Chapter 61: At the End of Despair (3)

[61] 9. At the End of Despair (3)

Sometimes, old memories become dreams

It was the memory of the day I barely managed to escape the magic tower.

I succeeded thanks to an invisibility potion, but the bleeding from my throat was severe. As soon as I stepped out of the main gate, I collapsed from blood loss.

When I came to my senses, Sage, she was standing before me. With a look of disapproval, she said

that *she* was the one who found me and brought me here,

and that she’d already prepared the escape route, so I should get my shit together and leave.

And lastly, she added,

Her voice, cold and sharp, is still etched in my memory.

“Never come back, and just stay in the eastern corner of the continent.”

What did I answer back then?

…

…

…

“Big bro, are you alright?”

Feya’s voice, full of worry, knocked on my eyelids. Opening my eyes, I saw Feya’s face and the inside of the carriage.

The early summer sunlight streamed in through the window, waking me.

What follows is realization.

I was heading to the Magic Tower.

For the first time in seven years.

“I’m sorry if I woke you up… It’s just… You looked like you were having a nightmare, so…”

Feya looked at me, gauging my reaction. I shook my head.

“No, you woke me up at the right time. How far are we?”

“We’re at Benediella, we should be seeing the magic tower soon. Well, the *city*. The tower’s visible from anywhere, after all.”

The answer came from the driver’s seat.

Then, a head of blue hair appeared through the carriage window, followed by Irene’s pale face.

“By the way, what kind of dream were you having, Oppa? We could hear you groaning all the way from the driver’s seat.”

“It was nothing, just an old memory.”

I said vaguely, brushing it aside, then frowned.

“Why aren’t you looking ahead? What if we crash into a tree?”

“Ugh, nagging again.”

Irene grimaced and then disappeared back into the carriage. I was about to scold her, but then decided against it and rubbed my eyes.

Then, suddenly, my eyes fell on the newspaper that had been left next to me.

[Sage, the Tower Master of the Magic Tower, murdered! The culprit… her daughter?]

The words that had brought me here…

They seemed to flood my mind and disrupt my thoughts.

Of course, it’s a false accusation.

There’s no way she would have killed Sage.

She was a girl always desperate for her mother’s affection.

That’s the most accurate description of Parsley.

She must have been caught up in some sort of conspiracy. It was certain.

“…”

No, was it *really* certain?

I know how much time can change a person.

People are soft, but time is hard.

The Captain, who had once forgotten how to smile,

and Feya, who had once been so ruthless, were proof.

And it’s been seven years.

Could the current Parsley really be the woman I once knew?

… No, to begin with, is she even the girl I once knew?

“…Are you still thinking about what the Captain said?”

Flinching, I looked at Feya, who was sitting next to me. She had a worried expression on her face.

“Don’t think too much about it. Didn’t that bit… I mean, didn’t the Captain say that it’s only a possibility?”

A possibility,

those words brought back the memory from a week ago,

from before we left for the Magic Tower.

***

Needless to say, as soon as I saw the newspaper, I wanted to head straight to the Magic Tower.

I rushed back to the mercenary guild and grabbed everything I could. I even had Feya prepare the carriage.

And just as I was about to leave…

[Don’t go.]

The Captain, Rose, stopped me.

Of course, I ignored her. Parsley, just like the Captain, was important to me.

But the Captain was unusually stubborn, unlike her usual self. She even tried to use her authority to stop me.

It was so unlike her.

I understood why a moment later,

or rather, she told me herself,

[Your memories. They might have been tampered with.]

[Parsley might not be the person you remember.]

She said that she had felt something was wrong that day after I told her about my past.

She had said that my memories of Parsley seemed to be full of holes.

She even said that she had asked Parsley about it directly.

But Parsley didn’t give her a proper answer.

[That’s why I said I couldn’t hand over the pocket watch to her. Because… Parsley might be the one who tampered with your memories.]

At that moment, it was as if some of the fog that was shrouding my memories had cleared.

There were definitely holes in my memory. And I had felt unease at those inconsistencies.

But it would always vanish. Before the minute hand on my watch moved a single tick, I’d forgotten that those inconsistencies even existed.

