Adopting Disaster

This child looked exactly like when Reed took his daughter.

Her hair was distinctly black, but that wasn't a problem at all.

-So, what should we do?

-Well, we could talk to the owner of the Silence Tower, or... I could raise her myself.

At that moment, Rosemary's vision began to clear up slightly.

The blurry eyes of the chubby man became very clear.

They were soaked in greed.

-Since she's just like the Silence Tower's adoptive daughter, if we raise her well until she becomes an adult, she might become a child who brings wealth to this Leto, kekeke.

-Wow, that's a risky statement.

-But we respect you, our leader, no, our king.

-Kekeke. Make sure to show me well. Then, I might get a share, right?

While they were chatting among themselves, Rosemary got hooked on a word in the conversation.

It was a familiar phrase.

It was... the words spoken by... the father who created her.

"Silence... Tower's owner?"

-Huh? This child isn't mute.

-She can even speak well.

Rosemary recalled the memory of Maronie that had invaded her mind.

Reed Adeleheights Roton.

The main culprit who ruined everything the master had planned.

The person who brought sadness to her father.

An enemy who torments me like this.

And these people are in the same league as that enemy.

So, what are they?

"Enemies."

The girl concluded like that.

"So, you guys are bad people?"

Upon hearing her words, Leto instinctively felt a fierce energy.

Upon hearing that, Leto instinctively felt a fierce energy emanating from the girl's body, making it hard to stay in one place.

Leto suppressed the agitation and ordered his subordinates.

-For now, take her somewhere else. Let her wash up and we'll see her again.

-Understood, Captain.

-Come on, nameless kid, follow your sister.

The woman reached out her hand again to drag Rosemary along, just like when she brought her.

Swoosh-!

With the sound of wind being cut, a sharp beam of light swept across, and the woman's wrist disappeared from where she had touched her body.

"Huh?"

Bewilderment was brief, and she discovered her wrist had disappeared and blood was pouring out.

Before the pain hit, a scream burst out first.

"Kyaaa...!"

The resounding scream echoed in the cave before it quickly stopped.

The head rolled onto the floor.

"Uh... huh? What!?!"

Another beggar who couldn't understand the situation backed away, retreating.

The beggar's field of view was split in half.

His body was sprawled on the floor, divided into two parts.

It was an unbelievable sight, even with both eyes open.

It was as if a human had been torn apart like a dragonfly or cicada held in both hands.

"Those who hurt me... must all die."

Rosemary mumbled as she shifted her gaze.

Her eyes were directed towards Leto, who was cornered and gasping for breath.

It was as if she was looking at a giant rat.

Leto laughed as if he had lost his mind and mumbled.

"I have such bad luck..."

Kekeke.

Leto's body was split in half.

***

* * *

Dream big tl dot com

***

The disappearance of the empire's slum power was not a pleasant event.

Dirty work or filthy tasks could be attributed to the slum's actions, and they were useful in many ways.

Did they have a reason to be brutally murdered?

Leto had many enemies, but he couldn't think of an incident that would drive him to death.

"I'm sorry about your father's situation."

"It's a pity."

Leto's adopted son genuinely showed sadness.

No matter how much of an underworld king he was, who committed illegal acts, as a father, he was an excellent man.

'In a way, it's a good thing this man inherited it.'

Unlike Leto, who had the nickname of a one-eyed rat, the successor was a solid young man.

He was an orphan adopted by Leto, and his clever personality and outstanding business sense made him no less competent than Leto.

'If it weren't for the wickedness, it would be a lie, but he knows how to win people's favor.'

He knew how to restrain his desires, making him a more comfortable person than Leto.

'I thought he would survive till the end, but he went in vain.'

A neutral man who only hung his head for benefits.

He had never thought about being murdered by anyone because he was excellent at protecting himself.

That's why he remained until the end of the game “Disaster 7”.

'The future has changed, and someone died.'

Someone who shouldn't die died, and someone who should die lives.

Thinking like that, Freesia came to mind.

'That woman is also trying to die...'

The reason she remains as an accomplice until the end is that she has no means to kill.

What happens after that?

She was not an important accomplice, nor a person of great importance.

The important thing in the story is that the continent has become peaceful.

"Sir."

"What is it?"

