Chapter 31 – Side Karsilla (3)

I arrived in a city called Grampo.

It’s a really strange place. It seems like there are a lot of people, but did they all go inside? Why are the streets so empty? And the higher-ups of the city must all be having trouble sleeping. Poor things. I know how it feels, since I also have trouble sleeping. It’s so miserable.

Papa went to work. Mom too. Everyone but me.

It’s annoying. I want to grow up quickly.

I was sitting on Papa’s bed, spacing out, when I suddenly had an idea.

“That’s right. I should smell them too!”

I rummaged through Papa’s things.

Huh? These are those panties from back then. They were Mom’s, but the knight unnie must have had them and then given them to Papa. He still has them. He must carry them around to smell them.

They’re Mom’s, so I don’t need them.

I rummaged around again.

Ah, I found them. Papa’s panties.

“…Hmm. I don’t get it.”

Are they really that good?

I sniffed them again.

Ugh. It’s weird.

“Karsil…la?”

“Huh? Are you done?”

“You, what are you doing?”

“……?”

What is it?

Why is he looking at me like that?

“The, the thing in your hand… what is that?”

“Panties.”

“Why are you holding that! And why are you smelling them!”

“……?”

“Where did you learn to act so cute! You little brat, you’re so brazen! You shouldn’t, shouldn’t copy that. Got it? Don’t copy me?”

“Okay.”

I somehow got scolded.

Tch.

I took the red-haired knight’s hand and went outside. Then, he told me to hide well a little ways away and disappeared.

“…What is it.”

It’s boring.

I was squatting down, resting my chin on my hand, waiting, when that bad unnie came.

“Hello. You were here.”

“Hello.”

The woman who was kissing Papa.

She’s pretty, but not as sparkly as Mom. Did she come to argue because Mom scolded her?

“You little thing, you’re good at hiding. I had a hard time finding you.”

“Why? Did you look for me?”

“Of course. I looked everywhere.”

That’s strange.

Does she know me?

“Who are you, unnie?”

“…Unnie?”

She must be a strange person. Like the red-haired knight.

“Ahaha, that’s right. I’m your unnie? Heung~ that’s a strange feeling. You asked who I am, right? Who do you think I am?”

Her smiling face as she said that… gave me goosebumps.

Ah. This feeling.

It’s a familiar feeling. The whispering voice I heard when I was alone in a dark room… I always felt like this when I heard that voice.

Is this unnie the owner of that voice?

“Voice.”

“Huh?”

“The whispering voice. Is it you, unnie?”

“…Aha. I guess you can’t fool your instincts. No. That’s not me.”

“Liar. It feels the same.”

“Ahaha. Really? That’s your instinct.”

I don’t understand what she’s saying.

“I’m Lily… well, for now, call me Lilia. What’s your name?”

“Karsilla.”

She’s a strange unnie. Does she not even know her own name?

I rested my chin on my hand and looked ahead again, and the unnie squatted down next to me.

“Why were you looking for me, unnie?”

“Because I need you.”

“You need me?”

“Of course. I need you a lot.”

There are people who need me.

Why would someone like me be needed? She must be stupid.

“I really needed you, so I looked everywhere. Do you know how hard it was? I followed your trail with so much difficulty, and then, oh my god, you were hiding in the Theocracy of Hespolte? So I went to the orphanage, but someone had taken you in the meantime. So I looked into it again with difficulty, and oh my, what a surprise. It’s already funny that you were in the Theocracy of Hespolte, but then you went into the Great Temple.”

Yeah. She must have really needed me.

I don’t know why, but if I hadn’t met Papa, I would have followed this unnie.

…Because she’s the first person to say they needed me. Except for Papa.

“Honestly. Did this Lilia have to go all the way to the Great Temple? Well, I could go in. If it’s this Lilia. But it’s hard for the main body, so I even made an avatar and prepared so hard, so, so hard.”

Do I have to keep listening to this? It’s starting to feel boring.

“I was trying to trick the Apostle Church guys to go to Hespolte, you know? If I pushed the Apostle Church guys around nearby, they’d let me into the Great Temple. As if they’d give me a compliment. I was going to take you out then. …But in the meantime! You disappeared again!!”

