Chapter 58: Mars (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 58: Mars (4)
“Cloud, you son of a bitch, get out here!”
“Woof woof!”
“..?”
She called me a son of a bitch, so I barked, but Isabelle just stared at me with a ‘What the hell is wrong with this guy?’ expression. I glanced to the side and saw Eri and Ophelia had also stopped eating their breakfast to stare blankly at me.
Okay. This joke was a failure.
If I dragged this out any longer, the mood would get seriously frosty, so I decided to get to the point.
“Pink-haired Slut? What is it so early in the morning?”
As I spoke, Isabelle’s expression twisted back into a furious scowl. She strode over and slammed her palm down hard on our party’s table.
Thanks to her, not only the dishes but also the food we were eating went scattering across the floor.
Eri shot up from her seat.
“Hey, what do you think you’re—”
“Eri, calm down.”
“Huh? No, Cloud, even so, this is—”
“Eri, calm down.”
“...Fine.”
Eri let out a heavy sigh and sat back down in her chair. She shot a terrifying glare at Isabelle, but Isabelle paid her no mind.
Her attention was focused solely on me.
“So, what has our dear Pink-haired Slut so upset?”
“Don’t play dumb. This is your fault!”
“This?”
I lowered my gaze to the table. Sure enough, tucked between the table and her palm was a slightly bloodstained letter.
“Writing a letter instead of a farewell? That wasn’t my one-sided decision, but a sort of agreement we reached after discussing our opinions…”
“The letter was your doing, too?”
Isabelle’s brow furrowed so deeply I thought it was impossible for it to get any tighter.
Hmm. It seems there’s a very deep misunderstanding between us.
I had a feeling this conversation was going to be a long one.
I had Eri and Ophelia go upstairs.
Then, I looked Isabelle straight in the eye and spoke.
“Mars agreed to the letter. It’s written right there, isn’t it? That he couldn’t bring himself to face you.”
“...The letter isn’t what’s important. What’s really important is that you’re the one who incited Mars to leave me and go on a journey!”
“Incited… It’s true I suggested a journey to Mars. I told him to gain various experiences and become a mature man.”
“I knew it… It was your fault! Because you pushed him, Mars left me to go on a journey!”
Isabelle snatched a fork from the messy table and lunged, aiming to stab me in the neck.
Without a moment’s hesitation.
She’s completely lost it.
I caught Isabelle’s wrist as she brought the fork down. Thanks to that, the tines stopped just short of my neck. Her arm trembled violently as she tried with all her might to shove the fork into my throat.
She even brought her other arm up to help, but as if that would work.
The level difference between us had to be over 30.
It was a level difference so great that I wouldn’t have even needed to block the fork.
The only reason I did was to stop the Pink-haired Slut from causing any more trouble and to continue our conversation smoothly.
“Pink-haired Slut, I think you’re misunderstanding something.”
“Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding!”
“The way you’re talking, it sounds like I forced Mars to go on this journey.”
“Didn’t you?”
Isabelle let out a disbelieving scoff.
I nodded my head in affirmation.
As she stared at me, dumbfounded, I told her the truth.
“Like I said before, I suggested a journey. But that was just a suggestion, not a demand. The choice was Mars’s.”
“Mars’s…? Don’t make me laugh! There’s no way Mars would leave me for some stupid journey! Even if he did, he would have asked me to come with him. If it weren’t for you!”
“There you go again, blaming me. Try to think with that shallow brain of yours. Why would I recommend a journey to Mars?”
“It’s obvious you wanted to separate me and Mars. Because you hate me!”
“Alright, my motive is explained. Let’s move on. Then why did Mars follow my suggestion? Why did he leave on a journey without even saying goodbye to you?”
“...”
“Your silence tells me you have something to feel guilty about, don’t you?”
The strength drained from the hand holding the fork. Unable to answer, she just chewed on her lip, her face filled not with anger, but with deep guilt.
But that, too, was fleeting.
A moment later, Isabelle was glaring at me fiercely again.
“Fine, there is something. But that’s a problem between me and Mars. It wasn’t something for you to interfere in!”
“A problem between you and Mars…? Ah! There’s another thing you’re mistaken about. Mars didn’t leave on a journey because he was sick of you playing hard to get.”
