Chapter 583

She couldn't think of any grand reason to justify giving herself another chance at life.

Kirishima Ai raised her hand, stroking her hair behind her ear in annoyance, and asked again, hoping the other wouldn't find her annoying—

"Then, why is that?"

Why are Silver Feather Crystal created?

Why did the girl named Silver Feather from the past gain life again?

Why were teachers born into this world in this form?

Now, only the final answer remains.

Lilith raised her head this time, keeping her eyes fixed on Kirishima Ai with a slightly quiet expression. Her deep purple, star-like eyes occasionally tried to look away, but in the end, she continued to gaze at the girl.

In this world that consisted only of the two of them, Lilith opened her mouth, and after a while, she gave the answer----

I used to think of myself as a very greedy person.

"In those maddening and desperate times, everything was painful, and those voices were louder and more pitiful than ever before, forever echoing in my ears."

"So, I think if everyone in the world could be saved, I should be able to calm down."

"Hmm, very good. It seems many people who said goodbye in the past have been able to return, and you are no exception."

The woman's face showed reminiscence and contemplation, with a faint smile playing on her lips. Her gaze was slightly melancholy, but not to a great extent; after all, she should have gotten used to it by now.

"It was just boredom and a fleeting sense of anticipation. I created the Silver Feather Crystal, and then, contradictorily, I felt I should perhaps be defeated."

It was roughly the same as when I suddenly regained my clarity and rationality in a certain moment.

Yet I know perfectly well that it's completely useless.

The person who could use it is long dead.

She would never see that child again until the Overlord's wish was fulfilled.

Therefore, the Silver Feather Crystal were never the main point.

For Lilith, most of the things that others thought carried meaning were not actually that important.

Everything, everything, is nothing more than a fleeting Morning Flowers, destined to wither and vanish as the sun sets and the tide rises and falls.

"But."

That's what she originally thought.

What kind of light shone in those eyes that always witnessed people's departure, when they saw themselves facing death?

It seemed cold and indifferent, just as hazy as before.

It was just a chance recollection of certain past events---

"When he was killed, he had already planned to accept death peacefully."

But I thought of you.

Whenever she thinks of Kirishima Ai, Haihara feels incredibly sad.

It was as if seeing Kirishima Ai had pierced her heart.

"Because my whole body ached, I felt lonely and in pain."

"Then, a strange thought suddenly popped into my head."

"I suddenly realized that I was probably much worse than I thought."

"It doesn't matter if we can't bring all those who have passed away back to life."

Even if it's just you, it's fine.

"I want to see your face again, I want to see you grow up, I want to see you happy, I want to see you fly freely in the sky like a bird, I want you to stay with me a little longer."

I want to see you again.

That was a despicable idea.

It was as if she had used immense greed to mask her true feelings, without even realizing it herself. In fact, after peeling back the layers, what remained was such a strange desire.

She was even ashamed of herself for being like that.

But perhaps it's truly because the feeling of liberation at the moment of death is incredibly cold and piercing.

Those people pierced her entire body with swords, bringing her the retribution she deserved. In her dying moments, the regret of leaving her shrouded her like a dark cloud.

What was she thinking at the last moment?

It's just something everyone does—making a wish, nothing more.

Making a wish while in a state of mental confusion.

I didn't expect my wish to actually come true when I made it.

In the darkness, silently, without anyone hearing, I make a wish in my heart.

I made a wish deep in my heart.

"I want to see that child again."

"If I could do it all over again, I'd want a more ordinary life, one where I don't have to think about anything..."

Nothing is needed.

It's best if no one notices you and you just live an inconspicuous life.

Then, one day, perhaps we will see that child grow up healthy and happy.

That would be great.

It was really just a tiny, fleeting hope.

Finally, the wish that no one had heard was fulfilled.

Volume Four Does This Count as a Magical Girl??: Chapter 92 Lilith

Do you remember that Snowman?

Actually, the Witch never told anyone the story of the Snowman.

But later in her life, Lilith encountered that Snowman many more times.

When Lilith was a child, the most common advice she heard from other Witch was: don't get too close to mortals, don't spend too much time with them, and don't always listen to their wishes.

This isn't because they're sick, or because they're a bunch of Monster.

However, this was a terrible thing for both the Witch and them.

Lilith couldn't understand the meaning of those words at the time.

At that time, she had a village she really liked.

She liked it because her favorite flowers were planted there, and the starry sky at night was exceptionally beautiful.

Moreover, she also had childhood playmates there when she was very young.

Her name is Luna.

Luna didn't stay with her for long before she contracted the disease and passed away.

She couldn't say for sure how long it would take.

It could take weeks, months, or even years.

That village was her secret.

At that time, she didn't understand why someone would die from an illness.

When she visited the child again some time later, she heard from the Fairies that Luna had become a flower in the field.

However, even the Fairies forgot which one it was.

Lilith clearly remembers that she searched back and forth for about a month.

The reason she stopped searching was because she realized that the Fairies were probably playing a trick on her.

After she wearily gave up on the matter, winter arrived in the town without her noticing.

After the snow covered the farmland, Lilith listened to the villagers' complaints and helped clear the snow from the fields, allowing the crops to continue growing.

After that, Lilith seriously considered that she should leave Luna something as a memento.

So, she took the flower she had found at the beginning, which she thought was Luna, and started building a Snowman. If possible, she wanted to make the Snowman look a little like Luna.

Lilith has a real talent for Snowman.

Rather, it's more accurate to say that she's very talented at everything she does.

Whether she resembles Luna is another matter, because she can't remember either.

As her hands turned red from Snowman, she felt someone walk up to her. She looked up and saw a little girl.

Lilith felt this person looked familiar:

Are you Luna?

So Luna didn't die after all?

It seems pretty good.

"I am Luna's Sister."

What about Luna?

She's gone.

Lilith's gaze quickly dimmed again, while the little girl didn't seem to feel cold, or perhaps she felt warm beside Lilith. She sat down next to Lilith and watched her Snowman.

Snow fell all over Lilith's head.

The white snowflakes piled up on her thick, long gray hair, which was quite striking.

Why are you Snowman? Don't you feel cold?

"A little."

Lilith gave a perfunctory answer.

The Snowman melted away at the end of winter.

That's where my memories of Luna end.

Nothing surprising happened.

Luna's Sister, like Luna herself, also became her friend.

Luna's Sister did not die.

Or perhaps it was Lilith didn't know when she died.

But the last time I clearly remembered that girl's face was when she was fourteen years old.

She asked Luna's Sister curiously:

Where are you going?

The house where they used to play together is now mostly empty, and the gifts she gave to Luna and this person have all been cleared out and disappeared.

Luna's Sister looks much more mature than Lilith.

She now treats Lilith like a child.

"I want to move to another city. I heard that there are some very beautiful flowers in a metropolis in R'lyeh, the kind we used to see in our village when we were kids. Do you remember them? I want to see those flowers again."

It's the flower that Lilith mistook for Luna when they were kids.

Later, due to an attack by a Flower Monster, although the village suffered no damage under Lilith's protection, that flower became extinct.

The villagers felt that the vacant land would be better used for farming or to build new houses.

"That place, didn't I take you there before? And I even took you to R'lyeh's Royal Capital."

Those distances meant nothing to Lilith.

She felt this village was better.