Nujah-The Goddess Child

After Nujah and Naraka left, the silence in Mitra's cell grew heavier by the second.

He sat against the cold stone wall, already restless.

The stillness was unbearable. Her energy was low, time felt frozen — and even though she wanted to escape, she never once considered it.

Then, suddenly, the cell door creaked open.

A soldier stepped in, unrolled a scroll, and read aloud:

> "Is Mitra, Daughter of Nujah, present?"

Mitra blinked, confused.

"…Yes?" She answered cautiously.

> "You have a delivery. Seven packages, all sent by Nujah."

The soldier entered and placed seven boxes on the ground, arranged from largest to smallest.

Before leaving, he added bluntly:

> "He said: 'Instead of sulking, let her work. Improve himself. Nobody likes someone who sits around doing nothing.'"

Mitra squinted slightly, a mix of offense and sadness crossing her face.

"…Understood. You can go."

Once the door closed, Mitra looked down at the boxes.

On top of them all was a single note, scrawled in familiar handwriting:

> "Open each one in time — and in order.

With love,

Big Bear."

A small smile broke through Mitra's tired expression.

She reached for the first box.

Inside was a thick book.

Bold letters on the cover read:

> "Who Is Guilty?"

Flipping it open, she found simplified, gamified trial records — all from Shiora's history.

They were written as if for puzzles, cases to solve. Not too complex, but enough to keep the mind busy.

For the next three days, Mitra did nothing else but solve them — one after the other.

He didn't even touch the other boxes.

Then… he reached the final page.

---

📘 Final Trial – Who Is Guilty?

Case File:

Two strangers visited an old woman living alone on a mountain slope — on different days.

To both of them, the old woman offered the same thing: hot soup and dry bread.

The first guest told stories, finished his food, and thanked her before leaving.

The second guest also ate, but when he saw her asleep, he stole her valuables. Before leaving, he placed a single red rose on the table — a gift the first guest had brought earlier.

When the woman woke up, her home was empty — except for that single rose.

In court, both men denied knowing each other. Both claimed to be innocent.

Question:

Who is guilty — and why?

---

Mitra stared at the question, eyebrows furrowed.

At first, she suspected the second guest — but then something tugged at her mind.

What if… the first guest had set a trap?

Planted the rose… to frame the other?

Then — a voice behind him whispered:

> "You're thinking the right way."

Mitra yelped and fell off the bench like a startled cat.

"Could you at least knock first!?" she snapped.

Nujah was already grinning, arms crossed.

> "If surprising my own daughter is a crime, then call me guiltier than He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," he laughed.

Mitra scowled, but part of her couldn't help smiling.

"I saw that smirk," Nujah teased.

"You're not fooling anyone."

"I wasn't smiling," she muttered, turning her face.

In a flash, Nujah swept her into a hug and spun her gently.

"Put me down!" she shouted.

"I'm serious!"

He eventually let her go, and Mitra stumbled a little, dizzy but unharmed.

Nujah plopped down on the cot and picked up the book, flipping through it carefully.

> "So… you solved them all?"

Mitra sat beside him. "All except the last one."

"Why not?" he asked, not accusing — just curious.

Mitra's eyes dropped. "You know why."

"That's not a reason," Nujah replied firmly.

He turned to face her and said:

> "You get one question. One real reward — for getting all those trials right.

So make it count."

Mitra's crimson eyes flickered like stars as she went deep into thought.

---

In the middle of solving the mystery, Mitra turns to Nujah and says:

"Why is it that the first man has such a short explanation in the text, while the other two speak as if they witnessed everything firsthand?"

Nujah, in a serious tone:

"I can only answer with yes or no."

Mitra, slightly irritated but determined to reach the answer, asks directly:

"The two guilty ones are not suspects, right?"

Nujah:

"No."

He raises an hourglass in his right hand.

"This isn't just a game, Mitra. Think like a criminal… not a victim."

"You have five minutes. Or your punishment increases to two weeks."

