Faded Memories, and Then

Master’s abode was a small Workshop surrounded by the Area Forest and a lake southwest of Haven… no, it was deep in the forest. It was an abode befitting an Elf, if one were to describe it as such… However, since it was near the Capital, and the road leading to the forest was neatly paved, it felt a bit ambiguous.

Still, thanks to that, I was able to rent a Carriage and go all the way to the forest entrance.

As I got into the Carriage, seeing Cecil clinging tightly to my side and smiling brightly, I somehow felt a bitter pang. When I stroked her soft hair, she giggled.

At that sight, which naturally brought a smile to my face, even as I felt a sense of stability,

the desire to return to my original body made my stroking hand falter.

Currently, the most probable method for me to return to my original body is.

Not by researching Cecil’s essence.

Nor by searching for unique materials.

But by performing Reverse Synthesis on Cecil.

Realistically speaking, that would be the most rational and closest to the correct judgment for me to return to my original body.

But… that requires a price. Just as it did when I created Cecil.

Performing Reverse Synthesis means Cecil’s existence would disappear. Perhaps my emotions, vaguely connected to memories of a past life, prevented it, leading me to a point of no return.

…Perhaps giving her a name in the first place was a mistake.

“Shaa-nim?”

“…Huh?”

“Are you worried?”

“…It would be a lie to say no.”

Perhaps it was because I felt sentimental, I ended up answering Cecil’s question, which I would usually have evaded. Cecil’s eyes widened, then her expression turned worried.

“Is there anything Cecil can help you with? Cecil is ready to help with anything for Shaa-nim’s sake!”

My stroking hand faltered.

What was this feeling I was experiencing now?

I didn’t know.

I knew it wasn’t a very positive emotion, but beyond that… I wasn’t sure. Perhaps it was because my previous life, which I vaguely remembered, was solitary, and this was something I hadn’t experienced yet in this life.

One might call it responsibility without pleasure, but if asked if I regretted creating Cecil… that wasn’t it either.

“…Your words alone are thanks enough.”

That… probably wouldn’t happen….

Feeling Cecil’s body warmth, I looked across, and Claudia was looking at me with eyes that were a little strange but warm. Veronica, next to her… looked a little bitter.

It seemed… she might know why I was acting this way.

Meanwhile, the Carriage arrived, so we got off and gathered our luggage.

…Of course, Cecil carried most of it.

For now, let’s forget the bitter thoughts and go find Master’s Hideout. Who knows, Master might have achieved some results, right?

Although she often showed a somewhat unreliable side, Master was an Elf presumed to have lived for a long time. Surely… there would be another way.

Even if she drank and made a spectacle of herself… even if she sometimes acted eccentrically.

She was certainly an excellent Alchemist.

…Though I didn’t know what she was doing right now.

After watching the Carriage turn back, I quickened my pace. Although we had plenty of time since we left early, I didn’t know what might happen next.

As I walked ahead through the dense forest, memories came flooding back.

It was also where I had spent my boyhood after running away from home. They were quite old memories, but though their colors had faded, they remained vivid in my mind.

As I walked, following my memories, an area presumed to be the boundary of Master’s Hideout appeared.

At the same time, I stopped the others. There was a reason Master’s abode was called a Hideout.

“Is there something there?”

As expected of an excellent adventurer, Claudia seemed to have noticed something. Veronica and Cecil, who had never been here, looked bewildered.

I nodded to Claudia and then opened my mouth.

“From here, I’ll go alone.”

“Are you sure?”

“…Probably.”

My companions worried about me, but it was right for me to go in first here.

After all, I should have permission to enter.

Therefore, it seemed best to just wait until I met Master and got permission for my companions to enter. Claudia might try to force her way through, but… that wouldn’t be a good choice.

…But me, my body has changed, so will I be able to enter?

Or perhaps there’s a possibility that she canceled my permission because she was annoyed that her disciple hadn’t visited….

I shook my head vigorously, and stepped across the boundary. Waving my hand to my worried companions, telling them not to worry.

I entered like a man.

I retraced my memories and walked the path leading to the Hideout. I thought I’d be able to enter without any trouble, but to my surprise.

As soon as the silhouette of the Hideout came into view, wooden vines grabbed my ankle.

I thought my foot had caught on a stone, but by the time I realized it was wooden vines coiling around my leg, it was already too late.

Before I could even scream, the vines coiled around my body.

