Chapter 23

Jae―with a pure white, fur blanket wrapped around one arm―stood before the leak. His appearance was quite intimidating, thanks to the hefty white greatsword on his back, and his almost entirely black outfit―the combination of white and black resembling Death himself. The bone white greatsword was terribly large, at about 2.5 metres in length; rising above even Jae's own head. It was crafted out of a dragon's tooth, but despite all this, he had no major issues wielding it, so it fortunately didn't impede his movement.

He was still feeling rather anxious about his earlier conversation with Aphy, but like she said, this was supposed to be a good opportunity to clear his mind and reevaluate things. He'd try his best to refresh himself with this time.

"Hmm...."

Jae studied the thing in front of him. It's vibrant, majestic appearance was quite strange, almost like a black hole, except created from twisted magic energy. It was mostly violet with black streaks―a kind of swirling vortex, and beyond the other side couldn't be seen. It hovered slightly above the ground and was about the size of a small truck.

".....How....?"

From simply observing it, Jae couldn't figure out how it was created. Sure, he might be able to produce an imitation with magic, but it would only be a copy of the appearance, having none of the actual functions. He didn't know how such a thing could be made, and Aphy never mentioned anything similar either.

A portal...?

The first thing that came to mind was the 'Space Magic' he had heard of.

Either way, it's not natural.

Thinking there was nothing else he could do, Jae just decided to enter it. Taking a step through, Jae's eyes reflexively closed from the sudden flash of light. The next thing he felt was the odd sensation of his body twisting and contorting, as well as the feeling of falling through the air. For some reason or another, Jae's body wouldn't let him open his shut eyes, as if saying it was dangerous.

This only lasted for a total of one second, but Jae felt like many times that had passed. It ended, and Jae could immediately smell, hear, and feel the air of nature once more.

"......"

Upon opening his eyes, Jae found himself in a forest. It looked similar to the one he briefly lived in 4 years ago, so he felt some small sense of nostalgia while gazing at the surroundings.

...It's different.

Taking a look again, it seems the forest was actually a little different than what he remembered. There were fewer trees, and the atmosphere as a whole seemed lighter. However, if there was one thing Jae didn't like, then it was that...

"What's with this trashy air...?"

―The quality of the air was sub-optimal, in Jae's eyes. Since he had become adapted to living in such a mana-rich environment for so long, the ordinary air here simply couldn't compete with the Pride Dungeon's air that he was used to.

"Ueegh.... Really... Feels like I'm just breathing in pure pollution.... Can I fix this?"

Jae was reminded of scenarios wherein people from the countryside would move to a large city. However, it's not like there is nothing that can be done about this. With an idea appearing in his head, Jae thought of testing it out―whether or not he could expunge the sickening, low-quality air.

Then, what if I just release a lot of my mana into the air, won't that fix it?

He was about to do it, and in theory it should work, but Jae stopped himself.

...Wait. If I do this, then won't that be bad?

If Jae suddenly let out tons of magic energy, then monsters would surely be attracted to it. Of course, he could deal with them, but it could also lead to something troublesome. And, there was no guarantee it would work in the first place. If he was careless, then it could even result in a huge explosion of mana, leading to the complete ruin of the surrounding area―similar to a nuclear bomb's radiation. Since there's no need to take such huge and unnecessary risks, eventually, Jae settled with simply shrouding himself in a small aura of his own mana.

He took a deep breath after it was done, and was relieved.

"Ahh. That's much better. Yeah, let's just do this. It'll make me easy to find with mana detection, but this will probably be fine. And with that out of the way...."

Jae turned his head towards the notifications in the air―they had been there ever since he had arrived in the forest.

You have exited the『Pride Dungeon』 Dungeon Clear Status: 【0.15%】 Due to leaving the dungeon before the designated Dungeon Boss has been defeated,『Pride Dungeon』will not experience collapse Due to leaving the dungeon before the designated Dungeon Boss has been defeated, rewards will not be given Due to escaping the range of the effect, abnormal condition [Status Block] is removed Due to escaping the range of the effect, abnormal condition [Pride Block] is removed Due to escaping the range of the effect, abnormal condition [Level Block] is removed

"..."

Jae was speechless, and had absolutely no idea what any of this meant, but certain things stuck out to him.

