Chapter 317 - Memory (2)

Lete's Blessing.

Honestly, the name had struck me as significant the very first time I heard it. A drug named after a goddess from Greek mythology that caused “forgetfulness”—that couldn't possibly be a coincidence.

Of course, I hadn't given it much thought back then. This was a city where evil spirits openly went about their business, after all. There would have been nothing strange about the name coming from a Player.

But...

'Who would've thought that Player was me...'

First that “false rumor” Felik Barker had spread, and now this. With these things happening one after another, I couldn't even laugh. I was just sitting there in a daze when he spoke.

“No, wait a moment...”

Iphaello eyed me suspiciously.

“How did you know about that medicine? I've given out prototypes to fewer than twenty people so far.”

Oh, that.

“I heard Felik Barker received some from the lord recently.”

“Hmm, did you?”

Despite his slightly suspicious gaze, I confidently squared my shoulders. I hadn't actually lied.

Felik Barker really did have Lete's Blessing. Granted, he hadn't told me the details, only mentioning that the lord had rewarded him with an elixir made by an alchemist.

“Well, the lord has been taking an interest in him lately. I suppose that's possible.”

Iphaello accepted my explanation without making me elaborate. But apparently, one thing still puzzled him.

“But where did you hear the name Lete's Blessing?”

“I'm not sure. I think that's what they called it. Maybe I misheard.”

“Hoho, it seems they've already come up with a name for it among themselves.”

The suspicion soon vanished from his eyes.

And that settled that. I casually slipped in something I'd been curious about.

“Is that medicine safe, though? I heard you only developed it recently. Are there any other problems with it?”

“Don't worry. Apart from the inconsistent extent of memory loss, there are no side effects.”

Inconsistent, huh...

Apparently, he hadn't researched it enough yet to mass-produce it with consistent results.

“But considering what you people intend to use it for, do side effects really matter?”

“True, but what if we give it to someone and it turns out to be defective and doesn't work?”

“That would be exceedingly rare. If anything, the effect can be too strong. Even the first prototypes never failed to work.”

“Too strong?”

Perhaps, like any scholar, he was excited now that the conversation had turned to his specialty. Iphaello told me to wait a moment and fetched a box from one side of the workshop.

“Here. This is the first elixir I made.”

Inside the box he opened was a pure white pill. There were more than ten slots, but all except that one were empty.

“It looks twice as big as the one I saw.”

“Hehe, its size isn't the only thing that's greater. Taking a single one will erase almost a lifetime's worth of memories.”

“... What?”

A whole lifetime of memories, gone?

Then could you really call that defective? No, why had he even bothered making a mass-produced version when he had a better-performing prototype?

When I asked out of pure curiosity, Iphaello gave me an answer worthy of a researcher at a major corporation.

“Oh, the cost of making a single pill is enormous. The lord said it simply wasn't cost-effective.”

As a former office worker, I could understand that perfectly.

'Right. It was made to use on witnesses in the first place. Erasing a few days of memories would've been enough.'

I talked with Iphaello for another five minutes or so, and that was the end of our conversation that day.

* * *

Time continued to pass, until the day before D-day. We reviewed our plan one last time.

Well, even after we'd finished, I still wondered if it could really be called a plan... But what else could we do? Whatever happened, we had to try.

Anyway, the broad outline went like this.

1. Infiltrate the lord's castle and steal the Stone Fragment of Records.

For the record, this part was my solo mission. Apparently, there wouldn't be many troops left in the castle tomorrow anyway. Amelia seemed to think my skills were more than enough to rob a mostly empty house.

While I was at the castle, Amelia would stick close to the kid version of her older sister...

And this was where the problems with the plan began.

2. Regroup with Amelia and flee with the sisters.

That was what we'd said, but we hadn't properly worked out a single detail of this step. Even if “that bastard” came and broke the [Unsound Contract] Felik Barker had placed on Laura, everything afterward would have to be improvised.

And...

3. The Reinweils sisters get new identities on the surface and live happily ever after.

That was our entire plan. Frankly, I couldn't see it working out at all. The problem wasn't the lack of detail. It was that the most important part was missing.

[“A time period that has been observed even once cannot change.”]

Whatever we did in the past, the future remained the same, and I'd already seen more than enough proof.

Dwalki and Raven.

Barbarian hearts.

And now, Lete's Blessing.

If I'd already experienced this much, Amelia must have experienced even more. As each repetitive day rolled by, she must have felt that sense of déjà vu again and again, recalling old memories.

TAP.

Just then, something touched my forearm. I turned to see Amelia holding out a bottle of liquor.

“... You want me to drink?”

“Yes.”

“Out of nowhere?”

At my incredulous tone, Amelia answered expressionlessly.

“We don't act until tomorrow night.”

“Even so...”

“I also have something to tell you.”

Oh, she should've just said so.

I took the bottle and pulled out the stopper. It was a little funny, though. Since she couldn't get drunk before our talk, she was going to get me drunk instead. Then again, even if you were sober, it might be easier to talk when the other person was drunk.

