Chapter 122
“Lord Teiti! Please help over here! There’s a child inside! I’ll go in and save the kid, so Lord Teiti, please support this! Quickly!”
At Bunny’s shout, Teiti froze in place.
The place where Bunny stood was in front of the ruins of a building that was tilted so severely it wouldn’t be strange if it collapsed right this second. The cries of a young child could be heard from within the layered debris, but entering did not look easy. It seemed as though the building might crumble at the slightest touch.
“Lord Teiti! Hurry!”
At Bunny’s urging, Teiti frowned deeply.
“What are you planning to do?”
“……Pardon?”
“It looks like it’s on the verge of collapsing just by looking at it, so what are you going to do by going in? I think you’ll die before you even save the child.”
Bunny’s hands, which were supporting the debris, were trembling violently. Flames were blazing behind him, and buildings were crashing down beside him. No matter how hard Bunny tried, it seemed he should flee immediately rather than save the child.
However.
“Still, I have to save them!”
Bunny shouted as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“They seem to be alive, so I have to try something! Quickly!”
“…….”
At that shout, devoid of even a single moment of hesitation, Teiti was lost for words. He couldn’t say anything.
“Agh! Please! My child is inside! Please help! Please!”
A woman who had collapsed right next to Bunny wailed. The woman’s condition was a total mess; not only was her hair burnt and her clothes filthy, but one of her legs was broken and twisted around.
The grotesquely bent leg looked incredibly painful at a glance…… but the woman didn’t seem to feel any pain at all.
“Baby! Just a little, just hold on a little longer!”
Instead of writhing in pain, she only constantly shouted toward the cries of the child coming from inside. She was scratching the ground with her hands as if she wanted to crawl inside, but she couldn’t move forward, perhaps due to her injured leg.
“I should have died instead……. I, I should have died and the child should have lived……! Please, please help! Yes?”
Suddenly, Teiti recalled what Shio had said.
– Lord Teiti, you are worried about your family. Since you haven’t received any contact, there shouldn’t be any problems there yet, but these people here are those who have lost their families.
– In the middle of a village that is already a mess, shouting that helping people is annoying and shouting that you want to return to a home that is obviously safe……
– It is truly wicked.
Teiti clenched his fists tightly. Why? Why am I becoming ashamed? Why am I feeling embarrassed? Why?
These are just insignificant and weak humans anyway.
Since being weak is a sin, it would be a better direction for the world if they just died rather than trying to clumsily maintain their lives.
“Lord Teiti!”
“Baby!”
But.
– My mother is a great person who saved a life. So even if I’m not, my mother isn’t insignificant.
……Are they truly insignificant beings?
Teiti inadvertently turned his feet and dashed forward, springing from his spot. Then, taking over the support of the debris Bunny was holding, he shouted.
“Go in!”
“……Yes!”
After blinking for a moment, Bunny crawled into the debris, and Teiti strained with all his might while being crushed by the weight of the massive wreckage. Meanwhile, the events nearby continued to enter through his eyes and ears.
“There’s an injured person over there! Go quickly!”
“Water! Bring water! To put out the fire!”
“Sick people, go over that way!”
Children who had only lived in the world for a dozen or so years were running around here and there to save people. They were even the ones who had been sprawled out after being hit by black magic until just a moment ago. Every single one of them was moving as if it were natural, and not even a hint of regret for their actions could be observed.
Are those children weak?
Teiti nodded. They are so weak it makes one frown. They are nothing but weak.
Therefore, are they insignificant beings?
Teiti’s face distorted. He could no longer nod as naturally as before.
‘……No.’
Those who willingly reached out their hands and willingly threw away their lives for the weak were by no means insignificant.
“Huff, huff, Lord Teiti! Please take the child!”
“Uwaaaaah!”
Looking at Bunny, who crawled out from between the debris and first held out the newborn baby he was cradling, Teiti muttered.
“You all are amazing.”
The truly insignificant being was himself. Teiti realized this too late.
***
“Kyaaaaaak!”
The black whip that flew like an arrow sent Artson’s body flying. No, I was definitely watching?! How can she attack so fast?
In a situation so bewildering it felt like having one’s nose cut off while one’s eyes were wide open, Artson had no choice but to stare at Daphne with his mouth agape.
“What is this! It makes no sense!”
The skin where the whip had lashed was rotting away into blackness.
“Agh! It hurts!”
No matter what anyone said, Artson was a dragon, the strongest being in the world. Because of that, he had never experienced any significant ‘pain’ until now. At most, it was the kind of pain from stubbing a toe and losing a toenail while walking.
Such an Artson had been severely beaten by the warrior, Heros. When he was hit by him, it truly hurt enough to die. The unfamiliar pain was terrifying beyond measure, so he had vowed never to feel such pain again……!
“Wait! Wait a minute! It hurts! I said it hurts!”
Exactly that much pain and terror encroached upon her body again. Artson spread his wings and flew straight up into the air.
“Huff, huff…… That, what is that? What is it really? Is she human?”
Artson caught his breath for a moment while his eyes rolled around. No matter how great she was, she wouldn’t be able to fly up to this height, so it would be okay to rest for a moment.
Daphne’s full power was truly beyond expectations. No matter if she was the warrior’s daughter, who could have imagined that such a young child would be this strong. Artson gritted his teeth while clutching his torn skin.
“Whatever it is, I won’t be caught again. Earlier, I just let my guard down, so this time……!”
“You’re talking nonsense about letting your guard down.”
“Uwaaaak!”
At the voice heard from right behind him, Artson twisted his body in horror, but Daphne’s movement was faster.
“Ack! It hurts!”
Artson, whose hair was grabbed, struggled. However, Daphne did not let go of the hair she gripped tightly.
“If you were caught because you let your guard down, you should be able to shake me off now, but aren’t you unable to do anything?”
“E-eek……! Let go of this!”
Flash!
A massive thunderbolt struck down over Daphne’s head.
K-boom!
A tremendous explosion resounded.
Since it was a thunderbolt struck down by gathering his power, no matter how strong Daphne was, there must have been an impact.
As Artson expected, he felt the strength fade from Daphne’s hand that was holding his hair.
“Huhahat! It should obviously be like this! There’s no way a mere human could be fine after being hit by my lightning…… Wait, she is fine?”
Artson’s mouth hung open.
“You, what, what, what are you?”
That was because Daphne only seemed to be emitting a faint steam from her whole body and appeared to have suffered no further injuries!
“D-does that make sense? How can a mere human get hit by my lightning and……!”
The eyes of the muttering Artson grew so large they looked as if they would pop out.
“You, you…… No way.”
Artson was foolish, but that didn’t mean he was completely dull-witted. He had a decent amount of intuition and could rotate his brain reasonably well.
For a young human, she endured being hit by his lightning. Meanwhile, she used strange magic.
Though it was said she hadn’t manifested, she was strong enough to fight on equal terms against him…….
There was only one conclusion to be drawn from this information.
“C-c-calamity……!”
The Daphne in front of him was not just a young human, but the vanished calamity, the Black Butterfly disease.
“Yeah. That ‘no way’ is correct.”
Daphne grinned and reached out her hand toward Artson.
“Since there is only one thing I can give to the creator who never once came to visit me after bothering to create me.”
A black energy began to flow out from Daphne’s hand. Artson could immediately tell what that was.
Death.
Artson’s face turned deathly pale.
N-no. This can’t be!
Artson hurriedly opened his throat.
“I didn’t do it!”
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