"Originally, I should have been in charge of the slum affairs. However, I don't know what to do with the preparations my father had made for the territory..."

The man had a puzzled expression.

Reed waved his hand as if it didn't matter.

"The reason we needed Leto was for information. But now that we don't need information, don't worry about it. Carry on your father's will."

"Thank you. As a favor, if you ever need help, I will be there anytime."

The man said his greetings and went outside.

That was the end of the relationship with the slum's informant.

Reed leaned back against the backrest.

'I can't believe they've completely dug up the underground...'

Who could have done such a thing?

Reed was curious but didn't want to get deeply involved.

Now he has a lot to protect.

He was busy wrapping them in both hands, and he didn't want to lose precious things by getting involved in other matters.

'It's right for them to take care of it themselves.'

At least, participating in Leto's funeral.

That was the best and last loyalty he could keep.

"Phoebe."

He called her from outside the door.

"Yes?"

"Can you call Kaitlyn?"

"The chief engineer, you mean? Understood."

Phoebe knew what he was going to talk about.

It was about the retirement discussion they had during the last family planning.

Reed prepared himself mentally.

To let go of everything.

***

Kaitlyn was designated as the next master of the tower.

As expected, there was no one who objected to her becoming the tower owner.

Kaitlyn was flustered by the sudden decision and refused, saying she couldn't do it.

There were many promising talents in the tower, but none as promising as Kaitlyn.

Reed persistently persuaded her, and in the end, Kaitlyn decided to become the next tower master.

Reed began preparing for his retirement in earnest.

Reed returned to his hometown to check the things he had planned during the family planning.

The mansion where disasters had occurred.

The walls and floors were heavily damaged due to the fight between Dolores and the hero.

'It's a house with painful memories.'

But apart from that, there were more happy memories.

The reason Reed didn't give up on this house was also thanks to those happy memories.

'I need to either repair it... or demolish it and rebuild it.'

He planned to proceed with the help of an architect on his next visit.

Reed walked along the long, empty hallway.

'Let's make Rosaria's room here.'

Reed imagined one by one.

He envisioned a cozy place with the people he loved, and examined each room.

It was a happy imagination.

It was exciting like the moment when a favorite series was confirmed for production.

His eagerness to see it quickly was immense.

'To do that, I have to wrap up my work quickly.'

Let's do our best.

Since it's the last job, it's about moving quickly even if it's a stretch.

Reed stepped out of the mansion, reaffirming his determination.

Reed's footsteps, coming out of the mansion, did not move any further.

It was strange.

A red sky carriage and a driver.

There should have been those two things in the front yard he remembered.

However, instead of those two things, there was a small black object standing in front of him.

It was a girl.

The girl with black hair was staring blankly at this place.

As soon as the girl found Reed, she bared her white teeth and said, "I found you."

***

"Rosaria?"

When Reed's eyes met the girl, he foolishly thought it was Rosaria.

Her pure red eyes were looking up at him, and the aura and appearance were so similar to her.

There was a moment when he thought she was Rosaria, who suddenly had her hair turned black.

'No, it's not.'

Although the appearance was identical, the energy surrounding her was different.

The direction of purity was different.

As Rosaria, a blank white slate, grows for others, she insists on pure white purity.

But the girl in front of him revealed a purity of evil.

'Cosmo. That boss had this feeling.'

The embodiment of evil created by Reed.

The ultimate creature that hates everything and tries to destroy everything.

She was supposed to become Cosmo.

Then who is this girl?

"Are you the Silence Tower Master?"

The girl smiles.

Reed was surprised by the eerie smile that only lifted the corners of her mouth, but he answered with a composed expression.

"Yes, I am the owner of Silence Tower."

"Indeed, you are... the Silence Tower Master."

As soon as she confirmed it, the girl's atmosphere intensified.

Although she was said to be evil, it seemed like it was just the tip of the iceberg. A dark aura engulfed Reed.

"They say that the person called the Master of the Silence Tower ruined everything. That's why it hurts like this."

"Your father... Can you tell me who he is?"

"Ummm, my father was... who was he?"

The girl tilted her head.

Her naive appearance reminded him of Rosaria.

A moment later, she exclaimed "Ah!" and answered.

"He had the name Maronie!"

"…!!"

Reed's eyes widened.

Maronie was the character of the fifth disaster.

