Chapter 111

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Episode 25 - Angel Marionetists [1]

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Walking through the streets crowded with people, there were food stalls, game booths, every shop was open, and decorations were everywhere.

It was the very image of a festival, and as we walked through the streets, we occasionally stopped to buy a few things.

In particular, I took the lead in buying different kinds of coffee, along with a few sandwiches I hadn’t eaten in over a month.

In any case, as far as I understand, the festival lasts two days.

Today would be the first. The festival was divided into two acts: the first day would be dedicated to trade and merchants.

Since it was a fairly well-known festival among people from outside the town, various merchants would usually come whenever it was held.

Mercenaries from the Federation would also arrive from time to time, along with people who wanted to move to the town.

The town itself slowly grew every year, according to what I heard using my senses.

’A week has already passed, and the progress has stalled at 80%. The Final Chapter will probably end today or tomorrow.’

I felt uneasy every time I remembered the Chapter’s stalled progress.

Chapter One paused at 99% progress and unfolded the way it did afterward.

That means this Final Chapter will be similar in the worst-case scenario.

In addition, I looked at Charlotte’s emotions and noticed that she also felt uneasy.

Then I looked at Isabella’s emotions.

Honestly, over the past week I had grown as attached to her as I was to Astrid.

I don’t know if it’s because both girls resemble me in a certain way when it comes to feeling that strange silence of being alien to this world.

Whenever I was completely alone, that thought gnawed at me, and if my master didn’t speak from time to time, I feel like I wouldn’t know what to do.

At that moment, the memory of the few seconds before waking up in this body came to mind.

Back then, I looked at the PC in front of me, at the character Adel that I had finished after a long day of work.

My assistant, whose name and face I can no longer remember, spoke with me, and we briefly talked about Adel at the time.

When she left, I noticed how strangely lonely the character looked.

He seemed empty. He looked like he didn’t belong anywhere.

As if he had lost everything despite never having had anything.

Then I tried testing the character, and that was when I entered Adel’s body.

But at some point, I had thought about it.

’If I had more than one life, then why did I transmigrate into Adel’s body out of nowhere?’

What if it actually wasn’t transmigration, but reincarnation?

What if the memories of my life on Earth were created within my subconscious to help me adapt the moment I awakened in Adel’s body?

Let’s say that, in reality, those memories are fake, created solely to help me adapt to this world.

That would mean I was always Adel, but only recently recovered the memories of a supposed past life.

’But then, what about the information about the future and the system? Why do I know all of that? I’m not a seer or an oracle.’

But then, if I really have always been Adel, did my birth actually happen the way I remember it?

’Let’s see, Adel’s birth was... different.’

I think he was born...

"...?"

’Wait... I feel a strange blockage.’ 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

I stopped for a second while walking in the middle of the street.

Ignoring Charlotte, who looked at me in confusion, I kept walking.

But internally, something strange was happening to me.

Somehow...

’My memories about Adel’s birth are being blocked.’

Just before that, I remembered it clearly, but out of nowhere, the moment I tried to think about it, it disappeared.

I tried to dig through my memories, but the only thing I found was information related to Holy Land.

I quickly called the system to check whether something had changed, but when I looked through it, there was nothing about it.

I tried to speak with the person writing my Fable, but I haven’t heard from the writer for a long time.

That only left me even more bewildered.

’What the hell...’

For some reason, I felt pain in my head, but that was even stranger.

I shouldn’t feel pain, any kind of pain, not while my Trait Mastery remained at its maximum.

’Ugh... fuck, alright, alright. I’ll stop thinking about my memories, okay.’

As if something had responded, the pain in my head disappeared.

My heart was beating faster than normal, and a cold sweat ran through my body.

And as my thoughts gradually became chaotic without me realizing it...

I felt someone take my hand.

I lowered my head and noticed Isabella looking at me silently, without showing any expression.

Her emotions were still exactly the same... or at least, that was what I believed.

