episode_0010

“Get lost. If you don’t want to die.”

A warning echoed from beyond the door.

However, Shelia casually dismissed it.

“Please, I beg you!! I’ve done everything wrong. Let me in. I’ll do anything you say. Please!!….”

Bang!!

Thud! Thud!

She struggled to open the door.

When it wouldn’t budge, she pounded on it forcefully.

A desperate expression.

Though I didn’t know why this person was returning and banging on the door, they were trying to use me and threatened the Shaela fruit. Whether they survive in the misty forest or not is of no concern to me.

Not killing them immediately.

My kindness is sufficient.

So.

“This is your final warning. Get out now.”

If they continue to ignore my words this time, I am more than willing to become a monster for them.

“…Seriously… You damn bastard!! Please let me in!! I admit I was wrong! I’m just asking for help!!!!”

Another refusal followed.

Their true nature revealed itself.

Perhaps the pleading moments ago were just a play to evoke sympathy.

It doesn’t matter.

I’m getting tired of this.

Stop killing-

“Sheliaaaaa!!!!!!”

I halted the movement of the house’s stem.

In response to the piercing scream, I turned to see the owner of the voice.

Behind Shelia.

Someone emerged from the mist.

A red-haired woman.

Floren.

For some reason, she was glaring furiously at Shelia.

I postponed Shelia’s death plan and watched the two.

“Could it be Floren? How did you end up here….”

“I’ve had enough. I’m fed up. Your nauseating behavior disgusts me.”

“What? Who are you to say that!! Who enjoys doing this-”

“Shut up!!! Teo tried to save you. But you deserted us again. What do you take your comrades for!!!”

“I couldn’t keep going because-”

“Another ridiculous excuse! Please just stop!!!”

“No, I’m serious!!….”

“Do you really expect me to believe that? Do you think that makes sense?”

“It’s for survival!! Yes. So what if it is!! Is that why you chased us? Fool. Survival is what matters. You should have run away well! Right? You should have run away properly!!!”

“……Ah. You’re truly hopeless.”

Swish-

In the thickened mist.

I saw it.

Floren’s angry gesture as she reached out her hand.

“Ridiculous… What good does it do for you to be so angry? Are you going to kill me?”

“Huh.”

“…What?”

“I came here to kill you. You madman.”

“What… Are you serious? You’re really going to kill me? We’ve been together until now.”

“That’s what I thought. But you’re not one of us.”

“For survival!!… Fine, go ahead and kill me. You can-”

Whoosh!!-

Kwaaaah!!!

“Kyaaaah!!!”

A fiery sphere struck where Shelia stood, sending her sprawling.

Due to the mist, Shelia couldn’t dodge properly and fell awkwardly.

What kind of magic is this?

During the moment Shelia stumbled, Floren slid closer like a shadow.

“Cra… Crazy… Are you really planning to kill me?”

“I told you. I’ve had enough.”

Swish!

Once again, she reached out her hand right in front of Shelia’s face.

“Just a moment!! We were comrades. We can be together again. I was wrong. I made a mistake… Please forgive me……”

“You’re lying again. Don’t utter the word ‘comrade’ after using Teo as bait and running away. You’re a murderer!!”

“That’s not it!… It’s true. I really regret it. Please forgive me… I truly have no strength left. Maybe it’s because of the imminent danger of death.”

With no response, Shelia knelt down again and begged Floren.

“Please believe me!… I don’t want to die. Please…… I won’t do it again. I really have no strength left. I swear! Please forgive me this time… Floren?… We’re comrades, right?….”

The pleas were repeated several times, tears streaming down their face.

This time, it seemed truly sincere.

However, that sincerity did not reach Floren.

Though there was a moment of hesitation, Floren’s face quickly hardened as if prepared.

“You’ve been manipulating your colleagues’ emotions like this every day. I really hate that about you. What exactly did you do well to cry like this?”

“Oh, no… Is it really true? Please, just one more-”

“Shut up!! Another useless excuse. I’m tired of listening!! Just dieeeee!!!”

Boom!!!

“Kiyaaaaaaahhhhh!!!!!!!!!-”

An explosion occurred right in front of them.

Screams of agony tore through the air.

Boom!!

Whoosh!!

“Ughhh!!! Kyaaaaahhhh!!! It hurts, I don’t want this!!!!”

Another resounding explosion.

Inyoung burning in the flames.

Cries for mercy as she writhed on the ground, as if about to be torn apart.

There was no resistance.

She couldn’t muster any strength.

Not long after that.

“Ugh…… Ugh….”

Swoosh.

Thud.

The screams vanished.

The struggling ceased.

The smell of burnt flesh seeped in.

Amidst the mist and smoke, the charred body lying on the ground was vividly visible to me.

