Proof of existence.
Laffilia’s sobs echoed through the room.
A sudden shout rose, as if to drown out the crying.
"Why Laffilia too!? Don’t you believe me!? Why can’t you believe me!?"
"...You say 'believe me,' but where in your actions am I supposed to place my trust? You haven’t even taken off the glove after the Goddess’s Judgment, have you?"
"T-that’s…."
"The evidence of the Goddess’s Judgment hasn’t vanished, has it? Even after being judged, I still tried to believe in you....But you were the one who failed to answer that faith."
"...!"
"You stomped all over my trust....Though, it felt like you’d been doing that long before this."
Sauvel snorted, mocking himself. Ariya bit her lip.
Then Isabella stepped in, trying to help Sauvel.
"Aria, please take off that glove."
Isabella’s words were perfectly expected. If you want me to believe you, then show me proof.
Aria screamed at her, voice sharp with outrage—No way!!
“You two!!”
As Isabella snapped her fingers, three maids in service uniforms rushed in, pinning Aria down and forcibly removing her glove. Their movements were precise, almost like knights. Of course—they were knights too.
Watching the scene unfold, I felt a familiar ripple from Mother. The spell she’d placed on Aria earlier—the mark of condemnation—was fading. I glanced at her. She was smirking, barely holding back laughter.
From the glove, ripped off in an instant with no room for resistance, a mark spread across her forearm. Thick, like thorns coiling tightly around her skin, blackened and mottled, as if the flesh itself had turned to rot.
Her fingertips, even her nails, were completely blackened. Raffilia and Isabella shrieked at the grotesque sight.
Aria tried to hide her arm, curling it protectively against her chest. But the spreading darkness and its unnatural color only confirmed her betrayal all the more.
“Sauvel believed in you!!”
Isabella’s anger had tears welling in her eyes.
Yet Aria’s argument showed something else entirely.
“If you truly love me, then believe me!! It’s you who’s the mad one, trusting some goddess’s judgment over me!!”
“You…!”
“Isn’t that right!? You’d rather believe in a goddess than in me—right here, right now!? Where’s *that* kind of person even supposed to exist!?”
Aria’s words caused her mother to burst into laughter, unable to hold it in.
The onlookers froze, staring at the mother. To those who knew her true nature, it was an act of unparalleled disrespect—standing before the goddess, mocking her like this.
"Hey now, look who’s right in front of me."
Aria bared her teeth, sneering at the mother, her voice sharp with mockery. As if she’d just proclaimed herself a goddess or something! The way Aria laughed—mocking, twisted—gave off an eerie vibe.
"I am called mother by all in this world. It was my sister who condemned you."
The mother unveiled the divine aura she’d been concealing.
Aria stood frozen, staring at her mother floating in the sky, radiating light.
"If you so much as touch my Lovell, I won’t forgive you. Neither will Sauvel. He’s family to Lovell. You’ve just made a goddess your enemy."
Those who saw the mother laughing softly couldn’t help but drop to their knees.
The ones who’d feared her before now trembled, sweat pouring down their faces.
The world around me turned paler and paler. I called out, "Kaa-sama..."
"Kaa-sama, the surroundings are being affected..."
"Oh, bother. Sorry about that."
The air around us shifted in an instant—sharp, cold. Mother still floated in the sky, leaning into Father’s arms. Father held her waist carefully, like something precious.
Aria stared, unblinking, frozen in place. She couldn’t even speak. Just trembled.
Mother spoke, calm, as if she’d known everything all along.
"You thought you could do anything, just because you love yourself, didn’t you? You called that love, flaunted it, then went chasing after other men’s affection. And Sauvel—oh, Sauvel loved you with all his heart. But you used his mockery, your status as a noble’s mistress, to play the pitiful victim. All to stir up pity. How predictable."
"…………"
"You knew this would happen, didn’t you, sister? That’s why I warned you. You idiot. And yet—you mocked even the goddess herself."
Aria let out a choked scream at her mother’s words.
She seemed to finally grasp what she’d done.
“Not only did you anger the one goddess you shouldn’t have—no, you went and targeted the one uncle she adores. Can’t say I’m surprised, really.”
Aria snapped her head toward me, wide-eyed. My fury was barely contained. I reminded myself—don’t take her life—then let my power loose.
“Elen!?!”
My father’s startled shout echoed through the room at the release of my power.
I’m a mere shadow of a goddess. I command the elements. I can manipulate the very building blocks of matter. The microscopic world—every atom, every vibration—is information. And I can twist that information, rewrite it.
The thorns coiled around Aria’s arm writhed, crawling up her body like insects. The squirming motion made her scream.
The thorns writhed one after another, and I realized they were crawling all over Aria’s body, snaking up from where her chest had been exposed. They finally stopped coiling around her neck.
Her entire body, except for her face, had turned completely black.
"No! No! No! No!!"
Aria’s half-mad scream sent shivers through everyone nearby.
The onlookers stood frozen, bewildered.
"Is it you, Elen-chan...? Did you interfere with your sister’s judgment?"
Mother said, half-dazed, as if she hadn’t expected this at all. I snorted, letting out a sharp breath.
"I’m the one who controls the elements. You should be grateful I wasn’t pulverized and turned into a slurry inside a microsome!"
"Homoji...?"
Father tilted his head, confused.
Ah, damn— I’d slipped into jargon. I corrected myself.
"Just be thankful I wasn’t mashed to pulp and stirred into a gooey mess!"
Aria went into shock, frothing at the mouth.
She finally got what my "I'll smash you" actually meant.
"Hey, Elen-chan, you really shouldn't go that far with physics, you know?"
