Chapter 32: The Tree of Memories (2)
wf3vzEHAll that remains are memories.J4MhGB
ASYuPerhaps that’s why we’re so obsessed with leaving traces.jE78
VacIYkxIf you look at the marks left behind, like scars, you’ll remember that day.AZmo
CMMjBut the boy couldn’t form a single memory of his mother’s name.fbLZF5N
RPLSo, keep forgetting it.tLZon
Jh2t“I wish my mother had done something like that.”oXtrvUq
72eq9d[…]IfhDS
2rUgjvWAn isolated hill accessible only through the mansion.tgAgM
PKX8TNAt the foot of the tree where voices were said to be remembered, the Heinal family’s graves are buried.qsLts
eG1FJOIt seemed an unlikely place, but the boy had to come.gLR
ZLEQBecause it was a contract.dnZLy
y8F“…”uu0u9Pz
ZzIzLooking at the rows of white tombstones, the boy thought of his mother.eht
s0btgbyThe woman who had protected him, alone in the danger of the alleys, had succumbed.eTtl
28WBtYvIt was a predestined fate, the beginning of another tragedy.JynRRj
Faw0sDPerhaps the saddest tragedy in the world is the reality of passing poison to your children.YbPYDMr
jsfQa2OThe boy with blue eyes grew up eating a poison that his mother’s tears couldn’t wash away.KpCAi51
sFtp“It must be difficult.”Dx0WR
NQIThe nearest white tombstone.nLN
XkoIt looked like the newest of all the tombstones here, and it was covered in leaves that had been scattered on the ground.nObwD
NfQOmo“…”oal83n2
AimFor some reason, the boy raised the palm of his hand and passed it over the tombstone.wFtN
CKfxNfWith each stroke of the palm, the tombstone seemed to reveal itself and disclose a forgotten name.aUSIn
jvrE“It’s common courtesy to greet the landowners.”sy1ZnW
jFfzD[I didn’t say anything.]4j6i
pTtFeeling unnecessarily cold, Vlad excused himself for what he had just done, but the voice understood.z9mibR5
hYTCDuCWe all have those moments when we suddenly feel like doing something out of place.EZgo6K9
2huVY1“So, I’ll pray.”RrY
hjJm7US[Hmm.]OzIK3QD
JpLXlm“Well, you’re not going to get any knights to look at you.”jbBOge
BBOlSBX[Thanks.]gO0HXP
0QeOCEVlad unsheathed his sword, as he had done with the praying Roman, and pointed it directly at the trees on the hill.NgM
lMkDBOA gentle spring breeze tousled the boy’s blond hair.tuWjXzV
UZhCGThe white tombstones returned the gaze to the boy’s prayer, but Vlad remained silent.ODHsN
N6xDAlthough he was aware of any prying eyes, Vlad stumbled over the words he had learned from the young priest.Ib6k6g
ajXCZIt was a prayer for someone he remembered when seeing this place.pWEL
PawytZu[…..]h6buP
pfM8Vlad’s kindly voice looked at the tree of his memory.F2TOhV7
jla03WThere were things floating in the air.KvF
i6l9I think the tree was smaller then.bUERwuj
ANLroHyThat was when.5rjs
sDmDiTI feel like I came with someone.TTv1
KVGWho it was.b751Ks
g1G8I don’t remember.aQXG9J
QiL2zThe voice made it seem like he was now trapped in a dense fog.kVzYsbX
hE8JCCHe struggled to find the edge of the memory that seemed to be just around the corner.afhc9c
YSssNOO[….. Can I borrow your body for a moment?]hPT
2X4O“Just a moment.”GXh9l
m09qcAnd instead of regaining his own memories, he could feel the voice looking at him through a faint mist.bXCi
VivgThere was something in front of him.nt0dc
7iX“So.”ZZpQ9n
B5OhAsVlad relaxed his whole body as he usually did, closed his right eye, and opened the left one.xs1C4ko
NtFSoon his vision began to blur, and he entered the sensation of looking at himself.t8b4
GM10DKv[Hmm.]ejS
HCiNot his own world, but the world seen through someone else’s eyes.XLS5W
rsIhKtb“… Wh-What is that?”ItG5
AqU5c7[It seems to recognize me.]MFzoD
ANMH91iThere was something visible through him.JmE
LesfuA secluded hill, trees surrounding the tombstones.rFdarWX
k7ikHuAn easy benefit.JtU
0JbuF8KAnd there was something enormous wrapped around the tree.CsvO
As70RqIt was a pure white giant snake, radiating bright light.pgKM
jJLHn[A spirit.]iE2
FZlA“….”OAUClJK
hFC9pLooking at the snake, as big as a tree, Vlad could only try to maintain composure.suTDap
