The World of Voices. (2)
The world of the Voice connects like waves. Even I, the developer, don't know the details yet, but those concentric circles are definitely tied to 'memories.'
"...So that's why dead people can exist in this world too."
Lia spoke to Leo and Karos. The three in robes had taken seats in the corner of the tavern.
Leo widened his eyes and tilted his head.
"Why?"
"No, are you an idiot? This world stores the memories of the dead too. Which means a dead person could come back to life carrying their memories from when they were alive."
Karos's answer was more or less correct.
"Yeah, yeah. That's pretty much it, Karos. But..."
Lia paused for a moment. Her wide eyes fixed on something.
Two named characters had appeared without warning: Sylvia and Julie. They were eating chicken.
And that wasn't all.
Creeeak—
The tavern's wooden door creaked open.
In that instant, the temperature inside plummeted.
Like lukewarm cola with a huge chunk of ice plopping in.
Lia and the kids naturally turned toward the entrance. No, everyone in the tavern did.
"...Professor Deculein."
The noble who drew all eyes upon him.
The villain whose mana was so captivating you could lose yourself in admiration if you let your guard down even slightly.
An irregular beyond what Lia's status could measure, the epitome of arrogance.
Deculein.
Step—step—
His footsteps were rhythmic, overflowing with elegance that flowed cold as frost. Always impeccably neat to a pathological degree, he was unchanged even in the Voice.
Leo's eyes bulged.
"Gasp. Gasp. Lia! What do we—"
"...Shh."
Lia, who had been staring blankly, pressed a finger to her lips. Leo nodded, and Karos pulled his hood down low.
"...Lia. What do we do? Run?"
Leo whispered.
"No. Let's not run. We'll have to face him eventually anyway."
Deculein was indispensable in the Voice. Especially now that he was far stronger than in the original story.
To begin with, the final boss of this Voice was his father, Dikailen.
Shiver, shiver—
But suddenly, the table began to shake. Lia looked for the cause.
Karos.
Shiver, shiver—
The child's pupils had lost focus, his face drained to a sickly blue.
Fear ingrained beyond mere learning.
Karos was now twice as strong as himself. Yet here he was, drenched in cold sweat, trembling pitifully.
"...It's okay, Ros."
Lia took Karos's shaking hand. Leo placed his on top.
"Yeah! It's fine. We won't get caught~"
At those carefree words, Karos cracked a smile.
* * *
The moment I opened the tavern door, all eyes turned to me. It was familiar.
I sat at the bar with Ifrin. I had no desire to mingle with those bandit-like thugs.
"...Professor. Everyone's staring at us."
As Ifrin said, everyone was openly gawking, but Sylvia and Julie were desperately pretending not to notice.
They had somehow topped their heads with disguising berets.
"First time here?"
The owner, polishing a glass, asked. Ifrin handled the reply.
"Yes. Why?"
"Hm. Didn't expect to see Professor Deculein here."
"You know the professor?"
"Who doesn't? Even heard he buried Altiegue alive."
"..."
Ifrin flinched. She glanced at me and muttered softly.
"That was kinda overkill..."
"Tell me other rumors."
I cut straight to the point.
Taverns gather all talk and words, birthing every quest. Thus, the starting point of the Voice.
"Hm. Rumors, eh. I'd blow off a nobody, but... you're different, Professor. Even in this world, your continental fame carries weight."
The owner waggled his brows and offered beer, but I had no intention of drinking such cheap swill.
"Ahem. Count Demiteon is recruiting manpower."
"Manpower?"
"Aye. To hunt down demons wearing human skins."
I said nothing. I merely leaned back in my chair and stared at the owner.
"..."
My mind calm. My heart serene.
Yet Telekinesis manifested wildly, shaking the tavern. Utensils, tables, bottles—all rattled madly.
Rumble rumble rumble...!
A minor quake rippled through the outer walls and floor.
Thus, my psychokinesis at its peak was becoming my 'aura.' A realm akin to unity of self and object.
"Whoa whoa, easy now."
The owner paled. I quickly quelled the aura.
The Composed constitution: the angrier I grew, the colder my heart became.
"The Yukline of attrition knows well. Will you accept?"
[Main Quest: Voice (1)]
◆ Objective: Demon Hunt
◆ Reward: Shop Currency +10
Ten shop currencies. Enough to finally enhance my mana quality once more—perhaps for the last time.
I could not refuse.
I nodded.
