BRAND NEW WORLD

Chapter 93

"Ishtar?!"

My eyes widened as I stared at the beautiful woman standing before me.

To be fair, the possibility had crossed my mind.

I had simply dismissed it almost immediately.

Until now, I had always assumed that when a dragon took on a humanoid form, it would become a Draconian—still retaining scales, claws, or some other distinctly draconic feature.

Apparently, I was wrong.

Ishtar had not transformed into a Draconian at all.

Instead, she stood before me in the form of a woman, with a pair of dragon horns serving as the only obvious clue to her true nature.

I studied her again.

Her hair was long and white as snow, cascading far past her waist. Each strand swayed gently in the breeze, as though the morning light itself were dancing across it.

From beneath those snowy locks rose a pair of ivory horns, curving gracefully upwards like a natural crown—one not forged by human hands, but bestowed upon her from birth.

Yet what drew my attention most were her eyes.

Gold.

Not merely golden yellow, but a clear, luminous gold that seemed to hold light within its depths.

Her gaze was calm, yet an unmistakable dignity lay beneath that serenity.

For a moment, I almost forgot that the beautiful woman standing before me was the same dragon who had fought against the Devil only a short while ago.

Her face was almost flawless.

Beautiful.

Elegant.

And yet there was something about her beauty that felt different from that of an ordinary human.

Something ancient.

Majestic.

As though behind that youthful face lay a journey spanning countless ages.

The lingering presence of an ancient power belonging to a sacred dragon.

Her clothes were no less striking.

She wore an entirely white outfit, sharp in design yet elegant in form. Golden thread and intricate engravings adorned the collar, chest, sleeves, and edges of her long coat. Whenever she moved, the ornaments caught the light and shimmered softly.

White belts wrapped around her waist and thighs, while a pair of tall boots reached almost to her knees.

If I had to describe her...

She looked like a cross between a celestial commander and a noblewoman of the Dragon Kingdom.

"Sorry, Ishtar. I didn’t recognize you at first," I said with an awkward smile. "I thought you’d turn into a Draconian."

"There is no need to apologize, My Lady. I understand."

"I didn’t even know dragons could turn into humans."

A thought suddenly crossed my mind.

I turned to the side.

Tiamat stood there.

Our eyes met.

"..."

I stared at him expectantly.

Tiamat remained silent for several seconds.

Then—

He shook his head.

"..."

My shoulders immediately slumped.

What a shame.

If Tiamat could take on a human form as well, perhaps people wouldn’t be terrified every time they saw him.

At the very least, he wouldn’t make meeting attendees faint simply by standing behind Ringga.

We spent the next several minutes sitting together on the rear veranda, chatting casually.

For the first time in what felt like forever, there was no clash of weapons.

No explosions of magic.

No shouting soldiers or roaring monsters.

Only the wind rustling through the trees and the faint sound of ripples traveling across Lake Dewata.

A simple kind of peace.

And after everything that had happened, perhaps it was precisely that simplicity that made it feel so precious.

Before long, the sound of small footsteps approached from behind.

"Mom?"

I turned around.

Daisy stood a few steps away, both hands hidden behind her back.

For some reason, she looked a little shy.

"Yes, sweetheart?"

"Um..."

Daisy rocked gently from side to side.

"Are you feeling better now? Are you allowed to go outside?"

"Of course. I’m feeling much better."

I smiled.

"Why do you ask?"

"..."

Daisy didn’t answer immediately.

Her eyes drifted to the side, as though there was something she wanted to say but still couldn’t quite bring herself to.

Then—

"I want to go into the city with you. It’s been a long time since we went together."

Aww...

That pleading little face.

That’s cheating.

How could I possibly say no to that?

"All right."

I stroked her head.

"But let me get changed first, okay?"

"Yay!"

Daisy threw both hands into the air.

Seeing the bright smile on her face, I couldn’t help smiling as well.

After I informed Lusserina and the others, we decided that Ana would accompany us.

Two hours later, Daisy, Ana, and I arrived at the eastern gate of the capital, Nuzantra.

We had traveled there in a carriage pulled by Langit.

