Chapter 52: The Third Downfall (2)

[52] 8. The Third Downfall (2)

After my false testimony had turned Rem into a lab rat, and he had barely escaped with my mother’s help…

…At least, those were the things that happened in my manipulated memories.

I was left with only two choices:

Atonement or salvation.

I chose the latter.

Alain’s pocket watch was the key to this plan.

That was why I’d survived for seven years. I had defied my mother and joined the hero’s party. I had spent countless nights searching for clues.

And I had arrived at this place.

To find the artifact that had disappeared 300 years ago.

And now, Captain Rose was asking me to hand that very object over.

“Do you mind if I ask why?”

I asked, clasping my hands together.

Captain Rose had once been a client. And above all, she was Rem’s companion.

I wanted to at least hear her reason.

“I apologize, I can’t tell you that.”

Captain Rose shook her head. However, she added with a kind smile,

“But I promise, I’ll definitely return it after I’m done with it. I swear on my name.”

Her voice was laced with confidence and conviction.

However, mages are a suspicious bunch.

And besides, whatever the Captain’s reason might be, it couldn’t be as desperate as mine.

After all, as soon as I defied fate, whatever reason she had would simply melt into thin air.

So, as I had initially planned, I was about to turn down her request.

“…Hold on a moment.”

But I swallowed my words right before they escaped my lips.

This was because I had realized that there was now a third option:

My last sealed memory.

Tonight, the truth would be revealed before me, and the true weight of my sin would be made clear.

And if… just if…

…My sins were lighter than I thought.

Then, I wouldn’t need salvation.

“Could you give me until tomorrow morning?”

When I came to my senses, the words had already slipped out of my mouth. A puzzled look spread across Captain Rose’s face.

So, I spoke again, this time with conviction,

“Tomorrow morning, I’ll give you an answer.”

*To my life, and to you. *

I added to myself.

“…Well, if you say so, then of course I’ll wait. I’m the one asking for a favor.”

The puzzled look on her face vanished, and she shrugged her shoulders. I nodded, feeling relieved.

“Thank you. Then…”

“And since you’re here, do you mind if I ask you a question?”

A question?

The captain interlaced her fingers and continued,

“…Actually, my Vice-Captain once told me about you. He said that you knew each other from a long time ago.”

I instinctively stiffened up.

But I tried to relax.

Rem’s memories were altered by my mother, and I guessed it was altered to make me look better.

The stories she’d heard from Rem were probably just about the good old days between the two of us.

“But there’s something about those stories that seemed strange.”

The captain’s eyes narrowed, and unease crept into my heart.

“It’s as if… they don’t quite add up. Like something is missing.”

“…!”

My shoulders stiffened again.

And this time, I couldn’t even think of relaxing.

I simply stared at the Captain’s face, now devoid of her usual grin.

“So, I’ll be upfront.”

Her sharp eyes locked onto me.

“Have you ever tampered with Rem’s memory?”

***

As soon as Feya told me that the Captain had gone to see Parsley, I rushed to Parsley’s tent.

A strange premonition filled my heart.

Of course, there was no clear reason for it, and my gut feeling was rarely correct. I knew that.

But even so, it was a feeling I couldn’t ignore.

Fortunately, Feya said she had something to do and left first. I was able to head for the tent alone.

But it wasn’t Parsley, or the Captain, who greeted me.

“Well, this is a surprise.”

Arms covered in tattoos and a frivolous expression.

The woman who had been escorting Parsley when I met her back there.

Betty Ailleyde smiled brightly.

“Are you looking for Parsley?”

I felt it back then, but she didn’t seem human. More like… a monster wearing human skin.

Trying to smooth the frown that was forming between my brows, I nodded.

“Yes, would it be alright for me to see her now?”

Betty shook her head with a subservient smile.

“She’s having a conversation with Captain Rose.”

“Then, can I just go in for…”

“No, you can’t. Parsley gave specific orders not to let anyone in.”

Though her face was adorned with a subservient grin, her stance was firm. And I could see that the entire tent was covered with a ‘Silence’ spell.

That was how mages say, ‘Keep out’.

I frowned, then resigned myself to the situation.

…Should I just go back?

I wasn’t really here because I had something important to discuss. I just came because of a hunch. There’s no reason to wait…

“If you’re planning on waiting until their conversation is over, why don’t we chat for a bit?”

