35 - Astilbe (2)

PING!

PING!

Eros touched his right arm and a pink transparent screen lit up as a series of notification sounds rang out. Just seeing these messages made Eros lazy to read them.

{... I know you're upset about what's going on, but stay calm. Please let them live. I can give you blah-blah-blah-blah...}

Eros scrolled down and came to the last message.

(Seriously, whatever it costs, don't kill them, I'll compensate them for the damage they did, blah blah blah...)

When he saw that the last text was also a long one, Eros gave up his intention to read the text as long as the Nile and went straight to the text: Do not kill them.

Ramiel underestimated him too much, if "he" knew that there were people who treated him like this, he would probably laugh and make fun of him, saying that he was too quiet and too flat, similar to a grumpy cat.

He also knew that what is considered right is not always right, and that there will be mistakes in life. Even a shield that is for the protection of people has a dark side. The unjust deaths that they see are falling on the banyan tree, and so is their hatred for this tree.

Unfortunately, their freedom has been taken away from them. But as long as the banyan tree stands firm, they will never be able to get out of its reach.

The more the tree struggled for survival, the more the damage to the tree was visible.

Sometimes, because of the damage, he had to go back to the cave to check on the tree's condition, and it was possible that they were very upset that someone had prevented them from being free.

It was possible that they had taken out their frustration on Eriu, trying to incite him. Maybe they thought it would be faster and affect the people around him, so bad rumors would spread about me and people would flock to kill me.

Or because there's someone behind it.

Use these rumors to get rid of me and cover everything up after I die.

As long as they can use one to hide themselves and the other to get rid of their enemies, their crimes will be covered by the dust they create, like two factions with different minds using each other.

(I didn't do anything.)

Ramiel couldn't help but pat her chest, feeling that she could finally calm down after still waiting for an answer from yesterday. Problem was, her boss' habit of ignoring messages sometimes affected her badly.

(But don't expect me the second time.)

The next message would make her tense again. And even then, her life might be at stake.

(Not to mention the notifications of every message, do you think it feels good to be stung every time you get one?)

Plak!

That's when the phone she was holding fell on her face with a loud bang, but Ramiel froze as if she felt no pain, even her face was now as pale as a living corpse.

PING!

Upon hearing this notification, Ramiel picked up her fallen phone. 

(What race are nymphs?)

"?"

When she saw the question, her departed soul immediately re-entered and soon Ramiel became her professional self.

{Freak.}

The answer that appeared on the pink, transparent screen immediately made Eros, the reader, rub his eyes to make sure he hadn't read it wrong.

(To me, they are the most brutal race compared to the Shadow Races, who are known for their cruelty. Especially with the fact that they are few in number and live alone, meaning you're lucky to meet a normal one).

Ramiel remembered the characteristics of Ariadne that Eros had told her, she didn't even believe it herself and thought that Ariadne was the abnormal one. To her, it was Eriu who looked more normal.

Because that was the identity of the race of the nymphs.

The past obsessed.

Considering that 'he' alone gave her goosebumps, she would rather have no friends than be friends with the bringer of destruction.

'Am I lucky enough?' The question suddenly arose. {Were they brutal to begin with, or were they made to be brutal?}

{They were made to be brutal. As long as their so-called 'old memories' come back, they will change completely. Didn't your friend change slowly? Well, that's because of the 'old memories' factor. I don't know the details, but from what I've heard, those 'old memories' will continue to haunt them, and even the disturbance won't be able to disappear and haunt them forever.} 

Eros shifted to lie on his stomach as he typed his message, {'Old memories'?}

{Each nymph has their own 'old memories' and that is why most of them think their lives are for redemption.} Slowly, Ramiel recalled her past life, their encounters, their adventures, and their respective slaughters.

"..." She paused for a moment before continuing, (One of them once told me that their 'old memories' exist to remind them of their past sins.)

At that time, death approached the young man, but he continued to try to defeat the enemy even after his eyes were useless, everyone told him to rest, but he shouted to those who cared.

'THIS IS FOR THE SAKE OF PENANCE!

"...My sins will never go away until I fulfill my assigned duties..." This phrase echoed in her head, keeping her standing.

{This is also the reason why the nymph race is a handful.}

{Although that's how humans define them, but for me, their life back is a form of freedom, their 'old memories' are likely to remind them to live their lives the way they wanted to before.}

Eros took his eyes off the screen and tried to remember everything Eriu had ever said and done. Going into the forest alone at night was also quite strange.

- ... I'll kill you again!

- You'll never understand everything!

