Brain bloom

Morey reminisced with deep longing: "Claire, she would wipe my sweat, bring me aristocratic snacks, and always ask me to tell her stories... I would give anything for her..."

In fact, everyone understood the story as soon as they heard "youngest daughter".

Anyone would understand.

What else could it be besides that disgusting bad habit?

"Morey... I'm sorry, this isn't a good topic."

"A ritual to the sea god..."

"Yes, it was offered to that evil god to appease its anger. How pathetic."

Morey's words were understated, but his gaze drifted leisurely toward the street. Now, he stood in a corner of a bustling world, no longer the girl's servant.

But all the gentleness of that girl remains unforgettable to this day.

“Everyone wanted to offer her up, and I knew it was wrong… I had to stop them. But… that was the wrath of the sea god…”

That's why he pointed to his heart.

The struggles and choices he faced at that time were the most brutal battles he had ever experienced.

As a result, his loyalty and ideals were defeated by himself and by reality. He couldn't stop it all, only watching Claire be swallowed by the sea, and remaining in despair to this day...

He later left that city-state and became a taciturn adventurer.

But no matter how far she fled, Claire's flowing hair and the magnificent dress she wore when she perished at sea remained vivid in her memory. Yes, just like the girl begging for a pancake before her...

"..."

His eyes looked like they were about to pop out.

His companion asked, "What's wrong, Morey? You were just about to cry, but now you look like you've seen a ghost?"

"Did you see anything?"

"Claire!"

With a thunderous strike, his hand fell and smashed the entire dining table in half.

Food and soup splattered everywhere—but before his companions could yell and question him, or before people at other tables could cast surprised glances his way, Morey had already dashed off.

His hands pushed aside pedestrians one by one; it was only a matter of seconds, but it felt like it would take his entire life.

It's Claire, no doubt about it! Exactly the same!

Before my eyes, the little girl was alone, but she was carrying two pancakes and walking towards the corner.

He followed, his steps already strained, yet the long road ahead seemed so arduous.

What a noisy and numerous people! If he doesn't move aside, he will be overwhelmed and lose the person he is supposed to serve once again.

In his despair, he prayed in his heart—

"Coffin bearer, if you truly have the power to grant all wishes, then let me catch up with her..."

Whatever he is chasing.

Morey offered prayers to all the true gods he knew. Even if what he caught was a monster's trap or a daydream of his own delusions, it didn't matter, as long as he could catch up with... catch up with that phantom.

Because, that was his regret from back then.

"Don't disappear..."

The crowd obscured her small figure.

"Don't disappear..."

Morey prayed, struggled to push through everyone, and followed them around the corner.

His heart pounded wildly, as if his veins were flowing not with blood, but with boundless joy and excitement. Because she hadn't disappeared! She stood obediently in place, holding her pancake and watching him.

She looks exactly the same as she did back then!

Why is this happening? Who cares!

Just as he was about to burst into tears of joy, kneel down to thank the gods, and call out her lovely name, he noticed that there was another person in the alley, watching him nervously.

What a beauty... but so what? He looked away.

Claire did not disappear.

"You...you...how did you find out? You found out I instructed the little girl to ask for free breakfast?!"

"Free breakfast? What... are you talking about?" Morey was completely confused.

However, Yuan found himself in a difficult situation.

"Damn it, since I've been exposed, I'll just say it straight: I only have one silver coin left, and I can't afford to pay for the meal. There's no point in you chasing after me."

What shameful words! If my father heard them, I would be in for a whole day of scolding.

It violates the principle of reciprocity in a devil's bargain, it's truly shameful... but hopefully there's no other way. Now that their clever trick has been discovered, they can only run away, or try to find Mori and the others to pay them.

The atmosphere was eerie.

Gradually, even Yuan realized that the people chasing after her to collect debts seemed a bit strange.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about… I just want to… say ‘I’m sorry’ to Claire.”

"Hmm... I see. Well, whoever Claire is, she's definitely forgiven you."

Volume 1 #279: Humanity with Deep Affection

Yuan really wanted to open the passage and take Fufu and Pancake back to the Demon Realm right now, so that there would be some peace and quiet. However, the human adventurer-looking man in front of her suddenly started crying.

