The light that had receded came back down.
Her small hand held up Reed's face.
Rosaria, who had risen to the sky, came back down to the ground.
"Rosaria...."
"I won't go anywhere. So don't cry. If you cry..."
Rosaria smiled hesitantly.
"I'll tickle you."
Rosaria hugged Reed's face.
The girl, who had always been childlike, embraced Reed.
Though they were enjoying their reunion, there was still someone who was dissatisfied with it.
"This is a unilateral cancellation! Fair-minded angels, will you just stand by and watch this?!"
"To put it bluntly."
"I never agreed to this."
"Therefore, there's no cancellation."
As Rosaria tried to speak, Reed interrupted her, so she couldn't hear her answer.
"If you don't return as a god."
"You can't accept his proposal either."
"In other words, the disaster you couldn't solve."
"Will continue to afflict the continent."
It was fine that she gave up her ascension, but that left a problem.
Rosaria stood up from her seat and spoke to the angels.
"I'll still stay. The continent is important, but Dad needs me. So I want to live in this world as Rosaria."
"Are you saying that you've finished weighing your options?"
At the angel's question, Rosaria nodded her head.
"Yes. Dad is more important to Rosaria."
The angels noticeably wavered.
Rosaria's choice was an unusual one.
Whether it was driven by emotion rather than reason, or if she really had the rationality to overcome this predicament.
"Choosing an individual over the world..."
"It's unbelievable."
Then, Rosaria shook her head vigorously.
"No! I'll save the world too! I can't give up on the world either!"
"Does that mean you feel the possibility?"
"Do you have a singularity different from what we observed?"
Then, Rosaria smiled. A childlike beaming smile.
It was the original Rosaria that Reed knew.
"I don't know about that."
At her innocent remark, everyone lost their words and looked at her.
It was a childlike statement without any logic or reason.
However, the angels who heard her words all nodded and respected Rosaria's wishes.
"As you wish."
"The negotiations have failed."
"The world will proceed as it was."
The angels' figures dissolved into the darkness and disappeared.
All that remained were three people.
Reed and Rosaria, and an incomplete being.
-Why did you make such a choice?
The incomplete being asked.
There was a deep anger in its voice.
It was genuinely curious.
It wondered what Rosaria was thinking, how she approached it, and what emotional decision she made.
-Aren't you scared of the disaster you witnessed with your own eyes?
"I'm scared. They were definitely scary things!"
-Then what's the reason!?
"That's because Rosaria doesn't find you scary at all."
Rosaria shouted, pointing her finger.
"You're not that scary of a person."
-You're saying I'm not scary?
"Yes. If you were a scary person, you wouldn't have tried to negotiate like this."
-Are you out of your mind? Do you even know how much I hate you, and you're saying this? Do you think I'll fall for you with this kind of show, you stupid girl!
The incomplete being yelled.
-I can't stand to see you happy. I will ruin this continent, and destroy the world you wanted to create. Do you still think this choice is right!?
"I can do it!!"
Rosaria shouted as if she couldn't lose.
"I'm not scared of you! I'm not even more scared of that future! Because it won't happen like a monster under the bed!"
-You... you foolish girl!
"If you run away, I'll keep looking for you!"
-So what are you going to do? How are you going to try to kill me?
"Of course, we'll become friends!"
-...What?
The incomplete being was at a loss for words.
Reed could tell.
The man, who had been infuriated by her naive sincerity, was dumbfounded.
-Don't you know... what kind of beings we are? I am your shadow, and you are mine. Do you think that will work even though we are looking in different directions?
"There's nothing in the world that can't be done. It's just that you think it can't be."
Rosaria reached out her hand.
Like athletes who perform a ritual of fair play before the start of a match, she confidently requested a handshake.
"So promise me. If Rosaria finds you, you'll be my friend from that day on!"
-Why should I make such a ridiculous promise?
"Because you're sure you won't get caught! So it's okay to make a promise that won't happen, right?"
It was an absurd logic.
But it had a point.
If they were sure they wouldn't get caught, there was no problem making a ridiculous promise.
And...
If their confidence was shattered, they should pay the appropriate price.
-Pfft... Hahahaha!!
He laughed heartily.
-As expected... you're someone who exceeds my expectations.
The incomplete being turned its head and looked at Reed.
-You've raised such an interesting thing, Reed Adeleheights Roton.
The incomplete being, who had been laughing for a while, grabbed Rosaria's hand.
-I'll become friends... I'll think about it if you find me. But that won't happen.
"You'll only know if it's long or short if you try."
Rosaria spoke confidently, snorting.
-That's right. You have to try to know if it's long or short.
The man turned his back and took a step.
His figure, walking somewhere, gradually faded and disappeared completely.
Rosaria lowered her head.
The other personality inside her smiled.
"Rosaria has grown up so purely, more than I expected."
"She grew up that way on her own."
"Is that so? You've paid attention to her so that she could create herself."
The girl thought positively and was happy.
Reed scratched his face awkwardly.
"That man will avoid us for the rest of his life. Then the world will be ruined."
