Memoirs of the Returnee

Abyss (4)

…The tranquil forest of the abyss. The blowing wind wrapped around her skin, and her heart still trembled within.

Soliette looked at Shion.

No, she looked at Shion’s abyss.

He was Shion, but not Shion, and at the same time, he was the most genuine Shion ever.

“…I wanted to protect you.”

He said so, looking down at Soliette.

“I didn’t even have the ability to do so then.”

Soliette looked up into his eyes. Deep regret and sorrow were buried in them.

“I found out too late.”

He placed his hand on Soliette’s shoulder.

“That I shouldn’t have loved you.”

Was that a wound to him?

What kind of wound was it?

Soliette bit her lip.

“…I wanted you to forget them.”

He continued in a dark voice.

“But I shouldn’t have wished for that. Because I can’t replace them.”

Abyss.

He laid himself bare like a true abyss. He revealed his everything.

Soliette pondered, her breath trembling.

Should she be hearing these words?

It was Shion’s abyss.

The emotions Shion didn’t want to reveal, the feelings he forcibly hid.

…But.

“Since when?”

She couldn’t pretend not to know the heart that had deepened as much as the abyss.

Because she already knew.

“Well.”

He gave a hollow laugh. As if he himself couldn’t remember well.

“Maybe.”

The word he floated with a sigh, and the next word he dropped was.

“Half of my life, you were there.”

It shook Soliette.

“…”

Her eyes dropped.

She couldn’t bear to face him.

“I just wish for you to live.”

Now, Soliette’s thoughts naturally assembled.

Shion, who came to her when she needed him.

When she desperately needed help, when she felt like she was letting go of herself.

The only person who came to her and repeated the words ‘Knightmare is alive’.

The grateful man who turned the empty echo into a conversation.

Despite being too much of a coincidence, she forcibly accepted them…

Love.

If it’s just that one emotion, everything makes sense.

If he had been watching over her for so long, if he had been secretly suffering and while developing affection.

The gears of the process fit perfectly without a gap.

“Half your life…”

Soliette quietly muttered, looking up at him.

──Kwaaaaaa!

Suddenly, a large explosion occurred somewhere. It was not far away.

She had a hunch.

It’s Shion.

Not the abyss, but the real Shion.

“…Go.”

He on the other side gestured. Soliette nodded, but hesitated for a moment.

What should she say to him?

What should she repay to the abyss that protected her?…

She carefully chose her words.

“Thank you for being honest.”

Fortunately, the ‘abyss’ also smiled.

* * *

──30 minutes earlier.

I led the Aventagher party. We navigated through the labyrinth [Forest of the Flowing Abyss]. There were quite a few forks in the road, but I chose all of them as I pleased.

“It seems like this is the end.”

My ‘luck’ seemed to have worked somewhat, as we arrived at the final downhill path.

At the end of the road stood a large tree, and beyond it, the fog-swallowed inner chamber, the Earl’s castle, was faintly visible.

Even the 「Treasure Hunter」is activated. My temples are buzzing.

“That’s right. I can see the castle’s inner chamber. Good job.”

Raelro patted my shoulder.

Thud-!

Céline opened the carriage window.

“Really? We’ve arrived?”

“Yes, Miss. Look.”

“……Hmm. I see the castle. It’s a fortress, huh? I don’t really like the design. It’s too old.”

“It’s not a building made to suit your taste.”

“What?”

Eric often says the right things about his sister.

Anyway.

Almost relieved, we were going down the downhill path when.

“Wait. Isn’t there more left?”

Céline narrowed her eyes and pointed her finger.

Just when I thought she was trying to find fault again.

────!

At the end of the downhill path.

The large tree that had been standing there suddenly uprooted itself from the ground.

Creak———!

It stood up.

[The Abyssal Tree awakens]

◆ A tree that lures and devours users. It is the gatekeeper of the Forest of the Flowing Abyss.

◆ Run away or confront it.

“What’s that.”

Roar────!

The tree spewed wooden fragments towards us. The knights easily deflected them due to the distance.

But, it’s gradually coming up this way. Using its roots as legs.

Raelro asked.

“Shion. That tree, it seems to have a pretty high Level.”

“That’s right.”

This is clearly a crisis of annihilation.

“Let’s retreat for a moment-”

I turned around and was startled. Zombies were rising from the forest floor.

“Hey! What are we going to do! Isn’t this a total mess?!”

Céline shouted out loud.

“Well…… That’s right.”

“What do you mean, ‘that’s right’, are you insane?”

“…….”

I looked at Céline in the carriage. Céline distorted her face in frustration.

“What are you looking at.”

I looked down again.

The carriage she was riding in.

A special carriage that resists the abyss.

“……Raelro, by any chance. Can we use this carriage?”

I asked Raelro.

“The carriage?”

