Chapter 84: A Fool’s Love (3)[Revised]

[84] 13. A Fool’s Love (3)[Revised]

Just how easily do human efforts crumble into nothing.

Sheila stared blankly at the giant white tree that was growing rapidly.

It was growing at an alarming pace, and was already four meters taller than the other trees.

And the source of its nourishment wasn’t the soil or the water, but a man.

A man, buried beneath the tree’s roots, his body adorned with strange mechanical devices.

Fury surged through Sheila.

“Just who… told you to use the ‘arrow’?”

“Pardon? Captain, what do you mean…”

“I’m asking who told you to use the ‘arrow’!!”

Sheila’s anger was directed at the knight who had been treating her. The knight, his face pale as a sheet, stammered without realizing it,

“W-what, what are you talking about…”

Sheila grimaced and stood up, leaning on her sword. The knight’s face paled even further at that moment.

“N-No, you can’t…! Your bones haven’t fully healed yet…”

The knight was right. A terrible pain shot through her legs as she stood up.

But Sheila gritted her teeth and instead walked with big strides. Standing in the center of the camp, she shouted,

“Attention!!”

All the knights who had been tending to their wounds turned to look at Sheila. With a demonic expression, Sheila examined the faces of the knights and said,

“The one who shot the arrow at that bastard mage, step forward. Right now.”

A heavy silence fell over the camp. Sheila’s face contorted.

“If you don’t come forward right now, I’ll break your legs one by one until someone does. So get out here, now!!”

Silence descended once more.

But this time, it was a buzzing silence.

Suspicious glances were exchanged, and the air was filled with the rustling of memories being recalled. But no one stepped forward.

“Fine, if that’s how you want to play this…”

“We don’t know.”

Sheila’s bloodshot eyes turned towards a knight who had stood up. He continued with a tense expression.

“We were all surprised too. Suddenly an arrow pierced the mage’s back and then that tree…”

“Do you really think that makes sense?! An arrow suddenly appearing out of nowhere?”

“…We investigated right away. We searched the area where the arrow came from, but no matter how hard we looked, there wasn’t a single trace of anyone.”

“Such lies…!!”

At that moment, a woman came to Sheila’s mind.

The woman who appeared from the shadows,

The woman who had given her the medal and the necklace.

If it were that ghostly woman, she should have been able to shoot an arrow without leaving a trace.

If so, then she’d been tricked by that woman.

“Haha…”

A mad-like laugh escaped Sheila’s lips, a laughter from someone who had lost all her goals. A self-deprecating laugh of someone who’d even lost her reason to be angry.

But it didn’t last long.

Because she still had one person left to bear all the resentment.

Sheila limped toward the tree. Drawing her sword, she walked towards the man buried in its roots.

“It’s all because of you…!!”

*Clang-!*

But Sheila’s sword didn’t reach his neck.

Feya’s axe was blocking it, the reflection of Feya and Sheila’s face over the smooth blade of the axe.

“I know you’re angry, but shouldn’t you stop there, Ms. Knight?”

“You…!”

“He’s already dead. Is there really a need to chop his head off?”

Feya shrugged her shoulders and easily deflected the sword. Sheila glared at her, her eyes blazing with fury.

“He’s not dead yet. So move.”

“Not dead? Can’t you see that this tree’s using him as nourishment? How could…”

“It’s sucking out his memories, that’s why. So move!”

“What the hell are you…”

It was then.

Suddenly, the tree, which had been growing endlessly, stopped growing. And then, at the tip of its thickest branch, a single flower bloomed.

A beautiful flower, full of colors, unlike the pure white trunk of the tree.

However, the flower quickly wilted, and then a fruit appeared in its place. The fruit ripened, growing to the size of a baby’s head.

And then, as if it had fulfilled its purpose, the tree began to wither.

“What the…”

The tree’s death was as fast as its growth.

Its trunk blackened and twisted. The crumbling trunk scattered into the air without leaving even ashes behind.

A short while later, all that remained where the tree had stood was Rem, bleeding, and a single blue fruit.

“See? Now move, barbarian.”

