Chapter 108
Chapter 108
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: Memories of the Stars: Celestia (1)
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There are landscapes that feel like ancient memories.
Scenes experienced at some uncertain time, in some forgotten moment.
Fragments of dreamlike vistas, so ethereal that you doubt they ever truly existed.
Yet, fragments of these short scenes lingered in my mind, carrying an inexplicable familiarity.
The beginnings of these memories were always similar.
A beautiful world where everything felt warm and gentle.
Vibrant landscapes bursting with flowers.
And within them, someone's vivid warmth caressed me.
—“Johan.”
In the hazy fragments of memory, the voice calling my name was always the same person.
I couldn't recall their face.
I only remembered the familiar warmth in that misty world.
Yet it was a touch so profoundly familiar, so achingly tender.
—“Someday, even these moments will come to an end.”
A snippet of conversation from the severed memory.
As I listened to these disjointed words, emotions belonging to someone unknown would slowly well up within me.
Countless emotions spreading alongside the memories.
Most often, it was longing.
—“Even if you leave me time and again—”
A deep yearning for something forever out of reach.
The futility of grasping at a mirage.
The tender ache of revisiting memories that would never return.
—“Even if you forget me time and again—”
Amid these swirling emotions, the scenery of a flower field trembled.
The fragrance wafting from a field in full bloom.
A radiant space brimming with beauty, from some place I couldn't recall.
A scene whose name I had long forgotten.
—“I will find you again.”
With those words of longing, everything scattered like bubbles.
As if it were all merely a fleeting dream.
As if it all deserved to vanish.
—“So, for that day, let's keep these memories together in our dreams.”
Unreal tales.
Memories I couldn't even trust.
—“So you won't forget me—”
An echo resounded through the noise, like a fading reverberation.
—“So I won't lose you—”
Someone waiting for me.
An echo from someone waiting.
The lingering afterimage of memory that enveloped me was filled with bitterness.
“…….”
Amid the echoing memories, I quietly lifted my head.
A library steeped in silence.
In this library of illusions, I had finished reviewing the preserved memory.
“Ha—. Is that finally over?”
The magic of the Second Repository: Memory Imprint.
A quiet, bitter sigh escaped my lips as I completed the recollection through it.
“I have no idea when these memories got mixed in.”
My voice alone echoed softly through the vast library.
Memories I had preserved through magic long ago.
These jumbled timelines and sequences were still the most vital components of who I was.
That was why I periodically inspected my own memories.
“I can't even properly recall where these events took place.”
I raised my head.
And gazed upon the library's scenery.
The Illusory Repository, Celestia, remained in its familiar form.
But I, within this library, continued to change.
Doubtful memories kept resurfacing in my mind.
Sometimes, the emotions tangled within them overflowed, threatening to consume me.
“…….”
Like noise overlaying hazy memories, these recollections and feelings swallowed me whole.
Pondering them often sparked sudden doubts about myself.
Doubts about my own integrity.
“……Noise. Yes, it's just noise.”
Hoo—.
A heavy sigh escaped me.
Sometimes, the human mind fabricates experiences that never happened.
Perhaps centuries trapped in this library had corrupted my memories.
Complicated emotions filled my head.
“It's about time to maintain the magic, anyway.”
Drurk—.
I pushed back the chair I'd been sitting in and quietly surveyed the library.
Everything has its proper time.
Maintaining ancient magic was no exception.
Rising from my seat, I immediately set off toward a certain spot.
Step, step—.
My footsteps echoed between the shelves of the Second Repository.
After passing a few shelves, the cover of a familiar grimoire greeted me.
“……Memory Imprint.”
A spell I'd created in the early days after arriving in Celestia.
I'd revised it countless times since, yet flaws apparently remained.
I pulled the familiar grimoire from the shelf packed with magic books.
Then, flipping open its thick cover, I intended to inspect its structure once more before revising the spell.
“…….”
But soon after checking the grimoire's state, I fell silent.
