Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Child Abandoned by God
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A small village at the southern end.
A young knight visited a circus troupe that had been lively until the crack of dawn.
"I have no place to stay tonight, so could you let me crash here just for one day?"
A torn cloak and armor stained with bloodstains.
The fresh scent of battle still lingered on the youthful knight, suggesting the fight had ended not long ago.
In an inn or tavern frequented by adventurers, they would never have accepted him.
Late at night, someone in such a state was likely being hunted.
But the circus performers welcomed him warmly.
"It's a shabby tent, but if you'd like, Sir Knight."
The ringmaster smiled brightly and gestured into his own tent.
He mentioned looking forward to hearing exciting adventure tales from the knight that night.
Thanks to them, the knight—who had been weary from back-to-back battles—experienced a boisterous, joyful night unlike any since starting his adventures.
And there, he met an unexpected connection.
'...Beautiful.'
A woman with blue bobbed hair, wearing tight-fitting clothes, leaning against a wooden pole to stretch.
She glanced at the knight with her beautifully curved figure and flashed a smile.
To her, it was just a casual greeting, meaningless.
But in the knight's eyes, it seemed like she was showing interest in him.
The knight couldn't tear his gaze away. She was more stunning than anyone he'd ever met.
Roys de Strange approached her without realizing it.
"Greetings. It's an honor to meet you. My name is Roys de Strange."
He extended his hand in a noble, courteous pose.
The blue-haired woman looked bewildered for a moment before shyly taking his hand with a soft smile.
"Flora."
"Flora—a name as beautiful as the smile on your lips."
"My smile?"
"Yes. The most beautiful smile I've ever seen in my life. The moment you smile, it's ecstatic... my heart races."
"Is that a compliment?"
"Of course. I'd give everything I have just to see that smile again."
"..."
Flora playfully pinched the knight's cheek, then burst into laughter.
"Really?"
"I mean it."
Their eyes met.
They chatted about trivial things, learning about each other. The conversation wasn't long. That night, they stayed together until dawn dew brought flowers to bloom.
The next day, as the knight left the circus, he gave Flora a pendant containing his photo.
"I'll come back someday."
"...I'll wait."
A year passed. Then, a baby's cry echoed through the circus troupe.
-Wah! Wah!
A child with blue hair and golden eyes was born.
Flora hugged the baby, wearing the happiest smile she could muster.
"Ebebebe! Hysteria, smile like Mama does. Your father's coming soon—how can you just cry like this?"
"Wah!"
Her fellow performers took turns performing acrobatics to make Hysteria laugh.
But the baby didn't laugh—instead, its sharp, dissatisfied gaze only grew sharper.
A day, two days, three days passed. Even after three months, the baby stopped crying but never smiled.
Yet Flora gazed at the baby lovingly every day, whispering.
"My little one, someday smile for Mama. With the world's most beautiful smile, one that makes my heart race."
"...Mama!"
Not now, but someday, it would smile for her—Flora cherished that thought happily.
Soon after, rumors spread of a golden-eyed child born in the southern circus troupe.
Word reached her that Roys de Strange was coming to find them.
"Finally, Lord Roys..."
-Neigh!
Hoofbeats thundered outside the tent. At least a dozen horses—the ground shook.
Roys had returned, she thought, rushing out.
But life didn't unfold as she imagined.
"Kill them all!"
The visitors weren't knights.
Bandits wrapped head to toe in black cloth.
"P-Please, spare us!"
Screams erupted from all sides.
Circus tents burned, performers fell one by one.
"Flora! Take the baby and run!"
The ringmaster tried to load Flora and the baby into a carriage to escape.
But the skilled bandits didn't let them go.
A shadow emerged, slaying the ringmaster in an instant and striking Flora down.
-Wah!
The baby wailed loudly.
Flora clutched the baby in terror, backing away.
"D-Don't cry, Hysteria. Your father will... come soon."
The bandit sneered at her.
"Stupid bitch."
Thud!
The bandit plunged a dagger into Flora's abdomen. Unbearable pain drew a groan.
"Hurk!"
Her twisted expression lasted only a moment. Forcing a smile for the baby, she used her remaining strength to plead with the bandit.
"P-Please... spare my baby... at least the baby..."
The bandit yanked the dagger from her gut.
Squelch.
"Gurk!"
He raised it high above her head for another strike.
"Nah."
It's over, Flora thought. Her life was ending.
Praying to the heavens.
'God, please bless us.'
Did her prayer work? As the bandit swung, a knight appeared from nowhere, felling him with one stroke.
Thud.
The knight leaped from his horse and embraced Flora.
"F-Flora. I'm sorry... I was too late."
The familiar voice she'd longed for.
Through blurring vision, she saw his face.
Not clearly, but she knew who it was.
"Flora! Flora! Open your eyes!"
"...Roys."
Flora glanced between the baby and Roys.
On death's doorstep, something made her smile with her last strength.
"The baby's name is Hysteria... Please."
With that, her head lolled lifelessly toward the ground.
Roys clutched her upper body tightly, roaring.
"Flora!!!"
His furious bellow shook the heavens.
Terrified bandits tried to flee, but Strange Family knights captured and beheaded every one.
"...Hysteria."
After settling the matter, Roys brought Hysteria straight to his castle.
