episode_0086

1.

“…….I love you.”

The words burst out in a loud voice.

But soon, the stuffy air and musty smell that I was feeling let me know that the treatment was over.

What I see before my eyes is not the warm cherry blossom petals of mid-spring, but a familiar ceiling.

So, what happened a little while ago was just a flashback.

“Ka, Kai…..”

The one on the right is Yuli.

“Haaa… This is ruined…..”

I can also see the Witch of Memory looking down at us two and shaking her head.

Instead of his usual urbane and lofty air, he is resting his head on his brow.

It feels like decades have passed.

Only after that passage of time did I begin to understand the situation.

“………Julius.”

He turned his head with the most hateful expression.

Now I understand.

You are the one who erased the existence of Ahne Algione from me.

Because I’ve chained my memory so that I won’t ever remember anything.

-Kwaaang!!!

“Keuhk!!!”

“What the hell were you thinking?”

He grabbed her by her thin neck and pinned her to the wall.

I can’t help but feel this seething anger exploding.

The desire to vomit out this hatred again and again keeps growing.

“Ugh, it’s all….ugh…. It was for…..you, uh……”

Yuli continued speaking through tears, as if she felt pain.

I don’t know if it’s physically painful or psychologically painful.

“I don’t know….Tae-seo…..Ugh, I….I’m sorry…….”

I hear a creepy sound.

A groan, as if the air were being squeezed or rubber being twisted.

And yet, he is begging with both hands, shedding tears.

To somehow seek forgiveness.

“Haa……haaa……”

But the more I see that sight, the more I feel guilty, and the more anger I feel to cover up that guilt.

As if shouting that one’s actions are rational.

But inside, it’s burning black.

“You, how did you……”

Black magic began to swirl around Kai.

It seems to respond to a storm of emotions, becoming rougher and more violent, like a flame.

This maddening sense of betrayal and the renewed sense of loss mix together like a chemical reaction.

The end of this explosive reaction.

“Forgive me, I can’t…….!!!!”

He raised his fist at Yuli.

I want to somehow release these feelings.

“……Yeah.”

But Yuli just shed tears and lowered her head to the side.

The will to do anything to be forgiven.

He pushed his cheek in, as if hoping that the pain inflicted would numb his aching heart.

“…..”

I feel guilt engulfing my body.

But, no matter what excuses you give for a word that starts with “but,” my choice was wrong.

Because if we do this, nothing will change and only Yuli will have to suffer.

As these conflicting pains collide, an even thicker magic energy is released.

Explode your power.

Throw a punch.

[Remember]

At the same time, the Witch of Memory’s chant resonates.

“Memory is oblivion and fleeting holding, so hold my hand.”

And then he put his round hand over my fist.

“I will let some time pass by.”

Witch of Memory.

Memory is storage, a record, a thought in the head, a holding on to the past.

And a witch who can hold all of that in her hands.

Due to that power, he was fixed in a posture of trying to hit Yuri with [absolute power].

After feeling my arms bound, I had some time to calm down and think.

“Haaah…..”

I let out a long sigh, letting out my anger.

Now I can finally calm down.

I relaxed my grip and put Yuli down.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry I didn’t know you well… Kai, okay? I’ll listen to you from now on, so please don’t do that…”

Yuli continued speaking, panting as if she was hyperventilating.

In the dizzying current situation, I hugged Yuli without saying a word.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry….”

“Stop it. It’s okay now.”

“Hehehe…”

I said I would never see Yuli like this again.

Even though the anger has disappeared, regret remains in a corner of my heart.

All I could do was gently stroke her head and hope that Yuli’s crying would stop.

“It’s okay… Everything’s okay now…..”

It’s not that I don’t understand what you mean by “it was for my sake.”

I sat on the bed holding Yuli in my arms.

Then, he comforted Yuli by combing her disheveled hair with the ivory comb in his bosom.

He combed my hair slowly, just like back then in my old memories.

“Thank you Kai….. I really appreciate it….. I will do better now….”

“Okay. Say thank you.”

I had to keep combing her hair like that for a while until Yuli calmed down.

2.

It’s already evening.

The treatment itself took quite a while, and by the time I had calmed Yuli down, the sun had already set.

“Is it okay if I leave dinner to you? My student is not here right now.”

“Of course.”

I naturally put on my apron and finished preparing to cook.

Next to him, Yuli was also standing naturally, holding a sword.

…Our animosity hasn’t been completely resolved yet, but our bond isn’t so shallow that we’d be torn apart by something like this.

I guess I’ll have to bring up a topic that needs to be discussed later.

Today’s dish is a simple pasta.

“Yuli, please chop the jalapeno, onion, garlic, and peperoncino finely.”

This dish is loaded with various spices imported from modern times.

Fortunately, they prepared a variety of materials to fill the envelope.

It’s enough to eat generously for about a semester.

“Hey, here.”

I keep checking to see if this is bringing back old memories.

