Chapter 51 – Development –

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“…Won’t you answer, you contemptible wretch?”

Saying that, Ati pulled the trigger again.

The icy atmosphere deepened further, mirroring the intensity of her anger.

For a brief moment, I was paralyzed in confusion, but when I noticed movement in the similarly frozen opponent, I regained my senses.

–– Hmph.

Ati’s expression suddenly became impassive.

With such a faint reaction—almost translucent—it was impossible to read her true feelings.

I could only tell from her tone that she wasn’t amused.

Yet, even if I wanted to stop her because of that, I had no idea how, since it was a display of emotion I’d never seen before.

All I could do at that moment was brace myself for when action became necessary.

As I exhaled lightly, Ati continued speaking.

–– What does that mean?

–– How odd.

“What’s so odd? You’re simply spouting nonsense,” she said.

–– Hmph.
–– Even when shaken, I remain unyielding, unbreakable.
–– Well, whatever.

At the very moment she finished speaking, the thorns shattered the icy shell she had created, and as if regaining life, buds began to swell and slowly start blooming into beautiful roses.

“Wha––”

“This is…”

A gust of wind, blowing from somewhere, sent crimson petals swirling in the air.

Before I knew it, Ati had vanished, and I found myself in a forest bathed in dappled sunlight.

“Where is this…”

I furrowed my brows.

Then, from nearby, I sensed a tense atmosphere.

It was Ati.

“…Harold-sama, though the signs of an impending attack have disappeared, the danger remains unchanged. Please, do not leave my side.”

Perhaps because her opponent had vanished, Ati’s tone returned to its usual manner.

Yet from her demeanor, I could tell that an abnormal level of anger still had not subsided.

It might be inappropriate, but seeing that, I strangely felt a sense of joy.

After all, it meant my own anxieties had been misplaced.

It felt as if our connection had been reaffirmed.

“…If there’s no sign of an impending attack, let’s calm down a bit. When our focus narrows, we might miss something important. Of course, we must remain cautious.”

“But—mug… nngh.”

As Ati turned, I forcefully pressed my lips against her.

I intended to show calmness through my actions, even if only briefly.

I was pleased by her recent outburst; it meant that while words matter, actions add even more strength to our communication.

Words and actions, when combined, become even more potent.

“…nngh.”

“…How is it? Feeling calmer?”

“…Ye-yes.”

I noticed that Ati’s face had become slightly flushed.

Considering the situation, it seemed we might be lacking a bit of tension.

But even so, that too was important.

As Ati and I locked eyes, the vines coiling around the trees began to stir.

There was no hint of an attack; the writhing vines simply started to form an arch, eventually creating a pathway.

“…So, should we move forward?”

“…Most likely.”

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No matter how far we advanced, the thorn arch stretched on endlessly.

There was no end in sight.

From somewhere, I could faintly hear a “fufufu” laugh, indicating that someone was watching us.

Granted, there didn’t appear to be any traps or signs of a surprise attack.

After a while, we arrived at an open area that resembled a garden.

At its center stood a table, with two children seated there.

They were engrossed in conversation, oblivious to our presence.

–– Why did you end up wandering here?

–– I don’t know.

–– Why are you talking with me?

–– Just because.

–– Hmph. You really never think, do you? Oh, I see—you’re just a little kid, right?

–– I’m already five years old. I’m not a little kid!

–– Oh, my apologies. You’re five, then. The same as me.

–– What the heck? Even though we’re the same, are you treating me like a child?

–– Whether we’re the same is irrelevant. After all, being a child is what matters.

One of them had the voice of the game’s organizer, and the other spoke with a voice that sounded familiar.

It was, indeed, the voice of that fleeting, childlike shadow that had passed by me.

I began to sense what it was.

This must be a memory of that young man.

Then, she grinned “nii” and vanished. Following her, the boy’s shadow disappeared as well.

“…Let’s proceed.”

“Yes.”

After confirming that they had completely vanished, I saw that the arched pathway continued deeper ahead, so we continued onward.

After walking for a while, darkness gradually began to envelop us, and I noticed rising flames.

Then, not far away, two more silhouettes appeared.

The boy’s figure began desperately trying to extinguish the flames.

–– My, my forest is…

–– Someone must have had a bonfire in the forest and forgot to put it out! … Leave it to me! I’ll extinguish it!

–– Eh…?

–– Ugh, ah, it’s hot…

–– I-it’s fine, really.

