Chapter 101: Family (3)
…I had a dream of a long time ago. It was a dream of living with my family in a cramped room. The memory was fleeting like a broken sunset, not even a single moment was left complete, but it was beautiful. I also had a family.
“…”
I opened my eyes. The bright sun was beating down. It was dazzling, so I blocked it with my hands. The area surrounding me was covered in wind-swept grass, and I could hear the chirping of grasshoppers. The trees surrounding me shook and spat out their leaves as the wind pushed past us.
While exploring that landscape, the cute pitter-patter of small footsteps approached from somewhere.
“Brother~.”
A childish and cute cry. I looked toward its source.
“Brother~, where are you~?”
She was maybe six years old. Although she couldn’t speak properly, I knew immediately who she was. A smile naturally lit upon my mouth.
“Brother~.”
It was Yeriel. She had run to the middle of the forest in search of her brother. I muttered to myself.
“Is this Yeriel’s memory?”
It seemed that the security mechanism of the diary or something similar had put me into this memory.
“Brother…”
Yeriel, who had been searching for a while, put a finger to her lips and bowed her head sadly. And then.
“…I can’t find it!”
She shouted out loud. I managed to hold back the laughter that almost burst free from me.
“I can’t find it!”
There was, of course, no answer. Only Yeriel’s cry echoed out lonely.
“After all, it’s my brother~ I can’t find him~.”
Yeriel praised her brother. I was very jealous of him.
“I can’t find it!”
“…”
“I can’t fiiiiind~!”
Yeriel walked back and forth, repeating only that cry.
“Brother…?”
She kept walking. With her short stride, she jumped back and forth, but as the forest deepened, she suddenly turned back.
“…”
She had come so far that she couldn’t even see the way back.
“…Ugh.”
Yeriel back-pedaled in fear. Tears welled up in her eyes, and her hands gripped the hem of her dress.
“Waaah…”
“Tsk.”
Before the crying bomb exploded, I stood from my seat on the ground and walked over to her.
“Oh, brother…?”
Yeriel, feeling someone’s movement, brightened up, but when she saw me, she suddenly retreated. She held a vigilant posture, though it was more adorable than threatening.
“…Who are you?”
I put my hand over Yeriel’s little head.
“I caught you.”
“…What?”
Yeriel looked up at me with her big eyes and tilted her head. I realized it too late at that innocent reaction.
“Oh, right. You should’ve caught me. And I should be hiding.”
I was moved here so suddenly that I was a little dizzy. My head ached, too.
“What are you doing? Let go! I need to find my brother!”
She shook off my hand. I glanced around, scratching the back of my neck.
“You probably won’t find him.”
“What? Why?”
“…He suggested playing hide-and-seek because you bothered him.”
Deculein and Yeriel’s hide-and-seek. I’m not Deculein, but somehow… I thought I knew the story behind it.
“Leaving you alone looking for him, he probably went out to have fun.”
“…”
At that moment, Yeriel’s expression turned to one of absolute shock. An expression matched that of a six-year-old who was betrayed by the world, but then she shook her head vigorously.
“N-No! No way!”
“…”
“No way! Brother! Brother~! There is a strange person here!”
She pumped her short legs and ran away as fast as she could. I followed her while calculating the magic concentration of the area.
“Ah! He’s following me! Don’t follow me!”
“I’m just walking.”
I still didn’t know what kind of magical phenomenon this was, but… I felt strangely light.
* * *
[ She pumped her short legs and ran away as fast as she could. I followed her while calculating the magic concentration of the area.
I still didn’t know what kind of magical phenomenon this was, but… I felt strangely light.]
“What is this…?”
Yeriel read the story recorded in the notebook marked 「Deculein」. This meant that Deculein had become a notebook like her vassals.
“Did Deculein come here right before me?”
“Yes.”
The diary resembling Deculein answered. Yeriel frowned as she held the notebook.
“But why is my story here? Why did Deculein meet ‘Young Yeriel’?”
“The world in this artifact obeys its magical laws.”
“Oh what shit, tell me in detail! Who could understand when you say things like that-“
“Deculein entered by your diary, that is, Yeriel’s, and was recorded by the security mechanism. Therefore, he was recorded in The Memory of Yeriel.”