He doted on the baby so much that, until his awakening, no one but him and a single nanny was allowed in the room.
Until the age of five, the child never smiled.
Not until meeting the Guardian Spirit that would change his fate.
A clown Guardian Spirit performing acrobatics atop a vase to draw children's attention.
"You... can make me laugh?"
The clown tilted his head at Hysteria, then chuckled at the question.
"Of course, if that's what you want."
"If you wanted to live, you shouldn't have slapped the Strange name on lowly blood."
The moment Gunter turned to leave the underground dungeon.
Thud!
"...!"
Hysteria, who had been dead, revived and stabbed Gunter in the back.
"...Is that so? Seems like your mistake to me."
"Gurk!"
Having landed the blow, Hysteria wasn't smiling.
Instead, he glared at Gunter with an unprecedented cold expression.
"I-I confirmed you were dead."
"Yeah, I died. But my Guardian Spirit has a special technique that activates post-mortem."
The clown Guardian Spirit danced madly, showing threads woven around his hand.
"No way—you used yourself as a puppet?"
"Oh? Quicker on the uptake than I thought."
"But that technique... isn't it only for the dead?"
"Yep. So I died. For this exact moment."
"What?"
"Died in advance. By my own hand."
"...You went that far just to kill me?"
"Obviously. From the day I arrived here, every single moment, without fail. I've been waiting for this day."
Gunter sighed.
Ha!
"When did you die? You were fine just days ago..."
"Killed myself before coming here. Didn't want you catching on if I activated it mid-fight."
Hysteria stretched grandly, striding toward Gunter with a smug look.
Step, step, step.
"I told you—this fight, you're the one losing."
"...Damn it."
Gunter reached back with both hands, yanking out Hysteria's sword from his body.
Thud!
Blood sprayed as the blade withdrew. Grimacing, Gunter grabbed his own sword and exhaled deeply.
Hoo—
"The fight's not over."
"No, it is. You can't beat me in that state. You'll bleed out just standing there. I'll be dead soon too, though."
"...Mad bastard."
"Kuk, ku ku ku... Were you sane when you massacred the circus at not even ten?"
"Shut up!"
Whoosh—!
Gunter swung his two-handed sword wide.
Hysteria snatched a fallen sword from the ground and blocked.
Clang!
"Kuk, ku ku ku. Sir Knight's sword feels too light?"
"Even if I die, I'll take you first."
Hysteria glanced at the pendant around his neck, then smiled.
'Mama, it's almost over.'
Clang! Clang clang! Claaang!
The deathmatch of the doomed duo was beautiful.
The wind from slashing blades sang like a song, and blood bursting with each strike scattered like petals in the aura.
Dozens, hundreds, thousands of strikes exchanged. Time passed, and the decisive moment arrived.
Thud!
Gunter's final, full-powered strike severed Hysteria's right arm.
"Oh! Not bad."
"I'll tear you to shreds, Hysteria...!"
Hysteria glanced at his severed arm, laughing.
"What're you saying? I'm already dead—you can't kill me, ku ku ku!"
Shooo—!
Gunter's severed right arm floated behind him. As the clown Guardian Spirit twitched his fingers, it stabbed Gunter's heart.
Crunch!
"Keurk!"
Gunter vomited blood and collapsed. A fatal wound he couldn't recover from.
"G-God..."
"God? You? Calling on God?"
Hysteria grabbed Gunter's throat with his remaining left arm, choking him.
Thud.
"Kgh!"
"Hilarious, Gunter. Calling on some god at the end!"
"Guh..."
"But there's no god! I've looked myself—I know."
Thump.
Gunter shuddered briefly, then went limp, signaling death.
'...It's over.'
Hysteria slumped before Gunter's corpse.
The clown Guardian Spirit frantically worked the threads, but Hysteria's body wouldn't move.
The post-mortem ability's limit had ended; time to cross death's door.
'Good.'
Achieved my goal within the time limit.
Doesn't matter if I die now.
With that thought, Hysteria mustered his last strength to pull out the pendant from his neck.
"...Mama."
Hysteria smiled faintly.
'I can smile now.'
His eyes slowly closed.
'I'll come to you soon. To show you the world's most beautiful smile.'
Clack, clack, clack.
I stopped at the deepest part of Strange Castle's underground dungeon.
'It's finished.'
I checked Gunter and Hysteria's vital signs.
Both long dead. Blood starting to coagulate—they'd been gone well before I arrived.
Hoo—
Siegfried wore a bitter expression.
"Berddin, everything went exactly as you predicted."
If those two clashed head-on, there'd be no winner or loser—both would perish.
I had zero doubt about this outcome.
I knew their Guardian Spirits' abilities and the skill gap perfectly.
Gunter and Hysteria.
From start to finish, they danced to my tune. Like actors performing a scripted play on stage.
"Yes, Master."
To me, this play's end was a comedy; to them, a tragedy.
How others—who aren't us three—see it, I don't know. But one thing's certain now.
'The era will go berserk.'
An unstoppable storm will sweep the continent, and at its center, it's my turn to show the world who I am.
"Rox."
"Yeah."
"Begin. Before the others arrive."
Rox glanced at me, nodded,
and—
Flash!
—leaped toward Hysteria's remaining Guardian Spirit in the dungeon.