Sheila pushed Feya aside and walked toward Rem again. However, after a few steps, she had to stop once more.

An axe was blocking her way.

Sheila’s eyes, filled with venom, turn to Feya.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“It means I can’t let you do that.”

Feya smiled faintly.

“Sorry, but I made a promise with that man.”

“…Are you defying me now?”

Sheila’s grip tightened on the hilt of her sword. But Feya’s eyes only held mockery.

“So what if I am. What are you going to do about it? Fight me in that condition?”

“…!”

“Oh, I’m so scared. Come on then, give it a shot. I won’t stop you.”

A growl escaped from Sheila’s teeth. But she couldn’t bring herself to swing her sword.

Sheila, too, had witnessed Feya’s skills over the past two months.

It was then that another knight intervened. He came and placed a hand on Sheila’s shoulder.

“…Captain, I suggest you step down.”

“Gillian, do you have no honor? To just stand there and be humiliated like this…”

“Is it honorable to cut off the head of a subdued enemy?”

His words hit the nail on the head. Sheila’s body trembled, and the anger in her eyes subsided slightly.

“…One day, you’ll pay for your disrespect.”

“Of course. You still haven’t paid me the full amount for this mission yet, have you?”

“…Damned brat.”

Sheila glared venomously at Feya and then limped back towards the camp.

Feya watched her silently, and only after Sheila had entered the tent did she turn to look at Rem.

Rem was wheezing, his breaths ragged,

and blood was pouring from the spot where the roots had dug in.

Feya grimaced and mumbled,

“…First, I need to get a bunch of potions.”

***

A skilled warrior is also a skilled healer.

It was a saying that was considered common sense for the warriors of the Great Divide.

For those who lived alongside the monsters of the Rocky Mountains, injuries were part of everyday life. Any warrior of the Great Divide should be able to treat a fracture with their eyes closed.

And Feya was once the greatest warrior of the Great Divide.

Primitive medical tools gleamed under the light of the magic lamp in the tent.

“Whew…”

Feya wiped the sweat off her forehead. Around her, blood-soaked bandages and empty potion bottles were scattered messily. Her clothes too were stained red with blood, so much so that it was hard to discern their original color.

“….”

However, his breathing had stabilized.

“Phew…”

Feya sits down heavily in a chair, catching her breath.

She had managed to overcome the most difficult part.

Of course, she needed to keep an eye on him for a while, but he would probably be fine. To begin with, the problem wasn’t the depth of the wounds, but the excessive bleeding.

“That aside…”

Feya’s eyes turned to Rem, and she couldn’t help but frown.

*Had this guy always looked this weak?*

Her impression of Rem had changed drastically over the past two months.

From a magic tool shop owner with strange devices attached to his body,

to a mage whose skills were too high for that backwater town,

to someone who had humiliated her in a way she couldn’t even describe,

to a sly bastard who always managed to slip away,

to a man whose running skills were top tier,

to a frustrating bastard who’d ran away whenever she tried to fight him properly,

and finally to the person who had ultimately defeated her.

Feya thought about the last time she had a proper fight with Rem.

Of course, this wasn’t the first time she’d faced a mage. She had met and fought with countless mages since leaving the Great Divide.

But this was the first time she had felt such an overwhelming difference in skill.

Though She hated to admit it, but… It had been a refreshing defeat. A display of skill that had even made her feel a sense of respect.

In other words, the Rem in her mind was someone who was quite distant from the word ‘weak’.

But…

Feya, placed her hand on her chin, looked down at Rem.

He looked pathetic.

His eyelids, devoid of prosthetic eyes, drooped,

And there were only scars where his fingers should have been, at the ends of his blunt wrists.

There was also a large scar on his neck, as if something had been surgically removed.

Besides that, countless scars, burns, and stitches covered his body.

…He was in worse shape than even the sickest person in the Great Divide. His pale complexion from blood loss made him look even worse.

Feya frowned and then rested her chin on her hand.

“…This isn’t right. Is *this* what that bastard meant when he said I’d be better off not seeing his true face…”

Feya trailed off as she stared at Rem.

“__”

Along with a strange whistling sound. Rem frowned.