And I was quite heartbroken.

At that moment, Morey was like a young woman who had dressed up and was going to see her lover with a bouquet of flowers, only to find him being intimate with another woman. Afterwards, she fled the scene, but couldn't help but cry in grievance.

However, the way he held his scarred face in his hands, completely soaked with tears, was not so aesthetically pleasing.

"Sister Yuan, is this for you?"

"I have no idea……"

“She’s still alive…” Morey cried even harder, “Ahhhhh, sob sob… she’s still alive.”

Morey, his eyes blurry with tears, raised them, his gaze fixed tightly on Fufu behind Yuan.

This vibrant girl was exactly as he remembered her. Instantly, a variety of thoughts flashed through his mind, such as being rescued from the sea by the coffin bearers he disliked, and then placed in his own circle of believers... or, more realistically, perhaps being rescued by a passing fishing boat?

No, it's more likely that the sea god simply didn't want to accept it.

As for why he hadn't grown at all, he couldn't understand it either, but there are many unsolvable things in the world.

Morey hadn't cried enough; perhaps a lifetime's worth of tears wouldn't be enough. But tears, overwhelming his reason, poured out in abundance. He regained his composure, immediately stepped forward, and knelt on one knee before the two tense figures.

“If you are willing to forgive me, then… I am willing to serve you for the rest of my life.”

"Me?" Fu Fu asked in surprise.

"Yes, I still remember the moment you fell into the sea... But thankfully, you survived, which is a miracle that only happens once in a lifetime."

Hearing this, Fufu understood and looked down at his clothes, recalling that scene.

The small, delicate corpse she saw while drifting with the waves in the deep sea. It was that scene that gave Fufu a human-like appearance and clothing to reference.

She gently shook her head, her short, salt-white hair trembling in response.

"I'm not actually the person you're looking for. I know the girl you're looking for."

"you……"

“She’s gone, her soul has been taken away, leaving only an empty shell, which I’ve borrowed. You said her name was Claire? It’s a beautiful name, but that’s not me.”

"Ah, is this your resolve? To sever all ties with your past self who was sacrificed... with the family who abandoned you, and with me! It's understandable that you hate all of this... but I..."

“She’s dead,” Fu Fu emphasized again.

Morey's kneeling posture froze, but he also felt relieved: "I understand. Since you have let go of the past, then I will not cling to it either."

Fu Fu breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself that humans were really troublesome.

But then I thought again, and realized that this person who was weeping so bitterly was very affectionate.

Then she gave a comforting smile: "Thank you for remembering Claire. If she were alive, she would forgive you."

It was just a gentle and short sentence, but it sent shivers down Morey's spine.

It's solved...

The knot that had tormented him for half his life was finally untied. All the physical pain and inner turmoil vanished, and he felt that life was shining brightly once again.

Just as Claire said, her past self is dead, and she so resolutely cuts ties with her tragic past, Morey once again has hope of pursuing the beauty of life.

"How...how are you doing these days..."

He tried to ask, but the adventurer's sharp eyes read the answer beforehand.

Claire was still wearing that outfit, the fabric showing many signs of age. She was even holding a free breakfast, suggesting that life wasn't easy for her.

He thought for a moment, then immediately untied the bundle on his back and took out his life savings, which he had never spent except on buying wine. He then counted out a total of ten gold coins and handed them to Yuan.

I wish I could look completely bewildered.

Various thoughts immediately popped into my mind, thinking that with so much money, I could definitely eat my way through the entire street.

Morey revealed a murderous intent and said fiercely to Yuan—

“Listen carefully, whether you’re a human trafficker or from an orphanage, it’s not honorable to send children to scam free food. Remember, I’m the number two in the famous adventurer group ‘King of Crimson,’ and I wield considerable influence in Silver Ring City.”

"……what?"

"I'm using this money to buy this girl's freedom."

"But she..."

Is that enough?

"It probably isn't enough, right? After all, she's quite free-spirited to begin with..."

"In short, I want you to sever ties with her. If I ever see her doing this again, our adventurer group will raze the home of you filthy rats to the ground."

After thinking for a while, not knowing what it meant, I could only give a casual answer: