[Memory I] The Shining Truth and the Beginning of the End

I thought as long as he was there…

As long as he was there by my side…

…then I could do anything.

But now…

I…

To survive for long in the slums, you needed an edge. Wits, money,

power, influence. My parents had none of them. When muggers killed

them…I lost everything. Everything, that is, except the will to live. For I had

a hope that let me dispel all the pessimism and despair.

"Remy! Look at all the grub I got for us tonight!"

"Wow! That's amazing, big brother! I've never seen so much white

bread at once!"

Remy, my dear little sister. With her, even the dirty corner of a filthy

street felt like paradise. She was the distillation of my hopes—my dreams.

"One of the adventurers fed me already, so this is all for you."

"Wow, really?!"

"Yeah, I'm so full, I'll burst if I have another bite."

So long as she was happy, then it didn't matter how much I starved.

"I can't believe normal people get to eat this every day. It's so yummy,"

she said.

"Yeah," I replied. "But we'll live like that soon. Just you wait."

Very soon now, I would be twelve. Then I would be able to register with

the guild as an adventurer and be officially recognized as a working-class

citizen. That was when my life could—

"Rgh…!"

My right arm ached, interrupting my thoughts.

"Big brother? What's wrong?"

"N-nothing. I just hurt it while working, that's all."

As far as Remy knew, I helped carry adventurers' equipment for them,

but that wasn't true. Instead…I sold my body for a pittance a day, but I could

never tell her that.

"You wouldn't believe the adventurers I met today…!"

I made up stories about the brave men I'd worked with and the source of

my injury.

…The real reason was that a customer had been rough with me. His

leering eyes were scorched into my mind. I forced myself not to throw up at

the thought so that I could go on protecting my sister's smile.

"You're amazing, big brother. Soon you'll be a hero, and everyone will

love you! Just like Claire, the Hero of Salvation!"

Remy loved Claire. She was young and a girl just like her, and yet she

was a famous hero. She made an excellent role model for my little sister.

"Big brother? Do you think I'll ever be like her?"

An adventurer, she meant. I didn't want that life for her… But I couldn't

risk harming that wonderful smile.

"Of course! I bet you will! You'll be a hero just like Claire and go on

adventures, and…"

"No, that's not what I mean," she said, shaking her head. She was

innocent, pure…and precious.

"If I become like Claire, I want to stay right here and protect the people

of this town. They all look so tired, day after day… I feel sorry for them."

"I see. You're a kind girl, Remy."

I was proud of her. In a world of darkness, she was the blinding light.

For her, I could do anything, take any pain…and sink to any low.

"Now then, it's time for bed."

"Okay. Nighty night, big brother."

We cuddled up to each other by the side of the road, using each other's

body heat just to keep ourselves from freezing to death. This was how we

survived the nights, but very soon now, all that would change.

Remy and I would move up in the world.

That was what I believed.

That was what I wished for.

But the world was never content to let me be happy.

After work the next day, I came back to Remy. It was dangerous in the

slums, so whenever I wasn't around, she hid in the ruins of an abandoned

building. There was a hidden room there that only we knew about. There,

she would remain safe. Nobody could possibly harm her.

So when I came back, I didn't believe what I saw at first.

"Rgh…!"

As I entered, something crumpled beneath my feet. However, the

nightmare before my eyes commanded my total attention.

"Re…my…?"

I couldn't even tell at first glance whether she was my precious little

sister or not. That was how badly she had been hurt. Broken.

Her naked body was covered in bruises, and her arms and legs were all

bent out of shape. She was coated in a layer of semen and urine.

"Big…brother…"

"Hrh…! Remy!"

She was breathing. Faint breaths that felt like they might disappear at

any moment, but my sister was alive. I ran over to her and picked her up.

"I'll save you…!" I said. "Don't worry; I'll take care of you!"

Then I ran. I ran as fast as I could.

"Please, somebody help! It's my sister! She needs help!"

I felt like I was going to spit up blood and vomit, but still I ran.

"Please! Please! My sister's going to…! She's going to…!"

I ran. I ran all the way, with my sister on my back, to a clinic and went

inside.

But everywhere I went, I heard the same thing.

"Get out."

And if I tried to stand my ground, their security would throw us out.

Both of us, onto the cold, hard ground outside.

"Remy…! Ahh, Remy…!"

I recognized the eyes of the people walking by on the street. They

weren't seeing people. They were seeing trash lying in the road.

"This can't be happening…! It can't…it can't be happening…!"

My sister wasn't infected. She didn't have Blue-Eye or anything.

Anyone could have saved us just by offering a helping hand. Just by lending

a bed, some medicine, or first aid.

That was all anyone needed to do to save my sister's life.

"Urgh…urgh…!"

My legs gave out. I couldn't even stand anymore. The two of us fell to

the ground.

My sister was no longer breathing.

I never even heard her last words or knew at what moment she had

departed this world.

"…Remy."

I cried. Over my sister's cold body, I cried.

But soon my tears dried up. I was left with only a single question.

"Why?"