"I accept."
"Good. Go through that door inside."
The owner pointed to a door beside the counter.
"Farewell."
I rose. Ifrin followed.
Creeeak—
The door opened by Telekinesis. Crossing the threshold, two men came into view first.
One lay on the sofa as if asleep; the other sat in a chair, striking a pose.
Eyes closed, fingers interlocked pressing his forehead—a contrived stance.
"Hm. Who dares... Huh? Deculein?!"
The one slowly lifting his face and jolting in surprise—I knew him. We'd met.
One of the Six Evils, Jaken.
"...Ahem. Deculein. First time since the Gerec incident?"
With no reaction from me, he awkwardly composed himself.
"Awkward, but fortunate. No one beats you at smashing demons."
The Six Evils were the underworld's crime syndicate. They called themselves a 'guild,' committing every crime for the right price.
No need to be courteous.
"I heed no preambles or chatter. Where is the demon."
"...Nor do I wish to prattle with you. Here, take it."
Jaken pulled out an envelope. I took it with one hand and asked.
"Who is Count Demiteon."
He started to speak but shut his mouth.
"...Later. Check that first. Your demon hunt. Advance pay: ten nyang in copper coins. Completion: ten times that. Ten nyang is a fortune worth a thousand elne in the Empire."
Thud—!
I tore open the envelope. Inside were two wanted posters.
"..."
I looked at the first, the sketch on the paper.
A familiar face.
"To explain simply: demons exist in this Voice. Precisely, humans revived by the Voice."
Jaken's words echoed in my ear and faded.
"The Voice blew a fragment of their soul into puppets. Kill the puppet? The Voice becomes incomplete. The most straightforward way to crumble it."
This was a face I'd never seen.
Yet etched clearly in Deculein's memories: a woman.
I murmured her name softly.
"...Cielia."
"Right, but don't mistake it. The memories and shell are hers, but inside? Demon. It'll act just like her, but it's not real. Whatever... should be easy for you."
Jaken smirked and added.
"Since you already killed her once."
"...Huh?"
Ifrin's shoulders twitched. She glanced around and asked.
"Who... is this?"
I turned to Ifrin. Her round eyes blinked like lightbulbs.
"Sylvia's mother."
"...What?! Th-that—"
I ignored her shock and glared back at Jaken, pressing.
"Jaken. Do you not wish to preserve this Voice?"
"Hm? No, quite the opposite. Think of what I've built in the underworld. Would I abandon that gold and live in a demon-made fake world? We underworld folk fall for fakes too easily. This Voice is a nuisance to us. Better smash the false world soon, no?"
Surprisingly persuasive. He didn't seem to be lying.
"More importantly, there's another sheet. Check it now and decide."
Jaken's expression turned serious.
I looked down again.
Cielia's softly smiling face, and behind it, the other paper.
I swapped their positions and peered at the next.
"..."
Rarely, I faltered.
For a moment, my train of thought derailed.
"Professor?"
I couldn't reply. My lips felt glued shut.
"Professor...?"
Ifrin peeked at the poster on her own.
She murmured the name on the paper softly.
"Yuarra... von... Fairgis Meinehicht...?"
Yuarra von Fairgis Meinehicht.
The first woman Deculein loved more than any other.
At the same time, the Easter egg my beloved inserted into the game.
Perhaps... her alter ego.
"Who's this?"
Of course, I had no memories of this woman. And it wasn't the real Yuarra anyway.
Fairgis Meinehicht—Vergissmeinnicht. I knew nothing of a forget-me-not named house.
Yet this poster's visage resembled her.
No, it was identical.
This exterior I hadn't seen in so long—black hair, those eyes, the playful lips—still vividly longed for in my mind, yet her voice... utterly forgotten.
"Professor?"
Ifrin shook my shoulder.
Jaken's voice wormed into my ear.
"Pick one. Skip if it's too hard. I get love."
"..."
I sneered at him.
Because I sensed his pathetic, worm-like pity.
"When did you lose a boyfriend again."
"...You psycho! Don't say that shit!"
"Boyfriend?"
Ifrin raised a brow. Jaken wordlessly swept back his hair.
"Doesn't matter."
"Hm... Oh, right. I get it, but... who's this lady?"
To Ifrin's casual question, Jaken retorted vengefully.
"Deculein's first fiancée. The only one he truly loved."
"!"
Ifrin's body jolted.
"Then... N-no way! This can't be!"