As the father of magical creatures, he created creatures that played the biggest role in large-scale armies.

'But Maronie himself is not that impressive.'

He constantly modified and synthesized, but his main body was not even comparable to the magical creatures he created.

He was a character who was not worth mentioning, as he could be defeated in a single blow by the already powerful protagonist.

'The problem is the sixth disaster he creates.'

A lump of meat called an incomplete body.

It was harder to find weaknesses than any other boss, making it the most difficult character next to Cosmo when first encountered.

After defeating the incomplete body, he says this.

- It's fortunate that the damned lump of meat was incomplete. If it had been complete, we wouldn't have been able to handle it.

'If that's the incomplete body...'

And if it's complete.

There is no hope for Reed alone.

No one can stop this disaster.

"Do you know my dad, mister?"

"I know him, but I've never met him."

"Liar."

The smile on the girl's lips disappeared.

The heavy atmosphere completely froze.

"You know everything. What kind of person my father is, that you tried to kill my father, and that you tried to kill me."

The girl reached out her arm.

Her face that had flown away returned to its original state.

"You're a bad person."

A thin strand of mana pierced Reed's neck.

A fleeting sense of danger passed through his bones, as if predicting Reed's future for a moment.

His neck is cut off.

The gem on Reed's gauntlet sparkled.

His body was pulled back, and the sharp air pressure made his clothes flutter.

'That was dangerous.'

As Reed thought, the mana used for magic was small in amount, but it was sharp.

Thanks to always being on guard, he barely avoided it with an instant teleport.

"How did you get that far?"

Rosemary tilted her head.

Her magic was proficient at the level of an archmage, but her understanding of magic was not quite complete.

"Don't avoid it, whatever it is."

Once again, a thread touched his neck.

He dodged it again with teleportation and counterattacked toward Rosemary.

In a hurry, he threw the card of the explosive rune at her.

The rune exploded in front of Rosemary.

Kwa-gwang!!

It was difficult to kill Rosemary, so he threw her into a position where she would be swept away by the explosion.

The smoke cleared, and Rosemary's figure appeared again.

She stared at Reed with an unharmed face, as if to show off.

"What was that?"

"You don't need to know, kid."

"I want to know. Hmm…"

Rosemary, who was lost in thought with her finger on her lips, raised her head.

"Is this how it's done?"

Rosemary muttered as if understanding, and this time she flicked her finger.

With a clear sound of "snap," it was not a thread, but a dot.

A very thin dot like a small amount of ink that had not yet dried on a pen.

Bang!!

If it had been the power of the explosive rune, he would have escaped the range long ago.

But Reed's body hit the ground, and it took rolling five times to finally stop.

"Ugh…"

Rolling roughly, it felt like his bones were broken.

It was fate for a mage, who was not a knight or a swordsman, to be as good as a rag.

'I wasn't in a position to sympathize.'

Although Reed was reluctant, he decided to take it seriously.

'I'll end it in one go.'

Rail gun.

It was reduced in size and power to withstand Reed's strength and ability, but it was not weak.

Reed stared at the place where the smoke had not yet cleared.

As soon as her figure was revealed, he pulled the trigger.

A beam of light pierced through her body and passed.

Reed closed his eyes at the delayed shockwave and roar.

'Did I defeat her?'

Reed pulled the trigger as soon as he saw the young girl's head.

He also saw the light pass through her, but he couldn't believe it just by seeing it.

The wind calmed down.

Reed stood up and looked down at where Rosemary was.

"…"

She was dead.

No doubt.

With a face resembling Rosaria, she lay dead with the hole left by the railgun piercing her.

The absence of her facial features made it even more difficult to look at.

Feeling guilty, as if he had killed Rosaria, a sense of guilt brushed through his mind.

'Let's get out of here.'

He couldn't bear the ominous feeling that was stabbing his head.

Reed squeezed out all the mana he had to teleport.

"…Huh?"

He tried to send it outside, but the mana didn't reach the exterior.

The barrier was still in effect.

'That means… no way?'

A shiver ran through his body.

The terrifying murderous intent he thought had disappeared once again enveloped Reed.

"Where… are you going?"

A childish voice squeezed out from the damaged vocal cords.

Thinking it couldn't be, he turned around.

The girl, with half of her face blown away, was standing in that spot.