Chapter 22 : If you made a mistake, just apologize (5)

“Thank you for listening to my story…”

“Churrr!”

In the original, Carmilla’s past was never mentioned, as she was already dead.

I could understand completely why I had given her the nickname ‘The Vicious Lady’.

But aside from that…

Scratch scratch.

Every time I wanted to speak, Carmilla would lend me a notebook and pen, saying not to damage the road.

Inside it, I wrote down, like distinguishing between public and private matters, something very unfortunate. But right now, I showed her what she needed to do next.

[Apologize properly to the boy you hit at school.]

“I-I already apologized! Even today, my mother came to school because of that…”

Scratch scratch.

[But you only did it because you didn’t want to get scolded by your mom.]

“Well… that’s…”

Carmilla was still a child, not even ten years old.

So now was the most crucial time to correct her ’emotions’, and at this age, children easily change based on their surroundings.

It wasn’t too late.

In fact, it was fortunate that I didn’t give up now.

Just like Miss Hoshino, who broke away from the original work’s grimness and is still smiling brightly, Carmilla, who had her hatred inflated because of her father,

Even this child could surely have an alternative story that leads to happiness, avoiding the original fate.

And the first step of that IF story was not to hate men for no reason.

Scratch scratch.

[What did the boy you hit do to you first?]

“He didn’t… do anything…”

[So you hit him just because he went to a prestigious school, right? Am I wrong?]

“Ugh, ugh…! Really… even this part makes me feel like I’m too much like my late dad!”

Late dad…

There could have been more casual expressions like ‘he’s dead’ or ‘he’s gone,’

But Carmilla, despite saying she hated it, seemed to still miss her dad, unknowingly.

“Well, even though she seems to be maturing, she’s still just an elementary school student.”

In the meantime…

“You… really remind me of my dad.”

“Churrr?”

Carmilla kept comparing me to her father.

Thinking, “Could Carmilla be a monster by birth?” I tilted my head.

“No, not by appearance! I mean, your vibe is similar!”

“Churrr?”

Vibe…?

“So… I can’t really explain it well in words, but… you seem like a reliable person, just like my dad.”

Ah, so that’s what it was.

“You’re not intimidating, you protect me, and most importantly, you listen to everything I say…”

It seemed Carmilla missed her father more than I had expected.

To be more precise, it felt like she missed a man who would reliably protect her.

“Is this the case where abused children prefer reliable men who will protect them?”

Come to think of it, I had read about this in a book.

Children who are abused in their childhood tend to be drawn to a partner with enough strength to protect them, regardless of appearance, personality, or career.

But still, there’s a limit.

Who would choose a monster as their protector?

Maybe Carmilla was that desperate.

“…If I think positively, it’s a good thing that it’s me.”

Usually, children with distorted traits like this in Japan tend to get involved with older men who have strong economic power, a ‘papa-katsu’ kind of habit.

If they meet a kind, father-like man, that would be fortunate, but more often, they end up with something worse.

Compared to those, even if I’m a monster, I’m still better.

Nod nod!

Yes, that’s true.

“Hey, why are you suddenly shaking your head by yourself?”

“Churrr.”

“So! No matter how much you say it, I won’t understand!”

Isn’t Carmilla’s lady-like speech starting to crumble bit by bit?

But then again, this was the persona she had created because of her mom.

I just decided to let it go.

Scratch scratch.

[So, you’re really going to apologize to him tomorrow, right?]

Back to the main point, I wanted to get a definite confirmation, even for Carmilla’s IF story.

“Well…”

In the original, Carmilla, who had the same or even higher performance as Miss Hoshino from the 3rd anniversary event,

Even though she was already dead in the original, with that level of power, I wondered how much stronger she’d be if she were alive and growing.

For the main story of the <Monster Frontline> starting ten years later, having more human strength would be better.

So…

“Can I… really do this?”

“I, I’m the one who hit an innocent kid first, terrified the class, and even apologized forcefully because of my mom today…”

“Churrr…”

“Do I really have the courage to apologize again?”

Carmilla, trembling with a lowered head, seemed to understand what she had done wrong.

As she nervously rubbed her fingers, I didn’t answer.

Instead, I gently placed my hand on her head, as if to help her take her first step.

Pat.

“…!”

With that gesture, I encouraged her.

“Are you… supporting me?”

“Churrr!”

Looking up at me, Carmilla’s condition seemed to improve.

“Th-thank you.”