“Yes. The carriage will be destroyed.”

“What? You’re saying you’re going to break the carriage now?!”

Céline interjected, her hair standing on end.

“Yes. But the reward will be much greater than this carriage. Your level will also increase a lot.”

“……Really? Really?”

Céline asked again in her still jingling tone. I nodded.

“Yes.”

“What do you think, Raelro?”

“This guys seems to be more experienced with Bethune. Let’s leave it to him.”

“Really? Then try it. If it doesn’t work, you’re responsible.”

Surprisingly, she agreed coolly.

Céline immediately got off the carriage and dusted off her clothes.

“Hey, Eric! What are you doing? Aren’t you coming out?”

Eric came out with a rather dissatisfied look on his face. Céline smirked at him.

“Why. Don’t you want to do it?”

“……Are you unusually talkative today? Be quiet before I rip your mouth off.”

“Idiot. You must be so scared that your legs are shaking, huh? Oh dear, our little Eric might wet his bed tonight. Coochie-coochie~”

“You crazy bitch. Hey you-”

“Fight later.”

I separated them and drew the 「Cards」 one after another. All 10 remaining in the deck.

Two were duds, but the remaining eight perfectly suited my purpose.

I attached them to the carriage.

Two on the front of the carriage.

Two on the ceiling.

Two on the floor.

Two on the rear.

In addition, I granted ‘Perion’ to the entire carriage.

“The task is simple. We’re going to push this.”

“Push?”

“Yes.”

If the carriage resists the abyss, its material itself probably blocks or destroys magical interference.

This means it could be used as a weapon with the right modifications.

Céline whistled.

“I see what you’re trying to do.”

“Give the signal, Shion.”

I put my hand on the rear of the carriage. The others also clung to the rear like me.

Céline rolled up her sleeves and asked.

“Hey! We really just have to push this, right?”

“Yes. Push when I give the signal.”

Snap-

I flicked my finger. Then, a crimson flame ignited from the 「Card」 on the ceiling, and the 「Card」 on the front transformed into a long spike.

“One, two. Push!”

Tadadadada───!

All six of us exerted our strength on the rear of the carriage and charged.

The carriage, ablaze, sped up rapidly, and when it gained enough acceleration, I activated the 「Card」 on the rear.

Whooooosh────!

A gust of wind blew fiercely. The carriage, freed from our hands, sped up like a jet.

─Thud!

In an instant, it crashed into the giant tree. The spike on the front anchored the tree and the carriage almost as one body.

“It’s done.”

At the same time, I activated the last two 「Cards」 on the bottom of the carriage.

It was a simple explosion.

Kwaaaaaaaaaa─────!

The carriage exploded entirely. The burning debris of the carriage was embedded in the roots of the tree. Those fragments would now tear apart the magical circuit inside the tree.

────!

The tree writhed here and there, screaming. The crimson flames spread all over its body, like an octopus being cooked alive.

“Hey! Look behind!”

The front was almost over, but as Céline said, the problem was behind.

Grrrrrrrrrrrr───!

Zombies running like mad. Faster than any ordinary car.

The one who had already approached and reached out to my clothes, however.

Swish-!

Its head flew off in a streak of sword light.

“Shion!”

The red-haired woman flying over the zombie’s head.

It was Soliette.

I was quite glad to see her, but there was no time for greetings.

“I’ll take care of this! Get down quickly!”

Level 20. An incredibly higher level than us.

The reliable woman danced with her dagger, providing cover, and we ran down for now.

* * *

[Bet Successful]

[Additional quest rewards will be given.]

◆ Level up!

◆ Level up!

◆ Level up!

◆ Level up!

[You receive all your stakes back.]

◆ The ‘Blink Bracelet’ is upgraded to ‘Blink Defense Bracelet (Rare)’.

◆ The ‘Extra Stiff Leather Gloves’ are upgraded to ‘Premium Leather Gloves (Rare)’.

◆ The ‘Comfortable Socks’ are upgraded to ‘Extremely Comfortable Socks (Rare)’.

◆ The ‘Enchantment Implant: Fruitful Body’ is upgraded to ‘Enchantment Implant: Good Fruitful Body’.

I gained a whopping four levels, and got all my stakes back.

“Thanks to this, I’ve gained three levels.”

Raelro said with a satisfied tone.

“What should we do now, Shion?”

“Let’s first gather all the dropped items and distribute them later?”

“Sounds good.”

Then, Erick approached.

“Hey. The settlement should include the price of the wagon-”

“Ugh. Why do you have to be so petty, you little shit.”

“……”

Céline cut off Erick’s words. Erick glanced around. Not at me, but at Soliette, who was standing quietly by his side.

“I was going to say that the price of the wagon should not be included.”

He changed his words.

I approached Soliette.

“Soliette?”

“……Yes, yes?”