'Dungeon Clear Status', 'rewards'... It's like a game. Since I spent so long in the dungeon, yet it says that I've only 'cleared' 0.15% of it, then I assume it has something to do with killing the monsters there, since I didn't exactly kill many things―I couldn't, until near the end, and even then I only did it when we were going to eat, or I wanted to practice magic. And it seems that certain 'rewards' will be given, depending how how much of the dungeon I clear--No, wait, it says I only get rewards after killing the boss. It's probably a combination of both, right?

This was Jae's guess: If he wanted to fully clear the Pride Dungeon, and get whatever the rewards might be, then he'd have to end up killing Aphy, the ruler of the dungeon. It made complete sense, but Jae was disgusted.

......This fucking system.... What the hell does it want from me?

This whole thing was beginning to anger Jae.

"『Pride Dungeon』will not experience collapse"...? What the fuck is that, huh? Are you telling me the dungeon will collapse if I clear it? Even if there was something to gain, no reward out there would be enough to make me kill Aphy, are you insane? To kill her and destroy our home...

Jae was furious with whoever created this system, but he decided to save it for another time, since it wasn't like he could do anything about it right now.

Anyway.... Those 'blocks'―that was definitely Aphy's doing. I don't know what exactly they mean, but the [Status Block] is likely what prevented me from looking at my Status. Those restrictions are gone now, huh...

"Then..... What should I do now?"

Jae then realised.

"Wait, I don't even know where I am."

Because him and Aphy spent years travelling to the Inner Zone of the Pride Dungeon from the Outer Layer, he could be literally anywhere in the world right now―it all just depends on where in the world the leak spat him out.

"Finding that out would be a good start, I suppose--Hm?"

Just as Jae ended his thinking, his sharp hearing picked something up from quite a distance away. It was a human voice.

"Yelling...? No, a pained scream."

As well as this voice, he could feel the presece of a familiar monster. Jae felt the pure urgency contained within the cry. He frowned.

"Haah, guess I'll help them out..."

There's not really anything else to do, after all.

After making sure the portal was staying up and stable, Jae used「Sloth」to quickly make his way towards the direction of the screaming. Upon arrival, he formed a noticeably disappointed expression.

Oh..... I thought the amount of mana was a bit small... Turns out it was only a baby drake... Ha, right. Nevermind then.

―It was something not even worth his time. Just as he turned around to go back, someone called out to him in a trembling and clearly terrified voice.

"Kuuagh...!! 'E-ey! You there! P-kugh! P-please, 'elp...!!"

Jae stopped.

The man was coughing up blood as he spoke, and seemed to be missing a leg. It was a similar state to that which Jae was in a few years ago, except, at that time, he surrounded by knights. Jae turned around with a half-puzzled look, and briefly said to the man that called out to him.

"What."

The man, who was lying in a bloody mess on the floor, pointed with a trembling arm at the beast currently devouring another man.

"A-a-a drake! Y-y-y-ya need to help us, please...!! I'm beggin' ya!"

"Huh?? It's only a baby though..."

Surely you guys should've taken care of it. It's Level 40. Seems that before the attack, there was about 8 of them. That's plenty to kill a mere baby, isn't it? Although, there are only 3 of them left now, and that guy is even missing a leg...... The drake doesn't even have a scratch on it, too.... Is it an abnormal variant or something? No, its Soul State is completely normal for a drake that young. So how...?

Jae was absolutely baffled.

Just what the hell led to this situation occurring, huh? The incompetency of these guys....

He didn't think he was a misanthropist, but at this rate, he felt like there was a high chance of something like that forming within him. Jae levelled up exceedingly quickly at first thanks to the「World Traveller」Title that massively increased experience point and skill proficiency gain. Jae didn't know this, however, and so automatically assumed that his insane levelling speed was normal for this world. Hence why it was reasonable for him to think that these guys were either just really stupid, or never bothered to level up―these peoples' Soul States were very weak compared to him, after all.

The man on the floor only stared at Jae with a gaping mouth, as if he couldn't believe a guy could be so calm in this situation. Jae glanced once at him and muttered.

"...Well, I did say I'd help, didn't I."

All of a sudden, Jae held his hand out towards the drake, and―

*thud!*

―the monster collapsed onto the ground.

"Aaahhh...!! ...Huh? What.... What happened? What was that?", One of the ofther men muttered aloud. He quickly yet carefully backed far away from it, and the drake was still on the ground, as if frozen. 'It didn't have any wounds or injuries anywhere..... Really, what the hell just happened?', they thought.

