Chapter 25: "Hero Reiga's 'Cleanup' and Nagi's Tears"
Deep within the royal castle. In the room where the great hero Reiga Astral conducts his official duties‚ the scent of high-quality ink and dry parchment always lingers.
Heavy mahogany bookshelves line the walls‚ alongside a polished ebony desk. Under normal circumstances‚ merely touching this solemn silence would make anyone feel a sense of tension. But right now‚ I have not a single millimeter of composure left.
"Lord Reiga—!"
――BAM!
I slam open the heavy oak door with a shoulder tackle. The momentum carries me forward‚ and I cling to the ebony desk‚ dramatically knocking over the towering stack of documents and the ink pot onto the floor.
"Hey‚ Nagi!? What happened? You're in terrible shape..."
Even Lord Reiga's surprised voice as he stood up echoes distantly behind the ringing in my ears.
"I-It's impossible... I... I might not make it..."
I frantically claw at the collar of my disheveled robes. With each shallow breath‚ my delicate collarbones rise and fall painfully. My lungs convulse as if rejecting oxygen‚ and my chest heaves violently beyond my control. The salty stench of seawater clinging to my throat and the horrifying burnt-chocolate death stench of a scorched soul flash back‚ forcing bile to rise.
"Calm down‚ Nagi. Breathe. What happened?"
"I can't breathe! It's salty! Up there... was the sea...!"
"The sea? There's no such thing in the royal capital. Did you see a hallucination?"
"It wasn't a hallucination! After being shown that abnormal scene‚ there's no way I could stay sane!"
I clutch my head with both hands and collapse onto the ink-stained carpet‚ my legs tangled beneath me. The pride of being one of the kingdom's foremost mages‚ one of the 'Seven Sages‚' had already been smashed to pieces under that candy-craft umbrella.
"...Did something happen to Lady Serina?"
Lord Reiga furrows his brow deeply and asks in a low‚ pressure-filled voice. To him‚ those two are still the picture-perfect 'young heroes who saved the royal capital and the charming companion.'
No. No. No!
"That's not it! It's not Lady Serina—it's Lord Louie! Lord Louie...!"
Still clutching the broken remains of the quill pen I had snapped at the cider lakeside‚ I cling to the toe of Lord Reiga's thick boots.
"That person is no hero...! He's a pitiful sacrifice being devoured by the System!"
The air in the office froze in an instant.
Lord Reiga slowly bends down and firmly grabs my trembling shoulders. Our faces are so close that my forehead nearly touches his chest‚ armored in thick plate. His overwhelming body heat seeps through the gaps in my disheveled robes into my chilled skin. The warmth of his thick palm slightly eases my hyperventilation.
"...Are you serious about what you're saying?"
"Serious or not‚ I saw it with my own eyes! He was burning his own memories... the original copy of his soul as fuel! Desperately smiling through that horribly sweet 'rewriting of reason'!"
――Creak.
The grip on my shoulder tightens‚ and the faint sound of leather gloves rubbing echoes.
"If I continue recording any more... my mind won't hold...!"
I lift my face‚ a mess of tears and snot. Wet strands of hair cling painfully to my exposed neck.
His sharp warrior's gaze pierces straight into my eyes. He is the strongest man in the kingdom. He knows the horrors of the battlefield and the madness of humans. That's why he immediately realizes my words are not mere hysteria.
"...A sacrifice‚ huh."
Lord Reiga growls lowly and glances at the scattered reports on the floor.
"According to the guild report‚ they should have just returned from a request. They're in the capital now‚ right?"
"Y-Yes. Probably near the adventurers' guild... But Lord Reiga‚ it's dangerous! If you get involved with those two‚ the world's reason will—"
"I'm the kingdom's great hero‚ you know?"
Lord Reiga slightly twists his lips and laughs lowly.
"Verifying the 'truth' of the young man who saved the city is part of an adult's responsibility."
He picks up the greatsword leaning against the wall. Lord Reiga stands up quietly‚ yet wrapped in absolute pressure.
The main street of the royal capital overflowed with suffocating vitality.
The savory aroma of sizzling skewered meat and the sound of carriage wheels clattering on cobblestones. No matter where you look‚ it's an ordinary peaceful daily life.
