Chapter 16: To stay or to leave, that is the question?
Kendrick smiled faintly. Although this time his three daughters had completely stood on the opposite side of him, he did not feel angry about it.
At least it showed that the children had successfully become kind individuals, which brought him great comfort.
Kendrick’s gaze shifted again, landing on Elrose.
She had a beauty that seemed to belong to another world; it was no wonder Stella said she was an angel fallen to earth.
But unfortunately…
Ah, trouble, it truly is troublesome.
Kendrick sighed heavily and then asked, “So, Sleeping Beauty, can you tell me why you are lying in the Judyia Forest?”
“This…” The sudden question caught Elrose off guard. She pondered for a moment but ultimately could only give a vague answer, “I… I don’t remember.”
“Don’t remember?” Kendrick furrowed his brows and said, “What do you mean by that?”
“It seems I have lost my memory.” Elrose lowered her head, fiddling with her small hands, and spoke timidly, “Ever since I woke up, I completely can’t remember the past, not even my name, which took me a long time to think of.”
“What? You lost your memory?” Kendrick quickly probed, “Then you wouldn’t have forgotten where your home is either, would you?”
“Home…”
Hearing this word, Elrose became dizzy, and an uncontrollable sadness surged in her heart.
Home?
Did he (Zeke) ever have such a thing?
Yes, he did have a home.
As long as that old lady, Joy, was there, that would be his home.
Now that he had turned back into a human and could step into the Saint Lania Barrier, he had the qualification to live freely in the human realm.
As long as she went to Linshire Village and confessed her identity to that old lady, she would surely shed tears and happily accept her.
At that time, she could quietly accompany her and help her live happily through this life.
How beautiful that would be.
And the premise for all this was that he (Gideon) had successfully destroyed the Apophis Meteor.
Unfortunately, he failed.
Two hundred million tons of meteorite fell to the earth, turning all life within that small country to ashes.
Her (his) home no longer existed by then.
And the culprit behind it all.
The (man) who backstabbed him at the most critical moment—the Hero.
(TL: She still thought the Hero was a man.)
Elrose clenched her fists.
She would kill him.
That man, she would never let him go.
He must feel the despair of this world’s pain, and then die with immense regret.
She wanted him to regret coming to this world…
At that moment.
“Angelic Onee-san, why are you crying?”
“Eh.” Stella’s voice interrupted Elrose’s thoughts. She suddenly came back to her senses, realizing that her eyes were already wet.
Elrose hurriedly wiped away the tears at the corners of her eyes.
Eh, how strange, why am I crying?
Such a small thing, why would I cry?
I was already used to such things, wasn’t I?
Oh, I remember now.
This isn’t my (Zeke’s) body.
This is a little girl’s body, one that cries at the slightest sadness or mild pain.
Damn it.
Tears kept flowing out uncontrollably, and Elrose constantly wiped her tears, even beginning to sob.
At that moment, Lilith rushed over, saying nothing, just stroking Elrose’s head like a mother would.
Lilith’s embrace was warm and soft. As Elrose nestled into that gentle affection, her distressed feelings disappeared significantly.
Gradually, Elrose’s tears ceased. Stella leaned closer and asked with concern, “Angelic Onee-san, what happened? Just tell us, we can help you solve it.”
“I, I…” Elrose’s voice was very small; she wasn’t quite sure how to convey this matter.
“Is something wrong at home?” Luna tilted her head, chewing on the cookie in her hand, casually saying, “Like your family all dying or something.”
“Luna!” Lilith’s expression changed, reprimanding, “How can you say that?”
“It’s nothing, it’s just the same as saying something like that,” Luna swallowed her cookie, looking at Elrose with fervor, “Hey, Little Belle, just tell me, am I right or not?”
“Yes.” Elrose nodded gently and said, “Just as you said, my home is gone, and I have nowhere to go back to.”
“That’s great, oh no, sorry, I meant to say, that makes things easier.” Luna smiled, “If you have nowhere to return, then you can stay here.”
Luna looked around at the others and continued, “What do you all think? I don’t think anyone would have objections.”
“Agreed.” Stella immediately raised her small hand in approval without hesitation.
“Of course.” Lilith patted Elrose’s little head and said, “It seems I’m going to have another cute little sister.”
The three Night Moon Star sisters all expressed their agreement, and at that moment, the pressure fell on Kendrick.
Kendrick looked at his three daughters, crossed his arms, wore a gloomy expression, and felt unspeakable frustration in his heart.
What the hell is going on?
Just a few words, and you all have already decided to let this girl stay?
This is nothing like I imagined!
I thought that once she woke up, I’d give her some money and quickly send her on her way.
But you all, this posture is to accept her as a sister, right?
No, how long have you known each other?
Oh, no, it’s been just a few hours.
Why do you all like her so much? Just because she’s pretty, you can do whatever you want?
You all need to understand that this girl could very likely be a huge trouble.
Ugh, no, I need to clarify this now; otherwise, when something really happens later, it’s going to be a big deal.
Kendrick organized his thoughts a bit, preparing to forcibly dismiss the sisters’ suggestion.
Suddenly, Elrose’s voice rang out.
“Thank you for your kindness, but staying here, let’s forget about that.” Elrose wriggled out of Lilith’s embrace, bowing deeply to everyone again. “The help you’ve given me is already more than enough; I have no reason to trouble you further.”
Yes, Elrose was not planning to stay here.
Apophis…
This body has the same damned name as that meteor.
This is definitely not a coincidence.
She needed to find out what was happening.
The unknown always brings fear.
And Elrose was feeling just that right now.
She was afraid she would bring some misfortune to these three children.
So she had to choose to leave.
After leaving, she would have many things to do and many things to confirm.
Although everything was still so unfamiliar and confusing in the human realm.
Though she looked like a helpless girl.
In her mind lay the accumulated experience and wisdom of hundreds of years from her past life.
And she wore on her wrist the remains of the strongest Demon King in history.
He was the Demon King who unified the Netherrealm, and she didn’t believe that any trivial matter in this small human realm could trouble her.
