Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

Boom! !

A very ominous sound rang out above Bell's head.

"Watch out or I'll beat you up!"

"You've already hit me!!"

Bell pressed her hand to her head and cried out.

This lightning-fast punch was no longer just instantaneous; it merely left the result of being "beaten up"!

Whether it's defense or evasion, it's impossible to even detect it!

Her life is so clearly different from that of Belle (a toddler)!

The impact pierced through my head and spread throughout my body! Pain! Anguish!

This is the Gospel Punch!

Can you believe it? This is even faster than reciting a super short poem!

With tears in his eyes, Belle saw countless sparks flying through his vision as he struggled in agony, like a rabbit slipping on snow and crashing headfirst into a rock.

Just then, she looked down at them with an air of authority.

"Didn't I teach you how to call me? Hmm?"

"...Alphia's mother, godmother."

"Very well," she said.

She—Alphia—took Bell's small hand again.

"And then? What were you trying to say?"

"...You're not going to hit me?"

"How am I supposed to know if you haven't told me yet? But if you annoy me, I'll beat you up."

"How terrifying!"

"Then I'll knock on you."

"That must have hurt a lot too!!"

Bell shouted this based on his past experience.

After all, since he met Alphia and the strong man Chardo, he had never had a day without injury in the past three years.

Alphia has an extreme love for silence and is a neurotic "queen".

It is only natural to strike with a knife before speaking.

As long as she says something is white, even black will turn into pure white.

Starting three years ago, it became a family rule not to upset Alfia. Before that, there was an incident where Belle and her grandfather were arguing, and Alfia, who was sitting quietly reading a book, suddenly slammed the book shut.

"So noisy"

He said this, and then gave him a bunch of apocalyptic flicks on the forehead.

Bell was plunged into darkness and fell silent.

He awoke on her lap to find his grandfather embedded in the wall, completely buried from the waist down. Chardo, pretending not to see, was stirring the large pot, simmering soup for dinner. Chardo, a discerning eater, prepared exceptionally well; however, feeling utterly lifeless, the meal, eaten in the quiet of the table, tasted almost like a last supper. Incidentally, his grandfather was still embedded in the wall. Bell was struggling to keep his hands from trembling.

"Don't be too noisy. Or I'll flick your forehead again."

"Alas!"

"I hate noise. You just need to quietly report what needs to be reported to me."

"Yes, Mom! I'm so sorry!"

"...What is this? Who taught you this?"

"Grandpa told me to say that..."

"That old geezer. He's a cancer that only negatively impacts Bell's education. I guess I should just use magic to send three mountains flying."

"No! Grandpa will die! No!!"

Of all these people, the grandfather who had always taken care of Bell was the one who got along the least with Alphia.

When Alphia dragged the restless Bell to take a bath, her grandfather would say, "I want to bathe too☆" and pounce on her, only to be forcibly removed from the house a second later. To prevent him from intruding, Alphia buried him completely in the middle of the field, leaving only his head sticking out.

Furthermore, when Alphia wanted to sleep with Bell, he also shouted, "I want to sleep with Bell too!" and tried to crawl into the covers. However,

"【Gospel】"

A single sentence brought everything to an end.

The walls and ceiling vanished. In fact, the entire house disappeared. All that remained was the floor and bed in Bell's room, with a beautiful starry sky visible above. Bell, now Alphia's body pillow, lay trembling, unable to sleep at all.

The next morning, the tattered grandfather and Chardo lay in a sea of ​​debris.

From then on, no one dared to defy Alphia.

Incidentally, the house has been rebuilt about ten times.

"I won't hit you, tell me."

Bell was pulled along by Alphia and started walking again.

The setting sun made him squint, and he made up his mind, but still asked cautiously:

"What kind of person was my real mother?"

Bell had absolutely no idea what his mother was like.

From the time he was old enough to understand, his grandfather was the only person around him.

He never felt sad. But he still felt lonely.

But it's alright now.

After all, Bell still has Alphia and the others.

So this is just a simple question.

He had wanted to ask her, the one who knew Belle's mother best, for a long time.

Alphia did not stop and continued walking forward for some time.

Then, she slowly opened her lips.

"He's a very gentle guy."

"gentle?"