–– What are you saying! I’m definitely going to put it out! It’s our precious forest, isn’t it?!

–– Don’t worry about me… Besides, Rogue… is going to get burned. You don’t have to push yourself for my sake…

–– I won’t stand for it! I detest the thought of this forest—where I met Misha—burning up!

–– …

The boy—in other words, that young man’s name is Rogue, and the girl’s name is Misha.

This appears to be a scene where they are trying to stop a forest fire.

–– As for these flames, shortly afterward, rain fell and extinguished them.

–– I could have handled it myself, but I preferred to watch him give it his all.

I heard a voice from behind and turned around. There was Misha, but as the forest fire subsided, she vanished along with it.

Once again, vines began to writhe and form an arch. Upon closer inspection, the arch’s shape was gradually becoming distorted.

Since I couldn’t afford to stop, I pressed further onward.

Then––

––Do you desire a body?

––Yes, a body. I want to feel you.

––Hmph.

––Oh, come on—I’m seriously troubled, you know.

––It’s not something to be troubled over. I’ll bring it to you. Promise.

––Thank you. But if you break the promise, terrible things will happen, you know?

––There’s no way I’d break the promise!

––I hear the same exchange we heard earlier.

Apparently, all that came before has led to this.

Murmuring “I see,” I continued deeper, as the path still stretched ahead.

Along the way, the twisted vines underwent further changes. They suddenly started to turn black, thorns began to erupt, and the crimson roses reverted into ominously swollen buds.

Eventually, I reached a dead end.

At the end of this eerily shifting path stood a single door.

It was enveloped by vines that had completely transformed into black thorns, with only one door standing alone.

Having no intention of turning back, I grabbed the handle and entered. Beyond the door was a room filled entirely with roses in full, vibrant red bloom.

In the center of the room, I saw Misha—now larger—and Rogue.

––Misha, I’m going to search for your vessel.

––A vessel…?

––What, have you forgotten? Didn’t you say you wanted a body?

––You remembered…?

––There’s no way I’d forget.

––Thank you. But more than that, I’m troubled by the thought of you being away, even for a little while…

––It’ll be alright. Let’s set a deadline—by then, I will absolutely return with the vessel.

––Really…? It’s a promise, right? I’d hate it if you broke it.

––Would it really be disastrous? Haha, rest assured—I’d never break a promise. Just wait for me.

With that, Rogue left the scene.

The once splendidly blooming roses suddenly withered and died all at once.

Then, Misha appeared before me once more.

––But he returned—fulfilling that promise—a little past the deadline.

––He came to me, vessel in hand, brimming with pride.

––He had such a joyful expression, and that made me happy too.

––But breaking the promise is a different matter.

––That’s why I turned his hometown into that state.

––But I am kind.

––I’ve said this before, but I intended to forgive him.

––Well, I’d only forgive him after having all the townspeople bound by thorns right before Rogue’s eyes, reduced to scraps of flesh for him to eat.

Without any sign of remorse, Misha stated all of this matter-of-factly.

Apparently, this was the whole story of how the town was put to sleep by thorns.

However, regardless of her previous motives, the final words were just too insane.

No matter how you look at it, she hadn’t forgiven him.

“…For now, the townspeople aren’t involved, are they?”

––Why?

“‘He broke the promise—that’s Rogue, right? The townspeople have nothing to do with it. It’s solely an issue between the two of you.’”

––Involved? They are, aren’t they?

“‘It seems you just can’t understand. Besides, if it goes that far, Rogue might end up breaking completely.’”

He’s already on the verge of breaking down with his bizarre outbursts; if that happens, Rogue will be utterly finished.

––I can’t understand what you’re saying at all.

––If he breaks, I’ll just coddle him.

––By the way, I’m kind of bored with this game now.

Misha’s overwhelming presence intensified, and I could feel an unpleasant sweat beading on my forehead.

It seemed that nothing more could be done.

When I looked at Ati, she was calmly pointing her gun barrel at Misha.

She said nothing, as if she no longer felt any need to speak.

The atmosphere made it clear that a real battle was about to begin.

Surely, there must be something that can be used as a weapon…

Thinking so, I instinctively reached into my pocket. “What am I doing?” I wondered, when something tapped my fingertip. Curious, I pulled it out—it was a remnant of silver clay I had used to make the ring I once gave to Ati.

“Even something like this… No, if used properly…”

I devised one effective use for this leftover silver clay.

If I could control my secret trick well enough—there’s no doubt this could also serve as a weapon.