pj9ZfNHis lips were dry.dbv
YxAvB“Lately, I’ve been seeing too many strange things.”4SKc
mXHVlad swallowed silently, with his heart beating differently than when he saw the giant worm.GNxJmj
LwBjElementals were not allowed in his world.nCXNS
th57QeHe was seeing one now, through the world of voices.fCcrta
uI1PGPerhaps Joseph’s intention to show Vlad the wide world was better now.FNQ
X6CvR“I think it’s looking at me.”xQ1
Qn0[It’s looking at me inside you.]rU9aCR
o2YHSA white snake, coiled around a tree, observing Vlad.Ym3jc
L48ueiIt was as huge as the tree it was rooted in, which diminished its realism.cKh7le
XHxsT8R“….”uGdOn
Ah974But Vlad felt no pressure as he watched the snake exuding its enormous presence.XwH
EEjPg9Perhaps that was what the white snake intended.VfwgZ
Kv0YnTB“Is it coming down?”cVQoX
1PDAZ[I don’t think it’s going to bite.]7csL
t4DuSlowly, it descended from the tree, brushing against the tombstones.o6F
HLNHLaSssss…pwUUl
2PiThe snake approached Vlad slowly.V7Vc
bhJBut even though Vlad was looking at something unknown and enormous, he didn’t feel threatened at all.gReu
AQDcIt won’t harm me.o45b2ZW
mcEnX9The bright eyes of the serpent assured him.ogRy
qAy9UThe round pupils of the serpent were like those of a head of the family welcoming a visitor.zxed6
9pEI8The white serpent approached.QNZWrF
FWrWTqTheir eyes met.hJJzR
v722BThe tree embracing the gravestones shook its branches.dZn
VpZEThe hills were filled with warmth, like a spring breeze.ERT
FRPJdkIt was a wonderful world.X9aMe
JrRUi“Who are you?”C4g
2NskBut then, I heard a voice behind me.R7I
qgSC“Eh?”Vpu
ARnThe sound of someone calling made Vlad stop and open his right eye.eKMb
7NFMF5Disappear.1Oy
dBTyvGAnd just like that, he was back in his own world.HPsrooF
IYX8JP“Eh?”Ybv
SVGAydzThe white serpent that had just filled his vision dispersed like smoke.fWHTT
MYdWith just a blink, the world of voices vanished without a trace.Isk
w3a6MBack in his own world, Vlad felt like he had been dreaming.hls
nNXXnEu“Who are you? This is a place where no one from House Heinal should be.”MUyW9am
YiKUY“…”YyjlMy9
5LWnYVlad looked back, rubbing his left eye, which still refused to focus.IhxXL
o9O“Hmm.”nRFrmRX
10h4b[Hmm.]z69
FZpBuTEAt the edge of his barely focused vision was a young woman.DId4
MYGPzENShe had aquamarine hair.aHUKK
KUYhA woman of such beauty that even Vlad, who had seen beautiful courtesans all his life, let out a small sigh of admiration.ujf4K
0Dhjj3V“If you don’t answer, I’ll call for people.”sy5s
FNN9“Oh, I am…”W9O
Aqi7CVlad was still trying to figure out what to say next; his mind hadn’t fully recovered.7Re7SAT
Z0X9VNormally, he would have spouted excuses like liquid gold, but he had just seen something he couldn’t comprehend and needed time to sort out his thoughts.NANgj
AqroF“…”Gck3
LUiAnd the look naturally cast Vlad in the role of a boy unfamiliar with the customs of the world.krwph
diQRt02A pretty hair color, a friendly face, and seemingly innocent, though involuntary, behavior made the aquamarine-haired woman lower her guard a bit.7GAU
Xkh“I’m sorry.”57XAMYy
vfqVlad thought.DhL
pmE0knTCertainly, it would be rude to do it now, standing next to the graves of nobles.k4yTmB
z9qSo if this woman said something wrong, she could get Joseph in trouble.c4UouR
XlE5TIf she asked him why he did it, he wouldn’t have a good answer.fEXcG
ef1YAA6“Can I help you?”q0Arc
o6TKav“Yes?”9UFs
qBPm“Aren’t you a servant here, taking care of the grave?”7NFYGNq
7YLiThen Vlad decided to try to silence her.ohh
xV3HNnYBy doing her a small favor.LjaVy
ZeyHKXAlicia’s eyes widened at Vlad’s words.dss
LLZIt was a shock.0ZLdt
SXsdsmhIt was the first time in her life.jOQK4
YdE‘How dare you!’m0gJfn
iyRTDPeAs an honorary member of the noble family, and now as the head of the family, what Vlad was doing now would border on disrespect.yvMpT
PRQtVD5But the clever Vlad had a good reason for his behavior.879bMez
y8vFnyOr rather, he was so perceptive that he got it wrong.ae5
