Volume Five: Return from the Other Shore, Chapter 479: That Girl · G (3)

Please have some sympathy for me... being sold out by you?

The two brothers were taken aback at first, then their faces simultaneously showed expressions of fear, and they looked at Givinia as if she were a monster.

Could this be that madwoman's daughter?

Is he back for revenge because he resents being sold out?

"Judging from your expressions, I know I haven't picked the wrong person. That's great."

"What... what do you want?!"

"I've said it so many times, I just want to ask a few questions, to get some final confirmation about my little bit of background."

Really!

The two brothers exchanged a glance, then said in unison, "We don't know anything!"

"Really? But your eyes don't lie, you know. I'm very good at reading people's expressions, so please don't try to fool me."

"You—you brat!"

In his panic, ignoring the lingering pain on his face from the umbrella's blow, the older brother reached for the girl again. However, the moment he made his move, a sharp pain shot through his head, and a phantom image identical to the girl appeared in his mind!

"Ugh... you're... a psychic?"

"You guessed right~ Anyway, please give up the idea of hurting me. Objectively speaking, you can't beat me, but I'm not an unreasonable person either... You see."

Givinia produced a small bag from somewhere and placed it in the middle of the hut, just out of reach of the two brothers locked in opposite corners. As soon as the bag was opened, the bright orange-gold immediately caught the brothers' eyes. It was gold coins, the highest-grade currency in various countries before the widespread circulation of Tong Coin, and with the brothers' discerning eyes, it was definitely high-purity real gold.

"If you really sold me out, I should thank you. The Prime Minister's Mansion must have been on fire by then, right? If it weren't for you, I probably would have burned to death. So these gold coins can serve as a token of my gratitude."

The two brothers swallowed hard. Their eyes were practically green with envy, a testament to their extravagant lifestyles. Their gazes toward the girl weren't entirely hostile; there was also a hint of barely concealed anticipation.

But that glimmer of hope quickly vanished, because they saw the girl pull out another bag, and the contents... gave them a bad feeling no matter how they looked at it.

"Then, let's begin."

"Um... this little sister?"

"Please forgive me, although I am a psychic, it is still very difficult for me to directly extract other people's memories, so I can only use the traditional method to get you to talk."

"Hey!? Wait a minute! This bag of gold coins... If you give us this, we'll say anything!"

"But I want double insurance, and..."

Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Let's keep things separate. Do you think I'll forgive you for using me to make money?"

"Can--"

"No buts...look," she pulled a small wooden mallet from her bag, "When I've used this, the credibility of your words will rise from zero to thirty percent."

Then he took out a hammer.

"After using this, the percentage will rise from 30% to 50%."

Then he took out an iron hammer with protruding edges.

"After using this, I'll believe 70% of what you say, and finally—"

She put down the hammer, clasped her hands together, and when she opened them again, there was a small, transparent, bullet-like object in her palm.

That was her second superpower— the Air Bomb.

"--After using this, I will be able to trust you completely, and I will definitely stop then. Please feel free to take these gold coins."

As she spoke, she glanced at her dumbfounded younger brother on the other end and said, "If I'm still not completely sure after talking with your brother, then it's your turn, so please wait a moment."

"Wait... are you... joking?" the bewildered older brother asked weakly.

Givinia smiled in response.

Of course not.

Fifteen minutes later--

Givinia wiped the blood off her hands with a towel she had prepared beforehand, pondering as she did so.

After much effort, she was now completely certain.

She is the daughter of the Prime Minister of the now-defunct Zitan Kingdom and his nominal wife.

Her birth mother, the wife of the Prime Minister's son, and the female demon who caused the downfall of the country—these three identities truly belong to the same person.

"Mother... she really is my mother..."

When Givinia uttered the word "mother," her heart soared.

It's wonderful that I'm not all alone in this world.

It's so good to finally understand who the hatred that has been surging in my heart for so many years was directed at.

Knowing who I've always wanted to kill—that's wonderful.

That woman had no love for her; she gave birth to her out of hatred and resentment. Not only did she later destroy the home that should have been hers, but she also tried to kill her in the end.

This intertwining of love and hate is truly wonderful.

It's amazing that I've survived until now.

Next, we must do everything we can to find our dearest and most hated mother.

The former female villain disappeared without a trace after committing numerous evil deeds. It is said that she joined a mysterious organization. What kind of organization is it? It's truly intriguing.

At this time--

"Waaah... Waaah... Please... Are you satisfied now? Please, let me go!"

The younger brother's untimely wailing interrupted Givinia's thoughts. Watching his older brother being tortured into a pile of unrecognizable minced meat had already driven him to the brink of collapse. He was utterly desperate and only hoped that the girl would spare his life.

The girl simply gave him her usual gentle smile and glanced at him.

Then she took something out of the bag and threw it at him.

It's a small hacksaw commonly found in woodworking shops.

"Eh? Eh?"

The man paused for a moment, then frantically picked up a hacksaw and began sawing at the chain binding his feet. A series of clanging metallic scraping sounds rang out, but only a few white marks were left on the thick chain.

