188 – EP.34 Forgotten Past-2
Wrong.
If cicadas ruled the surroundings during the day, it was time for crickets at night.
Still, I think the sound of crickets is better than the noisy cicadas.
‘It’s really hard to do a job in a rural area after a long time.’
I am not the body of a young man in my twenties, but a young body of 10 years old.
Even though I was in my 20s mentally, it was somewhat difficult physically.
But if you carelessly said such a thing, you would have a lengthy sermon, starting with the words that Grandpa Neui drove a cow when you were your age.
‘Even if I accept everything else, I should avoid the love story of grandma and grandpa as much as possible….’
After washing my dirty body from work, I stepped on the hall floor while rubbing my wet hair with a towel.
A cool touch from your feet.
It was summer, so it was muggy, but the main hall was always cool, so I felt good.
The day’s work is over when you go back to your room and get under the blanket with your hunger satisfied.
‘It’s a bit early for me, but….’
I already felt that my eyelids were heavy, probably because my body was about to grow.
Arriving in front of my room, I yawned lightly and opened the sliding door.
Druck-!
“Welcome. It’s the first time I’ve ever reminisced about the past, right?’
Drureuk, tak-!
When I saw a person with an androgynous appearance wrapped up in a blanket, I unknowingly shut the door again.
But of course it had to be.
Anyone is surprised when an unknown person lifts the blanket and gestures for them to come in.
Even a 22-year-old horse would run away saying, “Ah, this is Eva for me too.”
But since you can’t not enter my room, let’s talk first.
“Hey, I don’t know who you are, but it’s embarrassing if you break into someone’s house like this.”
“Don’t you know who I am?
“No, I know you’re an Ereph, but if you’re occupying my room like this…… Uh huh?”
Surely, I didn’t know what his identity was until just now.
But after only exchanging words, I remembered who he was and where I met him.
“Eref… ?”
“That is the correct answer, the divine beast’s companion!”
“What is this…….”
When I opened the closed door again, Eref, who had been lying on the bed, was floating in the air this time.
“How are you here?”
“It’s hard to forget that I am the one who created the marbles I gave you and this virtual world.”
“Did you plant your consciousness in this world as you did in the game Yata made?”
“Right. It’s just lonely to be alone with you.”
“…… I’m comfortable being alone.”
“Please don’t be cold. Instead, I will properly explain the significance that has appeared in front of you. It will definitely be the story you need.”
Eref, who has already erased my memories once, reappears casually and speaks to me.
I know he’s not a vicious divine beast, but he’s hiding too many things, so I don’t trust him.
However, since Eref was the creator of this world, I think we should listen to the story first.
“First of all, this is a world that embodies the events of your past. You are familiar with this, right?”
“Yes.”
“You will become the you of your childhood and once again look back on what happened in the past, and in it you will find the lost past.”
“But if I act completely different from the past, won’t there be a problem? I don’t remember in detail what I was doing at the time.”
“If that’s the case, you don’t have to worry. Your body will move on its own when you do something that changes the past or when there is an important event.”
“If I can’t remember the past, there is no problem.”
For example, even if I ran out to go home like this, my body would come into this room regardless of my will.
Similarly, it also meant that I would gradually come to know the past that I had forgotten as time passed.
“If you don’t believe me, go outside and take off your pants and shout.”
“If I did that, my grandmother might castrate me.”
They said that if you’re going to show it openly, you’d rather cut it off.
It is far better to trust Eref’s words than to go through such a thing.
“Anyway, for the time being, it would be better to enjoy the past with a comfortable mind.”
“Yes.”
“Finally, I intend to stick with you until you fully recover your memories. You can always talk to me if you want to ask me anything.”
“Wait a minute, you said you would stick with me all the time… ?”
“Ahahahaha! Sorry, I forgot again and didn’t tell you something important. As I said before, I am simply an avatar planted in this world. Therefore….”
Eref’s body is gradually turned into particles and scattered into the air.
I already knew that it wasn’t real, but seeing it with my own eyes made me realize that I was really in a virtual world.
Eref’s body completely disappeared into the air, but his voice could still be heard.
[Even if I disappear like this, I can tell you what I want. This is the world I created.]
“Yes. It’s all good, but if I do this, I’ll become a crazy person talking to the air by myself.”
[The same goes for you. Think about it in your head, because your intentions are fully conveyed to me.]
‘…… Ah, you mean like this? Can you hear this?’
It was my first time having a conversation with my thoughts, so it was a bit awkward.
In martial arts, there is something called transmission that secretly conveys a voice to a target, but it was different from that.
I don’t know if it’s possible to have a conversation without raising your voice at all.
Still, it’s possible because it’s a world created with the power of a large number.
[I can hear you well. How is it? If it’s this way, you’ll be able to communicate without saying anything, right?]
‘At least I won’t be treated like a crazy person.’
[Then I will stay by your side from now on. I hope you have a pleasant reminiscence time.]
After that, the faint noise that lingered in my head suddenly stopped.
The conversation with Eref, which has no substance, seems to take place in a state where brains are connected.
It must be because we have to have a conversation without words that should be used as a medium.
“It’s a fun time to reminisce… …..”
Hello, can I have a good time here?
It was a question I asked Eref, but all I could hear was my sigh.
***
“Huhhhhh… ….”
Ten days have passed since I came to the past.
I really didn’t have anything to do, so I spent breakfast, morning work, lunch, afternoon work, dinner, free time, and going to bed.
At first, Miho spent the day with a happy heart, freed from her sedentary life.
However, she gradually felt bored with her daily life, which went like a squirrel on a treadmill.
To the point where I miss Miho’s well-being.
