"Yo, Lloyd."

Relaxing sound.

It's hard to imagine a person having such a happy mood after a child goes missing. Of course, the owner of this voice is not Harold Haywas.

With his sleek black hair and resolute eyes, Lloyd would not be mistaken.

"Swim? You're back? ”

"Well, I've been listening to a writer rambling for a long time, and I'm almost crying."

You shrugged his shoulders and stepped out of the way, only to see a person almost flying towards Colin on the bed. If it weren't for recognizing that the haggard face belonged to Sophia, one of the commissioners of the mission, Lloyd would have almost taken out the whirlpool......

Confirming that the child was okay, Sophia forced herself to swallow the sound of whimpering and leaned her head on the child's side.

Harold's heavy expression finally eased, his eyes closed, and he muttered words like thank you to the goddess.

Looking at You's indifferent appearance, he should have heard Ellie Landy and them talk about the case. But his eyes glanced at the wardrobe for a moment, and soon pretended not to notice it, and looked at Lloyd. The members of the Support Division also crowded in, and the room, which was not too large, became crowded.

"Thank you so much, guys...... Is...... I really don't know if I should thank you, and the great kindness will never be forgotten......"

Harold's voice was also a little choked. In order not to worry his wife, the husband had to endure his grief and forcibly pretend to be calm to comfort his wife, and now he can relax, Harold couldn't control his emotions for a while. With his knees bent, he wanted to kneel down for the support department, but Lloyd hurriedly supported him, how could he really kneel?!

"You're serious! Here's what we should do! ”

"yes, yes, it's just a task......"

Lloyd and Ellie hurriedly expressed relief that their serious work was such a thankful event for others, and Lloyd once again felt the importance of his work. It was great that I chose to stay in the Support Division in the first place.

"No, if you don't find the kid...... He could ...... It may also ......"

The more Sophia spoke, the more emotional she became, and she immediately covered her mouth to prevent her crying from leaking out, for fear of waking Colin.

Will it too?

Lloyd pondered the word in his mind.

Now, he believed his guesses more and more.

He gave You a questioning look, and You shrugged, pretending not to understand.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, Colin made a childish voice, and it seemed that his mother's words still woke the sleeping child.

"Why...... Will Mom and Dad be here? ”

"Ah, Colin...... I can't let my parents worry so much in the future. ”

Harold was educating his own children, perhaps just experiencing the pain of losing them, and his lecture seemed so gentle.

However, for a child, this level of statement certainly does not cause him to reflect. So Colin immediately skipped the topic and began to share his happiness with his parents.

"Listen to me! Just had a great time! Chased Missy's car, made a lot of new friends, and then played hide and seek, and went to the dark place! It's so dark, it's dark, but don't be afraid! After coming out, I saw such a beautiful butterfly~"

……

Should it be said that it is a child's mentality?

Such an action-packed appearance, does it make parents feel lively and active, or should it be said to be worrying?

“…… Ay? What about the purple sister? ”

As if recalling the time when he was attacked by wolves, Colin's eyes widened.

This adjective made Harold stunned in his heart, like a bucket of ice water poured head-on.

"Purple ......"

"Sister?"

The Hyvas and his wife chewed on the short sentence, looked at each other, and read the words of agreement from each other's eyes.

"Hey, my sister is so powerful, so gentle, so fragrant...... His hair is purple like his father's! ”

“！”

This sentence made Harold turn around in surprise.

There are too many categories of hair colors, and the term "purple" alone may also be fuchsia, blue-purple, and roland purple, and there are also shades. Harold was still a little suspicious before, maybe it was just that his hair color happened to belong to the same purple category, but was it really a coincidence that his hair color was similar to his own hair?

"Please, excuse me, that girl is!"

Harold's original elegant image was swept away, and now he is just an anxious father.

“……”

How can this be answered?

Lloyd didn't quite know what he was right.

He had already guessed the relationship between Ling and the Hayvas, but now, he had to choose a statement that would bring the topic up just right, but wouldn't make Ling resist and not listen......

"Yes...... Travelers from foreign countries. We don't know who they are. ”

After a moment's hesitation, Lloyd chose to hide it. Immediately after, Yu Tatsumi initiated a new question.

"Seeing that the two of you were a little emotional just now, is there any special connection with the 'purple-haired woman'?"

"Contact?"

Harold smiled bitterly, a gentle and painful expression on his face.

"Perhaps, this is also the guidance of the goddess and the child......"

Harold looked at his wife, who nodded silently in agreement.

"—We were husband and wife, and we once had a daughter."

Really.

The clues are all connected.

Lloyd began to rejoice that he had chosen to invite Ling to join him.

"That was seven years ago. Because of an accident...... Wrong...... That's not an accident...... That kid was killed by our own hands......"

