I lifelessly sat down on the grass-filled land and gaze at the greenery landscape that stretches up to the horizon. I don’t know if sighing can help and I doubt I want a sliver of happiness to escape from me in this situation.

If I can, I want to drown this swirling guilt in alcohol in a chilly night then have a brawl with those weaklings back at the pub in Nanab.

Alstroemeria, for the first time, told me that she is disappointed at me. I shouldn’t be damned relieved by it but I think that’s one of my saving graces since I was able to bring out a little bit of emotion from her.

Was that the real goal of all of this?

“I’ve really gone and done it…”

“In the end, isn’t this what you necessarily wanted?”

“Well, yeah…”

From my lonely monologue, the young and lively Daisy answered. I’m a little relieved that someone is here to answer my stupid blabber but to rely on a kid for a reply, how low of me.

“Won’t you join me in a night for a drink?”

“However you put it, you are inviting a minor for an alcohol consumption! That itself can be considered a crime!”

“I never implied you are drinking alcohol.”

“Guh…”

Dumb.

What the hell is wrong with me? This is only a child. Arrogant and prideful she may be, that’s just a child play. To be honest, to give an honest insight into our problem was really mature of her.

Well, let’s put her on the borderline of childish dumb and a little bit mature.

Come to think of it, Alstroemeria was the real dumb as a child but her ability in arithmetic isn’t even in the level of human. No, I think no other race can calculate as fast as her. Not only she is strong and a natural genius in Ki, and she was also gifted in the brain department minus the airheadedness which seems to be the cons of being an Alstroemeria.

Hello world, this is Cecille, a filthy piece of scum and a proud one.

I shouldn’t even be judging and thinking something rude to her in times like this and yet, I can ‘t help it even though I speak the truth.

The tension inside my chest hasn’t stopped yet and each time a face of Alstroemeria disappointed at me flashes inside my head, it only increases my anxiety. I feel like the most horrible parent in the world which in fact, it should be her real parents.

Damn it, there’s no use pushing these self-depreciating thoughts to the dead.

“Say, let me treat your hand. It looks like its starting to swell really bad. Did some bones broke?”

“Ah, I appreciate it but that’s unnecessary. As a former adventurer, enduring this pain is trivial. And no, there are no broken bones, it’s just it was squeezed so tight that swelling this much is given.”

“I do feel she could have done more.”

“Right, she can break a backbone or two too, you know.”

Not that I haven’t experienced that before.

Sleeping beside her was the most hellish experience since she’ll squeeze you tightly when she’s having a good or bad dream. I wonder when was it when she stopped doing that.

I need to take several days off from the Guild to rest. Sometimes, I even need to call someone who can use Healing magic to ease the pain and reform the deformed bones.

I’m only the dumb woman who put up with her and her absurd strength because I think it’s one of her charms.

Dumb but a genius.

With these thoughts racing through my head, I once again felt anxiety creeping.

It’s not like I am not used to this feeling but at times like this, the only way I can cope up is through one thing.

Stolen novel; please report.

With my throbbing hand, I reach out for the pack of cigarette in my pocket and drew one stick. As I placed it on my lips, I reached out for the matches inside one of my pockets again and lit my cigar.

As the tip is lit, I tried puffing a little and smoke came out.

“Wha--!? Gueh?”

A strong reaction overwhelms Miss Daisy’s face with a disgusted countenance as she looks at me, no, specifically, to the cigar in my mouth.

“Don’t just start smoking! The…geho…geho…smell of that really irritates my nose! You should have asked first before doing that!”

“Ah, my bad.”

Daisy's eyes become teary and she desperately covers her nose to avoid inhaling the vicious and strong odor of the cigarette.

Come to think of it, Beast kin really does have a strong sense of smell, almost as equal as Alstroemeria. It’s bad for a minor like Miss Daisy to inhale stuff like this but I couldn’t help it because of the anxiousness building up in my chest.

It’s been a habit of mine since starting my career as an adventurer. You could say it’s my way of calming my nerves whenever I get angsty. However, the past years, I’ve been controlling myself from smoking since Alstroemeria will scold me.

She doesn’t like the smell of the cigarette too and she learned that it destroys one’s health. Come to think of it, I was the one who taught her that.

“Why are you not stopping?!”

“Ah, well, first of all, a pack of cigarette is really expensive.”

“Aren’t you rich?! I was told you are! What’s the point of being frugal at wasteful items like that?!”

“It’s a really bad habit of mine. I’m really sorry. One or two puff and I’ll put it out.”

“Put it out now!”

I can’t do that.

Like those delicious alcoholic drinks, this buddy here is an inseparable friend of mine too.

“Ugh…I’ll come back later.”

“Really sorry.”

