Chapter 18: The Warmth of Humanity

“Well done, newcomer.”

Adelle gave a rare compliment.

“Hmph, you don’t need to tell me that.” Dounia crossed her arms. “It was more than just ‘well done.’ If I hadn’t come, you would’ve been finished, caught between two enemies.”

Adelle raised an eyebrow.

“Putting aside whether or not I could handle a two-on-one fight, at the very least…”

Her gaze shifted, moving past Dounia’s shoulder to Linda behind her.

Sunlight streamed through the broken window, casting a long, wide pillar of light that quietly fell upon the little girl.
Tiny specks of dust glittered faintly in the light.

The little girl was crying, draped over her blacksmith grandfather, shaking his shoulders and trying to wake him.

“At the very least, you saved a life on the verge of losing control. That is something I could not have done.” Adelle nodded in confirmation, a hint of approval for Dounia in her eyes. “Not everyone has the courage to walk toward a Soul-Loss patient on the brink of completely losing control.”

“I thought you didn’t care whether she lived or died,” Dounia asked suspiciously.

After all, Adelle’s stance had been to kill Linda before she completely turned into a monster.

Adelle turned her gaze back to her and said in a serious tone, “I will do everything within my power to the best of my ability. I will save those I can save.”

The implication was crystal clear.

If she had been in that situation, to save others, to prevent more people from getting hurt.

She would have killed Linda without a moment’s hesitation.

Dounia looked up at Adelle.

‘She’s probably the kind of person who could make a choice in the trolley problem without any hesitation.’

‘So this is a Surveillance Officer of the Anomaly Bureau…’

The cold, ruthless, and steadfastly order-aligned Adelle gave Dounia a new understanding of the Anomaly Bureau.

A clamor arose from outside the door as several guards in grayish-white uniforms rushed in, holding long spears.

As soon as they entered, their eyes fell on the witch lying on the floor, blood continuously frothing from his mouth.

His upper and lower body were separated as if by a smooth, flat mirror.
The guards all looked at Adelle, their expressions filled with awe.

‘Who is the young girl behind her?’

‘Doesn’t Miss Adelle always work alone, unwilling to partner with anyone?’

“Miss Adelle.” A guard smiled. “It seems you’ve already resolved the issue.”

“Mm,” Adelle responded with a cold expression.

“Take this witch back to the Bureau. Tell the medics to do whatever it takes to keep him alive.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The guards immediately lifted his body and carried him out of the shop.

“Grandpa!? Can you hear me?” Linda’s voice held a note of joyful surprise.

Dounia turned her head to see the blacksmith slowly opening his eyes.

He looked blankly at his granddaughter before him, completely ignoring her still blood-red, purple, and swollen eyes.
The blacksmith pulled her into a tight embrace, tears streaming down his old face.

Linda trembled slightly as the blacksmith gently patted her back.

“It’s okay… It’s okay now…”

“Grandpa…”

The blacksmith’s tear-filled eyes looked past Linda toward Dounia, conveying immense gratitude.

Even though he had fainted, he could roughly guess that it was Dounia who had protected Linda.

The Anomaly Bureau would not let a monster that had lost control live, which was why he had tried to hide Linda.

But that had only brought them even greater disaster…

“You should understand now how foolish your choice was,” Adelle said as she walked over.

The blacksmith nodded silently, not refuting her.

“We will take Linda back to the Anomaly Bureau for proper handling.”

The blacksmith hugged his granddaughter in his arms a little tighter.

He was reluctant; he didn’t want his granddaughter locked away in the Anomaly Bureau, but…

This was reality.

A cold, unforgiving reality.

“My Executioner said she would fight for an opportunity for her,” Adelle said. “Perhaps one day, she too will be able to see you again in the capacity of an Executioner.”

The blacksmith’s eyes widened slightly.
He then turned to look at Dounia, who smiled and nodded.

A powerful impulse surged through him, almost bringing him to tears again.

‘What a kind and responsible young lady…’

“…Thank you,” he said in a low, hoarse voice. “I am… eternally grateful.”

