Seitenshi's Uncertainty (5.2K) (Continued)

"..."

The Seitenshi didn't speak, but her gaze was already asking him—"Do you think I'm the kind of idiot who would believe such nonsense?"

That's just how people are.

When faced with a possibility beyond one's own understanding, the first reaction is to deny it.

Even if Mahiro encountered such a situation, he could only helplessly shrug and say:

"If you don't believe me, there's nothing I can do... You've already seen what you need to see. Do you really think those new human soldiers who have undergone mechanical modifications could achieve what I have?"

Even if you killed the first and second most popular IPs in the Zodiac, you couldn't do it.

It's important to understand that these two were able to kill a Stage 5 being only because they were Cursed Children who had reached the [Domain] stage.

Moreover, after being killed, the two Initiators completely disappeared without a trace.

It is highly likely that the erosion rate has exceeded the limit, and it has turned into Gastrea.

After all, the concept of a "domain" is essentially the limit of the erosion rate, and it perfectly utilizes the Gastrea Virus to enhance its own reputation.

Just like Fuse Midori, she is very likely to reach the realm, as are Aihara Enju and Asaka.

"If you really don't believe me... how about I pull a meteorite down right here and demonstrate the destruction of the Tokyo Area?"

Please don't do that!

Although the Seitenshi knew he was joking, he immediately refused, fearing that if he hesitated, the man would actually drop a meteorite.

Seeing how nervous the girl was, Mahiro couldn't help but laugh.

"Don't worry, I won't destroy the Tokyo Area."

At least not now.

After all, there are still so many children whose collections haven't been completed yet; it's not too late to wait.

"So... that's why you hate humans so much?"

Seeing his genuine demeanor, the Seitenshi had already largely believed him, with the remaining half based on his own understanding.

"You're not quite right, Your Seitenshi," Mahiro corrected. "First of all, even if I'm a body-adjusting mage, I'm still human according to species classification, just like you."

Secondly, I don't hate humans in this world; rather, I despise and loathe them from the bottom of my heart. As a member of the same species, I feel a deep sense of shame."

"I think Mr. Mahiro, you're being too extreme. I can't agree with you. Although most people harbor ill will towards those children, there are still some who are willing to fight for them."

The Seitenshi spoke with such sincerity and earnestness.

But Mahiro remained unmoved.

"Extreme? I think I've been merciful enough, haven't I?"

He asked, puzzled.

"I remember a saying, what was it again? Oh right, I remember now!"

Executing them all might result in wrongful convictions, while executing them one by one would inevitably lead to some escaping justice.

I don't have the energy to distinguish between good and bad people. When the bad ones make up the vast majority, it's practically a death sentence.

It's like a cancer patient whose cancer cells have spread throughout their body. Do you think there's any hope for this person?

However, just as the Seitenshi was about to continue this pointless rebuttal, a beautiful melody suddenly interrupted them.

Looking up at the overpass at the five-way intersection in the city center, Mahiro smiled at the Seitenshi and said:

"We were having a nice date, talking about this is such a downer. Why don't we go upstairs and listen to some music?"

"... It wasn't a date."

The Seitenshi blushed.

It's quite a contrast that he showed such an arrogant attitude.

However, his body obediently followed him onto the steps of the overpass, and then he found the source of the song—

The sound was coming from a tattered straw mat spread out on the ground not far ahead.

The atmosphere is completely different from that of street performers.

Especially when the Seitenshi approached and saw it, he immediately covered his mouth.

The singer was a ragged, begging girl.

Although the girl looked dirty and her face was covered in grime, you could still see her well-proportioned features.

She wore a shawl stained with oil, and her thin figure gave an impression of frailty, yet her singing never stopped.

She held her begging bowl in both hands and sang towards the direction of passersby.

Beside him was a sign that read, "I am the 'Cursed Children' of the Outer District. I need money to buy food for my sister. Please give me alms."

Mahiro this, Zhenxun remained silent, only gesturing to the Seitenshi with his eyes, as if to say, "You see, this is the result of your so-called willingness to work hard."

Sending such a young child out begging...

The Seitenshi slowly approached.

He disregarded the unpleasant smell emanating from the girl and whether her pure white dress would get dirty.

She knelt down in front of the girl and spoke softly:

"You..."

"Yes."

The girl stopped singing, smiled, and looked up, but a look of confusion quickly appeared on her face.

"That voice..."

However, the Seitenshi ignored the girl's confusion and surprise; instead, she almost cried out in surprise.

The girl's eyes were tightly closed, covered with a thin cloth, clearly indicating that she was blind.

But that's the least likely thing to happen.

