episode_0137
by fnovelpiaDarka, the chieftain of Lake Fortress.
I forgot what I do and the relationships with people around me. You might think that this is what happens when you get older, but Darka had a reason.
Darka had one son.
His name is Bascal. Since ancient times, the Northerners considered becoming a Northgard to be the greatest honor, and Bascal was no different.
Bascal was a respectable Northgard and was very popular. With both talent and character, Bascal was reborn as the next chieftain with the enthusiastic support of his tribesmen.
However, misfortune can happen wherever people live, even without a gumiho, so Bascal went out to slay a demon like any other day and was met with disaster.
He returned as a corpse colder than the cold north.
The village was devastated by the death of Bascal, their future leader, friend and comrade.
Due to the mental shock of losing his son, Darka lost consciousness and when he woke up, he was an old man with dementia like he is now.
That is, the one I am playing now is Karami, an old friend of Vascal, the son of the deceased Darka.
‘Of course, they are virtual friends.’
It seems like it would be best to act as the person involved, but the difficulty of acting is on a whole other level. There are things like appearances and TMI that only the person involved would know.
Even if I were a Possessor, I couldn’t know everything. Even if they’re important NPCs to the story, unless they’re main characters, it’s virtually impossible to memorize them all.
On the other hand, it is good to have at least one old friend, and you become resistant to distortion of memory.
There was some awkwardness at our first meeting, but that didn’t matter at all. After all, he was a dementia patient. Any ill feelings he had toward me had already faded into the background of his memory.
I whispered to Darka with a friendly smile, as if I was talking to a friend’s mother.
The [Negotiation Master] that has reached a fairly high level shows its power. It implants plausible words into Darka’s mind like hypnosis.
“Chief, the tribesmen have returned from hunting. How about saying thank you for their hard work?”
“Yeah, you worked hard. Go in and rest.”
“… Chief, why is that man here?”
“Yorn. Barkal’s friend Karami is here! I thought he was dead, so I’m glad he’s alive. Barkal, this guy, his friend came looking for him, but I can’t even see his nose. Where is he wandering around?”
Yorn showed a look of bewilderment, but quickly fixed his expression.
“Chief, Vascal has never had such a friend. That man is a slave trader who came to steal your jewels. Think carefully.”
“What? Come get my jewels?”
Darka looks at me suspiciously.
Darka, who didn’t pay attention to what others said, listens carefully to what Jorn says. This must mean that he trusts Jorn that much.
But who am I?
Karami, Bascal’s best friend.
He is the son of a close friend rather than a subordinate.
I started a story that only ‘we’ know.
“I remember it vividly. Every time we went hunting, that Bascal guy got hurt and got in trouble more than once.”
“Bascal is a troublemaker. He won’t listen even if you talk to him.”
“But when I came back from playing with Bascal, the chief would always make me some hair root soup. I still can’t forget the taste.”
“Yeah… That’s right. Bascal really liked hair root soup, so I made it for him every day.”
Darka’s eyes fill with longing as she recalls memories. Then, she glares at Yorn with a venomous glare.
“Yorn! Karami is Bascal’s best friend, and he’s like my son! How dare you call him a villain!”
“Chief. It’s all his lies.”
“Shut up! If you frame Karami any more, I won’t stay still!”
“… … .”
Yorn finally shut his mouth.
“Get out of here!”
“Yes… .”
“I had a bad subordinate. I apologize instead.”
“Haha, I guess you mistook me for someone else. You can make mistakes in life.”
“How can you be so kind-hearted? If only Bascal had been half as kind as you.”
Affection drips from Darka’s eyes as he looks at me. On the other hand, Yorn, who received a curse from Darka, leaves the tent and looks at me with a fierce gaze.
I have to go out soon.
If I go out now, I might die.
Anyway, Darka’s seduction was successfully completed. Of course, he had to come back periodically to inject false memories, but that wasn’t a big deal.
There is one slight drawback to this operation, however.
“Okay, Karami. Try this. Winter potatoes are very sweet.”
Darka gives me something to eat.
But I feel like my stomach is going to explode because I ate so much earlier.
I declined with a friendly smile.
“Haha, Chief. I’ve already eaten a lot.”
“What are you talking about? I don’t remember seeing you eat anything. In my memory, Karami ate better than this, but did you… … .”
“… … Now that I think about it, I’m really hungry. I’ll eat it gratefully.”
“Yeah, eat this. Eat that. My body is so skinny. What is this? They say that a body like this can’t survive in the harsh north.”
A crazy combo of a grandmother who absolutely cannot stand her grandson starving and a dementia patient, resulting in an endless supply of food.