- Stop saying it was a hallucination!

... His condition was really bad. Eros was aware that if Eriu didn't control himself, he would probably die of self-mutilation. 

But if he remembered the 'old memories', shouldn't he come back to life? But why was it that there was something strange about all of this?

An audible notification jolted Eros out of his reverie, {I remember you said that your friend was on some kind of medication, right? Which means he's going to use this method.}

{?}

(Using a demon who eats their 'old memories'.)

A big question mark appeared on Eros' face: {Demons? Haven't you slaughtered them long ago? Or he should worship your brothers and sisters from the evil faction and become their incarnation?} 

Eros knew that there might still be some survivors, like those stray dogs, he could vaguely feel the aura of 'rage' emanating from them.

(Um, you're not wrong, but demons aren't the only 7 who once ruled the world).

(Some of them are still in hiding, and some are trying to adapt to the new environment. Take your friend's mother, for instance. She has a demon with her, and she seems to be very good friends with it.)

(Those eyes you see are demons trying to adapt and befriend your friend's mother. You could say that I've been helped since they came to this village. Before they came, many of the villagers were incited to enter the cave, but after they came, the casualties decreased and even disappeared). 

Obviously, the demons wanted to absorb all the negative thoughts that were in the forest, because they often hung out there. Unfortunately, the demons failed to stop them, and they got loose and almost killed the master's son.

{In the past, demons were known for their efficient thinking, which is why they are often defined by evil. They also often kill for pleasure, but they are actually very weak, so in order to stay on the highest throne, they absorb people's memories and make them their strength.}

{Their traits are also very similar to those of the nymphs, except that the nymphs are brutal about redemption, while the demons are crazy about power.}

"Ah..."

For the first time, Eros felt that the messages Ramiel was sending him were not bad. At first he thought the eyes were the same as the black particles and wanted to kill them first as a threat to the others, but the sting of the electricity made him stop his intention.

{Seeing how familiar they are, the demon must see that Eriu, the master's child, is very attractive}. And of course, he's delicious!

(And it's also common for nymphs to attract demons.) That's why most of the nymph race and the demon race died from stabbing each other.

Anyway, it's just an old story.

For some reason, Ramiel chose to hide this other fact. After all, that kid named Eriu was also trying, and her boss was also worried. Well, this way Eriu, whose friends are only a handful, will get a new comrade-in-arms.

It looks like it...

***

"What the heck?" Eriu rubbed his eyes a few times to make sure that what he saw was not wrong, but still he saw something disgusting in front of him.

Axel should have been facing forward, so the back of his head should have been nothing but hair, but why did the back of Axel's head now have big eyes blinking at him? 

Don't tell me you're teasing me?

Am I crazy?

Or am I just getting crazy?

Axel, who heard the cursing coming out of the little boy's mouth, made him look behind him while he looked annoyed, "I'll tell your mom."

"Akh!" Eriu, who was surprised to see Axel turning his head back, could not help but jump as his face, which should have had two eyes, a nose and a mouth, was replaced with a wide mouth surrounded by teeth everywhere.

"Uncle, don't look at me!" Axel, who saw Eriu staring at him with a disgusted look, couldn't help but get angry, "Ahh, that's how you talk to me anyway, huh!"

"If you hurt my feelings again, I won't take you home!"

The big mouth opened and closed until saliva fell out every time it opened. Just like Axel, Eriu did not accept this and mimicked Axel's style again, "Ah, this is how you talk to me, huhhhh? Just watch me tell mom that you secretly want to use Eros for your business!"

"If mom finds out, you're finished!" Eriu used his thumb to draw a horizontal line across his neck. Axel stepped back and immediately changed his face as if hurt, "What do you mean? I really want to help your friend get a match!"

"A match? It seems like you want to use him more as a transaction tool to get connections with the nobles!"

Maybe it was the alcohol and the atmosphere in the tavern that made Axel unintentionally reveal his hidden secret. Early in the morning, Eriu tried to confront Axel, still wondering if Axel was out of his mind trying to use a child for his interests. Axel tried to change the subject as much as possible, not wanting to admit his crime.

That was the reason why these two people had not been in a good mood up to this very hour.

"Ekh!" Axel turned and walked forward. 

"Ha! Don't pretend you didn't hear that!"

"If I see Uncle getting close to Eros, I won't hesitate to tell Mom and Dad!"

"I'll also say that Uncle wants to destroy the relationship between them!" Eriu threatened Axel even more, "...Tsk." Axel himself knew he was wrong and just clucked his tongue as an outlet.