Harold's expression became softer, but his eyes showed more and more sadness.

Lloyd suddenly felt that this expression was familiar.

Wait a minute......

This self-deprecating tone, and this expression......

Isn't it the expression that You Tatsumi often shows when he talks about himself?

A look of hatred and helplessness for the past self.

At that time, Lloyd did not know him well, and his knowledge of the world was too gentle to understand his expression.

Looking back now, that's what he had at the time. While Lloyd was slightly distracted, Harold's story continued.

—eight years ago. I was still a fledgling trader. In order to gain a place in the ever-expanding Crossbell market, I did everything I could.

In the end, he did not hesitate to engage in dangerous speculation on the side of the republic. This stupid approach has resulted in huge debts that cannot be repaid. We took our young daughter and started a life on the run......

But wherever we flee, our creditors will go after us...... We couldn't find any place to stay, and if we continued like this, we might force the notorious mafia out of the country - we, fearing that the gaffe would go into the dark, entrusted our daughter to an old friend.

It was a trusted friend who lived in the Republic, and we wanted to pay off all the debts as soon as possible, and then come back to meet our daughter when we had no more loans.

Thankfully, with the help of a reliable lawyer, we were able to pay off our debts. Then trust the relationship, find a way, rebuild the career, and work desperately...... Finally paid off the arrears within a year. We were happy to find a friend and prepare to pick up our daughter, but ...... I heard that there was a fire of unknown cause there.

At that time, organized arson and looting seemed to be frequent on the Republican side, and my friend's home was attacked...... Since his home is located in the suburbs, the part in charge of processing was found very late.

Moreover, our foster daughter was also involved in the incident...... We searched for our daughter almost frantically, but every body was unrecognizable, and in the end, we got the autopsy that everyone in the family had died.

Endless despair weighed on us, and it was we who pushed that child to the fate of death...... It's too cunning to live on your own or something. We even thought about killing ourselves and following that child together as a husband and wife...... But then...... We just found out that Sophia ...... Pregnant with Colin...... The younger brother of that child.

Human beings are such a reality, and when we discover this, we regain the courage to survive. We are determined that we will never repeat the mistakes of the past. After that, it will be down-to-earth and wholeheartedly honest management......

Actually, we're just running away...... Fleeing from the sin that killed the child......"

……

No one spoke.

The story is so heavy that you can't even open your mouth just by commenting.

"However, as Colin grew up...... And that kid is getting more and more like ......"

Sophia said, looking at Colin who was asleep again, and tears flowed down again.

She didn't finish, but everyone understood. The fact that the younger brother and sister look more and more alike only intensifies their sins.

"So, we absolutely, as a family, must be happy...... This is the only way to repay my daughter......"

Harold said, hiding his face and weeping.

You, who had been silent, suddenly spoke.

"So, can I make a hypothesis?"

"What?"

"If, I mean, if that child is still alive, but she's struggling in society, she's become a wicked person. You ......"

"Will accept her! As long as she's alive! It's okay to be alive......"

Harold whimpered, and as soon as he finished speaking, he seemed to understand something, and almost jumped on You in excitement, grabbing the hem of his shirt with both hands.

"Do you know her whereabouts? She's still alive, isn't she? Or, there are similar people, right? ”

The man's expression of almost collapse made You can't help but look away.

"No, I'm just making assumptions. If whatever becomes of her is acceptable, I can help you find it. But the intelligence network of the police ...... You get the idea. ”

You brought the topic to the police.

The intelligence network of the police, of course, is used to catch criminals, and if there is a record on it, it is most likely that she was registered by the police for the crime.

Sure enough, Yu's misdirection took effect, Harold thought of the same thing, he secretly scolded himself for being too excited, he wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, and collected his expression again.

After thanking him fervently, Mr. and Mrs. Harold went back with Colin in their arms.

Lloyd whispered into the cabinet, "They've gone back, you can come out." ”

Out of the closet was the silent Ling, her purple hair looking very unenergetic, and the tears on her cheeks were flowing with new tears.

"It's too late to chase after it now."

Lloyd seemed to remind.

Ling shook her head silently.

"No need...... The reason why Ling came to this city has disappeared one. That's enough. ”

Ling smiled miserably. That's an expression that doesn't make people feel happy in any way.

"Speaking of which...... Big...... Brother You's words, you know about this matter, right? ”

Ling spoke flatly, without the slightest hint of sternness.

"Hmm. I know. Didn't you mention Harold and Sophia by name when you were in Liber? I'll look into it by the way. ”

Therefore, Lingcai said, this person is not good.

Ling said this in her heart.

"Swim ......"

Lloyd looked at him with some reproach, if he had known this story earlier, why hadn't he told her earlier?

