To the Love Born in the Lowest Place

“I can leave now?”

Immediately upon waking, hearing the news that she would soon depart, Liv gazed at the man with sparkling eyes. Over the past few days, it seemed he had been pondering how to release her, and today he had finally brought the news that Liv could leave.

Though uncertain of the exact circumstances, the man always brought Liv new joys. He was likely telling the truth this time as well. Unable to contain her wildly beating heart, Liv sprang up and bounced around.

“I’m so happy!”

“Congratulations, Miss Liv.”

“But how did this become possible?”

Liv asked with wide eyes, prompting the man to avert his gaze.

“Well… I conversed with the gods…”

“Wow, I thought only I could converse with the gods, but there were others.”

“I was granted an exceptional circumstance to do so this time. The gods promised to use their power to help you escape.”

“Really?”

Liv tilted her head in puzzlement. She had been imprisoned here for so long, in this place beyond the gods’ reach. Yet suddenly the gods could enable her escape?

“How? They definitely said their power couldn’t reach here…”

“Well… I have certain abilities…”

“Wow, so you have such powers.”

As Liv exclaimed in admiration, the man sheepishly hung his head. As Liv had suspected, he didn’t seem to be an ordinary human after all. Though she could ask for more details, the complexities of divine power would likely exceed human Liv’s comprehension.

However, the man’s words raised some doubts, prompting Liv to ask with a curious expression:

“You’ll be leaving with me too, right?”

“What?”

“You said you would remain by my side.”

At that, the man lowered his gaze and spoke in a soft voice:

“I cannot leave together with you.”

“Huh? Then…”

“But we will meet again. No, we will meet again soon.”

Liv fell into contemplation for a moment before arriving at her own conclusion:

“Ah, so you’ll be escaping through a different method? Because you have special powers.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Okay, let’s meet outside then.”

The man silently gazed at Liv’s elated face, his tender eyes seeming to etch her appearance into his mind. After standing there for a while, he extended his little finger towards Liv.

“Miss Liv, would you make a promise with me?”

“Okay.”

No matter what promise he proposed, Liv intended to keep it. For he was the first human she had met, the one who would release her from this place. Seeing Liv’s smiling face, the man lowered his head further as he spoke:

“Once you leave here…”

“Yes.”

“Please make sure to meet me.”

“Huh? Of course I will?”

“There is a chance you may come to dislike me.”

Liv laughed, for that seemed an impossibility – she couldn’t fathom ever disliking this person.

Yet seeing the man’s serious expression, Liv nodded solemnly and hooked her little finger with his.

“Okay, I promise we’ll be together once I’m out of here too.”

* * *

“…Ah!”

It seemed she had fallen asleep not long after making that promise with him. Having dreamed of the outside world she would soon encounter, Liv awoke with a startled cry upon seeing the man lying beside her.

The man’s body had faded, emitting a faint glow Liv had never witnessed before. She reached out and waved her hand through his form, but as always, it simply passed through him.

“What happened?”

Liv asked in a flustered voice, and the man calmly responded:

“My body is preparing to leave this place.”

“Aha, like you mentioned before?”

“…Yes, that’s right. This is called becoming translucent.”

“How strange.”

Reassured by the man’s composed demeanor, Liv quickly overcame her surprise and instead observed him with curious eyes. Yes, it must be a good thing if he was preparing to depart this place. However, an inexplicable sense of sadness welled up at the feeling of him fading away from her.

“You won’t be leaving me, right?”

“No, we will meet again outside. At that time… I will tell you my name.”

As Liv continued gazing intently at him, the man changed the subject to a new topic:

“Once outside, Miss Liv, you must be wary of those who approach you.”

“Other people? But you said there are many good ones.”

“Of course, but human hearts are difficult to discern. Even good beings can become evil in an instant.”

“That sounds difficult…”

“So you must not give your heart too freely to others. You may end up hurt later on.”

Hearing that, Liv broke into a bright smile. While the man advised against opening her heart to others…

“I will do that. But I will give you my heart.”

