Chapter 139: There’s always a hope.

“Huff… they shouldn’t be able to catch up now, right?”

Peleti leaned against her bundle, still shaken. If not for Bruce back then, she might really have been left behind.

“Relax, there’s no way they can match my speed.”

Bruce’s tail swayed behind him, his tone light and carefree.

Elisa stayed off to the side, refusing to speak, as if deliberately avoiding them.

“What I’m more curious about is—how did those guys know we were here?” Bruce suddenly asked Peleti.

He couldn’t figure it out. They had traveled so far—by all logic, their footprints and scent should’ve been scattered by the wind and sand. No tracking method should’ve worked.

A coincidence?

It didn’t feel like one. The way the enemy acted—it was clearly premeditated. Not something a simple coincidence could explain.

“If you ask me, I don’t know either… hey, what are you doing?” Peleti froze as Bruce suddenly leaned in and started touching her.

“Don’t move. You’ve got a weird smell on you—ah, here it is.”

From beneath the hood of her cloak, Bruce pulled out a tiny black brooch. If not for his keen sense of smell, it would’ve been nearly impossible to notice something like that hidden inside.

Peleti took the brooch, rubbing its cold metallic surface between her fingers. In an instant, realization hit her—and she laughed in anger.

“Ha! And here I was wondering why Josuna suddenly got kind enough to return my cloak… so she hid this little thing inside it!”

She raised her hand to throw it away—but just as her fingers lifted, a thought flashed through her mind.

Her eyes rolled slightly. She stood up, grabbed a round tumbleweed nearby, carefully stuffed the brooch into the gaps of the dry plant, and gave it a firm push.

The tumbleweed rolled away, carried by the wind, farther and farther in the direction they had come from.

“Alright. That should keep them busy chasing for a while.”

After doing that, Peleti couldn’t help but marvel at Bruce’s “dog-like nose.” She even made him sniff around her again for a bit before finally feeling reassured.

The sun slowly sank below the horizon, stretching the shadows of the three of them long and thin.

Peleti walked over to Elisa and crouched beside her, gently patting her back. Bruce tactfully moved aside, sitting not too far away, idly playing with the sword at his waist. He knew this wasn’t something he could interfere with.

“Xiao Sha, is there something on your mind you want to tell your big sister?”

Elisa’s shoulders trembled slightly. At first she shook her head—but after hesitating for a while, she gave a small nod.

“Is that a yes or a no? Hesitating like that isn’t a good habit. If something’s bothering you, you have to say it out loud, right?”

Peleti gently stroked her head. The two leaned against each other, trying to offer a bit of comfort from the depths of their hearts.

“…Sorry.”

Elisa’s voice was very soft, but Peleti, being so close, could still hear her.

“There’s no need to apologize for something like that. Those people were bad. They captured you, and you didn’t resist—in a situation like that, protecting yourself comes first. That was the right choice.”

“That’s not what I meant…”

Elisa lowered her head.

“I meant… my selfishness almost put you in danger, Sister.”

“But we have Bruce, don’t we? How could I be in danger?”

Elisa looked at Peleti speechlessly. After a long pause, she finally spoke again.

“…Sister, actually… I’m the child of Wrath. The knife in Father’s hand—it was given by me. What I mean is… I could’ve killed all of them.”

“…Huh?”

Peleti blinked in confusion and looked toward Bruce. He looked just as stunned—clearly, he didn’t know this either.

Wasn’t the one blessed by Wrath supposed to be Fakena?

How did it suddenly become Elisa? So Fakena only possessed the [Azure Wrath Flame]?

As if to prove her words, Elisa raised her hand.

Behind Peleti, the [Azure Wrath Flame] trembled faintly, as though responding to Elisa’s call.

“Then… why did you do that? Ah—you don’t have to say if you don’t want to. Or… do you want some chocolate?”

Elisa shook her head firmly. Her eyes slowly turned red.

“At the time… I was thinking… if I died right then… maybe I could go be with Mom and Dad…”

Her voice was thick with tears, each word like a small stone striking Peleti’s heart.

“That’s why I didn’t resist. I thought… if I just died like that… maybe… it wouldn’t be so bad…”

“Elisa…”

Peleti’s hand trembled involuntarily. A sharp ache welled up in her chest, her throat tightening painfully as she pulled Elisa into her arms.

It hurt.

A dense, suffocating kind of pain.

A child not even ten years old—someone who should’ve been in her parents’ embrace, running freely under the sun—had instead witnessed their deaths with her own eyes.

Peleti had power.

But Elisa could only watch it all happen, completely helpless.

That kind of pain was something no child should ever have to bear.

Yet Elisa had buried all that sorrow and despair deep inside, not even daring to cry out loud.

“Cry, Elisa…” Peleti’s voice choked as well. She gently patted the girl’s back again and again.

“If you want to cry, then cry. You don’t have to pretend to be strong anymore. You’re just a child—none of this is something you should have to endure. Go ahead… it’s okay.”

The word “child” struck like a bolt of lightning, tearing through the tension in Elisa’s mind.

She didn’t even remember how long it had been since she last cried.

All this time, no matter what pain she faced, she forced herself to endure it—forced herself to be strong.

But now, in Peleti’s warm embrace, hearing her gentle voice, everything she had suppressed for so long finally found an outlet.

Elisa clutched tightly at Peleti’s sleeve. Tears welled in her eyes, soaking the fabric.

“…Why…”

Her crying was muffled and despairing, like a lost cub wandering the desert.

“Dad didn’t do anything wrong… Mom didn’t do anything either… I just wanted to live peacefully with them… I only wanted to live an ordinary life…”

“Is even wanting to live… a mistake?!”

“Sister… you’re older than me… can you tell me… is wanting to live really wrong?”

Peleti’s vision blurred.

She looked at the crimson sunset, and memories from her past surfaced uncontrollably.

Her father—working tirelessly every day, coming home late for his job. Whether it was coworkers or neighbors, everyone treated him kindly.

And yet, such a dedicated man… died without reason.

Because he was too dedicated—he drew retaliation.

Thinking of that, wasn’t Fakena the same? Fulfilling his duty, only to end up like that.

Peleti lowered her head, looking at the little girl crying her heart out in her arms. Suddenly, she felt that she and Elisa were actually the same kind of person.

“Elisa… there’s nothing wrong with wanting to live.”

“It’s just that… the humans of today have no place for good people. The kinder you are, the worse your ending tends to be.”

“Humans now… are nothing but a pile of rotten mud—numb and indifferent. People have long since lost the heart they should have as human beings.”

“Then… is there no one who wants to change all this?”

“There is. Of course there is.”

Peleti’s voice grew steady.

“That’s exactly where I’m taking you.”

“The Church of Gluttony.”