A sign that he’s about to wake up.

Feya quickly picked up her sword.

And pointed it at Rem’s neck as he tried to raise his upper body.

“Don’t move.”

“…!”

Rem’s body, which had been trying to sit up, froze.

“Lie back down.”

Rem obediently did so. Feya added, her voice low.

“And stay like that. Don’t even twitch a finger, Got it?”

Rem slowly nodded. And then, he opened his mouth.

He was probably trying to say ‘yes’. Or maybe he was trying to be subtly defiant.

Either way, Feya couldn’t tell.

“___”

Because what flowed from his open mouth was only a strange whistling sound.

“…!!”

Rem’s face turned pale with bewilderment. He opened his mouth again.

“___”

But again, what came out was the same strange sound.

It resembled the sound of a cold wind whistling. A confused look appeared on Feya’s face as she listened to it.

Because of that, Feya didn’t stop him when he reached for his neck.

“____!”

No, saying he ‘reached’ isn’t the right word. After all, he didn’t have any hands to reach with.

“__…! ___…!”

Rem’s body began to tremble as he felt the blunt wrist. With an expression of disbelief, he starts pressing his wrists against his face.

But he couldn’t feel his fingers.

“___!”

That was his limit.

“_______!”

A sound that was a mixture of an animal’s scream and the howling of wind. Rem, his face pale, tried to get out of bed.

“Stop!!”

Feya, who had finally snapped out of her bewilderment, grabbed him by the waist with one hand and then, holding his arms with the other, she forced him back down.

Rem thrashed violently, but his body, weakened from that tree, had no strength.

Feya skillfully pinned both his wrists with one hand and then pressed her forehead against his.

“Calm down.”

“_____!”

“It’s okay, they’re not gone. You’ll be fine soon.”

“____”

“So, just calm down.”

“_… __…”

“Breathe in… and out…”

“… …”

“Again, breathe in… and out…”

“…”

Finally, Rem’s trembling shoulders subsided. Only then did Feya pull away from him. She looked at Rem.

The bandages covering his body were stained red, as if the wounds might have reopened. But there was no sign of pain on his face.

Just fear and confusion.

“Just… wait here. I’ll get you some medicine.”

Feya stood up, her legs unsteady, holding her head as she stepped outside. She immediately squat down to the ground.

*What the fuck was that?*

Feya had seen similar breakdowns before. Actually, she was quite familiar with them.

It was the most common reaction from warriors who realized they had lost their limbs.

And it was only natural for Rem to react this way, he didn’t have hands or eyes. And judging by those strange sounds, there was also something wrong with his throat.

But the problem was that he seemed to have already lost them a long time ago.

His eyes and hands were already prosthetics to begin with when she’d first seen him two months ago.

So why was he suddenly having a breakdown now?

“Just what…”

[It’s sucking out his memories, that’s why. So move!]

At that moment, a voice flashed through her mind.

A speculation formed in her head.

“Wait, don’t tell me…”

Feya jumped to her feet.

And she started to quickly walk, to confirm if her speculation was correct.

Towards Sheila’s tent.

***

Feya organized the information she had just heard with a bewildered expression.

“So, you’re saying that that thing he got hit with was an arrow that erases memories?”

“More precise, it was made from a branch of the Memory Tree.”

Sheila, her eyes bloodshot, glared at the map spread on the table.

“It makes a Memory Tree grow in a person’s body, turning their mind into a blank slate.”

“God, why would you even…”

“I was going to use it on the Captain.”

Sheila draws a line on the map. The slight tremble in her voice was reflected in the line.

“I was going to use it to make her forget those foolish political struggles and her sense of duty. I was going to give her a normal life.”

Her eyes were filled with fire as she looked at Feya.

“…Well, until a certain fool ruined everything.”

Feya didn’t know who she was referring to. And honestly, she didn’t even care.

The only thought filling Feya’s mind right now was just one.

What a pain.

*Lost his memories?*

*And all of them? Even his childhood memories?*

*Then what the hell am I supposed to do about my promise that I’d let him go if he wins?*

Feya frowned and asked Sheila again.

“There’s no way to get his memories back, is there?”

