- He's a short guy, right?
"That's right, Harun, you're smart."
- Hey, Mom said that too. That guy went over there.
“Over there?”
The direction Harun pointed with his small finger was the alley where Rosentine and Shartus had circled twice more. A look of despair flashed across his face for a moment.
Once the witness accounts ended here, they had to move again, seizing the thin threads of evidence. Still, it wasn't all bad, since the defensive range was reduced by a third.
But Harun added a few words.
- Yeah, and before he left, he threw something over there.
This is it. Rosentine's eyes sparkled. To cut off the tail, even after poisoning a human, you had to pause and deal with it. Rosentine was certain this was the clue.
“Do you know what it is?”
- I don't know, but it just sparkled.
Rosentine immediately stood up. But first, there was something to do. What you receive must be returned. That applies to both grudges and favors.
Rosentine and Harun's eyes met softly. The lips of the child, once withered and lonely, unable to speak to anyone, were now alive. Even so, they were ghostly.
It would be nice if she could pat the child's head, but Rosentine regretted that she couldn't touch the ghost at this moment. It would be a real hassle to be able to touch it normally, but at least for this moment...
Instead, she moved her hand to where the ghost's hair was, just as Ranon had once done.
He didn't feel it. But Harun closed his eyes as if he was at ease.
"Can you tell me more about your mom?"
- Yeah, my mom is really pretty. She's the prettiest in the neighborhood. She's like a real angel.
"I see. How did Mom disappear?"
- Ugh, I don't know, it was just in the middle of the night, my mom didn't leave me like that, she said she'd buy me something delicious.
Rosentine's eyes are sunken. She had a strong feeling that it was the latter of the reasons she had predicted. The child's mother had died, and the father had hidden it.
She doesn't know why all the mothers and sons lost their lives, but she wanted to find out anyway.
If only she hadn't seen Harun's feet stuck to the ground.
'Omen.'
She should call it an evil spirit, but it would be easier to explain it as a lingering spirit. Once you become a lingering spirit, it is easy to become an evil spirit.
She had seen many ghosts clinging to things like telephone poles, their faces gradually turning black and turning into evil spirits. Perhaps they had also seen this at places like traffic accident scenes.
If his feet were stuck, Harun wouldn't be able to move. The problem is that this phenomenon doesn't happen in a day or two.
She examined Harun's clothes with renewed eyes. Even though they were just rags, their shape felt strangely familiar.
Yes, it was similar to the ghost she had seen in Arzen. The one who had died 40 years ago.
"Harun"
- Yes, Sister.
"How old is Harun?"
- Nine years old!
"Do you know what year you were born?"
- Ugh, I don’t know.
Harun hesitated, watching Rosentine's expression. A child without any education, he was born.
There was no way to know the year.
When Rosentha smiled brightly, Harun smiled brightly as if he was relieved.
A child who, unaware of anything, would gradually turn into a demon while searching for his mother. Rosentine blinked. It couldn't be resolved like that, could it?
She raised one hand and held it out in front of Harun. Harun put his hand over hers, and it passed every time.
“You miss Mom.”
- Yeah, seriously... my mom said she would cry if I wasn't there...
Harun immediately burst into tears. Rosentine stared at his face, then glanced at Shartus. He stood there, covering his ears as if to show off.
When their eyes met, he smiled leisurely, as if he were watching an opera from afar.
‘Are we finished?'
He asked in the shape of his mouth. Rosentine shook her head. Even as he sprinkled his leeway in all directions, he was in a position to protect Rosentine's back.
While she's with Shartus, anyone will notice it. That is the trust that his bystanders send to his subordinates.
'Then you have to respond.'
Rosentine turned around again. In the direction of Chartus, you still won't see what she's doing.
Rosentine turned again. From the direction of Shartus, he still couldn't see what she was doing.
Well, he could think of her as a witch who casts dark spells on the public.
She locked eyes with Harun.
“Do you know your mother’s name?”
- Agatha. Aunt Nu said that Mom is Agatha!
"Agatha, is that all?"
- Yes... Huh?
The name of the ghost. Rosentine slowly closed and opened his eyes, thinking about it. She recalled the sensation she had used a few times to exorcise the evil spirit from Corte's body.
A light breeze blew around Rosentine. Even though he was clearly a ghost, Harun crouched as if he were cold.
"Harun. Tell me your last name."
- Name?
"What is your real name?"
At the same time, a halo of light gathered in Harun's eyes. The child blinked slowly.
- Harun Minta
“Harun Minta.”
Rosentine took a deep breath. Perhaps this method would work. Her fingertips felt tense with a slight tension. She saw the ghost of a young boy before her.
Rather than being disgusting, the feet stuck to the ground looked like a young sunflower looking up at the sun.
Order it.
Ranon's voice seemed to come from somewhere. Rosentine spoke with force.
"Harun Minta. Think of your mother."
Harun stopped moving. A whitish aura began to gradually gather in front of the child.
At the same time, the boy's light that had originally been open began to gradually fade.
Rosentine added sternly. She was commanding the moment.
"Harun Minta. I don't tolerate disappearing. Think of your mother. And at the same time, think of yourself. Remember all of that when you were with your mother, the last day."
- ...Mom.
Harun frowned, his face still stiff. He looked like a child crying. But he didn't burst into tears.
Instead, Harun closed his eyes tightly.
He was recalling every memory he could think of. Memories of his mother, long past, so long ago he couldn't even remember how long they had been there, and he had been drawing them in loneliness.