From afar, Nuzantra’s massive walls towered before us. The kingdom’s banners danced in the wind while people streamed endlessly through the gates like a river that never ceased to flow.

As soon as we approached, the two guards we already knew greeted us.

"Good afternoon, Miss Luna!"

"Good afternoon to you as well, Little Miss and Miss Ana!"

"Good afternoon, Uncle!" Daisy replied cheerfully.

"Going shopping as usual?" asked the younger guard.

"Mm!"

Daisy nodded enthusiastically.

"Well then, we’ll be going."

We had barely started walking away when the senior guard called out from behind us.

"Miss Luna, please be careful! Don’t push yourself too hard, and don’t go collapsing again!"

My footsteps stopped.

I turned around.

The guard simply smiled and waved at me, as though what he had just said were the most ordinary thing in the world.

How does he know I collapsed?

I tilted my head.

But my curiosity soon disappeared into the bustle of the city.

And so, we continued on our way.

A few minutes later, we arrived at the Market District.

The bustle greeted us like a wave.

Merchants called out from every direction, loudly advertising their wares. The scents of spices, fresh fruit, warm bread, and food straight from the frying pan mingled together in the air.

The sound of bargaining filled the streets.

Colorful fabrics fluttered in the breeze.

Fruit was stacked like piles of gemstones.

Thin trails of smoke rose from food stalls, carrying aromas tempting enough to make me hungry even though I had eaten not long ago.

Nuzantra was alive again.

There was no trace of wartime panic on the faces of the people passing by.

They laughed.

They shopped.

They argued over prices.

They simply lived their lives as usual.

It was the sort of ordinary sight I might once have barely noticed.

Now, it felt different.

Perhaps this is what victory truly looks like.

Not soldiers cheering.

Not monsters falling.

But ordinary people living another day without fear.

We stopped at one of the fruit and vegetable stalls.

"Sir, how much is this?"

"..."

After buying some of the ingredients we needed, we continued through the market.

"Little Miss!"

Daisy stopped.

A food vendor was waving at her.

"Shopping with your mother today?"

"Mm!"

Daisy nodded with a broad smile.

The vendor picked up three skewers of rolled egg and held them out.

"Here."

Daisy’s eyes immediately lit up.

"For me?"

"Of course."

She accepted them with both hands.

"Thank you, Uncle!"

The vendor chuckled.

Then his gaze shifted towards me.

"I’m glad your mother is all right. I was worried when I didn’t see you around for the past few days."

"..."

I was slightly taken aback.

Daisy bowed.

"Thank you for worrying about me, Uncle."

Seeing her do so, I gave him a small nod of gratitude.

Then we continued walking.

This time, however, I found myself glancing repeatedly at Daisy beside me.

The vendor’s words remained in my thoughts.

And apparently, he wasn’t the only one.

The farther we walked through the market, the more people greeted Daisy.

A fruit seller called her by name.

An elderly woman from a bakery gave her a small cake.

Another merchant asked how she had been and smiled with visible relief when he saw her walking beside me again.

They knew her.

Not merely as a child who happened to accompany me.

Not as a stranger.

They truly knew Daisy.

Only then did I begin to understand.

So that’s how it was...

While I had been unconscious, Daisy must have visited this place often.

Perhaps to distract herself.

Perhaps because she couldn’t bear to remain beside my bed, waiting endlessly.

Or perhaps she simply needed somewhere the world still moved as usual.

I didn’t know.

But the more I thought about it, the tighter my chest became.

For me...

Those seven days had never truly existed.

I closed my eyes.

Then opened them again.

That was all.

But for Daisy—

seven sunrises.

Seven sunsets.

Seven nights spent waiting for someone who refused to open her eyes.

Seven days wondering whether the person she now called Mom would ever smile at her again.

My steps slowed.

I looked at her small face.

Perhaps during those seven days, an old fear she had tried so hard to bury had come knocking on the door of her heart once more.

The fear of losing someone.

Because Daisy already knew what it felt like when someone you loved went away...

and never came back.

A little while later, we stopped to rest on a bench in a small park.

