Chapter 41

[41] 6. The First Piece (5)[Revised]

Have you ever woken up feeling as if something was terribly wrong?

The dampness of drool on my lips.

The cheerful chirping of birds coming from outside the window.

And feeling way too refreshed.

I sat up cautiously and then took out my pocket watch to check the ominous angles formed by the hour and minute hands.

The time was 10:50 a.m.

My project was due at 11:00 a.m.

Being late meant immediate disqualification.

“….!!”

I screamed inwardly and jumped out of bed. I tore at my hair, desperately trying to think.

It was already too late to go back to the dorms to get the magic circle. Could I redraw it in ten minutes? No. It was preposterous. Alain have mercy, what should I do . . .?

“…!”

My frantic eyes suddenly landed on one spot:

A familiar scroll and a note were lying on the table.

It was written in Rem’s hand:

[I brought this from your room, just in case. It was in the first drawer.]

May the gods bless him!

Feeling a surge of joy, I snatched up the scroll. I didn’t have time to check it. I simply ran out of the room.

As long as I had the magic circle, there was still hope. If I could just demonstrate this . . .

Wait, did I even finish it?

That question brought back a clear memory—and despair.

The thirty-eighth magic circle wasn’t even half-finished.

Even if I were to channel mana into it, it wouldn’t activate, which meant that even if I arrived on time, I’d be disqualified.

But no! I shook my head violently, forcing down the feeling of despair.

There was still time before the submission deadline. I could modify it. I could revise the pathways so that it could at least activate.

Of course, getting the top spot, or even second place, would be impossible…

No, I can’t give up.

I’m the genius of the century.

I pushed my legs to their limit.

***

And finally, I arrived at the classroom.

Throwing open the door, I immediately checked my pocket watch.

It was three minutes to eleven.

Relief washed over me:

Three minutes was enough.

There was no time to sit down, so I simply unfurled the scroll against the wall and pulled out a quill.

If I just change the pathway here…

“It’s submission time! Everyone, hands off your scrolls!”

Wait, what?

That’s impossible!

There should have been three minutes before the…

I checked the clock on the wall and froze. Unlike my pocket watch, its hands were already pointing at eleven o’clock.

That slight discrepancy that always existed between clocks…

A chill ran down my spine.

I quickly raised my hand.

“Professor! I’m sorry, but please just give me…”

But the professor’s telekinesis was ruthless.

Before I could react, the professor snatched the scroll from my hand and piled it on a desk with the other scrolls.

He counted them and then announced firmly:

“Now, let’s check to see if they activate! Come to the front when your name is called!”

It’s over.

My legs gave out, and I swayed, barely managing to steady myself against a chair. I looked at the professor.

He called out the names of the students, one by one, in alphabetical order. They came to the front and activated their magic circles as the professor graded them.

Disqualified, 87 points, 62 points, 54 points, disqualified, disqualified again.

And then, finally, it was my turn.

“Parsley!”

I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing my legs to move.

Imagination, I thought, is a truly cursed human ability.

Terrible images, beginning with the professor’s announcing, “Disqualified,” filled my head with every step I took.

I imagined the other students watching my downfall and mocking me. I imagined the professors’ eyes filled with disappointment and arrogance as they condemned me for failing their expectations.

And Mother…

How would she react if she heard that I had been disqualified?

She’d surely scold me. Her sharp words would tear me to pieces. She would roar at me, asking if I really thought I could become the next tower master with this kind of performance.

It might even be worse.

What if she ignores me? What if she doesn’t even acknowledge me as her daughter?

I could bear her anger, but I couldn’t bear her indifference.

“Activate your magic circle.”

I was already standing in front of the Professor. I reached out to the scroll, my eyes welling up.

*If I’m disqualified, I thought to myself, I’ll go straight to Mother and beg for forgiveness. I’ll vow that I’ll never do this again. I’ll even tell her to hit me, if she wants. Just, please, don’t ignore me as you did before…*

“As expected, you’re brilliant.”

Tears streaming down my face, I looked up. A beautiful magic circle was hovering in the air; the professor’s face was filled with admiration.

“Huh…?”

But that’s impossible.

I hadn’t finished it.

“Perfect score, Parsley.”

“Y-Yes… Th-Thank you…”

Confused, I returned to my seat, still trying to make sense of the inexplicable situation.

Had I somehow finished the magic circle in my sleep? Could it be that the Melania Solution had affected my memory, and I couldn’t remember completing it?

Just what had happened…?

“I’m disappointed in you, Rem.”

I unconsciously looked toward the front of the room. Rem was standing before the professor.

“To think that you weren’t able to complete a single magic circle in a whole week.”

The Professor, his face cold, ripped up the scroll that Rem had submitted. Familiar shards of a magic circle fluttered to the ground.

“Of course, you’re disqualified. You may return to your seat.”

“Yes, sir.”

Rem simply nodded, unfazed, as if he didn’t care that the professor had just destroyed his project.

“…!”

At that moment, the clues that I’d missed suddenly clicked together.

The magic circle—the one that I didn’t remember completing but that had activated.

Rem’s magic circle, still incomplete after a week.

And Rem having left that magic circle on my desk.

My eyes, trembling, turned to Rem. He was returning to his seat, and for a moment, our eyes met.

And then…

*Blegh-*

Rem wrinkled his nose and stuck out his tongue.

Just like a child mocking someone.

***

I slammed the door open and stepped into my room. I poured myself a cup of cold water and downed it in one gulp.

But the heat rising inside me wouldn’t subside.

Unable to bear it, I paced back and forth restlessly. I bit my nails and muttered to myself:

“Damn him! Damn him! Damn him…!!”

How dare he humiliate me like this?

Did he really think that such a gesture would please me? Did he really think I wanted his pity?!

