While studying with Cie, Hugo hears Mel and Olla talk about their plan of leaving the foundation.
He doesn’t mind the plan.
It is actually quite simple.
In the middle of the night, three of them will sneak out of the resident.
They have collected enough money and necessary things to survive for a month or so.
What would they do after that?
They’re not completely sure.
Olla’s suggestion is that she would go back into the world of a prostitute.
Mel didn’t object as she doesn’t have any other idea to prevent that.
Olla also has said that Mel and Cie should stay away from selling themselves for money.
She would be the only one doing it.
This is her own decision and she doesn’t mind sacrificing herself for them.
Hugo can only pity her.
He didn’t take part in that conversation as he is just a four years old child.
Even if he is smarter than average child, it would be odd for a child of this age to partake in a conversation like that.
Also, he really doesn’t have any right to take part in their conversation.
He is just a stranger who got what he wanted.
They wanted info and he wanted some education.
So, that is the end of their relationship.
After this, they might as well be true strangers.
He has no problem with it.
However, if he had some strength.
Then he might’ve given some help.
He is cautious and self-caring.
But is also soft in his heart.
After his first life, he had tried to distance himself from people and be a little cold hearted.
This is to not feel the pain of losing people he loves again.
He still misses his first mom and dad, Salina and Wick.
But he has to accept the reality that they’re dead.
He is apprehensive about showing his love to his current parents.
But he subconsciously still cares about them.
And now, he still has some sympathy for these three girls.
Hugo sighs inwardly at this sudden events and hope that these three girls can live happy and safe.
Regardless of his own humanity and kind heart, he can’t help but be suspicious of Mel.
It has only been a day since they’ve sneaked into the office of Madam Tallia.
There hasn’t been any incident.
He had made sure to not leave any evidence behind.
Of course, it is impossible to not leave any sign behind.
He is just a child after all.
Even though this is his second life.
He hasn’t seen much of the world.
He doesn’t know how people are and what they can do.
Now that the world of magic is also revealed to him.
He is even more in the dark.
So, instead of removing all the evidence of the ritual book.
He has made distractions to confusion people if they were to search for evidence.
The distractions include placing those fancy lanterns differently, or moving few objects into different direction.
This would probably make them think that some child had come into the room and just played with stuff.
Hugo is a child, so even if they find him.
It is impossible for them to be suspicious of him.
At least that is the hope.
He had placed the book of cursed ritual at the original place.
This stuff has been stressing him too.
But Mel’s reaction is quite excessive.
She had suggested to straight up leave the foundation and had convinced Olla too.
Her desire to leave as soon as possible has scared him.
However, nothing has happened to him yet.
So, it should be fine.
If something were to happen then it should’ve happened by now.
‘Yeah, let’s hope that is the case…’
After this conversation with Mel, Olla comes closer to Hugo and speaks.
“Cutie, you have been a good kid. So, as a present for your graduation…I give you this book that I made. You can thank me now, at this very second. Go on, chant my name.”
Hugo is being treated like a kid again.
He knows that the knowledge that he has gotten from her can barely be counted for graduation.
He still hasn’t comprehended how to use various words in sentences and his vocabulary is limited.
Even his writing ability is mediocre.
However, without her he wouldn’t even be able to read this much.
Now he is much further in education than most of the kids in this society.
Without her, learning Coosma would’ve been difficult.
So, he should be grateful to Olla.
Hugo stands up and gives her a little bow and speaks.
“Thank you, Sis…”
He thinks to himself while holding his graduation gift.
‘This book isn’t going to be any use to me.
I’ve learned enough form it and there isn’t anything left that I can make use of.
She just gave me because she didn’t have any use to it, haha.
Cie can use it but she really isn’t that enthusiastic about studying.’ He doesn’t speak that out loud and after some more pleasantries he leaves Olla’s room.
The next day, he hears that three girls ran away from the foundation.
And later in the evening, some investigators from official branch came to investigate the resident.
He makes a guess that girls have given some clues to the investigator.
This surely will result in the shut down off this foundation for good.
He doesn’t know what clue did these girls gave or what will happen to Madam Tallia or these three girls.
Hugo can only hope that everything will work out fine.
Now he just has to worry about his future and try to find what affinity does he fall into.
Finally, he can say that he is hopeful for the future.
***
In an abandoned ruin.
A woman, who is exceptionally beautiful, sits all alone with a book in front of her.
The book seemed to have an aura of maliciousness.
There are odd symbols draw on it in red or brown color.
From one look, some might say that these symbols are drawn with blood.
She looks at it with her unchanging eyes.
For whatever reason, she doesn’t mind the malicious aura of the book.
She actually welcomes it.
However, a disgusted look appears on her face.
She doesn’t like that someone had touched it without her permission.
It makes her sick.
The look of disgust only last for five second.
Then beautiful face returns to look at the book with the same unchanging eyes.
Suddenly, her eyes turn hollow.
As this happens, she raises her two fingers close to her eyes and shoves them inside of them to take out a pinch of powder.
Then she sprinkles it on the book.
The powder act like an alive being and moves to form fingerprints on the book.
Her hollow eyes become normal and she observes the fingerprints to deduce that these belongs to a child.
There is no reaction on her face after finding this out.
She just observes the powder as it moves to different places.
Soon, the powders float in air and becomes blank like darkness.
This makes he narrow her eyes and speak.
“Someone with dark affinity and perhaps, the ability to possess? Hmm… probably not.”
She does an exaggerated sighs and her eyes turn hollow again.
Just like before she pulls something else out of her eye portals.
This time it is a candle.
The powder, without her saying even a single word, floats on the ground and makes a sinister looking symbol, a symbol of illusion domain.
The powder also seems to bring the fingerprint of the child onto the symbol.
The woman places the candle on the ground and with a snap of her finger the candle lit up.
Then she collapses her hands together and closes her eyes.
Her lips move but no sound comes out.
It looked like she is praying to some God.
This action of praying to this god is so terrifying that even the powder seems to shakes a little in fear.
After a minute of praying, the candle breaks and the wick falls on to the powder that has made the fingerprint of the child.
The fingerprint burns up quickly and disappears within flame.
In a house, three people sleep peacefully.
One is a child…Male, and then two adults…Male and female.
The adults didn’t seem to sense that their child isn’t able to breathe anymore.
The child also doesn’t sense this oddity.
He is still asleep and couldn’t understand what is happening to his body.
Soon, the child’s body gives up and the child dies.
This child is Hugo and he has died.
After all this, the woman picks up the book and leave the ruin.
The powder follows suit behind her like an obedient pet.
As she is walking out of the ruin, she looks at a man.
He is dead and seems to be empty from the inside but not the outside looks normal.
It looked like someone was wearing this dead man as a body suit.
Who is this man?
He is none other then Tallia’s husband and this woman is Tallia.
Or someone who was impersonating her.
***
3rd incarnation
Age 0
The horror of dying settles into his entire being and suddenly he cries instinctually.
He isn’t sure what had happened or what caused it.
He isn’t even able to properly think.
Her sluggish baby mind makes it harder for him to think.
Only thing that he is capable of doing is cry in fear.
However, he isn’t the only who is crying.
There is someone else who is crying while holding his baby body tightly.
This ‘someone’ is the mother of the baby.
She is alone and there is no father to be seen anywhere.
Her tears are not of relief or happiness.
Instead, there is despair and pain in those tears.
Both cry while being unknown about each other’s misery.