Mob Yandere Chapter 116.1

[Part 1/5]

In an era without electricity or gas, staying warm was literally a matter of life and death. Clothing, not just blankets, was expensive due to being handcrafted, and even firewood and charcoal were not free.

Regularly letting in cold air for ventilation was necessary, but if they ran out of fuel during the winter, it would be a serious problem. In the cold villages, families gathered together around the hearth or a brazier, huddling in straw futons to keep warm.

And that's why I think this room is like heaven.

'Hey, hey? What's wrong? Why are you spacing out?'

"...Oh, it's nothing."

I replied with a smile that seed glued to my face as I looked at the black-haired young girl who was staring at curiously. I tried to deceive her, to pretend that everything was okay. We both huddled under the thick blankets, chatting away.

Yes, winters in the Northern region are cold. That's why the young girl in front of , my master, has locked herself in. Even though it's already past the morning and approaching noon, she refuses to leave. Taking advantage of her lack of discipline, she invited a commoner of the sa age as her to play the role of a hot water bottle and indulge in this siege warfare.

'He-heh... so warm!!'

"Princess, it's quite improper to cling to like this, isn't it...?"

'I don't care about what's proper!'

This land is blessed with the protection of spiritual veins, and the room is well-insulated. The luxurious futons only add to the warmth. However, the young girl clings to even more, seeking further warmth.

I already knew that her actions were not rely seeking warmth. I knew, but... I acted as if I didn't notice. I pretended not to see it. It was all part of my sche, a selfish desire.

'...Hey, ◼️◼️?'

After clinging to like a baby for a while, the young girl suddenly looked up at my face as if she had sensed sothing. She gazed at with upturned eyes, seeming worried.

"...What is it, Princess?"

'Hey, ◼️◼️. Does ◼️◼️ care about ?'

"...What do you want to say?"

I replied with a pasted-on smile, feigning ignorance. The young girl in front of still clung to as she slightly lowered her gaze.

Then, with an air of genuine concern, she murmured sadly.

'You see... earlier, I heard them say... that ◼️◼️ doesn't really care about . That you're just with because you can feel good. That's why... they think you're just putting up with , that you probably hate .'

"..."

She mutters sadly and anxiously, and I just silently respond to her. Did she hear this... behind her back? No, if it's direct, is soone telling her? In any case, jealousy and backbiting are terrible. They whisper even to this child.

'You know what! I think I'm giving ◼️◼️ a lot of trouble! I think I'm selfish! I think I'm making you feel bad, don't I? So I think I deserve to be cut off!'

Feeling genuinely anxious and sad, she confessed her own wrongdoing and sins.

'But you know! I'm sure there are lots of good things about ◼️◼️ too! I... if I try hard, I can do anything for you, right? I'll do my best to help you in any way I can!'

She emphasized and pleaded, fawning over .

'That's why... that's why... you won't abandon , right?'

Her voice was now filled with emotions, not just questioning or confirming. For a mont, silence filled the space under the blankets. The young girl's face turned pale, filled with anxiety, and she stared at .

"...Of course, I care about you, Princess. I won't deny that there may be so dissatisfaction with , but that's a different matter."

'Ah...'

I gave a wry smile and embraced her, and the young princess let out a small surprised voice. Her delicate and slender body, held tightly in my arms, exuded the warmth typical of children.

"Princess, you are an important person to . If I benefit from being with you, of course, it makes happy. However, even without any gains or losses, I truly cherish you."

I whispered in her ear, mocking myself for saying such words. I stoked the flas of a pure and innocent child's suspicion and anxiety.

'Really? You don't hate , ◼️◼️? Will you protect ? Help ? Stay with like a family?'

In a trembling voice filled with fear, the princess asked again, not so much seeking confirmation but wanting to hear the answer itself. And so, I complied with her wish.

"Of course. Princess, I will never abandon you. I will never let go of your hand. You are... my ally."

I spoke gently, promising her with unwavering sincerity.