Why had this happened? I knew the answer.

It was them. Those who looked at us and treated us like dog turds. They

had killed her.

At that moment, all my sadness and grief disappeared…to be replaced

by a violent fury. I stood up, heedless of the fact my legs felt like they would

tear themselves apart.

I had to kill them. Nothing else mattered.

Just then, as I perched on the verge of madness, about to remove

everything that made me me and replace it with a mindless, bloodthirsty

rage…

"Give it up, boy."

I jumped. I growled like a beast and threw myself at the voice. No plan

or anything. Impulsive, automatic…and weak. No matter how much I

punched, no matter how much I kicked, no matter how much I bit, I couldn't

inflict a single mark.

"…If only I'd found you sooner," the voice said.

I watched as a single tear flowed from their eye. Then I finally realized

who it was.

Scarlet hair and a mature, adult charm. She was exactly as depicted in

my sister's drawings.

Claire Redheart, the second Hero of Salvation, kneeled before my

sister's body and said, "May your rest be eternal salvation."

Shedding tears of anguish, she prayed for her. Seeing her, I…

"What can you possibly do for her now?"

I was overcome with such a strong emotion that all my anger from just

moments ago seemed to vanish.

"What can you possibly do for her now?! Why show up now, when

there's nothing you can do?!"

I could see, the woman bore us no ill will. She didn't discriminate

against us or try to get rid of us. But I hated her. That was why I hated her. I

hated her so much, I couldn't stand to look at her.

"Why now?! Why…?"

Another question formed in my mind. Why did this misfortune have to

happen now, of all times? Tomorrow was my twelfth birthday, and I would

finally become an adventurer. I would finally be able to escape that rubbish

heap we called a home.

So why did she have to show up now? If she'd been just a few minutes

earlier, she could have saved my sister.

Why? Why? Why? Why?

"Wrooaaaaaaaaaahhh!"

The tears I thought long since dry came back. I cried and I punched her

in the face. It didn't hurt her at all, of course, but I still did it. I had to.

"You're right. I was late. It was all my fault."

Claire picked up my sister's lifeless body, even dirtying her own clothes

to do so.

"We shall mourn her. Come."

I followed her. I had no choice. To a nearby church. We cleaned her

corpse and listened to the priest's words. We encased her in a coffin and

buried her in the graveyard.

It was obvious what would happen next. The hate and disgust swirling

within me would not go away. With time, the grief would grow to envelop it.

And so, as I stood alongside Claire before my sister's grave, I asked her,

"Kill me."

"No," she answered.

I glanced at the sword at her waist.

"Then give me that, and I'll do it myself."

Claire looked me straight in the eye with a determined frown and said,

"No. I won't let you die."

The darkness still dominated my mind.

"But there's no reason to go on living! Remy's gone! My sister! My…"

My everything. Without that, what worth was there in remaining on this

earth?

"You have a duty," said Claire. "She is gone, but you remain. That is

why you must carry on and do the things she cannot."

She roughly combed my hair with her hand, preventing me from talking

back.

"From now on, you shall be my apprentice."

Thus began my life with Claire. She forced me to become an adventurer

and subjected me to harsh training day after day. I didn't even have time to

mourn my lost sister.

Sometimes, when her back was turned, I would grab a knife and decide

to end it all. But she always appeared out of nowhere to stop me. Then,

every time, she would hug me tightly and say, "Don't let it win."

No matter how many times I tried, she would not let me die. She just

hugged me and, in doing so, dispelled my reckless delusions.

The dungeons, the villages, the towns, the fields, the snow, the heat, the

wilds. Wherever she went, Claire Redheart brought salvation with her. An

unconditional, unceasing salvation.

This was the person my sister idolized. This was who she wanted to be.

Perhaps that was the reason that, after a while, I found myself looking up to

her as well. I found myself wanting to be like her too. And in the process,

my desire to die gradually faded, and in its place, a dream was born.

"Master. I'm going to be a hero. But not like you. I'm going to be

famous, gain favor with the church, and become a politician. I will change

this world from the inside. I will grant freedom and equality to all and create

a world where nobody needs to be unhappy."

It was the same dream Remy had once told me. Now it had become

mine. A childish, unreasonable, unattainable dream, but I wouldn't let

anyone dissuade me from it.

And then, one day, I met a man who shared my dream.

"You have a choice, Nameless. Stand with humanity or live as a fiend."

"I want…to live among humans. Even if they never accept me."

It was a strange ghoul that Master had picked up. To be honest, when

we first took him in, I found his presence vexing, but…

"When people are in trouble, I want to help them… Just like you and

Master do."

The more I got to know him, the more I saw him as a valued friend.

"If you don't have a name, then how about I give you one? To celebrate

you officially becoming a member of our party."

Leon Crossheart. That was what I named him. And before I knew it, he

had become someone very special to me.

"…It's a funny thing, Master, to think of someone as family, even

though we're not related."

"If that's crazy, then I must be the maddest woman in the world."

I came to think of him as my younger brother, despite the fact he was

taller than me and not very cute at all.

