Chapter 12
The Fate-Shattering Researcher
Part 1
It was a night of torrential rain so heavy it obscured one’s vision.
A pair of two, with their hoods pulled deep over their eyes, were running along the edge of a steep cliff.
One was pulling the other by the hand. The hood of the person being pulled along, running desperately behind, was caught by the gale and ripped off completely. The face revealed was that of a delicate girl, still bearing traces of youth, her expression filled with anxiety.
Looking back, scattered lights could be seen in the distance.
The people holding those lights were shouting the girl’s name at the top of their lungs, but the sounds were drowned out by the downpour and the storm, never reaching the girl’s ears. Even though everyone was worriedly searching for her, the girl felt only fear towards those lights.
“It’s alright, we’ll definitely get away. Leave it to me!”
The other person leading the way turned towards the girl while running.
Though hard to see clearly under the hood, it seemed to be a man. He smiled reassuringly, and the girl’s expression softened just a little.
“Come on, let’s cross here!”
“Eh…”
Soon, a bridge made of wood and rope came into view. Buffeted by the wind, it swayed violently with loud creaking sounds.
The bridge itself was sturdily built, but it was old and had been declared off-limits. Crossing it in this weather was madness.
Even the girl, who had trusted the man’s words and followed him this far, was deeply shaken by this.
“If we stay here, they’ll catch up… I know you’re scared, but if we can just cross this, we’ll absolutely get away. I’ll hold your hand tight the whole way!”
The man gently placed his hands on the girl’s shoulders as if she wanted to say something, looked her straight in the eyes, and spoke reassuringly. The girl had resolved to escape with him, no matter what. She couldn’t turn back now. She didn’t have the luxury to stand there dumbfounded.
Steeling herself, the girl looked into the man’s eyes and nodded firmly.
It was clearer than fire that this was an act so dangerous it could easily be fatal.
But that was just how much the girl trusted this man from the bottom of her heart. Holding hands tightly, they slowly began to cross the bridge. The violently swaying bridge meant certain death with one misstep. Moreover, with every step they took, the sound of the wooden planks groaning underfoot echoed. The girl kept whispering “It’s okay” softly to herself as she crossed.
But then, a loud SNAP echoed, and simultaneously the bridge tilted sharply.
She desperately grabbed the rope handrails, but the swaying didn’t subside; it only grew worse. At the edge of her vision, she saw the severed rope of the bridge.
“Eek…”
The girl’s face turned pale.
Turning towards the man whose hand she was holding, seeking help, she saw he wasn’t flustered at all; he was smiling as if he had known everything would happen.
It was different from the kind, reassuring smile from before. His eyes shone faintly and eerily as he grinned, seeming utterly delighted. The girl had never seen him make such an expression before.
“Mr. Abyss…?”
She whispered his name, her lips trembling.
The man called Abyss pressed his lips together as if trying to suppress it, but chuckling laughter leaked out. The moment the man’s eyes flashed brightly, another loud sound, CRACK-CRACK, echoed—the sound of wood splintering. The bridge tilted even more sharply, and the girl was thrown from the bridge. The arm holding onto the man also slipped away due to the rainwater.
She desperately reached out her hand, but there was no one to grasp it.
On the man’s back, which was the last thing the girl saw, grew large, bat-like wings.
Screaming, the girl fell into the abyss.
◆—————————◆
Having watched the girl fall from the bridge until the very end, I flapped my wings and landed on the ground on the other side we had been trying to reach.
I would have liked to confirm the moment her life ended at the bottom of the cliff, but continuing to fly in this weather is dangerous. It’s more susceptible to the wind than walking. I’ll just hide in a suitably dense area of trees and wait out the rain.
I’ll observe the situation for a while and then leave this place.
Since I destroyed the bridge with magic, the humans won’t be able to follow.
“Kuh… Fufu… Ahahahahahaha!!”
Oh, but that final expression on the girl’s face was a masterpiece.
Even now, while waiting out the rain, I recall it and laugh. Anyway, in this downpour, the humans staring dumbfounded at the broken bridge on the other shore probably can’t hear me.
Their precious, precious only daughter, whom they were desperately chasing, not only was seduced by some man from elsewhere but met such an end. You could call it the greatest tragedy of their lives. Ah, it’s a shame I couldn’t see their faces clearly.
I love faces filled with human despair.
The expression they make when clinging to a thread of hope, only to be betrayed by someone they trusted and die—it fills my heart so completely. I know no other existence so dear to me.
More.
I want to see more.
The only regrettable thing is that once they die, I can no longer see their despairing faces.
That’s precisely why their final expressions shine all the more brightly, though…
That girl from earlier was a rare find, a talent seldom seen in recent years.
Raised in a wealthy family, she was a spoiled girl who constantly complained about her current situation despite being happy. She was what you’d call a sheltered daughter, quite rare these days, who knew little of the outside world.
I secretly interacted with her on nights when others were asleep.
Our sweet, secret meetings fueled the flames of the girl’s infatuation.
She easily believed my honeyed words and readily grew attached to me. I listened to her complaints, acted like I was on her side, whispered in her ear over and over that I was her ally, that I loved her. She was an easy woman, almost disappointingly so. Without realizing she was being deceived, she fell for me in no time.
Our attempt to escape on a stormy night was, of course, intentional.
Precisely because it was dangerous, I acted desperately, insisting they absolutely wouldn’t follow and that we could definitely escape, and she easily fell for it. Pretending to be lovey-dovey with a dreamy, foolish girl was a hassle, but everything went exactly as planned, and I’m satisfied.
By tomorrow, I’ll probably have forgotten almost all the memories I shared with the girl over such a long time. Because most of them hold no value whatsoever for me.
Just the final face is enough.
Just remembering the face filled with despair in its final moments is sufficient.
That, more than anything else, fills my heart.
It makes me feel a sense of purpose and happiness.
“I need to find my next playmate.”
There are still plenty of interesting humans in this human world.
Until the day my lifespan runs out, I will guide humans into the abyss, over and over again. Because there is no greater entertainment in this world than this. It would be a waste not to enjoy it, right?
Well now, I’ve enjoyed myself to the fullest, so I have no more business here.
Whether this incident destroys the girl’s family or not is none of my concern. They can do as they please afterward. Since I find the feeling of the rain clinging to my body unpleasant, I’ll take my leave from this place promptly.
“Farewell, my foolish, dear young lady.”
I use a gate magic that allows spatial movement.
With a final, casual wave, I depart from this place.
