43 – Small Doubts
Family ties are born with us.
In every beat of the heart, in every flowing drop of blood throughout the body, in every single cell that makes up our being, the bond of blood is like an indelible mark. We can even say that we are “resembling” it.
The man who serves by picking up rocks in the potato field resembles me.
First, I could find similarities in our features. The shape of the nose, the arch of the eyebrows, a refined jawline that leans more toward delicacy than masculinity. The orderly shape of the teeth revealed when he sighs.
Next, it’s the tousled black hair. The visible veins when he sighs, the slightly pale skin tone, and the second joint of the index finger that stands out unusually.
What else?
Yellow eyes that seem to exude a moldy odor. Weariness that resides in the eyes, instead of hope for the future. Occasional hints of annoyance and pain. Wrinkles that represent the passing of time, and…
“I have a question.”
“Oh my, aren’t you the wizard⋯⋯. You’re a different person this time. Are you going to take him away again? I’m not ready yet.”
I sensed a gritty undertone in the deliberately muted tone. I’ve felt something similar before. From a senior at school asking for a favor.
It means being hesitant.
As I gazed at the back of my father, who was stooping down and groveling before me, I narrowed my eyes. This person couldn’t recognize me.
An inexplicable impulse pricked at my mind. It was an impulse telling me that I should resent and be angry at that man, but it felt unfamiliar. It seemed like the memories had faded, but the emotions remained.
A sensation of cooling blood washed over me after a long time. It felt like becoming a cold-blooded animal. My chest turned cold, while my head burned.
Let’s gather our thoughts.
1) I regret my father.
2) He did not recognize me.
3) He regularly handed something over to the wizard.
I carefully selected my words in my mind. I couldn’t get angry with an emotion I didn’t even know. I wanted to know everything, starting with the goal of ‘extracting information from my father.’ It’s time to start the roleplay.
Taking on the appearance others expect from me is the basics.
A fawning gesture ＜= Father seems to be more clearly below ‘business partners’ than above.
It’s better to talk in a condescending tone.
Not ready yet. ＜= It’s an excuse. He wants to escape from his own mistakes.
Well then, let him escape.
“I have no intention of blaming you. I came to see how things are going these days.”
“Oh, I see… Is that, um, going well? You seemed to have a hard time last time.”
This time it’s someone else. ＜= Father was aware that I was a different person from the ‘previous visitor.’ Asking, ‘Is that going well?’ is a sign of vague suspicion.
Physical signs are also visible. His pupils subtly shifted. Presumably, my ‘leniency’ made Father suspicious in reverse. Father’s ‘business partners’ don’t seem to have a good personality in general.
It’s better to be a bit more demanding.
“Whatever you heard from the predecessor, it’s none of your business. Am I in a position to report everything to you?”
“Oh, no… Of course not.”
It’s the countryside. What trade goods could there be to ‘take away’ here? It won’t be potatoes. If someone doesn’t seem attached to farming enough to shake a fist at taking even a single potato seed, it’s unlikely.
If there’s a group where all members are generally considered to have a ‘bad personality,’ what would it be? This was a quite decisive hint.
Originally, why did he mistake me for a ‘business partner’? There must have been clear evidence to confidently initiate a conversation like that. Towards me.
I tightened the grip on my neck a bit.
“Let me ask again. How is everything going these days?”
“We have a problem with the newly formed goblin stronghold next door. Those damn dwarves set up camp, and naturally… as you know, productivity has been declining, right?”
Father seemed to subtly assess the situation, but the clues were coming together. It was time to provide an answer.
There might be some logical leaps.
But even if my answer was wrong, it was okay.
They were diligently preparing enchanting spells behind me. If I messed up, I could use magic. So, I could afford to be a bit rough with my words.
Let’s recall the words of my newfound friend, Ping Vallez, who had become quite close in our short carriage journey. At the entrance to the village, she had mentioned something strange.
There was no typical reaction that should be expected when a stranger entered the village.
I thought it was because I had called mercenaries to exterminate the goblin stronghold… but maybe it wasn’t. Let’s think about it carefully.
The mercenaries were staying at the chief’s house, idling around. If the village had enough money, they would have hired different mercenaries. They had to push back the goblin stronghold and deal with unruly mercenaries.
But they didn’t. According to what the tower mage said, the mercenaries had been staying for quite some time. They probably didn’t have the money to drive them away, so they let them live like that. In summary, the recent visit of an outsider to the village had only happened once.
“Thinking about it, it’s a story that the outsider has been coming in frequently recently. There’s a high chance that there’s a magician among the group.”
Originally, there were no magicians in the mercenary group. The tower mage also said it had been a while since he visited the village. Then why didn’t the villagers show any interest in me or Ping Vallez?
Because it was familiar.
The reason my father mistook me for a “client.”
Because it was familiar. The attire.
Distinctive attire.
The purple hood of the tower mage was familiar.
So, what did we trade?
This is the final reminiscence to find out. The earliest memory I remember, the time I entered the purple tower. How did I reflect on that time?
I was reborn as a commoner in a fantasy world.
I shouted for the status window, but nothing appeared.