Sheria was dead.

By Floren’s hand.

To sum it up:

Sheria panicked at the mountain pass, abandoned her colleague, fled, causing Theo’s death, and Floren pursued and killed Sheria in revenge.

Neither a monster nor I was responsible.

It was a fellow companion who killed her.

Due to her weakened state, Sheria couldn’t even resist and burned to death.

Reaping what one sows.

Settling scores.

That was the situation.

And….

Thump!~

Rolling.

Floren threw Sheria’s charred corpse as far as possible and approached the door. It was where Sheria had been knocking moments ago.

Plop.

Kneeling down.

Bowing their head.

Clasping their hands together.

A voice came from beyond the door.

“I apologize. My comrade has caused harm.”

A calm yet trembling voice.

Trying to remain composed but internally exhausted. Despite the resentment, they had killed a comrade they traveled with.

Sheria was a different story.

“I apologize for littering in front of your house.”

Apologizing once again.

Seeking forgiveness from me.

Aware of their position. Hence, my voice wasn’t overly sharp.

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“…I also have sins I couldn’t prevent. I knew what kind of person he was. If you’re angry, please let go of your anger.”

“So be it.”

“…Your response is quicker than I expected.”

“I appreciated your actions.”

“Well… it’s shameless, but I have a request. Please take me in. With no comrades and nowhere to go, I will do anything. You mentioned earlier to think about how I could be of help. I can offer more than Sheria. Cooking, cleaning. And even sharing a bed.”

A similar request to Sheria’s, but this time, I wasn’t particularly angry.

Floren pondered over their actions.

They showed a polite attitude from the start.

They intervened when Sheria crossed the line.

They possessed the strongest power in the party.

Above all, they killed Sheria.

Exceptional judgment and determination. The only one among the three that I found likable.

My heart leaned slightly.

When was the last time I had a proper meal….

Swoosh~

I opened the door.

“How well can you cook?”

At that, Floren looked up.

Sadness.

Frustration.

Relief.

Hope.

Guilt for killing a comrade.

Remorse for being the sole survivor.

Various expressions mixed on their face.

And soon.

“I was a former chef.”

With a single teardrop, they smiled.

*

Thud!

“Get cooking.”

“Ah… Yes.”

In the wooden house’s front yard.

They tossed the entire monster like a wild boar.

Floren began cooking without a word.

Whoosh~

Flames erupted from the ground.

However, there was a slight look of difficulty.

“What’s the problem.”

“I… Since I don’t have any ingredients that can be used as salt or seasoning and simply grilling over the fire is all I can do, I was thinking about how to get ingredients.”

“Well, then there’s no choice. Give up.”

“What?”

Cooking was quickly abandoned.

No, not abandoned but…

“Go get ingredients. I’ll provide protection for you.”

“Protection…? Are you going to do it yourself?”

“No. That’s my real body.”

He pointed to the stem house.

There’s no need to bother hiding it. They would eventually find out if they spent time together.

It would be more convenient to let them know in advance.

Florian asked in surprise, “I-is that true?”

“This body is nothing but a doppelganger. Take it around and explore the Misty Forest. No, go outside the Misty Forest while you’re at it. I was curious about what’s out there. Try not to die if possible.”

“Ah, understood.”

It was an unreasonable command.

However, she accepted it.

“Don’t you have any objections? The Misty Forest is vast and dangerous. It’s almost certain that you’ll be chased away immediately from your perspective.”

“Yes. I said I would do anything earlier, so I guess I should do this to be of help. Besides, a doppelganger… will accompany you, right?”

“There won’t be much conversation. I won’t keep an eye on the doppelganger all the time.”

“It’s okay. I tend to talk to myself quite a lot. More importantly… my stomach is too empty right now, could I ask for something to eat?”

“As you wish.”

Pop!~

He plucked a fruit from his hand.

“Oops!?….”

Alberto’s physical body was also half composed of plants. Making a heated fruit with enough nutrients was not difficult.

“Eat.”

“Yes?… Yes!”

Florian tried to hide her surprise as much as possible.

She closed her eyes tightly and put it into her mouth straight away.

And a few seconds later, she opened her eyes wide again.

“It’s delicious!!…”

“I’ll provide food when needed. Go and come back. I’ll take a rest today and we’ll leave tomorrow.”

“Yes!… Huh?”

“Why is that?”

“M-my stats have increased.”

“Stats?”

“After eating the fruit given by Mu Chan, the system window says my mana has permanently increased by 1… Eek!!?”

“Just 1, isn’t it?”

“But I’ve never heard of something like this before!!”

“Well, that’s good news. You’ll be eating these occasionally from now on.”

“Really? Continuously like this?…”

A faint smile appeared on Florian’s lips.

