Chapter 15: Let Me Experience Your Value
The elderly couple who ran the flower shop, who had once treated Lili with such gentleness, quickly drove Lili away.
Lili still vividly remembered those gazes of theirs, as if they were looking at some bizarre creature, right down to the present day.
The [Soma Familia] had pushed Lili to this absolute limit.
Lili felt an intense hatred toward Soma, her patron deity. Why on earth would he create such a familia?
Soma had no malice, nor any intention to bring harm; when it came down to it, Soma possessed absolutely no interest in, nor the slightest concern for, any of the members of his familia.
And precisely because of that, the [Soma Familia] came to be manipulated by its captain, Zanis Lustra.
As for Lili, she existed deep within such a pitch-black familia, struggling desperately to survive day after day.
If she didn't want to be exploited by others, her only choice was to become the one doing the exploiting of adventurers.
Having suffered setback after setback, Lili quickly realized this truth: if a weakling like her wanted to live, this was the only method available.
Lies, deception, expressions, magic...
Lichurica Erde utilized everything she could possibly manage, pulling out all the stops to steal the fruits of labor from adventurers' pockets.
Because she possessed the magic "Cinderella," which allowed her to alter her facial expressions, Lili never had to worry about anyone tracking her down afterward. By then, she and her victims would simply remain complete "strangers."
However, something that caught Lili's attention had happened this morning.
While fleeing from an adventurer she had previously stolen from, Lili had been too hurried to watch where she was going, and ended up crashing straight into an unfamiliar man.
He was a remarkably handsome red-haired youth. In particular, those pale gold eyes of his seemed almost imbued with a certain magic, leaving an unforgettably deep impression on Lili.
Even after arriving at the dungeon, that brief scene kept replaying in Lili's mind over and over like a branded image.
"Hey! What are you still dawdling for!"
"Pick up the pace, or else we're just going to leave you behind here!"
Three adventurers walked ahead, swinging the longswords in their hands to cut down the blood-red monsters continually spawning from the walls.
Slash—!
Blood splattered everywhere. The gore burst forth from the cleaved monsters and splashed onto the adventurers, eliciting cries of agony from them.
"Aahhh!!! It hurts so bad!!"
"Crap, even more Killer Ants are gathering!"
"No choice, ditch him! We shouldn't have come down to the seventh floor in the first place. This guy insisted on exploring, what an absolute idiot!"
Kicking their former companion straight toward the swarming [Killer Ants], the remaining two adventurers prepared to flee, when their gazes suddenly locked onto Lili standing at the rear of the party.
"W-What..."
Lili looked at them nervously.
The expressions those two wore were identical to the looks Lili had always faced from the exploitative adventurers of the past.
"Anyway, this brat is useless anyway, let's just toss her over to feed those monsters."
"She should still have quite a bit of gear on her, seeing as she's a supporter."
The two adventurers sized Lili up with greedy gazes, stepping closer and closer toward her.
Realizing what the two of them intended to do, Lili's eyes instantly turned ice-cold.
"To actually do something like this—don't you think you're bringing shame upon your own patron deity?!"
Hearing those words, the two adventurers couldn't help but let out a snort of derision.
"What an idiot! As long as we make you shut your mouth forever right here, there's no way anyone will ever find out~!"
"That's right, don't drag your feet. Once we strip off all the valuables, let's just toss her here to feed the [Killer Ants]!"
Endless malice washed over her, making Lili acutely aware of the deeply ingrained baseness of these adventurers.
In a dungeon fraught with both danger and opportunity, farces like this played out every single day.
Having experienced it countless times, Lili no longer believed in fairy-tale adventure stories. Standing right before her eyes was nothing but a cruel, cold-blooded reality.
"There have been plenty of people who wanted to pull this in the past, but this is the first time I've ever run into someone as impatient as you two."
Lili said through clenched teeth, then, wincing with a pang of heartache, she pulled a short sword from her robe.
Upon seeing that short sword, both adventurers drew in sharp breaths of air.
"A-A magic sword! That supporter actually has something that expensive?!!"
When people fall into the grip of greedy desires, they unconsciously forget certain things.
Just like these two adventurers who had just treated the petite Lili as a lamb to the slaughter; upon seeing Lili pull out a magic sword, their very first thought wasn't danger, but rather how to make that short sword their own.