Before Mitra can lose her temper, Nujah sharply adds:

"Don't waste your time on things that don't matter. Focus your mind. Now."

Mitra, stressed and uneasy, tries to think.

Nujah raises his voice:

"Come on. It's not that hard. The answer is inside the story!"

Mitra immediately grabs the book.

"The culprit is the grandmother."

Nujah clasps his hands together and smiles.

"What's your reason?"

Mitra, after a fast but intense thought, suddenly shouts:

"The police!"

Nujah opens his mouth slightly, watching with curious eyes, but says nothing.

Mitra continues:

"Despite supposedly being asleep, she described everything as if she was watching it live. That makes no sense.

"The report was too clean. Like it wanted to be believed, not questioned."

And the security station accepted this nonsense explanation—

the only one who could approve such a thing would have to be one of the top security generals responsible for big cities.

In short, someone wanted to eliminate the two guests and used the grandmother as a decoy to erase their own tracks."

Nujah, with a proud face, begins to applaud—then suddenly bursts out laughing.

"Wrong!" he says loudly.

Mitra looks down, disappointed, ready to accept her punishment.

But then, Nujah stands up.

"Not exactly right... but not wrong either."

He continues:

"High-ranking people at the station did help cover it up, but the one who made the plan and pushed it through wasn't them."

Mitra, now drained of energy, asks:

"Then… who?"

A dramatic tone sets in. Shadows rise from behind, playing eerie instruments as if revealing a grand secret.

Nujah, slowly, with theatrical flair:

"The real culprit... was… B— Be—"

Mitra yells:

"Who?!"

A sharp "dun-dun-dunnn" plays.

Nujah snaps his fingers, making the illusions vanish, and begins to explain:

"This happened in the middle of a massive snowy mountain. The identity of the elderly woman was never revealed.

She was tried under a false name, kept hidden.

The guests who came to her house were 'relatives' — strangers to each other, united only through her.

Even if she was old, she was a cruel person.

I won't share too many details…

Let's just say she had powerful connections in high places.

She knew her time was ending. So she plotted to get rid of the guests before Ren arrived.

She had her allies help erase her traces."

Nujah, proudly:

"Ren, as always, solved the case and freed them both."

Mitra, with a sad but gentle tone:

"I get it… It's okay."

Nujah, with a smirk, gently

> "I told you to find the culprit. I never said to find both of them.

So technically… you did great. Be proud of yourself.

I also said the answer was in the story — and it was.

But the pieces? You had to connect them yourself."

He helps her stand up as she falls to her knees in guilt.

"So get up. There are still more boxes to explore.

You've got more fun ahead."

Just then, a small voice whispers into Nujah's ear.

Nujah, serious now, chuckles lightly.

"I see. Alright."

As the conversation ends—

Mitra, before he can speak again, says:

"You should go. You've stayed long enough."

Nujah, eyes welling with tears:

"But I wanted to stay tonight…"

Mitra tries to stay composed, walks up, and gives him a tight, sudden hug. Then pulls away:

"There are people out there who need you more right now. Go."

Just then, the Worldbreaker — a creature from a special mission — jumps onto Mitra from afar.

Mitra laughs:

"I'm not alone anymore. You're here."

> Nujah's cat meowed in agreement, almost like saying, "She's not alone. I'm still here."

Nujah smirks faintly, then gets serious. He gently pulls Mitra close and kisses her forehead.

Despite Mitra blushing and yelling, Nujah laughs and says in a warm, hopeful tone:

"Once my mission ends, I'll come back.

Even though I want to say 'tonight'...

It might take longer.

I don't want to lie to you —

So I can't promise…

"But I swear, I'll be here tomorrow!"

He gave her a soft wink, a quiet promise behind it — then vanished into the dark with a snap of his fingers.

His final words echo:

"See you soon… princess."

Left alone in the silence, Mitra softly smiles with a trace of sadness:

"See you… Dad."

---