70. (Re-upload) The Child You Raised
70. (Re-upload) The Child You Raised
[Chapter 70] - The Child You Raised
Ebony black hair cascading down to her lower back and skin as white as snow.
Round tears dripping from red eyes that looked like blood droplets had spread.
How could I not recognize that face?
Seeing that face, I instinctively gripped the shoulders of Titania, who was in my arms. A face identical to the 'child' in my arms. Seeing my child grown up into an 'adult', I couldn't help but look at that woman and call out the 'child's' name.
"Ti, Titania...?"
When I called her Titania, she glared at me with venomous eyes. Meeting that gaze, I could vaguely understand why she had reacted to me that way until now.
I didn't know why this was happening.
My mind was in such a jumble that I couldn't even tell if this was reality or a dream. That was how unbelievable the existence of the 'woman' appearing before my eyes was.
However, what was happening before me was reality, and no matter how much I looked at her, that appearance was undoubtedly Titania grown into an adult. Because I couldn't possibly fail to recognize that face.
Why is the adult Titania here?
Did Titania grow up and come to the 'past'?
I tried thinking about it again with a slightly cooler head, but that didn't seem to be it. If the woman in front of me was the 'Titania who grew up in my arms', she wouldn't look at me with such hatred.
Then, isn't there only one conclusion?
'The Snow White who grew up watching the "real" Vivian.'
If that were true, I could understand most of the unnatural actions and words that Snow White had directed at me and Titania. The actions and words aimed at hating 'Vivian' and protecting a 'princess' like herself.
There were still many things I didn't understand, such as what happened to the 'player' who raised that Snow White and how a different Snow White was here, but that wasn't important right now.
"Um..."
The moment I tried to speak-
-Master~~!!!
A loud voice of a young girl shouting from deep within the forest was heard. A brown-haired girl running straight here, kicking up dust with odododo footsteps. As soon as she arrived, she blocked the space between me and Snow White with a cheok!, and shouted at me with teary green eyes.
-Don't bully Master! You wicked Baba Yaga!
Seeing that girl, I couldn't help but frown again.
Dark, earth-colored brown hair and sprout-like green eyes. Because the girl huffing and glaring at me in front of me looked exactly like the 'first dwarf' I had seen in the illustration.
-Br, Brownie...?
I tried to call the girl's name first, but Ainsel, contained in the earring, spoke up first. Ainsel, being a fairy, was clearly flustered, as if she didn't understand this situation either. Same for me.
Brownie was huffing, raising both hands high above her head like a threatening red panda. That appearance was just cute rather than threatening, but... what was shocking wasn't that cute appearance.
Seeing her call the other 'Snow White' in front of me 'Master', I felt that every situation I had planned had completely twisted.
What on earth is going on...?
"...Titania, wait here for a moment."
I stood up to grasp the situation and slowly approached Snow White, braving Brownie's threats. As I tried to get a little closer-
-Don't come closer! Baba Yaga! If you come closer, I'll...!
Brownie growled, showing her teeth.
That appearance was quite scary, so I raised my hands, put them under the armpits of the threatening Brownie, and lifted her up to move her behind me.
Brownie tried hard to protect her master, swinging her small, fierce fists around, but unfortunately, it was useless against me.
Ignoring Brownie, who was diligently patting my back, I looked at Snow White, who was sitting on the ground. It was truly troublesome; no matter how I looked at it, it just looked like the adult Titania crying.
-How could something like this happen...?
As Ainsel muttered quietly while looking at Snow White, Snow White, who had only glanced up with her eyes, glared at me and Ainsel. A gaze that looked like it would kill. Ainsel, who made eye contact with the bloodshot red eyes, hiccuped and swallowed her saliva.
I also gulped down dry saliva and asked Snow White.
"...Hey, it really doesn't make sense, but... am I thinking the right thing? I mean, you are..."
"What is it that you're thinking?"
The sitting Snow White slowly reached out towards me. The feeling of her touching my fine hairs, as if she were about to cup my cheeks with both hands, sent shivers down my spine.
"That child's future?"
Snow White shook her head.
"Or, just someone who looks exactly like that child?"
Snow White shook her head once more.
Snow White, having shaken her head, smiled faintly, and then instantly wrapped her hands around my neck. Without even a moment to stop her, Snow White wrapped her hands around my neck and began to choke me, very slowly.
"Wrong. Whatever you're thinking, it's all wrong. I am not that child's future, nor am I someone else who looks just like her. I am..."
Since she wasn't choking me hard, I just quietly listened to what Snow White had to say. However, perhaps my reaction of not even resisting touched a nerve, as she made a choked-up expression and put more strength into the hands wrapped around my neck.
"I am...!"