To be honest, I stopped thinking about Isabella’s balanced emotions yesterday.

Isabella looked at me, her eyes fixed as though they could pierce through the bandage over my eyes and look directly into them.

The feeling was far too strange for a second.

Even though I didn’t know the true power of the Mythical Rank bandage, if someone gave me the feeling that they could see through it, wouldn’t that be far too strange?

Then I remembered some of Luminus’ words.

There is something special about Isabella’s eyes, some kind of unknown Trait.

I didn’t know what it was, but I felt a faint connection with my Trait: Eyes of the End.

"It’s okay."

Isabella said something that only I could hear.

"....?"

Isabella smiled faintly, still squeezing my hand as she looked forward once again.

I remained silent, somehow "looking" at her with a mixture of emotion and confusion.

’What was that?’

Isabella did not let go of my hand during all that time. Charlotte looked at Isabella and then at me.

Her emotions clearly reflected the same confusion I was feeling.

’What just happened?’

’I... don’t know.’

In any case, I left those thoughts behind and focused only on what I was doing in the present.

Even though the feeling of not belonging anywhere was still there.

’Maybe recovering all my memories can make this feeling disappear.’

***

Outside the Memory Gate where Adel was.

Veronica had already exited the Memory Gate she had entered.

Her deep black eyes scanned the surroundings and soon noticed Adel’s completely motionless body, as if time itself had frozen him.

Seated on one of the cushions beside Charlotte, both of them had a hand resting on the book’s cover.

’Ugh, entering other people’s stories is really exhausting. Watching the others was way more fun.’

Veronica got up from the floor while stretching her body.

She had spent around 45 hours literally sitting there, her body completely motionless in the same position.

Her butt hurt, and she could barely feel her legs; a tingling sensation ran through them.

Veronica nearly collapsed to the floor as she screamed internally.

’A-ah... damn it, when was the last time I felt this...?’

Her face showed various expressions as she gritted her teeth.

Shortly afterward, she let out a sigh and walked toward Adel.

She wasn’t completely sure how much progress had been made in the story of the Fallen Maiden.

She stared carefully at the book, a thoughtful expression appearing on her face.

A memory surfaced in her mind.

"According to the future memories Kim told me about, using his Authority, Circle of Memory, there should be a seal in place, just in case."

"What? Why? The course of the Fable is supposed to follow the course of your future actions."

"Yes, and manipulating the Fable should work to some extent. I’ll probably become suspicious at that point, but it’s better than remembering everything all at once, right?"

The memory passed through Veronica’s mind before fading away.

At this point, even she herself felt lost.

But since she had made that promise anyway, and her goal was not to interfere with their plans, she simply sighed and continued watching in silence.

Shortly afterward, a screen appeared before her.

〖■■■■ says that the seal has just activated and that the target’s condition is close to being fulfilled〗

"...."

’So it’s the same, according to Kim’s memories.’

〖■■■■ says this was always going to be inevitable, which is why she told Evan the results of using his Authority〗

A long sigh escaped Veronica as she looked at the pocket watch.

It was five in the morning.

’I guess it’s almost over, isn’t it?’

〖■■■■ says that no matter how you look at it, according to Kim’s memories after using his Authority and Evan’s changes, there won’t be any problems. In any case, she will interfere if necessary〗

Veronica frowned and stared intensely at the system’s words.

’Doing that will only accelerate your disappearance right now. You know he wouldn’t want that, right?’

〖■■■■ says that, in the end, he did all of this to reclaim our home〗

Veronica pressed her lips into a thin line while unconsciously clenching her fists.

She slowly nodded and reminded herself of what she had been told and the promise she had to fulfill.

’Alright... just don’t disappear, at least not until you hear his farewell.’

The system screen did not appear again after Veronica’s final words.

Amid that silence, while the cadets’ breathing reached her ears, Veronica unconsciously focused on Adel.