Chapter 209 – Memory (5)
Theorard looked down at the elf in silence.
‘It’s something I have to show you…….’
Why is the maid in front of you doing this? I thought about it in various ways, but I couldn’t get a sense of what the intention was. However, it didn’t look like the elf was coquettish or telling lies to seduce the head of the family.
‘Rather than that, there was a garden behind the mansion.’
He boasted that he knew nothing about the geography around the mansion, but looking back now, he couldn’t quite remember what was behind the mansion.
It might be a good idea to take this opportunity to go to the back of the mansion with the elf and investigate the geography. But now there are too many things to do.
‘I have to prepare for the wedding, and I have to reply to the letter from the imperial family…….’
It was right to postpone the outing to the garden behind the mansion until later. Theorard, who had organized his priorities in his mind, expressed his intention of refusal.
“Go out. The day is sunny, so you can definitely have a good time. An excellent proposal, but unfortunately I am very busy with my family.”
“Master. I…”
“I’m sorry. Can’t we put off the outing until later?”
Theorad’s refusal hurt his heart his, but the elf could understand.
No matter how good-natured she was, it was only natural that she could not prioritize the request of a maid she had never seen in her life before family matters.
‘However…….’
The elf couldn’t back down. It was because, as Theorard said, if the next appointment was made, the anxiety that this current resolution might collapse was prevalent.
The determination, forged as cold as ice, might later melt away in the warm consideration shown by Theorad. After entering into his self-justification, he was anxious that he would rush into hiding his memories of the past.
So now. It couldn’t have been today.
“It is something that cannot be postponed until later.”
Exhale vigorously over and over again. Strengthen the voice, so Theorard can no longer refuse.
“This, too, has something to do with the master.”
The brows of Theorard, who was making eye contact with the elf, narrowed slightly. Because the incomprehensible words were touching my nerves.
“You keep saying weird things. As if you know who I am.”
“Right. I know that.”
“If you don’t mind, ask. I am someone.”
“As the 7th head of the Deharm family, he treats his family members like family, and he is the fiancé of Lady Esili.”
“Are you saying you know me with just that much information? Too much arrogance is rude. Why are you doing this-“
“You’re also looking for a girl who likes pudding.”
Theorard, who was about to give an admonition, shuts up. He never said a word that the woman he was looking for liked pudding. Why did the maid in front of her know?
A series of unknown situations makes my head dizzy. Theorard, who had somehow found composure in the fallen silence, narrowed his eyes.
“How did you know?”
“That…”
The elf swallowed her afterwords. No matter how many times I explained it here and now, Theorard would not be able to understand it properly.
Right now, the magic of the oblivion monster flowing through Theorard’s bloodstream must be constantly activating cognitive impairment magic.
So I had to go to the garden behind the mansion. To get rid of the demonic energy flowing through Theorard’s body his and restore his intact memories of his.
“Come with me and I will let you know.”
The still meaningful words make Theorad’s eyebrows curl. I couldn’t shake off my doubts about the maid, but I had no choice at this point.
“…… Don’t let that happen.”
The words he spat out came out like sighs.
*
After following the elf to the garden behind the mansion, Theorad was stunned without even realizing it.
Pure white petals on a bright yellow head. The sight of daisies in full bloom covering the garden was unrealistic.
“Her her…”
Why does the flower that blooms in spring not lose its vitality until now in autumn?
A space where time seems to have stopped creates a sense of heterogeneity.
Watching the daisies shaking his head in the wind, Theo Rad suddenly realized that he had been here before.
“This place…… It was my favorite place in my childhood. I used to visit often with my father. I used to listen to the old stories my father told me under the beautiful scenery as a friend.”
Fragmented memories begin to fit together one by one. From the moment I set foot in the garden, the memory of confusion that occurred is finding its place.
“It was definitely a pleasant memory. It must be a memory that I can’t forget even if I want to forget it. Why did I forget the memories related to the garden…….”
It was something I couldn’t figure out, even thinking about it. It was simply a childhood memory, so I had forgotten until now, so the memories that matched from the moment I set foot in the garden were too clear.
“There.”
Theorad’s gaze, which was floating in the air, is stuck in one place. I couldn’t see anything, but I could tell that something important was hidden there.
“It seems that the things I forgot were not the only memories with my father.”
The elf looked up at Theorad as if somewhat curious. Should I feel good? Or is it that the influence of Theorad’s memory has been weakened because it has been tied to this place for a relatively long time?
It was a little surprising that the barrier he had created was discovered, but it didn’t matter too much. I was going to tell them that there was a barrier that sealed their memories here anyway.
“Master. Please hold my hand.”
The elf reaches out. After thinking for a moment, Theo Rad nodded and grabbed the elf’s hand.
At the same time, clear mana rides through her hand and seeps into Theo Rad’s body her. Startled, Theo Rad tried to remove his hand her, but the elf would n’t let go.
“Calm down. It’s just to open your eyes so you can discern the barriers.”
“A barrier?”
Theorard looked around in puzzlement and could see the scorched earth. It was quite a distance, but the black vacant lot that appeared in the white daisy flower field clearly showed off my presence.
