Volume 4 Chapter 2.1
Patchwork Obsession Part 1
Translator : PolterGlast
I loved my dad.
He knew everything I
didn't know and was always there to protect me. Someone I truly admire.
I felt at ease under
his big hands that stroked me, and I was happy to have been born with hair the
same color as his.
My first memories as a
child are the sensation of my body being rocked by the carriage, the clear
wind, and the endless plains of withered grass. I remember my eyes often
glancing up at the dust and sand smoke that rose up in the air.
Spending my days
traveling with my parents, who were both adventurers. That was my life when I
was a child.
My parents were always
on good terms with each other and never had a single quarrel.
They were both
well-educated and skilled in the martial arts, and they fought off many
powerful demonic beasts with their well-matched combination of skills.
My parents were always
requested by various people by name, and at the same time, they were highly
appreciated.
I was proud of them,
and I did not doubt that one day I would learn from them and become a
first-rate adventurer. But those days didn't last forever.
My father ......
passed away.
How did he die, what
was the cause? I still don't know.
But I do remember that
shortly before he died, my mother argued with him.
No, it was more like a
one-sided confrontation.
We were on our way
from town to town when the trees and grass had fallen asleep. As I drifted off
to sleep in our camp tent, I was awakened by my mother's strong tone of voice.
"What the heck
are you thinking!?"
I peeked out through a
gap in the tent and saw my mother there, who was unusually loud and impatient.
Dad answered all of
Mom's questions, then apologetically hugged her and whispered something in her
ear.
Just what did he say,
I wonder? My mother's eyes widened and she burst into tears.
Then she bit her lip
sadly and hung her head, not pressing my father any further.
Mom, who was always
smiling and cheerful and never showed any signs of weakness, cried. I felt a
tightening sensation in my chest upon seeing it, and I involuntarily walked out
of the tent.
"Lisa .......
Were you awake?"
Their eyes widened
when they noticed me coming out.
"Hey, I got an
urgent job to do. Dad has to go."
"E...... a,
uh......."
Wait, what happened?
Why is Mom crying?
My head was quickly
filled with one question after another, my bad premonition grew even worse, and
my heart was beating fast with shivers as if my whole body was frozen. My mouth
kept flailing in impatience to say something, and as if I had forgotten what to
say, I only uttered meaningless noises.
"Don't worry,
I'll be right back."
After gently patting
me, who was anxious and dismayed, Dad went away.
A month later, he came
back stone cold.
How? Why? My young
mind was crushed by a reality I did not want to believe. And even though I
tried to find out the cause, I was never able to figure it out.
And my uncontrollable
anger and anxiety were directed toward my mother, who let my father go alone.
Why didn't Mom go with
Dad like she usually did?
But that anger
eventually subsided. A new life was being born in Mom's belly.
A few months later,
Mom gave birth to my sister and we returned to her homeland.
The Principality of
Handora. A neighbor of the great Kingdom of Forsina and a member of the Union
of Small Nations.
We moved to Oire
village in this country.
I didn't know the
cause of my father's death. Mom won't say anything either. All that remained
was my longing for my father. My dream of becoming an adventurer. And then I
met him, who supported my dream.
Nozomu Bountis. My
first friend in Oire village. He was the only son of a farmer in this village,
perhaps because of his curiosity, and he seemed to enjoy listening to my
stories about my travels.
Since then, we spent
several years in this village.
Oire village is a
small village in the mountains, where all the villagers usually work together
to do the farm work. So, we became friends very quickly.
But since when did I
become conscious of him?
"......!?"
A bolt of lightning
flashed across my vision, and at the same time, I saw a scene I had never
imagined before.
In a forest shrouded
in twilight. Most likely Spasim Forest.
As I hide in the thick
vegetation, I stifle my breath and stare at the scene in front of me.
Two childhood friends.
One is someone I once loved.
Nozomu Bountis. The
bastard who betrayed me and then threw my feelings for him away.
The other is Ken
Notice. The one who supported me when I was in the depths of depression.
