As I watch Alstroe cries, my chest tightens like I myself feels the pain tormenting her heart right now. She calls out to her parents as if she is stricken with grief and despair of being left behind. It’s painful to watch her but I cannot force any words out of my mouth.

She is in a hysteric state that does not regard anyone around her right now. Her emotions are solely focused on what’s in front of her, of what she hasn’t confronted yet. I don’t want to get ahead of myself but that’s something I am already aware of.

I should do something.

“Alstroe…”

I run up to Alstroe and immediately hugged her head to my chest with gentle hands caressing her. I made sure that she will recognize my presence by squeezing her tightly. Her unstoppable tears with voiceless wailing, I felt it all.

Her trembling shoulders lean against back at me and slowly, she turns her head to my direction while struggling from my embrace.

“Asagao…”

“Let’s get out of here!”

“No…I’m…fine…”

“You are clearly not fine!”

She tried making a smile that is sincere but it only made her looks so frail, otherwise, pitiful.

“We cannot stop here, you have…a job to do.”

“What are you saying in that distressed state?!”

From my words, Alstroe looks down and sprouted a vexed countenance mixed with frustration and strained with anguish. For me, that expression is a first for me.

Something about this place that breaks something inside Alstroe.

Upon realizing this, I snap a glare at Miss Cecille who stood beside the bewildered Daisy. Her eyes are dead set to talk but I hate the fact that she didn’t even try to pacify Alstroe’s hysterical bawling.

“Miss Cecille…What’s with this place?”

“This is where Alstroe was born, this is her hometown, this is where you can find her parents.”

I already have an idea about that, it is just that, Miss Cecille knows about it and kept quiet. This is a city inspection job, this would come across us naturally. Whether it is coincidence or not, this should bound to happen. If not now, then in the future.

I’ve caught a glimpse of Alstroe’s memory when she was young.

Her parents disowned her because they cannot control her power. It was something clear to me but I still can’t believe a parent would actually hate their child just like that.

If it is so, they are shitty parents.

However, for me, there are no parents that would fully cast their child away. In my heart, I want to believe that Alstroe’s parents miss her so much they would cry upon seeing her.

I want to bet on it, to the heart of people tinged with kindness, even if it is just a drop.

“Alstroe, things are going to be fine.”

“……”

“I’m pretty sure your parents will be happy to see you.”

Please respond. Don’t be so despondent from my words, Alstroe. Was she really that scarred for her to lose any hope of reconciliation with her parents?

“What are we going to do? What do you want to do?”

“Miss Cecille…”

“Do you want to meddle in an affair that you have no relation with?”

“You did this even though you know this will happen. Why would you do this to Alstroe? I don’t get why you need to make her go through this?”

“Reality isn’t as sweet as you think. No, I know you are aware of it already, it’s just that, this is something that needs happen. I won’t spoil Alstroemeria, I want her to grow strong both in body and mind.”

Alstroe, who is listening to our conversation, clutches the hem of my clothes and smiled.

As this moment passes, I started growing to despise that smile despite its intentions. I started seeing Alstroe as someone emotionally broken that she herself escapes from reality with that smile.

“Asagao, It’s okay…”

“What okay? You were just shaking a while ago.”

“I’m okay. I’m sure that my parents are eager to meet me like what you said. When I meet them, I’ll smile for them. However, they told me not to come back…”

“You are not coming back, you are here to work with me, okay?”

“Hmm? That sounds like a good reason!”

Stop it…

The realization of the meaning behind her smile is painful.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

I’m confused about what to do. I don’t want to continue with Alstroe in this state but what Miss Cecille said is also true.

I am torn apart by this decision.

Should I trust that Alstroe’s parents will accept her again or should I keep her safe? As for my job, I don’t have time to think about it anymore.

Alstroemeria is…

“Let’s go. Alstroe, let’s move on.”

“Yes!”

I decided to move on. I decided to trust on Alstroe and her parents. I decided to keep moving not just for myself but for Alstroe.

For my life here in this world, that’s what I learned, to move forward whatever pains lie ahead. I want Alstroe to know, I want her to learn, I want her to grow too, a growth that is not just a single step but a leap in life.

