Chapter 43

Chapter 43

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HEL SCANS

[Translator – Zain]

[Proofreader – Demon God]

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The familiar color of the sky seen from lying down. Ronan slowly rose to his feet. Below the hill, he could see a village standing and a river winding along the village.

A murmured whisper escaped Ronan’s lips.

“Nimbuten.”

Even after rubbing his eyes and looking again, it was the same. His hometown, Nimbuten.

Ronan walked down the hill as if he were enchanted by something. The sensation of the grass leaves rustling under his feet was vivid.

“Is this my imaginary world?”

The sound of flowing water that faintly reached his ears, the wind that tickled his nostrils, everything felt real. Yet, only the emptiness at the waist where the scabbard usually hung subtly implied that this wasn’t reality.

Soon, as Ronan entered the outskirts of the village, he raised his head with a grin.

“Did this really exist?”

Next to a sign with the name “Nimbuten” written on it, a tall birch tree stood. Its height and lushness made it seem like you could see it from anywhere in the village.

If this existed, I wouldn’t forget it. After shrugging his shoulders, Ronan entered the village.

The village scenery was almost the same as what Ronan knew. The vegetable garden where Aselle’s parents used to farm was unchanged, and the bustling Lambert Inn from every night was as it was.

The only strange thing was that there was no sign of life in the village. In the silent streets, it was only Ronan’s footsteps that could be heard, as if all the residents had vanished.

“This doesn’t feel good...”

Even the blowing wind was eerily calm. Ronan was about to take another step forward when the laughter of a young child reached him from behind.

“Hehehe!”

Ronan quickly turned his head. A fluttering white dress disappeared around the corner. The light footsteps were quickly fading away. Ronan ran towards where the child had vanished as if he were enchanted by something.

“Hey, wait!”

Ronan turned the corner. The house where he and his sister lived appeared. Normally, it would have taken a few more minutes, but he didn’t have the luxury to care about such contradictions.

Nothing was attached to the overgrown walls. Just then, the child who had gone ahead appeared behind Ronan.

“Heehee!”

“Damn, that scared me.”

She looked about five years old at best. Seeing the child’s face, Ronan furrowed his brows.

“...Noona?”

“Mama!”

Ignoring Ronan, the child ran straight into the house. The wooden door opened and closed. Ronan stood rooted to the spot as if his feet were anchored to the ground.

No matter how young she was, he wouldn’t fail to recognize that face. Large irises tinted with sunset colors, pale white hair like starlight. Without a doubt, it was his younger sister from his childhood.The original appearance of this chapter can be found at Ñøv€lß1n.

“So this is...?”

Unfamiliar birch trees, slightly less worn buildings. His younger sister. Ronan finally realized that he was wandering through a past version of Nimberton.

wah! wah!

Suddenly, the cry of a baby resonated. It came from Ronan’s house. Grabbing a shovel leaning on the fence, Ronan’s eyes darted around.

“...Better than nothing, I guess.”

He had to remember. This was an imaginary world created to rid him of the curse that had attached itself to him. Since the goal was to break the curse, he mustn’t mistake this world for being friendly.

With that thought in mind, Ronan pulled the doorknob. The door, which didn’t have a latch, opened smoothly.

Three chairs were placed around the dining table. Ronan perked up his ears at the sound of voices coming from somewhere.

“Is this my brother?”

“That’s right. Iril.”

The conversation was coming from the bedroom with a bed. It was Iril’s room now. Ronan, clutching the shovel, cautiously took a step forward.

He leaned his head out while hiding his body by the doorway to get a glimpse inside. Young Iril was lying on the bed, propping her chin on her hands and her eyes twinkling.

“I’ll protect you. Because you’re my cute little brother.”

“Hehe, impressive, my daughter.”

A woman with black hair lay beside her, gently stroking Iril’s head. Ronan’s eyes widened.

The woman’s face resembled Iril’s exactly. Even though he had never seen her before, Ronan instinctively knew. That woman was his birth mother.

“Mother...?”

Ronan hesitated before entering the room. The mother and daughter continued their conversation without showing any reaction to his presence.

It was as if they couldn’t see him at all. Ronan extended his hand to touch his mother but it passed through her as if he were swatting at thin air.

“Then, you must be...”

