Chapter 136
Chapter 136
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 136
Chapter Title: The Saint's Heart and the Monster's Laughter
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Moments later, after all the work was finished, Victoria opened her eyes and awoke from her slumber with an expression that looked more refreshed than ever before.
"...Is something the matter? I'm not sure why you're making such a face, as if you're about to cry."
Victoria stretched grandly towards me, tossing out a joke in that manner.
p>"You really don't know why I'm asking?"
"Well, I may have lost my memories, but I fell for you, this man, all over again, and I believe I did my best as a lover."
Victoria spoke with a smirk at my words. Then, as always, she clung to my side and linked her arm with mine.
"Surely you're not still unsatisfied? You want to tease me, who's become naive from memory loss, with sinister, blatant words, and make me moan without realizing it as you grope my body all over..."
Victoria then pressed her chest against my arm, whispering to me in a bewitching voice designed to captivate a man.
"Ah, her memories are definitely back."
Seeing that, I realized Victoria's memories had returned to their original state.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have played such a prank. The Victoria I originally knew was the type of person who would provoke or disparage me like this.
"How boring. I thought you'd blush bright red like you used to, or suddenly ask if I was hurt somewhere and worry about me."
"...We're not that close, are we? We're just affectionate lovers who've exchanged rings to wear."
"You talk so well for a virgin mage who once rejected my confession."
Even as she said that, Victoria was fiddling with the ring I wore with her hand. It seemed she was somewhat uneasy about whether the current situation was reality or a dream.
"...Isn't it entirely your fault that I'm still a virgin at this age?"
"Do you have any proof it's my fault? Maybe it's just that your lower half isn't up to the task."
At the remark that subtly attacked my pride, I couldn't understand why Victoria was acting this way towards me the moment she got her memories back.
She must know how much mental anguish I went through because she lost her memories.
Even if she was deliberately acting normally to avoid causing worry, it didn't seem right for her to behave so nonchalantly.
The moment I thought that.
*Peck, smack, peck.*
I felt the soft, wet kisses of Victoria sucking on my neck like a vampire.
"You, what are you doing right now..."
The kisses, starting from my neck, meticulously and thoroughly moved downward as if she were etching her mark.
And this wasn't even a private lodging for just the two of us; our companions and familiars were watching this situation unfold.
"O-oh, w-wow..."
"Should I cover my eyes? This might be too early for a young familiar."
Anima let out a gasp seeing Victoria persistently kiss my neck and collarbone, and Taryon was shielding the familiar's view.
Victoria, heedless of whether others saw or not, lifted her heels high and left kiss marks all over my body.
"Ah, my apologies. It seems your body is healthy, contrary to what I said earlier."
"......"
Victoria was stroking my thigh with her hand while licking her lips with her tongue.
It was blatant seduction to anyone who saw it.
The question of why she was acting like this the moment she regained her memories swirled in my head.
"No wonder you took your eyes off me and turned to a fake. Even if I lost my memories for a few days, isn't this too much?"
Victoria wriggled her eyebrows slightly, venting her frustration at me. The pressure from her tightly gripping arm made it feel as if I could even sense her heartbeat.
"Actually, I wanted to apologize first for having my memories stolen from you... but I didn't want to make you sad with words like that." Hearing Victoria's inner thoughts, I realized she was deliberately playing this prank to avoid causing me worry.
"Still, I think I did my best not to be enchanted by the fake or create distance from you."
"Still, didn't the fake Victoria leave a dying wish saying she wanted to meet a man like you?"
I could understand Victoria's jealousy. Even though I ultimately chose the real one, I also showed tolerance and compassion towards the fake.
If it were my original personality, I would have killed any monster or demon, regardless of their circumstances or reasons.
Because no one knew when or where a problem might arise from values and thoughts different from humans.
There were monsters who begged me desperately to spare their lives, only for them to be madmen who ripped off and ate children's faces.
There were demons who particularly liked human brains or entrails, receiving body parts in exchange for answering questions about the future.
"That one, at least, didn't turn to evil thanks to your memories. Well, it's a very rare exception."
I smiled wryly, thinking of Gratar's case. In this vast expanse of the Demon Realm, the number of sane beings you could find was barely two.
Moreover, the fake Victoria was now reborn as my familiar, so there wouldn't be any incidents of her harming or hurting humans.
