A Contract Marriage with My Child’s Father - Chapter 69

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 69

“Get into the shopping district building! Hurry!”

“This way is safer! Don’t push!”

The streets had become a scene of chaos.

Even so, the residents of the north, who frequently faced monster attacks, were different.

Even in extreme terror, they instinctively followed survival rules.

As if they had practiced evacuation drills regularly, instead of running blindly, they quickly sought shelter in nearby sturdy buildings and shelters.

However, even their orderly movements couldn’t hide the primal fear in their eyes.

The constant roaring and people’s screams.

This was my first time experiencing such a massive attack, and I felt my mind growing dizzy.

‘Let’s stay calm for now.’

In any situation, keeping one’s wits about them was the way to survive.

Even though monsters had invaded, thinking rationally, it should be fine.

Because Cain had gone himself.

He was more skilled at monster subjugation than anyone.

“This way! Into the alley!”

While evacuating confused people to safety, I assessed the situation.

“Stay here quietly and wait.”

Since he had earnestly asked me to do so, staying here should be safe.

‘Injured people…’

There don’t seem to be any yet.

Even though I was a healer, I wasn’t accustomed to monster attacks like this.

For now, following Cain’s judgment was right.

This was my first time seeing living monsters directly, so my heart was pounding like it would burst, but I trusted him.

However…

That resolve of mine didn’t last very long.

“Big brother! Waaah!”

Among the crowd rushing into the shopping district, I heard a child’s crying.

I startled and looked toward where the sound came from.

Unlike the adults who were fleeing as trained, a small child was standing still in the street, crying loudly.

It was a familiar face.

‘It’s that child from earlier.’

The smallest child among the group of kids who had been playing and singing.

It seemed like they had gotten separated from their group in the confusion and were terrified.

The situation wasn’t good.

If they got swept up in the crowd and trampled, something terrible could happen.

“No…!”

As soon as I realized it, my body moved. I immediately ran toward the child.

In the opposite direction from the people heading to the safe shopping district.

It felt like going against a strong current, but I couldn’t stop.

“Ugh, please move aside! There’s a child here!”

It was just before the child would collide with the group of adults.

I grabbed the child’s shoulder by a hair’s breadth.

Whew. That was close.

I hurriedly examined the child from head to toe.

Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any injuries, but the child was in a state of panic, trembling while covered in tears.

“Are you okay? It’s dangerous here. You could get seriously hurt.”

Normally I would calmly comfort them, but now wasn’t the time for that.

The surroundings were pandemonium. The number of monsters seemed to have increased, with huge shadows moving chaotically across the ground.

I firmly grasped the child’s small hand.

“I’ll take you somewhere safe. Come here. Let’s go, quickly.”

I immediately turned around and tried to pull the small shoulders toward the alley where I had been, but the child stood firmly rooted like a tree.

At the same time, they shook their head vigorously and cried pitifully.

“No! Waaah! If I go now…!”

Even if Cain dealt with the monsters, it would be dangerous if debris flew around.

“We have to go now! Hurry!”

“Big brother is… *sob*, big brother is still over there…!”

I hesitated at the child’s tearful cry.

Big brother?

Come to think of it, I remembered what the children had said earlier.

“Tommy is our big brother! He’s six years old now!”

“Not six, he’s turning seven.”

“He’s seven!”

Tommy, whose birthday was next week.

Don’t tell me…

My uneasy premonition was correct.

The child pointed toward the town square area where the monsters were rampaging and tears streamed down their face.

“Tommy big brother hurt his leg, *hiccup*, and got hurt…!”

I could understand the situation immediately.

The older brother had injured his leg, and while trying to help him, this child had been swept away by the crowd and pushed here.

They weren’t strong enough to go against the crowd, but couldn’t bear to leave their brother behind, so they were crying here.

‘Cain told me never to enter the town square.’

Coincidentally, that’s exactly where the child was pointing.

It might be dangerous. But my hesitation was brief.

I firmly grasped the child’s shoulders and met their eyes.

“I’ll go get your big brother.”

“But, but…!”

“It’s okay. Instead, promise me you’ll quickly go over there. Okay?”

When I spoke firmly to the anxious, trembling child, their wavering eyes began to calm down little by little.

There was no more time to delay.

“From now on, close your eyes tight and run straight into that alley you can see. Got it?”

“…Yes. Mm-hmm.”

“That’s right, good job. Don’t look back and run!”

