4
Chapter 4
It was strange.
No matter how she looked at it, she couldn't understand.
That boy was definitely an anomaly.
From what she had observed so far, the boy was definitely not stupid.
Every single one of his actions exuded an intellect that absolutely did not match his age. He instantly noticed when others were playing tricks, and he was very quick on the uptake.
However, the strange part was how he dealt with things.
If an opponent attacks first, the standard procedure is to kill them before they can strike.
That was how the world she had seen while wandering for the past three years worked.
Yet, the boy always used uncomfortable methods like intimidation and threats; he never tried to kill his opponents first.
Because of that, she asked the boy.
It would be simple for him to come up with a plan to kill those guys, so why didn't he take any revenge?
Then, the man spoke as if she were the strange one.
What the hell was she talking about?
Why on earth would she kill those little kids?
"Well, it's true that they're little shits. But they're still kids. Besides, if they hadn't been in a place like this, they probably wouldn't have turned out that way?"
The more they talked, the more she realized just how strange this man was.
It was as if he had lived in a completely different world.
Saying that they were children, so of course they had to be protected.
Children are livestock.
They are property owned by their parents.
If there isn't enough money to raise them, they are buried in the dirt the moment they are born. If there is a decent amount of leeway, they are raised and put to work. If circumstances worsen in the middle, they are property to be sold off for a reasonable price.
At least, that was how it was in the world she had seen.
However, when she told him this, the boy was horrified and disgusted.
He said it was a given for parents to love their children. He said the reason the world was like this right now...... was probably because the world was just too messed up.
Hearing that, the girl felt like she finally understood the essence of the man a little.
He was a preposterous dreamer.
A dreamer whom she wondered how he had managed to survive with such a soft mindset.
To survive in this harsh world, one had to distrust everyone, be on guard, and betray others.
Yet this man truly believed.
In a world where everyone could be treated equally.
A world where parents could love their children.
A world where people could live without killing each other.
He believed that such an absurd world would come.
That it only made sense, and that it was the natural course of things.
'Was he the young master of a Noble family?'
In the end, that was the only conclusion she could come to.
Saying things like that was the naive talk of a child who had grown up knowing nothing of the ways of the world.
He was probably the young master of a Noble family from somewhere who had gotten caught up in some sort of accident and washed up here.
'Surely, it won't be long before he wakes up to reality.'
He would break eventually.
The girl believed that without a doubt.
And.......
The boy did not change.
"......."
She stared blankly at the boy being whipped in her stead.
A fragile human body.
It was undoubtedly a pain she could not even imagine.
Yet, the boy's expression was completely unfazed.
She knew the reason for that.
Because she had seen something similar once before.
-......It's okay, Ciel. Really. Mommy is truly fine, so don't worry and go to sleep.
Telling her not to worry. Pretending to be strong so she wouldn't be a burden.
"I'm fine. Because of my constitution, it doesn't hurt at all."
With a body battered and bruised from being struck multiple times, the boy spoke.
Those wounds were definitely inflicted because of her.
Therefore, it was only right for him to hate and resent her.
Keeping his distance was the rational thing to do.
Despite that, why did the boy keep clinging to her?
She couldn't understand it at all.
She couldn't make sense of a single thing he did.
"......Why are you giving this to me?"
"If you don't want to eat it, then don't."
Why couldn't he just pass by a starving child, instead secretly sharing his rations?
"If you have a conscience, don't tell the others about this. My food is limited too. There are already way too many enemies, and if I get branded as a pushover, it's over for me. And...... this is the last time I'm looking out for you. Find your own way to survive."
Why did he make such a guilty expression while saying those words?
He was using his own rations to save someone else, so why did he look like he had done something wrong?
He was soft.
Far too soft.
With a mindset like that, he would absolutely never survive.
An equal world, human rights, a world where children could live without worries. Dreaming of such things in this world was absolutely impossible to achieve.
Yet, the boy did not change.
Over these two weeks, not a single thing had changed.