“What?”
“It’s just as I said. As shitty as your games were, there’s no way Mars would give up on you over something so trivial. You know how much he liked you.”
“Then what is it? Why would Mars leave me?!”
“About that… what were you doing last night?”
“Last night? What does that have to do with…”
Isabelle’s expression crumpled as if asking why I’d suddenly bring that up, but then she froze.
Her pupils began to tremble violently.
“No way… It can’t be…?”
Isabelle shook her head as if in denial.
Watching her, I gave a faint smile.
“I saw it with Mars. You and the baron’s son, having a pleasant conversation.”
“Ah… Aah…!!!”
As if struck by a massive shock, Isabelle staggered. Since I was holding her wrist, she didn’t fall. She trembled, staring at the floor like a convicted sinner.
“Y-You’re lying…”
“It’s true. If it wasn’t, then like you said, why would Mars leave you for some stupid journey? Man, you two looked so lovey-dovey. Like a truly happy couple…”
“Don’t you dare lump me in with that bastard!!!”
The Pink-haired Slut suddenly snapped her head up and screamed ferociously.
“What’s with all the shouting? If you’re meeting in the middle of the night, you must be close, right?”
“Not at all! That man kept pestering me, and since he’s a baron’s son, I had no choice but to humor him a few times. I have absolutely no interest in him!”
“Is that so? But I bet Mars felt differently.”
“That was something we could have cleared up by talking! If it wasn’t for you…”
“Then why didn’t you have that little talk sooner?”
My voice was completely devoid of the humor it held until now. I could see the Pink-haired Slut flinch at my sudden change in demeanor. I didn’t stop.
“Why didn’t you have that conversation earlier? If you had told Mars about the baron’s son beforehand, he never would have had to feel so miserable.”
“I-I couldn’t help it. He’s a baron’s son! It’s not like Mars could do anything even if he knew, it would just give him more to worry about. That’s why I didn’t tell him!”
“So… you did it to protect Mars?”
“Yes!”
When I asked for confirmation, Isabelle seemed to regain her confidence and answered loudly.
I clicked my tongue.
“What a load of bullshit.”
“...What?”
“Mars is a grown man who just came of age. He’s old enough to be independent from his parents. And you’re going to protect him? Who the hell are you?”
“I’m…!”
“His childhood friend? Isn’t that just a word for a long-time friend you’ve known since you were young? And friends are equals. Not some mother taking care of a little kid.”
“What are you…!”
“Of course, I know exactly why you think that way. Mars is an orphan bastard, and you have well-to-do parents in this town. Mars is reasonably handsome, and you’re fucking beautiful. Mars has no money or friends, while you get a big allowance and have plenty of friends. So at some point, that mentality must have set in. Ah, he’s beneath me. He’s a child I have to protect.”
“Don’t give me that ridiculous bullshit! I’ve never thought of Mars that way!”
“Bullshit? This one thing explains everything.”
You hiding the matter with the baron’s son, claiming it was to protect Mars.
Mars not knowing you like him, while you know he likes you.
And on top of that, you playing those stupid push-and-pull games.
“All of it is based on a sense of psychological superiority. It’s impossible unless you have that kind of emotional leeway. So admit it. You saw Mars as beneath you, as someone you needed to protect. Not as a partner in life.”
When I finished speaking, the look on Isabelle’s face was devastating.
Truthfully, my argument was full of sophistry and exaggeration. But seeing her expression, it seemed I’d hit quite a few nerves.
“But actually, you’re right. Mars is someone who needs to be protected.”
Isabelle’s gaze shifted strangely.
It was probably because after tearing her down this whole time, I was suddenly seeming to side with her.
I let the smile return to my face and continued.
“It makes sense, since he’s an orphan, right? He doesn’t have parents to act as his emotional pillars. Strong kids might overcome it, but weak kids just crumble. From what I saw, Mars was the latter… but you helped him. The heart that was about to break in half, you, Isabelle, pieced it back together. That’s why, to Mars, you were more precious than anyone else.”
A precious person that no one could ever replace.
“The feeling of being abandoned by such a precious person… can you even imagine it?”
