Chapter 114 The Result
――The black-haired boy is looking at me.
He's smiling at me. His smile is innocent and childlike. He's stretching out his hand, and he's still smiling brightly.
The scene changes.
The black-haired boy has his back turned to me. He's definitely the same person as before, but he's clearly grown up.
He seems to be reading a book.
Was he called out to? The boy turns to face me. He smiles. His smile is more bitter and complicated than before.
The scene changes again.
The next boy I see is still young, but his profile is dark and twisted. He's holding a large, thick book that's too big for his small body.
There's a door behind him. Ah, I realize he's about to leave.
The boy smiles at me. His lips move, as if to say "definitely."
――And a single tear rolls down the boy's cheek.
The black-haired boy was Arnold.
＊＊＊
Suddenly, my consciousness floats up. The unfamiliar white ceiling rushes into my field of vision.
Why is my body so warm and cozy? It's not just the warmth of the blanket on my body.
In this quiet, clean room, there's a soft bed. I feel like I'm being rocked to sleep, and I try to close my eyes again――
"Laura-chan!"
A woman's voice stops my consciousness.
I turn my gaze to the direction where my name was called. There's Marcedes-san――ah, and I finally come to.
Where am I? I prescribed the prototype to Elvira, and then... what happened?
"Where's Elvira!?"
I sit up halfway and ask loudly. Marcedes-san smiles at me, and I feel a sense of relief. Her smile is gentle and kind.
"Don't worry, she's fine. Thanks to you, Laura-chan."
――In an instant, tears spill out.
Ah, I'm so relieved. I'm really relieved.
I don't know what's going on, but the fact that Elvira is safe makes me incredibly happy, and I feel a deep sense of relief.
I wiped away my overflowing tears. As I was about to get up, Mercedes-san gently placed her hand on my shoulder and whispered, "I'll go call Lukas-kun and the others, so you should rest a bit more."
I did as I was told and lay back down on the bed. Then, I closed my eyes and tried to recall the situation before I lost consciousness.
The moment Lukas and Diona's powers dispelled the dark miasma covering Elvira, I rushed to her side and administered the prototype medicine.
After that, I heard a rumbling sound, like the demon king's roar ―― probably because Elvira's and my bodies were covered in the dark mist.
The intense heat that attacked my entire body might have been a simulated experience of the symptoms of the Self-destruction disease. In other words, my entire body was exposed to the demon king's magic power.
I couldn't even open my eyes, and all I could do was hold Elvira tightly in my arms. Would I become something that belongs to the demon king?
And then ―― the dream I had of the black-haired boy might have been Elvira's memory. The boy who appeared was undoubtedly Arnold. I don't know what principle was at work, but perhaps her consciousness or memories temporarily flowed into me.
I couldn't understand it no matter how much I thought about it. I decided to wait quietly for Lukas and the others to arrive, and let out a small sigh.
Rustling sounds of footsteps could be heard from afar, getting closer and closer ―― And bang! The door opened.
The ones who arrived were Lukas, Arnold, and Diona.
Lukas rushed to my bedside, and as I thought, he peered into my face as if to check on me. Behind him, I saw Arnold letting out a sigh of relief. And lastly, Diona was covering her mouth with her hand, her eyes moist.
"Laura, how are you feeling?"
"Yeah, I slept well."
I replied with a joke to lighten the mood, and Lukas smiled in relief. Then, he said with a flicker in his eyes,
"You were asleep for 5 days."
My childhood friend's words made my eyes widen. I had been asleep for that long? I must have worried them terribly.
"Sorry, I worried you."
"No, Laura, you were amazing."
Lukas's eyes, which were smiling, had a hint of sadness. These past 5 days must have been busy and tumultuous for him as the Hero, considering the demon king's movements.
――So, what happened to the demon king? Now that Elvira's safety is confirmed, that's what I'm most worried about.
"What happened after that...?"
I asked nervously. Then Lukas looked up at Arnold, who was standing behind him, as if seeking help.
Arnold took a small breath and sat down on the chair beside the bed, probably the same chair Marcedes-san had been sitting on until earlier.
He stared at me with his dark eyes, which were sharper than the ones I saw in my dreams, and the tears of the young Arnold lingered in my mind, making it hard for me to meet his gaze.
Arnold bowed his head before speaking.
"First, Elvira is safe. The demon king probably left her body. Thanks to Ampère."
――The demon king left Elvira's body.
I felt relieved again upon hearing this fact, just like when I heard about Marcedes-san's safety. My eyes grew hot, but I endured it this time, not wanting to break down.