These two were facing
each other and having a talk in such a deserted place. What was the reason
...... I wonder?
"Just what are
they doing ......?"
Feeling anxious, I
leaned forward to eavesdrop on their conversation.
*Shock*. Then, with
another bolt of lightning, the scene in front of me changed.
A terrifying monster
attacked. A pitch-black monster with red eyes. It raised its sword in a slow
arc and swung it down at my loved one.
"............!"
With a cry, I
intercepted the sword flash and caught it with the saber I had drawn.
For some reason, the
loud voice that should have come out of my own mouth did not reach my ears.
The monster's gaze
turned to me as I interrupted it. Its red eyes, stained with hatred, were
filled with disappointment and disdain.
[......!]
The monster's voice
sounded muffled, and I could not understand what it was saying. No, all the
sounds around me were distant, and all I could hear was the ringing in my ears.
But I know what its
gaze was saying.
Why are you protecting
the one who betrayed you? He said.
What is this monster
saying?
You are the one who
betrayed me......
(Huh? Why am I saying
that this monster betrayed me......)
An enemy that attacked
us. A monster that can do nothing but kill people. Why would I feel
inexplicable feelings of "betrayal" toward such an existence?
Doubts suddenly popped
up in my mind. As if perceiving this, the monster quickly brought its face
close to mine.
The monster's face in
front of me changed into the shape of Nozomu.
[You actually knew
everything, didn't you? When I gave you that letter?]
Hearing these words,
my eyebrows twitched. My heart jumped and I gulped.
In the back of my
mind, I remember the scene of Nozomu who came to give me the letter in the
joint class before the Special Comprehensive Training.
I'm sure that Nozomu
at that time had the same straightforward eyes as the man I've known for a long
time......
(~, What nonsense are
you spouting!? You monster!)
I put all my strength
into my saber to cut down the traitorous monster.
I'm sure it was all a
mistake. Because I saw him throwing away his promise!
[Was that really the
case?]
The monster once again
questions me. For some reason, his voice has changed to that of a woman.
[Sure, you saw him
with another woman and immediately confronted him. But was that really him?]
Yes, of course it was!
I saw something unbelievable! That was definitely Nozomu! And he denied the
fact that I had seen him, out of his mouth!
I was so emotional
that I spat out those words. As if mocking me, the monster shook his shoulders.
[Then why didn't you
reciprocate Ken Notice's feelings?]
Because after being
betrayed like that, I-.......
[Lie. Well, it's not
really a lie, but you had other feelings.]
You couldn't possibly
know that......
[Of course, I do.
Because I am ...... you.]
The monster's appearance
changed again. Red hair spread out from behind the black-tinted shadow, and a
new appearance was revealed from within the shadow. The face was ...... exactly
the same as mine.
[You were just scared.
To be betrayed again. And to know the truth......]
A sense of disgust
welled up in me. At the same time, I was struck by a feeling of realization.
I glared at the
monster in front of me and put strength into my arms, trying to deny my own
feelings.
However, against my
will, the saber did not even budge, and the monster only smiled contemptuously
at my resistance.
[I'll ask you again.
Was it really him who betrayed you?]
Of course it was,
didn't I already say so earlier!?
[You didn't doubt it
even once? Did you really look straight into his eyes when you questioned him?]
Her words brought the
scene of when I questioned Nozomu flooding back to my mind.
He muttered
apologetically. He was the one who discarded the dream we had held in our
hearts for so long. In the depths of his eyes, a dark light of amusement shone
brightly......
(Huh......?)
I felt a strong sense
of déjà vu, and something inside of me shook violently.
I've seen those eyes
somewhere. Just recently, yes, in that forest .......
[Look behind
you......]
Prompted by the
whisper that slipped in, I was about to turn my gaze away from the monster.
I must not turn
around...... Even though I thought so, my eyes were looking back before I knew
it.
[Is that person really
the one you're supposed to be protecting?]
There was a black monster
wearing Ken's mask.
