I’m Not the Mastermind

Yujin asked Tiamat, "Why?"—but no answer came. She merely gazed at him in silence, a sadness lingering in her eyes.

He could guess that there was some deeper reason behind her words, but that was all. Which was why he couldn’t easily promise her anything.

"Let’s talk about this again later."

『…Yujin.』

"I’m not ignoring you, Tia. I just… don’t want to make a promise when I don’t understand anything about the situation."

『……』

"When you’re ready to tell me why, I’ll be ready to give you an answer."

Tiamat fell into a brief silence before nodding.

『…Yeah, you’re right. I’m sorry. I was forcing my perspective onto you too much.』

"No need to apologize. I know you’re only saying this for my sake."

『…Thank you.』

Though she hadn’t revealed the full story, neither Yujin nor Tiamat let this issue put a strain on their bond. Their connection had grown too deep for something like this to drive a wedge between them.

Tiamat then spoke one last time.@@novelbin@@

『Yujin, take this as just a piece of advice… Keep it in mind, but don’t let it weigh you down too much.』

"Advice?"

『Yes, advice. No matter who it is—demon or otherwise… If you ever have a child with someone, make sure you take responsibility for it.』

"……"

Yujin fell silent for a moment before letting out a small chuckle.

"That’s just the natural duty of any living being. Even a mere beast knows to take responsibility for its own offspring."

『Yes, that’s how it should be. But… there are plenty who fail to do even that.』

For the first time, Yujin sensed something in Tiamat’s voice—hatred and disgust she rarely expressed.

『Even the lowest of creatures understand this fundamental truth… And yet, there exist those who do not.』