Cassandra Hagedorff realized her blunder.
She had believed that everything would be resolved if only the Progenitor revived. She thought it would prevent the one she loved from harming their ancestor. She wanted to grant the cherished wish of both her beloved mother and their ancestor. She had never doubted that all her worries would vanish if only the Progenitor were resurrected.
She had done anything and everything for that goal. She had repeated wicked deeds that could not be spoken of. She had abandoned the one she loved, reduced her allies, and even sacrificed her childhood friend. And this was the result.
She had focused solely on returning the Progenitor to the original world, without considering what would happen afterward. She had not considered what the Progenitor might think. She had believed that as long as her own cherished wish was fulfilled, that would be enough.
Because that was all she had.
Born into a Ducal Family, she had been oppressed for her low status. Although she had been raised with affection, Cassandra harbored feelings of not wanting to be looked down upon, not wanting to be ridiculed, not wanting to be underestimated, and wanting to prove them wrong.
She believed without a doubt that if she resurrected the great Progenitor and fulfilled their ancestor’s cherished wish, everyone would recognize her. They would praise her. They would thank her.
“Progenitor… Please, calm down.”
She clung to the Progenitor’s legs and begged, but all she received was an angry shout.
“How can I calm down?! Your cherished wish ended in vain. So, what will you do next? What am I supposed to fight against? What do you want from me, who cannot return to my original world!?”
Even her tone of speech had changed. This, she presumed, was the true form of Progenitor Yuna Miharasaki.
“Answer me, Cassandra Hagedorff!”
Finally, her neck was choked, and she stopped breathing. Gasping for oxygen, Cassandra opened her mouth wide. She had forgotten even to resist, lost in disappointment over her own miscalculation. She felt sorry for her mother and her ancestor. She was sorry for doing such a half-hearted job. More than anything, she wanted to apologize to Olivier, whom she had sacrificed.
“Please stop, Progenitor!”
Rasmus was the one who tried to calm the Progenitor, who was raging with emotion. He acted to prevent Cassandra, whom he had raised like a younger sister, from being choked to death by the Progenitor.
“I’ll only say this once. Let go.”
“I cannot. Cassandra is dear to me. I understand your anger. There was likely insufficient consideration and thought on our part. However, please, calm down.”
In response, Rasmus was punched away. Thanks to this, Cassandra, who had been choked, was freed and collapsed to the ground, coughing.
“Argh, geez! What are you people even? You brought me back to life, but you keep saying things that make no sense! What do you want me to do!?”
“…If you have nothing to do, then return the body.”
At that moment, though it was barely a murmur, Jared’s voice reached the ears of everyone present. The boy stood up quietly, directing his anger-filled eyes at the Progenitor and Cassandra.
“You are Jared Murphy, aren’t you? The fiancé of the child who became my vessel. You’re very angry, aren’t you?”
“I want to kill you if I could. How dare you toy with the body of someone I cherish… You’re ready for the consequences, aren’t you?”
“Stop it. I don’t want to do anything terrible to you. Olivier’s feelings are conveyed to me. He will surely be angry, but I too find you lovable.”
“Don’t spew nonsense!”
Jared, acting on his emotions, kicked off the ground. He circulated the magic power within his body to generate explosive attack power. Concentrating all his might into his fist, he unleashed a heavy blow without any hesitation.
“…How unexpected. In Olivier’s memories, you were described as sweet and gentle, so I thought you wouldn’t be able to harm your fiancé’s body.”
However, his full-powered attack was easily caught by the Progenitor’s arm. Not only that, but for some reason, the magic power he had infused dispersed as if it had been nothing.
“I don’t want to hurt you if I can help it. However, Olivier told me to kill myself if I couldn’t find another way. If I have no means to release him, then I will do as he wishes. And when I kill you, I will die too.”
“Humans who fear no death are terrifying. No, that’s not right. Humans who have lost someone they love are terrifying, aren’t they?”
“Shut up!”
Just once, he wanted to punch the woman before him. Even if she wasn’t in her Progenitor form, he knew that Olivier’s face and the person before him were different individuals, so he wouldn’t hesitate. However, his arm wouldn’t move. It wouldn’t budge. It felt so heavy, he could have mistaken it for being tied down with lead.
“I understand how you feel. Because when I came to this world, I lost my family and all my friends. I’m the same as you, Jared.”
“That’s not true! There’s no way we’re the same!”
“We are the same. You and I are alike. So, please don’t look at me that way. It’s true that I wished for resurrection for the sake of my descendants. But it was the Cassandra over there who took Olivier’s body, not me. I didn’t ask for your fiancé.”
Saying this, she moved her face so close that her breath touched him, and the Progenitor’s form shifted from Olivier’s to Yuna Miharasaki’s.
“This way, I won’t cause you as much stress, will I? It’s my way of showing consideration. I implore you, please don’t be so hostile.”
“Please, give Olivier back. I’ll do anything. I’ll obey whatever you say. I’ll lick your feet if you want. I’ll gladly die if you tell me to. So please.”
Still held by the arm, Jared finally collapsed and pleaded. For someone like him, who could barely fight, this was the only thing he could do now.
“I don’t want to make you feel sad. But I’m sorry, I cannot release Olivier’s body right now.”
“Right now?”
“Yes, not right now. If I were to freely release her body while my soul hasn’t settled, what would happen to my soul? It’s simple: annihilation. That is not something I desire either.”
The Progenitor knelt on the ground, meeting Jared’s gaze, and smiled.
“There are no longer any people to protect, even after being resurrected. Nothing remains of my family. I wished so desperately to be resurrected, but upon doing so, I found only loneliness. It is truly sad. As for my descendants, they merely resurrected me. They have no wishes of their own. Honestly, beyond confusion, I even feel indignation.”
As if a parent to a child, the Progenitor began to stroke the boy’s black hair with their palm. The intention behind this was unclear. Even while raging at Cassandra, why they were gentle towards him was something he could not predict.
“…That’s right, I’ll give you one chance.”
“A chance?”
“Yes. I cannot bear to see you in such pain of heart. So, if you grant my wish, I will release Olivier. Even if my soul is annihilated as a result, I don’t mind.”
“What do you wish for? Tell me anything I can do!”
“I knew you would say that. It’s a very simple thing, so Jared, you can do it right away.”
“Yes, yes, I’ll do it, so please give me Olivier back…”
“Yes, yes, I promise. Then, if I may be so bold—I want you to kill Cassandra Hagedorff.”
