Impure! Far Too Impure!

"So, don't treat me as a human."

Having said that, Saundin did not wait for Misius to recover from her shock before continuing,

"I was never your father.

You were born on the Fifth Layer. During one of my expeditions, I happened to hear you crying and brought you back to the Fourth Layer.

Perhaps because you were an infant and lacked strength, or because you had been born within the Abyss Ruins and your body had adapted somewhat to the Ascension Curse, you survived in the end, despite bleeding all over and barely clinging to life during the ascent."

An obvious fact now lay before Misius: during that ascent, Saundin had not given her, still an infant at the time, any protection whatsoever.

That had been an experiment as well.

Even so, Misius still trusted Saundin. He had raised her, and her feelings for him could never have been false.

Moreover, Misius believed that Saundin had allowed her into the experiment and shown her what he had done because he thought she had found companions she could trust. He wanted her to gather her courage, make up her mind, leave the Fourth Layer and leave him behind, follow her companions deeper down on their expedition, and seek joy and happiness through exploration.

"You're awful!" Seeing Misius's eyes brimming with tears, Riko hugged her painfully. "You toyed with the lives of Fallen Ones who were once Explorers, and you made Misius sad. You're not a qualified father."

"I've already said that I was never her father. And you know my purpose better than anyone." Saundin's tone did not contain the slightest ripple. The purple vertical line on his helmet's visor faced Riko's eyes directly, as though mocking her helplessness.

Indeed.

Saundin truly did not lie, but that only meant every