With that, Miss Daisy left. I really never hoped to offend her so I’ll properly apologize to her. And since she made her way out, I’d better finish this off rather than puffing two or three more.

I bring the cigar butt in my lips again, however, as soon as it sits on my lips, a slight gust of wind passes by in front of mind.

A sharp and sudden gust of wind.

“Hmm?”

I immediately noticed the missing presence of the lit end of the cigarette. The head was cleanly cut off leading the death of my cigar stick.

I look at the direction where the gust of wind came and met with my eyes, Asagao pulling on Alstroemeria away from the window they have opened inside the house.

Alstroemeria still has this angry look in her eyes as Asagao peeled her away in panic and closes the window shut.

I see… Damn…

She really hit the mark.

And that was kind of expensive, like a premium or something.

But who I am to complain?

If Alstroemeria did that, I think she still cares for me despite what I did. I couldn’t hope for anything more than that. Of course, that’s my adorable Alstroemeria who forgives anyone and everyone...

“Miss Cecille!”

“Hmm?”

Miss Asagao’s voice rang loudly and without missing a beat, I turn my head towards the house where they entered earlier which is Alstroemeria’s parent's house.

What came next blocks my view of their supposed visage and in instant, I felt my whole being shaking and my consciousness fading as my body floated into the air with a strong impact hitting my face.

Yeah…

She who forgives anyone and everyone…hopefully.

Those words of mine were betrayed and that realization instantly came when a pillow knocked me out cold and I lay flat on the meadow in broad daylight.

That’s right…

It was just…a thrown pillow by Alstroemeria…

I want to refrain from mentioning a bone creaking somewhere but yeah, something creaked.

“Eeeh..?!”

A young feisty voice rang once again but this time, it’s not from Miss Asagao.

I thought I’d be out cold but it turned out that my consciousness only got hazy. My vision got blurry like I am a drunkard suddenly collapsing on the side of a road.

“Umm…What in the world happened to you?!”

A shadow suddenly blocked the raining gentle ray of light from the sun and made the surrounding of my vision dark.

Slowly, the haziness subsides and what appeared above me is…

A sexy black laced underwear under a frilly skirt worn by an unblemished thigh of healthy skin color and the black legwear pinning on the fleshy part of the said thighs gives it a simulating attractiveness to it combined with a scent one would immediately brand you as a criminal.

I’m not a fan of this kind of service.

“Miss Daisy, are you sure you should be standing there?”

“Hmm?”

“Anyway, my apologies about earlier. I’m never going to smo--…I mean I’ll refrain from smoking around you and the others as much as possible.”

“As I said, what in the world are you doing there?”

“This is the result of me smoking without regard to anyone’s health, including mine.”

“I see.”

“Also, Miss Daisy, are you sure you should be standing there?”

“Why did you repeat that question?!”

No use, this girl is a total dumb block too. I’ve decided to refrain from insulting her inside my mind but circumstances tell that she needs to be.

Anyway, enough of these little shenanigans. I can’t curveball my way out of this problem.

I sat upright while trying to brush off the skirt in front of me. I tried giving my neck a few cracking and it splendidly produced some satisfying crackles.

Miss Daisy gave me a puzzled look but that itself is understandable. Since it has come to this, I’ll shamelessly ask her.

“How do you appease an angry daughter?”

“Don’t avert your eyes from your sins. You’ve done something quite severe to this town and that’s the first thing you should think about. This may lead to a punishment that will cost your life if found out.”

Miss Daisy, I’m very sorry.

As I said, I don’t regret what I’ve done to this town. From her answer alone, Miss Daisy has a big sense of justice and yet, she implied that she will keep a tight lip about this incident.

I also am aware of how severe this sin I have done.

Leaving that aside, I didn’t expect a quite reprimanding answer from Miss Daisy. Also, I really wanted to rephrase what I said.

I’m too young to be a mother to have a daughter like Alstroemeria.

But all things considered, I don’t even have the rights to be forgiven because of those actions that Miss Daisy was trying to say. That’s exactly why we end up in this situation.

Evil as I sound, heartless as I sound, cold as I sound, none of the people here really matters to me. People, true as it sounds, prideful as it may, our existence that will only care for what in front of them. Charity can also be born within our hearts, but that something never struck me.

Alstroemeria was one of many exceptions.

Nonetheless, what I’ve done is a sin punishable by death at worst.

That is something I cannot deny once I am judged.

Just to see the growth of a family member, just to see her shed the cocoon of the past, and just to see her squeeze her chest in pain, I’ve done all of this with no regards of human lives.

I am proud to call that evil but I am also proud to announce that as selflessness.

Through and through, that is my resolve for the heights of my affection for a girl I met and took in several years ago.