Even so, there was enough room for my neck to breathe. Her face looking at me seemed to be conflicted about whether to really choke me to death or let me live. But...
'Why does her expression while choking me look even more painful than mine while being choked?'
That sight was so pitiful that I instinctively and tenderly stroked the face of the one choking me. Then, thick teardrops flowed silently down her cheeks.
Snow White introduced herself in a trembling voice.
"I am... the child you raised."
"......I see."
To be precise, it would be 'Vivian', not 'me'.
Now everything really made sense.
It also meant that Snow White, who didn't know that Vivian had died, had no choice but to hate me. The moment I sighed, feeling hopeless about how to clear up this misunderstanding-
"Don't bully Mommy!!!"
Titania threw her body at Snow White with a kwang!
The impact caused her hands that were wrapped around my neck to fall away on their own. As I was flustered by what happened in an instant, Titania also raised both hands high above her head and puffed up her body, just like Brownie was threatening.
Meanwhile, Brownie, who had been patting my back, also approached in front of Snow White and started threatening me like before. A posture where a young child puffs up her body as much as possible.
Two red pandas growled at each other.
Snow White, who had fallen to the ground from the impact of the body slam, sighed quietly, then got up and glared at me and Titania. I had to somehow have a conversation and clear up the misunderstanding, but Snow White didn't seem to have any intention of doing so.
Snow White let out a deep sigh, then looked down at the threatening Brownie with an expression that said she was tired of everything.
"...That's enough. Let's go back to the hut, Brownie. Habetrot and Cait Sith will be waiting."
-Yes! Master! And, please don't overdo it... Master's body is still...
Brownie looked at Snow White with worried eyes. Snow White smiled faintly at that and was busy stroking Brownie's hair. The fact that the familiar names of the 'dwarfs' came out of her mouth was secondary.
I didn't think it was right to send her back like this, so I reached out to her and asked.
"...Already going back? Can we at least talk for a moment..."
"Talk? What talk? Do I need to spill out my past story in detail? In front of you?"
Snow White glared at me with a still venomous gaze. I wondered how she was raised by Vivian to hate Vivian so much, but... it wasn't hard to imagine what her infancy was like.
Seeing Snow White turn around and try to go deep into the forest, I shouted and asked once more. At least-
"Yo, your name...! Can you at least tell me your name...? Your name... it wouldn't be Titania, right...?"
When I asked for her name, Snow White turned her head and glared at me. She frowned as if disgusted, let out a deep sigh, and continued.
"I have no name. You, who became Queen, erased my name. Since then, I was called vermin, maggot, whatever you pleased."
"......"
I could only shut my mouth at an action that was plausible if it were Vivian. What on earth was Vivian thinking...
As I frowned, Snow White frowned even more. Then, with that face, she told me not to pity her, saying my actions were disgusting, and continued.
"Don't pity me. The pity you give is the greatest insult to me. I don't want to be pitied, especially by you. No matter how much you..."
Snow White, who had gritted her teeth hard, couldn't continue speaking. Then she sighed deeply and stroked Brownie's hair as if to show me.
"As you can see, I am already the master of the hut. You might have been thinking of raising Titania as a witch, but I will never forgive that. The other dwarfs are already by my side, so don't waste your effort."
".....Okay. I'll do that."
"Tsk. It's disgusting to speak so meekly, unlike you."
Snow White clicked her tongue as if annoyed, then looked down at Titania, who was still growling in front of me. Unlike the expression when she looked at me, she softened her sharp eyes and smirked.
"Really, she's bold, unlike me."
With that last word, Snow White turned her back and disappeared into the fog. Brownie, who was by her side, also disappeared following her, and only the three of us—me, Titania, and Ainsel—remained at the picnic spot.
As I was staring blankly at the fog where Snow White had disappeared, Titania pulled on my collar and called me. Perhaps Titania also couldn't believe what had just happened, as her shoulders were trembling slightly.
"...For now, let's go back."
I needed time to organize my thoughts.
I felt like I roughly knew why Snow White was here and why she was stopping Titania from becoming a witch. It was a guess, not a certainty, though.
Perhaps...
Could Snow White be the princess from the Witch Ending that I hadn't seen? Using magic, gathering the dwarfs, and so on.
Unlike other endings where she doesn't get much involved with the dwarfs, the Snow White who disappeared into the fog seemed very close to the dwarfs.
Titania, who had pulled on my collar, asked me with a flustered expression. Titania must be very confused too. Since someone exactly like her suddenly appeared...
"Mommy... is that person really..."
"...No. She isn't, but..."
I picked up Titania and headed back to the hunting competition tent. I was busy comforting Titania the whole way back.
Seriously... what on earth is going on...