Evil Black Maria - Chapter 100. Mary And Shizuru

“_______Phew.”

The room was softly lit by sunlight and filled with the tranquil air of the early morning.

Shizuru’s sigh was like a ripple on the surface of the water, as he reverted from a young boy to his original form.

“I’m tired. …… It was hard being a child. Short arms and legs, and no access to healing magic.”

The reason for Shizuru’s younger age was that he was clad in a doppelganger, a substance created by Lady’s shadow magic.

Black magic, which has a dark attribute, is incompatible with white magic, which has a light attribute, and if one activates healing magic while under transformation – or even if one just releases magic power, the shadow will dissipate.

Magic is certainly a useful thing, but isn’t a perfect tool.

It is a technique that borrows only a limited amount of the authority from the beings who control the eight colours of magic that flows through the world.

The line between what can be done and what cannot be done is clearly drawn.

“I am sorry, Lady. It must have been hard for you to keep me covered in the shadows for a week.”

“Not at all, my dear. I can maintain a doppelganger or two for a hundred years if I had to.”

Lady said in a voice with a tone similar to that of a musical instrument, rubbing against him with her wolf body and jet-black fur.

Shizuru gently stroked her chin, and she let out a happy growl.

“It’s strange…….You’ve been away from home for a short time, but it feels like it’s been ages since I’ve been stroked like this. I think it would be nice to spend a few days each year away from you, just to feel this way again.”

“Haha.You are exaggerating.”

With a final lick on Shizuru’s cheek, Lady stepped away from him.

She then ripped her own shadow, created by the morning sun, from the ground, wrapped it around her, and changed her appearance to that of a human being, with a flickering shimmer.

Dark hair, a black suit, with golden eyes wide open.

An appearance which was similar to Richelieu’s, but with a few differences, and she brushed her hair lightly to the side.

“Now, dear. I’m going to the local market to do some shopping.”

“Yes, please do. When I go there, all the shops charge less than half the price, and they even give me extras…….”

After saying that it was too much for him, Shizuru slowly shook his head.

Lady took the purse with a wry smile and went off to the market as usual.

“_____N, uyu”

A small noise from the door as it opened and closed.

But the sound, which although easy on the ears, woke Mary, who had been asleep on her bed, with a start.

“Hmm? Oh, you’re awake.”

Mary was lying on her back, staring up to the ceiling with a sleepy look in her eyes.

Shizuru walked over to her and smiled softly as he looked down at her.

“Good morning, Mary.”

“……uh……mother?”

Mary’s gaze, awake and unfocused, slowly turns towards Shizuru.

His gentle smile was as if he had returned to his original 19 year old self, having been around the same age as Mary just before she fell asleep.

She smiled too, as her consciousness slowly came out of its slumber.

“ Mother…… Mother’s here……”

Belatedly, she realised that the anxiety she had felt every time she saw the young Shizuru for the past week had subsided.

He reached out to her and picked her up.

“……hehe”

She buried her face in Shizuru’s chest.

The magic circle was always leaking a small amount of magic power, so it was warm.

–At the same time as she felt the warmth.

A sickening, sweet numbing sensation ran down Mary’s spine.

“Mother…….I’m sorry.”

It was after she had separated from Sisel and changed out of her nightgown and into a dress.

Mary bowed deeply before him.

“……? Why are you apologising?”

“I’m …… because I did something wrong ……”

Her shoulders shook slightly, with her eyes flickering with fear, she told him in a faltering voice.

“Because I ignored the instructions of the blue scarf, I killed everyone. …… That’s why the boss was angry with Mother……”

In her own way, she had felt bad that Shizuru had covered for her mistake and that he had been punished, albeit lightly, as a result.

But she was too frightened to make a decision, and also Shizuru was being played around with by Richelieu and his comrades while he was still a boy, so she couldn’t apologise properly until today.

“I’m sorry…..I’m sorry, mother……I’ll be a good girl, I won’t make any more mistakes……”

Mary’s trembling intensifies as she continues.

____With tears in her eyes and almost crying, she clung to Shizuru.

“So mother……..Don’t hate me….!”

If Shizuru hates her, if he abandons her, Mary will have no meaning to live.

She has been consumed by his kindness and love, and she cannot live without it.

For Mary, his rejection was despair itself.

She looked at him with tear-stained eyes and pleaded desperately, saying that she didn’t want that.

“________Why would I hate Mary?”

However, the fears and anxieties that Mary carried in her heart.

It was easily drowned out by the soft tone of his voice and the gentle stroking of her head.

“Mother……? You’re not mad at me, are you?”

“Hahaha. Funny, you would say that, you know I’m never angry to begin with.”

The absence of any emotion similar to “anger”, which is one of the most important emotions.

After being taken in by Richelieu, Shizuru was locked up for a year and trained to be emotionless, and as a result was unable to feel anger or displeasure.

“And children are allowed to cause trouble for their parents. Human beings learn from their mistakes, and it is the job of parents to be there for their children so that they can make mistakes again and again.”

“…..Mother.”

Having never been loved by her own mother, and being abused for no reason at all, Mary was constantly obsessed with the need to be a good girl.

It was not easy for her to suddenly change her values, which had been everything until she met Shizuru, no matter how hypnotising and compelling his words were.

However, he wanted to say this.

“I love Mary. I don’t hate her at all.”

He gently hugged her small body and whispered in her ear.

At that moment, Mary’s heart, which had been frozen in fear, melted.

“Well, let’s get ready for breakfast. I’m sure Lady will be back soon.”

“Uh….huh”

Mary nodded repeatedly.

Shizuru wiped away the tears from her eyes and offered his hand to her to come with him.

“The clinic will reopen today. I know it’s going to be busy, can you help me?”

“Mmm!”

Finally, she nodded her head, loudly and firmly.

Mary wrapped her five fingers around Shizuru’s offered hand.