She didn’t know much about the system, but judging by the reaction, 1 seemed like a significant number.

If that’s the case.

Pop!~

“Try eating it again.”

“Gasp!!”

This time, he made the fruit with a bit more nutrients.

To put it bluntly, it was a 90% degraded fruit.

It was 9% darker than before.

“O-okay!!”

Florian cautiously accepted the fruit as if handling something precious and put it into her mouth.

Chew, chew.

“It tastes better than before!!”

“And your stats?”

“Um… Gasp!!?! It increased by 2…”

“Just 2.”

“All my stats have increased by 2!! It’s more than leveling up!!!”

“…Not bad. Since it uses my energy, make these occasionally to clean up the leftover scraps.”

“Leftover scraps?”

“That was the leftover scrap just now.”

“Huh?….”

It was not bad information.

My fruit can not only fill hunger or heal but also strengthen the body.

With some effort, it could be cultivated into something useful.

“Rest for now. It’s best to rest well until tomorrow morning before we leave.”

Was she relieved about me?

Florian replied energetically, “…Yes!”

The next morning.

“I-I want to say ‘I’ll go now’… but it feels awkward to say it since it seems like we’re going together, whether it’s the doppelganger or whatever.”

As planned, Florian stepped outside the house.

Before leaving, she informed Alberto’s body, who would be accompanying her, of one caution.

“My name is Mu Chan, and the name of the doppelganger following you is Alberto. Call them by distinguishing between the two.”

“…Yes?”

“If you call for Muchan, I’ll respond, and if you call for Alberto, the doppelgänger will heed your words. Now that I’ve said this much, you should understand, right?”

“Ah!… Understood.”

“When you exit the Misty Forest, call for me. If you understand, then be on your way.”

“Yes. Um… But how do I find the way?”

“The doppelgänger will guide you. You’ll sense where the outskirts and the center of the Misty Forest are. This is the midpoint here.”

“Oh, then I’ll trust and go!”

“Good.”

Swoosh.

Without hesitation, he turned around.

What will happen next?

Outside the Misty Forest.

That will become clear when you see it.

After returning to my original form, I instructed Alberto’s physical body to guide and protect Floren. Even without self-awareness, there is still determination. Alberto faithfully left the Misty Forest with Floren.

If one were to leisurely walk back and forth for rest, it would take at least 10 days, so there is no need to entangle oneself in the doppelgänger or keep an eye on things constantly. It should be enough to check occasionally when it comes to mind.

I hope they return safely, though uncertain.

I cheered them on a bit.

May they return safely.

Drip~

The stem of the house wriggled.

Alone again.

With nothing to do, I briefly narrowed my physical body.

Roots extend into the ground, connecting with a few separated stems outside.

Thanks to this, I can see everything nearby.

Plenty of nutrients and mana are bonuses.

Therefore.

Drip

Swoosh!~

I placed a stem on the Shaela fruit.

Swoosh~

Then, a small stem sprouted from the Shaela fruit and intertwined with mine.

There are too many independent subjects I desire.

Nevertheless, I complied as requested.

Supplying nutrients and mana.

Today, I took a considerable amount again.

However, it is still insufficient.

Even if my nutrients were multiplied by hundreds, it wouldn’t satisfy him immediately.

Whether it happens or not, he is scheduled to awaken in 9 days.

On the other hand.

I shifted my gaze sideways.

Next to the Shaela fruit.

A newly grown, giant fruit.

A new fruit created for a new physical body.

This one will be born in 6 days.

When that time comes, I will be able to move with my own body rather than Alberto’s.

Swoosh~

Likewise, I supplied more nutrients.

So that the physical strength alone can defeat the Misty Forest monsters.

And thus, time passed once more.

*

11th day in the Misty Forest.

Inspecting Floren.

Caressing the Shaela fruit.

Extending roots deep into the ground, connecting with the roots of separated stems to expand the area.

Six days passed like this.

Finally, there was a response.

A new doppelgänger conceived in the fruit.

It was time for it to awaken.

Unlike the Shaela fruit, it was ripe in a dark green color, but there was no issue.

No, this must be normal.

Swoosh.

The top of the fruit split open.

A new body awakened.

Supported by a few stems to prevent the fruit from rolling.

Crack!

Gush.

A hand emerged from the fruit.

Transparent liquid flowed out.

Swoosh.

Subsequently, a man revealed himself.

Black hair.

Fair skin.

Pointed ears.

Red irises.

Tall stature and firm muscles.

An incredibly handsome physique.

In terms of energy alone, he felt at least five times stronger than Alberto.

However, a problem arose.

“Great divine being.”

For some reason, the body lifted its head and spoke of its own accord.

“Who am I?”

An unintended life had been born.