“What?”

“You are a special existence, aren’t you? You rescued me from here and taught me so much. So I will give you all of my heart.”

At those words, the man’s expression darkened, prompting Liv to carefully ask:

“Is it uncomfortable for you to accept my heart?”

“No, not at all. I am simply…”

The man hesitated before continuing:

“I fear you may end up hurt, Miss Liv.”

“Why would I be hurt? You are such a good person.”

“…”

After a long silence, the man could only offer Liv a faint smile.

* * *

When Liv awoke from another sleep, Emmett felt his body had grown even more translucent.

The time is drawing near.

The oppressive voice of the god also reached him, as if trampling him underfoot – a sign they were about to exert their power.

Emmett recalled the conversation he had with Liv the previous day. Liv had said she would give him all her heart, leaving Emmett anguished once more. For he knew he would inevitably end up hurting her.

Yet try as he might to steel himself, he lacked the courage to reject her love. Selfishly, he wished for her to continue loving him.

“Ah, Miss Liv.”

Seeing Liv stir awake, Emmett approached her. The moment she opened her eyes and met his gaze, a somber expression crossed her face.

“You’ve become even more translucent.”

Liv seemed saddened to see him fading away. Sitting down on the floor, she gazed up at Emmett and asked:

“You said I must beware of humans once outside?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Is there anything else I should be cautious of?”

At those words, Emmett briefly pondered. There seemed too much Liv needed to be wary of, and he felt he should organize his thoughts before listing them all to her.

“Well, for example, you must not harm others, and if someone does you a kindness, you should repay it…”

As he recited such meaningless advice fit for children, something suddenly occurred to Emmett.

‘Miss Liv was afraid of the sea.’

But had Liv ever had the chance to see the sea? His plan was to release her from this place directly to the temple, where no sea could be seen.

“Miss Liv, have you heard about the sea?”

At Emmett’s question, Liv’s face brightened as she answered:

“Yes, they said it’s a beautiful place with a vast expanse of blue water.”

It was a vastly different reaction compared to the past Liv who had feared the sea. There, she had grown ill, retching uncontrollably. Why had she developed such a phobia of the sea when there was no reason for it?

“Do you know anything else about the sea?”

“Um… Ah, the sea is a sacred ground.”

“A sacred ground?”

While Emmett was aware of various sacred grounds, he had never heard of the sea itself being considered one.

“Yes, the sea is said to be a place where the gods’ power becomes strongest among all sacred grounds. I heard that if I go there, I can borrow the gods’ power.”

“What does it mean for their power to become stronger?”

“Well, when the gods speak to me now, I feel a heaviness. That would become much more intense…”

Liv spoke those words before her face suddenly contorted in shock:

“Oh? Then the sea doesn’t sound like a good place.”

“Ah.”

Only now did Emmett realize why the past Liv had suffered so at the sea – she had been overwhelmed by the amplified power of the gods there.

“Then it would be best for you to avoid the sea, Miss Liv.”

“Yes, I shouldn’t go near any sacred grounds. It seems it would be too difficult for me.”

Liv glanced upwards before whispering in a lowered voice:

“Though of course, the gods wish for me to go to the sacred grounds…”

“You need not always heed the gods’ words.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, you can act according to your own will, Miss Liv.”

As Liv nodded, she suddenly exclaimed with a darkened expression upon seeing Emmett’s form:

“You’ve become even more translucent…!”

“…It seems the time has truly come.”

Just as he spoke those words in a low voice, realizing the moment to send Liv off was nearing, the voice of gods rang out:

Our power has gathered.

We shall now release our child into the outside world.

Is there a desired location?

Emmett didn’t answer, simply gazing up at the ceiling in silence. Everything had to unfold exactly as it had in the past. While being adopted into the Hamelsvoort family and mistaken for a Saintess hadn’t been ideal for Liv, releasing the beautiful yet ignorant Liv elsewhere could have posed even greater dangers. So…

“Near the Holy Church.”