epuM6RAlicia was now wearing the simple clothes of a servant.h9Ihld
hFbuE1In each hand, she carried a bucket and tools to clean the gravestones.ri8Q7E
IbVIndeed, as Vlad had said, she was here to take care of her parents’ graves.F12U
iag4iIt was one of the only moments when Alicia, who had no one to turn to, could find solace.PExOlqr
IBpYmfAs such, her attire couldn’t be more deceptive.q2sgC
8Cuew“Actually, I cleaned it a bit earlier; the leaves were piling up.”ROHE4VM
WxCL“You cleaned…?”BGeBZ
a5sODbUpon hearing from Vlad that he had cleaned the gravestone of her parents a bit, Alicia couldn’t help but let her anger fade for a moment.vLyEAO
JkHrZEGWhy would someone who had no relationship with her parents clean their gravestone?91W
VQyhBM“I felt it was common courtesy to greet the landowners.”jbGcFx
vKkXgIm“Ah…”Stjc7X
TTq7UAlicia nodded involuntarily as she listened to Vlad’s words.UWaUy
Os1MaThe aura that the boy exuded was quite noble, and the presence of the identification card he carried added credibility.N4p
84V3lyMoreover, for some reason, the hills felt very warm today.21QB4dL
dnUxaWAlicia had confused that comforting feeling with that emanating from the boy.hZ1BCI
1CFVo“Let me help you.”siNlMCa
Krf“Eh?”YJ3
O2gtA4qAlicia grabbed her own bucket and looked at Vlad in confusion as he climbed onto the gravestone.eBERQzn
M9bThe blonde boy was pulling out weeds and polishing the gravestone skillfully, as if he had worked there many times.fYJ5qh
UrIHgAlicia couldn’t help but chuckle at his exaggerated gestures, as if trying to show that he was working hard.oah
jtO“So do me a favor; can you keep quiet about today? I’ll get a beating if Lord Jager finds out about what happened today.”e4hABEa
2ltf“I saw you polishing…”vtOjjMj
d4RVlad frowned as he saw Alicia turn her head.f8piM
Xuv“Nice things aren’t always easy.”MMJjQd
xKehVlad was used to living with glamorous courtesans and seeing Madame Marcella famous daily, so Alicia’s presence didn’t impress him.odU
cMcKwXHe just hoped that Joseph and Jager never found out about today’s events, so he diligently cleaned the gravestones.Ohnl8
N3PThe methods used in the alleys were no longer effective.kqzL3
0Ffi3At least not in broad daylight.FLfthb
HUK“I won’t tell.”hBxwVPZ
2Jcd“Thank you very much.”Smz
xOYUnlike Vlad, who was squirming inside, Alicia looked at him with a very fresh feeling.adlv5i4
iDJJx1The way he didn’t show her any favoritism.cUE
TBabd2Even the traumatic incident a moment ago when he had mistaken her for a servant.jo3U
EoeThis man, Vlad, was a kind of human that Alicia had never seen before.p27tMY7
hHqC8H“….”HbczF2k
whsWSWatching the back of the strange boy while silently cleaning the gravestone of her parents, Alicia’s expression softened.2TK
vkECabaOn the hill where she had come to find solace, Alicia could release the anxiety she had been accumulating for so long.3A2bf1
nPPThe blonde boy’s hair shone faintly in the evening sun.PGeSC
1XcZIt was a wonderful color.8Wyb
s9N***wBx
jhtfAs he and Alicia descended the hill in the twilight, Vlad suddenly felt as if someone were calling him and turned around.E7Brs
thpBA“….?”qwrTm3
ecjBut there was nothing there but immaculately polished tombstones and a tree that seemed to have always been there.fGMMMp
yd9MIf Vlad had looked at it through the world of voices instead of his own, he would have seen a different landscape.nHxD
xCyJust because you can’t see it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.IjWE
5TYYzHJust like memories that aren’t seen continue to exist in the heart.7Xo
EFjSsssss.BkgQp
5zi4Co2A white snake coiled around a tree.7VFeNE
rpUBAnd sparkling fireflies, illuminating the dark slope, stealthily approached the snake.4Xo
iH8qIn someone else’s world, tonight, small stars shone on the dark hills, not in the nighttime sky.S5MvN
What did you think of this chapter?
Report comment
Please select the reason for reporting this comment. False reports may result in account suspension.
0 Comments
There are no comments yet. Be the first!