It was a beautiful land covered with daisies just a moment ago, but after joining hands with the elves, part of the landscape has completely changed.
Before he could ask what had happened, the elf grabbed Theorad’s hand and pulled him.
“Follow me.”
Theorard, who was moving his steps erratically, naturally caught up with the elf. I’m not sure what he’s trying to show me, but he doesn’t seem to have any malice, so I thought it was right to follow him.
As they were heading towards the barrier of the garden, the elf glanced at Theorad. It was an uneasy face.
“Master. May I ask you one question?”
“If I can answer.”
The elf nodded and carefully moved his lips.
“Master…… What will he do if someone has made a big mistake?”
“That’s an easy question. I will make them punish for their mistakes.”
“…… What if I get all the punishment?”
“Ugh. I don’t know. If I made a big mistake, I probably wouldn’t keep it by my side.”
The elf’s shoulders trembled. The elf, who unconsciously bit his lower lip, lowered his head feeling guilty.
The elf’s hand that was holding Theorad’s hand loosened up. Theorard gripped his hand as he tried to slip away.
Thanks to Theorad’s sudden strength his, the elf looked back at Theorad with surprised eyes. Theorard was just moving his pace slowly, still looking straight ahead.
“But it is. If the person who committed a great mistake came to me with sincerity to atone for his sins his, things would be different. Maybe I can forgive him.”
“…….”
“Atonement is really hard. You have to get over your guilt and frustration, get up, let go of your fears of not being forgiven, and take the contempt of conventional wisdom for granted. I can’t even fathom how much pain I must have suffered in order to atone for my sins. So, I have no choice but to forgive.”
Moisture seeps into the corner of the elf’s eyes. I want to answer, but his lips do not part.
“Everyone makes mistakes. What matters is how you deal with the mistakes you make.”
Theorard’s words put my mind at ease. However, I couldn’t wash all the dirt left on the base.
Can his delusion and selfishness be dismissed as a mistake that everyone makes? The elf was so anxious that he couldn’t stop his beating heart.
Even so, he couldn’t stop since he came this far.
“Yes…. The master is right.”
The elf, who tried to show a calm appearance, arrived at close range of the barrier. The scorching heat came from all sides, but the elf froze the whole area with one wave of his hand.
Then, when he snaps his fingers, the dome-shaped membrane is destroyed and it pours down like glass. Now that the barrier is gone, all we have to do is move on.
The elf walked forward as if it were natural, but Theorard looked very embarrassed. It was because the maid I had never seen before broke her barrier with one gesture of her hand and slowly entered the room.
The elf didn’t know that either, but he didn’t make any lame excuses. After all, he’s Theo Rad, who will know everything in a little while, but he’s only a nerd to explain now.
“You. Alternate Identity…….”
Theorard, who was talking to him in vain, found a flower blooming in the center of the scorched earth.
Linear leaves covered with white cotton. The shape of the flower blooming in the center is familiar.
‘Edelweiss…….’
Why are edelweiss blooming in this garden full of daisies? It was quite foreign to see him living in a scorched land, alone and isolated.
However, I felt sad even though I missed something. As Theo Rad stared at Edelweiss endlessly, the elf let go of his hand and said,
“I left it just in case. Because I thought that Master could not be a villain.”
“What do you mean by that?”
The elf couldn’t answer easily. A lonely smile forms on the lips of the elf who has been watching Edelweiss for a while as if he is sentimental.
“…… I shouldn’t have doubted you from the start.”
It was a sudden casual conversation, but somehow it wasn’t unfamiliar.
After wiping her eyes once, the elf walks forward and drops her on her knees. The elf, having broken Edelweiss with her careful gesture of her, rises from her seat and returns to Theorard.
The elf holding a white flower in front of his chest looked like he was about to cry. Eventually, when the footsteps stopped, the elf casually handed over flowers.
Theorard hesitated for a moment before accepting the flower. Somehow, it felt like a warm feeling was transmitted.
“Here is all the secrets. Even the memories of you that I lost, and even my shame that I wanted to hide…….”
The elf’s voice was powerless. The tone, which seems to be about to crumble at any moment, is so pitiful that it feels pitiful.
“…… I’m sorry I lied to you all this time. It’s okay if you don’t forgive me.”
A warm light began to glow on the elf’s body. As if resonating there, edelweiss also had a golden color.
Now all I had to do was unseal the memories. The elf, who had been repeating the words to unseal her, raised her head, firming her resolve.
“Linea. Linea Arpolite.”
As soon as the elf, Linea finished speaking, the light emitted from the edelweiss occupied all directions.
A blinding light engulfed the world, but Theorard never closed his eyes. Until the very end, she tried to keep an eye on Linea’s condition her.
Looking at Theo Rad from the front, Linea smiled her pitiful smile.
“That is my name.”
A light breeze blowing in an instant made Linea’s hair flutter in the air.
Theorard opened his mouth hastily, but he couldn’t say the next word. It was because the light, which gradually grew stronger, made Theorard close his eyes.
