"This thing... is Lady Liana’s child? The one who inherited Divine Revelation?"
"You're joking, right? Her father was a filthy mongrel, and yet she’s supposed to be the next God-bestowed Daughter? What a joke."
"The worst part? The moment this brat was born, Lady Liana’s Divine Revelation started transferring into her! At such a critical time... She’s a curse, isn't she? If it weren’t for her, we wouldn’t have lost to the Sky Evil God!"
"If not for this cursed child, we wouldn't have suffered so many deaths. A God-bestowed Daughter? No—she's the Daughter of Misfortune! The moment she was born, we suffered one defeat after another! And you know what? I heard she has a weird fondness for Fallen Beasts. Some even saw her interacting with them in the wild."
"Interacting with those monsters? Hah. No wonder—she’s a heretic. How can someone like that be the next God-bestowed Daughter?"
"If we get rid of her, do you think Lady Liana’s power will return to her?"
"It’s possible. Since even Lady Liana herself hates this child, why don’t we do her a favor? Let’s help Lady Liana erase this stain on her life!"
"Wait... If Lady Liana’s Divine Revelation transferred to this brat through birth... that means Divine Revelation can be inherited by bloodline, not just by the Holy Spirit?"
"If that's true... If my child were to mate with this cursed thing, our family might gain a God-bestowed Daughter too."
"If that’s the case, maybe this curse isn’t so worthless after all..."
...
Falling deeper into the abyss of unconsciousness,
Those venomous words, once whispered behind her back, echoed again in Aeria’s mind—
Words she had long tried to forget.
Words that filled her with nothing but terror.
Not just that—
Her mother’s death...
Her master Brolani collapsing...
The images flashed like a slideshow in her mind—
Master Brolani,
Her greatest protector, her mentor.
And Mother...
Even if she changed, even if she tried to kill her, Liana was still her mother.
No matter what, she was their mother.
And now—both of them were dead.
Right in front of her.
The pain twisted around her chest, strangling her heart.
One horrific scene after another, like demonic claws, reached for her, suffocating her inside the nightmare.
Her heartbeat skyrocketed.
And finally—
"No, no, NO!! STOP! AAAAAAH!!"
With a terrified scream, Aeria’s eyes snapped open.
She jerked awake, gasping for air—
Her small body shaking violently, as if still caught in the clutches of the nightmare.
That was...
A dream?
Realizing the visions weren’t real, she forced herself to calm down—
But she did not relax.
Instead, her vigilant gaze swept across the unfamiliar ceiling.
No—
Not a ceiling.
Stone walls.
Where... am I?
I fainted... but that monster didn’t kill me?
And—
WHERE ARE MIA AND VIA?!
The moment the thought struck, the faces of her baby sisters filled her mind.
Panic rushed through her.
Ignoring the burning exhaustion in her limbs, Aeria struggled to get up—
But—
The instant she moved,
A chilling, skin-crawling sensation slithered across her body.
???
"W-What the hell?!"
Something was moving on her.
Wet. Cold. Slithering.
Like a serpent, gliding across her skin.
Her heart slammed against her ribs, pure terror slicing into her like an icy blade.
Swallowing hard, she tremblingly lowered her gaze.
And then—
She saw it.
A writhing mass of grotesque, squirming tentacles coiling around her arms, legs, and torso.
Pale, sickly pink-white flesh.
Slick, glistening with a revolting slime.
Each movement of the tentacles released sickening, wet squelches.
They gripped her tightly, preventing her from moving.
Panic flooded her senses.
Her eyes darted downward—
And she saw the source.
A disgusting, cephalopod-like creature sat on her chest, its body soft and damp, radiating a cold, unnatural presence.
Thick, bloated tentacles, far larger than its small, fleshy body, wrapped around her arms, legs, and waist.
It was holding her down. If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
The most terrifying part of the octopus-like creature was, of course, its head.
It had no mouth, no nose—
Only a single, massive, blood-red eye, staring unblinkingly at Aeria.
The moment their gazes locked,
Aeria felt a chill race down her spine.
That eye—
It was as if an invisible hand had clenched around her heart, squeezing tightly.
Fear surged through her nerves, flooding every inch of her body.
At the same time—
Noticing Aeria’s gaze,
The octopus-like creature—which had been perched on her chest—squirmed forward, inching closer.
The sheer wrongness of its movements—
The sickening, sticky sounds as its tentacles slithered—
It was too much.
Aeria’s panic broke.
"STAY AWAY FROM ME!! AAAAAAH!!!"
In pure terror,
Aeria threw a punch straight at the creature’s face.
...
Enmm.
Even Aeria knew her tiny fist wouldn’t hurt a creature like this.
But—
The next moment.
Before her dazed, wide-eyed gaze—
The octopus monster’s face violently distorted from her punch—
And then,
The entire creature uncoiled from her body instantly,
Before being launched backward and slamming into a stone wall in the distance.
??
"...Eh?"
Aeria blinked in shock,
Still sitting on the ground, stunned as she stared at the pinkish monster she had just punched away.
And then—
Under her bewildered gaze,
The octopus-like creature narrowed its eye,
Glared at her with what looked like... irritation—
And then—
With an almost comically swift motion,
It curled its tentacles into a wheel-like shape—
And rolled away like a tiny car, speeding into the distance.
...
Aeria just stared.
Was she... imagining it?
Or did that thing just...
Look at her with a mix of frustration... and hurt feelings?!
...
"No, no... stop overthinking... Fallen Beasts don’t feel things like ‘disappointment.’"
More importantly...
"Where... am I?"
Her heart pounded as she finally took in her surroundings.
The stone walls around her were cold, damp, and oppressive.
The air was thick with an unnatural stillness.
A chill ran down her spine.
She swallowed.
"Mia..."
"Via..."
"...Where are you?"
Her fingers clenched, anxiety tightening in her chest.
And then—
As Aeria’s gaze darted around the eerie space—
A voice.
A voice she knew.
A voice that shouldn’t be here.
A voice that froze her blood.
——"Child... what are you... looking for...?"——
?!!
That... that was—
MOTHER'S VOICE?!
"Mom?!"
At the sound of that voice,
Aeria jerked, her entire body trembling.
She whipped around.
And then—
Her pupils shrunk.
Her breath caught in her throat.
Because standing right behind her—
Was a young woman, dressed in a flowing white dress,
With long, water-blue hair and emerald green eyes,
A breathtaking, gentle smile on her face.
She was beautiful.
She was elegant.
She was exactly the same as Aeria remembered.
It was—
Liana.
Her mother.
Her voice, her appearance, even her aura—
They were exactly the same.
...
And yet.
New n𝙤vel chapters are published on freewebnovel.cσ๓.
Aeria did not rush forward.
Aeria did not cry out in joy.
Aeria did not reach for her mother’s embrace.
Instead—
She staggered backward.
Her pink eyes widened, not in joy—
But in fear.
"M-Mom... why...?"
Her voice trembled.
Her heart pounded violently.
Something was wrong.
And then—
As if snapping herself out of a trance,
Aeria shook her head violently.
No.
No, no, no!
This isn’t right.
Her mind screamed at her—
Her gut twisted in terror—
And then, finally, the words left her mouth—
"No... NO! You’re not my mother!"
"You CAN’T be my mother!"
"WHAT ARE YOU?!"