The one-legged guy on the floor was still speechlessly staring, and the one other guy who was still alive seemed to be unconscious. Then, the guy who backed away snapped his head to Jae, who he only just noticed.

"Y-you!!? W-w-what did you do!?"

"You blind? It's dead, obviously."

".............."

He had a face of pure disbelief and skepticism. Meanwhile, Jae was ecstatic inside.

Hah! It finally worked. Hahaha. Crushing the monster's heart with it's own internal mana―I finally managed to do it...!

He quickly cooled and looked back to the three guys. Looking at them, Jae thought it was strange situation: They had with them a carriage, with a large, crude leather cloth over it―presumably to defend the inside contents against external nuisances, like rain. However, with his mana detection, Jae could see there was someone alive inside the carriage―A little girl, from the looks of it. Although that child seemed a bit strange.

She has a lot of mana―more than all three of those guys combined, in fact. Did one of the guys in the group bring their daughter or something? If one of them was married to a mage, then it'd make sense, and it'd also explain why they're protecting the carriage, but why would anyone do that in the first place? Bringing a small child into a forest with monsters like drakes... It's completely senseless.

However, there were many peculiarities about the whole situation. Firstly, although Jae didn't want to judge purely by appearances, but these 3 guys, and even all the mutilated corpses scattered around, looked like they belonged to a group of shady people. Secondly, Jae thought these guys were way too weak. Not to mention their Titles that could be seen clearly on their Soul States―things like 'Murderer', 'Slave Owner', 'Kidnapper.

...And finally, they are currently scheming to kill me. Despite how I've saved their lives.

Maybe they didn't think Jae could hear them clearly? Well, of course it's the case. The one guy who was both conscious and okay in health gave this weird red liquid in a bottle to the one-legged guy on the floor, upon which the flesh bubbled grossly, before the missing leg slowly grew back.

Wow. So that's a 'health potion' in action, huh? Must be expensive to be able to fully heal even missing limbs... Maybe I should learn Restoration Magic?

Then, the men woke up their partner, and the three of them were now huddled together, whispering to eachother.

After I benevolently saved their lives, too... Haaah... Are they just incredibly stupid?

Fortunately, Jae has found a clue as to where he is though, through all this―somewhere in Seronia, most likely, considering the fact that Jae can actually understand them.

"You done?", Jae called out. If possible, he wouldn't want to kill the three people he just saved, however, it unfortunately seemed that they were going to completely ignore his wishes. They simply disregarded his question.

...Tch. Such a waste of time. Talking about such irrelevant things like how expensive my stuff is.

"If e's that powerful 'n finds out 'bout our slave-tradin' business, we're fuckin' done! Whatta we do!?"

"Calm your shit down. Obviously, e's a magic swordsman, in'e? An' a skilled one at that, seein' how we couldn' even see 'is magic―'e didn' even need 'is sword to take down that drake. Just look at that fuckin' thing, it's terrifyin'. Goin' by the quali'y of 'is shit, it's unlikely bribes'll work, too... Prolly an 'igh-rank adventurer, the fucker. If we try somethin' blunt, e'll kill us in a fuckin' flash."

"...'Kay. Then, the only choice we 'ave is to take 'im out in a sneak attack, right? All that'll sell for a fuckin' fortune, so we 'ave to try, at least. It'll be enough for all of us to live our lifetimes in comfort 3 times over. Since that sword is so big, it's gotta be heavy as fuck, hasn' it? We can prolly out-run 'im if we book it real fast. Jus' use that shield to block 'is magic."

...Seriously, these guys.... Just who do they think they are, to try and kill me? Their accents and tones are vulgar, too. Guess the guy who begged me for help was just acting... How shameless. Haa, seems I'll have to kill them... Oh, really, what a waste. Well, if they're thinking they can steal and sell off all the equipment I made myself, then finding a suitable buyer is the least of their worries. They need a serious reality check--No, sorry, it's much too late for that already.

Having come up with a plan, one of them called out to Jae.

"'E-ey... Thanks for savin' us, aha.... Anyway, we have somethin' over here to thank ya with.", he gestured over to the carriage, "Come 'ere and have a look at the goods, you can pick somethin' to take, eh? How 'bout it?"

It sounded like the three were going to wait until Jae walked over to the carriage beside them, then they would jump him from behind, killing him in a sneak attack.

