He's about to pass under a heavy shop sign, the connecting portion will snap with a well-placed stone.

No one will be able to figure out what actually happened. Forensic science hasn't been developed yet; the only real risk is precognition magic. If anyone is capable of using that magic, would they use it on a meaningless case involving a slum dweller?

No, they wouldn't.

How unlucky for him.

If only you had met me earlier.

Someone who couldn't have empathized.

Unfortunately for a split second, I imagined what it would be like if I were your child...

Imagined...

Putting yourself in another person's shoes. I used to think that saying was meant to be taken sarcastically because of how outrageous it was. I couldn't believe that it was supposed to be a sincere attempt.

On the surface, it seems like a very emphatic saying. I never saw it as such.

It's an incredibly self-centered way to think.

What makes you think you can understand what another person is thinking? How conceited do you have to be?

All you're doing is imagining yourselves in their place. And imagination is essentially fantasy. It doesn't mean you've actually experienced what they have.

You could even call it narcissism.

I've always felt so disgusted. When they looked at me as if I were something to be pitied. What the hell are you feeling sorry for? Feel sorry for yourselves. The bullies were bad, the incompetent adults were terrible. Worse of all, those strangers that pretend to know what you're going through and greet you with apologies- I couldn't stand them.

This may seem like unjust criticism, it really isn't.

Do I really have the right to pull the trigger? Having a parent is really important. I swallow my anger. An absent, worthless father has some value.

If he dies, where would Paige and Anny go besides an orphanage. A god-forsaken place where children are abandoned to luck. Whether they live or die, a flip of the coin, or on a whim of a stranger. Not every orphan can follow in Oliver Twist's footsteps.

I have to spare him.

How lucky for you. Saved by the children that you don't deserve.

However, that doesn't mean I'm not going to take my anger out on you.

Become tangible, pave the floor. Ice.

As expected, his drunken ass didn't see it and slipped.

The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

A small petty mischief. Because this is all I can do.

Sure, he's a nuisance and a terrible father. Does that really justify killing him?

No, it doesn't. The legal and social consequences of killing him are far worse than any possible benefits I'd get from killing him. We've associated with Paige's father. We were seen in public by a lot of people. If he dies, we'll be suspects. And Sophie might realize that I did it.

I wasn't thinking about that. I almost did something rash again.

'How would Paige and Anny react?' I thought about it as if I were Paige and Anny. As if I was the child of that man. I felt compelled to kill him because I imagined that man as my father. At the same time, I hesitated for the same reason.

The Empathy trait changed my way of thinking momentarily. Forgetting the consequences, killing a person out of 'empathy'. That is not normal. This trait is dangerous. It manipulates the mind.

I'll pay close attention from now on.

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"Sir Claud, can you please help find our father? Please..."

I restrained a sigh from escaping my lips and put on a smile.

-Willpower: 33/44-

"Sophie and I will find your father. Stay here and make sure Anny doesn't go outside, alright?"

"Thank you! Thank you..."

Seeing Paige's relieved expression, I'm glad I didn't do it.

Attempting to leave the already crowded church, new arrivals crammed in, making it difficult for me to leave.

"B-boy! You mustn't go outside!" A stranger grabbed onto my shoulder.

Tsk. What is it with older people and touching kids' shoulders? It's seriously annoying.

Emitting a mana barrier which shoves several people a few inches away, I have enough clearance to get out.

Now... time to find that fool and drag him in. Dumb bastard, you should've returned home straight away. Causing unnecessary problems. He better not have died.

I should search where I last saw him.

He slipped and fell on his ass, groaning and wriggling on the ground like a worm... Didn't seem too hurt. Should have been able to easily move. Did he get into trouble after I encountered him? He doesn't owe an outstanding debt to some loan sharks or gambling dens, I hope. That man is definitely the type to be involved with shady people.

The air reverberated slightly. Amidst the dark mist of miasma, there was a leftover trace of warm mana. Sophie's.

She came through this area. Is it just a coincidence, her instinct, or did she deduce that the trash of society would come to a seedy place like this. Ever since eternal night fell upon this world, the red-light district has remained open at all times. They must be making a killing during this rainy period; people will be forced to buy temporary shelter at ridiculous prices.

Sophie's trace got stronger. The scenery grew more familiar. The rickety shop sign, the slippery pavement. I rounded the corner to find Sophie helping Paige's father to his feet.

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"Daddy!" "Papa!" Anny and Paige ran up to us.

Due to the fall, the man had apparently injured his back. He was barely able to move himself to safety.

So, he's using me as his crutch. Ugh, I'd rather not have to be in such close proximity to him. He smells terrible. I'm not a germaphobe but knowing damn well what he's been up to, I feel disgusted.

I have no choice, Sophie's too short to support him. Rather than a crutch, she would be more like a cane.

"Sorry for troubling all of you..." He muttered.

The trash developed self-awareness. Astounding... Will I get a reward for going to all this trouble? Helping this guy didn't increase my fame. This beggar doesn't have a social circle to spread the word about my good deeds.

Lending a temporary umbrella to random people on the street, gives more fame than this.

Helping this man has no benefits-

"Papa, you're safe!"

No benefits at all...

The way Paige and Anny looked to their father; it was definitely affectionate. Despite his father bringing shame to his family, his children still loved him.

Paige had looked at him with disdain, just a day earlier. But now, he greeted his father with such joy. Relief, that he was safe.

An unconditional sort of love from child to parent.

Was it simply he was their father? Or because he raised them better than perceived? Maybe, he had deceived them.

How can you love a father like that?

Children aren't stupid. They intuitively know when things are wrong. Maybe they chose to be deceived.

I don't know.

A discomfort rose up from within me.

I don't care anymore.

I don't want to know.