Soliette looked at me with a slightly awkward face.

“Let’s log out now. It’s almost dawn.”

It’s been ten hours since I logged in. If I stay too long, I’ll get hungry.

“……Yes. See you in Planarium.”

“Hmm.”

Just then, Erick, who had just coughed, approached.

“Soliette. It feels like it’s been a long time since we met. Now it’s probably the second quarter of college board-”

Poof!

Just in time, Soliette logged out.

“Pffft!”

Céline, who was drinking water, spewed it out, and Erick’s face turned all sorts of colors.

“Hahaha! Ah, I’m dying of laughter because of this idiot.”

“Shut up, you crazy bitch-”

“Why do you keep calling me crazy bitch, you ignored asshole!”

While the two were bickering, I approached Raelro.

“Um. Sir Knight.”

“Hmm. Shion. What’s up?”

He, who was gathering the dropped items with all his might, looked back at me.

I asked cautiously.

“……But. Can you give me a hint?”

“What kind of hint?”

“Well…… What’s so precious in this game that Aventagher is coming for it.”

Raelro’s expression hardened slightly, but soon he looked around and whispered.

-Can you keep a secret?

I also lowered my decibel in response.

-Of course. I don’t have any friends anyway. If you tell me, I can help Aventagher too.

-……In that case.

Raelro put his mouth to my ear.

-That connection said. This game [Bethune]…… could become a part of reality.

-……

A part of reality.

Without realizing it, I furrowed my brows.

-A part of reality?

-Yes. We’ll have to meet him in person to hear the details. But I suggest you continue leveling up your account. Everything we have, everything we obtain, could become reality.

Bethune could become a reality.

Was this an event that didn’t occur before my regression?

I’m not sure about the details. My life was saturated by aggressive cancer treatments for about a year or two.

-“Yes. Please contact me if anything happens. I’ll help as much as I can.”

-“Alright.”

“Raelro! What are you two talking about?”

Céline looked at us suspiciously. Raelro answered nonchalantly.

“We just added each other as friends.”

“……Friend request?”

“Yes.”

I nodded at her.

“Well then, I’ll be going-”

“Hey!”

Céline grabbed me. She spat out in a sharp voice.

“Do it with me too. Friend request.”

[Céline has sent you a friend request.]

“Uh… Sure.”

I have plenty of room in my friend list anyway.

I accepted her friend request.

“You should feel honored, you know.”

“Yes.”

No matter what Céline says, the best response is always “yes”. I know this well from past experience.

“Then, I’ll be going.”

I waved my hand and pressed the logout button.

* * *

The waiting room of [Bethune].

「Notepad」

■ Memory

└Skills

I created a separate subfolder called [Skills].

I plan to move not only 「Card Draw」 but also 「Dice Roll」 into Memory.

「130 / 156」

Thanks to the S-grade mana core given by Akane, I have plenty of capacity.

“Phew.”

First, I activated the skill 「Dice Roll」.

Just like when I moved 「Card Draw」 into Memory…

“Memory.”

I moved everything into 「Notepad」.

「Notepad」 [135/156]

:Card Draw

:Dice Roll

Sure enough, the consumption capacity is only 5.

If this game is becoming a 「reality」, it would be reasonable to assume that it has some connection to reality.

“I wonder if this will work.”

I pulled out an [Enchanment Pill] from my inventory.

「Enchanment Transplant: Fruitful Body」

◆ Every 12 hours, a very beneficial fruit is produced in your body.

This is an enchanment literally ‘within the game’.

I’m not sure if it will work or not, but

“Gulp-”

Anyway, I swallowed the pill.

A strange sensation spread inside my body.

[Enchanment Applied: Fruitful Body]

◆ From now on, every 12 hours, a very beneficial fruit will be produced in your body.

There’s no need to worry.

Whether it works or not, all of this… goes into 「Notepad」.

“Ugh!”

[143/156]

It’s been memorized in the 「Notepad」, but it consumed quite a bit of capacity.

“……Is it because it’s an ability that’s detached from reality?”

It seems like that might be the case. Dice Roll, Card Draw could somewhat exist in reality, but Fruitful Body?

In what reality would such a body exist?

“Phew……”

But, there are still three more left.

This time, it’s items.

「Notepad」

■ Memory

└Skills

:Card Draw

:Dice Roll

└Enchantment

:Fruitful Body

└Items

I carefully categorized the folders. I pulled out the 「Blinking Defense Bracelet」, 「Premium Leather Gloves」, and 「Extremely Comfortable Socks」 from my inventory.

If I can ‘Memorize’ the performance of the items, I just need to memorize them first and then infuse them into the bracelet, gloves, and socks in real life.

“……Memorize.”

At that moment, I felt a pain as if the Magic Core was being torn apart, and my consciousness cut off.