A name was finally chosen for the girl who had emerged from Siegfried.
Crim.
Versa settled on the name after conducting an unusually long fortune-telling ritual. It didn't seem like a bad name at all. Furthermore, her Authority was determined to be Hope.
Somehow, the credit for bestowing this power fell on me. I hadn't intended to, really. When Versa mentioned that Crim was the daughter of Despair, I simply muttered that Hope would be a fitting counterpart.
Wasn't it a bit reckless to decide an Authority so flippantly? I mean, she would have to live with it forever, wouldn't she? Or so I thought, but apparently, Authorities can change or be added to as often as one likes. Even Versa had changed hers multiple times over the years. Since it was that sort of thing, a general sense of direction was considered sufficient for a start.
Well, if that was the case, I suppose it was fine.
Once her name and Authority were solidified, Crim’s physical form became distinct. She appeared as a girl of about five years old, with straight, floor-length black hair and small, curled horns on her head. Though she had been naked at first, she was now dressed in clothes provided by Zabuton—a child-sized yukata. I wondered why that was the choice, then realized it was likely because Zabuton had just finished making a yukata for me.
She even had a proper pair of geta on her feet. With her long hair tied up in a ponytail, she looked quite charming. However, with winter approaching, she would definitely need warmer clothing. Of course, I didn't even have to ask; Zabuton had already prepared an entire wardrobe. She truly was remarkable.
As for Crim’s daily care, that responsibility passed from Versa to Yor. The reasoning was straightforward: with a snap of her fingers, Crim could summon Siegfried directly from the earth. However, while the original Siegfried had stood ten meters tall, this new version was only about three meters. The reason for its diminished size was almost certainly because I had tilled the original into the ground.
I felt a pang of guilt, but it had gone on a rampage, after all. There was no point in her glaring at me like that.
And then there was Yor. It was fine to dote on the girl, but she couldn't just indulge her every whim. For starters, I had to tell her to stop Crim from summoning Siegfried indoors.
Incidentally, when Yor first woke up and I told her that Siegfried was gone, I expected her to lose her mind, but she remained surprisingly calm. She was very quiet. However, her subsequent behavior carried the heavy, dangerous air of a great beast that had lost its cub. You simply knew instinctively that you shouldn't get too close or try to touch her.
I figured it would be a bad idea to let Yor in that state encounter Versa or Crim, and I tried my best to steer her away, but she was drawn to Crim as if by a magnetic force. The moment she saw the girl, Yor was overcome with a joy so profound it was as if she had been reunited with a lost child.
I wondered why she felt such a connection until Crim tried to escape Yor’s smothering embrace by summoning the small Siegfried. At that point, everything clicked. Leaving me behind in my realization, Yor immediately pivoted to embracing the small machine as well. Crim tried to scramble inside the cockpit, but Yor snatched her back and dragged her out before she could close the hatch.
Crim looked to Versa for help, but Versa simply ignored the plea and officially handed off the girl's care to Yor. Yor was more than happy to accept. I couldn't bring myself to look at Crim’s face in that moment; seeing a child lose all hope—even one named Hope—made my heart ache.
Still, considering I had some concerns about Versa’s approach to education, perhaps leaving her with Yor was a wise move. Then again, I had no real evidence to support that. But surely a motivated Yor was better suited for the task than a reluctant Versa?
"Crim, if Yor gets to be too much for you, please let me know..."
Before I could finish, Crim used Yor as a human shield to hide from me. I felt a bit depressed realizing that she found me even more terrifying than Yor.
In any case, with Yor taking charge of Crim’s upbringing, a question arose regarding their living situation, since Yor still had her duties managing the Teleportation Gate at the Hot Spring. I invited them to stay at the mansion, mentioning we had plenty of empty rooms, but Crim insisted on staying with Yor. So, they headed to the Hot Spring.
For the time being, they would live in Yor’s current house. It would be a bit of a tight fit, but the timing was bad for remodeling or building a new home. That would have to wait until next spring. We had an abundance of spare beds, linens, chairs, and tableware in the Village of the Great Tree, so I told them to take whatever they liked. As for Crim’s meals, Yor promised to handle them. We could provide plenty of ingredients from the village, so it shouldn't be an issue.
Regarding Crim’s education... Despite looking like a five-year-old and being effectively brand new to the world, she possessed knowledge that would put most adults to shame. She didn't really need schooling in the traditional sense. However, she did need social interaction. If she stayed only with Yor, she would become isolated.
Therefore, it was decided that she would commute to the Village of the Great Tree alongside the Death Mage to study with the other children. She was accepted by her peers almost immediately. They had their occasional tiffs, but they always made up. Nart, Gatto's Daughter and the leader of the village kids, gave her a high rating, describing her as a very good girl who didn't go on rampages, didn't explode, and didn't try to fly away to escape her problems.
I think I need to have a talk with the teachers later about which children are rampaging, exploding, and flying away.
Speaking of the teachers, Hakuren, Guronde, and the Death Mage all thought very highly of Crim. I assumed it was because of her vast knowledge, but apparently, it was more about her role in the classroom. She acted like a teacher disguised as a student, subtly guiding the other children in their studies without ever wounding their pride. Truly impressive.
Crim was classified as part of the Devil Race, but she was quite different from Kuzuden and the others in Village Four. She wasn't like Bulga or Stifano either, though she was apparently closer to their lineage. Perhaps that was why she acted so spoiled around them. At the same time, she got along famously with Lananon, Kukulkan, and the Flying Carpet, who were always hanging around Bulga and Stifano.
Bulga even mentioned that Kukulkan seemed to view Crim as a new older sister. I wasn't quite sure how to feel about that, but I suppose it wasn't a problem.
The real problem was Bell. Now that Yor essentially had a daughter, Bell was practically radiating jealousy. She started pressuring me to give her a child too, but there wasn't much I could do about that. I felt like that was a conversation she should be having with Versa.
Wait, was she actually asking me to carve another Devil Statue Sample for her? According to Versa, just because I carved something didn't mean a soul like Crim’s would manifest every time. Besides, it would be a huge headache if it did happen, so I was currently observing a self-imposed ban on carving any more statues—samples or otherwise. When I told Bell that, she got angry and told me I was completely missing the point.
On a side note, we had the original Devil Statue Sample to consider. Since Crim’s soul had taken up residence elsewhere, I was troubled about what to do with the physical object. Could I just leave it? Should I destroy it?
Unsure, I consulted Versa. She told me that nothing else would inhabit it, so it was perfectly fine to display it as a normal statue. While I was debating where to put it, Yor suggested that the sample was like a mother to Crim and proposed placing it at the Hot Spring. That seemed reasonable, so I officially handed the sample over to Yor to do with as she pleased.
She wanted to put it near Crim’s bed? I didn't mind, of course. Personally, I didn't think a demonic statue was the most appropriate decor for a young girl’s bedroom, but I kept that thought to myself.
Lord Despair (Ancient Devil) -> Now the "Devil Who Protects Artworks" at the Prada Art Museum. Soul from the Sample -> Transferred to Siegfried, incarnated as Crim. Now living with Yor.
Bell: "It's not fair! Yor is the only one getting ahead!"