When I pushed their back, the child finally wiped their tears and started running toward the safe shopping district.

After confirming they had evacuated safely, I immediately ran in the direction the child had pointed.

* * *

Tommy hated monsters more than anything in the world.

The monster wave that occurred two years ago had taken away not only his peaceful daily life but also his mother and father.

‘I believed this would never happen again.’

For some reason, the scene unfolding before his eyes was exactly the same as that day two years ago.

The ground shook, people screamed, and the stinging smell of blood filled the air.

It was definitely a terror he had experienced before, but experiencing it twice didn’t make it less frightening. No, knowing this terror made it even more horrible.

Tommy trembled like an aspen leaf.

Kieeeeeek!

Every time the sky-tearing screech pierced his eardrums, his heart felt like it would shrivel up.

‘I want to run away. I’m scared.’

Something had gone wrong when he fell in surprise earlier—his leg wouldn’t obey him. Along with throbbing pain, his senses seemed numb.

Blood flowed above his knee where he had apparently injured himself hitting a small rock.

Huu.

He tried to comfort himself, but his jaw trembled so violently that the chattering of his teeth wouldn’t stop.

The screaming monsters were frightening. But even more frightening than that was the fact that he was alone.

There was no one around Tommy with his injured leg.

But he couldn’t blame anyone for it.

Being alone was none other than Tommy’s own choice.

‘I wonder if Jeremy is safe.’

Being alone was scary, but what was even scarier was Jeremy getting hurt too.

So Tommy had forcibly pushed his younger brother toward safety.

It was definitely something I chose. I’m the older brother, so I should act mature.

‘…I’m scared.’

When he lifted his head, he saw a massive shadow covering the sky.

The bird-shaped monsters, much larger and more grotesquely formed than anything he’d experienced before, looked like they could swallow him whole in one bite.

Tommy dragged his unmoving leg and hid his body behind a collapsed street tree nearby.

He was afraid. He wished someone would come to help him.

But Tommy knew the truth.

‘The adults won’t come. No one will come to save me.’

They had already evacuated in haste long ago.

Though it was scary and upsetting, part of him felt relieved.

Tommy was actually hoping that no one would come to help him.

He knew he might die like this, but he hated the thought of someone getting hurt trying to save him even more. Because that’s how his mother and father had died too.

That day two years ago.

If only Tommy hadn’t cried from fear back then. His parents wouldn’t have lost their lives trying to save Tommy.

The memory of that day was still vivid like a nightmare. Because of that incident, Tommy and his younger brother had become orphans in an instant.

‘I have to endure it.’

Dying was frightening.

But like that time, someone losing their life because of his screams was even more terrifying.

So somehow he had to endure it alone. He absolutely didn’t want to see someone get hurt trying to save him again.

“It’s okay… *sob*, it’s okay.”

Tommy covered his ears with trembling hands and squeezed his eyes shut.

I’m not scared at all. I’m not scared because I’m the older brother.

Tommy opened his mouth as if reciting an incantation. It was a song his parents used to sing when he was young, on nights when he couldn’t sleep from fear.

“Round, round… little stone, where are you rolling…”

His voice kept breaking from terror. But he didn’t stop.

When he sang this song, it felt like his mother and father were beside him, so he wasn’t scared at all.

“Triangle, triangle, *sob*, hillside… pointy, pointy…”

Tears and snot mixed together, making it hard to breathe. No matter how much he covered his ears and hummed the song, the terrible roars of the monsters kept boring into his ears.

All Tommy could do was continue the faltering song while curled up.

“Square, square… box, *huu*… what shall we put inside…”

That was the moment.

“Round, round little stone, rolling tumble-tumble.”

Over Tommy’s trembling singing voice, a clear and gentle voice overlapped.

That couldn’t be. Was it a hallucination? Was he hearing things because he was too scared?

There’s no one here to help me. There wouldn’t be any such adult.

“Triangle, triangle hillside, we cross carefully, carefully.”

But as if it wasn’t a mistake, the woman’s voice rang out tenderly, matching Tommy’s trembling rhythm.

Tommy quietly uncovered his ears. But he still couldn’t open his eyes.

In case this sweet voice would disappear if he opened his eyes. He was too scared of that.

Then, someone’s warm touch embraced Tommy’s shoulders.

His stiffened body relaxed smoothly at the comforting warmth.

Finally, Tommy carefully lifted his swollen eyelids.

What he saw through his blurry vision was…

“…An angel?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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