"We are home, dad." My 'daughter' said as we passed through the door sill.
I just nodded in response, seeing 'their' daughter spinning around as she passed their door, trying to act cheerful to make her 'dad' happy.
The interior of the house was simple and it wasn't very big, but it looked like it was a comfortable and lively place.
Perfect for a small family.
I could slowly understand why they chose to join the cult and live in the Depths.
The living conditions were just better than in the Overworld, which was kind of ironic in its own way.
Thinking about it now, the cultists didn't seem much different from mercenaries.
They both were insane people who would do anything for a prize.
It's just that the cultists seemed to be on the bad side, as the most prominent religion of the Overworld is the church of lux, the goddess of light.
"Aren't you hungry, dad?" She ran to their magic-powered stove, climbing on top of it and opening the cabinet, revealing a dozen of plates.
They needed that many, as there were four mouths they had to feed inside that house.
I especially emphasized the word 'were'.
I grit my teeth, remembering a feeling that I had almost forgotten.
Guilt.
I thought that I had already gotten used to such things, but seeing the consequences of my actions killed me inside.
Even though I already knew what my actions caused, seeing ― no, feeling― the consequences were something else entirely.
I lived through my life, being ignorant, not having to think about such things, but right now, everything burst upon me.
I couldn't help but form a weak ―almost pathetic― smile on my face.
Ignorance is bliss.
It was a sentence that I never understood.
How can ignorance be bliss?
Wasn't knowledge the best?
I have lived with that line of thought without ever realizing that this saying was also speaking about me.
I was ignorant.
And it would have been easier if I kept being ignorant.
I shook my head as I tried to speak in a gentle voice. "No, kids. Daddy will do the cooking today, alright?"
Both of those kids stared at me for a while before looking at each other.
They then looked back in my direction and nodded.
"Sure, dad." The boy said although I couldn't see his face, I imagined a weak smile, as he tilted his head to the side, looking at me. "We'll prepare the dinner table then."
And as such, I made my way to the stove and started cooking the food.
Nobody spoke while I did that.
The silence inside the house was unbearable.
As I finished cooking, I brought the food over to the dinner table and we all ate together.
Then, the boy started to speak again, for the first time since they entered the house.
Quickly, his sister joined in and they started laughing and talking with each other as if nothing had happened.
Unconsciously, I formed a faint smile as I watched the two siblings act like a normal family.
After we finished eating, I accompanied the kids to their rooms, tucked them into bed, and waited for them to sleep.
Then I went downstairs again, waiting in their living room as I occupied myself with my thoughts.
I stared out of the window, watching the empty streets of the Kingdom of.. what was its name again?
...Drazuba?
At least that's what I've read on signs when I passed by the different abandoned shops of this kingdom, as I passed the streets.
'The potion shop of Drazuba', 'the bookshop of Drazuba', and so on and on.
I kept watching and watching the empty streets, not getting bored with it even in the slightest, as I pondered about what steps to take next.
I didn't know how much time had passed, as I just kept watching the streets.
Maybe a few minutes or maybe even hours passed, but the only thing that occupied my mind were my thoughts.
After an undefined time, I decided to return upstairs as I made my decision.
Silently, I entered the kids' room and walked in front of their beds, not making a single sound so as to not wake them up.
I just stared at them for another long while, watching them sleep peacefully.
They looked just like normal children.
But that won't be like that for long.
As soon as they grow up, they too will follow the path of their real parents, hurting and even killing many people in the process.
Of course, there was the option of just taking them with me and bringing them to an orphanage or raising them by myself, but the chances of them changing were slim.
The cult was their home and no matter what anyone else tells them, they won't change their mind.
After all, changing the mind of a cultist never worked before, so why would it work now?
In addition to that, there was also a high chance that they would follow a path of vengeance, trying to find the murderer of their parents, which would then pose a danger to me.
Pulling my blade out, I raised both of my arms, gripping the hilt, ready to strike them in their sleep any time.
However, for some reason, my hands trembled.
I didn't know why they trembled. It was just a normal thing, after all. It's not like it was the first time I killed someone.
Who am I lying to?
I knew exactly why my arms trembled.
It was fear.
I feared regretting my decision.
As of right now, they were just defenseless kids, peacefully sleeping inside their beds.
"Do it, Sir."
I froze up when I suddenly heard the voice of the young boy talking to me in a strangely calm tone. "You're not our dad, aren't you?"
Managing to form a weak smile, I responded. "Yes, I am not your father."
The boy chuckled weakly. "I know. My father can't cook after all."
The rustling of the bed echoed through the room as he slowly turned his face to me, staring directly into my eyes.
Even though we both wore masks, it felt like our eyes were meeting each other. "We are dangerous, aren't we?"
I nodded. "Yes. Too dangerous."
"I see." Although the boy was facing death, no fear could be traced in his voice. "I always knew that our parents were bad people."
I chuckled softly. "You're a smart kid then."
"Thank you." The kid giggled in response to my compliment. "Please do it quickly. I want to meet my parents again."
He then clasped his hands together and started praying calmly.
"May Umbral be with me."
"Yes." I swung the sword in a quick motion, painlessly killing the kid as the warm blood sprayed around the room. "May Umbral be with you."
Walking over to his sister, I gave her the same fate.
A quick, painless death.
Gritting my teeth, I left the bloody room as I slowly closed the door, standing in front of it in a trance, blankly staring against the opposing wall.
"Damn...I hate this world."