Chapter 37 (1/2)

I kept waiting for Nei to wake up.

Kaede and Frau are sitting next to each other in the room.

Panda had his eye closed and was floating in the air.

”Hm...”

“!?”

Nei woke up.

I immediately rushed to speak to her.

”Are you in any pain, are you fully conscious!?”

”...Toru?”

”Yes. It's me, Toru.”

She looked around with lazy eyes.

She stood up a little and sat on the bed.

”I was abandoned.”

”Sain?”

”Yes, he was about to die fighting against the demon general, so I rushed to his defense. Then he left and told me to die here.”

My fists were shaking.

From one moment to the next my anger turned into a killer instinct.

Nei was looking at me confusedly.

”Why are you dressed like that? Hey, maybe Sain can let you join the party again, friends fight and break up, but... There's always the option to come back.”

”Nei, Sain brainwashed you.”

”...I see.”

Her reaction was totally unexpected.

I thought she would try to deny the facts.

She laughed a little and then became sad.

This attitude is not normal.

Being in a brainwashed state does not erase your past memories.

There is an emotional conflict within her.

I pulled my chair closer to the bed and sat down.

”I like Sain. But there's something wrong with my feelings, something wrong with my thoughts, and something much worse inside me.... Before... I liked someone else.”

Tears slid down her face.

A drop had fallen on the ring on her right hand.

I felt like my heart was going to break into a thousand pieces seeing her again.

Nei, a girl who was cheerful and full of energy, was crying in front of me.

I have no doubt now that Sain brainwashed him. I never imagined that my once best friend would become human scum.

And I'm also a nauseatingly obtuse idiot.

I never realized all that was unfolding behind my back, even though I had the answer right in front of me.

”There is a way to break the brainwashing.”

I took a small bottle out of my pocket.

This is a high grade spell potion I found in the ruins.

According to doctors, brainwashing is a kind of curse.

Fortunately, I have a way to free her from it.

However, the doctor also said:

”Whenever you regain control of your thoughts and emotions, there will be repercussions. If your actions during brainwashing deviate too much from your original intentions, it can lead to collapse.”

Doing this comes with a great risk.

But no matter what this situation looks like, I can't leave her in that state.

So I will let her decide.

”Drink this and the brainwashing will stop. In return, you will suffer mental anguish, so I'll let you decide. If you don't want to do it, give it back to me.”

”...I want to give it some thought.”

After grabbing the bottle, Nei lay down and turned her back to me.

She wrapped herself from head to toe in the futon.

”I'll be in the next room, if you need me, call me.”

I left the room.

”Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!”

I woke up to a sudden scream.

That scream was Nei's.

I left my room and hurried quickly to Nei's room.

”Are you okay?”

”He-hee-hee-hee-hee! Agh! Agh!”

Nei was in agony in bed.

I held her face with both hands, her back bent like a bow.

Then she fell off the bed and squatted down.

”Fugi, ugiiiiiiiiiiiii! Ehii!”

It was a very hard situation to watch. She was scratching the floor with her fingernails.

Her body kept shaking.

At first I thought she was in agony of pain from the blows she received.

But when I looked at the floor, there was an empty bottle rolling around nearby.

”Nei-San, don't give up, we are here with you, you are not alone.”

Kaede casts healing magic on Nei to relieve her mental pain.

The screams of agony were diminishing.

”Toru, don't look at me... I'm dirty...”

”You're not dirty, Nei, you're still the same old girl to me.”

“... I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I said horrible things to you, I've done horrible things. I betrayed my heart, my feelings, I did a lot to Toru. I'm an idiot.”

”Sain brainwashed you. It wasn't something you did at your will. Don't think about that, concentrate on getting out of that state, Kaede, Frau and I will be here to support you.”

As I turned to leave the room, I heard the sound of metal clanging against the wall.