I raised an eyebrow and stared at Betty. She added with a strange smile,

“I have a few things I want to ask you.”

Things to ask?

I hesitated for a moment before nodding my head.

“Alright.”

I had nothing else to do anyway.

I’d probably just be pacing back and forth impatiently, waiting for the Captain.

…Besides, I also had something I wanted to ask her.

Just how did someone like *her* end up accompanying Parsley?

…And how has Parsley been over the past few months?

I followed Betty and sat down at a small table next to Parsley’s tent. Then, when she brought me some tea, I declined with an excuse.

It was because of the unease that I couldn’t erase every time I looked at her. It was like it was etched into my very instincts.

Betty shrugged and sat across from me. After taking a sip of her tea, she finally opened her mouth.

“Do you know anything about the Gods, Mr. Rem?”

It was a completely unexpected question, and I was momentarily taken aback. I quickly pulled myself together.

“I know a bit. I used to be affiliated with the church.”

“I’m not talking about those fake gods, like the Heavenly God, but the real ones.”

I jumped up and quickly looked around, and she said, chuckling,

“Don’t worry. I’m sure those Church fanatics are busy checking the supplies right now.”

But I didn’t believe her. Only after realizing that there were no priests did I glare at her.

“Are you insane?! Such blasphemy…!”

“But it’s the truth, isn’t it?”

Betty took another sip of her tea, smiling.

“The Heavenly God is just a mechanical device that Alain created, using the powers he stole from the Goddess. Otherwise, would any god be so stupid as to give power to anyone who knows a few prayers?”

I was speechless.

I had read something similar before.

It was when I was Clara’s servant, going back and forth to the library, trying to find holy magic.

One of the forbidden books that had been confiscated from cultists by an inquisitor.

She continued, spouting blasphemous knowledge,

“The true Gods are birds trapped in cages, confined to their own worlds, just like we’re confined to this continent.”

“You…”

“Of course, most Gods are content. They have endless toys within their grasp.”

“….”

“However, there are some birds that yearn for the sky.”

And some break free from their cages, embarking on an eternal journey towards the open sky.

Then, sometimes they invade other cages to rest their wings.

Outer Gods, beings that bestow power to those who worship them, including necromancers.

Monsters that have devoured their own worlds and are now free.

I felt a chill run down my spine and placed my hand on the hilt of my sword.

“…Who are you?”

“That’s not important,”

Betty shook her head, and her face now cold and serious, she added,

“What matters is who *you* are.”

“What?”

“Alain’s calculator didn’t anticipate you. It anticipated *her*, but she was a designated variable.”

Her eyes fixed on me.

“Do you remember how you were born?”

Confusing words.

But they made my mind clear as I heard them..

Everything that comes out of a cultist’s mouth is bullshit.

I drew my sword.

“Vice-Captain?”

I couldn’t help but look back. The Captain, having just stepped out of the tent, was staring at me with a puzzled look.

“What are you doing?”

I shouted desperately,

“Draw your sword, Rose! We need to…”

Turning back, my mind went blank.

She was gone.

The cup of tea that Betty had been drinking, the chair she’d been sitting on,

and even Betty herself.

But my mercenary career was too long to be surprised by this. I sheathed my sword and spoke to the Captain.

“Captain, call Clevens. Right now.”

“What? Why so suddenly…”

“I don’t know which faction they’re from, but a cultist infiltrated our camp.”

The bewildered look on the Captain’s face instantly vanished.

“Should I call Shareek, too?”

“It’s better than nothing. And we need to let that bitch Sheila know, too…”

“Rem? What’s going on?”

Parsley, confusion on her face, appeared as the tent flap opened.

At that moment, I remembered that Betty had some kind of relationship with Parsley. They’d spent quite a lot of time together.

I couldn’t tell if it was fear or concern, but something welled up within me.

“R-Rem?!”

“Are you alright?! Are you hurt anywhere?! Do you feel dizzy or anything strange…”

“N-No, nothing like that… J-Just… move away a bit…”

Her face flushed red, then she lowered her head.

It was only then I realized that I had been holding her arm and was practically in her face.

Feeling heat rush to my cheeks, I quickly stepped back.

“I-I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s…”

And then Parsley, pulling her blue hat low, asked,

“So… just what’s going on? I came out because I heard you shout…”

My flushed face cooled at her words, setting my lips into a grim line, I spoke,

“Please, don’t be alarmed when you hear this. That woman, Betty, who was with you she…”

“What do you mean?”