"...I didn't. I just held back."
"Good girl~"
Mother strokes my head, cooing sweetly.
From beside me, I hear Father muttering, "Elen's physics is terrifying..."
＊＊＊
After isolating the unconscious Aria, Sauvel held Raffilia tightly in his arms, rocking her as she cried.
Watching Raffilia cling to his arms, so desperate and tender, I feel guilty.
Even though Aria did what she did, she’s still not a replacement for Raffilia’s mother.
"...Raffilia..."
I finally summon the nerve to call her name, and Raffilia flinches, her shoulders jerking.
Aria’s face... everyone’s probably going to find it utterly bizarre now.
Sauvel said that was enough—he wasn’t going to press further. It was, in another way, pitying Aria.
I could tell Raffilia was trying desperately to stop crying, wiping her tears again and again in response to my call.
“Ah… um…”
Stumbling over my words, Raffilia speaks clearly instead.
“…Elen… I’m sorry… I’ve been blaming you… just… on my own…”
“Huh?”
I blink, stunned by Raffilia’s words—she’s just laid bare her heart.
“…I was always treated kindly by men… whenever I was with Mother… my father was rarely around… so I’d get played with… a lot…”
Sauvel grimaces at Raffilia’s words. Probably because of the pressure he’s under—managing the crumbling estate, constantly pulled in every direction by Agiel.
Now that I think about it, I can finally see it… Mom was the weird one. I finally understand… She deserved to be hated… I did the exact same thing…
Raffilia remembered what had been said about her at the academy.
How our actions must have looked to others. The true meaning behind their judgments.
I used to rebel against my father and skip studying, yet I still thought I deserved to be doted on… I was jealous every time everyone called out “Elen, Elen,” even though I had no right to be jealous at all…
Sniffling, Raffilia continued.
"It's all Elen's fault... I'm not loved, I can't make friends— it's all because I'm the one who's broken... all of it... me..."
I couldn’t help but say, “Okay, enough,” as Raffilia hiccuped and choked back sobs.
Enough already, Raffilia. You noticed it clearly, didn’t you? Apologizing takes courage. And you’ve got courage, Raffilia.
"……Elen?"
She blinks, stunned by my words, but the next instant, another wave of tears spills from Raffilia’s eyes.
"But... but!! I'm hated by everyone now!! I lost all my friends... all of them...!!"
Raffilia wails, and I take her hand, smiling gently.
"Listen, if you apologize properly, everything can start fresh. So, we're friends again, okay? We're still friends, right?"
"H-hick... f-friends...?"
"Besides, we're related by blood, remember? That bond's stronger than friendship!!"
We're cousins, I say with a grin, and this time, Raffilia throws her arms around me, sobbing uncontrollably.
I gently stroke her back, glancing around—everyone else seems moved too, some wiping tears from their cheeks.
"Raffilia... that’s good."
Sauvel smiles.
But if she’s apologizing, I’ll apologize too—right back at her.
"Elen...?"
"Aunt Aria is Raffilia’s mother… and yet… me…?"
"Elen."
Sauvel cut me off with a smile. He looked at me and said thank you.
"You thought I was dead, Elen. You got angry thinking about me. You could’ve killed Aria. But you didn’t. You let it end with just judgment. That’s something I have to be grateful for. Thank you… for not taking Aria’s life."
"Uncle Sauvel…?"
Tears spilled over instantly. Raffilia and I both clung to Sauvel and cried into his chest.
"Oh my, Sauvel, you’re quite the charmer, aren’t you?"
Mother giggled. Next to her, Father pouted, saying he’d only let Elen go this once.
"But Sauvel… wasn’t that… a little too kind?"
Sauvel nodded, still hugging both of us tightly, as Mother spoke.
"Yes. Me and Raffilia... that's all I want. No more interference from the household."
Aria was sent back to the streets.
The one who'd tried to assassinate Sauvel was apparently in the knights' prison, but Aria was judged not to have wanted Sauvel dead.
Still, her skin—except for her face—would never be shown to the outside world again.
The thorns of condemnation were wrapped tightly around her, dark as pitch. From now on, she'd have to live with her eyes down, careful of prying gazes.
And apparently, the goddesses had been watching this scene too. Before even going through the judicial bureau, Aria had already been condemned by the goddesses—now she couldn't so much as approach a man.
To Sauvel, this seemed like the cleanest resolution possible.
"Then... that's good."
Mother smiled sweetly, then turned to look at me.
"Then, Elen-chan~! Let's celebrate~!!"
Her sudden outburst made everyone around her blink in surprise.
“What’s wrong?” Father asked, and Mother replied with a happy grin.
“Elen-chan’s awakened her powers as a goddess~!! The Spirit World’s throwing a festival~!!”
We all froze, stunned by her sudden outburst.
“…A goddess?”
“Elen’s an elemental spirit. That’s just the power a spirit normally governs. But now she’s got goddess-level power.”
“Goddess-level power…?”
“Elen controls matter. The very elements needed for existence. Elen, you govern *existence* itself. My daughter, I’m so proud.”
“S-so… existence…?”
“You need something visible to perceive it. You need to *feel* it, too. …You get it now, don’t you?”
Yeah. I can manipulate even electronic signals.
If I can interfere with memories and matter… then erasing someone’s *existence* is just as easy.
“…I…”
“Elen-chan, that’s what being a goddess *means*.”
Mother spoke to me, still dazed.
Mother is the mother of all things born.
Which means I, as her daughter, can prove existence… and just as easily deny it.
Which means I am the goddess of proof—of existence—whose very name is "death."