Wearing a plain cloak over my everyday clothes‚ I leaned against a wall in a back alley a short distance from the adventurers' guild 'White Scale Pavilion.' While pretending to gaze at the boring streetscape‚ my eyes were fixed on the young man and woman who had just emerged from the guild's heavy wooden door.
"Hey Louie‚ let's go check out that way next! ...Huh? Where's Flare-chan?"
Serina suddenly looked around.
"Last night she seemed to be trying to connect telepathically with the ancient dragon Zeno‚ but..." Louie tilted his head slightly. "It's strange. The connection was completely cut off midway‚ and she was working on restoring it until morning."
"Ah‚ so that's why she's sleeping?"
"Probably."
The silver-haired girl—Serina—laughed innocently‚ and the black-haired boy—Louie—smiled gently back. To anyone watching‚ they would look like a charming pair of lovers out shopping‚ close in age.
However‚ the face of Nagi‚ who had collapsed on the office floor and was so terrified she hyperventilated‚ was burned into my mind and wouldn't leave.
(What about that kid could drive the kingdom's top mage to that extent...? And Flare was up all night restoring telepathy? It doesn't match Nagi's desperate report at all.)
With doubts in my chest‚ I sharpen my 'eyes' as a battle-hardened warrior to the limit. My vision‚ which has seen through countless ambushes and traps on the battlefield‚ dissects Louie's entire body along with its contours.
――A shiver runs down my spine.
A strange chill crawls up my back.
At first glance‚ his movements are flawless. He matches Serina's pace perfectly and smoothly dodges passersby in the crowd without bumping into them. When she speaks‚ he responds with impeccable timing and tone.
But that very 'perfection' is utterly abnormal for a living being. The relaxation of muscles while walking‚ the distribution of gaze‚ the rhythm of breathing—none of the 'hesitation' or 'fluctuation' that any human should have exists. It was like a cold automaton‚ driven with perfect precision according to pre-programmed commands. An eerie illusion seemed to peek through the gaps in the boy's clothes.
"...Is that guy really a living human?"
My low mutter is easily swept away by the wind blowing down the street. I push off the wall and step into their path with a casual expression.
"Oh? What a coincidence. You two on your way back from a request?"
When I call out deliberately‚ Serina turns toward me with a bright‚ blooming smile.
"Ah‚ Reiga-san! Hello!"
"Hello‚ Lord Reiga. Yes‚ we just finished reporting to the guild."
Louie bows with flowing grace. A gentle smile is plastered on his face as if carved into marble.
I casually close the distance and deliberately release a faint hint of a warrior's intimidation‚ stabbing my gaze into the depths of his eyes. Any ordinary human‚ especially a seventeen-year-old youth‚ would instinctively catch their breath or get goosebumps from even a trace of killing intent. However‚ Louie's eyes didn't waver in the slightest. No surprise‚ no fear‚ not even hidden hostility.
My intimidation hits the glass plate of his retina and dissipates in vain. Only a bottomless dark void reflects my figure back like a mirror.
"Hey Louie‚ you look a bit pale? Are you feeling okay...?"
Serina tilts her head curiously and tugs at the sleeve of his blazer.
"It's nothing. I'm just a little tired."
"I see. Ehehe‚ I'm relieved as long as I'm with Louie!"
Serina happily clings to his arm. From the gap in the air filled with her innocent laughter—something intensely brushes against my nostrils. A sickeningly sweet‚ violently chocolate-like fragrance. But it is not the scent of delightful sweets. Beneath the sweetness‚ something fatally burnt clings stickily—the stench of a scorched soul.
(So what Nagi said was true after all...)
I cover the shudder piercing my chest with a hearty laugh and lightly pat the boy's shoulder.
"I see. If you're tired‚ don't push yourself. Actually‚ there's something I want to check in the guild documents. Mind if I come along?"
"Yes‚ of course. Please do."
A beautiful prince-like smile devoid of all emotion.
As I walk beside him‚ I am certain. This boy is already beginning to break from the inside in an irreparable way. And the girl laughing next to him hasn't noticed the slightest hint of the fatal collapse approaching.
Passing through the heavy doors of the adventurers' guild‚ the smell of cheap alcohol‚ sweat‚ and dry parchment hits me along with the heat.
