Difference in Interpretation

Like I’d seen in the other world, Ellie was crying with all her heart. I watched her silently, quietly waiting until her tears stopped.

The words I told Ellie, that I had no choice but to forgive her, were true. No matter how badly she acts, if the other person is Ellie, my anger just melts away. Even if my heart bleeds and my knees buckle, I would forgive Ellie. Because to Ross, Ellie was someone he could never abandon.

That’s why I erased my memories of Ellie. To escape from Ellie, who could melt my thoughts and firm will as easily as butter.

I don’t know what Ellie’s tears mean. Even if she explained the meaning, I didn’t have the confidence to not doubt her sincerity.

Whether it’s just joy at being forgiven by me, or a reflection on her wrongdoings towards me. Or maybe it’s a completely different reason that my thoughts can’t even reach.

However, I decided not to think too deeply this time. Believing that the Ellie of the other world who sacrificed her life for me and the Ellie crying in front of me couldn’t possibly have different hearts. I just hope that the character named Ellie, whom I once wrote with affection, will regain the image I remember.

There weren’t many differences from the Ellie of the other world; it only took a little time to stop Ellie’s tears. As if she didn’t even have the mind to fix her messed-up face, Ellie just roughly wiped away her tears with her sleeve and sniffled. Her red nose and cheeks reminded me of strawberries.

Because of that, the sweet smell of strawberries, which seemed even stronger than before, tickled my nose. Is it not perfume, but some kind of strawberry-scented pheromone she’s emitting? I erased the stray thoughts trying to surface in my head and continued the interrupted conversation.

“I have something to give you.”

“…?”

I held out my palm to Ellie and then drew up my magic power. Because the magic amplification was gone, I poured out all the magic power I had to barely create a snow globe. It seems the difference in magic power is extreme depending on the amount of memories contained in the snow globe.

The consumption of magic power is inefficient, but the fact that it can effectively convey memories along with the emotions of the time makes it a remarkable magic. That assessment could also be confirmed on Ellie’s face as she watched the magic.

“Wh-what is that? Such a magical structure can’t exist…?”

As if she had forgotten that she was just crying, Ellie was busy observing the snow globe in my hand with a dazed expression.

Muttering something and unconsciously moving her fingers in the air to grasp the structure of the magic, she looked like a future Archmage with a lot of greed for magic. When we stopped the Variant Orcs together, it was Ellie who showed tremendous interest in the space magic I used, more than the Variant Orcs.

With eyes full of pure curiosity, Ellie observed the completed snow globe for a while before a worried thought seemed to occur to her, and she stammered with a frozen expression.

“D-did you perhaps learn magic separately from my teacher, Nelson-nim?”

It seems she misunderstood that I learned magic separately from her teacher, Nelson-nim. Because the magic using the snow globe is famous as Nelson-nim’s unique magic, not only Ellie but others also had this misunderstanding.

If it’s Ellie, who has a strong desire for magic, there was a high possibility that she would be jealous that her teacher’s secret was passed on to someone else instead of herself, the disciple. This wasn’t a problem with our relationship, but a separate issue related to magical knowledge. I explained before causing unnecessary misunderstandings.

“Did you forget? I’m in the Combat Department. I’ve never learned magic or anything from the Headmaster separately. If you’re curious about why I can use this magic, put your hand on this snow globe. Then you’ll know everything.”

I held up the snow globe to Ellie. Feeling a strong interest in the fact that I, who am not even a magician, am using magic with a structure she’s never seen before, Ellie couldn’t take her eyes off the snow globe, her eyes shining.

Unlike her face which was feeling strong curiosity, Ellie couldn’t easily reach out her hand. I felt like I knew the reason why. The Ellie I met in the other world had warned me dozens of times about the dangers of using new magic.

This was because she was the type of magician who confirmed safety through repeated experiments and theoretical observations, not a method of gaining experience by bumping into things like me.

As if intense curiosity and her attitude towards magic were fighting fiercely in her heart, Ellie was slightly frowning and pursing her lips. I had no choice but to give her a little help with her choice.

“I can promise you that what’s contained in this snow globe is so amazing that it will shake up your common sense. You can also find out about the future you, the you who is more time has passed for, too.”

Ellie stuck out her tongue and wet her lips. I looked straight into Ellie’s eyes and asked.

“Can you trust me?”

