Chapter 123: Four Idiots (4)

[123] 19. Four Idiots (4)

Before leaving for the Ailleyde territory, we decided to spend a night at an inn.

According to the diary, that was where Irene’s story began. I thought it would be dangerous to go there without any preparations.

At the very least, we needed a way out.

…And there were also some loose ends I needed to tie up.

*Knock, knock.*

I swallowed my fear and knocked on the door.

Soon, the door opened, revealing a face that looked like it had just woken up from sleep.

“What is it… Rem?”

Marianne rubbed her eyes as she looked at me.

“I don’t know what this is about, but can’t we talk about it tomorrow morning? This body gets wrinkles if it doesn’t get enough sleep…”

“Marianne.”

Marianne’s expression shifts as if sensing something was off.

“…What.”

“There’s something I need to tell you.”

Marianne didn’t ask what it was. She simply scratched her head and turned around.

“Come in.”

Then she pulled out a chair for me in front of the desk. She sat on the edge of the bed and stared at me intently.

“So, what is it?”

I sat down, suppressing the emotions welling up within me. I opened my mouth a few times, then closed it again.

“Rem, what is it.”

Marianne’s tone had softened at some point. It made me feel even more sorrowful, so I lowered my head.

Finally, I managed to speak.

“Marianne, I want you to go back to the Magic Tower.”

“Rem, are you seriously doing this again? I already told you. I…”

“Marianne, do you know why Killian killed you?”

Marian fell silent.

I took a deep breath and slowly continued.

“Killian was actually after Parsley. Because…”

“Because you killed Killian’s daughter. Well, more precisely, you interfered with his resurrection ritual, but same difference.”

It felt as if someone had stirred my brain.

I stared at Marianne with a dumbfounded expression. She said with an indifferent look.

“Why.”

“You knew…?”

“Rem, did you really think Parsley wouldn’t have told me about it? That softhearted girl?”

I was at a loss for words.

I didn’t know how to react, so I just opened and closed my mouth repeatedly.

“I also know that you helped Killian. That you killed 72 people.”

I felt my mind go blank.

Like an idiot, I stumbled over my words.

“Then… then… why… why…?”

“Why am I helping you? Or why I don’t resent you?”

Marianne tilted her head back and looked up at the ceiling.

The ceiling of the old inn was solid, but she seemed to be looking beyond it.

“Well, I could have resented you enough if I wanted to. No, actually, I did resent you right after I heard what happened.”

My shoulders jerked involuntarily.

“‘How dare he do that to us,’ I thought. ‘If he ever shows his face before me again, I’ll beat him to a pulp,’ I thought. ‘No, I won’t even look at him,’ I thought. ‘That bastard, I’ll report him again and have him thrown back in prison,’ I thought…”

Every word stung.

But I knew my sin, so I could only lower my head.

“But after about a week… it just was what it was.”

It just was what it was.

Unable to grasp the meaning, I looked back at Marianne.

A smile appeared on her lips, and her voice softened.

“How should I explain this…”

Then she clapped her hands and asked.

“Ah, do you remember your first date with Parsley?”

First date.

Was she talking about the day Parsley confessed her feelings to me.

“That day, Parsley was a complete mess. All the places we were supposed to go were closed, and the park was under construction…”

Even though it wasn’t the time, I couldn’t help but smile. Remembering Parsley’s flustered appearance.

“That was actually my fault.”

“Huh?”

A dumbfounded sound escaped my lips.

Marian smiled slightly and continued.

“I deliberately recommended only those places to Parsley. She asked me where to go the day before the date.”

That… was a truly unexpected confession.

Confused, I barely managed to ask.

“Why?”

“Hmm? Ah, because I also liked you back then. Keep this a secret from Parsley, okay?”

“What?”

“Of course, I don’t anymore, so don’t get any weird ideas. It’s in the past tense, past tense. Anyway, we’re getting off topic…”

Marian clapped her hands to change the atmosphere.

“Anyway, I thought of that when I died. ‘This is my punishment,’ I thought. ‘This is the price I have to pay for betraying my friend,’ I thought.”

“That’s not true. Marianne, that wasn’t…”

“Be quiet. That’s how I *felt*. How I felt.”

Marianne frowned and made an X with her fingers over her lips.

“Anyway, so the first thing I did after being resurrected was to confess that to Parsley. That I was sorry for doing that to her back then. And you know what Parsley said?”

Marianne let out a soft laugh.

“She said there’s no need to apologize for such things between friends. She even said that *she* was the one who should be sorry. That I died because of her.

So I said the same thing.

That there was no need to apologize for such things between friends.”

Marianne giggled, then suddenly frowned.

“So, what I mean is…. So…. Hmm…. So…”

She seemed to be struggling to find the right words. Eventually, Marianne sighed.

“Ugh, I should have paid more attention in composition class. Anyway, the point is this.”

Marianne sighed and looked at me.

Her blue eyes glowed warmly in the candlelight.

“We’re friends. You and me.”

What should I have answered to that.