Daisy was still enjoying her rolled egg when I suddenly pulled her small body into a tight embrace.

"Hm?"

She sounded surprised.

I didn’t say anything at first.

For a moment, words felt too small for what I wanted to tell her.

So I simply held her.

I felt the warmth of that little body in my arms.

Then I whispered into her ear.

"I love you."

Daisy went still.

Only for a moment.

Then her little arms wrapped around me.

"I love you too, Mom."

Simple.

Just a few words.

Yet somehow, my chest felt wonderfully warm.

"Ah, Miss Daisy—!" Ana suddenly cried out.

"Hm?"

Daisy and I turned.

Too late.

The sauce from the rolled egg still in Daisy’s hand had already smeared itself across my clothes.

"..."

I stared at the stain.

Daisy stared at it too.

Her face slowly went pale.

"M-Mom..."

"..."

For some reason...

I wasn’t angry at all.

Instead—

"Hahaha!"

I laughed.

Daisy blinked several times.

Then, once she realized I wasn’t angry, she started laughing too.

"Hehehe!"

Even the usually composed Ana eventually covered her mouth and let out a quiet laugh.

And for a little while, in the middle of a city that had only recently emerged from the shadow of war, the three of us simply sat on a park bench laughing over a sauce stain.

There was nothing extraordinary about it.

Nothing heroic.

But perhaps...

These were the very moments we had been fighting to protect.

After finishing our shopping, we decided to visit my children.

Our first destination was Bartasz’s workshop.

I could hear his voice before we even stepped inside.

"How many times do I have to tell you?! If the temperature gets too high, you’ll ruin the metal! Are you trying to forge a sword or a spoon?!"

"..."

I stopped outside the door.

Yes.

He seemed perfectly healthy.

The moment I entered—

"Mother!"

One of the workers spotted me.

His eyes immediately lit up as though he had just seen a rescue party.

"Mother Luna is here!"

"Huh?"

The other workers turned.

Then—

"MOTHER! PLEASE SAVE US!"

"He’s been yelling since this morning!"

"We don’t want to die yet!"

"Oi!" Bartasz roared. "Who exactly do you lot work for?!"

I stared at him.

"Bartasz..."

His body stiffened.

"W-What is it, Ma?"

"What have you been doing to them?"

"Educating them."

"TORTURING US!" the workers shouted in unison.

"..."

I rubbed my temple.

Daisy covered her mouth as she giggled.

The world outside might have changed.

The kingdoms were busy counting their losses from the war.

Their rulers were negotiating the future.

But inside this workshop—

Bartasz was still Bartasz.

Strangely enough, that brought me comfort.

Our next destination was Rania.

Since she was still teaching, we waited on a bench beneath a tree in the academy courtyard.

A few minutes later, Rania came to meet us.

It was already close to lunchtime, so she invited us to eat at the restaurant we usually visited.

But the moment we arrived—

I was surprised to find Bartasz and Radhimar already waiting there.

Bartasz smiled and waved from a distance.

Radhimar, however...

"..."

He simply stood there.

His eyes were glistening.

Both hands were clenched.

Even his legs trembled slightly, as though he were holding something back with every ounce of strength he possessed.

I immediately understood.

He wants to hug me.

Unfortunately, we were in public.

Perhaps he was still trying to preserve what little dignity he had left.

I smiled faintly.

We approached them.

One step.

Two.

Then—

"Mother!"

Apparently, his dignity didn’t last very long.

Radhimar rushed towards me and wrapped his arms tightly around me.

"Whoa!"

I stumbled half a step backward.

"M-Mother..."

His voice trembled.

Before long, I felt my shoulder growing damp.

I released a quiet sigh.

Then stroked his head.

"There, there. Mother is here."

The words came naturally.

Yet when I heard myself say them, I fell silent for a moment.

Mother is here.

Perhaps that was all he had wanted to hear.

Perhaps that was all I needed to say.

Rania and Bartasz looked at each other.

Then both released long sighs and shook their heads almost simultaneously.

I nearly laughed.

Radhimar really was Radhimar.