'Is that true, ◼️◼️? Were you really thinking of ?'

"Uh?"

Suddenly, she made a pointed remark, and I was left dumbfounded. When I looked again, she was no longer a young girl; instead, she was a female exorcist holding a sword with a cold gaze that pierced through . The scenery had changed. This was no longer the warm bedroom of a young girl but a desolate land. Where was this? I felt like I had seen it sowhere before, but where...?

Unfortunately, I couldn't find the answer. Besides, she started her interrogation.

'If that's the case, why did you betray ? Why didn't you rescue from that place? You could have done it. Or am I wrong?'

"That's not... That's not possible!"

'Don't lie to !'

The young girl scread and yelled. Crimson flas danced around her body, engulfing everything in their path.

'You knew better than anyone else! Isn't that right? On that day, you should have had other options! But you, out of your own self-interest and fear of straying from the path, put back in that cage!'

"No, no, what are you saying...!?"

Hina's words were accusing and condemning, and I couldn't understand their aning. However, they struck a chord of guilt and confusion within . Panicking, I moved backward.

Sothing soft touched my back, and I shivered as I turned around. A plump man looked down on , blocking my escape.

'How dare you repay the favor I gave you with betrayal? Your audacity knows no bounds, it seems. I suppose lowly blood cannot be changed, can it?'

He sneered at , his words filled with disdain, and at the sa ti, I felt overwhelming guilt within . I couldn't deny anything.

"T-that's not..."

'Don't run away.'

I tried desperately to say sothing in my defense, but before I could even begin, I was ruthlessly told the truth.

'So, you toyed with ?'

'You used ?'

'You abandoned ?'

'You plotted against ?'

'Traitor.'

'Ungrateful.'

''You pest!!''

"Khh...!?"

I almost unconsciously fled from that place. I didn't understand. I didn't understand anything. Why did it have to co to this? Why does my heart ache so much? Why... why am I so scared of being blad like this?

"Haa... haa... haa... Where am I?"

Due to the difference in physical abilities, I thought they would catch up to and kill imdiately. However, that didn't happen. I ran so much that I lost track of ti, and in the end, I arrived at a cold village. A familiar village. An old, old mory. It was my hotown...

'Truly, you were a curse child.'

"...!!?"

The voice was achingly nostalgic, yet inherently cold and indifferent. When I turned around, there was a slender woman dressed in shabby traditional Japanese clothing, with cold and piercing eyes. Her eyes were filled with deep disgust as she looked at .

'You wretched child. It's all because of you. It's because I was conceived by a brat like you, I was driven away from my birthplace...'

She held herself as if recalling a painful mory, and I couldn't find the right words to say. I had no words to offer. I didn't have the right to say anything.

'Moreover, you intend to take away the happiness I finally grasped, don't you?'

"Ah..."

I tried to co up with an excuse, but my words were silenced by the presence of a young girl who had sohow appeared by my side. My consciousness was drawn to the 'legs' she was hugging...

'Brother (Nii-chan), did father lose his legs because of you?'

"That's...!!?"

Her words squeezed my heart. I felt nauseous. My sins were exposed. My face contorted in despair.

'Yukine, co over here. You shouldn't stay with him. He'll consu you too.'

As the haggard woman whispered, the mischievous child ran over, leaving red marks on the pure white snow-covered ground. The mother embraced her daughter and glared at with even more contempt.

'Please stop. Don't look at with those covetous eyes. I didn't want to give birth to you, a cursed child. Not to ntion the soul inside...'

The woman's gaze was no longer that of a mother looking at her son; it was a gaze of seeing a stranger, a monster, a hideous creature... And the child in her arms stared at with innocent, pure eyes. She looked at and tilted her head.

'Aren't you my brother?'

"...!?"

No! I wanted to scream, but when I tried to speak, I hesitated. Was I really? No, that's not it. What's more important here is not blood relation. What's more important is... was there ever a place for in that family?

Was I... Was I ever glad to be born? Is my soul truly connected to this body...?