"Kugh--!?"

"Argh--?!"

"Kuh--!!"

Unfortunately for them, Jae stopped them before they could try anything. By swiftly ending their lives. Quite apathetically, he watched their heads roll. Jae had killed the three men, just like that. Even if it was in self-defense, many would call it murder.

But...

Jae felt nothing from it. He had come too far now just to stop at something like killing humans. And he'd probably have to kill many more people in the future anyway. That is especially the case in a world like this, where killing is basically inevitable. Both people and creatures. The humans, demons, monsters, and even the environment in this world―they are all dangerous, after all.

Perhaps Jae's trait,「Steadfast Mind」, in addition to his life of experiencing death many times, had an unseen effect. In any case, Jae knew this wasn't simply the end of it, and wasn't bothered by it in the slightest.

Humans really are just too weak, aren't they? ....Or is it that I am just that much better than these guys, specifically? ...No, from what they said, it seems that running from the drake is common sense. That means humans are just that weak, and I am that strong.

"This...."

Jae thought for a moment.

"....Is kind of pitiful, isn't it."

Conditions met

"Ah...."

Title「Apostle of Sin」has activated

Shit...

Skill「Pride」has been acquired

―I forgot.

Jae snapped back into reality upon seeing the notifications appear. He had previously made a promise to Aphy to try and not acquire the「Pride」skill for as long as possible, but it seems he got caught up in the moment.

...Well, there's nothing I can do about it now. It's already happened.

With that, Jae looked at the other notifications that appeared after he killed the bandits.

You have levelled up You have have reached the maximum level limit

With this, Jae was immediately reminded of the notifications from earlier.

《Due to escaping the range of the effect, abnormal condition [Pride Block] is removed》

《Due to escaping the range of the effect, abnormal condition [Level Limit Block] is removed》

What.... Maybe... Aphy put a restriction on my level, and on my ability to gain「Pride」, but since I left the dungeon, the restrictions were removed? It seems to make sense, and aligns with her wishes, too...

But that wasn't all there was.

Due to reaching the appropriate level, one skill from the『Seven Sin』series is applicable for Level Up process

"Huh...?"

'Level Up'? Wait, so I can finally get Level 5 on the skills? But wait, why does it say only one skill can level up? Isn't that just a bit unfair? And it's only when I reached the maximum level? So does that mean I can only level up one skill forever? Wait, wait, because it's max level, is that why Aphy blocked my levelling up? So that I could see this?

Skills applicable for Level Up Process:「Envy」「Wrath」「Gluttony」「Sloth」

「Pride」isn't included? Oh, is that because I only just got it? Because it isn't Level 4 yet, perhaps...? Hm... Anyway, there are four choices. What would be most useful out of the four?

[Well obviously, it's me, you stupid brat!]

[I'd be more useful than you probably think though.]

[Yaaahh~.... I don't really care who you pick, but...... Perhaps you'd enjoy the pleasure of not needing to work as hard by picking me?]

[...Whatever you pick, the choice will be correct. However, it is to the degree of how correct it is that might change. If you pick me--]

Don't let them sway me. I make my own decisions.

From what Jae has gathered so far, each of the Sin skills has some kind of 'Secondary Ability' that will unlock upon reaching Level 5, aside from「Greed」, which, along with「Pride」, is much more special than the other sin skills. Although, he can't level up either of those at the moment, so it doesn't matter.

If I recall correctly, their names were...

The「Power Imitation」System.

The「Causality Interference」System.

The「Essence Devourer」System.

And,

The「Dimensional Carrier」System.

Now, when talking about which one would be most useful, Jae doesn't know. He doesn't know what the effects of each System is, and apparently the skills themselves aren't allowed to tell him that either.

But, there's a high likelihood that they're all useful. It's just a matter of which one I need or want the most.

Obviously, Jae doesn't really need any of them right now, so it's just depending on what he wants more.

In theory, levelling up「Envy」should allow me to see my own Soul State, as well as granting me access to the second System. The System itself,「Power Imitation」, sounds pretty basic and self-explanatory. It's probably something similar to copying someone else's skills or stats right?

「Causality Interference」just sounds plain dangerous. Interfering with causality? That sounds like it's on a whole other level. And extremely dangerous. Since「Wrath」's flames don't harm me, there's a high chance that this System won't harm me either, but it still sounds hard to control. Most likely, it's a combat related skill too. I'm not really missing out on combat potential right now, so I can put that on hold.

