Chapter 40

“Or at least, I’m what’s left of him.”

“You're the voice that called out to me, the person that showed me memories of the past.”

He was the guiding hand that allowed me to see the various scenes of the past. They were stories from decades, or maybe even hundreds of years ago. The dark magic that consumed him must have kept a record, or maybe it itself is the record. He dug into that record and found a way to show me.

“I’m surprised you can tell,” he said, looking rather amused.

“An inkling, really.”

Elerina’s recollection of her past was messy. She would often tell me conflicting stories of her past. At first, I simply thought that she was mistaken. Human memories are a flimsy thing, so I wouldn't blame her for making such mistakes.

But she never spoke about her father. She didn't even know who he was. She only knew him as someone that abandoned their family and disappeared. That made me think that this memory was someone else’s, but that sign right next to the mansion’s front door told me what I needed to know. Elerina didn’t have siblings, after all.

As to why she didn’t have an idea of her past… I think I know what happened.

“... You erased her memories, didn't you?”

He was startled by the words. “How do you know?”

“I've read countless other stories with such twists, I learned to expect them.”

“So it's a guess?”

“An educated one.”

He nodded. When he looked at me, I saw the eyes of a kind and gentle father, a wholly different set of eyes to the monster that tried to kill us.

“Elerina's a brilliant girl. Even from a young age, she could use magic that not even the elders were capable of.” He turned to the little Elerina behind him. Despite being frozen in time, she was still as bright as ever.

“I failed as a father. I saw my child with such great potential, and my reaction was to curse her.”

The cursed child, the title people gave her. Someone who couldn't utilize magic. That might be equivalent to not being able to count one plus one on Earth. I couldn’t even imagine the hell she went through. The betrayal her townsfolk committed, how they bullied her for failing even the simplest magic spells. How she began needing help even for the easiest things, because she was the only one incapable of utilizing magic.

“I thought I could return after placing the curse, that things would go back to how they were, but I was so wrong.”

Dark magic consumed him. The same magic that toppled civilizations in the past and turned the north to a barren desert wasn't one to be underestimated. He made the wrong decision and was punished. It swallowed him whole, much like the people it ate in the past.

“Even after falling to the dark side, what I tried wasn't to amend my mistakes, but to interfere with my daughter further.”

He planted even more fake memories and made her leave. All those memories of betrayal from the townsfolk was something he planted. Every night, she would remember the terrible things, both the ones that didn’t happen, and the ones that did. She was forced to wander alone to the south, away from her father's influence. When Elerina returned, she was an S-rank adventurer. A strong warrior. But, she came back not to the cheers and greetings of her townsfolk, but to a land ravaged by monsters.

She didn’t return as a citizen, she returned as an adventurer. Her mission wasn’t to meet her loved ones, but to fight. After she left her home, she never got to see her mother. She never got to share her stories with the one person that cared about her.

“... And you didn't even accomplish your goal.”

He solemnly nodded. He cursed Elerina to prevent her from getting close to the dark powers that changed him, but here she was, standing before the monster he turned into.

“Is there anything I could do?” I asked. Me, someone who wasn't even born in their world, incapable of using magic, but that didn't make me want to help any less. My wife is struggling on the other side. If I could do anything, even if only a little bit, then I would help.

“...” Elerina's father paused for a moment. “There is. Using what's left of my power, I can create a way that allows you to transfer between worlds.”

“With a hole in my stomach?”

“I can heal that.”

I guess elves do specialize in nature-based magic. Restoring a wound probably counts.

“But… what do I do after I arrive?” I didn't have anything I could offer. I'm not a strong warrior like Elerina or Memorus, nor am I able to unleash spells like Angen.

“You have that weapon, don't you?”

Does he mean the rifle? I never used them before, games didn’t count. But, that monster version of him is a pretty large target. I didn’t need a lot of skill to hit him. Plus, I already trained a lot ever since Elerina began coaching me. I should have the physical ability needed to wield it.

“I'll remove the curse placed on Elerina. Protect her as she deploys the spell, she'll know which one.”

I nodded. “How about you?”

Elerina's father gave me a soft smile. “The strength I have left is only enough to create the portal and heal you. After that, I would disappear.”

Does that mean… I guess it shouldn’t be too surprising. Dark magic had transformed him. He wouldn’t be able to return to who he was. Still…

“This is the price I pay for my foolishness,” he said with a wry smile. It was clear to me that he had expected and accepted this outcome. This… consciousness, must be what was left of him. What little he had control over, that was spared from dark magic.

I was left speechless. I wanted to find a way to save him, but I couldn't even use magic. I ate my words and replied with a nod.

“Thank you.”

I took a breather. “I'm ready.”

A kind of energy appeared inside me. It's like drinking coffee after a sleepless night. The world I stood in began crumbling. Cracks appeared in the ground, in the sky, in the park, and in the mansion itself.

Elerina and her father began fading away.

“One more thing… Please take care of my dear Ellen for me.”

I tightened my fist and nodded. “If it's for my wife, I'll do anything.”

“Good luck, and thank you.”

The last I saw was his fading smile.

•••

No.

This can't end like this.

Dying to pay for one's sins? Such a cliché way to go. No way in hell I'm letting that happen.

But how? How could I set Elerina's father free? There must be a way. Something, something I could do. The clues are somewhere in our past. Elerina told me a lot about her, about the magic in her world.

They're elves. They specialize in nature-based magic, a magic that can restore life itself. Surely, they know of a way to restore her father's life…

… That. That spell. The most powerful nature-based magic in existence. They used it when they stopped the dark magic, didn’t they? Surely that could. Isn't that the same spell that he told Elerina to use? Wouldn't that work? But that word, that last part of the chant. The one word that isn't its own spell…

In the vision I witnessed, they held hands and uttered that spell. The person that uttered that word wasn’t the same one that uttered the rest of the spell, so does this mean that the modifier didn’t need to be said by the same person? In other words, I could be the one saying it? But I couldn’t use magic in general? What if it didn’t work, or it instead weakened Elerina’s spell?

Besides, what is Izoma? It’s the only spell that consists of five letters. There’s something more to it than meets the eyes. What if it's more than a modifier? Something more than just a boost.

So if I use it…