When you feel so discouraged, it is important to actively express your emotions.

“Thank you.”

-Tsdam

“Ugh…..”

Even something as simple as having your head stroked is something Yuli likes.

With just this one gesture, a color came to Yuli’s face.

Add chopped ingredients such as garlic, onion, jalapeno, and peperoncino to the pan.

Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil over it.

-Tsk tsk…

Bring to a boil and stir-fry gently.

The distinctive sour and spicy flavor of jalapenos.

The sweet scent of onion and the savory, savory scent of garlic blend together.

On top of the properly stir-fried and cooked ingredients…

“Huh? Do you have any white wine left?”

“Wait a minute.”

“If you’re going to use it for cooking, cheap white wine is fine!”

I don’t mind spending a little extra money, but… since I’m treating you to a noble person, I want to be a little more extravagant.

“Here.”

As soon as I received the wine, I sprinkled it on the ingredients before they ripened too much.

I got impatient so I hit it first…

-Chiiik…

The scent that is felt as the moisture evaporates is not ordinary.

The time condensed in the wine and the aroma of the grapes are added to the dish, adding a deep flavor.

It is certainly a good ingredient that adds weight and flavor to dishes that could otherwise be light.

“….What is this? This, this is not the quality to be used in this kind of cooking.”

Looking at the bottle, anyone can tell that it is not cheap.

Why do graceful curves give off a feeling of elegance, like that of an aristocratic lady?

“This is… Domain Le Fleuve Batt… What does it say?”

“You just received it as a gift, so feel free to use it as you like.”

Well, the wine owner said it was okay…

To begin with, my knowledge of wine is limited, so reading it won’t change anything.

Without saying anything, I poured a little more wine, stir-fried a little more, and seasoned it with chicken stock.

“It’s all ripe.”

Then, take out the cooked spaghetti with tongs and transfer it to the pan with the sauce.

Stir-fry again to ensure the sauce is well absorbed.

“It’s complete.”

It’s jalapeno spaghetti.

Place the noodles in a spiral shape on a plate and top with an appropriate amount of jalapeno sauce.

After I had properly portioned the spaghetti into three plates, I sat down.

“Let’s eat. Yuli, let’s eat now.”

“Thank you. I’ll eat well.”

A midsummer night’s dinner began like that.

The tangy flavor of jalapeno and the slightly spicy, tangy taste of peperoncino.

An expensive-looking wine with just the right amount of sweetness, flavor, and a nice accompaniment to a good meal.

If this continues, it will be a really good meal, but I still have something to say.

Of course, I didn’t want to spoil the mood, so I had to wait a bit until I was almost finished eating.

3.

Dessert time with cheese and wine.

“…..Please explain to me why you did that. Why you took Anne away from me.”

Finally, we brought up a heavy topic.

“You know, memories are everything to a person.”

“You know so well…”

“The past is just a time that has already passed. If memories cannot prove that past, then that past is no different from not existing, he said that himself…..”

Before continuing, why did you erase Anne from my memory?

Yuli intervened.

“It’s all my greed.”

I turned my gaze to the witch, who couldn’t shake off her trembling expression.

“I thought it would be better for you, for you to suffer from that memory….”

“All the happy memories too?”

“……Yeah. I was as sad as I was happy.”

“Haaa……”

Yes, that’s right.

‘She is already dead.’

The reason why I can now calmly talk about death.

I guess that’s because as time goes by, memories become dusty and faded.

“I know too….. I can never be forgiven, and I did something so heinous as to lock someone’s memories…!”

“But but Kai, I wanted to free you from your pain first…. So, so I came to the witch to forcefully seal your memories….”

The Witch of Memory continued speaking behind Yuli, who was unable to continue speaking.

“Yes, I erased all my memories of Algione. Even if I erased them, it was only temporarily covered up.”

“Why did you allow that?”

“If you hadn’t done that, you would have been crazy by now.”

It’s been 17 years since Anne died.

I started working at the academy 16 years ago.

In just one year, all your wounds will heal and you won’t be able to live a sane life.

“I judged that all those memories and recollections were like poison that was binding you, so I took action later.”

I only now remember that time.

To put it simply… I just wanted to die.

Actually, it was quite broken.

“You would understand Yuli’s choice. Because Yuli saw right next to you all the scenes of you crying, screaming, and dying.”

Yuli erased my memories in my stead, as I wanted to die.

“……I understand now.”

Even when I think back on my memories of Ane, I don’t feel like my heart is melting.

Because there was a 17-year gap.

“It’s okay, Yuli.”

We are humans who fear oblivion, even though we know full well that oblivion is a blessing from God.

In the end, it’s human nature to forget even the voices of our parents.

Of course I…

‘I haven’t forgotten most of them though.’

I swallowed what I wanted to say and hugged Yuli.

With this, Yuli received forgiveness for the second time.

And so the night deepened in the Witch’s Tower.