He looked at Dounia with a determined gaze.

“…I will forge a weapon for you, free of charge. The style, the material, you can decide everything, and I will bear any cost. I promise, I will use my finest skills to repay your deed!” the blacksmith said.

“Linda.” The blacksmith patted his granddaughter’s back, and Linda slowly released her arms. “Call her big sister.”

In this apocalyptic world where blood is thicker than water, this was akin to accepting her as half-family.

Linda turned her head fearfully.
Seeing her blood-red, purple, and still swollen eyes, the guards all showed expressions of shock, sighing in dismay.

Linda silently clenched her small fists.

Adelle glanced at Dounia, then took the initiative to lead the guards out of the mostly destroyed house, leaving the space for her Executioner.

Linda looked at the young girl who was willing to extend a hand to her.
She took a step forward and spoke timidly.

“Big sister.”

The corners of Dounia’s mouth lifted into a slight smile.

“Mm, just call me Dounia.”

“Big sister Dounia.” Linda carefully took Dounia’s hand.

A warm, moist sensation spread from her hand.
Dounia felt that warmth.

It was the warmth of humanity.

Some would see her as a monster, but in the hearts of others, she was still steadfastly seen as human.

And perhaps, this was the reason she had been able to avoid the fate of losing control—’self-perception.’

Precisely because someone believed she wasn’t a monster, she ultimately refused to become one.

“Grandpa, we’re leaving.” Linda rushed over again and gave the blacksmith a tight hug.

But after this parting, who knew when they would next meet.

Linda turned and waved at her grandfather, tears streaming down from the corners of her eyes.

“I’ll come back to see you when I become an Executioner like big sister Dounia—!” the little girl waved her fist.

“Okay…” the blacksmith replied with a trembling voice, forcing a smile.

Dounia led Linda into the light and shadows.
In that instant, she clearly saw the little girl’s eyes were pure, without a single trace of bloodshot red.

Dounia and Adelle walked side by side, with Linda positioned between them.

This was a precaution against her potential danger.

Dounia held Linda’s hand, but Linda behaved with the curiosity of a little girl on an outing.
This peculiar scene not only made passersby turn to look, but it even moved Adelle somewhat.

‘Without shackles, she can so easily restrain someone who was once on the verge of losing control…’

‘Could it be that she really is that talented…?’

Adelle wondered internally.
Meanwhile, a pop-up notification suddenly appeared before Dounia, who couldn’t hear Adelle’s thoughts.

[Adelle Favorability: -9.3%, Respect: 5%, Corruption: 5%.]

‘Whoa, how did it suddenly jump by ten favorability points!’

‘Adelle’s favorability is nothing like Miss Violet’s… For it to jump by ten points all at once, doesn’t that prove my previous efforts weren’t in vain!~’

Dounia’s lips curled up in delight.

“We now bring you a breaking news report.”

The gentle voice of a female announcer sounded from the large speakers in the square.

“The Snow Country Express, train D-114514, has encountered a sudden avalanche, obstructing the railway line.”

“Fortunately, only three people on the train sustained minor injuries due to the turbulence, none of which are serious.”

“Relevant personnel are working hard to carry out emergency repairs. The train is expected to arrive in Winterfrost City in three days.”

‘Huh?’

Dounia’s eyes widened.

She remembered that in the original hidden route of the game, the female protagonist, Alicia Alvarez, had been delayed for over a week because of a sudden avalanche, which caused her to miss the optimal time to potentially save Violet.

By the time she reached the Anomaly Bureau, Violet was already missing.

And when Alicia finally found her, Violet had completely lost control and transformed into a monster before her very eyes, forcing Alicia to personally kill her own childhood friend, taking the first step on her path to corruption.

‘The plot has changed…?’

‘The timing of the avalanche is wrong, and the estimated repair time doesn’t match up either…’

It is said that the flapping of a butterfly’s wings in a distant land can cause a storm on another continent.

And now,

A butterfly named Dounia had quietly flapped her wings.