Disgrace! It’s a disgrace!

He has defiled our sacred competition! He has used the most despicable method to prove his superiority!

Shameless rascal! Coward! You have no respect for your rivals!!

I’ll never forgive him! I’ll definitely make him pay!

What happened today… I’ll make sure to…!

“…!!”

My thoughts stopped. My eyes caught something in the corner of my room:

It was the full-length mirror.

The very mirror that I used to stand before every morning, admiring the beautiful girl reflected within.

But right now, the reflection was pathetic.

Her eyes were red and puffy, as if she were about to cry. Her hair, tangled from being pulled and tugged, looked like thorns.

And worse, her entire body was flushed an unnatural red, from the tips of her ears to her neck.

…Just like the ignorant fools in those novels.

Looking away, I forced myself to frown, summoning all my fake rage.

“Damn him…”

But my heart wouldn’t stop pounding in my ears.

My face wouldn’t cool down, even after the moon had risen.

***

There was a cracking sound.

I could feel my vision blurring; a hot liquid trickled down my cheeks.

“So, Marianne told me that . . .”

“That’s enough.”

Rem stopped. He looked at me, his eyes wide with surprise.

“Parsley, your eyes are…”

“Don’t worry.”

I raised my hand to stop him from coming closer and then wiped away the blood with my handkerchief.

“It’s just a side effect of the magic. It’ll stop soon.”

Then, with a smile, I added:

“By the way, it seems it wasn’t just part of your memory that have returned. You have such a flawless recollection of everything.”

“…!”

Rem’s eyes widened, and then he looked away. He said quietly.

“Yeah…”

He looked at me again, determination on his face.

“Speaking of which, there’s something I need to tell you. What happened with my throat and tongue had nothing to do with you…”

“Let’s call it a day,”

I shook my head and smiled at Rem, who looked confused.

“It’s getting late.”

As if on cue, we heard the sound of crickets outside the tent. A dazed look appeared on Rem’s face.

I stood and looked back at him.

“Well then, I’ll come to see you tomorrow.”

With that, I walked out of the tent.

***

As I’d said, it was nighttime.

The moonless sky above the grasslands was filled with twinkling stars. They looked as though they might come pouring down if I were to simply nudge them.

I continued walking. I looked up at the stars and closed my eyes.

Or rather, I turned my gaze inward:

Past the base of my brain, where magical power was swirling, to its center, where my memories were stored.

I saw a magic circle, the same one in Rem’s brain; I saw my mother’s magic circle, warping my memories.

The Baric Model 102, Type 9 Formula, Model B, commonly known as ‘Memory Manipulation’.

Tower Master Sage developed this triple-structured formula. It was the only magic that could interfere with memories.

It sealed existing memories and overwrote them with fabricated ones. Even those affected by the spell had difficulty recognizing its effects.

However, the spell had a huge flaw:

Sealing wasn’t deletion.

Every lock has a key.

If something is sealed, there must be a way to undo it.

The counter-spell was both simple and difficult: recognize a keyword, set by the caster, and say it.

However, the caster carefully hid the keyword. Those affected by the spell had difficulty recognizing it.

And someone unaffected couldn’t simply find out what it was.

It had to be something directly connected to the sealed memory.

So, there’s only one way to find it.

Listen to the story of someone who shared the same past. Discover the contradictions between their story and yours.

And from those contradictions, guess the keyword.

…That was why I had asked Rem to tell me about the past.

Of all those who shared my past, only Rem and Mother were still alive.

However, I wasn’t certain that it would work: Mother had also tampered with Rem’s memory.

If Mother had modified Rem’s memory in the same way as mine, then no contradictions would appear, which meant that it would be impossible to guess the keyword.

So I hadn’t listened with much expectation. I merely thought of it as listening to Rem’s voice one last time before finding ‘salvation’.

But Rem’s memories had been altered less than mine.

One word, spoken in Rem’s story.

A word I had never heard before.

But a word I should have known.

I opened my mouth, feeling a pushback from the magic circle.

“Melania Solution,”

*Crackle-*

One of the three layers surrounding my memories shattered. Sealed memories came flooding back, wiping away the false ones and revealing my true past.

Memories of being jealous of Rem and constantly provoking him.

Were replaced with memories of being unconsciously drawn to his talent.

Memories of Rem consistently being at the top.

Were replaced with memories of him giving up the top spot for me at some point.

Memories of glaring at him.

Were replaced with memories of being unable to hide my blushes.

“…!!”

Blood dripped from my eyes once more. Pain, as if my eyes were being pierced by a knife, overwhelmed me.

But it was the pain of joy.

At first, when I realized that mother had tampered with my memories too. When I accidentally discovered it while looking into ways to undo memory manipulation magic.

I was furious.

I wanted to go back, strangle her, and ask her why.

But now, I’m glad I didn’t.

More important, I’m grateful that Alain brought me here, to this place, to find the ‘salvation’ I’ve been searching for these past seven years.

Because I met Rem again.

And I saw a possibility.

I opened my eyes.

The stars in the night sky seemed to pour down, breaking through my corneas and taking root in my heart.

If Rem’s memories aren’t real, and neither are mine…

Could my sins also be lies?

I thought about Rem, smiling as he told me about Clara. It was a smile that made my heart ache with its beauty.

Could that smile also become mine?

I bit my lower lip. I was overwhelmed by the urge to rush back to Rem, hear the rest of his story, and break free of my sealed memories.

But I forced myself to return to my tent. I knew that my brain wouldn’t be able to handle it. It would melt.

I simply looked back up at the sky.

Even now, it was filled with stars. It was as if they were singing

About a bright future.

And the beauty of hope.

Listening to their song, I slowly walked toward tomorrow.