In front of my stunned
eyes, the black monster jerked and attacked me.
Before I had time to
let out a scream, I was swallowed from behind by the shadow monster.
A feeling of disgust
and rejection, incomparably more intense than when I had just witnessed the
monster's transformation, assaulted my entire body. At the same time, my entire
body began to be invaded by the shadow.
(......~, ~!!)
I desperately tried to
escape by moving my hands, but the shadow's invasion did not stop.
Perhaps amused even by
my resistance, the shadow that had swallowed me trembled with ecstasy as it
devoured my body, little by little.
Suddenly, something
touches the side of my face. I looked to the side and saw Ken's mask, which had
approached me as if to creep up on me. His face was distorted, as though he
were a little child who had acquired his favorite toy.
[What a weak woman.
Only focused on the flimsy facts you could see, and refused to see what was
behind it, even though you were aware of it. Filthy coward. Such a woman-......]
I spat at such a sight
of me. Then, I raised the saber in my hand and-.......
[-should have just
died......]
I cut myself down
along with the shadow of my crime.
†
"~, ha~!? Haa,
haa, haa......"
Rising up as if bouncing.
It was still dark
outside the window, and the sun was just beginning to shine on the roofs of the
houses that lined the street. Lisa gasped for air and pressed her chest against
the choking sensation.
At the same time, she
felt an intense headache. The pain felt as if she had been hit over and over
again with a hammer from behind her head, and she involuntarily slumped over on
the bed. Her long hair hung down, and her eyelids were tightly closed.
A flash of light shone
in the back of her eyes. As she remained slumped for a while, Camilla, who was
sleeping on the bed next to her, woke up and called out to her.
"Lisa, what's
wrong?"
"...... Camilla.
No, it's nothing. I'm sorry I woke you."
Pushing back the pain
running through her head, she looked up and smiled. Camilla and Lisa have been
roommates since freshman year, and have become close friends through that
relationship. And Camilla is one among those who has always supported her. So
Lisa didn't want to make her worry.
"It's fine, it's
time to get up anyway. Another nightmare?"
After a few seconds of
silence, Lisa gave a small nod, defeated by Camilla's gaze directed at her.
"......Un."
She started having
nightmares. They were supposed to be dreams that would eventually fade away,
and yet they stuck to her mind and devoured her over and over again. Not only
while she was sleeping, but also sometimes during small gaps in his daily life.
Even last night, she woke up five times. Completely sleep-deprived. She
probably looks terrible right now.
The dream depicted a
scene of Nozomu, who had summoned her to the forest, arguing with Ken.
Eventually, they began slashing at each other, and a light blue dwarfish
creature appeared beside Ken, who was cornered, and restrained Nozomu.
As he fell to the
ground, Ken looked down at him with the most twisted smile one could ever see.
At that moment, an incredible amount of power overflowed from Nozomu's
body.......
"......!"
Having thought that
far, she shook her head to rid herself of her imagination.
Things never happened
that way in the first place. Even though he summoned me with a letter, that man
never showed up after all.
(But ....... Why do I
remember my dreams so clearly after seeing them so many times......?)
Scenes seen in dreams
are usually forgotten by the end of the day. Even if they are remembered, they
soon become full of holes like insect bites, and within a few days, they are
completely erased from memory, never to be seen again.
But her nightmares
were bizarrely vivid and did not disappear no matter how much time passed.
On the contrary, they
became more and more bloated and irritating.
"What shall we
do, Lisa? Should we take the day off?"
Camilla, who had
somehow gotten off the bed and come to her side, looked at her with a worried
expression.
"I-I'm fine.
I'm just a little
tired, that's all. Now, let's get ready and we'll go to the school."
Her words were
surprisingly empty and helpless.
Ignoring the lingering
fatigue, she went to the wardrobe and began to get dressed.
She wanted to escape
Camilla's gaze on her back. She wanted to forget the nightmare she had just
had.
But that wish was soon
betrayed. Because [that guy] was waiting for her when she stepped out of the
dormitory.
†
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