Chapter 88 [Side Sicily] What Lies At The End Of A Wish, Part I
After a long time, I had a dream.
I'm not sure if the surroundings being painted black is because it's a dream or because it's a bitter memory for me. I don't know.
There was a younger version of myself in the empty space.
The me in the dream was still very young and powerless.
――Dad! Mom!
Young me shouted.
The voice echoed emptily, bringing no resolution.
Two figures lay in front of me. They were my deceased father and mother.
――Hehehe. With this, I'll get another Magic Crystal.
Beside my fallen parents, a white-haired man was smiling joyfully.
It was a clingy, heart-piercing kind of laughter.
The white-haired man placed his hand on the corpses of my parents and took out something like a black stone from there.
The stone had a faint glow, giving off a mysterious presence.
Then, a white-haired man glanced at me.
――Hmph. Still a child who hasn't received a job. In that case, there's no need.
The white-haired man muttered only that and left me, taking only the black stone with him.
――Ah... ah...
In my dream, I kneeled before my father and mother as if clinging to them.
――AAAAAHHHHHH!
While hearing the voice of another self screaming, I woke up from the dream with a terrible feeling.
* * *
"Even after a thousand years, some things are unforgettable..."
I woke up and realized I was drenched in sweat.
The dream I just had... no, it was because of memories from the past.
"..."
I got up silently and discarded the clothes stuck to me with sweat.
Fortunately, I had slept near the lakeside, so I didn't have to worry about water.
I stepped into the lake, letting my slender limbs touch the water.
The demon race is said to not change their appearance as they age, but in my case, I can't help but think that my youthful look not changing since then is like a curse.
Shivering in the coldness of the lake, it felt like it was washing away my gloomy feelings, and now I strangely appreciated that coldness.
After cleansing my body, I put on my clothes and finally wore a witch hat wider than my own shoulders.
It was a precious memento left by my deceased mother.
"Now, what should I do next?"
Although taking a bath cleared my mind a bit, my heart still felt heavy.
I wish I could cry out like I do in my dreams, maybe then I would feel a bit better, but I can't help but think about the inevitable.
――For me, it doesn't matter that you're a demon.
Suddenly, his words floated in my heart.
At first, I thought I was getting closer to him to use him.
I thought it would be fine if he could help me achieve my goal.
But...
If I could rely on him, would the fog in my heart clear up? If I cried out for help, would he lend me a hand?
"...Why am I saying such silly things. Could it be that I've really fallen for him?"
Muttering those words, I chuckled self-deprecatingly.
Wanting to kill Varias is just my selfish revenge. It's not right to rely on him, who has nothing to do with it.
With that thought in mind, I raised my gaze.
Beyond the lake where I had just been bathing, there was a huge waterfall.
Even from a distance, it was a beautiful waterfall. It gave me the impression that it was fitting for the Water Kingdom of Rune Gaia.
"...?"
Suddenly, I sensed a presence and looked towards the end of the waterfall.
――Is it a magic beast? But it felt different from that somehow...
As an [Alchemist], I manipulate the flow of magic and change the properties of substances.
Perhaps because I deal with it regularly, I pride myself on being sensitive to even the slightest flow of magic.
My sixth sense-like feeling tells me that something is at the underneath of that waterfall.
Feeling a prickling sensation in my heart, I decided to walk towards that massive waterfall.
"I felt a presence around here earlier."
I arrived at the base of the waterfall and looked up.
It's a big waterfall. It's wide, and the starting point of the waterfall is so high that it's covered by thin clouds.
However, other than that, there doesn't seem to be anything particularly strange.
"Maybe it was just my imagination after all?"
As I muttered and tried to return to where I was before, I felt another presence.
――From the direction of the waterfall? No, it's from deeper...
I turned towards the waterfall where a vast amount of water was pouring down.
And, I placed my hand on the ground to summon a golem and commanded it to block the waterfall.
"T-This is..."
There was a hole that seemed to have been carved into the cliff. It was a cave leading further in.
There is something inside this cave.
Feeling a premonition, I advanced into the cave with the golem I summoned.
As I walk, I wonder if about ten minutes have passed?
"Good grief, it seems like a mouse has invaded my secret hideout."
I couldn't help but widen my eyes at the man standing in the open space.
I recognized his voice and appearance.
No, it's not just a matter of recognition.
The figure that appeared there was the white-haired demon I had been pursuing.
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