She's Not Our Daughter! Ch 109

Who Has Been Tamed?

Hanael looked down at the tiny monster, a slime, clinging to her dress. The creature silently asked a question.

[Slime] "Master, why are you smiling?"

She lowered her head, lacking the confidence to answer. How could she explain it? The sudden realization that Sierra felt like her real mother overwhelmed her!

Keeping her mouth firmly shut like a clam, Hanael cast her eyes downward.

Instead of looking at Hanael, Sierra stared into the distance, completely unaware of the shifting expressions on the child's face.

[Hanael] "......Hmph."

Recognizing that Sierra's attention had faded, Hanael lowered her head and pouted. Just then, the monster whispered innocently, audible only to her.

[Slime] "She is your real mother anyway."

[Hanael] "What?"

She stiffened, staring at the monster. The creature muttered once more in a relaxed tone.

[Slime] "She is definitely your real mother."

Hanael's cheeks flushed bright red at the creature's casual remark.

This foolish monster just said exactly what I wanted to say!

It voiced the very words she desired to speak but couldn't. She stole a sideways glance at the calm Sierra.

Since Sierra remained silent, she clearly had not overheard the monster's words......

[Hanael] "Hmph. Dummy. You didn't hear it."

Feeling upset by that fact for some reason, Hanael pouted.

Completely oblivious to why the child suddenly acted this way, Sierra merely tilted her head in confusion.

[Sierra] "Why do you have that expression?"

[Hanael] "Hmph."

She turned away from Sierra and stared back at the monster. A monster that understood her felt a hundred times better than a clueless, foolish Mother.

Puffing out her chubby cheeks, she whispered carefully.

[Hanael] "You are actually a pretty cute monster, aren't you?"

She smiled brightly at the creature.

By befriending the tiny monsters within this space, Hanael learned to command them far better than in her past life. With her natural talent combined with a touch of friendliness, every monster naturally followed her.

I must work harder! Then Mommy will praise me.

The thought lifted her spirits, and she began to resonate with the mana flowing from her hands. She remained completely unaware that Sierra watched her in surprise, or that anyone else stood nearby.

Hanael tensed her entire body and squeezed her eyes shut, sensing the scattered mana in the air. The mana inside her body swirled gradually. A transformation was taking place; to be precise, Hanael was slowly growing.

---

Where there is light, darkness must exist. If Hanael represented light, the Crown Prince stood as the darkness. As Hanael gradually grew, he drew steadily closer to death.

Lately, the Crown Prince suffered from continuous nightmares.

He severely lacked sleep; dark circles stained the skin beneath his eyes, and his lips were entirely cracked.

Within the palace walls, rumors that the Crown Prince suffered from madness spread everywhere.

Someone repeatedly whispered into his ear.

[Voice] "Does God exist?"

[Prince] "......"

[Voice] "If God exists, why does he not prevent evil?"

[Prince] "That is......"

The Crown Prince tossed and turned. He managed to voice the words, but these questions were completely impossible to answer.

[Voice] "Because a good God is by no means all-powerful. Or, even if an absolute being exists......"

A bone-chilling, terrifying voice echoed in his ears.

[Voice] "Could that absolute God not be a demon who worships evil?"

The word demon felt horrifyingly cold and sharp. An intense disgust welled up from deep within his chest, making him want to cover his ears if he could. Experiencing a powerful sense of déjà vu, he struggled to move his stiffened body.

[Voice] "Do you realize the meaning of these words? Foolish young human."

An inhuman entity easily addressed the Crown Prince as a "foolish young human."

He trembled and curled into a ball to avoid hearing those words any longer. Yet the demon proved relentless.

The demon hovered before him, who kept his eyes squeezed shut, and let out a continuous cackle. Then, gripping his shoulders, the entity shouted.

[Voice] "Why do you still not understand? This is a requiem. Yes, it is merely a requiem!"

The moment he heard the word requiem, a terrifying sentence flashed through his mind. A requiem for the dead who left this world, and......

It is music that summons a demon.

Why would he not have considered summoning a demon himself?

When struggling to open the monster gate, the Crown Prince had occasionally controlled monsters and familiars. But the present differed. A demon he summoned personally belonged to a completely different class than a demon raging against his will. The former at least respected each other as contractors. But the latter......

[Voice] "My incredibly lovely prey."

Realizing this truth, an intense chill ran down his arms. Why on earth did a requiem that summons a demon appear completely against his will? Something was severely wrong.

At that exact moment, the foul energy that paralyzed his body vanished. The Crown Prince rubbed his stiff arm muscles and bolted upright. Every sensation in his body felt abnormal.

Although his flesh felt as if it had been reborn, it differed from usual. Looking down at his hands, where thick veins bulged, he moved stiffly as if obeying an absolute command.

