Chapter 210: Chapter 35. I'm Not Good at Doing Laundry
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A cemetery?
Why is there a cemetery on the 18th floor?
Cyd curiously examined the place he had just entered.
Snap—
The sound of a branch breaking echoed behind Cyd, and Medusa swiftly hid within his shadow.
Still unwilling to show yourself in front of others, huh?
Cyd scratched his head, somewhat helpless.
"Cyd?" Ryuu, holding a bouquet of flowers, tilted her head.
"Oh, I got lost in the forest and accidentally wandered here," Cyd awkwardly stepped aside.
"This isn't my place," Ryuu shook her head as she walked past Cyd. "It's just that all my companions are buried here."
Cyd's mouth twitched.
This is really bad! I should probably leave immediately.
"I'll be on my way," Cyd took a step back.
"W-wait..." Ryuu hesitated before raising her hand to grab the corner of Cyd's clothes. "Wait a minute... can you listen to me for a bit?"
Seeing the lonely expression on Ryuu's face, Cyd sighed and placed his hand over hers. "I feel like rejecting you would be a sin."
"You... you can refuse," Ryuu's face flushed slightly, but she didn't let go of Cyd's hand. Instead, she gently touched his palm with her fingers, then grasped his hand and led him to sit on a tree stump.
"I've always been curious about your past," Cyd said as he patted Ryuu's head. "But... uncovering someone's scars like this..."
"It's okay, just think of it as me talking to myself," Ryuu tightened her grip on Cyd's hand. "It's just the confession of an ugly sinner..."
Cyd lowered his gaze. Hidden pasts often have reasons behind them, and revealing them is no different from hurting that person again.
Ryuu softly recounted a story—one about an elf who, out of hatred for her arrogant kind, embarked on a journey.
Cyd quietly listened as the girl's hand trembled while she unveiled her past, her scars.
She left because she despised her self-righteous kin, but during her travels, she discovered that she wasn't much different from them. She still resisted getting close to others.
Here, she met a goddess who could touch her. Though she still couldn't connect with the rest of the familia, it was alright... Even so, they didn't reject her.
Those days were the happiest of her life. Maybe her earlier years existed just for those days. They all worked together to uphold justice, a time so beautiful it felt like...
A fleeting dream.
But dreams eventually end, whether you wake up on your own or are forcibly awakened.
Ryuu's hand tightened.
Cyd sighed softly.
The cruelty that follows happiness hurts more than any weapon could, because the scars on the heart don't heal—they just harden. No matter how far you go, no matter how strong your heart becomes, when you look back, all you see is a tattered soul. Apart from sorrow, there's nothing else.
The dream ended...
Their quest for justice and the creation of a peaceful, loving world made them targets. The weak of the world longed for such a world, but in helping them, they got in the way of the strong.
Traps, slander, assassination, ambush—every vile tactic imaginable was used against their familia. Their pursuit of justice left them completely unprepared, and they were annihilated. She couldn't even retrieve her comrades' bodies; she could only bury them here on the 18th floor.
Her hard-won home was gone...
She was filled with hatred but didn't want her goddess to see her ugliness, so she asked the goddess to leave the city and then began her revenge.
She used the same tactics that had been used against her familia.
No one in this world could help her; the heroes in stories didn't exist. She could only rely on herself.
She succeeded. Her heart, bound by hatred, ultimately destroyed the familia behind it all. She was even listed as a dangerous person by the Guild, with bounties placed on her head. Yet, she felt satisfied—satisfied by the destruction of another familia...
Ryuu released Cyd's hand, holding her head and lowering it.
"This is the kind of person I am. I hate my kind, yet I did the same thing. I claimed to uphold justice, but I was blinded by hatred. And I felt satisfied by destroying others," Ryuu's voice was incredibly low and faint, as if she might vanish at any moment. "Now... what do you see when you look at me?"
"A strong girl holding back tears."
Cyd leaned back on his hands and gazed at the "sky" of the 18th floor.
Ryuu slowly widened her eyes, looking at Cyd's profile in disbelief.
"You left because you didn't want to become the person you despised. You finally found a 'home' and 'family' that accepted you, only for it to be taken away," Cyd turned to look at Ryuu. "Even after you succeeded in your revenge, your hands were still empty—a girl holding back her tears."
"Are you underestimating me?" Ryuu blushed, puffing out her cheeks in slight annoyance as she turned her head away.
"It's okay to cry, you know," Cyd gently pulled Ryuu into his arms. "Here, you don't have to hold back."
"You really... don't listen to people..." Ryuu buried her face in Cyd's chest. "If your clothes get dirty, I won't help you wash them."
"That's really troublesome..."
Cyd raised his hand and gently patted Ryuu's back.
"I'm not good at doing laundry. I only have a few outfits."
"I'll wash them... So... just for now, please don't let go..." Ryuu mumbled.
"I'll wait until you've cried all your tears."
Cyd smiled warmly.
Ryuu clung tightly to Cyd's clothes.
Why... Why didn't she meet someone like this back then...
But... thank you, for letting her meet Cyd now.
…
"Damn it! Those damn adventurers!" Lili furiously kicked a rock at her feet. "They're obviously targeting us!"
"Yeah..." Welf was equally angry. "It's not just about the black market prices anymore."
"And they said, 'Aren't your adventurers hero trainees? Just go and fight again! He's so amazing anyway!' They can go to hell! Do they even know how hard Bell-sama works?" Lili scratched her head furiously. "Thank goodness we didn't let Bell come here!"
"Yeah, if Bell heard that, he'd be even more upset," Welf crossed his arms and leaned against a tree. "If everyone's approval is his greatest reward, then their malice..."
"...is the most hurtful thing," Lili lowered her head.
"But we still need those supplies. If it comes to it, I'll sell this magic sword..." Welf reached for a magic sword at his waist. "I'll sell it to... huh? Lili?"
Welf blinked. Lili, who had just been beside him, was gone! All that remained was a large bundle, with a note on top.
"This is bad!"
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