A high-quality magic sword was worth millions of Valis, while even an inferior one cost at least tens of thousands of Valis to purchase.
Naturally, their power varied across different tiers, but even the cheapest magic sword possessed enough destructive force to instantly kill a Level 2 adventurer.
"Looking at you like this, you must be a repeat offender!"
"None of us are good people here, so let's drop the act at this point!"
The two adventurers looked at Lili with mocking smirks as they spoke.
"Heh, what qualifications do you people blessed with strength have to lecture me!"
Glaring daggers at the two adventurers, Lili channeled her magic power directly into the magic sword in her hand.
In an instant, the tip of the magic sword transformed into a blazing inferno, engulfing the two adventurers in a sweeping wave of fire.
Boom—!
Bright flames reflected within Lili's pupils.
Human-shaped pillars of fire danced, while the hissing screeches of the [Killer Ants] echoed continuously.
"What a waste. That magic sword was worth tens of thousands of Valis..."
Looking down with a hint of regret, Lili saw that the magic sword in her hand had already turned to dust and dissipated.
Turning around with the intention of leaving, Lili suddenly heard the densely packed sounds of some creature swarming in from all directions.
Those weren't humans. To make such a massive collective sound in a place like this could only mean one thing.
"...Crap!"
Crawling out from the ceiling, the ground, and the walls were blood-red [Killer Ants] that were somewhat larger than Lili's own petite frame.
When [Killer Ants] neared the brink of death, they emitted a special hormone—a unique distress signal used to summon their companions.
Those ant carcasses about to turn into mere corpses were undoubtedly ticking time bombs that would summon an entire army of insects.
The corpses of the few [Killer Ants] that had just been incidentally killed by Lili's magic sword were currently floating their scent throughout the seventh floor.
Other [Killer Ants] flooded in like a tidal wave. Seeing those densely packed swarms of monsters descending upon her, a look of utter despair washed over Lili's face.
"It's over..."
Her arms hung limply at her sides, and Lili collapsed to the ground with vacant, lifeless eyes.
Then, caught in this situation teetering on the edge of death, Lili couldn't help but let out a bitter, self-deprecating laugh.
"Hehe... I suppose this is the ending someone as rotten as Lili deserves..."
It was a mocking laugh directed at herself for struggling so hard from birth until now.
Smiling bitterly amidst pure despair, Lili suddenly felt her cheeks grow wet.
It was only then that she realized her tears had somehow begun cascading down like a broken dam.
"Wuwuwu... Seriously, crying at a time like this, I really am pathetic wuwu!!"
Countless [Killer Ants] surged together like a wave, stirring restlessly.
Lili stood pressed against the wall, completely surrounded by a multitude of monsters, trapped in a desperate predicament with nowhere left to run.
"Damn it... I hate this so much..."
The softly murmured words were completely trampled underfoot by the rough, chaotic footsteps of the [Killer Ants].
A professional supporter. An object of contempt.
Someone whose sole purpose was just to carry luggage, completely useless even if an adventurer got wrecked.
A self who couldn't do a single thing on her own—she felt utterly disgusted with herself.
Lili hated Lili the most.
"Why..."
Lili had never been called upon by anyone. Lili had never been relied upon by anyone.
She was always just used, treated as an annoying burden.
Lili loathed her weak self; she loathed herself even more for letting other people's hands dictate the course of her life.
Lili wanted to break free from all her shackles, to live freely under the sun.
The magic she had mastered was surely just the physical manifestation of that exact desire burning within Lili's heart.
"Why did you have to turn Lili into... into a Lili like this...?"
She had lost count of how many times she had thought about dying up until now.
How many times she had longed to return to the gods and request a Status reset.
Praying that Lili wouldn't be her current self, but some more reliable, different Lili.
Being a coward, Lili ultimately failed to take that final step.
Somewhere deep inside her heart, Lili continued to yearn for change.
"...That's right. It's already fine now."
The semi-circular space created by the monsters slowly began to close in.
With her back pressed firmly against the wall, Lili wore a smile of complete resignation.
In her peripheral vision, the tide of [Killer Ants] kept swelling larger and larger.
Her final moment was fast approaching.
"...How lonely."
Lili startled herself at the softly spoken words.
The true feeling that leaked out from the very depths of her heart at the very end.
So that was it. She had been lonely all this time.
She thought she was used to it, yet the loneliness had never faded away.