Only then did a clearer image begin to form before Harun. Within it, she discovered something resembling facial features.
Rosentine commanded.
"Agatha Minta. If you are around here, listen to me."
- Mom, Mom, Mom...!
For a fleeting moment, she thought she heard a cry within the halo of light Harun had created. It was the ecstasy she had been longing for. She had no way of knowing about such rituals or rites of enlightenment.
But as she watched the series of events that led to the birth and death of a soul, she also learned something. This was something unique to her, something that no one else knew.
Name. The medium that allowed her to utilize that realization was the name.
About 40 years had passed, and Harun's house could not possibly have remained nearby. Not only the boy's mother, she even cannot confirm whether his father is alive or dead.
But then, even more so, she had to look for Agatha Minta among the dead.
So that this little boy, whose feet are stuck together, can wake up clearly and be held in his mother's arms, so that the spirit can go along the path of the soul.
"Agatha Minta. Your son is here."
- Harun... Harun, my baby?
" It seems like you've been waiting a very long time. Maybe for each other."
The figure within the halo was now clearly taking the form of a woman. The woman, who must have been called Agatha, was weeping as she gazed at Harun. These were tears that the ghost of reality could not shed.
Harun extended his arm toward Agatha. The child's eyes widened at the sight of her mother, smiling. The motionless night disturbed the boy.
Agatha whispered Harun's name. The halo was diminishing. There was less time than she thought. Rosentine called out urgently.
"Harun Minta, walked!'
- Mom, mom!
At the same time, the shapeless night split apart with a creaking sound. Harun jumped into Agatha's arms. A foot was clearly emerging from the cloudy ankle.
Agatha stroked Harun's head several times and ran her hand through his hair. Strangely enough, the shabby clothes were gradually changing to cleaner colors.
Agatha bowed her head toward Rosentine. The child, who had been crying in loneliness, now smiled like the sun at her.
- Thanks for finding mom, sis!
Rosentine smiled as she looked at the boy in his mother's arms, his feeling of being lost vanishing.
The halo was fading.
Agatha held Harun close, examining him several times and continuing to bow her head to Rosentine until all forms disappeared.
Soon, silence fell. Unlike the light from earlier, the only sound was the commotion coming from the bar.
There was a bit of a commotion when a body was discovered while walking down this alley, but this was the kind of place it was anyway.
'Now I'm really doing all kinds of things.'
It wasn't something she had planned at all, but it definitely wasn't a bad feeling.
Even though she didn't know where he was going, she thought Harun would be happy because he was going with his mother, whom he had longed to see so much.
Rosentine turned around.
There was Shartus, who had been watching her the whole time. Rosentine smiled awkwardly.
"It took a long time. Now that we have the clue, you can take your hands off your ears."
She doesn't know how far he could see. The halo must have been visible to his eyes, if nothing else.
Or maybe, like a ghost, he just couldn't see anything.
Rosentine stared intently into Shartus's eyes as he walked toward her, his steps trembling.
"Does using your abilities make you tired?"
Rosentine stared blankly at him. The hand that had simply stroked her cheek once rested lightly on Rosentine's shoulder.
The hand that slowly tapped her as if to calm her down was very warm.
"Yes?"
That was all she could say. Rosentine blinked at Shartus's unexpected question. More than the question itself, the hand on her shoulder seemed comforting, and she blushed uncomfortably.
Rosentine, who lowered her head uncharacteristically and hurriedly covered her face, slowly tried to grasp the current situation.
She tried. But her heart came before her head.
'Did I get comforted? Was my face that messed up?'
What was even more surprising was that the comfort was so comforting.
Shartus gently stroked her shoulder once more before lowering his hand. A low voice echoed around her.
“Good job.”
"It's something to do."
He was a nice guy. It was during work, but she thought, "This isn't usually the case." Perhaps he's a better person than he looks.
That disturbed Rosentine. How could someone so handsome have such a kind heart? The world could be so full of such things.
Isn't that really unfair?
'Hey, Mr. Shartus, let's just do one thing. Just one thing!'
She took a deep breath, screaming inwardly. Now it was time to calm down.
Rosentine raised her head and met Shartus's eyes. The earnestness with which he gazed at her made her secretly bite.
"Are you ready to be surprised?"
"I don't think I'll be as surprised as I was when I saw your face just now."
Shartus, who had once more examined Rosentine's face, slowly smiled.
'That kind of thing. Is that what they mean by a scent coming from the scenery?'
Rosentine couldn't help but smile.
***
She moved quickly and found the place Harun had mentioned. Sure enough, there was a ditch next to the alley, as if someone had dug it.
Weeds grew sparsely over the dug dirt. She felt they were clearly aiming for this, thinking that even a single rain would wash everything away.
Rosentine reached inside and fumbled for a while, until she found something hard. Not only was it not dirt, but it wasn't even a stone. She smiled at the smooth, glassy texture.
A sphere with a symbol engraved on it fell into Rosentine's hand. It was a small sphere, no bigger than a thumbnail. Transparent.
It looked like a pearl or a glass bead with no visible interior. It was emitting a soft glow.
Rosentine looked up at Shartus, a genuine, impudent smile playing on her lips.
The item he had thrown away in a hurry while leaving had to be kept until today, and when he was done with his business for the day, he threw it away somewhere to destroy the evidence.
Rosentine blurted out the first thought that came to mind.
"Found the catalyst, Your Highness."
Comments
Post a Comment