Her Crumbling Dream (2)
“Here’s the item you requested.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
I handed over the confiscated goods I’d picked up from the lab to Celestia Schwartz’s butler, then leisurely slipped out of the alley and headed home. She’d said the payment would come tomorrow, so she’d probably follow through. That woman might be a lot of things, but she doesn’t mess around with money.
“Agh.”
The moment I stepped onto the main street, a massive muscle ache hit me, pain radiating through my body. It had to be from that jump down a floor earlier.
I used to pull stunts like that dozens of times without a scratch.
Maybe it was age catching up, but my once rock-solid condition seemed to be deteriorating more with every passing day.
That aside…
Something’s off.
A chilling sensation crept over me—the kind you get right before some massive disaster strikes. Something bad was definitely going down somewhere.
Thud. Thud.
My footsteps quickened with every stride as I hurried home. Just as the distance shrank to almost nothing—
“Kyaaah!”
A piercing, unpleasant scream rang out.
“Elia?”
It was Elia’s voice—the girl who should’ve been sound asleep in my house. I broke into a sprint.
And then—
“Shut up, you bitch!”
“No! I don’t want to go!”
I spotted a man dragging Elia by her hair, her legs—still weak from pain—trailing uselessly behind.
“Please… please!”
“I said shut up!”
Tears streaming down her face, Elia clasped her hands together in desperate plea. But to the man, her sobs were just noise. Irritated, he raised his hand toward her.
“You little—!”
Just as his hand swung toward Elia’s head—
“That’s far enough.”
I grabbed his wrist.
“What the—!? Who the hell are you?!”
The man flew into a rage at my sudden interference, thrashing wildly, but—
“Gaaah!”
I snapped that repulsive bastard’s arm with ease and flung him aside.
“Haa… haa… haa.”
I scooped up Elia, who was crouched on the ground clutching her head, breathing raggedly.
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
The instant I touched her, she started trembling in terror.
“Elia? It’s me.”
“I won’t do it again. Please forgive me. Please.”
No matter what I tried to calm her, she wouldn’t settle down.
Haa.
Irritation surged in an instant. I glared at the man sprawled on the ground. How the hell did this prick know my house, pick the lock, and mess with Elia while she was sleeping?
“You bastard…! How dare you. How dare you touch my daughter!?”
Ah. So it was him.
The guy who hounded his own daughter until she died.
“Do you even know who I am, you punk!?”
I’d wanted to meet him at least once. Wondered what kind of twisted mind could torment his only child to the point of death.
“Ha.”
I looked down at the worm writhing on the ground.
“I’m sorry… Dad, forgive me… Please forgive me…”
Compared to Elia, shivering in my arms, he looked perfectly fine.
“I was wrong. Don’t hit me. Please, it hurts. Don’t hit me.”
Truly revolting. Their positions should’ve been reversed.
Clang!
“Don’t hit me… It hurts, it hurts. It hurts.”
“I’ll be right back, Elia.”
I grabbed the wheelchair lying overturned nearby, set it upright, and gently placed the unconscious Elia in it, draping my jacket over her.
“You’re dead, you hear me! Once I call in my juniors, a punk like you—”
“Hey.”
I strode over to the fool still sputtering nonsense from the ground.
“Won’t you shut up?”
“You fucking brat—”
Crack!
I stomped his head until he blacked out, silencing his disgusting yapping.
“Haa.”
He crumpled without even a scream. I dragged the limp body inside.
Tonight, we had a lot to talk about.
In the damp, humid basement somewhere.
“Gaaaaah!”
A middle-aged man bound to a chair kept screaming in agony.
“Finally ready to talk?”
I pulled the mana stone away from his body and gripped his chin, forcing him to look at me.
“Like hell I’d tell a punk like you!”
Hm. Did he not realize I was giving trash like him a chance? Or did he think he was some tragic hero? Or maybe the backlash from spilling scared him more.
Too bad for him, though.
“Central Magic Intelligence Bureau, Section 3 Public Safety Division Chief Luis Miguel.”
I knew exactly who he was.
“Nice to meet you.”
And why not? In the original story, he started showing his face a lot after Elia died—exploiting her tragic end.
“You from Internal Security?”
He glared at me, spewing nonsense now that I’d nailed his identity.
“Hey.”
Those glaring eyes were seriously pissing me off. My arms were already aching from the strain.
Looks like he needed more “conversation.”
“Shut it.”
“Gaaaaah!”
I pressed a stronger mana stone to him, and he convulsed violently.
“Gaaah! Gaaaaah!”
Screaming loud enough to shatter eardrums, thrashing in pain. If the house owner hadn’t installed a soundproofing magic circle in the basement, it would’ve drawn every cop in the neighborhood.
“Huff… huff… huff.”
Finally, his eyes focused on me properly. Violence really was the perfect icebreaker.
“Now, answer straight.”
He seemed ready to talk, so I pressed on.
“How’d you know where Elia was?”
“On… her clothes… I put a tracker…”
“Tch.”
His own daughter’s clothes. I grimaced.
“Haa… And my house? Does anyone else know?”
His shamelessness was turning my stomach.
“Just… just me. No one knows.”
At least my house location was safe with only him knowing. If his coworkers found out, it’d be a headache.
“Good. Real fortunate.”
I’d heard what I needed. I stood up.
“Just spare me, please. Please…”
Sensing death, he writhed and begged for his life—the same man who’d dragged his crippled daughter across the floor moments ago.
Absolutely disgusting.
The urge to kill him surged, but—
Haa.
The fallout afterward made it tricky. And no matter how much I hated him, he was still Elia’s blood.
Touching family felt… off. So instead—
“You know what this is, right?”
I decided to end it on a fitting note with a toy I’d swiped from his office.
“No! Not that! Anything but—”
He squeezed his eyes shut in horror at the sight.
“Just one look.”
Ignoring his pleas, I forced his eyes open the “proper” way.
Bam—!
I dumped him in a distant alley, making sure no tails followed.
I had a dream.
A dream where I kept running down an endless alley.
“Why are you running away?!”
“I hate it now! Please, just leave me alone!”
Chasing me was my father—the man who’d oppressed me my whole life, treating me like his puppet.
“Please… don’t come closer. Don’t come. Don’t come.”
No matter how far I ran, hid, or fled, he always followed.
“What are you doing here? My daughter?”
As if he knew exactly where I was.
“Stay away! Don’t come!”
And whenever he found my hiding spot—
“What kind of tone is that?”
He’d beat me with that sharp stick.
Thwack—!
Thwack—!
“That’s how you talk! To the father! Who raised! You!”
Thwack—!
Dozens, hundreds of blows.
“I’m sorry. Forgive me, please. I won’t do it again. Please, please forgive me.”
Bruises covered my body, and even after I blacked out, he’d keep going until he was satisfied. Curled up as always, I prayed inwardly.
For someone to end this curse. This pain.
For a savior to free me from him.
Please help me. Anyone, please help.
But my desperate prayers never came true. As if I didn’t deserve salvation.
But this time…
“...?”
The torment and screams faded. I opened my eyes and looked around.
Nothing but empty void.
Then light began to fill it.
“You’re awake, Elia?”
Through dazzling sunlight, a black-haired man watched over me.
The savior I’d longed for. Prayed for.
“Mr. Karl…?”