, I turned to see young Lucy smiling mischievously at .
And just like that, the world crumbled around .
"Hah?!"
Collapsing to the ground, I clenched my teeth, fighting against the surge of emotions that flooded my mind.
The happiness, despair, and rage the child had felt—all these emotions intertwined, forming a tornt more intense than any pain I had endured before. Ti lost its aning.
Only after her mories fully imprinted themselves in my mind could I manage to regain so semblance of composure.
With trembling hands, I pulled out a handkerchief to wipe my face, sared with all sorts of unidentifiable fluids. When was the last ti I’d felt such agony? Sure, I’d faced death before, but by then, I was already half-numb.
"Barely."
At Grandpa’s relieved voice, I looked up and saw the dungeon’s familiar walls. So everything I just saw… was it all an illusion?
Dragging myself to the nearest wall for support, I leaned against it and let out a hollow laugh as the scenes replayed in my mind.
I’d always thought the rumors about Lucy were absurd. No matter how reckless a child could be, the kind of antics she was accused of sounded impossible.
But if Lucy was another victim of the sugaki Skill, it made sense. She must have suffered as much as, if not more than, I did.
Actually, comparing my pain to hers would be insulting. How could soone hardened by experience truly understand the suffering of a child who had no idea why she was in pain?
At Grandpa’s silence, I staggered to my feet. Whatever the Main God’s intentions were, I’d find the answers at the end of this treasure map. For now, that was enough.
Erging from the dungeon, I was greeted by familiar voices.
"Lady Lucy!"
"Employer, is everything alright—"
Ignoring their concern, I glanced back to see the cave vanish as though it had fulfilled its purpose.
"Lady Lucy?"
At Kal’s worried tone, I forced a smirk and spread my arms.
"What’s this, Kal? Did you get separation anxiety after I left you alone for a bit?"
But as the words left my mouth, a strange unease crept in. Sothing about the situation didn’t sit right.
Kal’s reflection in her eyes revealed it. There was no confident, cheeky Lucy staring back. Only a confused girl, lost in her own thoughts.
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