Chapter 63
Seraphin rummaged through the offering box beneath his mother's portrait.
Seraphin's expression looked so sad as he dug through it that no words would come out.
Instead, Iri stared intently at the small cube placed in front of the offering box.
"Here, take this."
"......?!"
She should be happy to receive a gift.
She should tease Seraphin plenty for thinking she was the smartest and most lovable kid in the world.
Iri's eyes shook, unable to settle.
It felt so strange that 'Mom' was someone who could give her something.
Seraphin whispered softly.
"Everyone in the world wanted this, but Mom left it here saying it had to be for you!"
"......"
Iri couldn't bring herself to speak.
At that moment, a voice echoed in Iri's mind.
"Feels like I had you for nothing. Doesn't even feel like my daughter. No affection at all......"
"Isn't it just postpartum depression lasting a while? They say bonds form over time."
"No. Even though I carried you in my belly, you feel like someone else's child."
She kept recalling her past life's mother saying that.
Was that why?
*'No way. There's no way a mom would love me.'*
Seraphin patted Iri's shoulder and said,
"Dad would hole up in a corner crying his eyes out every day. Missing Mom."
Question marks appeared simultaneously on Karhen and Iri's faces.
No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't imagine an adult shut in a corner bawling.
But Seraphin continued matter-of-factly, with surprising confidence.
"So let's make sure no one dies like Mom or cries like Dad anymore."
Seraphin's words sounded just like a hero of justice.
"The three of us are going to save the White Knight Order!"
At that moment, Cookie peeked out from her pocket and sent telepathy.
[Yeah, let's go! Like a hero of justice! And while we're at it, eat some magi and get stronger!]
Iri quickly shoved Cookie back into her pocket.
Then she looked at the woman in the portrait.
She still wasn't sure if she could call Olivia 'Mom.'
But Iri recalled Seraphin's sad expression.
She even imagined the scene of Grandpa bawling.
If others grieved like Seraphin losing family or Grandpa weeping, it would hurt her heart.
"Sounds good! Let's go save them!"
And so the righteous journey of the little trio began.
* * *
"We have something to do first!"
"What is it?"
"We need to go inside the subspace of this cube!"
Seraphin earnestly held up the cube.
Then, recalling what his mother had said long ago, he proceeded step by step.
When Seraphin tossed the cube into the air.
The cube spread out in midair, creating a small door.
Looking at the darkly tinted door, Seraphin made a puzzled face.
"Wh-what? It's too dark."
"It looks like a door."
Despite Karhen's clear answer, Seraphin didn't move.
Iri, watching Seraphin, tilted her head.
"Can't we just go in?"
Iri boldly took a step toward the black door.
Seraphin looked at her in astonishment.
"I was gonna take like 3 seconds to deep breathe first! Why are you so brave?!"
"......?"
"Alright! Then let's go!"
"......?!"
Was it because she stepped forward first at the dark door?
Iri ended up becoming the leader of the trio.
But as former class president and Seraphin's little sister, Iri quickly immersed herself in the 'leader role.'
"Then, excuse us. The three of us are coming in!"
Iri strode into the subspace first.
Upon entering, what appeared before Iri's eyes was a long corridor.
And at the end of the corridor, a small room came into view.
Seraphin, like an authority on Magi Stasis Syndrome, said,
"You know? They say the Subspace of Dissolution where the White Knight Order is staying has an Ouroboros drawn on the door."
"Then......"
Iri looked at the door at the end of the corridor.
"There's a snake drawn on that door! This must not be it......"
"Snake? Damn! Not an Ouroboros?"
At that moment, Karhen, who had quietly followed behind them, spoke up.
"No, it is an Ouroboros. Because Ouroboros is a snake."
In that instant, Iri and Seraphin's gazes turned to Karhen.
Maybe feeling like he'd spoken out of turn, Karhen's ears turned a bit red.
"Whoa, seriously amazing. How did you know?"
"Karhen, genius......"
And so they dashed right up to the door with the Ouroboros.
Everything had been too easy.
Finding the cube, locating where the White Knight Order was!
Cookie, quietly watching from her pocket, sent telepathy.
[Feels like someone's deliberately guiding us, right? Is this really safe? Usually, heroes fall into traps at times like this.]
But it didn't feel like a trap.
It felt like someone other than Grandma or Teacher was watching over her.
"It'll be fine."
So for this time, Iri decided to trust her instincts.
But was the path of a hero always full of obstacles?
When they arrived right before the Ouroboros door.
They faced powerful magi spewing out profusely.
"This must be the spear-like magi that Magi Stasis Syndrome patients emit."
"......"
"The door might open and attack us right away."
Iri glared at the door, thinking.
*'What should we do?'*
* * *
After locating the White Knight Order and exiting the subspace created by the cube.
Karhen, Iri, and Seraphin gathered again in Iri's bedroom.
Unlike the still composed Karhen and the pondering Iri, Seraphin was utterly dejected.
"Haa, did you see? The magi turned into spears trying to burst out the door! Right?!"
"Yeah, we saw."
"So I'm not the only one who saw it! We have to save our family's knights, but what do we do? No one can help us, right?"
Karhen replied calmly.
"Yes."
Seraphin gripped his hair hard, as if ready to tear it out, muttering.
"Damn magi XX! If only I could slash it with my sword!"
Though Seraphin cursed, Iri didn't say 'mind your manners' this time.
They'd believed that with just the 'cube from Mom,' they could save the White Knight Order.
It must feel hopeless that even with the cube, they couldn't.
Iri understood how heartbroken Seraphin was.
But right then, Seraphin stopped his muttering curses.
*'Did Seraphin suddenly mature?'*
As she watched dubiously, Seraphin stomped his foot.
"I just figured out a way."
