CH 80

The house was surrounded by a small open space, and the skeletonized body was lying face down in front of the house.

The clothes he’s wearing are corroded and tattered, and it’s hard to tell, but part of his back is torn in an unnatural way. It looks like a scar from a sword or knife.

If you think about it, it’s highly possible that someone killed him.

If these remains belonged to the owner of the house, there must be a reason why he was hiding and living in such a place. The murder may have been related to that. …… Although weak, there is an illusionary magic in this place. I don’t think it’s likely that just some random thief found this place “by accident” and attacked, but… I don’t have enough information. The body can wait and I check the house first.

I put my hand on the doorknob while being cautious. The door was not completely closed, and slowly opened with a squeak.

Naturally, there was no one in the house, and there were traces of it being ransacked. The cupboards and doors were all open, and the floor was littered with books and small items.

I wondered if it was some kind of a burglar. I enter the house with this thought in my mind. Dust dances and the floor creaks as I walk, dodging fallen objects.

First, take a look around the house.

There were two plates of different sizes and two wooden forks on the table. The smaller plates…perhaps for children?

There were boxes of children’s toys in the room with the beds, and picture books among the books scattered on the floor.

Judging from the size of the corpse outside, it was definitely that of an adult. Then there must have been another child living in this house, where in the world?

If possible, I hope he’s safe, but… it’s been several months since he passed away from the state of that body. I don’t think the child can survive alone in these woods during that time.

However, there were no bodies outside or inside the house that looked like them.

“……hmm?”

As I looked around to see if I could find any information about the residents of the house, my gaze was drawn to a book scattered on the floor.

A book with a blue cover with no title. I picked it up and turned the pages.

「…………」

After reading through it, I gently closed the book and put it on the table.

Honestly…what can I say?

As it turned out, the information was there. The book was the diary that the resident of this house…it was probably the corpse outside the house had kept while he was still alive.

In the diary, the life of a certain parent and child was recorded.

Her father’s name is Darte.

Her mother’s name is Sheila.

My daughter’s name is… Nina.

At first I thought it was just a coincidence.

However, her daughter Nina was still a little tongue-tied, and apparently called Darte, who kept this diary, “Otoshan”.

The hair color, gestures, and other characteristics also match.

In other words, that corpse is Nina’s…

I didn’t know how Darte and  his family ended up living in hiding in this place, but it seemed that they were being hunted by the “goddess cult”.

The “goddess cult” that my informant told me to watch out for.

The front is to study the skills and blessing gifts that are the grace of the goddess, to save people from hunger and disease, and to help them to live a prosperous life.

But

Behind the scenes, it seems that they were crazy people who conducted various inhumane experiments to find out where skill resides in people.

In order to artificially create a child with skills, they forcibly gathered people from various backgrounds and experimented on them in ways that are terrifying even to talk about.

…It wasn’t even written what kind of content it was.

There were no details given as to how Darte and Sheila were able to escape from the “goddess cult”.

The necessities of life were apparently bought in nearby towns by Darte, who hid his identity. It was not difficult for Darte to earn money because he could use magic.

It seems that Sheila was originally pregnant, and she gave birth to Nina soon after she started living in this place. But not long after that, Sheila died of illness and was buried right next to her house.

…I didn’t notice it earlier because I was distracted by the corpse, but there was certainly something that looked like a grave outside the window.

He was quite depressed right after Sheila passed away, but… it seems that life with Nina, who had just been born, was so difficult that he couldn’t even afford to grieve.

But more than that, he was happy.

That’s what I learned from the diary entries.

… There was so much love in this little house.

Dusty beds

“It was very painful when Sheila died…but I can’t be sad all the time. I have a precious treasured daughter she left me.”

Faded toy box

“Ah… you left it messy again. Clean it up properly or I won’t buy you any more toys, okay? 』

“Ya! 』

Scratches on the pillar

“Hey, stand there… oh! Nina, you’re so much taller than before! 』

“Is it really that great? 』

Yeah. Nina is awesome! If your father says so, there’s no doubt about it.』

“Ehehe.”

lined tableware

“Nina, help me out!』

“But it’s dangerous if I drop the plate, right? 』

“It’s okay! 』

“Hmm… that’s right. Then can I line up the forks? 』

“Yes”

Mother’s grave

“Uh…otoshan』

“What’s wrong? 』

“Is she still sleeping? I want to meet Nina Okachan 』

“…… sorry. Sheila’s tired,…… so let’s let her sleep a little longer, okay?』

“Uh…』

small table

“Fuu…it’s finally done. I managed to make it in time for tomorrow’s birthday. I wonder if Nina will be happy with this doll? I always make her feel lonely and alone. ……I really want her to make lots of friends and play with them. …… 』

“Nina. Happy birthday, our precious daughter. Hey, it’s your birthday present. 』

In every nook and cranny

Full of memories of father and daughter.

And at the end of the diary, he wrote:

“I want to watch her grow up for ever and ever …… and beyond. 』