"...How can a man be so sinful? Not content with just me losing my memories, you even made the slime that received my memories fall in love."
Victoria puffed her cheeks slightly, showing a dissatisfied expression. Without Kyle's advice, I might not have been able to steel my heart either.
"So, how does it feel to have your memories back? Is there anything missing or strange?"
I asked Victoria, considering any possibility, but she shook her head and said she was fine.
"Ah, there is one missing part. I don't have the memory of the fake Victoria talking to you. It seems she took that part for herself."
Victoria stroked her chin with her hand, opening her mouth with an expression that seemed to have guessed something.
"And I don't have most of the time or life the fake Victoria lived. Well, that was solely her life, after all. It's only right to respect that."
Victoria seemed to ponder for a moment, then nodded her head as if it were nothing and moved on.
If parts she hadn't seen with her own eyes had entered her memory, it might have felt dissonant.
Perhaps she deliberately didn't transfer those memories.
If not that, then it was likely an attempt to preserve her own existence as much as possible, assuming her soul wouldn't disappear.
"They say the emptiness left behind is greater than the original space... She really acted human and died."
"It must be a message to live on holding memories and affection. No matter how much she claimed to be a fake, it seems she thought her emotions were real."
Victoria spoke in a gentle voice, placing my familiar on her palm.
Originally, familiars were beings without personal agency who followed their master's commands, but this one seemed to possess a free soul.
Even now, without my command, it continued to wriggle on Victoria's palm, forming a certain shape.
"What should we name it?"
"Hmm. Do you usually give names to familiars? I thought most mages used familiars like subordinates or slaves."
"Do you think I'm that kind of person?"
"Didn't you just mention a strange desire to ride a dragon? Oh, excuse me, you've already done something similar before."
"......"
I wasn't used to Victoria making such lewd jokes or teasing me. When she had lost her memories, she at least showed some wariness towards me.
Look at her now. She's savoring the scent of the robe I gave her to cover her exposed clothes.
"I know your memories are back, so that's enough. Pranks can go too far."
I gave a slight reprimand to Victoria.
I had no idea how much my heart had been on edge, burdened by guilt for not being able to protect Victoria from Memoria and by the determination to restore her to her original state.
Moreover, because of the fake's existence, there was a time when I had to agonize over who the real one was.
Rather than this prank, I would have preferred to hear a simple "I love you."
"Understood. No matter how I thought about it, I believed this was the only way to prove that I've regained my memories."
As if sensing my feelings, Victoria soon put on a serious expression and began pointing far to the east.
"Now, let's go. Shouldn't we go beat that detestable slime bastard who toyed with us to death?"
Victoria showed a confident smile, stating that this time, they would surely kill Memoria.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Memoria was currently thinking of this situation as highly unsatisfactory. The fake Victoria he had created had found her humanity solely through her memories, proved her existence, and died.
"Damn it, how on earth did that crazy bitch do it?"
Abandoning even his usual manner of speech, he was now furious to the point where maintaining a human form was difficult.
Moreover, the fake Victoria had deliberately blinded and deafened herself to prevent Memoria from stealing her senses and eavesdropping on the situation.
Thoughts like "How dare a mere creation..." swirled chaotically in his head.
"Impressive. You people are truly impressive. To think you could transfer memories with a unique magic like a dying wish."
*Crack, crack, crack.*
Memoria was chewing his own fingernails while laughing like a madman. Soon, dark red blood dripped from the corners of his mouth as he chewed even his fingers.
"If I don't accept this challenge, my loss would be immense, right? This is the last chance to devour the abilities and talents of the continent's strongest hero party, along with a familiar possessing human-era memories!"
*Crreeeaaak─.*
Soon, Memoria's head bent backward, his body twisted grotesquely, transforming into a massive slime with multiple mouths and heads.
"I was a swordsman obsessed with the sword."
"I was a mage who devoted my life to magic."
"I was a priest, a dark mage, a lich, a being who could become everything."
Countless mouths and faces each let out their own screams, creating a terrifying and grotesque atmosphere.
"Ah, ugh... It hurts, hurts, hurts, save me, save me, save me... Mom, I miss you..."
There were even beings making expressions or voices from the moment just before death.
"...I am Memoria, the memory-eating slime."
The squelching green mass of mucus, which had finally spoken its name, let out a laugh so loud it seemed it would tear one's eardrums.