---

189th Chapter. Mom Chance (2)

Aisha kept staring at Skilla.

Even though she was in the form of a crow, making it hard to read her actions, I could still sense her emotions.

Aisha was a spirit born from a corpse.

Not a naturally born spirit but one artificially created by someone.

There was a vague backstory that the ritual to create her referenced RE-Union.

She had no memories from her life, but the blood and instincts retained in her body drove her movements.

Sometimes, if those instincts flared up, she wouldn’t listen at all.

Maybe this was that moment.

‘What was your relationship with our mother?’

‘…’

‘Ah, you don’t have any memories from when you were alive, right?’

Clearly, there had to be some relationship.

If not, there’s no way she would have agreed to a contract upon seeing a picture of our mother’s face.

But even as a ten-year veteran of Devil Academy, I didn’t know much about her life.

She simply appeared as a mid-boss in this chapter, shining brightly before disappearing.

Thus, Aisha, lacking clear settings, remained a mystery from my perspective.

‘I’m not sure, but… there’s one thing I know for certain.’

I turned my head, wanting to know what that was.

Aisha’s gentle emotions flowed towards me.

‘Skilla Crawler.Whenever I see her, I feel at peace.’

It felt like meeting an old friend after many years.

It felt mystical to experience that feeling firsthand.

Somehow, I had an inkling of Aisha’s identity as she felt those emotions.

Though it wasn’t confirmed yet.

‘Is she a spirit sorcerer?’

‘As you can see, she utilizes spirit sorcery skillfully. They say she was a veteran back in her day.’

My mother in the past was an outstanding spirit sorcerer capable of contracting with top-tier spirits.

Even now, she was still alive, summoning spirits with mere gestures.

She could even sense spirits that were contrary to her own kind.

With such skill, she would have made her mark even during the great war 30 years ago.

However, with no information available, it could only mean that despite having that power, she hadn’t seen much combat.

‘The reason one could become a spirit sorcerer of that caliber has to be one of two things: either they were born with innate sensitivity… or they were nurtured by elves guarding the ancient trees.’

The Totema Prince I met previously fell into the former category.

If she belonged to the latter, then her nurturing elves would have conducted a ceremony to test her qualities to live alongside the forest.

The failure rate was high, but if successful, she would gain the great blessings of nature.

As spirits were messengers of nature, her sensitivity would naturally increase too.

My mother, Skilla, was on that side.

‘Actually, I heard my mother’s birthplace was in the Elf Forest. So your words are likely true.’

‘And another thing. Having grown up in nature, she must’ve formed many connections there.’

‘Of course. You tend to make childhood friends in the neighborhood.’

‘That friend seems to be… not too far away.’

Aisha suddenly transformed into a human form. She appeared as a small, beautiful girl with pointed ears.

Come to think of it, Aisha was an elf in her previous life. Upon realizing this, I raised an eyebrow.

‘Do you understand it to some extent now?’

‘….’

‘Of course, my memories from life are hazy, but the feelings I have right now are genuine.’

Aisha said this and returned to her crow form.

Even without memories, her body still felt emotions on its own.

Aisha was filled with joy, seeing her childhood friend.

She felt relieved to know her friend had settled down with a husband and children, living peacefully.

‘One question. I have died once, making my heart dry, and I have no memories. So what is this overflowing feeling?’

Even without memories, her body moves instinctively.

Although Aisha herself mentioned this, I struggled to grasp the principle.

It was a feeling unknown because it was only inscribed in her body, regardless of life or death.

Just like how records exist, even if it’s just one human, countless records reside within.

I could answer that concisely.

‘That’s what being human is.’

Even in death, that will remains in the world.

The bonds of humanity are exactly that.

No matter how much one tries to erase those traces, they will keep repeating sustenance and inheritance.

That process is bright and beautiful, like a landscape under sunlight.

‘So what now? Should I tell my mother that you are her friend?’

‘There’s no need. To her, I am merely a thing of the past. I might disturb her happiness now.’

‘That’s a shame.’

‘And during my time in Doomsday, the father who created me harbored a great hatred for humans. It was likely due to the destruction of his homeland.’

Aisha’s creator was undoubtedly the fourth of the Seventh League.

His identity was none other than the former chief of the elf village and an exceptional archer.

However, the elves strongly opposed the death of Saint Maria, leading to a significant conflict.

The chief tried to understand and resolve the situation with great tolerance… but his daughter got caught up in that dispute and ended up dead.

Given this setup, it was easy to predict why he fell from grace.

There was no need to think about who the dead daughter was.

Because she was right beside me.

‘Father lost all hope in humanity. He will not hesitate to resort to any means to satisfy his vengeance.’

‘So that’s how he became an executive in Doomsday.’

Thus, most of the plans of Doomsday are drawn up by him.

While Enviel was the dominant force, the fourth takes on the roles of plotting and executing.

Later, rumors about the protagonists will spread due to his schemes.

That will be the source of the continental destruction ending, and that is his wish.

‘He’s the one who took the lead in obliterating all humanity because of my death. He must have devised all sorts of methods to achieve that.’

He could be seen as equally insane as Enviel.

Doomsday aims to seize the Archive, but if they can’t, there’s enough possibility for destruction.

Including the surroundings of Aligieri, wholly.

Moreover, a variable of Doomsday, known only to him, is still unknown to Enviel and even the protagonist Lyman.

That being is indeed their true force and the ultimate boss of this story, the Destruction God.

Clatter, clatter—

Suddenly, I heard the sound of a carriage from behind.

