Toasteful: Chapter 135, Part 1

[Part 1/6]

Dark. Everywhere, dark. My vision swallowed by darkness. Like a bottomless pit of darkness stretching endlessly. And it's cold.

It wasn't as simple as closing one's eyes or wearing a blindfold. This darkness, this deep blackness, was beyond such measures. It felt more primal, like it could halt the optic nerves, obstruct light from entering the retinas, causing complete blindness.

The feeling of extreme cold intensified the experience too. Held in an uncomfortable position, my body freezing, only the sound of my trembling breath echoed. Unfortunately, making a sound was impossible.

"I heard your story."

A child's voice pierced the darkness. Fear caused my body to tense. It was the sweet, melodious voice of a haughty and arrogant young girl.

"You used to be a laborer, right?"

I held my breath at the girl's comment. Knowing this fact, knowing the content, suggested it wouldn't end there.

"And you were even that woman's attendant, right?"

Her tone was mocking, as if she was making fun of her sister to no end. A tone of complete contempt for a family member. It was hard to believe such words were spoken by a child.

"Just a peasant's child, yet you were treated grandly, right? Don't you think?"

Giggles filled with malice and disdain. It felt more like veiled coercion than seeking agreement.

"Is that ugly woman, so dried up and unattractive, really my sister? A sister by blood? Spare me the jokes. Disgusting."

Truly, her disdain for the other was evident. Dismissive, scornful. As if even mentioning it would dirty her mouth.

"I am nothing like that woman. Everything about me is different. That's why everyone should respect me. They should revere me. They should... honor me."

She declared her superiority repeatedly, emphasizing how she should be treated. It was almost obsessive, even possessive.

As if starved, as if thirsty.

"So, you see? This is proper discipline. A show of affection for those under my care."

She laughed. Mocked. The young child asserted her legitimacy, like a teacher reprimanding a defiant student.

"Aren't you lucky? If not for my father's appointment, it wouldn't be this easy, okay? Be grateful."

A cruel and harsh declaration chilling my core. Fear of death consumed my mind. My body trembled to the core, separate from the cold.

"Well then. That's all. You all should show me more affection."

The outburst was silent, but a flood of malice rushed in, repeating endlessly. And then, and then...

...

"Whoaaaaa!!!??"

My own scream pulled me from the darkness. My heartbeats pounded fiercely. The thudding of my heart echoed in my ears. Drenched in sweat, my whole body shivered, and my vision wavered. Frantically looking around, I saw my familiar room...

"Tomobe!? Are you okay!!? Can you hear me!!!??"

My shoulders were suddenly grasped, and I recoiled, but before me stood the person I trusted most. Despite her urgent expression, her presence alone was reassuring.

Relief washed over me, and with it, a surge of emotions. Tears welled up uncontrollably, and I couldn't fake a flushed face or suppress sobs.

"Ugh...!!"

"Tomobe?"

A torrent of emotions comes crashing down on me with relief. My eyes moistened involuntarily, and I couldn't feign a blushing face or stifle my sobs.

"Uahhhh...!!!!"

"Wh-what...!?"

I clung to my mentor in bewilderment, but I continued to sob and sob. Frightened, I sob pitifully.

"...There, there. You did well. You did well."

Seeing me in such a pitiful state, my mentor embraced me, offering comfort. In that moment, her kindness was all that mattered...

* * *

After a short time of crying like a child, I finally composed myself. Yun-shoku waited for me to regain my composure before speaking softly.

"First... how much of your memory remains?"

"Well..."

I thought, shivering. The last vivid memory was of the cherry-colored girl looking down on me like a maggot. Scorned, despised, questioned—then nothing.

A memory severed, like a cut...

"I see... Let me explain things in order, then."

Yun-shoku began to explain. Likely, visual or illusion art had been used. I was taken without any resistance. It was at the hands of laborers under Princess Aoi's command, a princess known for her tyranny and irrationality.

"Hisame was the one who informed me that you were taken."

The incident with the loli gorilla happened right after I parted ways with Hisame. It wouldn't be strange if he had noticed the commotion. In fact, he seemed to have rushed to report it. I was grateful for that.

"So, did Yun-shoku retrieve me?"

"Well, that's... it's not something I can do in my position."

Yun-shoku responded with a self-deprecating smirk at my observation. It was a conversation where we both understood the obviousness of the situation, causing embarrassment. It would be difficult for the third-ranked servant to go against the daughter of the legal wife, even if their positions didn't matter. Physically challenging her would be futile.

"A bit circuitous, but you can thank various connections. With some intervention, I managed to take you in."

Yun-shoku shrugged as if to say it was a tough journey. Despite the playful tone, signs of fatigue were evident in her expression. She seemed to have had a hard time protecting me.

"I apologize for causing you trouble. I'm sor—ow!!?"

I attempted to express gratitude and winced as I became acutely aware of the pain throughout my body. Yun-shoku supported me and continued to explain.

"Don't rush. ...It's not like you've been fully recovered."

It was likely a half-playful punishment. My body was wrapped in bandages, revealing clear signs of violence. There were marks of punches, as well as traces of kicks, whips, and ropes. The chill in my body was probably due to being stripped and doused with cold water multiple times. That was a guess based on my condition at the time of retrieval.

"At the very least, the laborers around you were likely involved."

"Well, of course. If it were the princess's direct punishment, I'd be dead."

Even during her loli days, Gorilla-sama was physically strong enough to single-handedly wipe out a group of powerful youkai. No matter how much she held back, multiple complex fractures would be certain. In reality, it might be bad, but it was probably just bruising and internal bleeding. It seemed most likely that it was a collective assault by the powerless laborers. At this point, Gorilla-sama couldn't discern people well enough to blindly trust her father (I'm not saying she had good judgment even during the original story).

"But even so, these are not minor injuries. According to the medic, you should rest for about five or six days. You'll need to change the medication and bandages."

"Medic? Ah, you mean Dokusawa's..."

I immediately deduced that the medic who treated me was the girl I had gotten to know during my laborer days. Or rather, it couldn't have been anyone else. Or rather, she's a bit dubious too. Like Sarujirou, she's smart and takes advantage of opportunities. She managed to help me in the nick of time.

"It seems to be at the Advisor's instruction. She also said that her people took care of you."

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