Once he had finally calmed down, we went inside and had lunch together.

Time passed without me noticing.

We talked about their work.

About the situation after the war.

About the little things that had happened while I was unconscious.

Things that would probably never appear in any history book.

And perhaps that was precisely why they felt so precious.

I looked at each of them in turn.

Rania.

Radhimar.

Bartasz.

Daisy.

No war.

No monsters.

No battle to determine the fate of the world.

Only the clinking of cutlery, casual conversation, occasional laughter, and people gathered around the same table.

A family.

Once, perhaps I would have found a day like this boring.

Now...

I found myself wishing days like this could last just a little longer.

After spending quite some time talking, it was finally time for us to part ways.

We said goodbye to Rania, Radhimar, and Bartasz before continuing on our way.

"All right." I looked at our shopping bags. "We’ve bought everything we need, so let’s head home."

"Mm!"

Since we had traveled by carriage, we needed to return to the eastern gate to collect Langit and the carriage.

But as we passed a flower shop—

Daisy suddenly stopped.

I had already walked several steps ahead before noticing.

"What’s wrong, sweetheart?"

I followed her gaze.

Colorful flowers were displayed outside the shop, swaying gently in the breeze.

"Do you want some flowers?"

"..."

Daisy didn’t answer.

She simply stood there.

Silent.

Staring at the flowers as though something long buried inside her had slowly begun to rise to the surface.

Several seconds passed.

Then—

"Mom."

Her voice was so soft the noise of the street almost swallowed it.

I turned towards her.

There was no smile on her face.

"I want to visit Dad and Mom."

My chest tightened slightly.

For a moment, I said nothing.

Daisy looked at the flowers again.

"I want to bring flowers to Dad and Mom."

"..."

I watched her.

Then smiled gently.

"All right."

I held out my hand.

"If that’s what you want, let’s go see them."

Daisy looked at my hand.

Then took it.

"Mm."

We bought a bouquet.

After finding somewhere quiet, I used teleportation magic.

Light enveloped us.

The sounds of the city faded.

The crowds disappeared.

And when the curtain of light lifted—

the world around us had completely changed.

The salty scent of the sea greeted us.

A coastal wind swept through the ruins, carrying the smell of salt and old timber.

All around us stood the remains of homes that had once existed there.

Fallen beams.

Walls that had lost their roofs.

Foundations slowly being reclaimed by grass.

A place that had once been filled with human voices was now accompanied only by the wind and the distant rhythm of the waves.

I stared at it in silence.

We haven’t been back here since I adopted Daisy.

I turned.

Daisy stood beside me, clutching the bouquet tightly against her chest.

Her hands were trembling.

"..."

I crouched beside her and took her hand.

Daisy looked at me.

Tears began gathering at the corners of her eyes.

I said nothing.

Sometimes words could bring comfort.

But other times, someone’s presence meant more than a thousand words of consolation.

So I held her hand.

And nodded.

Daisy wiped her tears away.

Then we walked.

Slowly.

Towards the place where her home had once stood.

Neither of us spoke.

In a place like this, words somehow felt like foreign sounds intruding upon a silence that deserved to remain undisturbed.

When we finally arrived, Daisy stopped.

There was no grave.

No name carved into stone.

Nothing to tell the world that two people who had meant everything to her had once lived here.

All that remained was empty ground and ruins slowly being swallowed by time.

As though, year by year, the world were trying to erase every trace of the lives that had once existed there.

But I knew...

There was one thing time could never erase.

Memories.

I looked at Daisy.

She stood silently, still holding the bouquet tightly against her chest.

"How about we make something for them?"

Daisy turned to me.

"Something?"

"Mm."

I smiled faintly.

"A place you can visit whenever you want to see them."

Daisy fell silent.

Then nodded.

With Ana’s help and a little magic, we shaped two simple stones and placed them side by side near where her home had once stood.

There were no elaborate carvings.

No gemstones.

No famous names that history would remember.

Only two simple memorial stones.

But perhaps...

to someone who loved them, that was more than enough.

Daisy walked forward.