Yeriel was dazed, her head feeling dizzy.
“Then how did Deculein get in? He didn’t even have a key.”
“The diary was made in pairs. If you open the door of one diary, the door of the other diary will also open.”
“…”
Yeriel’s jaw nearly hit the ground. It was a mechanism she never thought of because she had never opened it before.
“Then, how do I solve this?”
“Do you need to solve it?”
“…What?”
Yeriel’s brow twitched, but he continued with no emotion.
“Yeriel, don’t you want to be the successor? If you leave Deculein as he is, the position at the head of the family will be yours.”
“…”
Yeriel didn’t answer. She just stared at the artifact without saying a word, and he continued.
“If you have a hard time judging what to do, see Deculein for yourself.”
“Me?”
“Recorded beings reveal their thoughts and desires more openly. It’s a process called ‘internalization.'”
“…”
“Look at Deculein’s record. His raw desire is there.”
Yeriel bit her lip, but soon after, she reopened Deculein’s notebook.
[…Young Yeriel made a castle out of the earth with magic. Young Yeriel went –tada~– bragging about it. I laughed.]
The two seemed to have become friends. Yeriel’s frown deepened as she read further.
[When I praised her, young Yeriel said. “Huhu! My older brother is way better than me! He’s already learning college magic!”]
“…”
A record of Deculein, who had become words. Yeriel looked closely and suddenly found something strange.
[As I was with her, I remembered the days when I was ████. ]
“What is this? One word is… broken. It can’t be read.”
“It can’t be. You must have seen it wrong.”
“No…”
In the meantime, the pages continued to flip onward as the thoughts were written quickly, hiding that one part in a sea of words.
“Forget it. You’re fucking useless.”
“Your eyes are the problem.”
Giving up asking, Yeriel turned to read the record again.
[Instead of playing hide-and-seek by herself, it’d be better for me to play with her a little bit.]
Coming to that paragraph, she thought:
‘Hide and seek alone… I did this.’
Yeriel knew this memory. She played hide and seek alone. Among the many memories she had, this left a particularly big scar. That day, Deculein abandoned her during a hide-and-seek game, and she lost her way, spending two days wandering through the woods. It was a particularly painful memory to recall.
Yeriel asked the diary.
“Where are my memories? If this diary is a pair, there will be memories of me other than Deculein’s.”
“It’s on the other side of the hallway.”
She turned and walked down the hallway to her left. As he said, the hallway walls were full of frames of her memories, a title under each of them.
[The day I first learned etiquette]
[I was caned]
[The first magic I showed to my brother…]
Almost all of her childhood memories were related to Deculein. When she was young, she was very dependent on him, so there were many funny titles.
“…Ah.”
Then she found what she sought.
“It’s this one.”
[Sad hide and seek by myself]
The landscape in the memory frame revealed the middle of the forest where she had been lost. Yeriel, who unintentionally looked inside, watched with wide eyes.
“…!”
This was the painful memory of the day when she was lost in the woods, all alone.
─I can do this too!
—Oh. That’s interesting.
Yet, Deculein was with her younger self.
“Perhaps…”
Yeriel, watching the scene play out blankly, produced the Key of Yukline from her pocket. Then, she slowly put it into the frame.
Clank-!
The key was stuck somewhere in the frame. As expected, in this world, this was the universal key.
Crackle-!
Yeriel twisted the key in the frame as if opening a door, and at that moment, her entire body was pulled in.
“Ugh!”
Swooon!
Her sense of space distorted as if her soul were moving. All sense of direction was twisted and bundled up like a rubber band as the world swayed around her. She felt like throwing up but managed to hold it down.
“Ugh…”
Once the dizziness began to fade, and she was able to open her eyes.
“…?”
Yeriel found herself shorter. She looked around blankly. The clear sun that she had seen in the frame was up in the sky, and below her on the ground was a castle of earth made with magic.
“Don’t you need to go home?”
Deculein stood there with a caring face, an expression he had never before shown to her. Yeriel’s heart sank for a moment, but then she nodded.
“Oh, I still have plenty of time. What about you… uncle?”