I got out of the tent just before the water I had entered backed up into the boat.
***
Back to the tent house.
The living space that Assis and I share. Even though we’ve taken so many precautions against the cold, it’s still snowing lightly when Assis is with us.
An uninvited guest came to such a place.
“I should have warned you before I left. Don’t do anything stupid in the village.”
It was the chieftain Jorn.
He exudes a murderous aura as if he’s about to pull out a tomahawk at any moment.
I guess he doesn’t like the fact that I’m being liked by Darka. He’s such a jealous guy.
“What nonsense? I was just reminiscing about the good memories of the chief. Thanks to me, the chief laughed a lot.”
“How did you approach the chief? The sentries reported that they never saw you leave the tent.”
“Oh, that’s right~”
What’s the big deal?
A hidden robe bought with points.
This is the item I use the most. It’s powerful and, above all, fun.
Didn’t we all dream of becoming invisible at least once when we were young? There’s nothing more thrilling than walking past people as if you were invisible.
“This is a trade secret.”
But of course I have no obligation to tell you that. I smiled lightly and put my index finger to my lips.
Yorn’s fist twitched for a moment, as if he was greatly uncomfortable. If Assis hadn’t been by his side, his fist would have landed in my face a long time ago.
No matter what tricks I use or how openly I harass him, there’s nothing Yorn can do. Even if I use my power to destroy the village.
Of course I don’t intend to do that.
Consider yourself lucky that I am a good slave trader.
“Don’t worry too much. Everyone will be happy in the end.”
***
“How was your hunt today?”
The night sky of Isenggar beautifully decorated with the Aurora and the Milky Way.
It was a time to become friends with Assis. Karami walked around the outskirts of the village with Assis. They talked about small, everyday things without anything grandiose.
Assis looked up at the sky and thought about the day’s events.
“It was amazing…”
“What was interesting?”
“All.”
Everything was new.
It was amazing to see them moving and hunting in an organized manner, and it was also amazing to see the members laughing and chatting with each other.
Everything from the scene where he is happy about a successful hunt to the scene where the villagers come and celebrate with him.
“But… I made a mistake. People… … almost got hurt.”
“Was it so?”
“Yeah.”
“But didn’t everyone come back safely? It must be thanks to Miss Assis’s hard work.”
try hard…?
I’m not sure about that.
“I just… felt like it had to be that way.”
“Hmm, I don’t know what Miss AS did with her mind, but anything that you do with determination is good.”
“Is that so?”
“That’s it.”
I don’t know for sure, but if that’s what Karami is like, then that must be it. Assis thought so.
As Assis walked away from Karami, he suddenly remembered what the agents had said.
“Is Rami…a bad person?”
“Me?”
Assis nodded.
“People… … said Rami was a bad person.”
“Oh, looks like someone is trying to frame me again.”
“Is this a conspiracy?”
“Of course. There is no one in the world as kind as me.”
“Is that so…?”
“That’s it.”
Assis didn’t think too deeply about it this time either. Assis didn’t really care whether Karami was a good person or a bad person.
“Let’s have a conversation with Darka tomorrow. If you talk to her, Miss Assis will have a different experience.”
“Yeah… .”
“It’s getting colder at night. Let’s go in and sleep.”
“Yeah.”
On the way back to the tent.
Assis, who was following behind Karami, observed his back. There was one thing that made him tilt his head every time he saw Karami’s gait.
“Why is Rami walking with her back to her…?”
Assis and the others all walk with their arms moving, but Karami walks with her luggage behind her back.
A small action that no one paid attention to aroused Assis’ curiosity.
“Oh, is this what you mean?”
Karami reacted as if she hadn’t noticed and checked my hand. When I came to my senses, I found myself carrying a backpack behind my back.
“I used to walk normally. Carrying a backpack is a habit I developed recently.”
“… ?”
“My hands are empty.”
When I used to go out with Mirabelle and Rin, I would hold their hands or hug them. That’s what Karami got used to, but now that I’m going out alone, my hands feel empty.
It is psychologically more comfortable to hold your own hand than to wave your empty hands.
“Empty… I feel… .”
Assis checking his hands.
I think I know what Karami’s empty heart feels like. The moment I heard his words, Asis also felt empty.
“How can I fill this emptiness?”
“There are many ways. Putting your hands in your pockets is one way, or carrying your hands behind your back like I do. Well, you can also hold hands with someone else. Well, you can’t do this alone.”
Hold hands.
Of all the suggestions Karami had made, this one rang most clearly in Assis’ ears.
What does it feel like to hold hands?
It was something that Assis, who was not even allowed a shred of warmth, could never have known.
Assis clenched his fist for no reason.
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