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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: A Painful Memory
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The room was pitch-black, devoid of any light.
Lellia followed the shimmering red exclamation mark and found Calix collapsed in a corner.
He was covered in a cold sweat, whimpering...
*His eyes...*
Calix's pupils had vanished, and his eyes shimmered with a strange mix of colors.
A blend of gold, red, purple, and silver swirled within them, glowing like mystical orbs.
Despite their strange beauty, he let out pained groans, his eyes blinking rapidly.
It seemed the aftereffects of the injuries from his battle with the Mad Dragon were manifesting as a seizure.
“Calix, Calix!”
Lellia didn't know what to do.
She dropped to her knees in front of him, frantically checking his condition.
Should she call for help? A doctor? A mage?
What should I do, what should I do.
She was in such a panic that her mind went blank.
Then, an idea flashed through her mind.
Lellia immediately opened her item window, searched for something, and took it out.
It was a painkiller and a stabilizer, both game items.
Like health potions, they were basic alchemical remedies, but they were quite effective.
She had used them herself before, so she knew they were safe.
With trembling hands, Lellia uncorked the vial and trickled the contents into Calix's mouth.
“Urgh...”
Even so, Calix clutched at his eyes, still in agony.
Lellia burst into tears, feeling heartbroken and sorry for him.
She knew there would be aftereffects from that incident, but she never imagined her precious friend would be in so much pain.
Had he been suffering like this all along, alone where no one could see him?
Ever since they were children, Calix had always pretended to be strong, hating to show any weakness.
Feeling sorry and pity for him, Lellia continued to cry silently.
Amidst it all, Calix's pupils gradually began to stabilize.
The hallucination tormenting him started to fade.
The flashing lights, the corpses strewn so thick you could trip over them, the sticky monster blood weighing down his body, the piercing stench.
As they disappeared, a faint voice reached him.
“...lix... Calix... Calix!”
Ah.
Calix let out a small gasp as he realized who the voice belonged to.
*Leo.*
It was Leo from his childhood.
The horrifying vision vanished, replaced by a peaceful scene.
A wide field with fluffy clouds drifting across the sky.
Leo ran up to Calix, who was lying down comfortably, taking a nap.
“Hey, are you sleeping out here all by yourself?”
“What... How did you know I was here?”
Calix replied with annoyance, and Leo smirked, a wicked grin on his face.
“I’ve got you all figured out.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, boss.”
“The way you call me ‘boss’ is getting a little cheeky, isn't it?”
With that, Leo lay down next to Calix, mirroring his posture.
He cradled the back of his head with his hands, bent one knee, and rested the other leg on top of it.
Calix looked at him in disbelief, and Leo closed his eyes and said with a laugh.
“Let's rest a bit before the others get here. They stick to you like leeches.”
“Aren't you afraid they'll find my secret spot because of you? If those bastards show up, it's all your fault.”
“So cheap! Anyway, I'm surprised you know how to enjoy a bit of quiet contemplation.”
“Contemplation? What's that? I was just taking a nap.”
“I figured. What would a simpleton like you know about...”
“Hey, what did you just say?”
“Hey? Did you just call me 'hey'? To your boss!”
The warm breeze tickling his cheeks, the beautiful pink sky as sunset approached.
The sound of Leo's laughter, as clear as a bird's song.
The scene gradually blurred.
He desperately tried to hold onto the image before him, but it vanished like dust.
At the same moment, he felt a dizzying sensation, as if the ground beneath him was crumbling away.
Leo was dead.
The memory of the day he realized that fact struck his mind like a bolt of lightning.
That day, Calix had spent the entire day in a daze, unable to do anything. The shock had paralyzed him.
When he came to his senses, everything around him was a wreck.
His eyes were damp, and his body was covered in self-inflicted wounds.
As the memory of that day returned, his heart began to pound violently. It was hard to breathe.
“Calix!”
It was then.
A somehow familiar voice grabbed hold of his consciousness.
*Slap! Slap!*
The sudden sound of impact quickly brought his mind back to the present.
*Slap! Slap! Slap!*
Wait, what is she doing...
He blinked a few times, and the startled face of Leo... no, Lellia, came into view.
The nerve of her—she was slapping his cheeks with both hands.
“Calix! Snap out of it! Calix!”
“Hey, will you cut it out?”
Calix shouted irritably, grabbing both of Lellia's hands with one of his own.
“Ah! Th-thank goodness... Thank goodness...”
Lellia's lips quivered as she began to cry.
Only then did Calix look around and get his bearings.
Ah, it seems I had another fit.
Dammit...
To be seen in such a state... This is humiliating.
Calix clicked his tongue and sat up. His entire body was drenched in sweat.
He irritably ripped off his sweat-soaked shirt and tossed it aside.
As he did, he noticed the corners of his eyes were wet.
*As if having a seizure wasn't bad enough, I was crying, too.*
He cursed himself inwardly as he wiped the moisture from his eyes.
“......”
As Calix wiped his eyes and tried to get up, he finally noticed Lellia kneeling beside him.
He was baffled.
“Hey, why are you crying?”
Lellia was sobbing so sorrowfully that Calix was completely taken aback.
At his words, she bit her lip, her shoulders shaking as she tried to stifle her sobs.
Anyone who saw her would think she'd lost her entire family in a war.
“Hey...”
He tapped her shoulder with his fingertips, and Lellia looked up at him, startled.
With her eyes welling with tears, she looked just like a puppy that had been scolded by its owner.
“......!”
Lellia belatedly realized what she must look like, and how strange it must seem.
She shot to her feet, rushed past Calix, and darted out of the room.
“What the...?”
Calix blinked, dumbfounded.
He felt inexplicably awkward.
Why... was she crying like that? Did I look like I was about to die?
No, but even so.
Was it really something to cry that much over?
