Chapter 22

"Ah, there you are! I was wondering if you'd come again today."

Eileen Ishimofier, daughter of a knight, for some unknown reason, had come to the volcanic crater that brought her an inexplicable sense of peace for two consecutive days, and once again encountered the girl who had been sweeping volcanic ash before.

She sat squatting by the edge of the volcano, her eyes fixed on the swirling magma inside.

Hearing someone behind her, the girl turned around--

"Hm? I thought it was someone else. Aren't you the one who jumped into the sea yesterday?"

"No, in the end, I'm not here to kill myself. Besides, this place can't be compared to the sea in any way, no matter how you look at it."

Eileen was once again amazed by this young lady's whimsical way of thinking and creative language logic.

"Uh..."

After Eileen spoke to her, the girl shrugged, clearly losing interest.

This time, Eileen took the initiative to approach her--

"By the way, have you not gone back since yesterday? Have you been staying here all this time?"

"Yes."

The girl nodded.

"Even at night?"

"Yes."

"Didn't you eat anything?"

"..."

The girl's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"You've been sweeping volcanic ash this whole time?"

"..."

"And why exactly are you doing that?"

"..."

"Why so many questions? Lord Emile is in a bad mood right now. If you say one more word, I'll throw you down from here."

"Ah... I'm sorry..."

She had made the person angry.

Normally, she would never be so aggressive. Wasn't she supposed to be a social butterfly before? Why couldn't she understand the atmosphere now?

But the name just now, after all...

"...Is it Emile?"

"..."

As if a gentle breeze had blown by, the corners of the girl's mouth curved into an elegant arc.

A rather natural smile.

"Yes, that's right. I'm Emile. Now I'm going to grab your ankle and hang you upside down over the volcanic crater to roast for a day and a night. By the way, do you want honey glazed or cumin flavored?"

"If I have to choose, then cumin flavored. Honey is sticky and uncomfortable," Eileen imitated the girl's posture and sat cross-legged on the ground, using one hand to support the ground and the other to support her chin. "But before that, can I ask you a few more questions?"

The corners of Emile's mouth pulled back, she didn't say anything, as if she had silently agreed.

"Over ten years ago..."

"Hey, do you want to start from the beginning of creation?"

"...There was a major event that affected the whole world, a crisis that, if left unattended, would lead to the destruction of the world."

"..."

"I heard that it was caused by someone named Emile, who first caused a disaster that completely destroyed a city-sized area."

"..."

"The embodiment of that disaster left countless strong people helpless. The news spread like a plague, ultimately evolving into the largest exorcism war in a hundred years."

"Hmm... You seem to know quite a lot."

"In the end, Emile was subdued by the great Astrologer of Stars, Damia. As a result of this battle, Damia was recognized as the world's top magician and brought the sealed Emile back to her own academy."

Eileen's voice gradually slowed down--

"Since then, that devil of crimson, Emile, has gone missing."

"Oh."

The girl still had her usual expression.

"And my father, Sir Ishimofier, was severely injured in the Red Lotus Cataclysm over ten years ago, and died early."

"Ah, I see."

The girl spoke with an indifferent tone--

"If you're just beating around the bush to ask this question, then I'll just tell you directly. Yes, it was me who did it."

Facing this calmly smiling girl in front of her, Eileen began to doubt whether her own ethical values had gone awry.She acted as if she was discussing other people's affairs.

"Let's make it clear, if you're thinking of seeking revenge or something, forget it. You can't beat me. But if you want to try, go ahead," the girl yawned expressionlessly, "you'll die."

A completely different atmosphere from before, no longer a half-threatening tone, just simply stating facts.

Eileen took a deep breath and curled her legs up, holding her knees with her hands.

"No, I didn't come here for this. In the end, I have never had my father's presence since I can remember, and I don't feel obliged to avenge him."

"I see."

"I came here to know, how do you view this matter? As the protagonist of this disaster, what mindset do you have towards it, and how do you face the consequences that follow?"

These were the questions Eileen came up with after contemplating the whole night.

Does she bear a heavy sense of guilt within her heart?

Or is it a subconscious disregard?

Or is it the helplessness of the situation...?

Could it be that she is naturally evil?

An incurable psychological disorder?

Regardless, Eileen wanted to know.

How does this creature, so different from herself, survive with such a mindset?

What are the thoughts she speaks of, and how do they exist in her mind?

Eileen was looking forward to hearing what came next.

In reality, what followed went beyond Eileen's comprehension.

"Who cares about things like that."

"..."

Is she really a deranged person with a crumbling set of values, lacking the morals that a normal person should have...?

Well, she herself is hoping to receive references from someone who has done such things?

Just thinking about it...

"Are you expecting me to feel guilty or find pleasure in the countless lives extinguished and disappeared?"

...?

"How many people have said that to me by now, that I should take responsibility, that someday I will pay the price."

...

These are indeed thoughts that Eileen believes she should have.

"Who cares about things like that. Not to mention that event is completely not imprinted in my memory. Even if I remembered every detail, how many people I killed, how much destruction I caused, the disintegration of families, the wandering of clans, it has nothing to do with me now."

"You..."

"They can't beat me, they can't even bother me for long. I heard the only one who can beat me is Damia, but she is just that, I still do what I want."

"No, that's not..."

"Even if I knew everything from Damia, what kind of reaction do you think I should have?"

"This..."

Doesn't her own actions have any connection to herself?

How can she say that?

Eileen felt like her brain was a tangled mess, unable to untangle the knots, unable to make sense.

—It has nothing to do with me now.

No, of course it does. People like her own father, who personally experienced the events of that year, as well as the condemned and retaliated family members, friends and acquaintances, all kinds of people...

—They can't beat me.

Relying on this explanation...

—I do what I want.

"Ah."

In that instant, Eileen suddenly remembered and understood what Emile had said yesterday.

To be precise, it was a single word.

—Self

A word that Eileen's mother had always thrown away, that Eileen had ignored.

—Self.

Ah, that's right.

What have I been doing all this time?

Everything I have done has been based on rules and teachings.

What is this?

So it's true what Emile said—

—I'm not thinking about anything.