It’s magic with a structure she’s never seen before. It was natural for Ellie, who has outstanding magical talent, to have a strong sense of vigilance. But Ellie, like a fanatic trying to prove her faith in my question, immediately placed her hand on the snow globe without hesitation.

Ellie, who put her hand on the snow globe, closed her eyes. After absorbing the memories of the snow globe silently for a while, Ellie finally opened her eyes.

Tears flowed down again from her obsidian-like eyes. Her obsidian-like eyes contained me completely. Looking at each other, I was convinced. That the Ellie of the other world gave the current Ellie a great help in growing as a person.

“Ro, Ross… This, this is…”

After catching her breath for a while and holding back the endless tears, Ellie raised her head. Her face was confused because a lot of information had entered her head in an instant, but it seems she had something she wanted to say to me right away. With a complicated expression, Ellie said.

“The reason I had no choice but to misunderstand you all this time… was because you weren’t Ross, but another person named Jin Sian.”

“…That’s right, I was Jin Sian who possessed Ross. But now I’m completely one with Ross. Our souls are mixed together as one.”

Suddenly, an uneasy thought came to mind. Ellie might argue that it’s only natural for her to misunderstand because I’ve changed. Somehow, that was close to an ominous prediction that came from the way Ellie had been acting.

But my ominous prediction was way off. Ellie didn’t pass the blame onto me for her mistakes like before.

“I don’t doubt that you’re Ross. No matter what anyone says, you’re Ross…”

Rather, she looked at me with kind eyes, her eyes filled with tears of worry.

“We ended up going astray like this because of the changed you and me trying to treat you like before… You always did your best for me, who you don’t even remember. You were even so foolishly kind that you pretended not to know that I was using you.”

Ellie, with an expression of joy that she was able to resolve the doubts and misunderstandings she had towards me, nodded slightly and wiped away her teary eyes.

“Whatever it is, I know that the fact that I was wrong doesn’t change. I’ve also been fully informed of how much the me of the other world regretted losing you, and how she lived her life with what kind of heart…”

Ellie, who was slurring her words, said with a determined face.

“My heart is the same as the Ellie of the other world. Just like you’re drawn to me regardless of your will, I couldn’t fill your void with anyone else.”

Ellie got up from her seat. As if she had lost strength in her body, Ellie grabbed the table and staggered as she approached me, then suddenly knelt on the floor and looked up at me.

“From now on, I will work hard to be forgiven by Ross. If it’s a situation where you have no choice but to forgive me, I’ll make you acknowledge that I’m sincerely repenting.”

At Ellie’s sincere and desperate voice, I unknowingly sighed. I didn’t want an apology from Ellie, nor did I deliver the memories.

Although such a gloomy heart might be hidden in a corner of my mind… I just wanted to clear up the previous relationship and receive Ellie’s help for the sake of the world and for Roel.

But Ellie, who received the memories, seems to have accepted my intentions differently from my thoughts. Just like you can’t leave the same review even if you watched the same movie, Ellie seems to have interpreted the memories she received from me from a different perspective. Since everyone has different learning and experiences, it was common for interpretations to differ.

Ellie slowly reached out her hand. I couldn’t avoid it as it slowly approached. I felt a warm and soft touch. Ellie, who held my hands tightly as if they were precious with both hands, said, shining her obsidian eyes.

“If it’s hard, you don’t have to hold back anymore. I know enough now how intensely the feelings you have for me are tempting you.”

“…What do you mean?”

At first, I took Ellie’s words as simply meaning that she would help me. But the emotions swirling in Ellie’s eyes as she carefully stroked my hand and looked up at me proved that wasn’t the case.

I had forgotten for a moment. That Ellie, in order to just keep me, her childhood friend, by her side, was in a state where she hadn’t learned proper love, to the point of giving me a first kiss that became a terrible wound. And how she would come up with a way to solve her mistakes.

“I, I will never tell anyone and I’m confident I won’t get caught. If you call me whenever you want, I’ll run anywhere. So it’s okay to use me as much as you want. It’s okay if you don’t treat me like a person, and it’s okay if you leave scars anywhere on my body. Because I really, really don’t want anything from you.”

There was no sinister plan, nor any other hidden intentions.

“So, just stay by my side.”

In the same way she controlled my life, she thought that handing over her leash was the only way to be forgiven by me.