Chapter 7: We're the Ones Who Did It (Patreon)

At first, Roxy had simply been curious why Rudy held such an extreme mindset. But after watching that vision of the future just now, she finally understood completely. No one could accept a future that miserable!!! Rudy didn't want it!!! And she, Roxy, didn't want it either!!! But her meticulous nature still made her hold onto a basic thread of doubt.

She raised her head..... and looked at Rudy with utter seriousness.

"Did all of this come from your future self?" Roxy asked, curious.

Looking back at Roxy just as seriously...... Rudy said solemnly, "Yes. It really was my future self...... He placed his entire miserable life into my hands. He told me — I absolutely had to make Hitogami (Human God) pay!!!! So...... I won't force you, Teacher, to do anything. You're an incredibly important person to me. Whatever you decide, I'll accept it. But...... I'll do everything I possibly can. No matter what, I refuse to accept the tragedy of that original timeline. I believe that with the magical talent I currently have, which isn't bad at all...... if I just keep studying seriously..... someday, I'll grow strong enough to matter!!"

Faced with Rudy's utterly serious gaze...... Roxy truly hesitated.

And seeing that..... Rudy didn't press her any further. He smiled and patted the girl's hand. Then, as naturally as could be, he took her hand...... and the two of them, borne along by wind elementals, flew swiftly toward Rudy's house.

As for Roxy...... she turned to look at Rudy's earnest face. Before her eyes, the scenes from the water-screen vision surfaced again, one after another, unbidden.

The father's death. The deaths of the three wives. And finally, the mother and sisters, dying one after another. Until only one person remained...... a lonely, pitiful soul, all alone!!!

Was all of this really true??? If it was, what a hopeless future that would be!!!

Rudy had said...... that all of it was a warning brought back by his future self. But that old Rudy who had actually lived through it all...... what had become of him?

Thinking of this, Roxy couldn't stop herself from voicing the question in her mind. But Rudy didn't answer her. Just as Roxy, curious, was about to ask again...... suddenly!!! she found, to her shock...... that the scenery around them had suddenly changed!!!

An aged old Rudy appeared before her. What kind of eyes were those...... despair and confusion tangled together. Every now and then, a fierce, seething trace of madness would surface as well. His whole body was covered in the scars of battle.

But even so...... the old Rudy still began to construct a formation. A formation for traversing time...... the moment it activated, the old Rudy's body began wasting away. And in the next instant...... the old Rudy reached the version of himself that was still a young child. By that point, the old Rudy's body had already burned through a third of itself.

After that...... Roxy couldn't hear what the two of them said to each other. She could only see the two of them exchanging words, over and over. Piece by piece, information passed from the old Rudy to the young one.

Time slipped by...... and before she knew it. the old Rudy had vanished. At that point...... the world returned to how it had been before. Beside Roxy...... was still that Rudy, gripping her hand.

It was unimaginable. This tender, innocent child before her. would one day, in the future, become something so twisted it was neither human nor demon.

Why??? Unable to help herself, Roxy let out a quiet sigh from deep inside. She stopped asking whether it was all true or not.

Instead, she asked Rudy, "So, are you planning to go find Eris next??"

Turning his head to look at Roxy...... Rudy nodded and answered, "I'll find Sylphiette first, then go look for Eris."

Roxy said, "Whatever happens, I'll work hard to strengthen myself too."

Nodding, Rudy said with a smile, "Or, how about Teacher comes with me to find Eris and Sylphiette, and then goes??"

Shooting Rudy a look, Roxy said irritably, "Go find them yourself."

Rudy gave a little laugh and obediently replied, "Okay, okay, don't be mad, Teacher."

Sighing, Roxy said, "It's hard to even imagine...... that our future selves went through something so unbearable."

Rudy smiled. "But it won't happen now. I won't let that tragedy play out again."

Roxy looked at Rudy's smiling face...... and sighed, "You're only four years old, and yet you have to carry something this heavy."

Rudy grinned. "Teacher feels sorry for me, huh? How about Teacher holds me while we sleep tonight?"

Shooting him another irritated look...... Roxy wanted to scold him, but in the end it dissolved into a soft laugh.

"To be able to draw such a clean line between grief and jokes..... I really can't believe you're only four years old."

Nodding, Rudy said with a smile, "So, Teacher can rest easy now, right? Given how hard things have been for me, Teacher's leaving tomorrow anyway. So, how about tonight, I sleep with Teacher???"

Rudy shot her a look — wait, Roxy shot Rudy a look, wanting to refuse. But thinking of everything Rudy carried on his shoulders...... the maternal instinct in her heart wouldn't let her turn down his request after all.

Sighing, she gave a small nod. "Fine, I suppose. But no funny business."

Nodding, Rudy laughed happily. "Okay! Teacher's the best."

Looking at Rudy's smiling face..... Roxy's heart, still heavy from the tragedy she'd just witnessed, finally eased a little.

Soon...... the two of them arrived back home. There they found Rudy's parents, both worried because of the earlier explosion.

His father, Paul, eyed Rudy and Roxy with suspicion. He asked, somewhat probingly, "That flash just now — did you two see it??"

Nodding, Rudy said with a smile, "Yeah, that was the two of us."

"?!?!"

At those words...... everyone's eyes turned to Rudy in stunned disbelief.