"Hey, this... this can't be sawed through! Hey! Wait, don't go!"

Just as Givinia, having wiped her hands clean, was about to leave through the door—which, incidentally, was beyond the man's reach—the man quickly called out, but the girl simply replied with a curt "yes."

"Don't waste your energy, this chain is very strong, this little saw can't cut it."

"That--"

"Who said you were allowed to saw the chains?"

"... ah?"

The girl's gaze shifted from the chains to the man's tightly bound ankles.

"Do you understand now? 'Saving one leg and leaving with the gold coins' versus 'being chained here until starving to death'—I don't think that's a difficult choice."

No! No! You can't—

"--By the way, this is an abandoned house in the middle of nowhere; no one could possibly have passed by here."

After leaving behind her last words, Givinia departed.

Only the man's desperate screams echoed through the cabin, eventually fading into the silence of the wilderness.

One hundred and seventy-nine years ago, on the other side of the silver moon, in the Mirror Sea, in the "non-existent space"—

A man and a woman were walking on the ground woven from strips of gray-black cloth.

The man was already half-old. He was wearing an outdated jacket and had a beard on his face. He looked very decadent.

The girl had long, light brown hair, wore a light blue long-sleeved dress and dark brown capri pants, and light orange sandals. She had a very delicate and beautiful appearance, like a masterpiece of craftsmanship.

They were, of course, "disciples" and Givinia.

"Thank you so much for showing me the way, senior disciple," the girl said very politely.

"Not at all, it's all part of my job. I should be thanking you," the disciple said with a rare warm smile. "There are just too many weirdos and lunatics in the organization. As the one responsible for guiding them, how often am I not driven half to death by those oddballs? It's rare to meet someone as polite as you, hahaha..."

"Uh... you've had it tough too."

"You're really something, aren't you? You managed to investigate and find out about the organization all by yourself, and then you even came to me on your own initiative. People like you are rare. If you hadn't asked to join, some of the more sensitive guys might have been threatening to wipe you out."

"It's not that serious, is it?"

"It's that serious! Most of the people in the organization aren't quite right in the head, so be careful! And as is customary, I also need to explain the organization's higher-ups to you. Actually, I don't know them very well, so I can only give a general overview. First, there's Gustav..."

Givinia listened quietly, her heart pounding. Even she, who had always been extremely self-controlled, was starting to feel restless. She desperately wanted to urge her disciple to speak, but she was also afraid that this seemingly dejected but actually shrewd man would discover her true thoughts.

"... This is Yu He. He's arguably the most normal person among the higher-ups, but don't get too close to him. And then... who's next? Oh right, the higher-ups who joined after Yu He are—"

Just then, less than a hundred meters ahead of them, two women emerged from a temple-like building made of gray and black cloth strips.

One of them had long, straight, black hair like a waterfall, and was extremely tall and sexy. She was wearing a simple sweater and a knee-length skirt. Her appearance could not be described as "world-shattering," although the expression on her face was subtly somewhere between indifference and woodenness.

And the other person—

"Ah..."

She was an even taller and more curvaceous woman than the former, with her golden hair styled in an extravagantly luxurious updo. Her clothes resembled an extremely opulent evening gown, but all of this suited her perfectly. Her appearance was also exceptionally beautiful; although slightly less striking than the black-haired woman, her captivating radiance more than made up for that small difference.

The two women seemed oblivious to the sparse crowd around them, as if they were talking or arguing. The dark-haired woman remained indifferent, even somewhat wooden, while the blonde woman was radiant, seemingly enjoying their little squabble.

For the first time in her life, Givinia couldn't control her expression.

It's her.

No explanation was needed from his disciples, no guessing required; the familiarity etched in his blood had already proven everything.

Her hands were shaking so badly, in fact, it wasn't just her hands, her whole body was trembling, because all the emotions that had been building up inside her were surging up at once, almost overwhelming her.

What kind of expression do I have right now? It must be a grotesque face twisted from ecstasy and rage.

Fortunately, the disciples' attention was also drawn to the two women, and they didn't notice Givinia.

"They've arrived as expected. They are 'God-Given Sound' Madam Winsani and 'Blood Prison Master' Ai Warrensding —you can call him Ai Kasser or Blood Fiend, too. It's not surprising that two high-ranking officials would appear at the same time... well, their relationship is usually... uh... I don't know whether to say it's good or bad... Givinia?"

The disciples looked at Givinia, who had already returned to normal, displaying an astonishing ability to self-regulate.

"Were you startled to suddenly see two high-ranking officials?"

"I'm fine, senior disciple, but..."

She flashed her most radiant smile yet.

"... Could you tell me more about Madam Winsani?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The short story of Givinia is almost over, let's get back to... the year's biggest ethical drama! Son-in-law and daughter team up to abuse mother-in-law! Is this a moral decay or a cruel twist of fate? Cast your Monthly Votes and we'll find out!

Also, thank you for the Monthly Votes, Minna! I'm short on time since school just started, so I can't reply to everyone individually. Anyway, thank you for your support!