With a terrifyingly expressionless face, he limped down the stairs. Before long, he entered the dungeon where both the monsters and Hanael were confined.

He stumbled forward, scanning his surroundings. Within the bleak and sinister air, black smoke coiled. That black smoke also drifted from the palm of his gripped hand.

[Prince] "This is......"

He smirked, raising his hand.

[Prince] "Something......"

Yet his eyes and voice trembled pathetically. He realized that the energy entering his body was by no means blue mana. At that moment, a whisper escaped his lips.

[Prince] "Something is wrong, indeed."

He couldn't control his trembling hand at all. His shaking fingertips brushed against the cavernous wall. He unconsciously curled his lips into a cackle, unable to halt the laughter.

A few minutes later, the laughter ceased. His gaze turned empty, and his movements froze.

He approached what he believed to be Hanael. His freezing hand pressed down on her forehead. Instantly, she dissolved into black smoke and scattered into the air.

Only the Crown Prince remained in that space, his face turning as white as a wax doll.

---

Sierra bolted upright. An incredibly bizarre dream had plagued her sleep. A voice whispered in her ear.

What a ridiculous dream. How annoying, especially at a time like this!

Filled with unease, she quickly scanned her surroundings. Fortunately, Hanael slept peacefully and cutely. She stroked her hair, falling into quiet thought.

[Sierra] "Something is strange. What kind of dream was that?"

As she muttered quietly, someone answered her.

[Cassius] "What is strange?"

[Sierra] "Aaaah! What—what is that?"

She flinched in shock, staring at the source of the voice.

This room was not a place anyone could easily enter, yet he appeared without even the sound of an opening door!

[Sierra] "Cassius?"

It was indeed Cassius. Watching him stride forward, Sierra wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.

[Sierra] "No joke, you almost scared me to death."

He excelled at displaying a calm demeanor, approaching the bed where she lay.

Feeling embarrassed in her nightslip, she pulled the blanket over herself and mumbled.

[Sierra] "What is the matter? It is the middle of the night."

Before Cassius could answer, she understood what he intended to say. Although the darkness obscured her vision, a round, orb-like object in his hand shattered onto the floor. It was clearly not glass, yet it shattered into pieces exactly like glass.

She recognized instinctively that a shift had occurred regarding the Crown Prince.

[Cassius] "We must leave now. Do you have the potion we prepared?"

She blinked. When plotting the Crown Prince's downfall alongside Cassius, he had requested that she prepare several invisibility potions to infiltrate the imperial palace.

Sierra nodded quietly.

[Sierra] "I have it."

He extended a hand toward her, silently demanding the potion.

[Cassius] "Give it to me. I will go handle him now."

Yet she merely looked up at him, refusing to hand over the potion. A bewildered Cassius raised a brow.

[Sierra] "You can't go alone. I must accompany you to monitor this potion continuously. The transparency might fade, or it could trigger side effects upon consumption. A pharmacist must personally oversee an experimental drug like this."

This meant they had to go together. Cassius bit his lip, showing his reluctance. He had no desire to involve Sierra in a potentially dangerous operation. Yet since the potion required it, he had no choice. He spoke to her strictly.

[Cassius] "We go together. However, you must keep your distance. The Crown Prince might run wild."

Her face turned pale at the mention of running wild. Whether a bastard like him ran wild mattered nothing to Sierra. Yet if he lost control, would the people in his immediate vicinity not be in danger? Amille would definitely be near the prince.

[Sierra] "Run wild? Then what about Amille? As his close associate, she must be right beside him......"

He spoke firmly.

[Cassius] "We can rescue the person you care about before he runs wild."

Unable to erase the anxiety from her face, Sierra quickly stood up. She threw a simple outfit over her nightslip.

Watching Sierra button her clothes, Cassius extended a hand toward her. It was time to open the door and leave.

Right at that moment, Hanael—whom they assumed slept deeply—bolted upright. She marched directly between the startled Cassius and Sierra.

[Sierra] "......Hanael? You must go back to bed and sleep."

As Sierra barely managed to speak, Hanael interrupted quickly.

[Hanael] "Hmph! What about me? Take me too!"

Hanael tilted her head, her round eyes wide beside the monster she had beautifully dressed in doll clothes.

Cassius quietly answered Sierra's thoughts.

[Cassius] "A child needs to sleep, Hanael."

[Hanael] "Stupid mister! Me—no, Hanael is coming too!"

Watching the tiny Hanael blocking the doorway, Sierra let out a helpless laugh.

What should they do now? Come to think of it, they couldn't leave Hanael behind entirely.

Yet they couldn't drag a child into the middle of enemy territory either......?

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