Vol 1 Chapter 17: Clara Reluctant to Return to the Capital

Returning to Marry’s Home

The sun rose over the eastern horizon. Today was cloudy, though no rain fell—only a grey sky and a gentle breeze carrying the faint scent of wild roses from the rose fields north of the village.

Clara stood before the wooden house that had been her silent refuge for the past seven days. She stared at the soft brown door for a moment, then drew a breath.

“Why do I always end up coming back here?” she wondered.

It wasn’t because of duty. The two fugitives she had been chasing had “disappeared.” More precisely, they had become fertiliser for those tame yet terrifying rose monsters.

Clara had already finished her report. And yet, she didn’t want to leave. Even when all formalities were settled, her heart… refused to return home.

Today marked the eighth day. Still, Clara decided to stay one more day before heading back to the capital.

"Knock… knock…"

Clara knocked on the door and stood silently for a moment.

Then the door creaked open, revealing the gentle face of a woman with sky-blue eyes. Marry stood at the doorway, still dressed in her simple white pyjamas.

“You still haven’t returned to the capital, Miss Detective?”

Clara offered a faint smile, scratching the back of her head.

“I haven’t said goodbye yet. May I stay here for one more day?” Clara asked, a little awkwardly.

Marry paused. Then she smiled softly.

“You’re welcome here anytime, Miss Clara.” She opened the door wide, inviting Clara inside.

Marry led her to the living room. Clara watched the woman’s back, noticing the silver hair still tousled from sleep.

“I just woke up, Miss,” Marry sighed. “Sorry, I haven’t prepared anything yet. I’ll take care of Caelan first.”

Clara sat on the sofa. In front of her, the wooden table—usually occupied by cookies and tea—was empty. She smiled faintly.

“No need to trouble yourself, Mrs Marry. I can take care of myself,” Clara said sincerely.

“In that case, please make yourself at home. I’ll be back soon,” Marry replied gently.

Marry turned and took two steps forward—when Clara called out to her. She stopped in place.

“Mrs Marry… may I help you?” Clara tapped her chest lightly. “I can help clean the house, prepare a simple breakfast, or look after little Caelan.”

Marry glanced over her shoulder. She smiled when she saw the purple-haired detective already standing with a hand to her chest.

“Very well then—I’ll trouble you, Miss Clara,” she said warmly.

Marry nodded and walked toward the kitchen. Clara followed behind.

“I’ll leave breakfast to you, Miss Clara.” Marry pointed to the magic-powered refrigerator in the corner. “Feel free to use anything in there. I’ll tend to my daughter.”

“Leave it to me, Mrs Marry,” Clara replied with enthusiasm.

And so, the two women shared the morning’s household tasks. Clara prepared breakfast, while Marry tended to little Caelan.

—

Marry, A Mother Who Was More Than Just a Mother…

Clara tied her hair into a ponytail, then put on an apron. She walked to the corner of the kitchen, opened the fridge, and examined its contents.

“Hm… what should I cook this morning?” Clara touched her chin.

“There’s honey, eggs, bread, beef, tomatoes, leafy greens…” she murmured as she scanned the shelves.

She picked up a bottle of honey and dipped a finger into it.

“This honey is so sweet,” she said, tasting it.

She stood in front of the fridge for a moment. Then she gathered honey, bread, eggs, tomatoes, and spinach, placing them atop the magic cooler.

“Alright then… I’ll make that for breakfast. Simple but nutritious.” Clara rolled up her sleeves. “Now it’s time to cook!”

She began moving quickly—lighting the magic stove, frying eggs, toasting bread, and steaming vegetables. Her hands worked with practised speed.

Thirty minutes later, breakfast was served on the dining table.

“Done!” Clara said, wiping sweat from her forehead.

Clara sat quietly at the table, waiting for Marry and Caelan. Moments later… footsteps sounded behind her, followed by a sweet little voice.

“Wah! Big Sis Clara is here to play!” Caelan chirped.

Clara turned around and saw the little silver-haired girl raising both arms cheerfully. She wore a plain, cute pink dress.

Beside her stood Marry, calm and composed, dressed in an elegant red rose gown.

