Jared Murphy sat across from Cassandra Hagedorff in the mansion’s dining hall.
Only four people were within the mansion. The two of them, Dennis Beckman resting in another room, and Rasmus Lowood, who was tending to him.
Even Yeny Daum, who had waited at the mansion, had been sent back to her parents’ home at Jared’s insistence.
“Alright, talk. What were you plotting, that you went and resurrected some Progenitor? Everything.”
“……..”
“Dennis asked me to spare you, so I won’t kill you. But if you lie even once, I don’t know what I’ll do.”
“…Very well. Since it has come to this, I will tell you everything.”
“Spit it out already.”
Jared spoke to Cassandra, who nodded, as if he were about to spit. To be honest, just sitting across from her made him furious. It was all her fault. The thought that Olivier had become a sacrifice because of Cassandra was enough to make him want to wring her neck right now.
He was only forcing himself to endure it because Dennis, who had rushed to his aid in his time of need, had begged him to in his semi-conscious state. He knew what Dennis thought of Cassandra. And that they had been engaged. That was why he was suppressing his impulses.
“You already know that I am a descendant of the miko who served the Progenitor for generations.”
“Don’t ask me to repeat things, just continue.”
“I will omit the details of what happened through the generations, as it is unnecessary here. When I lost my mother as a child, Rasmus taught me the meaning of the blood that flowed within me. That I am of the Bloodline of the miko, and that I inherited the Progenitor’s power. My mother must have wanted me to live a peaceful life, unaffected by things from the distant past.”
“If you thought that, then you must have been very thoughtful of your mother. She’s probably delighted to see you from the afterlife.”
“…It will sound like an excuse, but I had nothing.”
“Shut up, I don’t want to hear that. I’m telling you to say what you intended to do by resurrecting the Progenitor.”
Jared’s attitude was unyielding. It was understandable. This was the woman who had snatched away his beloved fiancé.
What bothered him most was that she had Rasmus. She had Dennis. Yet her statement that she had “nothing” was utterly unforgivable.
“Understood. Knowing the meaning of the blood that flows through my mother and myself, I could not ignore it. I vowed to resurrect the Progenitor. However, I, no, our ancestors, did not wish for battle again even while wishing for the Progenitor’s revival. We intended to help the Progenitor return to their original world.”
“That’s what I mean. I’d heard rumors, but I knew the Progenitor came to this world from another. I can understand their unreasonable anger too. But did you really think that someone who had married and had children would still want to return to their original world?”
“At least our ancestors thought so. It was written that the Progenitor did not seem happy even after marrying and being surrounded by children. Therefore, even before the Progenitor passed away, they found and searched for a way to return to their original world. However, the Progenitor had already died. Thus, they judged that they could only wait until they were resurrected in the future.”
“Ridiculous.”
Jared dismissed the sentiments of human beings passed down through the long years with a single word.
“The Progenitor must have wanted to return home. Your ancestors must have wanted to send the Progenitor back to their original world. That’s fine. I understand that. But what reason did you have to go to such lengths? You, who have never seen the Progenitor’s face, you, who don’t even know your ancestors’ faces, why did you need to get so worked up?”
“…That is…”
“Perhaps that was all you had as a child. But you met Olivier. And you were engaged to Dennis. And Clawence, who supported you, was there too! So why can you still say you had nothing? Were these people worthless to you?”
“I…”
“I will never forgive you. I will never forgive you for choosing the past over the present.”
At the boy’s accusatory voice, Cassandra dejectedly bowed her head.