The soft wooden vines, starting from my ankles, quickly climbed up my body and squeezed me tightly. Vines coiled around my mouth, which was open to scream, leaving only copious saliva around my lips, unable to scream.

Bound, my body was lifted into the air.

Wooden vines coiling around my body like snakes.

They were the Guardians who dealt with those not permitted in Master’s Hideout.

…I had a feeling, but I didn’t expect them to really not recognize me. Still, it would be fine. They only expelled me to the boundary; they wouldn’t kill me or anything.

Of course… there would be the minor issue of having to find a peaceful way to enter the Hideout or wait for Master to come out, but at least I wouldn’t die.

However, the vines, which I thought would carry me to the boundary, began to act strangely. After binding me tightly, they suddenly began to grope various parts of my body as if frisking me.

From my face to my breast. They fondled my waist and navel, and then slowly began to approach my lower body. I struggled at the bad premonition, but only copious saliva came from my mouth.

After a brief, unpleasant scene passed, the vines lowered me to the ground. As the pressure that had been compressing my entire body disappeared, my whole body tingled. The vines, which had been caressing my cheek as if apologizing, disappeared into the forest at some point.

“…Cough, cough.”

Seriously, damn it… If it was going to be this shitty, they shouldn’t have touched me in the first place!

Swallowing the curses I hadn’t uttered aloud with effort, I collected myself for a moment. As blood properly circulated through my constricted body, my head felt numb.

No, hah. It was a fortunate situation, if one could call it that, but they say humans are different when they enter the bathroom and when they leave, don’t they? When I thought I would be expelled, I was humble, but now that I was accepted, I felt extremely displeased.

…But there was nothing I could really do.

Should I be grateful they didn’t hack me to pieces with sharp leaves?

Taking out my frustration on the innocent ground, I walked towards Master’s Hideout, visible as a silhouette in the distance. It was a path I had walked easily before, but I was a little out of breath.

It must have been because of the vines.

My breath came out in ragged gasps. Leading my lungs and stomach, which were starting to ache, I arrived at the Hideout.

As I cooled my ragged breath and trickling sweat, looking at the Hideout, faint memories flooded back.

Though they were later tainted with images of Master vomiting or swinging a liquor bottle while drunk….

I grabbed the familiar handle and turned it, and it wasn’t locked. Judging by that fact, it seemed Master was indeed in the Hideout.

As I closed the door and stepped inside, I saw boxes presumed to have contained something packaged. Seeing that the origin was the area where I lived… they seemed to be boxes containing Cecil’s essence.

‘…It seems she’s also conducting research.’

Passing the boxes, I first headed to Master’s Bedroom, which was closer than the Workshop. She often slept until this hour.

However, Master was not in the Bedroom.

I touched the familiar bed, and it was cold. It seemed she had been awake for quite some time.

Or perhaps she hadn’t slept at all.

There was no need to look elsewhere, so I walked towards Master’s Workshop. Even though it had been a long time since my last visit, the path was clear. However, the impression that it had grown a little larger was unavoidable.

…It was ironic that I had come precisely for that reason.

If it weren’t for that, I wondered if I would have ever contacted Master, but then I thought, ‘Am I really such a rotten person?’

While I was lost in strange thoughts, I found myself standing in front of the Workshop door.

I sensed a presence inside, so it seemed Master was there.

As I opened the door with a somewhat faint feeling, what greeted me was a thick cloud of smoke. A familiar scent. It was the aroma of Spirit Grass that Master sometimes burned.

It wasn’t as strong as tobacco, but with so much of it accumulated, it was certainly unpleasant. I moved through the smoke towards where a human figure was visible.

With the thought that it was like a cartoon from my vague memories of a past life, as I approached the figure presumed to be Master, the figure flinched and began to approach me.

From within the Spirit Grass mist, Master’s face, even whiter than the mist, emerged.

Perhaps because her face was so pale, the dark circles under her eyes looked very prominent. It seemed she had been engrossed in research for a long time, as her water-colored hair was a mess.

Nevertheless, her body scent, mixed with the aroma of Spirit Grass, was fragrant.

Life returned to her previously dull, deep emerald eyes, and she slowly opened her mouth.

“…Why are you here?”

At her dazed face and reply, a chuckle escaped me, but then I saw something that shouldn’t have been visible on Master’s lower body.

Looking now, she wasn’t wearing anything around her waist.

“Uh… what, why is that attached to you…?”

It was an awkward reunion between Master and disciple.