Marry took a seat across from Clara, while Caelan sat beside her.

“Sorry for troubling you, Miss Clara,” Marry said.

“It’s no trouble, Mrs Marry. I’m happy to help,” Clara replied sincerely.

Caelan’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the breakfast set before her—honey toast, fried eggs, salad, and warm milk.

“Big Sis Clara… did you make breakfast for Caelan?” she asked innocently.

“Yes, this is for you. Eat lots, so you can grow into a good and beautiful woman like your mama,” Clara said.

“Hooray! Big Sis Clara is really nice!” Caelan exclaimed.

She grabbed the toast with her tiny hands and ate eagerly.

“S-so yummy,” Caelan said, her lips smeared with honey.

Clara laughed softly at how adorable she looked.

“Oh dear, sweetheart. Eat slowly,” Marry said gently, wiping Caelan’s cheek with a white napkin.

Clara fell silent for a moment, watching the mother and daughter’s warm interaction. She smiled faintly as she held her chin.

"I never get tired of seeing the tenderness between those two, " she thought.

Clara took a piece of toast and ate slowly. Then she spooned a bowl of salad and ate quietly.

“Sweetheart, open your mouth,” Marry coaxed, offering a spoonful of vegetables to her daughter.

Caelan covered her mouth with both hands and shook her head. Marry sighed and lowered the spoon.

“If Caelan doesn’t want to eat vegetables, that’s fine. But—” Marry paused, closing her lips for a moment. “Caelan won’t grow up to be a pretty girl like Mama.”

Caelan lowered her hands, her cheeks puffed in a pout.

“Caelan doesn’t like green vegetables… but Caelan wants to grow up like Mama.”

She opened her mouth. Marry smiled and fed her.

“Good girl. Caelan is such a good girl,” she praised.

Clara covered her mouth and stifled a chuckle.

"Marry… really knows how to persuade her little daughter," she thought.

Clara’s green eyes reflected the mother and child with silver hair. She knew… behind Marry’s soft words, she hid many things. But not lies. Not cheap masks—rather, a depth Clara could not reach.

Every time Marry fed Caelan, every time she coaxed her, every time she gently wiped her daughter’s cheek—Clara realised something:

She was not looking at an ordinary human.

Marry was not simply a former executioner with a blood-soaked reputation that once terrorised a tyrannical kingdom.
She was not merely a fugitive who disappeared from civilisation.

Marry was the purest human Clara had ever met.

Clara activated a rarely used unique skill, [Eyes of Judgment]. Her green eyes glowed as she looked at Marry and Caelan.

Clara knew… she might never again fully trust humans since the first time she awakened her unique power.

She had seen too much darkness in people. Too many corrupted souls. Even when their mouths uttered kindness, their hearts often whispered otherwise.

But Marry… was different.

Her soul wasn’t just pure and white—it shone. Her soul wasn’t only clean—it healed.

Clara didn’t know why, but every time she saw Marry caring for her little daughter, her heart felt… peaceful.

"Even if this world is dark, Marry’s soul and her daughter’s are so bright. They’re like tiny lanterns in this world," she thought.

Clara savoured the beautiful scene before her. She ate her breakfast, accompanied by this warm mother and daughter.

She touched her chest. She could feel that warmth spreading, wrapping around her spirit. This morning was truly calm and soothing.

—

Caelan and an Unexpected Friendship…

After breakfast, Marry continued cleaning the house. Meanwhile, Clara offered to help, but Marry gently declined. Clara eventually leaned back and relaxed on the sofa.

Clara crossed her legs while holding her notebook. She opened to a blank page. But then a small voice called out to her.

“Big Sis Clara! Big Sis Clara! Let’s play!” Caelan whined.

That cheerful voice echoed from the hallway. Caelan ran toward her in tiny steps, carrying a bunny doll. Her silver hair swayed each time her little feet tapped the dry floor.

Clara lowered her notebook. She smiled as she watched the little girl approach.

“This child is too cute for a world like this,” she thought.

Clara sighed, then lifted her notebook to cover her face.

“I’m busy,” Clara replied—pretending to write on the empty page.

But Caelan tugged at her sleeve and looked up at the notebook.

