“Mom!”
“On!”
When they moved to the safe house, Aisha and Snow came rushing out.
Aisha clung tightly to Sofia, while Snow pressed close to her side.
They seemed frightened, their bodies trembling slightly.
Sofia gently hugged the two of them.
“It’s all right now. Mom took care of the bad people.”
“Uu…”
“Ofu…”
They looked a little calmer, but the fur on Aisha’s tail was puffed up.
Snow’s tail fur was puffed up too.
Their fear clearly hadn’t faded yet.
Seeing the state they were in, Sofia glanced back over her shoulder.
There, sprawled on the ground, were the rioters who called themselves the Revolutionary Army and had surrounded the safe house.
Every last one of them had been beaten down by Sofia.
Should I cut their heads off?
For a brief moment, such a dangerous thought crossed Sofia’s mind.
But it couldn’t be helped.
There was no mother who wouldn’t be enraged if her children were threatened.
“Uu…”
“What… monstrous strength…”
The rioters tried to get back on their feet, but their injuries flared up, and they quickly collapsed again.
Sofia’s attacks had precisely and efficiently stripped them of their ability to fight.
“For now, let’s move.”
The safe house was already known to the Revolutionary Army.
If reinforcements arrived, it would be troublesome, so it would be better to relocate somewhere else.
Thinking that, Sofia took Aisha by the hand and beckoned Snow to follow.
“Mom, where’s Dad?”
“Your father is doing his best to solve the incident.”
“Will he be okay…?”
“He’ll be fine. Your father is strong, you know.”
…Perhaps even stronger than me.
Sofia added that silently in her heart.
Thanks to his experiences during his time as a slave, Fate’s physical abilities had grown to an unbelievable level.
Then he took up a sword…
And because he had talent, he improved at an astonishing pace.
He was able to fight on roughly even terms with Lena, the magic swordswoman.
He had even single-handedly defeated the monster known as the Water God.
It had taken Sofia nearly ten years to reach that level…
Yet it hadn’t even been a year since they reunited, and his growth rate was terrifying.
“Hehe.”
Even though he was on the verge of surpassing her in swordsmanship, Sofia felt no impatience or jealousy.
She felt only happiness.
The person she loved was becoming stronger.
That alone filled her with joy.
“What… what are you…?”
One of the Revolutionary Army members somehow forced himself upright and glared at Sofia.
Sofia, who had been lost in a daydream of a stronger Fate defeating powerful enemies, rescuing her, and carrying her in a princess carry, snapped back to reality and glared back at the man with a thoroughly displeased expression.
“What do you mean by ‘what’?”
“Why are you siding with the lord…? That man is inhuman… Is it money? Were you hired with money…?”
“How rude. Money is important, yes, but that doesn’t mean I’d soil my hands with evil for something so trivial.”
“Then why interfere with us…? This is a holy war to return the city to normal…”
“A holy war, you say…”
Sofia was, in a way, impressed by the audacity of that claim.
How thick-skinned could they be?
A weary sigh escaped her.
“Well, I suppose it can’t be helped if you misunderstand and think I’m hired by the lord… but do you remember what you were just about to do?”
“W-what…?”
“You were about to attack children and a puppy, weren’t you?”
“T-that was…”
“Don’t you feel ashamed of your actions?”
“…It’s for the greater cause. Some sacrifices are unavoidable.”
“Haaaah…”
Sofia let out an even deeper sigh.
A sigh filled with displeasure.
“You still haven’t answered why you were going to attack children and a puppy, have you? Well, I suppose you thought these kids were connected to the lord and planned to take them hostage. It’s laughable. Justice, from people who take hostages?”
“When opposing a cruel lord, that much can’t be helped.”
“Then why didn’t you say that from the beginning? Were you trying to gloss it over with the words ‘for the greater cause’?”
“Ugh…”
“Because you feel guilty, right? Because you understand that using children is wrong, right? That’s why you tried to dress it up in nice-sounding words. Not just to deceive me, but to deceive yourself as well.”
“……”
The Revolutionary Army member was left completely speechless.
But Sofia did not stop speaking.
She continued her verbal assault.
“You talk about a ‘greater cause,’ but the ones being cast aside don’t see it that way. ‘Die for the greater cause’—do you really think anyone could accept that? What would you do if it were said to you? What if your family or your lover were told to die for the greater cause?”
“Ah…”
“I’m not saying I completely deny what you’re trying to do… but if you’re going to do it, then show proper resolve. Don’t run away into comforting words.”
Sofia leveled her sword at him.
“I will not do such things.”
Then, with cold eyes, she declared:
“I fight for what is precious to me. And if you intend to stand in my way… I will cut you down.”
“……”
Those words completely broke the spirit of the Revolutionary Army member, and he slumped forward, his head hanging low.
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