Not strong, not of high status either, I thought I would end up spending my life growing potatoes with my parents. Surprisingly, I had the talent of a great magician.
No wonder mental arithmetic came easy to me.
I was drawn to a place called the Magic Tower and received countless love calls from the magic tower residents.
…Drawn, indeed.
I spat at my father.
“Do you remember the son you sold off ten years ago?”
“Oh, that annoying brat. Wouldn’t listen even when grown up…”
“I see.”
That was enough.
I cast the illusion magic I had been preparing. My father lost consciousness and collapsed. When he woke up after a nap, he would probably frequently confuse left and right. 50% probability.
————-
“See you later!”
“Aren’t we never going to see each other again?!”
I exchanged a brief farewell with the tower’s wizard.
————-
On the way back, I grumbled.
“So, well… Even without looking, it was probably something obvious. That’s why I’m giving up on finding my memories.”
“I see.”
“But you should think about it a little more. I understand that fathers have been selling their children, and that I was sold ten years ago. Maybe the whole village has been involved in human trafficking. But from the way you speak, it seems like there has been recent trading, right?”
“Yes. The villagers don’t act so familiar with something they saw only once ten years ago. It’s probably certain that there has been recent trading.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯.”
“Do you doubt it?”
“It’s one of the two.”
1. Someone at the Purple Tower, or someone pretending to be, has been consistently procuring people. Yuna still doesn’t know about the wicked culprit hiding at the Purple Tower.
2. I don’t know anything about the Purple Tower.
From Noble mtl dot com
I knew it was a rather foolish question, but I couldn’t bear not asking.
“Which one do you think it is? Ping Balleza.”
“If I pick number 2, will you cry your heart out?”
“I’ll laugh.”
“Then there’s no need to lie. I think it’s number 1.”
“Why?”
“Unless you’re a complete fool, how could you not recognize that look in their eyes? It’s as if the tower owner’s eyes are dripping with honey when they look at you.”
“?”
“⋯⋯Complete fool.”
————-
A butterfly landed in a remote forest.
The rough mercenaries had a plan to ambush the arrogant magician, have some fun, and then disappear from the village.
As they checked their equipment and prepared for a surprise attack in a suitable thicket, they encountered the butterfly.
Gazing closely, it was a person.
Their expression remained hidden beneath a large, crushed hat. Twin tails of blond hair tied to the side swayed gently. They tightly held a spiral-shaped staff within their embrace.
“Sir, that thing…”
The youngest mercenary pointed with his finger towards the edge of the forest. Mercenaries turned their heads one by one, looking at the petite and delicate-looking mage.
“Seems like a lost lady, but if we’re going to wander in this area anyway, wouldn’t it be okay to capture one more?”
“True, we were about to pick a village and things went awry. Honestly, two are not enough. Right? Looks ample in the chest too.”
“Are you blind? She looks like there’s nothing to eat… But still, her face is half-and-half, so it’s good.”
“No, what are you all talking about… That thing over there, no matter how you look at it, isn’t human?”
Silently, the staff was pointed at them. Except for one, the mercenaries couldn’t feel a sense of danger. The violet magic circle subtly trembled like a sigh.
“We don’t want to get blood on his hands. Yeah, it’ll worsen.”
“What are you muttering?”
“So, these people here… let’s just pretend they were never here.”
“Sir, we should-!”
“Uka (羽化) -『Disappear』.”
Light flashed from the staff. Thanks to the youngest mercenary crouching and covering his head in surprise, the beam didn’t hit him directly. It merely brushed past his hands.
A brief silence.
When he lifted his head again, his fellow mercenaries stood frozen, staring blankly without blinking. They didn’t breathe. Their expressions didn’t change. There was no focus. Upon closer inspection, they seemed already dead.
The surviving mercenary, in an attempt to resist, tried to draw his sword in fear. But since ‘ ‘ didn’t exist for him, he couldn’t. Because the sword needed to be pulled out by moving the arm, grabbing the ‘ ‘ with ‘ ‘, and it was an object that should be pulled out.
“…Huh?”
It felt like something that should be there wasn’t there.
At the end of a person’s arm, there should have been a ‘ ‘, but it seemed like it wasn’t originally there. Then, how was the sword supposed to be drawn? After pondering all sorts of wisdom, the mercenary slipped the sword’s ‘ ‘ handle onto his elbow. His body trembled with an unbearable fear. Something was wrong.
The magician murmured, “You, you… have a small but strong spirit. If you came to the purple tower, ah, if you did well… you might have been able to reach the myth. Right now, you’re just a level 4 mercenary…”
“U-ugh… aaahh–!!”
The scream was cut off midway. It was because he couldn’t make a sound without ‘ ‘ and couldn’t even breathe without ‘ ‘. He twisted in agony, clutching his throat in the diminishing oxygen.
“Hush.”
When the flash passed once more, he was nothing.
“『Burial』.”
The mother earth ingested five lifeless bodies that could no longer think. They existed meaninglessly, but on the day life ended, they would return to nature by decaying.
It was an event that took place in a certain forest.
How did she use Burial, which seems to be an earth magic?
…
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