"Ah. She always has a smile on her face, and just her presence can open people's hearts. She is physically weak, but she doesn't seem unreal. She says very ordinary things, but they make people realize their mistakes. Incredibly, everyone loves her. She is a pure and innocent woman."

"Pure white..."

"However, only the resentment towards food is extremely intense."

"Eh"

"Once, I secretly ate the dessert that she was really looking forward to. She was practically breathing dragon's breath at that moment. That was the first time I was ready to face death."

"Eh"

"For the same reason, Hera... a certain goddess, was also forced to sit upright on the stone floor. It was quite a sight. After all, that unruly woman was trembling with humiliation, tears welling in her eyes."

The words, which could not be ignored, made Bell's eyes narrow into a dot, but Alphia's voice remained calm.

She was more talkative than usual, and the corners of her mouth even looked like she was smiling.

That was genuine love.

"Because everyone depends on others to survive, your mother never forgot how precious it is to be alive. She was not ashamed, nor did she forget to thank others, nor did she succumb to hellish pain... Instead, she smiled and experienced the fact of living in the present moment more carefully than anyone else."

Therefore, your mother is gentler than anyone else.

Bell has been able to grow up healthy and strong without getting sick, thanks to his mother, Alfia, said.

"...Actually, I had no intention of coming to see you at all."

"—Huh!?"

That was when words ceased and peaceful times arrived.

As their shadows lengthened in the setting sun, Alphia, as if overwhelmed by memories, revealed her innermost thoughts.

"I kept thinking that I absolutely must not show myself in front of you."

After a while, Belle finally understood what it meant, and then she almost burst into tears.

This feeling of sorrow surpassed the loneliness of not having her mother by her side.

He lived with his grandfather in a house in a corner of the village, and relieved his loneliness by reading about the characters in the tales of heroes.

Perhaps, I once had such a future.

But now that I know how warm she is, it's too late.

She kept her eyes closed and never showed a smile, but she would still stroke Bell with stiff movements.

She complained and occasionally punished him, but she still held Belle's small hand tightly.

The woman before Belle, who was neurotic, willful, rude, and clumsy, was the one who taught her what "mother" meant.

So I really hope she doesn't say such sad things.

With tears in his eyes, Bell looked up at Alphia walking beside him.

—So, why did you appear before me?

He almost choked on his words with snot, but Alphia still answered his question.

"You've been bewitched. I'm so concerned about the child my sister left behind, so I came to this remote mountain with Chardo. I really only intended to take one last look at you from afar and then leave."

After she finished speaking, her lips curved slightly, a rare occurrence for her.

That was a self-deprecating smile.

"However, when I saw your 'white hair,' I couldn't hold back anymore. I couldn't suppress the emotions welling up inside me, and before I knew it, I was standing in front of you."

Bell can still recall the day he met Alphia.

It was at dusk like today when Bell turned around and found her standing there, stunned.

First, she was asked her name, then she placed her hands on her round face and quietly hugged him tightly.

Alphia neither shed tears nor sobbed at that time, but Bell sensed that she seemed to be crying.

So his short arms went around her back and hugged her back.

Her body carried a certain nostalgic scent.

At some point, it was Bell who started crying.

This must be the 'wrong path'.

If Alphia hadn't been "bewitched," she really wouldn't have shown herself in front of Bell.

Their fates would never intersect, and they remained completely unaware of each other's existence; the story simply continued in this way.

"You and Metaria look so alike. Your white hair, your face, and your smile are all just as good as your mother's."

"Mother's..."

"There's only one thing, only your eyes are inherited from your father... Every time I see your red eyes, I feel like gouging them out."

"Ugh!"

Bell was afraid in front of Alphia, who was creating an unsettling atmosphere for a moment.

This made it impossible for him to ask about his father.

"...Neither Mother Alphia nor Uncle Chardo, I don't want to be separated from you."

Even if you wish for us to be with you forever, we are not gods and cannot grant your wish. After all, we are not eternal. I cannot be with you forever.

Bell, who had been listening to Alphia the whole time, made a last-ditch effort to speak, but Alphia still answered him calmly.

"Even if you don't expect it, parting is inevitable. Don't forget that."

So "this time" is very recent.