The Crawler family, who were working, paused briefly at the sound.

The carriage passed by next to the village where we were working.

And I accidentally caught a glimpse of a face reflected in a window, startling me.

‘Even a tiger makes a comeback.’

It was him.

The fourth of the Doomsday Seventh League and the former chief of the elf race.

Now disguised as a human noble.

His name is Grisha Highend. Along with him, the other seven of the Seventh League would infiltrate this Magical Banquet as invited nobles.

‘Can you stop our father? Radon Crawler.’

‘Not yet.’

They’re not foolish enough to come here unguarded.

Moreover, behind them lies the ultimate boss and the worst variable.

The prelude hasn’t begun yet. Until then, they’ll remain obedient no matter what happens.

For instance, they aren’t the only threats around.

Clatter, clatter—

Another carriage crossed the village. This one belonged to another magical institution invited to the Magical Banquet.

Even if it wasn’t a carriage, countless people started disembarking from the Magical Train.

All were members of different factions participating in the main event, the Tactical Banquet.

Later, many of them, influenced by the fourth Grisha, would attack Aligieri.

Most of them are followers of Enviel.

‘The more I think about it, the more dizzy it gets.’

‘Still, it’s a situation where I, the main force of Doomsday, am absent. The probability of the plan succeeding is extremely low.’

That’s true. Their main force has been incapacitated by me in advance.

Neither Aisha, the mid-boss, nor Mary would transform into the final boss.

Now all that’s needed is to fend off their political maneuvers.

“Ugh…”

At that moment, someone walked over groaning softly.

It was Professor Radian, who had just moved to this location with Amy.

“Ah, Professor! You’ve arrived already?”

“Did you have a good talk with that Amy… or rather, Eight?”

As soon as I saw Radian, I kindly greeted him again. However, I felt a sense of unease looking at Radian, who seemed odd.

His completely worn face appeared as if he had aged decades.

“Hahaha… Radon’s mother, and father, you’re all pushing the jokes too far.”

Radian spoke with a hollow laugh, as if he had been betrayed by an old friend.

He seemed greatly disappointed to find out he wasn’t an uncle.

To be precise, it felt like a betrayal that he wasn’t a fellow fitness enthusiast like himself.

“It turns out you’re not an uncle but a daughter. I was completely fooled.”

Radian said this and walked away somewhere.

Before he vanished, I asked him.

“But why did you come alone, Professor? What about Amy?”

At my question, Radian paused and spoke.

“Don’t worry. She wasn’t upset. But I want to say something to all of you.”

Radian addressed the entire Crawler family, including me.

“If your daughter ends up enrolling in Aligieri, I hope she joins the Combat Department. Hehehe…”

Leaving behind another hollow laugh, Radian disappeared.

Even if it was to reduce the erosion rate, I felt a bit guilty.

*

During these times, the night sky shimmers brightly.

Especially in Aligieri, it stands out exceptionally, drawing people to marvel at it.

But Lyman found that sky oddly displeasing.

“Isn’t it really beautiful?”

The princess Mirona, walking beside him, remarked as she gazed at the sky.

Merely a personal observation, yet Lyman sighed deeply.

“Were you exhausted? I didn’t mean to overburden you again by making you work hard.”

“It’s nothing. What would be the point of being in the Student Council if I were to collapse just managing a festival?”

Lyman was assisting Mirona to ensure she stayed on track.

He had already lost the same entity four times, making this his last chance.

But still, Lyman desperately wanted to rest.

He was exhausted after suffering a painful 300 years of life.

Eventually, he reached a point of almost despising even the mother who bore him.

“Soon, all the invited guests and participants will be arriving. The Delaware Upper House and the shareholders of the Chain Silver Family have already arrived.”

“….”

Suddenly, Lyman started walking silently.

He felt he couldn’t face them.

How would he even respond if they crossed paths? Would they recognize him?

Those complicated thoughts whirled in his head.

‘I wished I’d never meet them in my lifetime.’

Suddenly, stars sparkled. Their glowing seemed to scold him.

‘Hah… what do you want me to do, you old hag.’

Looking at the sky only made him more annoyed.

And then Mirona, oblivious to anything, spoke with a bright face.

“There’s a theory that the Great Sage created this land, and at the same time, this sky appeared. Could it be that the Great Sage visits once every five years?”

“If that’s true… I’d like to serve him one thing.”

Lyman flipped the bird at the sky.

Mirona couldn’t help but be shocked at his sudden action.

“You can’t do that! What if divine punishment descends upon you?”

“Divine punishment…? Hahaha!!”

This time Lyman laughed, as if it were absurd.

Even a professional psychologist would take time to grasp what that meant.

“Princess, that esteemed Great Sage isn’t so narrow-minded that he would cast a curse over a mere finger being pointed. He was someone who solved things optimistically, not some divine curse nonsense.”

“…?”

Naturally, she couldn’t understand.

With an attitude as if he had met her personally, even the pure Mirona was taken aback.

But Lyman, having lived for 300 years, was well aware of the Great Sage.

Not simply an acquaintance, but because she birthed him.

‘Why do they all care about me insulting my mom?’

He didn’t care if they called him a disobedient child.

He had long lost his attachments to the world.

But at the very least… he hoped that the downfall of that old hag wouldn’t repeat itself.

“This might sound sudden but…”

“…?”

“I wish for you to sometimes view the world more rationally, Princess.”

Naivety.

That was the trait Lyman despised the most.

Surviving as an Academy Scammer.

 

---