She had clearly seen the continent she had protected for her entire life being destroyed.
But the girl was still smiling.
"But... why don't I feel anxious? What's the reason I think that child will change the future I saw?"
The girl saw the future.
A hopeless future where the land dries up, and everything is destroyed.
She had offered herself as a sacrifice because she was afraid of that future, but now she wasn't scared of the disaster.
It was because of the belief that it would be resolved.
Now hope had sprouted in her heart.
"I will disappear now. Please take good care of this pretty and kind child."
As Reed nodded, she seemed relieved and smiled.
A brief silence. And then, Rosaria returned to her original self.
"Dad."
"Yeah?"
"Let's go home."
"Alright, let's go home."
Reed stood up from his seat.
Holding Rosaria's outstretched left hand gently, they walked down the dark hallway.
"Rosaria."
"What's up?"
"Do you... regret choosing me?"
There were better and more comfortable ways.
If Reed hadn't stopped her, it would have been.
That's why he was curious.
He wondered if Rosaria resented him, even a little.
"No."
Rosaria shook her head.
It wasn't just being considerate; she genuinely expressed her feelings.
"Really... you don't resent me?"
"Of course not. You're the most precious person to me!"
Rosaria held their clasped hands tightly.
The girl's hand, which used to hold his fingers, had grown enough to hold Reed's hand properly.
"I still remember that. When I first met Dad."
"When you first met me?"
"Until then, I couldn't see anything. I just went wherever I was dragged, and it was always cold and hungry. But one day, suddenly, I started to see something! Do you know what it was?"
Rosaria stretched her arms out and shouted.
"It was you, Dad! The first thing I saw was your face. That was the most wonderful world I had ever seen."
Reed swallowed.
He felt like he would show a pathetic side of himself in front of his daughter, overwhelmed by emotions.
"Was I... that great?"
"Yes. You were warm, gentle, and beautiful. I thought, 'This person, Dad, will show me the most wonderful things.' So, that's when I smiled for the first time."
Reed hugged Rosaria.
He was the one who embraced her small frame, but Reed felt the same comfort as if he was the one being hugged.
"So... can I still be your daughter?"
It was a foolish question.
With his face buried in Rosaria's hair, Reed nodded.
"No matter what happens, you're my daughter. If you think of me as your dad, I'm your dad."
"Dad, you're about to cry again."
"You're the one trying to cry."
"Because Dad's trying to cry, I feel like crying too."
"I'll try my best not to cry."
"Okay."
Hearing her reply, Rosaria hugged Reed tightly as well.
"Let's go back, home..."
Reed held Rosaria's hand.
The fragility of when he first held her hand had become solid.
He had to let her grow more.
So that he could still be her father then and after.
Reed prayed as he walked with Rosaria.
***
* * *
Dream big tl dot com
***
[The experiment has failed.]
"Damn it..."
Reed was busy trying to extinguish the fire on the Mana furnace, which had black smoke billowing from it.
Typically, when a fire starts from Mana, it is extinguished by scattering the Mana.
But right now, Reed didn't even have enough Mana left for that.
He had no choice but to reduce the flames as much as possible with a fire blanket and cover the furnace to solve the problem.
'Is it the equipment's problem, or my research's problem...'
It was a problem that he couldn't figure out which side it was.
He enjoyed occasionally conducting Magic Engineering-related experiments with various equipment purchased with his savings when time allowed.
Since it wasn't the Tower's property but a private one, it was smaller, and the performance difference was significant.
'I miss the Tower's equipment at times like this.'
The maintenance state was excellent, and because of its size, there were no minor breakdowns.
Should he have left this experiment to the Silence Tower?
As he thought about it, Reed shook his head.
'I can't bother them when they're busy.'
It had been four years since Kaitlyn Ramos Roton was appointed as the Tower's master.
Like everyone else, she made many mistakes at first and often consulted with Reed, the former Tower master.
But now, after four years, things were going smoothly.
The fact that it was going smoothly meant that it was busy.
It was better for both of them if Reed solved minor problems on his own.
The research ended in failure, and Reed began cleaning up himself.
Knock-knock.
"Come in."
The one who opened the door and entered was an elderly butler.
He had a troubled expression on his face, unlike an experienced butler.
"The young ladies have disappeared again."
"Rosen and Anna?"
Reed took off his reading glasses and got up from his seat.
The butler bowed and apologized one after another.
"I apologize. I have an idea where they might be..."
"Oh, I know what you mean. Don't worry too much."
Reed gave a reassuring smile.
It meant that if they were hiding and the employees couldn't move, it was undoubtedly a place where the employees of this house had difficulty entering.
"I'll take care of the cleanup, sir."
"Thank you."
Reed headed towards the place where the butler seemed to be having trouble.
There was only one such place in this house.
Reed entered the room without knocking.
A woman was sitting in a rocking chair, facing the sunlight coming into the room.
Thick blonde hair with golden eyes.
The charmingly smiling woman, Phoebe, greeted Reed as she saw him.
"My husband, you're here?"