Her green eyes, filled with confusion, turned to me.

“…I’ve been alone all this time…?”

***

Inside Irene’s tent…

Irene was facing an unexpected guest.

Icy blue eyes,

Hair as black as night,

and an expression sharp as a knife, unlike when she’s around Rem Oppa.

The unofficial third in command of the Rose Rem mercenary group,

And the woman who, in the original storyline, would have been one of the mid-bosses of ‘The Porter’s Tale.’

Feya asks Irene,

“What’s your relationship with my big brother?”

Irene hesitated for a moment before answering, and there were three reasons for this.

Firstly, of course, it was because of her hangover, the price she had to pay for drinking too much after finally finding someone from her world.

Secondly, it was because of Rem Oppa’s naivety. Did he really think he could deceive Feya with such a pathetic excuse? He really doesn’t understand women.

And lastly, the third reason…

“What’s your relationship with him, I’m asking.”

…Was because it was something she had been wanting to ask from the beginning.

Just what kind of relationship could they possibly have that would make a Derin princess work as a mercenary?

Actually, it wasn’t just Feya who was strange.

The Rose Rem mercenary group itself was an odd bunch.

Irene had never heard of the “Rose Rem Mercenary Group” in the original game.

But its members were all familiar.

Major supporting characters in each chapter, background characters, even some prominent mid-bosses.

And they’d all changed drastically.

The Church’s butcher was now a drunkard,

The demonic cannibal of the north was now a slightly odd but normal guy with a big nose,

The monster who burned down the World Tree was now an elf called “Pointy Ears”,

And the crazy bitch who had chopped off her father’s head and claimed the position of chieftain was now some odd-talking mercenary.

And even Rosalia, that woman…

Irene rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on.

She couldn’t understand how the original storyline had become so distorted, but she had a hunch that it was somehow related to Rem Oppa.

Her ultimate goal was to keep the original storyline intact, and she had done well up to now.

“Are you deaf?”

The cold voice snapped Irene back to reality. It was a voice that would have already pierced her heart if it had a physical form.

Irene decided to deal with her current predicament first.

Judging from what she was seeing now, and her reaction when Rem Oppa was kidnapped, Feya’s personality seemed unchanged from the game.

So, making excuses would only backfire.

That axe, known for its brutality, will cleave her head in two. Or perhaps, chop off her legs.

There was only one answer, face her head-on.

“Do you like Rem Oppa, Feya?”

“Wh-What?!”

Feya’s jaw dropped, and her face slowly turned red. She just stared at Irene, speechless.

“….”

However, her resemblance to a girl in love ended there.

Suddenly, sadness filled her eyes. Her face turned pale, and then she lowered her gaze. And then, she spoke in a voice barely louder than a mosquito.

“…It’s not like that.”

Interesting, Irene thought.

A crush, but something was clearly blocking it.

Such complicated emotions don’t arise without a complicated backstory.

And that backstory could be the answer as to why Feya was working as a mercenary.

Irene’s eyes gleamed.

It was the clue she’d been searching for:

The reason why the original storyline had become so twisted.

She had believed that Rem Oppa, was somehow behind it (Of course, back then she didn’t know he was also reincarnated) and managed to join the Rose Rem Mercenary group, but…

The mercenaries were extremely reluctant to talk about the past. To the point that, in Rem’s case, there was no one who even knew about his past.

On top of that, they all had such contrasting personalities that it was difficult to become friends and share stories.

But now, right in front of her, was a mercenary who wore an expression brimming with a backstory.

And she was a woman who had been a boss in Chapter 4.

This was an opportunity.

And Irene already knew of a magic potion that could make her reveal everything.

“Feya Unnie.”

“What? Why would you call me un…”

Irene slammed a bottle of alcohol onto the table, looking at Feya with a grin.

“Would you like to have a drink with me?”

“Why would…”

And then, she added the magic spell Feya couldn’t possibly resist,

“Aren’t you curious about Rem’s childhood?”

It was a lie, of course.

The first time Irene met Rem was during that escort mission.

But when alcohol takes over your brain, these kinds of trivial lies disappear easily.

Irene boldly filled a glass with alcohol and then apologized to her liver.

*Sorry, my dear liver, just endure one more day.*