While Gastrea Virus will ultimately lead the Cursed Children to their monstrous end, before that, the Cursed Children will possess the strongest constitution, not only having miraculous regenerative abilities but also being immune to various diseases.

That's the real reason why they were able to survive even when they were homeless and had nothing to eat but rotten food.

However, the Cursed Children before them had gone blind...

In other words...

"... What happened to your eyes?"

Although the Seitenshi already knew the answer in his heart, he still couldn't help but ask it aloud.

"Ah ah."

The girl gently touched the area around her eyes.

"The lead filling blinded him."

She said it so naturally, without the slightest resentment, as if it were a very ordinary thing.

However, upon hearing this, the Seitenshi's delicate body trembled slightly, and her tender lips parted as if she wanted to say something.

My throat felt unusually dry, and I couldn't speak at all.

She had let it go in the past because her subordinates were outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant, preventing her from investigating the matter thoroughly.

But right now, right in front of her, this very thing is happening...

"It wasn't someone else who did it, I did it myself." Perhaps sensing the hesitation from the Seitenshi, the girl gently shook her head.

"Can you tell me why...? Why did you do this?"

"Because my mother hated my red eyes, she blinded me... although she still abandoned me and my sister in the end. And besides blinding myself and begging, I had no other way to support my sister..."

"..."

The Seitenshi was speechless.

It turns out that it was only for this reason...

Her heart was filled with bitterness, and her hands, clad in white silk gloves, involuntarily clenched the front of her dress.

Her heart ached, and an indescribable feeling of suffocation washed over her.

"Sister, you don't need to be sad for me, I've gotten used to it..."

Despite her own miserable state, she maintained a smile and even comforted the Seitenshi.

"And, sister, you must be that Seitenshi Emperor, right?"

"... You noticed?"

"Yes, Your Seitenshi, your voice is so pure that I wouldn't mistake you. Also, my sister and I like you very much. Thank you for all your efforts for us, the Cursed Children. Thank you."

With that, the young woman bowed deeply to the Seitenshi once more.

However, such gratitude was like a series of sharp swords, relentlessly piercing her heart, bringing with it a pain that seemed to want to tear it apart.

The pain made her bite her lower lip tightly.

Although this pain is nothing compared to even a fraction of what this child has gone through.

No wonder Mr. Mahiro kept saying to me, "Why don't they eat meat porridge?" It seems I really am like that...

This was the first time she had left the Holy Residence without bodyguards and walked on the land she led.

Even though she had heard about the Cursed Children's plight before, she didn't understand what true heartache was until she actually saw it.

"I'm sorry, I'm an incompetent head of state, causing you such suffering..."

With tears welling in his eyes, the Seitenshi reached out his white-gloved hands and gently cupped the girl's cheeks, completely disregarding whether they would get dirty.

"Sister Seitenshi, please don't cry. Everything we've suffered is not your fault..."

"Why, why can you still laugh even like this?"

The Seitenshi felt her strong heart crumbling little by little, and for the first time, she showed the emotions that only a girl her age would have.

The emotions that have been suppressed in the corner of my heart are being released.

"Because... there's no other way."

The phrase "there is no way" completely silenced the Seitenshi.

"I can only survive by begging from others like this, so naturally I have to keep smiling. Other than that, I don't know what other expression to make."

The girl gave a wry smile, her shoulders drooping slightly.

"However, recently I've been getting hit and verbally abused more and more often, and it's making me feel a bit upset... I wish I could get hit less each day."

Hearing this, the Seitenshi felt as if his heart was bleeding.

She was reflecting on what she could do, what she could do for the girl, and what she could do for the Cursed Children.

Her gaze had involuntarily fallen on Yotsuba Mahiro, her eyes pleading for help.

Just then, a metallic sound came from the girl's begging bowl, as if metal had fallen to the ground.

It wasn't money, but a pull tab from an aluminum can.

Even so, the girl still smiled slightly and bowed deeply without saying a word.

The two men who threw out the ring turned around and mocked the girl, but because of the sun hat, they didn't recognize that it was the Seitenshi.

The Seitenshi stared blankly at the pull ring in the bowl, and couldn't help but think:

How could someone do something so outrageous?

Now that things have come to this, she can no longer utter any words; she can only express everything through her thoughts.

She had seen many Cursed Children.

But apart from the children who were the initiators, there were only the children living comfortably in Arcadia.

She had no idea what kind of lives other children, especially those who roamed the streets of Tokyo Area, led.

This was also the first time she had doubted everything she had done in the past.

Did all those things we did really have any meaning?

For no apparent reason, she recalled what Mahiro had Mahiro said to her...