Chapter 30

Translator: Nox

<Episode 30>

The child was dressed a bit oddly. He wore a cheap, shiny, rustling cape, and held a moon-shaped candy in his hand.

Cayden wondered if some event was happening nearby, but that wasn't his concern. He asked the child in a weary voice.

"Which girl are you talking about?"

"About 10 minutes ago?"

"I've been here the whole time, and no girl has passed by in the last thirty minutes or so."

Since it wasn't his own child, but another kid had come, reality sank in. Right. It was an absurd story.

Time to give up and go home.

Cayden gave Henry a wry smile. Such a lovable child. That only stirred his heart more painfully.

"Ah, really. Where did Ridge go—"

"Henry!"

Just as he let go of his hopes, a clear voice reached him.

Whoosh.

Cayden raised his head.

At the same moment, his heart began pounding fiercely.

A girl holding a moon-shaped candy like a boy.

Eight years old—no, smaller than that. But poor nutrition could stunt growth.

"You, seriously! You went too far. If I hadn't found you—Gasp, an adult! Come here!"

Brown curly hair. Common enough. But Cayden recognized it at a glance.

Just like his wife's eyes. The moonlight made them shine especially clear.

"Juli...ette?"

Cayden murmured as if entranced.

Regardless of what Cayden said, Ridge hurriedly ran over and grabbed Henry's hand.

"Ridge. Ah, it hurts."

Henry pushed away Ridge's hand, bigger than his own. Ridge sighed.

"Sorry. But let's go quickly. It's dangerous here. Besides, the priestess sister said to come back soon."

Ridge tried to lead Henry away without even glancing at Cayden.

Cayden, who had been dazed as if struck on the head, finally came to his senses and shouted.

"W-Wait. Kid! Just a moment! I have something to ask!"

"Yes?"

Startled by the loud voice, Ridge frowned and hid Henry behind her. Though he didn't hide well anyway.

Startled by her wariness, Cayden panicked and stammered on.

"I-I'm not a weird person...! Not a bad person either...! Just talk for a moment."

"Never seen a good adult who says that."

Ridge cut him off sharply, crumpling Cayden's face. That one sentence revealed how much the child had suffered.

Cayden crouched down on the spot to meet Ridge's eye level. Then he pulled something from his bosom.

"Do you perhaps know this? It's a noble's seal."

"...A seal?"

Intrigued by something she'd never seen, Ridge craned her neck to inspect it.

It certainly looked more valuable than anything she'd seen. The orphanage director would flip out in joy over it.

"So?"

"I'm a noble, and I can prove my identity."

"Then you could commit crimes even more easily."

"...Hm."

Cayden was at a loss.

He had come only with the expectation of finding his daughter and eight years of shared despair. He hadn't anticipated the child would be so wary of him.

"Um... Uncle is looking for his own daughter."

"Heard that one a lot. You're trying to kidnap me!"

"Ugh... That's not it..."

Cayden deliberately stepped back. The already distant gap widened further.

"I won't come closer. Could you just hear Uncle's story once?"

"Ridge..."

Henry, sensing the mood and Cayden's desperation, waved his arms to persuade her.

"...Hm."

Ridge pondered, scrutinizing Cayden.

Truly bad adults dangled enticing things to lure kids away—they didn't back off and plead like this.

Though her life was short, battered by intense experiences, Ridge knew how to judge correctly.

The child slowly nodded.

"But not for long. The sister we came out with said it'd be trouble if we're late."

"Y-Yes!"

Cayden's face lit up with joy.

"Ridge, was it? Ridge. Uncle's daughter was kidnapped as a newborn."

"Kidnapped?"

Ridge looked shocked.

"But she got swept into bad people's hands and went missing. Uncle has been searching for her for eight years but couldn't find her."

"...Me too, no mom or dad, and I'm eight. Similar to that kid."

Ridge mumbled hesitantly. Seeing that, Cayden's heart surged again. Eyes just like his wife's, face resembling his own.

"Still wandering in search of her. And Ridge, you really look like Uncle's daughter."

"How can I look like a newborn?"

The more he talked with Ridge, the more convinced he became. Her personality matched his wife's exactly.

Before falling ill, his wife spoke sharply and couldn't hold back questions or rebuttals. She wasn't popular in high society because of it... but it had charmed him.