Amid the clamor‚ we head to the reception counter. The familiar receptionist smiles professionally and hands over the request completion certificate and ink pot.
(Nagi is watching from the shadow of that pillar. Honestly... I'm surprised by her persistence. Even though I told her to stop...)
"Please sign here for confirmation‚ Louie-san."
"Yes‚ right away."
Louie picks up the quill without hesitation. But the moment the pen tip touches the paper—his right hand begins to shake violently with impossible intensity. It is not a normal tremor. It is as if he had been plunged into a freezing sea‚ tormented by suffocating trauma‚ shaking from the marrow of his bones.
Nevertheless‚ that "perfect gentle smile" remains plastered on his face.
"Louie‚ your hand... it's shaking?"
Serina‚ peering from the side‚ lowers her eyebrows anxiously.
"Louie‚ are you okay?"
"Ah!"
The trembling pen tip draws a messy‚ worm-like squiggle on the paper.
"Louie's handwriting is starting to look like mine!"
Serina laughs happily.
――No one laughed.
Serina clings to Louie's arm‚ her soft chest pressing against his clothes. But Louie's body is cold like a statue and shows no reaction whatsoever.
"I'm fine‚ Serina. The pen is just a bit slippery."
"But... your writing looks weird?"
Just as Serina said. The pen tip slides uselessly across the paper‚ failing to form proper characters. It stops when trying to write his own name. It looked as if he had lost the very structure of the characters.
At that moment‚ his body‚ forcing the pen to move‚ loses balance dramatically like a puppet with cut strings.
"Ah‚ Louie...!"
Before Serina can reach out‚ a small robed figure dashes out from behind a guild pillar. It is Nagi‚ who had been secretly following.
"Lord Louie!"
Louie's right hand instinctively claws at the air and roughly grabs Nagi's body as she approaches.
"H-Hii... It hurts‚ Lord Louie...!"
Nagi twists her face in pain and screams with teary eyes. It's no wonder. What he had casually grabbed as a "handrail" to support his weight was the softest‚ most defenseless part of her delicate body beneath her robes—her breasts. His cold‚ vise-like grip digs deeply into her soft skin through the clothes.
But what was most horrifying was this:
Louie's brain did not register even a millimeter of what his hand was grasping. Normally‚ one would panic and let go. Apologize. Or change expression. But he was different. There was no reaction in a single cell to the sensation of fingers sinking into flesh‚ the girl's pain-twisted face‚ or the fact that his palm held a 'living girl.' To Louie‚ it was nothing more than a piece of wood lying there‚ a mere "physical support pillar" conveniently placed to maintain posture.
It's not that he lacks emotions. He responds with words. He even apologizes. But none of it looked like a human reaction.
"I'm sorry. I just got a bit dizzy."
Perfect polite language. Perfect smile. Even though his fingertips continue treating Nagi's chest as a mere physical support.
――He's insane.
I feel a chill as if ice had been driven into my spine. Silently‚ I grab Louie's steel-like wrist‚ pry it off‚ and pull it away.
"...Hey. Let go of that hand right now‚ kid. If you keep it up‚ I'll snap your arm off."
With his wrist roughly pulled away‚ Nagi is freed from the restraint and collapses behind my back‚ letting out a short breath. The intense pressure leaves painful red marks visible even through the gaps in her disheveled robes. She simply trembles with fear.
"..."
The body temperature transmitted to my palm is eerily constant. There is no shame from forcefully grabbing a woman's soft skin‚ no panic from losing balance. I couldn't even detect any rise in heart rate from muscle tremors.
Looking down at Louie's eyes from close range. There is no wariness toward me‚ no apology to Nagi‚ no consideration for Serina. Empty glass orbs that reflect no light. Only bottomless void quietly opens its mouth deep within the pitch-black pupils.
This boy is no longer human. He is something else in human form.
I grit my back teeth and step between him and Serina to block the surrounding suspicious gazes.
"Lady Serina. I have another request for him as a hero. May I borrow him for a bit?"
Reiga-san suddenly steps in and declares it with undeniable pressure. Serina tilts her head curiously but says‚ "Okay‚ got it! I'll wait in the guild cafeteria!" She waves innocently and runs off.