It’s impossible without a specific magic.

And there was only one type of magic that could interfere with the mind like that.

Tower Master Sage’s memory manipulation magic.

I wonder just from where had my memory has been altered.

…

…And who altered them?

Those questions buzzed around my head like a swarm of insects.

“… Want me to go bash the Captain’s head in when we get back?”

Turning around, I saw Feya, a cautious look on her face. She added, as she pretended to throw a punch,

“Not too hard, though. Just enough to keep her bedridden for three days…”

I always thought this, but Feya was really good at getting rid of my worries.

I couldn’t help but chuckle. I said, ruffling her hair,

“Just hearing that makes me feel better.”

Then I stood up.

Yeah, I’d find out once I got there and have a direct conversation, I thought.

And I should check on my little sister while I’m there.

I opened the carriage door, stepped onto the window sill, and climbed onto the roof. Then I walked over to Irene, who was driving.

“Let me take over, hand me the reins.”

“Huh? Oppa, I’m still fine, though?”

“Your skin will get damaged if you stay in the sun too long. We don’t even have sunscreen here.”

Besides, it was almost midday, it’s about time for the sun to get hot soon.

It’s rude to leave a woman exposed to the harsh sunlight. Even *I* know that.

“But…”

“Just rest when I tell you to rest.”

I took the reins from her. Irene made a dissatisfied expression, and then, looking away, mumbled.

“Is this how they all get hooked…?”

“What?”

“It’s nothing. Then I’ll go catch some shut-eye for now. Just tell me when you’re tired.”

And then Irene skillfully slipped into the carriage.

I stared at her, puzzled for a moment, I picked up a wide-brimmed straw hat from beside the seat.

Looking at the seat next to me, I smiled faintly.

“Clara, why don’t you go inside, too?”

A white-haired woman, leaning against the barrier made of holy magic, came into view.

Her white eyelashes fluttered, revealing red irises behind them.

“Mm… Remm…?”

“Go in and get some sleep. The sun is too strong.”

“Hmm…”

She slowly sat up, covering her mouth with her hand as she yawned. Then, suddenly,

“I don’t want to…”

She mumbled and then rested her cheek on my shoulder.

She rubbed her cheek against me like a small animal before closing her eyes again.

I thought about saying something, but then decided to keep my mouth shut.

No, actually, a different question slipped out.

“Was it really okay for you to come?”

I could feel Clara’s body stiffening against my shoulder. But it was only for a moment.

“…I told you, didn’t I? Those geezers tremble at my mere breath. You have no idea how much power the title of Saint and Pope holds…”

Her voice was full of confidence. I, however, could only smile bitterly and shake my head.

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

…The Clara I knew was possessive. It was like that when she was a girl, and that’s the one thing that hasn’t changed even now.

And right now, I was abandoning everything to head to the Magic Tower, for another woman.

Something the Clara I knew would never be happy about.

“…”

Clara didn’t speak, as if realizing what I was getting at. But her silence, as always, was short-lived.

“Because you can’t be mine alone anymore.”

She wrapped her arm around mine.

“And what’s precious to you is also precious to me. I decided to think that way.”

“But…”

Clara cut me off, giving me a sidelong glance.

“You idiot, when someone’s troubled like this, just lend them a shoulder to lean on.”

Then she rubbed her cheek against my shoulder again and closed her eyes.

I was about to say something, but then I just chuckled and let it be.

Wishing for her to sleep peacefully.

***

Irene, listening to the sweet conversation coming from the eavesdropping magical tool, thought to herself:

*Clara’s a fox wearing human skin.*

No wonder she’d pretended to be asleep as soon as Oppa came back. She must have been planning this all along.

Irene couldn’t help but laugh hollowly at her cunning.

Moreover, her words were just as fake.

What’s precious to Rem is also precious to *her*, she says?

She seemed to have completely forgotten how she had been harassing me until this morning.

No, actually, now that I think about it, she probably *thought* she was being nice.

A week ago,

the day her little scheme had been thwarted by Irene.

Clara that day… she had looked as if she wanted to tear Irene apart with just her glare.