And now, Ridge's speech overlaid with his wife's image.

An angelically beautiful, lovable child. She even seemed to glow.

Meanwhile, as Cayden sank into those thoughts, someone had been watching them...

[Lady Ephrosyne, more, more blessings! Make Ridge glow more!]

Dorothy, hiding in a nearby alley, was urging the goddess of beauty.

[Will this work?]

[We have to try something. She looks radiant. Beyond beauty, it creates an illusion of something special!]

Thanks to those efforts, Cayden's eyes welled up more and more.

"They say parents can recognize it. I didn't know what that meant, but now I think I do."

"...Uncle thinks I'm your daughter?"

"Yes. So, Ridge. Do you perhaps have a mole on the back of your neck?"

Watching Cayden's eyes, Ridge's heart wavered too. Trying to stay alert, but this uncle somehow... really felt like the parents she'd imagined countless times.

The grandmother who cared for her until six was kind, but Ridge had always thirsted for her parents.

So. With a 'what if' in mind...

Normally, she never would have turned her back. As a child facing adults, securing her view was essential.

But Ridge slowly turned around.

"Whether there's a mole... I don't know. I couldn't see it myself. No one ever checked for me."

Ridge gathered her cascading hair and lifted it up.

Cayden, watching, gasped sharply.

"...There it is."

Tears welling in his eyes finally overflowed, dripping down.

"God truly returned you... to me."

His trembling voice brimmed with emotion.

[Looks like it worked?]

Dorothy, watching from afar, finally relaxed.

[Seems so.]

Agatha replied with relief too. Fortunately, Dorothy's plan had worked well.

The western village of the Capital City held a night market every full moon.

During night market season, Empire citizens all chatted about it once or twice. The same for the countless people visiting the Temple.

Of course, Dorothy had deliberately mentioned the night market to the kids.

It was an event intriguing to all children, and they showed interest right away, eager to go.

But if Dorothy took them out herself and Cayden heard, it might raise suspicions of a staged encounter.

'So I diligently found someone kind.'

Someone affectionate toward kids, willing to go through the trouble.

Fortunately, a few priests were good to the kids Dorothy brought, and she added that the children were bored.

After that...

The kids pestered on their own, solving it easily.

Horte guided them to this bridge, quite far from the night market.

Especially wary Ridge to move so far, starting with Henry.

[You worked hard, our Dorothy.]

[Thank you, Dorothy. It's thanks to you.]

Agatha and Horte's warm voices settled in.

[No. I just... resolved one thing.]

Dorothy replied flatly and slowly.

These were things she did for her own gain. Yet emotions kept surging.

[One is huge. It'd be great if I could find the other kids' parents too. Though many already lost theirs or would suffer more if returned...]

Horte trailed off.

This case was the same.

[I lacked divine power to lead the child to her parents. If not for that...]

Horte had said that if he had power, such things might not have happened from the start.

In his powerful days, he guided lost children.

Back then, those children always returned home, even if it took time.

But at some point, he could only watch countless children get lost.

'Not just Ridge. For kids to find home, Horte's power is needed.'

One god at a time.

Dorothy thought as she received their help.

At first, she thought preventing disasters and world destruction was all the gods' role... but they seemed to assist human affairs more delicately than expected.

Their abilities were all directed toward humans.

What use was a hearth for gods who don't eat, or healing for those who don't get hurt.

Agatha's foresight pierced human affairs too.

How peculiar.

Were gods truly beings to protect humans this much? The gods from her past life were said to be similar.

Now receiving help, she could somewhat accept it, but for her, tormented by gods in her past life due to spiritual illness, it was full of doubts.

She knew these gods were kind, but.

Even the desire to help and comfort stemmed from 'playing it safe.'

'How much can I trust the gods? They're on my side now, because I'm doing well by them.'

Dorothy suppressed her anxiety.

If she resolved everything with their help and said she wanted to sever ties...?

If that offended them, what would become of her? Worst scenarios kept flashing in her mind.

'Something to think about later.'

Dorothy stopped her thoughts. No need to delve deep.

She turned away from the father and daughter now embracing, tears and snot flowing.

The rest was up to them.

Well, of course.

She had to claim what was due to her.