“No, there isn’t. And stop wasting my time. I think I’ve answered enough of your questions.”

An irritable voice came from her.

Feya glanced around the inside of Sheila’s tent.

Empty potion bottles and crumpled paper were scattered across the floor.

She turned to look at Sheila, who was staring at the map with bloodshot eyes. She’d been like that since the moment she first entered.

Realizing that there was no point in pressing her further, Feya sighed. And then, she asked her final question,

“…Just tell me this. Where are those prosthetic things he had?”

***

When Feya entered the tent carrying a box, Rem was lying face down on the bed.

Feya was puzzled by this, and then realized that he was crying. There were no tears, but his trembling back was undeniable proof of that.

And that was… a very unfamiliar sight.

The Rem she knew was a relaxed yet cunning man. The man who would bicker with that woman, Rosalia, but would then put on a serious expression when it was time for actual combat.

But now…

“_! ___! …!”

*… Could a person really change this much just from losing their memories?*

Feya felt a surge of dissonance at Rem’s fragile appearance.

But she quickly pushed that feeling away.

Because she needed to soothe his fear first.

*Knock, knock.*

Rem’s head shot up at the sound of Feya knocking on a support beam. He seemed embarrassed to have been caught crying, because his face flushed bright red.

Feya, deliberately trying to ignore his unfamiliar demeanor, set down the box she’d been carrying.

“I brought some tools. Just wait a moment.”

Opening the box, she took out Rem’s prosthetic hand and eyes and arranged them neatly on the ground. Then she realized she had a big problem.

*How… the hell do you put these things on?*

Rem’s prosthetics had a complicated structure at first glance. Feya, who didn’t know anything about magical engineering, couldn’t even begin to understand how to equip them.

There was only one thing that seemed intuitive.

The voice output device that looked like a neck shackle.

…*I guess I should start with what I know.*

“Stay still…”

Click, the sound of the shackle fastening around his neck.

Feya carefully removed her hands and said.

“Okay, try speaking.”

Rem hesitated for a moment, then he opened his mouth slightly.

“Ah… Ah!”

A clear voice flowed from the device.

A look of joy appeared on Rem’s face, but it was short-lived. His expression contorted.

Then he buried his face in his hands and his body began to shake.

“I’m s-sorry… J-just a moment… Hic…!”

…He had started crying again.

*This guy, he’s more of a crybaby than I thought.*

“L-look, I’m okay now. S-sorry. I-I just got overwhelmed…”

Thankfully, his tears didn’t last long. Soon after, Rem stopped crying and apologized shyly.

“Y-yeah… That can happen…”

Feya nodded, feeling awkward. Then, before anything else happened, she got straight to the point.

“By the way, do you… remember anything?”

“… Um, remember what?”

“Like… Your name. Or where you’re from.”

“Ah, my name? Well…”

Rem’s face froze as he tried to answer. Confusion slowly filled his face, and then, in a dazed voice, he mumbled,

“…What’s… my name?”

*So he really has lost all his memories.*

Feya ran her hand through her hair, thinking she was going crazy.

“W-Wait, this can’t… Why can’t I remember anything…”

“Calm down.”

At Feya’s words, Rem’s confusion subsided. Feya swallowed a sigh and continued.

“I’ll explain everything to you properly later. For now…”

She pointed at his prosthetics that were neatly arranged in front of him.

“Can you tell me how to put these on? I mean, they’re yours, but I can’t for the life of me figure out how to put these on…”

“Ah, o-okay…”

Rem nodded, seeming to have regained his senses.

“J-Just turn on the light, and I’ll take a look.”

“The light?”

“Yes, it’s so dark, I can’t see anything right now…”

Feya turned around and looked outside the tent. The clear summer sunlight was illuminating everything with sharp clarity.

And in that instant, Feya realized what a cruel truth was.

“I-Is… Is there a problem…? ”

10 minutes later.

Having heard the truth, Rem started crying again.

***

Meanwhile, in front of the all-knowing witch Skuld’s house…

Skuld stared at the red-haired woman lying on the ground, rubbing her temples.

“That damn punk, when did he set the coordinates…!”