Isabelle’s body trembled violently. She tried to pull away from me as if she didn’t want to hear any more, but…
Nice try!
I didn’t let go of her wrist.
“For the record, I’m an orphan too, so I know it well. Should I explain the feeling for you?”
Still holding her wrist, I pointed to my head with my free hand.
“First, the blood rushes to your head. Your face turns red, and your veins pop out grotesquely. It feels like a hot fire is boiling inside your skull, and your eyeballs feel like they’re about to pop out.”
Next, I pointed to my eyes.
“Of course, you cry, right? But you can’t stop, and eventually, the tears just dry up completely. You’re crying, but no tears come out. Do you know what comes out instead of tears? Blood. Tears of blood. It’s not a metaphor; your capillaries actually burst and blood flows down. But honestly, all that is nothing.”
Finally, I pointed to my chest.
“Compared to this, that is. This one… let’s see… how should I explain it…”
I glanced around, looking for something sharp. The sword at my waist was too big… and unfortunately, I couldn’t see a knife.
Tsk, no choice then.
I snatched the fork from Isabelle and let go of her hand.
“So, about the chest…”
I showed her my empty palm and the fork, making sure she got a good look…
And then I stabbed the fork straight through my palm.
Isabelle’s eyes went wide with shock.
I heard a sharp gasp. It wasn’t Isabelle, but the townspeople who had been eavesdropping while eating, as if watching a morning soap opera.
I raised my voice a little louder so they could all hear.
“Something huge gets stuck in your chest, like this. It hurts like hell. So much that you can’t even speak when you open your mouth. It feels like your vocal cords are blocked. But if you think that’s the end, you’re wrong.”
I twisted the fork embedded in my palm.
A few drops of blood splattered onto Isabelle’s face.
Ah, my bad.
I apologized, but Isabelle didn’t respond. She just stared, mesmerized, at the palm impaled by the fork.
“It feels like this, like you’re being gouged out. Like something precious inside your chest is collapsing. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“...”
“Do you understand how Mars must have felt? Do you understand why I recommended that journey to him?”
Isabelle didn’t answer.
She just hung her head and stood there silently. It was only when I saw the tears dripping down and wetting the floor that I realized she was crying.
Seeing her like that, I felt like I might have tormented her too much, but it couldn’t be helped.
Destiny is like a magnet; if you don’t separate it completely, it will try to return to how it was.
If I acted half-heartedly, wishing for their happiness, Mars’s tragic fate could return.
So, to leave no room for doubt, I had to sever them completely like this.
I placed a hand on her shoulder and patted it comfortingly.
“I’m sorry, but for Mars’s sake, please forget him.”
“...ell me.”
“It’ll be hard at first, but someday you’ll find someone good for you. Maybe the baron’s son you’re seeing now…”
“...the direc… tell me.”
Huh?
“What was that? Speak up.”
“Tell me which way Mars went.”
Isabelle said, lifting the head she had bowed.
Unlike before, when her face was a mess of contortions, her expression was now calm.
“...Did you even understand what I said?”
“I understood. You’re saying I gave Mars a wound so deep it wouldn’t be strange if it became a lifelong trauma, right?”
“You understood well. And you’re still saying that?”
“It’s because I understand that I have to ask. You’re saying Mars is in a lot of emotional pain because of me. Then I have to go and apologize.”
“...No, I’m telling you it’s not a wound that can be healed with an apology. Don’t you see this?”
I waved my fork-impaled palm in front of her eyes.
Even seeing that, the look in Isabelle’s eyes didn’t change.
“I’ll apologize until it’s healed. If Mars wants, I’ll even get on my knees. And if it becomes a lifelong trauma, I’ll love him so much he won’t even have time to think about it.”
Whoosh.
The air around Isabelle began to stir ominously.
It wasn’t just a simple wind.
It was a storm of wind blades, each carrying a sharp edge.
“So hurry up and tell me which way Mars went.”
Isabelle, now Awakened as an Elementalist, spoke from the center of the swirling blades of wind.
Watching Isabelle suddenly Awaken, I slapped my forehead.
Wow… She’s Awakening here, when it’s supposed to happen in the early-to-mid game?
Goddess, that fucking bitch, seriously.