In everyday life where nothing special happens, I feed the cow today.
“Seonju, Grandma went somewhere for a while.”
“What? Where are you going out?”
“The town hall. It’s not even a frenzy to gather villagers just because a typhoon is coming in two days.”
“Typhoon….”
It seems that the typhoon came around this time, and I stayed quietly in the house for several days.
I don’t remember much, but I remember that there were no major incidents.
“If you have given the cow all the food, you can go in and take a rest. Because Grandma will probably not come until evening.”
“Okay.”
“Tsk, I wonder if all the typhoons are coming and it’s f*cking….”
As she watched her grandmother leave, spitting out curses, she thought that if it were my grandmother, even if a divine being appeared, she would swear first.
She was also a person with that much experience, so I couldn’t say anything from the point of view of being cursed at.
Still, it’s cheesy, so I personally liked hearing her grandmother’s curse.
It’s not because there was a time when her grandmother’s restaurant was hot.
‘If it’s evening, you’ll come back much later. Is it because the villagers have to work together to reduce damage from typhoons in advance?’
It is understandable that crops may be damaged and destroyed by a single typhoon.
It’s just that it’s not even 10:00 AM yet.
Until then, I had no time to be bored because I was busy with work, but when things to do disappeared, boredom set in.
‘I suddenly miss Tia….’
If Tia had been there, this boredom would have been blown away.
But there were no other pets, let alone Tia.
‘Come to think of it, wouldn’t Miho be here somewhere?’
He is a Shinsoo who has always been by my side since I was born.
Wouldn’t Miho from 10 years ago be in this virtual world?
Although it took me nine years to properly face it, it might still be watching me from somewhere.
[If you’re talking about your pet fox, unfortunately, it’s not here.]
‘What? Why?’
[At this time, the fox blames itself for the terrible accident you suffered. So I’m going to go to Kirin to take revenge on those who bullied you and to get the strength to further protect you.]
‘Ah… ….’
The kidnapping case of the fakes that was the reason I came to the countryside for medical care.
There was no way that Miho, who cared for me from the first meeting, would take it lightly.
Then he was trained by his grandfather, a giraffe, which was a reliable enough story.
[I don’t know about you, but Kirin’s training is known to be very difficult even in the divine world. So while you stay here, you won’t meet the fox from the past.]
‘I see… ….’
[Besides, as I said the other day, it is automatically prevented from falling apart from the established past. Even if her fox is by her side, there will be nothing you can do to face her.]
‘Too many restrictions. Is there a function to speed up the flashback time? I want to move quickly to the time after the typhoon has passed.’
If we stay like this, there will be nothing left for us to do except roll around at home.
I can’t stand it because it’s boring to roll around in a poor village with no entertainment facilities.
[If you’re bored, go outside and look around. You might have an interesting experience, right?]
‘How about a fun experience?’
[I can’t tell you that, see it with your own eyes and feel it with your skin. hehehehe!]
‘A sneaky guy.’
[I’ll take that as a compliment.]
With those words, communication with Eref was cut off.
He is a Shinsoo who knows what the hell he is thinking and living.
Anyway, he told me to go outside, so I’ll follow suit.
First of all, I lightly washed my sweaty body, changed into the clothes I had when I came down to the countryside, and came out like an old woman.
I have a rough idea of the geography of the village as I have been doing various jobs in the countryside.
However, since the villagers said they were meeting at the hall, it would be quiet if we went out into the streets.
Thus, today’s destination is the back mountain near the farming village.
“Kyaa! As expected, the air in the mountains in the countryside is clearer than in the mountains behind the city center!”
For me, who always liked the fresh mountain air, I couldn’t leave out the mountain climbing.
Although climbing a mountain with the body of a young child was daunting, I couldn’t stand the cool air entering my lungs.
Should I say it’s similar to the feeling of refreshing your mouth after brushing your teeth?
Anyway, it felt good to come to the proper mountain.
‘If there is such a thing as reincarnation, I will be reborn as a druid later.’
It portrays the daily life of living peacefully while communicating with natural animals living in the mountains.
A bird on her finger, a squirrel on her shoulder, a deer nearby, and a crown of flowers on her head.
Just imagining it makes my mouth watery.
‘It’s sad that I can only imagine… ….’
As long as there is Miho’s jealousy, such a warm sight will not be possible.
Of course, even without Miho’s jealousy, it was just an empty dream that could not come true now.
Tranquil and secluded like a village in the mountains.
It seems that the animals in the mountain sensed that a typhoon was coming and moved away.
Only me and the plants are the only living creatures that can be seen in this vast mountain.
‘…… Should I stop and go back?’
I tried to take advantage of Miho’s absence to see and communicate with the animals living in the mountains.
However, since it was impossible, the purpose of climbing was also lost.
Somehow, the countermeasure meeting might end early and her grandmother might be back at her house.
That moment when I was about to turn my steps to go back.
“Poke! Poke!! Sting… !”
“Huh?”
I heard the cry of an animal in the mountains where I thought there would be no one left.
And there was a sense of urgency in those cries, so it felt like an emergency.
I wasn’t the type who could stay still after hearing this, so I ran straight to where the sound came from.
When I reached the source of the sound, I could only flinch and stop.
“Uh… ? Uhh… ?”
“Prick… ….”
A pale pink bat covered in blood here and there.
It was considerably larger than a normal bat, and had the face and tail of a squirrel.
It was unclear whether it was a flying squirrel or a bat, but I could tell at least one thing.
The animal I’m looking at now was a divine beast that I didn’t have in my memory.
[A meeting made by a typhoon that has not yet arrived.
My precious memories of summer started from this day.]