Chapter 14
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Goblin on the Brink of Death. The Unleashed Truth (2)
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"Unless you're a fool, who would ever ask someone to steal away their own memories?"
"…."
Lucy's blue eyes stared straight at Sera.
"Fool."
The word slipped from Lucy's lips—something she never seemed the type to say.
"…What?"
Sera reacted belatedly, wondering if she'd misheard.
"You're the one who begged me to make you forget."
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said. You asked me to cast a spell of oblivion on you."
"Why would I ever ask for that?"
"Because you couldn't bear the memories."
"What the hell does that even mean…?"
The more she heard, the deeper she fell into a maze of confusion.
"It'd take too long to explain. Faster to just give them back."
The sound of Lucy's footsteps approached with heavy thuds.
Lucy's long shadow stretched from her slender frame, looming over Sera.
Sera slowly lifted her head.
Backlit by the light, Lucy's silhouette was eerie, like the shadow of the Grim Reaper.
"I'll lift the spell on you."
Lucy reached out toward Sera.
Sera flinched in surprise and pulled back slightly. But she couldn't escape Lucy's grasp.
"Dispel, Polymorph."
As Lucy chanted the spell, a wave of blue light extended outward, enveloping Sera's body.
Sera's eye level gradually rose. The clothes she wore stretched taut.
Her gaze, once level with Lucy's chest, climbed up to Lucy's nape.
Riiip—the sound of fabric tearing echoed from her chest.
"Wh-what's happening?"
Sera examined her body in shock at the sudden change.
Her fingers seemed a bit longer, her short bob now cascading down to her hips in long waves.
Her height and limbs had stretched out, her breasts had grown, her hair had lengthened—overall, she felt fully matured.
"And where did this holy power come from?"
The physical changes were one thing, but the shifts inside her were no less dramatic.
Holy power overflowed. What had been a single bucketful had swelled to the size of a lake.
"Guess you didn't notice the transformation magic on you."
Lucy said it matter-of-factly.
"No clue at all."
Sera stood before a full-length mirror in one corner of the lab.
A lithe body at least 170cm tall. Snow-white hair falling to her hips.
A face as refined as a statue, wrapped in an aura of sanctity.
A saintess. The saintess from a fairy tale stood before her eyes.
"This is… me?"
The saintess in the mirror blinked her wide, round eyes.
"It's you."
A dry voice came from behind.
Sera turned to face Lucy.
Lucy placed her hands on Sera's cheeks. Lucy's palms were ice-cold.
The cold hands blended with her inherent chill, making her feel like the Goddess of Death.
Gulp. The moment Sera swallowed.
"Dispel, Oblivion."
Dense mana burrowed into her mind.
-----!!!
Sera's mouth gaped open in a silent scream.
Forgotten memories flooded in with brain-splitting intensity.
Tears streamed down Sera's face, drool dripped from her lips as she screamed.
"It's okay. It's all in the past. I'll stay by your side."
Lucy pulled Sera into her embrace and stroked her hair.
…A long time passed like that.
"Hah…!"
Sera gasped deeply, emerging from the torrent of memories.
Her body was cradled in Lucy's arms, her face a mess of tears and drool.
"It's okay."
A dry voice came from above her head.
Sera hugged Lucy back.
Lucy's tall frame supported her solidly, like a wooden pillar.
Leaning against her, Sera's racing heart gradually calmed.
"Thank you, Lucy. Thanks to you, I could forget everything and be happy."
"No big deal."
Lucy's voice was as curt as ever, but Sera now knew of Lucy's devotion.
Sera stroked Lucy's back for a good while before finally pulling away from her embrace.
"I'll step out for a bit."
"Where to?"
"To the forest, just for a little while."
Sera pulled a handkerchief from her bosom and wiped her dirty face.
"What for?"
"To find the goblin."
Sera shed her shabby robe and summoned her bound equipment.
Pure white garments draped over Sera's body.
Light as angel feathers, sacred vestments.
It had been quite a while, yet they felt as familiar as her own skin.