I pull Alstroe up and she herself got on her feet. Miss Cecille together with Daisy walks toward us.

“Have you decided, Miss Asagao?”

“Daisy, you were listening?”

“Wha-?! Of course! As a lady, I have to show my sympathetic side.”

Daisy directed her sight to Alstroe.

“I don’t know what’s going on but, you are strong aren’t you? Like, super strong that even Sir Tzari regarded you highly. I doubt this will hinder someone strong like you.”

“Yes, I’m strong! But I’m stronger when Asagao is right beside me!”

“Is that so? Then, I think this is going to be okay.”

You are reliable at the perfect time, Daisy.

Meanwhile, Miss Cecille sprouts a grimace on her countenance. I want to stay positive as much as I can for Alstroe. If Alstroe can find it within her the courage from my words, I am relieved and glad.

I firmly grasp her hand and starts walking. She then followed my steps in glee as if she was not crying earlier. The way she quickly changes gear, the way she uses her smile, it’s all something I cannot fathom anymore.

I always thought they were sweet and charming, adorable but a little cheeky, and honest to the bone that doesn’t sprout any speck of lies.

As we are walking, I immediately noticed that the gate of the town doesn’t have a guard anyone to look out for people going in and out.

Seeing that, we went straight ahead and found ourselves walking in a town with an almost deserted house. The paved road is full of cracks and the houses are badly damaged. Vines are even encroaching from those cracks and crawled into houses.

“Miss Cecille…where are the people?”

“Most of them are now living near the town’s center.”

“Let’s go there.”

She is oddly familiar with this place.

No, Miss Cecille definitely know something. I want to confront her or something but…

“Why are they living there?”

“The well closer to the outer gates has already dried up. It seems that the well near the town’s square still yields quite a volume of water.”

“But moving to the center of the town, won’t it be bad for them because they won’t know who enters? Even trading caravan wouldn’t want to go to that kind of hassle.”

“There are various reasons to it but…I’ll tell you soon.”

I turn my sight to Alstroe and she stares back at me. Her dumbfounded eyes indicated that she herself doesn’t know anything.

That’s given.

We walked quite a while before reaching the center of the town where some of the townspeople are working. Not what I imagine but there are quite a number of them here.

While it may be hard to assume that they have a decline in population, if it is true that the well here is better, it’s safe to say that they gathered here and it made them quite numerous.

Obviously, their gazes immediately landed on us making them halt everything they are doing.

“The people of this town is stricken with poverty despite the help the capital is sending. It makes you wonder what they do with those rations they keep getting.”

“I know, it’s odd. Fonfon and Violetta should have been here countless of times and yet, they saw nothing out of the ordinary.”

“There are also rumors that this town is cursed.”

“Cursed…?”

“Hmph, not really a cursed from someone sane as us. You should know what I’m talking about right away.”

As we walk, I immediately felt the stare of the townspeople landing on Alstroe. Each and every single one of them immediately sprouted a horrified face to the point they became ghastly pale.

“It’s that child…”

“She hasn’t aged at all, that monster.”

“Daresay, that abomination still returned here after leaving a curse.”

“Accursed monster, even charmed outsider to bring here.”

It was…worse than I thought…

They are not even mad or angry, they are just plain terrified of her as they cower behind anything they can find to hide, however, they don’t even try their hardest to hide those hideous murmurs of theirs.

I can feel my cheek twitching as they run off their mouth, however, before I open my mouth, I took a glance at Alstroe who is holding my hand.

“……”

“Why…?”

“……”

“Why are you still smiling…?”

Alstroe only has a faint smile on her lips while looking down. My soft and almost inaudible question doesn’t seem to have reached her ears.

I’m getting mad…

Not with the people who are calling shit about her but…to her, to Alstroemeria who does nothing but smile even in the face of insults that are being hurled at her.

At the very least, show that those words hurt you…

If you won’t, then I will say something…

“All of yo--!”

“Oh my, what is this? A town full of cowards.”

“…!?”

Daisy steps up before I could finish my words and speak in a high and mighty tone.

I immediately snap a dumbfounded stare at Daisy as she sprouted a boastful smile. It was a reason enough to draw the attention of the people.