She started getting angry by herself. She must have gone through a lot.

“So I barely managed to trick them and follow you, but as soon as those crazy Apostle Church guys saw the Saintess, they went crazy! Ha… Calm down, Lilia. Whew. Anyway. That’s how hard it was to find you. Got it?”

“Yeah. You worked hard.”

“Thank… no, that’s not it.”

She suddenly stared at me. She looked all over my face and body.

I’m clean. I always shower with Papa, sleep with him, and stick close to him, so I’ve become a little sparkly too.

“…I really can’t recognize you. It’s amazing.”

“Right? You can’t recognize me, can you?”

“…What? You have memories?”

“I’m not stupid.”

Papa said I’m smart. Mom also praised me. I got a lot of praise in the children’s priest group too.

When I told her about the praise, she got angry instead.

“Aish, you scared me! This little brat is scaring a demon.”

“Demon? Are you a demon, unnie?”

“Why? Are you scared?”

“No.”

I knew it. All the women who approach Papa are demons, Mom was right. Amazing.

I told Mom last time and got a lot of praise. I even got 10 head pats and 10 hugs! I’m keeping them safe, but when should I use them? Can I exchange them for Papa’s?

“Heum. I guess your nature doesn’t go anywhere. The way you talk back, and that annoying little mouth is the same, exactly the same.”

Ugh… my lips.

“I went through a lot of hardship, a lot of dog hardship, but I found you, so that’s good. Let’s go. It’ll be annoying if your group comes.”

“Ugh… my lips hurt.”

“Stop whining. Come on, get up.”

She stood up abruptly and held out her hand.

I was squatting down, staring blankly at the hand in front of me, when I followed her arm up and saw her face, smiling prettily.

The moonlight made her purple hair and eyes, which resembled the night sky, sparkle. That’s strange. They weren’t sparkling before, but now that it’s night, they’re sparkling. Not like Papa or Mom, though.

“…Sparkly.”

“What? What nonsense are you talking about? We don’t have time, so get up quickly.”

She wiggled her hand. A white, pretty hand in front of me.

She really needs me.

This unnie, she really needs me.

“No.”

“Huh?”

“I have to wait for Papa.”

“Papa? What’s that? A pet?”

“No! Papa is Papa!”

“What are you talking about? What is it?”

“Yurian.”

“…Yurian? You don’t mean that priest who’s been taking you around?”

“Yeah. If I hadn’t met Papa, I would have followed you. But I don’t want to because Papa is waiting.”

A strange expression.

The woman who was sparkling in the moonlight had a strange expression. Why is she making that face? Is she sad? Is she angry? I don’t know.

“Papa… you don’t mean that as in father, do you?”

“Yeah.”

“Ha, haha. Ahaha. Oh my god. A priest from the Great Temple of the Theocracy of Hespolte… as a father? That’s a really terrible joke.”

“It’s not a joke.”

I must have gotten annoyed without realizing it. Because I saw the unnie making an angry face.

“It should be a joke? You… do you really think of that guy as your father? Really?”

“…Yeah. He’s Papa.”

“I’m going crazy. Okay, let’s say he’s your father, no, Papa. Do you like that Papa a lot?”

“Yeah.”

“How much?”

“A lot.”

“No, how much do you like him?”

“A lot.”

“…I’m going to die of frustration.”

“I like him a lot.”

“…Okay.”

I like him a lot.

Because Papa is the person who made me change after waiting and waiting and waiting.

I don’t want to be alone anymore.

Looking at the wall. Looking at the floor. Being ostracized, being scolded, being hungry, being beaten… it’s not fun at all.

Really. It wasn’t fun at all.

I wanted to play too. To talk, laugh, eat, and run around with others.

A wall that doesn’t change no matter how much I look at it. A dull floor. Wiggling bugs.

It’s not fun at all.

Papa saved me.

From among the countless, common people, he saved me.

That sparkly person. That person who makes me feel good just by looking at him.

He saved me, a black-haired girl.

He doesn’t hate it when I look at him.

He always smiles at me, thinks I’m cute, hugs me, and pats my head.

I don’t want to be separated. I like him a lot.

A lot is a lot, so there’s no more than that. …Or is there? Then I like him even more.