“Don’t lie! That book is empty!” she pouted.

Clara let out a soft laugh and lowered the notebook.

“Okay, okay. What are we playing this time? Hide-and-seek? Story time?”

Caelan laughed joyfully. She hopped a little into the air.

“Caelan wants to play knights and monsters! Big Sis Clara will be the prince. I’ll be the monster!”

Clara frowned.

“Huh? Why do you want to be the monster?”

Caelan poked her own chubby cheek with her finger.

“Because monsters are strong! But Mama says sometimes monsters aren’t bad. Sometimes they fight the bad guys,” she said innocently.

Clara froze. Words like that coming from such a small child… were not something to be taken lightly. It seemed Marry had been teaching her bedtime stories.

But Caelan tugged her sleeve again and dragged her toward the backyard.

“Come on, Big Sis Clara! Let’s play in the backyard!”

“Alright.” Clara patted Caelan’s head. “I can walk on my own, you know.”

Clara held Caelan’s hand as they walked to the backyard. There, they played under the rising morning sun.

…

Marry was hanging the laundry in the backyard. She spread each piece of clothing across the drying line and fastened it with wooden clips.

A gentle breeze brushed through her long silver hair. Marry smiled as she watched Caelan and Clara playing under the shade of a tree. Then she quietly returned to her work.

Clara paused for a moment. She looked at Marry hanging the laundry. She knew most people would call her foolish.

Admiring a blood-soaked executioner? A tyrant-slayer? A criminal with corpse-eating blood-rose tendrils as her familiar?

Clara sighed. She didn’t care what others thought. They didn’t know who Marry truly was.

Marry was not a woman who dirtied her hands with the blood of sinners. She was simply a woman who chose to keep loving— even when the world would never repay her, even when the world had forgotten her.

—

When Evening Comes…

As dusk arrived, Clara sat with Marry in the backyard. Three empty lunch boxes lay scattered beside her. They had just finished lunch together under the oak tree.

A gentle breeze blew, rustling the silver hair of a small girl. Caelan was asleep on Clara’s lap, her mouth slightly open and a bit of sweat on her forehead. The little girl was exhausted after playing knights and monsters with Clara on the green grass.

Marry gazed at the two of them with warm eyes. Clara gently stroked Caelan’s silver hair.

“Clara,” she said softly, “You’re like an older sister to Caelan. Thank you for spending time with her today,” Marry said gently.

Clara didn’t know what to say. She simply stared into Marry’s blue eyes—clear as a bright sky.

“…I envy you,” Clara replied.

Marry blinked. “Envy?”

“Yes. Because you… can still be human. Even though the world has killed the best parts of us,” Clara said quietly.

Clara looked up at the sky. Clouds drifted across the warm orange light. She smiled softly before continuing.

“You know, Mrs Marry… I’ve seen many sides of people. And what I’ve seen, most of the time, are souls that are black, corrupt, and rotting.”

Clara’s lips curved downward. She lowered her gaze to the green grass.

“Even if they wear clean clothes, help others, or smile sweetly, my eyes can’t lie. What I see are decaying souls hiding behind false masks.”

Clara stroked Caelan’s hair, then sighed.

“Sometimes I’m scared… scared that if I keep looking, I’ll lose faith in others—lose faith in humans who’ve fallen into sin. These eyes of judgment are a blessing and a curse. But—” Clara bit her lip.

She glanced at Caelan, then back at Marry.

“When I look at you and Caelan, I believe that purity and goodness can still shine, even if this world is covered in darkness,” Clara said sincerely.

“You’ve worked very hard.” Marry gave a faint smile. “I’ve lived through two eras and travelled this world. But there is only one normal person in this world who never closes her eyes to injustice. Your conscience has never lied, Miss Clara.”

“Perhaps if more people out there had a heart like yours, the world would be a better place,” Marry praised her.

“I hope so,” Clara said with a small nod.

Marry and Clara looked up at the evening sky while gently stroking Caelan’s head under the shade of the tree. Together they watched the sun set.

They knew… tomorrow would be better, as long as there were still people who held on to their conscience.

Author's Note: This chapter has been rewritten.