“Monster? Cursed? How foolish! In the Beast Capital, we eat food with monsters, with curse laying everywhere, and yet, you people are reduced to this because of a mere falsified curse? Makes me laugh.”

“Hey, Daisy…”

“Our capital was once devastated like this deserted town, no, that was a while ago when someone strong rampaged in our city. It didn’t take us a week to rebuild our home though so what’s with this pathetic town?!”

Yeah, I remember when Alstroe fought in the Beast Capital against King Folga together with his seven generals and sons.

“For goodness sake, humans are so frail and pitiful.”

As Daisy’s words ended there, everyone fell silent and the murmurs stop. However, in the next moment, a stone came flying at Daisy. Not only one, not only two, people started barraging not only her but us with stones.

“Barrier…”

A clear bluish sphere envelopes us to shield from the stones. My barrier won’t even budge from an attack by a huge devil, expect nothing from stones thrown by townspeople.

Fair enough, the stones are deflected effortlessly.

I heave a sigh and directed my gaze to Daisy who was befuddled by the appearance of my barrier. She then looks at me with a questioning gaze, however, I returned a half-closed eyes as a reply.

“You just went and agitated them, Miss Daisy.”

“I can’t help it. I don’t like people who are all bark and no bite.”

“They are clearly biting back, you know. Also, we haven’t even talked with the Town’s head so this won’t turn out to be a decent job. Not that I didn’t expect this.”

“Well, I’m not going to take responsibility for this since they are the one that started it.”

“How so?! But, I didn’t hate what you did, Miss Daisy. More like, you did look quite cool at the same time, a fool.”

“Don’t play with words anymore. We are not going to make any progress here.”

She’s right, I want to get out of here already. Things are getting worse, however…

“Miss Cecille, where're Alstroe’s parents.”

“Not here.”

“Where are they?”

“They are further deeper into the town, a little closer to the outer wall south from here.”

Hearing her words, I coldly turn around and started walking in the direction where she pointed while keeping my barrier up.

What is it that Miss Cecille tries to hide so hard that she doesn’t give any specifics about Alstroe’s parents?

Will it be really fine when Alstroe and her parents meet?

Those thoughts started circulating in my mind. I grasp Alstroe’s hand tighter as if I am the one who is overly burdened by all the problems.

I turn to look again to Alstroe but only met with a sincere smile.

“Stop that…”

I whisper those words.

Does she think that everytime I look at her, she needs to smile?

I can only feel frustration from it.

After walking with Miss Cecille’s lead, we arrived at a stone house by the edge of the town. It is an isolated house with a lot used for farming, however, vines have overgrown and the stone house is rather run down.

The vegetative state of the lot made it harder to see what kind of plants are there and the wooden fence can barely contain it.

However, Miss Cecille didn’t go straight to the entrance of the door. Instead, she walks around the house in which we also followed.

We arrived at the backside of the house that faces a vast plain of grass. Miss Cecille then stops from her tracks and beckons us to follow her.

In the back of the house, in front of Miss Cecille, two slabs of stones rests in a freshly excavated soil.

My face…grew pale…

“No…no…Miss Cecille…this…”

“Alstroemeria, come here.”

Miss Cecille ignored my words. Words that sounded like a plea and beckons Alstroe to her side. As Alstroe obeys Miss Cecille’s gesture, I immediately pulled her.

“No…!”

“Asagao…?”

“I mean…”

I can’t…

So this is why Miss Cecille is so secretive about it…

Alstroemeria…I’m sorry…

“Alstroemeria…”

“What is it, Big sis Cecille?”

“See these two stones?”

“Yes…”

“These are graves…graves for your parents.”

“…Eh?”

Alstroe stares at the two slab of stones with widened eyes. She tried to get some words out as she looks at the place where her parents are supposedly buried.

Her lips started losing its reddish color and it drains paler. The light in her eyes flushes into the void and it becomes clouded.

Even in this situation, she tried to keep a smile on her lips, however, the utter shock of the news inhibited such expression.

Slowly, not a superfluous smile and tears came out from her but rather, a real sadness, an emotion that she herself isn’t familiar with, came out.

I saw it once, now I’m seeing it once again.

Alstroemeria’s bitterness of life that she inhibited since childhood.