*
“Oh, I still have plenty of time. What about you… uncle?”
I looked at Yeriel and frowned slightly, but then she backed away as if frightened.
“…Uncle?”
“Yes? Yes, yes, yes, yes…”
Her short-tongued voice was cute, causing me to smile. From her point of view, I was an uncle.
“Well. I don’t know when to go. I’m looking for a way back home.”
“Oh…”
I looked at Yeriel. The girl who was proud of her magic until now sat down on the ground.
“By the way, do you also have a younger sister too, uncle?”
And then the topic suddenly changed. It was a little uncomfortable, but I managed a bitter smile as I nodded.
“Yes.”
“Aha… then… do you hate your sister too?”
Yeriel’s voice while asking that question was low and heavy. She suddenly seemed depressed. After all, at this age, one’s emotions must have very turbulent ups and downs. The reproduction of this memory was uselessly real.
“…Well.”
I looked up into the clear sky. For some reason, I felt at peace. Come to think of it, I was still sitting on the grass. I left my clothes untidy, but it wasn’t uncomfortable at all. For some reason, it felt that I had returned as Kim Woojin.
“Yeah. That’s right.”
Young Yeriel ripped up the grass at my response, but I glanced at her as I continued.
“In the past.”
“…?”
Yeriel turned to me. Her eyes widened with surprise.
“I used to not like her a lot. I almost hated her. But…”
I recalled my sister. That child who died too young, too early. Unlike me, who was growing old, she had become young forever.
“Not now.”
“…Eh?”
Yeriel seemed perplexed for some reason. I messed up her hair and laid on the grass. That blue sky seemed to fall over me like a blanket.
“T-Then, do you like her now?”
Yeriel was holding her knees close to her chest as she asked the question.
“…Yeah.”
“How much…?”
Asking childish things. Well, she was a child.
“Pfft.”
As I chuckled, her eyes narrowed, and she jumped up in a flash.
“Don’t laugh!”
“…Well. How much?”
I paused for a moment. Young Yeriel held her breath as she waited alongside me. That reaction was too adorable.
“Enough to give up my dreams for her.”
If I continued to pursue my dream of becoming a painter, she would have starved to death. Her dream was more important than mine.
“…”
There wasn’t an answer. Yeriel remained silent for a long time following that.
Whooosh…
A refreshing and gentle breeze tugged at my collar and ruffled her hair. Only then did Yeriel respond in a thin, small voice that seemed likely to scatter at the slightest movement.
“…I see.”
“Right.”
“But… why didn’t you like her?”
“…”
This was my secret anger; I hadn’t told anyone why. It was a sinful, painful memory, and talking about it was too much.
However…
“What… was the reason? Because my older brother… also… doesn’t like me….”
Those tearful words pulled at my heart. I turned to the Young Yeriel. This little girl was nothing more than a reproduction of memory anyway.
“…I used to think she stole the one I love. At that time.”
“The one you loved?”
“Yes.”
My mother died giving birth to her. My father continued to grieve until he died of cancer five years later. All that was left to me, an orphan, was a six-year-old who could not speak properly. A burden. The one who stole everything from me.
However, in the end, that child became my everything. My younger sister, who passed away soon after I realized what she meant to me.
“I was a fool. So, I’ve regretted it a lot.”
“…”
Maybe that’s why I didn’t hate Yeriel. Of course, Yeriel wasn’t my real sister, and she couldn’t ever replace her… even so. I looked to Yeriel. She was on the verge of tears, had my words reminded her of the past?
“So, don’t worry.”
I placed my hand on her little head. Yeriel flinched, her ears drooping like a frightened puppy.
“One day, your brother will love you too.”
“…”
Yeriel didn’t say anything. Instead, she stood up and ran away. I tried to catch her, but Yeriel disappeared without a trace.
“…Is it recorded up to this point?”
It was a memory in a diary so that it wouldn’t last forever. With that in mind, I stood up.
“Huh?”
Then, suddenly, it started to rain.
Pitter-patter…
It was raining despite the clear skies. I caught a few drops on my hand and tasted them.
“What is this?”
It was salty. How was rainwater salty? My brow furrowed, but at the same time, I laughed.