「Essence Devourer」. From the word "Devourer", I can assume it involves eating something; that something being 'essence', though what that is exactly is unknown. Maybe something magic-related? Something like eating magic, perhaps ? I currently don't know what benefits that might have, so I'll put it on hold.

Finally,「Dimensional Carrier」. Sounds simple enough. It's probably something to do with space or dimension-type magic, and heavily reminds me of that ability the protagonists get in those isekais―the「Inventory」skill.That sounds kind of overpowered, and quite useful, but it's not certain yet. It's a bit of a risk to get it without thinking, and anyways, it's not like I have anything to carry in the first place except the sword and some extra materials.

Mm, compared to that, levelling up「Envy」seems better at the moment, and I'm more curious as to how the System works. Alright then.

"―I'll level up「Envy」."

[No, no! Stop! Do mine!!]

[Kuahahah! Yes!]

Are you sure you want to Level Up skill「Envy」?

Confirmation, huh? It's never done that before. I guess because it's an important decision?

[NO!!! No, he's not sure!! Don't do it!]

[Kuahahahahh!! Wrath, you poor son of a bitch! Can't even get people to listen to you after your death! No wonder you were hated so much. It's deserved.]

[No, no...!! Y-you fucking wench! Oi, this brat...! Don't do it! Don't give this bastard what he wants!]

"Yeah, I'm sure."

Proceeding to Level Up skill「Envy」

[NOOO!! WHYYY...!? ...Envy, you fucking...!]

"God, just shut up..."

[Kuhahahaha...! Oh, what a sore loser you are, Wrath. Can't kill here, can you?]

Skill「Envy」has levelled up [Lv.4]→[Lv.5]

[Ah...! Strength is returning! Kuhaha! Thank you, Jae! Of course, I permit it!]

Usage of the「Power Imitation」System has been authorised

Jae lightly sighed, relieved that it seemed to work out.

"Good."

Now that was all out of the way, Jae looked in a certain direction, and, in the near-distance, spotted a cave with rather shoddy camouflaging at the entrance. He thought about the eight dead men from earlier―since the drake ate a couple, there could've actually been quite a few more, originally.

Seems to be their hideout. A group, or clan maybe, of bandits. What a cliché. And that means....

Looking towards the carriage, Jae decided to check in on the unconscious child in the carriage. It was pretty evident at this point that she wasn't the daughter of those bandits, or, any type of acquaintance, for that matter, so Jae thought the most likely case was that the girl was going to be sold as a slave, if that drake didn't attack―the bandits' Titles only attested to this. It was a sad thought, but at least he managed to stop it before anything too bad happened. Jae removed the cover from the carriage, and formed a look of slight amazement at what entered his sight.

...So that's why the magic energy was oddly high for a child.... She's not human.

The child's hair was a bizarre colour of pure white, like fresh snow on a winter's morning, and, hidden beneath it were two small, black horns, like onyx gemstones.

A demon...

It was the first time Jae saw one, but the horns and hair colour was similar to Aphy, so he wasn't too surprised. The girl only seemed to be about 3 or 4 years old. Fortunately, she didn't seem to be injured from the drake's attack, and there were, surprisingly enough, no signs of harm dealt to the girl from the bandits. The only things were some rope that tied her hands and feet, which Jae quickly cut, as well as a small bundle of cloth placed as a gag in the girl's mouth, which he removed and incinerated.

Hmm. They were probably handling her with care, because it would raise her value as a product. That's likely why they were trying to defend the carriage as well, instead of simply abandoning it. So from that, can I conclude the worth of this child in currency is at least equal to the lives of many eight men? No, it's definitely more than that. She does seem to have a lot of magic power, so I guess it makes sense, but... Is it because she isn't human, but a demon child instead, that her value is so high? Hm.「Envy」.

With that, a window appeared.

Soul State - Demon / Spirit (Mixed)

Name : Rena ◼◼ Soul Level : 1 / 600

Title : Impossible Child

Age : 4 Years Health : 815 [SR,N=nf.SDT=1x// 815>]

Magic Energy : 1,800 Power : 5

Magical Ability : 72

Defence : 5

Magical Defence : 35

Resistances : 36

Speed : 6 Condition : [Unconscious], [Nightmare], [Confusion], [Distress], [Heavy Confusion], [Heavy Distress], [Slowly Calming], [Mentally Tired], [Physically Tired], [Scared]

"What the....", Jae muttered under his breath.

