“Cough…”
A body that barely could move.
Dragging it with great effort, Cheshire somehow managed to escape with her life, pushing forward with great difficulty.
She had willingly stepped forward in the last battle to protect her master.
A body that exceeded an ordinary human’s stamina.
However…
No matter how much of a Cheshire she was, enduring a single strike from the Pirate King was an incredibly reckless act.
And as a result, Cheshire’s body was paying a heavy price for such foolishness.
– Thud, thud…
Fragments falling from her face, and one arm crumbling as if it would fall off any moment.
A leg shattered into pieces.
And… numerous large and small broken scars scattered all over her body.
She resembled a doll that had been broken, which was the current state of Cheshire.
What gave a stronger impression was not pity, but rather a sense of grotesqueness, and because of that outer appearance, her physical condition was merely as bad as it could get.
Even just standing still, her magical power was leaking out, and her consciousness was so hazy it felt as if it would extinguish at any moment.
But…
Despite being in such a state, Cheshire held no regrets.
Thanks to her efforts, her mother was able to escape safely.
In successfully completing her mission to protect her mother, such injuries were of no consequence.
Most importantly, this broken body would soon be healed by her mother.
Thus, to convey that she had survived and to receive treatment, Cheshire finally arrived at the “gathering place” her mother had told her about in advance.
An old building located quite a distance from the port.
Inside, the White Shark pirates, weary from the aftermath of the last battle, had all fallen asleep.
The guards, worn out from injuries and fatigue, were dozing off as well, but Cheshire had no energy to care about them.
During this movement, her body continued to crack and fall apart.
If she didn’t receive treatment as soon as possible, she might lose the ability to move altogether, so Cheshire concentrated solely on moving towards where her mother was.
“Ah…”
Finally, after much difficulty, Cheshire arrived at the room where her mother was.
Surely, she had to be worried about her who had gone missing.
Cheshire rushed to open the door.
“Mo…mmy. I… have arrived…?”
At that moment…
“…Huh? What? You’re still moving around?”
Her mother turned to look at her, slightly perplexed.
However, at that moment, Cheshire’s eyes could not focus on the mother she longed to see.
What captured her gaze upon entering the room was…
“Wh-what… mommy?…”
What was placed before her mother… Elise, was something like a clay statue.
The instant she saw that, confusion filled Cheshire’s face, and simultaneously, a scene that could be called ‘fear’ began to unfold.
A statue in the shape of a person.
Its form, nearly completed, looked exactly like her…
What Cheshire looked like.
“Th-this is… what the…?”
“Pretty, right? It’s my greatest masterpiece.”
“!”
Her mother’s greatest masterpiece.
That was continuously referring to Cheshire.
The greatest being molded by her mother’s hands, her only child.
But at that moment, Cheshire felt as though she had lost the pride she had always held in those words.
Feeling as if she had lost that which had allowed her to be herself, she asked the mother in front of her.
“W-what does this mean? Greatest masterpiece… is that… me?”
“Yes… that was certainly the case…”With that, her mother slowly rose from her seat.
As always…
Wearing an extraordinarily gentle smile.
“You were certainly my pride, my precious daughter. But, you see…”
Her mother raised a finger lightly.
Then she pointed at Cheshire’s body.With an exceptionally kind voice, she spoke.
“Look at how destroyed you’ve become. The body I had painstakingly repaired has become a mess. And during the last battle, you… couldn’t protect me… or us properly.”
“!”
“You saw along the way, didn’t you? The fact that many of your subordinates died because you couldn’t protect them properly, because you were weak. Even if recruiting is easy, losing troops like this is problematic. If you were just a bit stronger, you could have minimized the damage, don’t you think?”
“Th-that’s true, but… I did my best to…”
“Does that even matter?”
“N-No?”
For a moment, her mother displayed a cold expression.
Cheshire felt a chilling sensation as if ice had been lodged in her back, completely devoid of the usual kindness.
“After all, you were a child made for me. No matter how much you try your best, if you don’t yield the results I expected, it’s ultimately meaningless.”
“B-but… I… I…”
“I only make useful things. I have no need for defective products that can’t even block the enemy’s attacks.”
“Th-then it was a mistake on my part! Please give me just a bit of time. If… if needed, I’ll train and become stronger…”
“Yeah, it’s fine. There’s no need for such futile efforts; it’s much quicker and more certain just to create a new one.”
“N-Nee?”
Her mother’s words pierced through Cheshire’s heart.
Those words were as sharp and painful as a dagger, leaving Cheshire speechless.
And then,
Watching Cheshire, her mother… Elise smiled brightly once more, gently caressing another Cheshire being created.
“So, this time I’m thinking of making you stronger. I’ll put in more magical power and mix in adamantium to enhance your durability. Technology means to learn from past failures and improve.”
“Mo… mommy.”
It felt as if that hand was caressing the past version of herself.
However, Cheshire realized something.
That warm touch from her mother…
That ‘love’ of hers…
Was no longer directed toward Cheshire…
“Since that’s the case, you should go now. Far away, if possible.”
“…”
“Not going to answer?”
“…Y-yes… mommy…”
With a gentle smile, Elise spoke to her.
That was… the last command her mother gave to Cheshire.
And so,
To fulfill it…
Cheshire left that place with a blank expression.
Leaving behind her mother who was humming happily as she worked.
Thus, Cheshire ventured away from the place of the White Shark pirates, wandering forward aimlessly.
Not knowing where she should go,or what she should do now.
She had been abandoned by her mother.The very purpose of her existence…The reason for her life had been completely erased…
And in that moment, the discarded doll left with nothing remained.
“…”
Arriving at a cliff, her mind empty.
Looking down at the sharp rocks that lay below, Cheshire began to move forward slowly.
To carry out the last command her mother had given her.
To fulfill the reason for her existence…
– Whoosh
Her body started to fall from the cliff.
Drawn into the gravity, which acts equally on everything, she plummeted rapidly.
This is how it ended.She obeyed her mother’s orders until the very last moment.
That was… the reason for the existence of the being known as Cheshire Jabberwock…Because there was no other existence in her life…
At that moment.
“…Ah…”
For a moment, she began to see something as she fell.It was… a round moon floating brightly on the sea.
The instant she saw that radiant, silvery shining thing, a person possessing a similar color began to rise in Cheshire’s mind.
“Fr-riend…”
Now that everything had vanished with her mother,the only being left for her.The one who had reached out a hand to her,the one who had given her a charming smile.And… the one who had shared the most beautiful sounds with her…
Reflecting upon that person,Cheshire began to smile one last time.Even after losing something great,even after losing the reason for her life and the person she had to protect,
She realized that she still had something precious…
If there were to be a next time,she thought she would want to live for a friend, not as her mother’s daughter…
– Bang!
*
For the first time, she opened her eyes.
The first thing she saw was…
A woman’s appearance.
Dressed in white like snow.With a hat depicting a black skull.Her hair was a violet cascade, like a carpet.And… beautiful blue eyes.
Towards the first light she had ever seen,she asked her first question.
“Who are you?”
The very first words that exited her mouth.
To which she received an answer.
“I am your mother. And…”
With that, she slowly reached out her hand.
As a sense of warmth was conveyed,she said,
“You are my… greatest masterpiece.”