“Pfft.”
I took a big breath.
“Haaaah…”
I felt at ease. It was refreshing to feel that the pressure that had been bearing down on my body as Deculein had disappeared. After a very long time, I was now only Kim Woojin.
“But… that’s that.”
I scratched at my head.
“How do I get out of here?”
I needed to think about escaping.
* * *
Yeriel fled from her memory. She leaned against the wall, clutching at her heart.
“Nonsense…”
The words that Deculein had spoken to her still lingered in her ears. As if whispering them over and over, they wouldn’t go away.
“How…”
Yeriel read the notebook, 「Deculein 」, again with trembling hands. The diary was still being recorded.
[Yeriel disappeared without a trace. It was a memory in a diary so that it wouldn’t last forever.]
Drip-
Drops of water dripped down the notebook, hitting the page and spreading out. She had begun to cry before she realized it. Yeriel raised her face in surprise.
“…Huh.”
This was also recorded in the diary.
[It was raining despite the clear skies. I caught a few drops on my hand and tasted them. It was salty. How was rainwater salty?]
“Don’t drink it, you fool… these are my tears. That’s ridiculous. You don’t even like dirty things.”
Yeriel laughed softly. As she read Deculein’s thoughts, her tears quickly halted.
[I felt at ease. It was refreshing to feel that the pressure that had been bearing down on my body as Deculein had disappeared. After a very long time, I was now only ■■■. ]
The pressure as Deculein. Yeriel agreed with the passage’s meaning but frowned at the blacked-out letters. Why did these three letters keep appearing as code?
“Yeriel.”
Then the diary appeared.
“Have you made a decision?”
“Yeah.”
Yeriel nodded firmly.
“Okay. Tell me.”
“Everyone will come back. Deculein, my brother, and everyone else.”
“…Come back?”
The diary frowned.
“Do you not want to be the successor?”
“…I don’t know.”
Deculein said:
– Enough to give up my dreams for her.
She didn’t know exactly what that dream was, but Yeriel knew one thing for sure. She knew that she had misunderstood him so far.
“It doesn’t matter now. We can talk after we get back.”
Of course, there were still many unresolved issues. What Ganesha’s request was, and what he asked for, but the rest was something she should ask him herself.
“You will regret it.”
“…What?”
The diary said something strange. Yeriel, frowning, looked down at Deculein’s notebook.
[ …As I thought, the guy in the diary is not a diary. He’s a dangerous guy ]
Yeriel didn’t show any emotion. However, the diary was staring at her with ferocity in his eyes all of a sudden.
“You will regret it.”
Yeriel shook her head, clutching the key in her arms.
“I won’t regret it.”
“No. You will regret it.”
“…Are you a diary? What kind of diary disobeys its owner? Do you want to die?”
“…”
Then, his eyes turned red. Yeriel backed away in surprise.
“I am the learning intelligence of Master Decalane. The master entrusted me with the qualification for succession as my top priority.”
“What?”
“The result is that both of you are to be eliminated.”
Mana surged from him. No, it was a power different from mana. It was dark. Taking one step back, then two, Yeriel asked.
“…What happens if we both are eliminated?”
“I, the learning intelligence, take the place of your personality. I am the most like my master, a more worthy successor than the deficient you.”
She was startled by his out-pouring nonsense but soon gathered herself enough to yell back.
“Bullshit, you moron!”
“I will take your body.”
“You’re just made out of magic. Do you think you can do something?!”
“I’m hundreds of times superior to you. You are not greedy enough to become his successor.”
Tentacles appeared from his back. Yeriel clenched her jaw. She had put up a good show, but the level of magic he emanated was more than she imagined.
“Give yourself up.”
The tentacles stretched out. Yeriel turned back and ran down the hallway. At the same time, she pulled out Deculein’s notebook. She thought he would know the answer to this situation. The tentacles smashed the walls around her in close pursuit. Several sentences were forming in the notebook, but the content was too complex to understand while sprinting.
Boooooom─!
Tentacles protruded through the wall in front of her, blocking the way. Reluctantly, Yeriel put the key in the closest frame of memory. Without any further hesitation, she dived in with a loud shout.
“Brother-!”