She returned to her cheerful self, smiling brightly.

“Then, tomorrow, I’ll gather my courage and apologize sincerely to him!”

“Churrr! Churrr!”

Had she somehow shaken off the image of a vicious lady?

Indeed, nothing beats a child’s smile.

It was so uncomfortable for me to face a gloomy elementary school kid early in the morning.

As I kept walking with Carmilla, laughing together…

“Churrr…”

“Ah…”

Finally, the time had come.

It was time to say goodbye.

“It looks like we’ve arrived at the barrier connected to C City.”

“Churrr.”

“Today… I really thank you. Monster Uncle.”

A monster… uncle.

Well, it wouldn’t be strange to call a monster by any nickname.

But just being called “uncle” made me realize how close we had become in such a short time.

Carmilla bowed politely, thanking me.

Then, turning her back, just before the monster reached the barrier between cities where it was impossible to enter…

“Hey…”

“Churrr?”

“Will we meet again?”

She turned back and asked me meaningfully.

I nodded vigorously, signaling that this wasn’t the end.

“Churrr!”

“…Ah! Yeah! Take care! Let’s definitely meet again!”

Today was truly the best day!

“Hmm-hmm~♪ Hmm-hmm-hmm~♬”

It was fun.

It was enjoyable.

And most importantly, my heart felt at peace.

Since my dad died and my mom changed, I had been feeling like I was walking through an eternal hell.

But in that hell, I found an oasis where I could breathe, even if just for a moment.

Monster Uncle.

He said we’d meet again—could we really?

It doesn’t matter.

After all, Uncle is a monster, and I’m a hero.

As long as I stay true to my work, I’m sure we’ll meet again someday.

Plus, Uncle is so strong that he probably won’t get hunted down.

“Today, I think I can endure any hellish training!”

Finally, Carmilla reached the single house with a garden where she lived.

Since her father passed, standing in front of the entrance had always made her tremble in fear.

But not today.

She had been inspired by the monster uncle, and had learned how to apologize to her classmates.

“Come to think of it, that boy… he reminded me of Uncle somehow… I wonder why?”

As she opened the front door and entered the house,

A sudden question arose in her mind.

At the time when she had been too excited and was about to pull the revolver trigger at Princess Hoshino’s forehead…

“Churrr…”

In an instant, she felt the same fear she had felt in front of her mother.

Now that she thought about it, she felt something similar when she was with Uncle too.

Ah, of course! Uncle was kind to her, so she didn’t feel any fear at all.

“Could it be… that I have a gut feeling that this boy could grow up like Uncle?!”

It was because she had felt the energy of Monster Uncle even from her classmate, Kyoung-jang Hoon.

Carmilla, who had been desperately craving a reliable man, certainly thought it was due to her “gut feeling for a great man.”

Of course, that wasn’t the case.

But…

“Then I really have to apologize properly!”

She had already concluded that, and no longer doubted it.

“Uh, Mom?”

Having just seen a dented car in front of the entrance,

Realizing her mom must be inside, Carmilla carefully reverted to her polite lady persona.

“Mom, I’m back…”

The house was completely dark inside.

She was looking for her mom, Rajelita, who should have been waiting for her.

But no matter how much she searched…

“…Mom?”

Today, Lazerita’s presence seemed particularly absent.

Then, suddenly, she saw a vision that would trigger PTSD.

“The basement door… is open?”

The basement door, which had not been used since her father died,

The door that had been locked was now forcibly torn open, almost as if beckoning Carmilla to enter.

…Gulp.

She didn’t want to go back to that room ever again.

But the chance that her mother was inside made it seem likely.

So, Carmilla gathered her courage and slowly moved her feet to head down into the eerie basement once again.

“Carmilla, you’ve come.”

“Mom…”

As expected,

Her mother, Lazerita, was sitting in the middle of the basement, where the bloodstains from that time were still visible.

More precisely, it was something that had taken over Lazerita’s body while she had been waiting for Carmilla to arrive, sitting on the chair that had been placed where the failed magic circle had been.

“I was planning to wait until you grew a bit more before consuming you.”

“…Mom?”

“But since that damn monster with the same name has been marked, I thought it would be better to just resurrect you today.”

A monster possessing a human body.

She licked her lips and extended a hand to Carmilla.

“Come here, little one.”

“Mo…m?”

“Yes, I’m your mother. So…”

“If you don’t want your intestines ripped out painfully, get over here right now!”