This was the last stop before the final destination. Ariadne said that when Eriu saw a very small fly or a mosquito the size of a bird, then they were almost there.

Earlier, when they were still in the carriage, a fly had gotten into Axel's ear and made him scream in pain. So far he hadn't seen any giant mosquitoes. But even so, if a crocodile was shaped like that, even a fly, it wouldn't be surprising if the mosquito could suck up all the blood in the body directly!

Luckily, Axel was a merchant and also joined the guild as an adventurer! So all his problems were solved as long as he was near Axel.

Their goal was about to be reached when they saw the flower garden, which was just a straight path ahead, Ariadne said that any means of transportation would be destroyed if it went inside, so she suggested they walk there, but strangely enough it had been 3 hours since they had walked and rested, but why had they still not found the giant gate?

As the sunlight burned the energy of the two people walking, it lit up the road.

'So hot...' Eriu, who was still walking behind Axel, couldn't help but feel tired and bored, it had probably been an hour since their argument...

Eriu looked at Axel before he asked him a rather sensitive question, just because he was curious until now, "Uncle has no intention of returning home? Isn't uncle's lover waiting for you?"

"Huh?"

"The one who often sends you love letters..."

Axel rolled his eyes, his hand still holding the gun as he focused on his surroundings. His hands continued to move, cutting through the wide leaves that blocked the main road, "You read it?"

"...Um... Sorry." Eriu admitted it. He knew that it would be wrong to read the letter of someone else.

"It's not a love letter."

"It's the last letter my sister gave me before she died."

Eriu was stunned before he continued walking behind Axel.

"I told you, we're illegitimate children, so even letters are forbidden, but if it's a love letter, they'll be curious and let it go. Besides, at that time I was still a fugitive, I would have been caught if my brother had written in the usual way".

A fugitive? If he was a fugitive, Axel should have appeared in the game at least once, or not explained. If I remember correctly, there was a very important organization in the second prince's route...

... Heh, maybe I'm just thinking too much.

"Uncle, can I ask you something?"

"What?" Axel looked back, "Is there a fee?" A mischievous smile appeared on Axel's face as he touched his chin. Eriu smiled back and nodded naturally. Eriu pointed confidently at herself, " Mom's favorite is me!"

"So if you want to get close to her, make me happy first!"

"..."

"I am number one after Eros, if I want a yacht, Mom will buy it for me without any discussion!" Maybe this was the truth, if this was just a dream.

Though it didn't seem to please him, Axel finally accepted this harsh reality, "Tsk, what a clever talker this kid is."

"Hehe." Eriu giggled triumphantly.

"So what do you want to ask?" Axel asked. Eriu looked up at him and thought hard until a frown appeared on his baby face.

"Hmm, is Uncle from the Peacon Kingdom?"

"..." His eyes opened wide before Axel nodded, "You're right."

There's no way I'm letting this go, everything in this world is already strange, if you want to live long, be suspicious of your surroundings.

Axel looked at his hand before turning to Eriu who was looking down, "How do you know that?" Eriu raised his head and pointed at Axel's bag, "Dad once said that people often compare women and men, so of course the education of women is likely to be rather poor."

"Ah..." Axel wanted to laugh immediately, his instincts were really working.

"When I read it, I was quite confused by the sentences used. The words were like a man writing a love letter instead of a woman who tends to just ask how he's doing."

"...Hahaha, you're really smart!" Axel walked over to Eriu, stroking his head with effort. Axel stepped out of Eriu's way and pointed to the front, where the many leaves creeping up to the gate covered the original shape of it. 

Butterflies fluttered here and there, birds landed on rocks surrounded by moss, and a lantern resembled a firefly. 

The lantern just flew around the gate, casting a strange light on the dark, lightless driveway, full of colorful flowers growing until it looked like rainflowers were everywhere.

"...Woah-!" Eriu covering his mouth immediately, he stretched his body, "Finally arrived, I'm dead tired!"

"See you later then, Uncle!" Eriu dashed forward while looking back for a moment, waving his hand at Axel before finally looking forward while dashing forward again.

Axel stood still as he waved his hand.

His eyes stared at the black gate that disappeared as soon as Eriu stepped through it.

Since there was nothing he could do, Axel walked away from the long garden path. 

One walk towards his duty and one walk towards his freedom.

Two different ways, but with the same desire. A happy life in the end.

Axel looked up at the bright blue sky above him, "Sister, I'll be there soon.

I'll go home and put the queen's crown on your head.

Praise you for your elegance.

Obsessing over your existence.

Is that why the throne exists?