In a World without God

Chapter 41

"Freshly caught mackerel! Freshly caught mackerel~!"

"Here's sea urchin roe that's so big, even three people wouldn't know if two people ate it! It's sea urchin roe that can only be found in Garug!"

The market was lively. People came and went, bargaining eagerly. There was no sign of sadness on their faces. They had been robbed of the opportunity to grieve.

They were unaware that their parents, siblings, and children had disappeared.

"Come here. Let me ask you a question." The old woman in the market said. Her back was stooped and her speech was slurred. A few people recognized her and gave her a sympathetic glance.

"Elena... have you seen our granddaughter? She's ten years old, her hair is golden, her green eyes are mischievous, and she's about this tall...."

"Oh... Grandma Laura, you're here again."

The old woman pulled out a thin board and charcoal from her bag. "She hasn't been seen since ten days ago. She's not the kind of girl who wanders around anywhere.... Have you seen her, and can you write here where you last saw her?"

After hearing the old lady's question, the fishmonger shook her head in confusion.

"No? You don't know? But if you do, please let me know. I live in the second house down the hill."

With that, the old woman started walking toward the next store.

"It's really pitiful. She's been living alone for over 10 years, and now she's causing a fuss looking for a granddaughter who doesn't even exist..."

"She's deaf and now dementia too... It's a serious matter. We should at least make sure she gets her meals"

Edulis watched the scene from afar. Ishkur watched the old woman's expression wordlessly.

According to Edulis, Ishkur's mother was likely alive. She was alive and helping the witches with their experiments. She's kidnapping villagers and doing something with them. The mermaid hides the fact that she was kidnapped by singing.

"She must not have lost her memory because she didn't hear the song," Murjana said. Ishkur stared blankly at the ground.

"Oh, Elena... why is everyone pretending not to know her? Just a few days ago, she was running around the market excitedly...."

Grandma's voice was desperate. She wheezed whenever she spoke as if she had asthma. Nevertheless, she didn't stop asking passersby.

Ishkur had a strange feeling. He couldn't be completely happy that he had found a clue about his mother. If her mother was involved in the grief of that deaf old woman.... If her mother was doing something irreparable to a child named Elena....

When Edulis told Ishkur his discovery, Ishkur thought to himself: my mother would never collaborate with a witch. He may only have memories of her from when he was three or four years old at most, but she was a strong and caring woman. Ishkur still remembers her saying, "Don't be a witch.

- "Ishkur, the fruit grown from other people's tears is poisonous.

Would a mother like that would collaborate with a witch? For what reason?

Sadly, Ishkur had a hunch. In the faint recesses of his memory, he could still hear Kindatu's voice.

- "Petra, comply or this child will die. Do you understand?

Ishkur remembers his mother's face becoming lifeless. She staggered after Kindatu, unable to carry her husband's body.

Why would the Fey family come all the way to Ascidia and kidnap Ishkur? He wondered for the first time in decades. Ishkur was a liability.