-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: A Dying Forest
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The ending was pretty bad.
The title passed to a collateral branch, and they were on the verge of ruin.
Kivrin paid close attention to me the entire walk.
Technically, it was Kivrin's past self who lied, and even then, it was only because he was afraid I'd have a mental breakdown.
Besides, Kivrin had been giving me hints all along.
He'd said that if I practiced on him, I could do all sorts of good deeds.
Though he did add that it would be much harder than killing or destroying things.
Haha. I guess I should say it out loud.
I took Kivrin's hand with my own fidgeting one.
“Young Lord, I'm not angry.”
“Th-Then, what I…”
“And I'm not scared either.”
At last, Kivrin's face brightened.
How could a kid as cute as Kivrin have a past life as a Disaster… Ah, no, I don't know the full story yet!
There must have been a reason!
An owl hooted somewhere nearby.
I decided to go through things one by one.
“By the way, can I heal your wounds even if the sealing spell isn't broken?”
As if carefully choosing his words, Kivrin rubbed the back of his neck with his other hand.
“A p-part of what I was keeping… already returned to you, Cheria. When the sealing spell was broken. A-And with that, you can only maintain… no, not control… just maintain the status quo.”
Returned to me? I can only maintain the status quo?
—*If you want to at least maintain the status quo, you should avoid visiting the Temple, try not to get hurt, and not have anyone you want to kill.*
Looking back, it was a loaded warning.
I shivered and asked,
“What if I find someone I want to kill?”
“Wouldn't we all… go to a better place together…?”
Kivrin replied, his tone suggesting he'd at least be gracious enough to pray for our souls.
Aaargh!
“I-It's okay. I'll make sure that doesn't happen.”
Kivrin offered a faint smile to reassure me.
He looked suspiciously relieved, perhaps because he no longer had to lie to me.
I glanced at Rose and Cesar, who were walking at a distance to give us space to talk.
“I understand in my head that I'm Del, but it doesn't feel real. My stamina is nothing like the strongest person in the world.”
Before I remembered the plot of , I was living on eggshells in the Mayol household.
Hmm, so to sum it up, this life isn't my second but my third?
That means I've returned to the world where I lived my first life.
I tilted my head and asked,
“What will happen if I get Del's memories back?”
“You'll still be you, Ch-Cheria, right? Just like me.”
His words reassured me a little.
Cheria's memories could be overwhelming at times, so Del's must be on a whole other level.
Kivrin hesitated before speaking.
“B-But I can't give them back to you right now. It's… better that I hold on to them.”
“Huh? Why? You just said I'd still be me even if I got my memories back.”
Suddenly, Kivrin's hand tightened around mine.
“Del… doesn't normally die. B-But she did… And I think I did, too.”
“…”
“I-I don't remember that part either… so I'd rather you didn't know yet, Cheria. P-Please.”
Kivrin said it with such gravity.
It was a request I had no reason to refuse, so I nodded readily.
“Alright, then.”
“…Are you s-sure that's okay?”
He seemed surprised that I'd agreed so easily.
Kivrin's eyes widened.
“It's not a difficult request, is it? Though, I'd grant any request you made, even if it were difficult.”
I focused all my attention on Kivrin's burn, hoping it would heal.
Of course, it was still no use.
“Ugh, do I need to chant a spell or something?”
I was struggling with Kivrin's hand for a while when…
The rustling of bushes caught my attention.
A pair of animal ears popped up.
“A rabbit? How cute—whoa!”
The moment I exclaimed, the ground beneath me gave way. I stumbled, and Kivrin caught me.
Cesar shone the lantern on the ground, and Rose raised an eyebrow.
“This is weird. Why is the ground such a mess here?”
I straightened up and followed Rose's gaze to inspect the ground.
The parched earth, completely devoid of moisture, was pitted with holes.
The leaves of the bushes the rabbit had emerged from were all black, as if poisoned.
The nearby trees were bone-dry and looked like they had been dead for a long time.
Cesar also frowned, turning up the lantern to its brightest setting.
“It was fine last year…”
“It got like this in just a year? The Crescent Moon Forest, which can recover in a day or two even after monsters run wild in it?”
Rose said, dumbfounded.
“The areas we've passed through so far were fine. Why is it only like this near the marquisate?”
While the two of them were voicing their questions, the rabbit scampered over to Kivrin.
Not only that, but two small birds landed on Kivrin's shoulder.
…Snow White?
Kivrin ignored them and started walking again.
Since Kivrin didn't let go of my hand, I had no choice but to ignore the rabbit as well.
But the animals didn't seem willing to let Kivrin go so easily.
A few minutes later, a wolf family appeared with their cub and whined softly at Kivrin.
It looked like they were trying to tell him something.
Cesar's reaction was placid, as if he'd seen this often before.
Rose grumbled about the unhygienic creatures before asking,
“What's with them? Are they trying to tell you why this area is so messed up?”
“Not… interested.”
Kivrin replied with a blank expression.
His desire not to get involved was plain to see.
At that, Rose seemed to acknowledge his troubles and didn't meddle any further.
Hmm, what should I do? They all look malnourished.
The birds that had been shooed from Kivrin's shoulder were especially weak and could barely fly.
I was thinking of leaving out some of the handmade biscuits the chef made for my health, but Kivrin muttered softly,
“You shouldn't… w-worry about it either, Cheria. Once you help them, there's n-no end to it.”
“…”
I stared at Kivrin. He spoke just loud enough for me to hear.
“I… I only make deals. I don't… help people for nothing.”
As if they understood his words, the animals backed away one by one.
“I understand.”
That was all I said.
If I asked him to, Kivrin would surely help our animal friends.
But Kivrin's hand was trembling slightly.
He was still walking on eggshells, afraid I might hate him or see him as something to be feared.
And yet, as if determined not to lie anymore, he didn't try to sugarcoat it with a plausible excuse.
He said he makes deals, so I guess I'll have to hope they bring him an interesting-looking pebble or something.
If things get too dire, they can always move to a new habitat.
The area adjacent to the marquisate was only a tiny part of the vast Crescent Moon Forest.
Rose scratched their cheek and spoke up.
“In any case, these things have put down roots in the Crescent Moon Forest. They don't die easily.”
It seemed like they were trying to ease my worries in their own way.
I glanced at the forest scenery, which could only be described as withered.
Could this be related to the marquis's family? But nothing like this happened in the original novel.
…Then again, the original Cheria never visited the marquisate at this time either.
My chaotic thoughts cooled and settled.
In , Kivrin was still trapped in the Snake Pit at this age.
And Winter and Menelik couldn't leave the capital due to their contract with the Temple.
It was the perfect time for someone to be plotting something behind the ducal family's back.
Oho. Is this a job for the reliable Lady Cheria?
The marquis's family was caught doing shady things in the original novel, so if I investigate now, I'm sure I'll find plenty of dirt.
I began observing the forest more actively than before.
With eyes wide open, I committed to memory the particularly rotten trees, the ones that were still somewhat okay, and the jet-black patches of grass.
The Crescent Moon Forest was under the ducal family's management.
If a problem arose, Winter would get busy.
But if I could discover it even a few days earlier, it might reduce Winter's workload.
The thought filled me with even more enthusiasm.
I'm going to help my mother get at least one night of good sleep!
As I was turning my head, my eyes met Rose's, and they suddenly flinched.