“Even if I get angry and resentful, even if there are days when I can’t stand to look at you, in the end, I’ll be by your side. Because we’re friends.”

And then Marianne put on a deliberately stern expression. Even with Sage’s face, it wasn’t intimidating at all.

“So don’t even think about telling me to leave or go back. I can’t watch you do something dangerous on your own. If not for my sake, then for Parsley’s.”

At that moment, I felt a warmth rising in my throat. I tried to suppress it, but it inevitably reached the tip of my tongue.

“This isn’t…”

“Hmm?”

“This isn’t right…”

I clutched my chest and curled up.

“I shouldn’t… I shouldn’t be forgiven so easily…!”

It had been like that ever since I regained my memories.

The 72 people I had killed, they were strangling my consciousness.

Like the golden needles that had once been embedded in my eyes, they constantly poked at my brain. They crushed me every time I closed my eyes to sleep.

The sense of guilt had been etched into my heart.

“I… I… I did such terrible things…”

“Rem, don’t misunderstand.”

Her voice was as cold as ice.

When I looked up, Marianne’s hardened face came into view.

“I’m not saying what you did was right. Nor am I forgiving you in place of those who died.”

Her resolute voice, completely different from before.

“In the first place, such things can never be forgiven. They shouldn’t be. In time, the day will come when you have to pay for your sins.”

The day I have to pay for my sins,

Those words were deeply carved in my heart.

Marian lowered her eyes and barely finished her words.

“I’m just… saying I’ll be there by your side then too. Well, that’s about all I can do for you.”

Her words were both warm and cold.

Because of that, it seemed to hurt Marianne herself as she spoke, it was heartbreaking.

Finally, Marian hung her head and muttered.

“…You idiot, why did you do it.”

I just bit my lower lip.

What followed was silence.

Because I could feel her concern, it was all the more suffocating.

The silence finally broke when the moon peeked through the window.

“Anyway, go get some sleep. We’ll continue this conversation when we meet Parsley.”

I barely managed to nod and stood up. I walked toward the door and grabbed the doorknob as if clinging to it.

“And, Rem.”

I turned to look at Marianne. She was looking at me with a worried expression.

“I know this contradicts what I just said… but don’t push yourself too hard.”

Don’t push yourself too hard.

What in the world did she mean by that.

I couldn’t understand what she meant, but I just nodded.

Then I returned to my room and lay on the bed.

Naturally, sleep didn’t come.

It had been like this ever since I returned to this world.

***

Ailleyde, it was a city that seemed to embody the word ‘decline’.

The city’s poverty was stark.

Abandoned buildings were everywhere,

and the roads were bumpy, as if they hadn’t been maintained for centuries. The haggard faces of the pedestrians seemed like they were simply living because they couldn’t die.

But ironically, amidst the poverty, there were traces of past prosperity.

Like the large statue erected in the city center.

Unnecessarily lavish inns and fancy restaurants that seemed to cater only to nobles.

I could easily imagine the city’s glorious days overlaid on top.

And that very fact made this city seem even more miserable.

“Hah, sleeping outside might be better than getting a room at an inn in this place?”

Clevens, disguised as a merchant, lets out a hollow laugh while looking around the city. Shafiq frowns and grumbles in response.

“I have no intention of staying here anyway. This is the first city I’ve been to that smells so wretched. And I don’t like this disguise either.”

To hide the fact that he was an elf, Shafiq had no choice but to cover his entire body in armor. For someone who took pride in his agility, it must be incredibly uncomfortable for him.

“Mr. Shafiq, don’t complain too much. It’s better than being disguised as an old woman like me. It’s bad enough that I’m in the body of a woman nearing menopause, and now I’m even an old hag…”

Marianne touched her wrinkled face with a tearful expression. Every time she moved, the old nun’s habit she was wearing seemed like it would rip.

“Alright, enough complaining.”

I, disguised as a beggar, clapped my hands to get their attention.

“Everyone, you remember your roles and missions, right?”

“Of course. I’m supposed to act like a knight and gather information, right?”

Shafiq answered confidently. Marianne’s expression soured instantly.

“…It’s mercenary, not knight, Mr. Shafiq.”

“…To elven eyes, they’re the same thing.”

I shot a glare at Shafiq who was playing dumb, then opened my mouth.

“I’ll explain again, so listen carefully this time.

I’m a beggar, Marianne is a nun, Clevens is a merchant, and you are a mercenary.

We’re each going to look around the city and gather information about Irene. Understand? Of course, don’t ask about Irene directly, okay?”

“Perfectly understood.”

Why do I always feel so uneasy when Shafiq responds like that.

But it’s not like I could just throw him back in the carriage now.

I sighed and clapped my hands again.

“Then, we’ll meet back here in six hours. Got it? Dismissed!”

Finally, it was time to investigate Irene.

And six hours later,

When the three met again, they looked as if they had aged another 10 years. They confessed to me with gloomy expressions.

“The people here have bad personalities.”

“I couldn’t find out anything…”

“…I guess I’m not cut out for information gathering…”