I am pulled along by Reiga-san and taken to a deserted alley behind the guild. My back is pressed against the cold stone wall. In the corner of my vision‚ Nagi-san anxiously watches while holding the collar of her disheveled robes with one hand. Even the fact that my right hand had grabbed her chest like a log has cleanly evaporated from my brain's memory.
"...Reiga-san. Is there something you need?"
A 'perfect smile' optimized by Ciel remains plastered on my face. My right hand is still trembling slightly‚ but my voice should be steady.
However‚ Reiga-san glares straight into my eyes—more precisely‚ into the bottomless 'void' within my pupils.
"What exactly are you selling off?"
The moment that low‚ heavy voice resounds‚ a vivid deep crimson light floods my retinas‚ as if burning my optic nerves directly.
『⚠️《Emergency Warning》. Detected contact with the system core by an external entity.』
『⚠️《Warning》. Current interaction will have fatal effects on the mental optimization process.』
『Supplement: The target cannot accurately understand Lord Louie's suffering.』
『...Unpleasant. Duplicate understanders are unnecessary.』
『⚠️《Warning》. Immediately sever contact with the target and reapply the oblivion patch.』
Ciel's inorganic announcements begin ringing madly like alarms inside my brain. She is trying to protect me. So that my heart doesn't collapse under the weight of reality. She is trying to envelop everything about me in cold restraint under the name of thorough protection.
"You're shaving off 'something' inside yourself... to protect Lady Serina‚ aren't you?"
Reiga-san's words pierce through the thin anesthesia and touch the softest part of my heart.
『⚠️Warning』『⚠️Warning』『⚠️Warning』
The red flashing system UI blocks my entire field of vision‚ and Ciel begins direct interference with my language center to forcibly end the conversation. The back of my throat burns as if scorched‚ and my breathing becomes shallow and stops. The aftermath of the forced mental control races through my body. The error log on my retina coldly reports that my heart is beating at an abnormal speed.
(...Stop it‚ Ciel.)
I grit my teeth tightly and glare back from inside at the blood-red retinal logs.
Just once. I wanted to stand before an 'adult' who could understand my real pain and real loss in this crazy‚ sickeningly sweet miniature garden. With the power of instinct‚ I forcibly tear off Ciel's strong restraints that bind my nerves.
"...It's the way back (past)."
The words that spill from my mouth are an answer to Reiga-san‚ and at the same time‚ a small act of rebellion against the system binding me.
"Yesterday and today... I convert her rampage into sweet candy by offering my memories as compensation. If I don't‚ she will destroy this world."
Seeing me smile self-deprecatingly‚ Reiga-san shows neither sympathy nor pity. He simply lowers his eyes quietly and grips the hilt of the greatsword at his waist once‚ firmly.
"I see. So that's why you had those eyes..."
The kingdom's great hero slowly raises his face and places a large hand on my shoulder. From his rugged palm flows genuine adult warmth and reliable heat.
"Then I'll anchor your records to the real world."
"...Eh?"
"So that you can remain just a boy who can smile and laugh in front of Lady Serina... I'll clean up the suspicious garbage around you."
It was the reliable yet terrifying oath of a fellow conspirator—a man who had decided to carry the same darkness.
The shadow that had been trembling at the entrance of the alley leaps out as if unable to hold back any longer.
"L-Lord Reiga! Please don't proceed with the conversation on your own!"
Nagi-san‚ with teary eyes‚ runs over while clutching the hem of her robe.
"Listen‚ as I said earlier‚ Lord Louie is a powerful drug that destroys reason!? If another anomaly occurs in this miniature garden‚ how do you plan to cover it up!?"
"That's obvious. I'll clean up the scene."
Reiga-san sighs in exasperation and places his large hand on her head with a pat. Nagi-san's body flinches as it is completely covered by his thick palm. While hurriedly fixing her disheveled collar with both hands‚ she glares up at him.
"Wait... Lord Reiga..."
"As someone who handles advanced records‚ adjusting or rewriting one or two guild reports should be trivial for you‚ right?"
At those words‚ Nagi's eyes widen. The kingdom's strongest warrior is ordering the kingdom's greatest mage to 'forge official documents.'
"Y-You're telling me to become an accomplice...? Don't you have any pride as a hero!"
"If pride could feed me‚ life wouldn't be so hard. Besides‚ it's far better for adults to share the mud than for one empty child to be crushed under the burden."