"Why find the goblin?"
"Why do you think?"
Sera twisted her lips into a smile.
"To kill it, obviously."
All monsters must die. No exceptions. It was the doctrine she had to follow.
"Mind if I come along?"
"No reason not to, but why?"
"If I leave you alone, you'll just think about dying again."
"…."
Sera thought her inner thoughts had been seen through.
She'd planned to end her life after dealing with the goblin.
Less "seen through" and more that every time Sera regained her memories, it was always like this—Lucy knew.
"…Alright. Let's go together."
Sera pondered if there was any reason to refuse, then ultimately accepted Lucy's company.
"Sera. The goblin we're going to find today—is it connected to that question you asked before?"
"The question from before?"
"You asked about monsters that can understand human speech."
"…Oh, right."
It was a distant memory Sera had forgotten.
"Back then, we agreed you'd ask again once you regained your memories."
"You've been holding onto that this whole time?"
Sera was impressed anew by Lucy's near-maniacal curiosity.
"Let's head out first. I'll answer on the way."
Answering questions was fine, but the urgent matter was slaying the monster.
Just as Lucy harbored a manic curiosity, Sera harbored a manic something else.
Hatred and murderous intent toward monsters.
That was her madness.
"Teleport straight to the forest?"
"Nah… no. Let's walk. It can't escape anyway, so I can think about how to kill it on the way."
"Planning to torture it cruelly for over a week before killing it?"
Capturing monsters and torturing them as viciously as possible before death was Sera's refined hobby.
The higher their intelligence, the more fun it was. Unlike dumb ones, they offered real enjoyment in tormenting.
If it could speak, hearing it beg for mercy would be delightful, but this goblin couldn't talk—a shame.
"I'd love to, but that one's not tough enough to last that long."
"I see."
Lucy's face remained impassive, betraying nothing as she prepared to leave.
The forest path leading to the cabin.
Sera and Lucy walked side by side down the trail.
A long, thick tree stood squarely in their path.
Crack-crunch—the base splintered with a grinding sound,
then snap—thud! It toppled to the opposite side of the path.
The plume of dust scattered left and right in an instant.
"I've mentioned it steadily from the start, but wouldn't it be better to leave the trees alone?"
Sera, who had been watching, chimed in.
"I'm not cutting them down for no reason."
Lucy replied flatly.
Snap—thud! Another one fell.
"What's the reason for chopping trees right now?"
"They're packed so thick, blocking the path. No way through."
"We don't have to take this straight route. There's a path around."
"Too much hassle."
Snap—thud! Yet another.
Sera closed her eyes briefly and offered a silent prayer for the fallen giant.
"That goblin you mentioned."
Lucy abruptly brought up the goblin.
"Might've been one of the Demon King's minions."
"I think so too."
Normal monsters lacked the intelligence to understand human speech.
But there were 'abnormal' cases—like those under the Demon King's command.
Monsters influenced by the Demon King gained boosted stats or special skills.
"Not someone important, though. It's ridiculously weak."
"Then maybe a lowly errand boy."
"Probably."
"It could run away, though. You sure we should take it slow?"
"It's fine. It can't move anyway."
The image of it lying in place, barely breathing, was crystal clear in Sera's mind.
"We're only going now because I want to kill it myself. It'd die on its own if we didn't bother."
"Why?"
"It's cursed."
The medicine from Lucy hadn't improved its condition, so normal treatments wouldn't work.
The only method that came to mind was using Sera's holy power.
"How do you know so much?"
"I saw it get hurt."
A scene replayed in Sera's head.
The moment she faced wolves with her mana depleted, the goblin suddenly appearing to block them.
'What a pathetic monster.'
Sera's eyes twitched.
Recalling the atrocities monsters had committed in the past, she felt no gratitude—only revulsion.
'Killing it quick would be too merciful. Better to peel off its flesh bit by bit, then strangle it at the end.'
Sera vowed to make the hypocrite suffer as much as possible, crushing the green grass underfoot on the path.