Ifrin flailed her arms. Jaken sneered back.
"Why not?"
"Why not?! Even a demon wouldn't— she looks just like someone he loves."
"Beyond identical—she's essentially the same person. Memories recreated too."
"Then it's even worse!"
Ifrin yelled.
"This makes no sense. How..."
She started muttering again, but I simply gazed at the poster.
Gazed at her whose voice I'd forgotten.
Her face, so dearly missed, felt like rediscovering a long-lost treasure from ages past...
Rustle—
I gently set down the poster.
"No way, this is insane—!"
"You crazy bitch! Let go! Why're you freaking out?!"
"Anyway, give it to someone else—"
"Ifrin."
I stopped Ifrin, now tussling with Jaken.
"...Yes?"
To Ifrin releasing Jaken's collar, I asked lowly.
"If your father returned as a demon... could you kill him."
"..."
Ifrin said nothing. Seemingly displeased—especially since it came from me, her father's killer—she bit her lower lip.
Then, as if retaliating, she shot back.
"What about you, Professor? If someone you love—"
"I."
I met Ifrin's eyes.
Pupils clear as the sea, ignorant of lies.
To my reflection within, I answered with conviction.
"Would gladly."
[Quest Accepted: Voice (1)]
* * *
Meanwhile, Sylvia stared fixedly at the counter door Deculein had entered.
"Lady Ilayde."
She was trying to surveil—not spy or peek—yet this woman ahead kept interfering.
"..."
Sylvia sullenly puffed her cheeks and glared at Julie. Julie asked with utmost seriousness.
"Is that truly possible."
"...Yes. But do you really want that."
"Yes. Truly."
Such earnestness. Sylvia thought.
This woman knows nothing.
So foolish.
"You might regret it."
"It's fine."
The world of the Voice stored every voice and memory on the continent.
Thus, what Julie sought was truth: the voices of Veron and Rockfel at their deaths.
Sylvia said.
"Then cooperate. I need a knight too."
"Yes. Of course, but... may I ask what sort."
"..."
Sylvia hesitated briefly, then spoke honestly.
"My mother lives in this world."
Julie's eyes widened. Sylvia continued softly.
"I know it's fake, but I want to meet her once. For that, I need a knight's help. This world has many obstacles. Even tigers."
"...Yes. Understood. Then—"
"Us too!"
A clear, ringing voice from somewhere. Sylvia and Julie looked down.
Lia. Leo. And some unfamiliar kid.
The three children approached at once.
"We don't know what, but let us join! We'll be helpful! We need copper coins too!"
The girl named Lia's plea. Sylvia furrowed her brow, but Julie soothed.
"Ah, Lady Ilayde. These children are adventurers—"
"I know. We met on the way to Recor Dak."
"Right. We did."
Julie looked at Lia. Lia smiled brightly and nodded.
"Hm. Miss Lia successfully protected Professor Deculein during the great tiger hunt. Young, but possesses unbelievable skill. So—"
Sylvia rose silently. Julie followed, and the five left the tavern together.
Outside was noisy as a marketplace.
—Come on, buy this~ Items you can't even see on the continent!
It was literally a marketplace.
Sylvia meant to pass by, but a certain dagger caught her eye. A silver one on display.
"Perfect for self-defense. Even a young lady can wield it, and one successful stab means instant death! One nyang in copper."
"..."
Sylvia turned away wordlessly. She was, in a word, stingy. Truthfully, she had no need to buy.
Recall the item just seen, sketch with mana.
Shing—
Identical to what she'd seen.
An unaltered silver dagger now in her hand.
"Phew. Deculein's gone."
Then, Karos's sigh of relief.
Sylvia turned that way.
"...Ah."
Ifrin and Deculein.
Deculein walked ahead; Ifrin trailed three steps behind.
Ifrin looked glum; Deculein seemed steeped in melancholy.
"..."
Deculein.
Sylvia vaguely understood the feelings she harbored for him.
Love, and hate.
Contradictory emotions that could not mix.
"Lady Ilayde. Where to now?"
Julie asked. The three children had already gathered by her side.
Sylvia disliked the kids, but as Julie said, their skills seemed decent.
"Can we join too?! Oh! From the right: Karos, Leos, and I'm Liaaa!"
Lia declared energetically.
Sylvia's reply was curt.
"Fine. Follow."
"Yes!"
"Noisy child. Quiet. Lower your voice."
"Yesss..."