With both hands, she placed the flowers between the two stones.

Then she brought her hands together in front of her chest.

Lowered her head.

And closed her eyes.

"..."

The sea breeze blew softly.

Waves came and went in the distance, touching the shore again and again as though they never tired of returning to the same place.

A seabird passed overhead.

Then everything became quiet once more.

Ana and I stood several steps behind Daisy.

Neither of us spoke.

We didn’t need to say anything.

Some grief needed words to be released.

But some grief needed only someone willing to remain beside you.

So we waited.

Giving Daisy all the time she needed to speak to two people who could no longer answer her.

I didn’t know how much time had passed when Daisy finally opened her eyes.

She raised her head.

No more tears were falling.

I walked over and crouched beside her.

"Did you tell them everything you wanted to say?"

"Mm."

Daisy nodded softly.

"I told them they don’t have to worry about me anymore."

She looked back at the two stones.

Then a small smile appeared on her face.

It wasn’t the bright smile she wore whenever she received her favorite food.

Nor was it the mischievous grin she showed while playing with Bamby and Arimby.

It was small.

A little fragile.

But warm.

"Because now I have Mama Luna."

"..."

For a moment, I couldn’t answer.

Something warm filled my chest, slowly rising until my throat felt tight.

I raised a hand and stroked her head.

"I’m sure they’re happy to hear that."

"Mm."

Daisy nodded.

I turned my gaze towards the two memorial stones.

Don’t worry.

I wasn’t sure who those words were truly meant for.

Daisy’s parents.

Or perhaps myself.

My hand lowered and wrapped around Daisy’s small fingers.

I’ll take care of her.

I didn’t know whether they could hear me.

I didn’t even know whether they could still watch over their daughter from somewhere.

But if there was—

Your daughter is all right.

She’s growing up well.

She can still laugh.

She has people who love her.

And for as long as I remained in this world...

I tightened my grip on her hand ever so slightly.

...she would never be alone.

The wind blew once more.

Daisy’s hair danced gently in the sea breeze.

Before us, the sun slowly descended towards the horizon, spilling gold and orange across the surface of the sea.

Our shadows stretched across the earth.

Three people stood among the ruins of a life that had ended.

And one little girl who had finally found the courage to step towards a new one.

We remained there until the sun had nearly disappeared beyond the horizon.

Then Daisy offered one final farewell to her parents.

I took her hand.

And together—

we went home.

Once we returned to Nuzantra, we headed straight for the eastern gate and boarded the carriage back to Lake Dewata.

The sky grew darker as we traveled.

The orange glow on the western horizon slowly faded into violet, then deep blue. One by one, stars began appearing overhead.

Daisy sat beside me.

She seemed calmer now.

She didn’t say much.

But her fingers remained wrapped around mine.

I didn’t let go.

By the time our house finally came into view, night had almost completely fallen.

I narrowed my eyes.

Huh?

The house...

was dark.

No light came from the windows.

No lamps on the veranda.

Usually, Lusserina had everything lit before the sun had completely disappeared.

Yet tonight, the house beside Lake Dewata stood in complete darkness.

That’s strange.

Did Lusserina forget to turn on the lights?

The carriage stopped in front of the house.

I climbed down first, followed by Ana and Daisy.

It was too quiet.

I looked around.

"Lusserina?"

No answer.

I was just about to reach for Daisy’s hand when—

"SURPRISE!!"

"Huh?!"

BANG! BANG!

"W-Whoa!"

I instinctively covered my ears.

At the same moment, every light in the house came on at once.

Warm light spilled across the garden that had been shrouded in darkness only seconds earlier.

Then several fireworks streaked into the sky.

BOOM!

Flowers of light blossomed above Lake Dewata, their colors reflecting across the dark surface of the water.

Red.

Gold.

Blue.

The light scattered like tiny falling stars, then slowly faded into the night.

I lowered my hands from my ears.

And when I looked ahead again—

I froze.

A crowd of people stood in front of the house.

Familiar faces.

Familiar smiles welcoming me home.

"..."

I blinked.

Once.

Twice.

"W-What’s all this?"