Arnold looked up, his expression still stern, even though he had cured his sister's illness.
――It's not over yet, I realized from his expression.
"After Ampère administered the trial drug to Elvira, the demon king's roar echoed, and the dark mist escaped from the temple. The monsters that attacked us followed after that."
I relied on Arnold's calm words to imagine the scene after I lost consciousness.
"I carried the unconscious Ampère and Elvira to a safe place, and finished treating the injured soldiers and Rustu's people. That's when Lukas-dono noticed it. The western sky was dyed purple."
――I had a bad feeling. No, it was more than that ―― I was convinced.
Arnold looked out the window. I also tried to see what was outside, following his gaze, and saw the vast purple sky. Then, Diona quickly came over and supported me.
Outside the large window, I saw trees and white buildings stretching out. I had a hunch, but it seemed like we were in a city of the Rustu people.
Beyond the soothing scenery, "it" was there.
Despite the clear weather, a dark cloud was gathering in one spot to the west. The sky was dyed a suspicious purple, and it was clear that something bad was there.
Arnold glanced at me briefly before opening his mouth again.
"There have been reports that monsters from all over are heading towards that place. The investigation team is also on its way, but we haven't received any reports yet. However, I think it's likely ―― the demon king is probably there."
I agreed with Arnold's thinking.
With Lukas and Diona's power, and the prototype, we were able to extract the demon king from Elvira's body. I'm not sure if we dealt any damage, but after the demon king left Elvira's body, it settled in that place. And its minions, the monsters, are gathering around it.
――To be honest, I wanted to defeat the demon king itself if possible during this experiment. But considering we barely managed to extract it from Elvira, it's extremely difficult.
Just being able to extract the demon king from Elvira is a huge success. It's a great achievement, and we should be celebrating. However ―― the next obstacle has appeared right before our eyes, and I can't bring myself to celebrate.
The demon king and the monsters will start taking action soon. I don't know if it'll be soon or a bit later, but either way, a full-scale war between humans and monsters like in "Last Brave" is unavoidable.
I couldn't help but look at Lukas. He was staring intently at the dark clouds. The shadow of the refined Hero from "Last Brave" flickered across his expression, making my heart skip a beat.
(Lukas's, the Hero's journey is approaching)
What did Lukas and the others think, discuss, and decide during these 5 days while I was asleep?
――Suddenly, a gentle knock echoed in the room. Diona hastily turned towards the door and opened it slightly. Although the person who knocked on the door couldn't be seen, Diona's quiet conversation with the person on the other side of the door was audible. And after a few seconds, the door opened wide.
There stood,
"Laura...!"
――It was Elvira.
With an expression that seemed on the verge of tears, she rushed towards me, her black hair swaying.
(She's alive, she's safe)
I didn't distrust Marcedes-san or Arnold's words. But when I saw Elvira rushing towards me with my own eyes, I felt a surge of relief.
"Laura, I'm so glad you woke up...!"
Elvira's small hand grasped mine tightly.
It was warm. In that instant, tears began to flow again. Seeing this, Elvira, who was holding my hand, also shed tears.
As I saw the tears streaming down Elvira's cheeks, the face of young Arnold from my dreams overlapped with it. Ah, Rocco's little sister really resembles him.
"Elvira-chan is also safe, thank goodness. You were saved, thank goodness"
The words that spilled out unintentionally were my genuine feelings.
Not everything has been resolved. New problems and a higher wall stand before us now. I don't know what will happen from now on or how we'll face it.
But――I was able to save Elvira. I was able to protect her from the unreasonable fate of this world, the Self-destruction disease.
(I'm so happy, truly happy)
Why was I reborn into this world from a game I played in my previous life? Why do I retain such vivid memories of my previous life?
There might not be a reason for it. To begin with, my memories aren't real, and I might not have existed in my past life. I don't even know that much.
I've been trapped in these memories for a long, long time. Of course, I've received a lot of help along the way. However, these memories have undoubtedly changed my life as Laura Ampère.
I didn't understand why I was reborn as Laura. I even felt resentment towards it. But being given the talent beneficial to an alchemist, and being able to apprentice under a renowned alchemist living near my hometown, was all thanks to Laura. If I had been reborn as a different character, things might not have turned out this way.
My life is full of things I don't understand, and yet it's mine. And when the time comes to unravel all these mysteries, it will probably never come. But that's okay. Because I was able to save Elvira.
I hold Elvira close. I feel her body warmth and pulse with my eyes closed. Before I knew it, I was laughing while crying.
――Ah. Being born as Laura was good.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)