Vol 2 Epilogue (1/2)

Chapter 2 Epilogue:   Oath

As I run carrying Lucie and Kuu, my vision goes black and I can’t stop trembling.

The backlash from 【Reincarnation Recall】 is this bad.

If it goes on like this……

「I’m sorry. I’m at my limit. Please take care of the rest」

Using the last of my strength, I go to the side of the road and put the two down gently.

After that, I walk with with unsteady steps towards a big maple tree, and crumble down leaning on it.

「Cyril!」

「Cyril-kun!」

The two are fl.u.s.tered and rush over. I hear they call my name but if feels so far away.

My consciousness starts to fade.

I put up a lot of effort to reach this distance. From here to Elucie it should be another 50km. The probability of encountering the empire is small. Worst case, it’s enough of a distance for Kuu and Lucie to run away by themselves.

「Hide, for one night, if don’t awake, run, just you two」

After menaging to say that. I finally blackout.

O pure white room with nothing in it. My usual mental world.

I realize i’m inside my dreams.

But it’s strangely cold. Focusing my consciousness, I concentrate on my own form and it materializes, then I hug myself.

「What’s this?」

I keep s.h.i.+vering. Not only it’s cold i’m strangely tired.

There is the backlash from 【Reincarnation Recall】 but also something else.

「h.e.l.lo, we meet again」

In the white room there was someone else besides 【Me】.

A young girl with black hair.

A girl  flas.h.i.+ng an impish smile.

「I was surprised. How you killed me sure, but what happened after too. That you could eat my everything really surprised me. After being eaten, I became a part of you. Even I can’t come back to life from this. That there was someone capable of killing in this world was really surprising.  」

「Why, do still have a consciousness?」

「You say strange things. It’s because you ate me whole without chewing. Normal people would disappear with digestion, but I’m strong」

The black girl’s smile gets deeper.

「That’s why, I can eat you now」

My tiredness starts to increase. My vision starts to warp. I feel bad. What’s going on?

「Mine and your’s souls became one. So, the strongest personality the one with the most powerful will becomes dominant. Also, when I was beaten I used a secret technique to make it easier to become dominant. In other words, I died but from now i’ll live through you. A body and knowledge capable of killing even me, i’ll take it all. From now on i’ll earn much more money. 」

I try desperately to hold on to my collapsing consciousness. If I let go of my consciousness now I’ll never go back to being Cyril. I don’t want that, I want to live as Cyril, live together with Lucie.

「If you want to resent someone, resent yourself who decided to eat a strong and tenacious soul and vivid personality like me. Goodbye」

The girl’s victory declaration.

However……..

『Ahahahahahahahaha』

『Calling a something with this level of shallowness a secret technique』

『Strong and tenacious soul? That cheap artificial thing?』

『Vivid personality? Oi oi that’s a joke right? With no zeal and no conviction, an empty existence like you, aaah my stomach hurts from so much laughing.』

From every corner of the room, the laughter and scorn of various people with no desire to hide echo around.

My body warms up, my tiredness disappears.

「What’s this, it’s weird, I’m disappearing, why, i’m the one who takes. It was always like that. From now too, even so, this is wrong」

The girl gets confused, like a bad dance she starts to fumble her hands around like she’s searching for something.

『Rawr』

Suddenly, a near the girl’s feet a big black hole appears, from it a dog about the size of a lion appears and open it’s huge mouth. It eats the girl’s whole body with one bite.

『Woof, woof』

The dog doesn’t chew. With its huge mouth it eats the girl body with just a big gulp.

「NO! I don’t want to disappear! I don’t to die! I never heard about this. It’s impossible. Why’s there’s two souls! No, how many are there? It’s all one in the end? Then why its like this, someone like this can’t exist 」

『Oh but there is. Yes, it’s well made for a toy. The inherent magic is, hm, surprisingly easily constructed. At this level, it can come back to life in general and the idea is very interesting. I never thought that after coming here there would be a new discovery. But it tastes bad. Not enough seasoning. What a bland soul 』

「Help me, i’ll do anything, i’ll do anything please」

『No. It’s unpleasant. I can’t have someone else in my room』

After saying that, the girl is completely eaten and disappears. The dog exposes his body that came out from the hole.

The jet black fur is beautiful. If you look closely the facial features are sharp, the fangs are pointy. It’s more like a wolf than a dog really.

But, the its length is over 3m, so I wonder if you can really call it a wolf.

The black wolf starts to groom its own fur.

A me I don’t know. There’s at least 5 of me that【I】made it so I can’t remember. It’s probably one of those.

『h.e.l.lo me. It’s been a while. Look’s like you’re doing alright』

Holding all memories, the gathering of all my consciousness. 【I】talk to me with a friendly voice.