"......You eat it. I don't have much of an appetite today."
Today again, the boy said so as he handed her the bread.
Eventually, she couldn't hold it in any longer.
She couldn't understand this boy at all.
She couldn't understand herself either, unable to take her eyes off this foolishly kind boy who was dreaming a vain dream.
"Why?"
That was why those words slipped out of her mouth.
"Why are you doing all of this for me?"
The girl was not a fool.
That was why she knew.
She knew that this boy hadn't eaten anything for days. That he always gave it up for her and the other children.
That he always took the whipping in her stead, and always helped out with her share of the work.
That he would always appear to help her whenever she was in danger.
She knew all of it.
"Did the bread I ate earlier go bad or something? My arm hurts, so just take it already."
The boy feigned ignorance, as if he hadn't understood a thing, and said so.
"You need to eat this. You haven't eaten anything for days."
She really didn't like that reaction.
It made her feel terrible.
After all, this wasn't right.
She wasn't someone who deserved to be treated like this.
It had been the same with her mother.
Her mother was not someone who deserved to die because of a monster like her.
That was why.
"Why?"
She just couldn't accept it.
The reason he was doing this for her. The reason he cared for her so much.
She stared at the boy once again.
Scratching his neck with an awkward expression, the boy pondered for a moment before opening his mouth.
"Just... because it's you."
Those words.
Why did they bother her so much?
*****
The girl slowly moved her feet.
Her surroundings were chaotic.
However, if she utilized a bit of Demonic Energy, grasping the situation around her was a simple task.
"......."
And Ciel saw it.
The ending that boy had met.
It was just as she had expected.
The boy was far too soft.
He should have just killed everyone who stood in his way.
He shouldn't have bothered showing kindness.
That was a result that had been decided long ago.
The unconscious boy was dragged to the platform to be executed. The girl, who was staring blankly at that sight.......
"You're there, right?"
For the first time, she initiated a conversation with Wolf.
Why on earth?
Even she couldn't understand her own actions.
It wasn't rational.
All she had to do here was run away.
She had escaped from places like this before. She had learned all the magic needed to hide her appearance from her mother.
Then why was she doing something like this?
Because of that boy?
That was strange.
They had only known each other for two weeks.
She didn't even know the boy's name.
Besides, if he held onto such a dream—if he was truly a dreamer who wanted to make this ruined world a better place.
Even if she saved him here, he would die before long anyway.
But why.
"I'll make the contract."
Is my mouth moving on its own?
Why can't I take my eyes off you?
Why do I care about you this much?
'Ah.......'
Only then did the girl realize what love was.
-Just because it's you.
It was a simple story, just like the words the boy had spoken back then.
She had thought her mother shouldn't love her. She had thought she shouldn't love her mother either.
Because she was an impure existence.
Because she was a life that should never have been born.
But, it was different.
Love wasn't like that.
You don't need a reason to love someone.
You don't need qualifications to love someone.
You cherish them simply because you want to.
You cherish them just because they are precious to you.
I hate the thought of you dying.
That is why.
[Half of the soul. Certainly received.]
I love you.
I want to protect you, no matter what I have to sacrifice.
"Devour them, Wolf."
An ominous black shadow loomed over the world.
What were once people morphed into lumps of meat.
The girl walked leisurely through the place drenched in blood and flesh.
In order to save the person she loved.
"......Ciel?"
The boy, held in her arms, looked up at her.
He seemed to be completely bewildered.
It made sense.
The Overseers had all been swallowed by the shadows without a trace.
The children were all in a panic, busy fleeing for their lives.
"How on earth.... no, more importantly...... why?"
The boy asked her.
Why she had helped him.
Ciel fell into thought for a moment.
Because I like you, who is truly kinder than anyone else, even though you think you're selfish.
Because I've come to want to see that ideal world you speak of, too.
Because you made me realize what love is.
Ciel didn't know how to express all of those feelings in a single sentence.
That was why Ciel smiled faintly and spoke.
"Just because it's you."