But whenever I looked at him, it felt for a moment like Remy had come

back to me.

"All I ever do is hold you guys back."

"Don't worry about crap like that. Isn't it an elder sibling's job to look

after his kid brother?"

This time, I would be ready. This time, I would not let him die. I would

protect him. I wouldn't let him end up like her.

For him, I could do anything. Our bonds were unbreakable.

"…Anyway, that's pretty much everything that's happened to me."

In one room of the vast, sprawling mansion, I finally reached the

conclusion of my story. After all that, the man sitting across from me only

had one thing to say.

"I see."

Leon didn't try to offer sympathy or pity. He only listened. Listened to

everything I had to say. Just as Master usually did.

"You really are the best partner a man could ask for, you know?"

My smile was met only with his characteristic indifference. But there

was another face—a true face—lurking beneath the mask. A smile of

triumph.

"By the way, Rheina, I think we can safely say I win again, don't you?"

He eyed my presumably bright red face and the empty casks of alcohol

scattered around the place.

"Don't you think it's time to throw in the towel?"

"Huurh?! I ain't drunk yet! You're drunk!"

In a display of spirit, I grabbed another mug and attempted to down the

contents…only to quickly have my limits reiterated.

"Bleeegh…"

As I emptied my guts, Leon only took a calm sip and spoke gently.

"Heh. How is it you can be my superior in blade and arm and yet be so

truly inadequate when it comes to holding your drink? It feels good to finally

be able to beat you at something."

"Don't you realize how pathetic that sounds?"

"Not at all. It's kind of nice, actually."

The wine of victory must truly be as sweet as they say. Leon even

hummed a tune as he drank it.

"You really are the best partner ever, you son of a bitch."

My previous line returned with a hint of irony. Just then, I heard

footsteps coming our way.

The door swung open, and in walked Claire Redheart, our teacher and

mother.

"…Master, there you are," said Leon.

"I guess you're all done with work?" I ventured.

"Yeah, I—" she replied, then she saw the state of the room she had just

entered. "Wh-what the hell have you doooooone?!"

Judging from her screams, you'd think the end times had come.

"Oh, sorry we didn't wait for you, Master, but it's nothing to scream

about…"

"Not thaaat! I spent ages maturing that wine! It was going to go down as

the greatest taste in history!"

"Oh. Guess we fucked up, partner."

"…Hold up," said Leon. "What's this 'we' business? As I recall, you

were the one who arranged all this."

"That's true, but if we count up how much we each drank, then I think

you'll find you're no angel either. In fact, it was basically all you, so if you

think about it, this is kind of your fault."

"What sort of logic is that? This is the thing about you, you're always

—"

"You're both to blame!" yelled Claire, bonking us over the head in sync

before proceeding to give us a stern telling-off. So far, same as always.

Except…

"Now, then. Now that I've calmed down, it's time to say what I came

here for."

Something about her changed. She seemed to grow serious, and that

could only mean one thing.

"Oh no, it's not another boring job, is it?"

"The church hasn't mistaken us for their errand boys, have they,

Master?"

Leon and I voiced our concerns.

"It's Night Walker," said Master. "You've heard of them, I presume?"

"I don't think anyone hasn't," Leon replied.

"They're famous. Assuming they're still alive, we should try to get their

autograph."

Master sighed at my little jest and continued.

"Unfortunately, I think the only thing you're likely to get from them is a

knife in the throat."

"…Huh? You mean…"

"That's right. Our job is to take them down."

"Whoa, seriously?"

I hadn't expected a job like that. While I was still reeling in shock, Leon

answered her.

"…Night Walker is a criminal genius who has eluded the authorities for

almost seventy years. They're beyond our expertise. Besides, we specialize

in fiends, not men."

"You're quite right. Which brings me to my next point."

Master spoke on. Of the truth surrounding that enigmatic figure.

"This has only recently been proven," she said, "but…they aren't

human. They're a Red-Eye, just like you, Leon."

"…I see. In that case, I can see how my power would come in handy."

"Right. You have the power to see into a fiend's past. Using that, we

might be able to find some clues."

Master unfurled a map onto the table. It was a map of Yugosland, the

Holy City.

"Just the other day, Night Walker incited a riot here, in the seventh

district. The corpse of their victim, and the message written in their blood,

have been preserved exactly as they were."

"Then we should head over and investigate."

I nodded at my partner's words and stood up.

"A legendary killer, huh? Not a bad adversary, if you ask me."

Leon rose to his feet as well and declared, "I was hoping to try out a

new technique I've been preparing. I will bring back Night Walker's head,

mark my words."

It was like he was saying, "I won't let you hog all the glory." I smiled,

and said, "In that case, let's make it interesting. Whoever fails to catch the

killer has to treat the other to a top-class Veil Meat steak."

As we sealed the deal by touching fists, Master sighed and said, "Just

don't let down your guard, okay?"

Everything was just as it always was. At that moment, I hadn't the

slightest suspicion that this case would be anything other than another

pebble in our path, so easily kicked aside.

But that all changed when I met him.