If she did, she wouldn't listen. Just like I was back then. ”

You shrugged, a relaxed smile on his face that seemed to be deceitful.

"If it were me, Lloyd, you'd probably have been killed by me. Disguised as an accident or something. Ling must not have been able to listen to my subversive speech after experiencing such a thing, right? ”

Lloyd wanted to rebuke him, but Ling nodded silently and looked away.

"Brother You...... That's right. ”

"Rei's experience?"

Lloyd was even more surprised.

Why does this person even know this?

How powerful is it, you Tatsumi!

"Well, I saw it when I was in the Land of Shadows. Rei's ...... Door. ”

“…………”

Ling was silent for a moment, but still nodded.

"Say what you want."

"Well, I'll say it. But ladies and gentlemen, please don't be too sad when you listen. ”

You paused, and began to tell the story of Haywas, from another perspective.

"That's the place called Paradise. In a clearer and more obscure way, it is the land of smoke and willows. That friend of Mr. Harold is the person in charge of this park. If people live in this kind of place for a long time, they will naturally deteriorate. If it weren't for a special mental abnormality, it wouldn't be able to live. In order to survive, the girl who is trapped in paradise has to split into different personalities to protect herself.

Switching personalities to deal with all kinds of strange naming work, probably that's it. The personality named Ling is under the protection of many personalities and is called Her Royal Highness the Princess. As time passed, the other personalities gradually became fragmented, and finally, Rei's personality had to go to work. If you resist, if you can't get into the work normally, then you will be poured with the water of life. What's that...... I don't think there's any need to explain.

At the end of the story, the black-haired and silver-haired angels are coming. Don't look at me like that, it's not me. It's Joshua. The silver-haired man, like Joshua in the past, is the executor of the Body-Devouring Serpent, codenamed the Sword Emperor. The two annihilated all the people related to the paradise, and in the raging flames, the girl was covered in crimson, and only the pain could make her feel that she was still a person, even if the pain was not good, she wanted to live. That's probably the obsession. In the end, the black-haired angel decided to bring her back to the association.

After that, Ling, as an alternate for the executor, worked hard to become stronger. Later, Ling accidentally meets the Hyvas couple holding the newborn Colin. Originally...... Ling is...... Someone who has not been loved since birth......"

…………

At the end of the tour, he pinched his throat and said it in Ling's voice. Lifelike.

Ling didn't even mean to contradict him or get angry, and she didn't shed tears again.

"What's this story!"

But others were in tears. Ellie's eyes were red and swollen, and tears flowed uncontrollably.

"This makes so much sense......"

“…… Damn ......"

Noelle also clenched his fists, hoping to destroy the organization called Paradise himself.

"And what about Paradise?"

Randy's face was solemn, and his eyes were blank with cold killing intent. If you let him know the location of the paradise, even if he blocks his full strength, he will go to fight.

"It was swept away by associations, and then it was wiped out by the joint efforts of various countries. I've tried to investigate that paradise, and I have to say, it's completely destroyed. Even I didn't find any information about it. ”

You smiled, revealing her clean teeth, giving the illusion of cheerfulness.

Ling was silent.

If there is an all-knowing and all-powerful goddess of emptiness, who sees things from the perspective of a god, then everything will be simple and clear. But the biggest problem is that no one has a god's perspective. Depending on the information at hand, there are often completely different developments for the same thing.

Many times, this is how the contradictions between people and people come out. Obviously, I think you should know, why don't you do what I want, why don't you cooperate with me. On the one hand, they do not understand others, and on the other hand, they are angry that others do not understand themselves.

The tragedy of Ling and Harold is something like this. If Harold had known that friend was doing such a thing, he would not have done such a thing. If Ling knew the hardships of Mr. and Mrs. Harold, she would not hate her parents so much, and would regard Mecha Steel as her parents.

It's a pity that no one has a god's perspective.

All the members of the support department were silent, and everyone's sad expressions made Ling burst into tears and laugh.

"What...... Ling herself didn't show that expression. …… Thank you. ”

Ling moved to Lloyd in small steps and bowed slightly.

"The stone that stood in the way of Rei...... You've helped remove a piece. What is today will be thanked in the future. ”

Ling said this, bowing lightly to everyone.

"So, Ling, don't you see anyone else who cares about you?"

“……”

Ling's expression shook a little for a moment, but finally she shook her head firmly.

"Rei...... But it's a kitten's. You won't be caught by them. ”

So said.

"So, it's just today's conversation, can you tell them?"

“…… That, just go to your brother. ”

Perhaps sensing something, Ling quickly ran to the bedside, opened the window and jumped out. Then, through the door, Estelle's energetic voice was heard.

"That? Is anyone there? ”