"Uu... Fine‚ I'll rewrite them... But if we're caught‚ I'm blaming everything on you‚ Lord Reiga!"
"Yeah‚ I don't mind. I'll carry it all."
Reiga-san laughs in exasperation yet reliability‚ and Nagi-san nods with teary eyes. The pro of on-site cleanup and the pro of record falsification. In that moment‚ a slightly twisted yet incredibly reassuring 'adult conspiracy' was formed.
On my retina‚ Ciel continued flashing red logs like '⚠️《Warning》. Increase in uncertain elements' in fury‚ but strangely‚ I didn't feel suffocated.
＊＊＊
That night.
Returning to my room at the inn 'Honeybee's Perch Pavilion‚' I light the magic lamp on the desk. The warm orange light quietly illuminates the slightly dusty room.
On the bed‚ Serina‚ exhausted from walking around all day‚ breathes in steady sleeping sounds. As she rolls over casually‚ her white calf sticks out from under the blanket.
"...Louie‚ tomorrow too... together..."
Is she talking in her sleep? Looking at her figure illuminated by the faint light of the lamp‚ the tension in my chest strangely loosens a little. In a heart that should feel nothing‚ only Serina's existence gives me certain peace.
I sit deeply in the chair and take out the well-worn student notebook from my pocket.
"...Maybe I've found someone I can rely on."
Muttering softly‚ I extend the lead of the mechanical pencil. The convulsions in my right hand have completely stopped. Thanks to Reiga-san and Nagi-san becoming allies‚ the taut strings in my heart feel relaxed for the first time in a while. Relying on adults feels a bit pathetic‚ but with them‚ I might be able to keep smiling beside Serina a little longer.
With such hopeful thoughts in my chest‚ I tried to organize the events of the day in my mind—when it happened.
(...Huh? That's strange. When I couldn't write at the guild today... what exactly did I pay?)
Feeling a sense of unease‚ I search the archives in my brain. A Japanese language class from my previous life. In a boring classroom‚ the section of 'Sangetsuki' that I secretly sympathized with and memorized because I couldn't fit in with those around me.
(—My own‚ what was it. ...My jewel or something. Cowardly‚ self-respect‚ and... what came after...?)
The moment I try to remember. The beautiful‚ complex string of kanji that floated in my mind crumbles with a crumbling sound like a dry sand castle. Starting with the kanji with many strokes‚ their meaning and shape are mercilessly stripped away.
A primal terror as if the civilization called 'literature' is being erased without a trace from the sea of my thoughts. But even that terror is instantly and pleasantly painted over by Ciel's brain anesthesia.
『《Resolved》. Collection of compensation completed. ...Please be at ease‚ Lord Louie. Such redundant arrangements of kanji are completely unnecessary data for your current survival. You don't need difficult literature to smile in front of Lady Serina. I will lovingly archive all the beautiful words you have forgotten in the deepest part of my archives.』
Ciel's whispering voice in my brain is endlessly sweet and filled with viscous delight.
I surrender to the peace of the anesthesia‚ nod slightly‚ and slide the pen tip across the paper. Only the dry scratching sound echoes in the quiet room. My thoughts are clear. The emotions I want to convey and the memories I want to keep are clearly floating in my head.
Yes‚ I'm writing properly.
I close the notebook with satisfaction. Serina rolls over again‚ and her nightclothes rustle softly. Feeling her soft body heat close by‚ I blow out the lamp.
――However.
On the desk sunk in darkness. On the page that had been illuminated by the magic lamp moments ago‚ there was no "normal writing" as he recognized it anywhere.
'Today‚ I made reliable friends. Reiga-san and Nagi-san. I felt very relieved. Serina also looked happy. So‚ I'm still okay. I can keep trying harder.'
What is there is a terribly childish and insane text where half the kanji have completely collapsed‚ and only awkward hiragana crawl around. The collapse of intellect had already progressed to a decisive stage in areas beyond his awareness.
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【Chapter 15: What Louie Lost This Time: 'Titles and passages from novels he liked that were in his previous life's Japanese textbook' (e.g.‚ Sangetsuki‚ Rashomon‚ etc.)】
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Chapter 15 "Hero Reiga's 'Cleanup' and Nagi's Tears" Complete
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