“Ahh...”

I gulped down half the bottle in one go before speaking.

“So, what did you want to tell me? Is it important?”

“Not particularly. But... I feel as though we haven't had a proper conversation lately.”

Amelia averted her gaze as she spoke.

She was embarrassed, wasn't she?

“Uh... y-yeah...”

My own face started heating up for no reason. Or was that the alcohol? Whew, this stuff was strong. Bitter as hell, too.

I was just about to ask where she'd gotten liquor like this when Amelia called my name.

“Jandel.”

“Didn't you say we should use aliases even in our room?”

“It ends today anyway. Even if someone hears, it won't matter.”

“... So, what is it?”

“There's one thing I need to tell you.”

She quickly corrected herself.

“No, to be precise, I owe you an apology.”

“... An apology?”

The moment I heard that, I had a bad feeling. And as always, that feeling was right.

CLUNK. RATTLE.

The bottle, now more than half empty, slipped from my hand and rolled across the floor.

Ha. No wonder the liquor had been so damn bitter...

“What did you put in it?”

I brought my barely responsive arm toward my thigh as I asked. Amelia answered, her face still expressionless.

“Every drug I had that wouldn't endanger your life.”

Saying that with that face made her look like a real psychopath. Still, chilling as it was, it told me one thing.

'Right. So she isn't trying to kill me.'

I mercilessly swung the small emergency hammer I wore strapped to my thigh like a dagger. Unfortunately, it didn't work.

WHOOSH!

Amelia leaned back, and the hammer sliced through empty air.

“I knew you'd do that the moment you lowered your hand.”

I'd ambushed her every time we fought, and now it seemed she could tell what I was planning just by looking into my eyes.

“Fucking hell.”

I'd sprung to my feet, but my muscles gave out and I staggered. Amelia caught me just before I hit the floor.

Okay. Knew you'd do that.

“Ngh...!”

While she was supporting me, I suddenly moved my arm to squeeze her neck. The technical term was a triangle choke.

But this woman was no pushover either.

BAM!

A powerful blow struck my temple, sending me flying. Through my spinning vision, I saw two women. Apparently, she'd summoned a clone and delivered a high kick in that brief instant...

'I'm screwed.'

Between the drugs saturating my body and the injury to my head, I couldn't move at all.

“... You never make anything easy, do you?”

Amelia let out a hollow laugh, then picked me up and laid me on the bed. She proceeded to say her piece, regardless of what I wanted.

“I'm sorry. I don't think I can become your companion after all.”

As she turned away, I mustered every ounce of strength I had to grab her wrist.

“What... the hell... are you trying... to do?”

Amelia didn't answer. She merely pried my hand away and put on her equipment, piece by piece, her face grim, as though she were marching to her death.

Then...

“Open the drawer when you wake up.”

That was the last thing I remembered.

* * *

Amelia Reinweils looked into the mirror. She straightened her clothes and brushed back her hair, revealing the scar where part of her upper ear had been cut away long ago.

An injury that would surely be a flaw if she wished to live as a woman. But it hardly even deserved to be called a price. She had sacrificed far more to stand here today.

“...”

And yet, for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to leave. Why was that?

Standing before the mirror, Amelia examined her feelings.

First, it wasn't fear. Ever since that day, her life had been nothing more than a means to achieve her goal. That would remain true even if she changed nothing today, even if the decades she had spent pursuing that goal ended in failure.

Failure did not frighten her. If anything, even that would be a kind of salvation. Throughout her relentless pursuit, a part of her had longed desperately for that day, holding only the shield of knowing she hadn't given up until the very end.

Then what was it? What was holding her back?

“...”

Amelia turned around. She saw the sleeping barbarian. He'd been demanding to know what she was doing, his face like a demon's, yet now he was sleeping peacefully, oblivious to the world, even snoring.

She walked over to the bed, opened the nightstand drawer, and placed the note she had prepared inside. Then she turned away.

Just then, a conversation from several months ago suddenly came to mind.

[“If I manage to save your sister, and then resolve all those restrictions after we return to our own time...”]

[“... If you resolve them?”]

[“Then join my clan.”]

Even now, it was utterly absurd. Completely unrealistic, perhaps?

Still, if she allowed herself to imagine it, she thought it would have been quite fun. Exploring the Labyrinth with this foolish man would be full of all sorts of mishaps.

Yes, surely...

“Ah...”

Only then did Amelia realize why she couldn't bring herself to leave.

It was regret.

A lingering attachment to a future that would never come.

She took a step.

But feelings were only feelings. If her feet were heavy, she simply had to exert even greater strength. She did not stop walking.

CREAK.

Pausing at the door to steady her breathing, she tightened her grip and turned the handle. Once outside, she saw that the chaos had already begun.

“F-fire!!”

Flames were rising from the eastern district. Amelia moved swiftly through the crowds filling the streets.

She had lied to him, saying they would act tomorrow night...

But the day of the operation was today.