And then after she even found out that Irene was close to Rem…

Irene couldn’t help but shudder without realizing it.

Thankfully, I had managed to brush it off by saying that we were practically like siblings. If I hadn’t, I’d probably be suffering from neurosis by now.

She was a character who was so fragile in the original game that she would collapse even if someone raised their voice at her.

So how did she become so sly?

“…Couldn’t you have stalled a little longer?”

…Well, she wasn’t the only one who’d changed.

Irene raised her eyes to look at another ‘fox’ across from her.

However, one who was less cunning and more… naive.

Feya was tapping on her weapon, looking annoyed, a complete contrast to her lovestruck appearance before Oppa.

Irene, feeling frustrated, replied,

“I told you, Unnie, he said he’d switch with me, so I couldn’t help it.”

“But…”

“Besides, I stalled long enough.”

Five hours. That’s how long Irene had spent entertaining this fox. It was also the time Feya have been able to be alone with Rem.

Feya’s eyes dropped as she realized that, but regret and jealousy were still evident.

“He was sleeping! Why did I have to wake him up…”

She looked pitiful and frustrating at the same time.

Irene sighed and asked in a gentle tone,

“Why don’t you just confess your feelings? Holding it all in like this…”

“No, I can’t.”

Feya brought her knees to her chest, burying her face in them.

“… I’m content with just being by his side.”

But if you really felt that way, would you be making that kind of face?

Irene felt a surge of frustration in her throat. Ironically, however, she also understood how Feya felt.

Because she knew now.

What had happened between Feya, Rem, and Rosalia.

And how the original storyline had been broken.

Irene rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on.

If you know the source of the problem, then you can fix it, she thought.

It was what she’d been doing all along.

However, the truth, as she had personally learned, was far more complicated than she had expected.

It felt less like an ordinary tangled yarn, more like a ball of yarn that had been burned, melted, and then stuck together.

She didn’t even know where to begin, or which parts to cut.

Rather, at this rate, extreme measures…

“I wish that bitch was here.”

Feya suddenly blurted out.

There was only one person Feya called “that bitch”.

Irene asked,

“The Captain? Now that I think about it, why didn’t she come?”

In Feya’s story, the Captain, Rosalia, was a woman obsessed with love.

She gave up everything for love, so what more could be said?

It was strange to Irene that such a woman wasn’t clinging to Rem’s side 24/7.

“That bitch thinks that if she’s by his side, everything will be ruined.”

Feya said, grimacing. Her eyes softened with sadness as she added,

“Even though what happened back then wasn’t just her fault…”

Irene could hear Feya’s self-blame in her tone.

The words, “It wasn’t your fault, Unnie,” came to mind, but she swallowed them back.

After all, she was only hearing about it second-hand.

There are some words that shouldn’t be carelessly said.

Instead, Irene decided to use the same method she used to get close to Feya.

She pulled out a large pouch from her subspace pocket.

“Anyway, let’s get back to what we were doing this morning.”

“Ah… That again? I don’t like that stuff. It feels weird when I sweat…”

Feya made an annoyed expression, but Irene was firm.

“You have to do it if you want to be by his side. Men, instinctively, want to have a pretty woman by their side.”

She unzipped the pouch and took out its contents:

A bowl filled with white powder, a small box filled with red rouge, a bottle filled with black charcoal, and several bottles of perfume.

“So, come on, Unnie, give me your face. You like it once we actually do it, don’t you?”

“… But will Rem really like this? So far, his reaction has been…”

“That’s because you wipe it all off before you even go see him.”

Irene frowned.

In the end, with a resigned face, Feya presented her face to Irene.

***

Three hours later…

“I see the city!”

Rem’s loud voice echoed through the carriage.

Finally, we had arrived…

…At the Magic Tower.

—

TL NOTE:

Hello Butter cat the TL here, I will be unavailable for like two weeks or so because of vacations reasons. Don’t worry I have translation stocked up so for this week it’s just regular release schedule but after this week? Fingers crossed. I’ll try to see if it’s possible for me to translate at vacation, but probably won’t be possible. I’m really sorry! I’ll notify when I get back in the discord server!