Chapter 330

Episode 330 If only it were possible (16)

Why do you forgive him? Why do you go beyond forgiving and tell him that he is not at fault?

Faust could not understand Daniel’s choice of words. Just like the moment when I was given an opportunity by the kind Gretchen, I also did not understand the generosity given this time.

“Why why...”

If it weren’t for me, your parents would have survived. If I hadn’t thought that way back then, you wouldn’t have lost your parents and a part of your world.

“Why on earth...”

But why do you and Gretchen say that? If it weren’t for me, there would be no reason for you to go through such a thing, but all your pain and suffering was transmitted from me. Why don’t you blame me?

“Thank you. It must have been difficult to say, and my unreasoning must have clearly hurt him. Nevertheless, thank you very much for having the courage to speak up.”

A subtle pressure was placed on a body that had almost no sense. It wasn’t uncomfortable. Hugging her with a force that left no space was more comforting than uncomfortable.

Even if I could no longer feel that warmth or perceive that softness, it was the same. The peace engraved in my memory instantly lifted the veil of oblivion and handed over the warmth of the past to my soul.

“And I’m sorry again. “I’m really sorry for not knowing your situation and just resenting you and putting a new burden on your already heavy shoulders... I’m really sorry.”

No, it’s not your fault. The boy shook his head reflexively in his tight embrace. Every time I changed form, the magic power required passed through my soul and caused terrible pain, but that was probably a good thing.

“It was my fault,”

the boy said as if he was struggling. “It was all my fault—!” The hand that carefully swept down the back of his head numbed the boy’s tongue with just its warmth. “Don’t say that.” It was a sweet poison.

“Our misfortune is not your fault, much less your responsibility. So don’t say that.”

Meanwhile, the words Gretchen had told him came out of Daniel’s mouth again. The boy couldn’t understand it at all. They... they don’t have to forgive him, they really don’t. Why on earth....

“You must have been in pain too, so don’t try to take our grievances...”

But the voice that was supposed to continue speaking strangely did not intend to come out. Since I had said it so well just now, my voice definitely didn’t disappear, but strangely enough, it did.

“Ugh....”

It can’t be like this. The boy slowly lifted his head from Daniel’s shoulder and looked around for help. He was desperately looking for someone who could comfortably tell him that everything was his fault.

“....”

But Gretchen already has a record of showing mercy to him. 『Do you think he truly cares about you?』 He only vented his feelings after he fell asleep, and he would never give the boy the answer he wanted. 『He just persevered and sacrificed again. Just because you are young and pitiful.』 Faust’s head automatically turned to the remaining person.

“Well... you had a hard time.”

Meister, who noticed his gaze, scratched the back of his head and blurted out a word.

“It was the perfect environment to go crazy, but I managed to survive.”

The tone of voice, which at first glance appears to be sarcastic, does not convey that feeling at all thanks to the extremely dry voice. On the contrary, I felt like I was recognized by something objective.

“Aside from that, you too are really tired. Just like that guy, why are you digging for something that wasn’t your fault? It just happened because it was an unavoidable environment. “I just don’t understand why you blame yourself for that and don’t need to.”

The next words were also like that. Even the Meister did not reprimand the boy in the slightest. In fact, he seemed to sympathize with the boy more explicitly than others.

“But if it wasn’t for me...”

“They wouldn’t have experienced something like that? well. I don’t think it would be meaningful to make such an assumption. “If you’re going to make that assumption, you should try something else.”

The Meister’s legs were twisted and he put his arms on his knees and rested his chin.

“What would that devil have done all this time if you hadn’t endured it while embracing it?”

“...That.”

“First of all, based on what you said, it seems like the devil has probably been wandering around the world looking for a vessel that can handle him... There aren’t many suitable vessels for him. “If there were a lot of them, even if there was an accident, they would have been hit hard.”

At the same time, he waved his hand in the air with his other hand, as if he was using a point. It seemed like a hand gesture for emphasis, but thanks to this, everyone’s eyes focused on his hand for a moment.

“Remembering your description of how the body seemed to be melting, I guess that humans who are not fit bodies would not be able to handle that thing and their bodies would disintegrate. What does that mean? “It means that he must have constantly moved his body to avoid physical collapse.”

The Meister had an innocent expression on his face. It was clearly a place to confess a sin, but in front of that expression, the boy felt agitated for no reason. I did that even though it was a situation and topic where I shouldn’t have such feelings.

“...This dagger belongs to the person I killed.”

But the moment I was about to start talking, I was filled with pure guilt again. The boy wiggled his fingers and eventually gave up on grabbing Daniel’s collar.

“It’s not the devil, it’s the people I killed.” The

PB

boy touched the initials engraved on the dagger with his fingertips.

It felt like my heart was already hurting.

* * *

The boy ran and ran until he tripped on a tree branch on the ground and fell. Wow. The teardrops that had formed fell to the floor, and the boy’s mind finally caught something he had missed.

A dark trace remained.

‘I can’t... if this happens...’

The boy could barely continue his thoughts through panting breaths and a deep sense of guilt and despair. Heep heep heep. A choking feeling disturbed his thoughts, but he had to overcome it. I didn’t want to create any more victims.

‘...If this happens, there will definitely be people chasing me.’

Of course, the boy didn’t know how to find clues in the forest. However, I had an idea of how far a trained soldier could infer based on small clues.

If things continue like this, there will be a pursuer.

‘There should not be more victims than this...! But what should I do...’

So far, the only people who have died due to the boy’s misfortune are small in number or a group living in hiding.

Only those who misunderstood the death as an accident and did not send professional trackers, or the news of the disappearance spread only a long time later, got caught up and were killed.

And that was fortunate in its own way for everyone. How can a person’s death be a positive thing? It’s limited to that aspect, so it was definitely luck.

How would an ordinary person who is not a professional tracker succeed in chasing a boy with such a small trace? If the news of the disappearance had been spread much later, the traces would have disappeared as well, so even if you were a seasoned pursuer, what other way would there have been at that time?

Now, even the group of Heresy Questioners has been defeated in one fell swoop. I don’t think the chase team will be able to kill him safely. They say that if you chase after them, you will only end up dead.

So it’s lucky that they can’t chase you. It is sad that a crime is covered up, but it would be better if the number of victims of extortion decreases.

‘You have to hide your traces... your traces...’

But now the situation is a little different.

While the disappearance of a single hunter is a sad but common occurrence, the disappearance of a group of Inquisitors is by no means uncommon. It is clear that a tracking team will be sent out as soon as news arrives.

And most of the boy’s tracks will remain until they come. If it’s quick, there’s a chance it will arrive within 10 days, if not a week. And his evidence won’t disappear just because ten days pass.

‘no. Even if I try, as I have no training, it won’t be covered properly. In that case, the best thing to do is to run as far away as possible...’

The boy picked up the broken tree branch, closed his eyes tightly, and threw it away. Crack. The body with dried tears goes through the forest again.

Slurp. I could hear the sound of a flowing stream.

“...water.”

Will running through water leave less traces? The boy thought about it a little with a little bit of common sense and thinking.

Let’s go first. Anyway, it’s heading away from where the accident occurred. The boy ran across Silgaecheon with desperation and earnestness, hoping to get caught.

“kid?”

“...!”

However, that decision ultimately resulted in a not very good meeting. An old hunter who was hiding to catch an animal that came to quench his thirst found the boy and stretched out his back.

There was a witness. The boy’s complexion turned pale.