Is that... Code, or something? What the fuck is that...??

Of course, he was talking about the "(SR,N=nf.SDT=1x// 815>)" that sat next to the girl's Health stat.

...I thought something was off about it, but this is.... It's so weird... There're those things next to her name, as well... 'Rena'―that's her first name, right, so is her family name just blocked? Wait, could someone have interfered? Is that why it's like this? I can't imagine there'd be something wrong with the system, after all....

After calming down, Jae noticed something he overlooked the first time.

'Demon/Spirit'. A mixed-race child, then. Between the Demon and Spirit race? That's... quite magical, indeed. I can definitely see why her aptitude for it is so high now... I don't know what 'Impossible Child' means, but it could have something to do with the fact she's mixed blood.

Seeing this girl caused a distant memory of Jae's to briefly resurface.

〔I will slay the enemies!〕

〔I will exterminate the Demons!〕

〔I shall kill the dreaded Demon King and his minions!〕

〔My name is Chris, the S-rank Hero of Justice.〕

The cringey words of Chris from years ago appeared in Jae's mind. He was experiencing second-hand embarrassment just recalling it. For those like Chris, only a few months would've passed, but neither of them know that.

"....Would he really...."

'Would he kill this girl?', Jae thought. He was a little annoyed just thinking of that guy's face.

If it was the him from a few years ago, he'd be infuriated just from recalling Chris' name, but now, there was practically nothing. Jae lightly shook his head and moved on.

...Anyway, 'Condition', huh. That wasn't there before. Guess Level 5 did something unexpected. Seems like it could be useful.

Jae looked at the girl, Rena, for a moment, before snapping his head towards a certain direction.

"...People?"

Jae expanded his detection range.

"There's 5, 8, 12--the number keeps increasing. There can't be that many more bandits here... Is it a village? Does this girl come from there?"

No, of course she doesn't. From the average level of mana, it's just a human village. And I doubt such weak bandits could kidnap a child of a demon or spirit village anyway.... Let's move her out of the carriage for now, it'd be uncomfortable. If it is a village, the residents don't seem to want to move outside the boundaries, so I can check it out in a bit.

"...Ngh...." Rena groaned.

"..."

Jae thought that she must be low on sleep, since the girl had bags under her eyes. There was also the fact she was in a rickety wooden carriage with nothing but cold, hard wood to sleep on, for who knows how long. Perhaps it was because Jae moved her, that her shallow sleep was disturbed.

...Okay then.

He untied the white blanket from around his arm and instead wrapped it around Rena.

Not like I need it anyway―I only brought it because I like it, and in case I needed a pillow.

Rena was slowly waking up. Soon, she opened her eyes while still in a half-asleep state. The girl found herself laying on an exceptionally soft, unknown material; it was fluffier than anything she'd ever touched before.

White... Fluffy... A cloud...? Dream...?

Looking at her Soul State, Jae saw the conditions [Drowsy], [Rapidly Calming] and [Soothing] appear. The white blanket was actually created from Ice Wyvern's fur. Most likely, there'd be few other blankets in the world that could compare in quality, considering that Jae had even crafted the item himself after much practise―he didn't know what level his「Crafting」was, but it was certainly up there with the professionals, at least.

It makes a lot of sense that a little girl would think she's dreaming if she was wrapped in this blanket, he thought. Then, Rena's gaze turned to what piqued her curiosity the most. She moved her head in a sluggish manner to look at the thing that seemed odd to appear in her dream.

Who.... is that...? An un...familiar man.....?

Ordinarily, Rena would've freaked out at the mere thought of a strange man being there when she woke up―she was taught as much, after all. Considering she was kidnapped, too, it also woundn't be strange if she tried to get up and run away this instant.

Nonetheless, she didn't.

Despite being subject to such a terrible thing as kidnapping, Rena was calm, though whether this was because of the man or the cloud-like blanket, she was unsure. However, for one reason or another, she knew.

...Safe....

And then, the girl had a thought. Rena remembered everything her mother taught her. The specifics of the one parent she had never actually met. As she was just waking up, and her vision became clearer, she ticked the boxes off, one by one, until eventually...

...Is this....

She blinked twice, and the girl's eyes widened in surprise.

Da...ddy...?

―Rena was convinced.