I finally… have parents.

I’m so, so happy. I want to be with him forever.

“…That expression. It’s real. You like him that much?”

“Yeah.”

“Yurian… that’s his name, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Anyway. That little brat has already charmed you. That womanizer.”

She squatted down next to me again and started grumbling.

“What kind of person is your Papa?”

“Hmm… Papa is… hmm. Hmm. Ummm. He’s Papa.”

“…Okay. Your dad is a bit funny.”

“Yeah. He’s a little funny.”

“He does things that are so obvious. Does your dad like women?”

“…Yeah.”

That’s why Mom is always worried. It’s scary.

“What a waste of a face, what a waste. Why does he go around with that face? Well… he was a little handsome. Oh, right. Your dad. He’s really sly, isn’t he?”

“Sly?”

“Yeah. He pretends not to know when he clearly does. I’m a little curious when he found out. …Heum. I’m really curious. How did he find out? If I knew when he noticed, I could at least guess, but I have no idea. And then he does such sly things. Should I seduce him? Then I’d be your mom?”

“Mom will scold you.”

“…Mom?”

Oops. I wasn’t supposed to call her Mom in front of other people.

I covered my mouth with my hand, but the unnie’s gaze was piercing.

…Let’s go somewhere else.

No. What if Papa can’t find me if I go somewhere else? I should just stay here.

“Who’s your mom? Don’t tell me he’s even married… no. There’s no way a priest from the Great Temple would be married. Ah. A mistress? He’s secretly meeting women behind the scenes?”

“……I don’t know.”

“I knew it. I knew that guy would be into women.”

I hope Mom doesn’t scold me.

“Isn’t it funny? A priest who’s so sly and lecherous and shameless. I almost died laughing. What did he say? ‘It’s not dirty because it’s Priestess Lilia’s foot?’ Ugh, so smooth.”

“Papa isn’t sly.”

“Then is he lecherous and smooth?”

“…Papa isn’t sly.”

“Euhaha, you’re really funny. So you admit he’s into women and smooth, huh? Huh?”

“…I don’t know.”

“Puhaha! As expected of his daughter, you know him well. Hey, remember this. Your dad is really sly. He’s got a black heart.”

Papa is. A little, but. He’s a good person. …To me.

“You be careful too. In my opinion, it doesn’t seem like he’s keeping you around with pure intentions? Could it be… that he’s raising you to eat you?”

“Raising me to eat me?”

“Yeah. Be careful. You’ll get eaten up. …Well, it seems like you’ve already fallen for him.”

“You too?”

I remembered them kissing in the garden.

And Papa kneeling down and washing her feet. He did that for me too. Does that mean Papa likes this unnie? …He got scolded by Mom, so he won’t do it anymore, right?

“Me… well, a little? It’s not bad. He’s sly, but not to the point of being unpleasant. He’s into women, but I’m into men too. He’s smooth, but it’s pretty funny. Hmm… maybe I should have eaten him back then.”

“Eaten, eaten? Papa?”

“Not in that sense… ah, never mind. I’m going now.”

“Bye.”

“So cold. Oh, right. If you see your dad later, tell him something for me.”

The unnie, looking up at the moon and stars in the night sky, was sparkling.

She’s pretty.

Like Mom.

“See you next time. Your pretending not to know was pretty fun. Lilis.”

The unnie, who had been looking up at the sky with her hands behind her back, smiled and leaned down. Her pretty purple eyes came close.

“And this is a gift.”

“For me?”

“Yeah. It’s very, very important, so keep it safe.”

It was a sparkling stone.

A very pretty stone that I couldn’t take my eyes off of as soon as I saw it.

Small, round, and sparkling.

“Is it okay for you to give it to me?”

“Of course. It was yours anyway? So keep it safe. Don’t ever lose it. …Well, even if you lose it, it’ll come back to you.”

She took my hand, opened it, and placed it on top.

It’s pretty.

“If you ever find yourself in a dangerous situation. Or if you can’t resist the desire to become ‘complete’. Eat it.”

She said that and disappeared. Really, right in front of my eyes. Like smoke.

“Huh?”

Where did she go?

“Little one~! Come quickly! Let’s go see Yurian, who you like.”

“Okay!”