Ronan’s gaze shifted to the bed. Between Iril’s face and her mother’s, a newborn baby was nestled in a blanket, making tiny sounds.

“Mewnya...”

“Hehe, so cute.”

When Iril reached out her hand, the baby grabbed her finger. Iril giggled and kissed the baby’s cheek. Their mother watched her two children, her face adorned with a gentle smile.

“So, there were... times like this in my life.”

“■■■, Iril...■■. ■■ ■■■■ ■■■...”

Suddenly, tears welled up in Ronan’s eyes. A mixture of sorrow and anger, much greater and more intense than the anger that had consumed him, surged within his chest.

Instinctively, Ronan sensed that these were the emotions the shadow was feeling. However, he didn’t slow down his sprint.

The distance had significantly shortened. The shadow still hadn’t noticed Ronan’s presence. He concentrated the sourceless emotions within his throat and shouted them out as if expelling them.

“Stand there! You bastard!!”

“■?!”

The shadow turned its head. At that moment, Ronan’s body shot forward like a flash. The fastest sword strike he had delivered so far surged toward the shadow’s body.

Ching!

Black sparks flew out into the air.

“What?!”

“■···■■?”

The ambush had failed. The obsidian sword, which had come into contact with the shadow, was slashing through empty space. Ronan, who had spat on the ground, swung the sword again.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

A series of strikes too fast for an ordinary person to see were unleashed. However, the shadow easily evaded or blocked all of Ronan’s attacks.

“Damn it...!”

No matter how he changed his swordsmanship and attacked with unconventional moves, they were all either avoided or blocked. Ronan gritted his teeth. It felt like he was being toyed with, rather than being properly engaged.

After exchanging about twenty blows, the shadow, which had been solely on the defensive, suddenly surged like an explosion.

“■■■■!”

“Argh!”

The atmosphere had completely changed from before. The eerie blackness of the shadow penetrated Ronan’s chest.

The blows he couldn’t defend against tore at various parts of his body.

Thud!

In an instant, a thrust pierced through Ronan’s thigh and wrist.

“Ugh!”

Clang!

The black iron sword fell to the ground. Ronan fell to one knee and collapsed. The shadow aimed the tip of the sword at Ronan’s neck. While he was prepared for the worst, the shadow didn’t take any further action.

“······”

“Huh, what are you doing...? Ugh, why are you not killing me...”

The shadow stood still, only staring at Ronan. Intense sorrow and anger flooded into Ronan’s mind once again. The shadow sheathed the sword.

“■■.”

Then, the shadow swung its sword through the air like pulling out a root and started walking away, turning its back. Ronan, who had stood up unsteadily, grasped the obsidian sword with his left hand.

“Damn it... Ugh, stand right there...!”

The shadow didn’t stop. It sent a gesture of farewell to the cut bird tree and continued walking. At this rate, he was about to lose it completely.

Ronan took a deep breath. He needed something to stop the shadow. An idea emerged, but he really didn’t want to say it, even if it meant his death.

Three chairs placed around the dining table. Iril, who hugged him with a bright smile. His mother’s words that she resembled her more than me.

He had realized it in his mind a while ago, but he didn’t want to admit it. Facing the truth was scary. It felt like denying himself the moment he spoke it out loud.

“Damn it.”

But there was no other way. Blood was still flowing from his leg and wrist. Taking a deep breath, Ronan shouted toward the shadow.

“And you call yourself a father, even after all that! You bastard!”

“···■?”

The shadow stopped. Clear fluctuations of emotion passed through it. Soon, an indescribable thrill surged through Ronan’s entire body.

“A chance only comes once.”

Ronan clenched the sword handle.

Whoosh!

The swirling shadow charged toward Ronan.

His vision narrowed and time seemed to slow down. He had to end it with this surprise attack while the opponent was off balance. The shadow that had come so close raised its sword.

“Huh?”

At that moment, a faint shimmering caught Ronan’s eye. It was like a stream of water, yet it seemed to have been tinted by the wind.

The worn-out obsidian sword had transformed into a smooth rapier. Ronan swung the sword toward the shadow that was almost upon him. However, it wasn’t a reckless swing; he followed the flowing stream of water in the air.

Slash!

The shadow was cut in half.

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HEL SCANS

[Translator – Zain]

[Proofreader – Demon God]

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