So lonely.
Feeling lonely for never relying on anyone, and never being relied upon by anyone.
Even though she was used to being all alone, she still felt lonely.
"So that's how it is, Lili..."
She wanted to live together with someone.
Mocking her own realization, Lili confronted the emotions in her chest that she had finally acknowledged.
A [Killer Ant] slashed forward with its sharp claws.
Bathed in the phosphorescence falling from the dungeon's ceiling, they shone brilliantly.
It was over... Finally... Finally, she wouldn't have to live through such agonizing pain anymore.
She wouldn't have to play the part of a useless self anymore; she could finally put an end to her weak self.
Putting an end to a tiny self whom no one came to rescue, a self with zero value, a lonely self.
At last, she could put a complete end to it all.
"Finally... am I going to die?"
Tears streaming down her face, Lili managed a bitter, mixed smile.
Then, within eyes that were growing heavy and closing, she caught the reflection of another ocean of gold.
Watching that dense mass of countless [Killer Ants] completely vanish amidst a blazing golden radiance—it was almost as if they had fallen straight onto the surface of the sun; those [Killer Ants] didn't even manage to emit a single screech before being completely obliterated.
"What... is that...?"
Lili widened her eyes, staring at the sight unfolding before her in utter disbelief.
The dazzling golden brilliance did not swallow Lili up; instead, like the warmth of the sun, it brought a gentle, comforting heat.
Bathed in that light, Lili felt a warmth she had never experienced before, as if she had returned to the very place where she was first born.
When Lili finally snapped back to her senses, she realized she had been scooped up and held in someone's arms.
Lifting her gaze, she saw a face that looked strangely familiar—the face of the youth she had crossed paths with earlier that morning had once again appeared right before Lili's eyes.
His entire body radiated a perpetual golden glow. While the light felt purely warm and comforting to Lili, it caused the [Killer Ants] touched by it to melt away rapidly as if scorched by a blazing sun.
"You... You are...!?"
Lili widened her eyes, staring in sheer disbelief at Shirou's face inches away from hers.
There was no doubt about it—this was the very same youth she had accidentally bumped into in the alley that morning. Lili had a deep impression of that face; there was no way she could have remembered it wrong.
Perhaps he wasn't trying to save her just now either; he probably just decided to do this because he figured Lili still had some utility value.
Even so, Lili, trapped within the [Soma Familia], was already hopelessly bound.
"Hmm... You look uninjured. You were just talking about how lonely you felt earlier—that was you, right?"
The youth, whose face seemed to glow with radiance, bent down slightly, extended a hand to stroke Lili's hair, and asked in an exceptionally gentle tone.
The very instant she heard those words, a blush crept across Lili's cheeks—a flush of shame born from having her innermost feelings laid bare.
"I..."
Her words became chaotic. Following an inexplicable psychological shift, Lili gazed at Shirou with a look of doubt.
"You... why did you come to save me? Lili is just a supporter, right? Just a weak, disposable little Pallum anyway, aren't I?"
"I come from another world, so I 'don't know much' about this world yet," Shirou said with a smile. "Besides, I always judge a person's value only after experiencing it firsthand."
The sudden remark caused Lili to freeze in place.
"Eh?"
Amidst the girl's astonished gaze, Shirou continued.
"I'm currently looking for familia members. How about it—want to join me?"
"Me... Lili... can I?"
Lili felt her heartbeat accelerating faster than ever before.
"Someone like me... is there really still hope for me to gain freedom..."
Hearing this, Shirou smiled and gently patted the girl's head.
"Of course! Those who possess hope are just like the stars all over the sky—they will never truly be lonely. Become my familia, find a star that matches your own, and illuminate the path leading to freedom."
Her chestnut-colored eyes widened to their absolute limit.
Then, tear after tear gushed forth from her watery eyes as if they were free.
No longer able to hold back her emotions, Lili burst out crying aloud.
"Wu, wuwu aaaaaaahhhhhhh...!"
"Why are you suddenly crying? So, are you going to join or not?"
Shirou's question was met with an even more violent burst of weeping.
"Wuaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh...!"
"..."
Shirou looked down. The weeping girl had somehow wrapped her arms around his lowered torso, burying her face in his chest as soft sobs escaped her intermittently.
Shirou stopped speaking, leaving the girl to vent the emotions she had accumulated over a long, long time.
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