「Aside from your appearance, it looks like you are much more human than the last we met」

『It’s because your feelings keep flowing into me. Ever since you became aware of me, I keep awakening this thing called human nature. However now I’m forcing myself to emulate a human front』

His voice is so like a normal human that I never thought he would say he’s forcing himself.

「Thank you. You saved me」

『Well, it is for my own sake. Cyril’s personality is very amusing so I don’t really want it to broken. There’s something I should warn you about. Unlike Deet’s  【Soul Eater】 that gathers the scattered fragments,   Gramdeel’s 【Predation】devours it in it’s entirety so it’s bad for digestion 』

For my own sake, if that means for Cyril or for【Me】 I couldn’t understand.

「I know. That is after all me」

『That’s not what I mean though. Gramdeel, no matter how strong the will or personality of what he ate, never felt threatened like this.  You probably didn’t even know how dangerous 【Predation】 can be.

That’s right, that’s why I used 【Predation】 without hesitation. If you think about it this risk is obvious, but in Gramdeel’s memories there was never any threat so I a.s.sumed it was safe.

「Sorry for being so weak」

『But, that’s what it’s strange. Cyril’s will is weak,  your status as existence is low, so why did you remain as Cyril for so long』

「The experiences and memories would be gone, but【I】 made so the personality couldn’t be touched right?」

『That’s right. But, even if you can’t touch it, memories and experiences do affect the personality For example, your taste in foods in not Cyril’s, it’s closer to a j.a.panese from earth.  For example your hesitation in taking a life has disappeared . For example feelings of love for a girl that always tries hard come easily to you.  All of that came from your memories and experiences and these parts were changed by it.』

I was left without words. If you think about it, I really changed.

『But that’s about it. The fundamental parts are always all Cyril’s. There are always exceptions but, if I take back the memories and experiences, the overwhelming quant.i.ty and quality distorts, crashes down, a fake 【me】is created, or destroyed. Then【I】come out to the surface.  』

Like he thinks it’s strange from the bottom of his heart, the 【me】 who took the shape of a black wolf asks me with cute round eyes.

『It’s someone with a overwhelming personality like Gramdeel or Shuzina i’d understand. Murushu or Soara whose minds can remain separated for the body i’d also understand. But Cyril I can’t understand. Could you tell me why?』

The answer to that question, I realized in a second.

「I want to be the me Lucie and Kuu like. That me is not 【me】. That’s why I won’t become 【me】」

The black wolf hearing that, goes from puzzlement to opening his huge mouth and laughing.

Almost like howling.

『Who would’ve thought, that something so trivial would protect me. Thank you. It is reason enough to help. Well, do your best to keep amusing 【me】 』

Around the black wolf’s legs, a hole just like the one that appeared near the girl appears, and the wolf returns to it.

『I’ll give you warning, you should fix this habit of your of choosing only bothersome women. No, that’s one more of 【my】 influences……, A jade green elf, next a gold yellow firefox, when that girl comes, it will naturally…』

His voice gets farther away.

The usual【me】 disappears while saying something.

It’s me so I understand. I want to say it but I also don’t want to say it.  That’s why I did half a.s.sed like this.

「I think I have a good eye for women, at least better than 【me】」

With this last retort, this dream ends.

「Cyril, good morning」

As I open my eyes, I see Lucie.

Lucie is keeping watch as she’s seated leaning on the tree.

And, in my left arm there’s a warm soft feeling. Kuu is sleeping while holding on to me.

「Good morning, Lucie. How long did I sleep?」

「You collapsed yesterday evening, it’s now around noon」

I slept all that long, the black haired girls probably had something with it, but the main problem was me disregarding the safety restrictions of  【Reincarnation Recall】.  I have to limit to a last resort move.

「You’re keepin watch? I’m sorry. You couldn’t sleep right?」

「No, Kuu-chan kept watch until just a while ago, so I sleep well」

「Is that so, thank you. Lucie, and Kuu as well」

I say thanks to Lucie, and pat the head of Kuu who’s hugging my arm.

Even so Kuu’s sleeping face is cute.

In Kuu’s eyes there were vestiges of tears. She was probably crying until she fell asleep.

「Cyril, are you alright? You don’t seem to be wounded but to just lose consciousness like that, we were worried」

「No need to worry. I used to much magic in the battle with that Hero-sama. I’m just tired」

After I said it’s alright, Lucie covers pats her chest.

「I’m sorry for always worrying you」

「No, the reason Cyril has to push himself so hard, is because we are too weak. We will become able to help you.」

「I’m happy with just these feelings」

「I’m not happy with just feelings」

Just by having a casual conversation with Lucie I feel healed.  Because she is here, I can keep being myself.

「It’s a shame to wake Kuu, so this time I’ll princess carry Kuu, and Lucie will go on my back. It’s bad if we don’t go back soon」