Rustle, rustle—.
Arcane script stared back at me from the turning pages.
My eyes scanned it intently.
Formulas I'd never written filled the entire grimoire densely.
“The grimoire has completely degraded—.”
Only then did I understand the source of these alien memories.
—The 'Memory Imprint' had degraded.
That was my conclusion.
* * * * * *
A massive underground facility in the eastern empire.
In the drab research lab, the sound of someone eating boomed loudly.
Crunch, crunch—.
Brown nutrient gel, packed with sustenance, crumbled finely in the doctor's mouth.
Avery watched with a troubled expression and spoke to the doctor.
“Are you two really okay with food like this……?”
The doctor. And Raintas.
She was referring to the nutrient gel they were consuming in place of proper meals.
Avery's face showed clear dismay at the gel.
Its taste and appearance were both utterly revolting.
“If you don't eat enough, well… your mind won't work properly.”
“…….”
“So for today, it's best to just eat this.”
Unlike Avery, though, the doctor chewed the gel nonchalantly.
Was it not repulsive to him?
Avery stared at the doctor devouring it so easily, then turned to Raintas beside him.
“Raintas… you think the same as the doctor?”
She hoped, perhaps, that Raintas might react differently.
But his response far exceeded her expectations.
“Clearly, you're still a child.”
“……Pardon?”
Avery's eyes blankly fixed on Raintas.
He regarded her like a child throwing a tantrum.
“Wandering the world, you'll face worse than this. You can't always expect abundance.”
“That means…….”
“This is decent enough to fill your stomach. Be grateful there's food at all.”
Raintas, the mercenary guarding the doctor.
Even he, whom Avery had hoped might be reasonable, scolded her and dumped the entire gel into his mouth.
Perhaps from years of rough work.
Raintas devoured it even more voraciously than the doctor.
Gulp—.
As Raintas finished the gel, the doctor gave him a peculiar look.
“Raintas has odd tastes. I don't like this stuff—it's tasteless.”
“What……?”
Blink, blink—.
Raintas's startled gaze turned to the doctor.
The doctor shrugged.
“I've agonized over adding flavor because it's so bland.”
“You had better options but deliberately fed us this?”
Raintas's sharp voice cut toward the doctor.
Their conversation felt oddly off-kilter.
Avery held her breath, silently observing.
“Well, you eat the nutrient gel so eagerly. I assumed you liked it.”
“…….”
Raintas's response to the doctor's words was simple.
“I'll cut out your tongue so you can't taste anymore.”
Shing—.
A blade drew from Raintas's waist.
The doctor waved his hands and retreated.
“Raintas, you should calm down. I'll make tastier nutrient gel soon…….”
“…….”
“Joking. Food issues will resolve shortly anyway.”
Perhaps Avery's question hadn't been entirely futile.
The doctor promised meal improvements in the near future.
Click—.
As Raintas sheathed his sword.
Avery harbored faint hope in her chest.
‘If I endure a bit longer, normal food might come……!’
Meals might change soon—
Before the delighted Avery, the doctor continued with future plans.
“Anyway… we'll be busy making Elixir for a while. Food shortages arose preparing for that.”
—Elixir.
The legendary supreme potion.
At the familiar term from the doctor, Raintas and Avery reacted differently.
“……Elixir. The principal's data was about that, right.”
“Elixir… it's just a legend among alchemists.”
Avery's worried eyes turned to the doctor.
Tap, tap—.
To her doubting its very possibility, the doctor wagged a finger lightly.
“That's precisely why it's valuable. If anyone could have it, would it be called treasure?”
“…….”
“Moreover, this relic we acquired… the 'Mana Stone Refiner' is exceptionally special.”
His gaze shifted to the relic in the corner.
A complex magic tool embedded with a red gem.
The relic exuded an ominous aura.
“Mana Stone Refiner……?”
“One of the ancient relics from alchemy traditions. It processes mana stones into mana liquid.”
Click—.
Adjusting his monocle, the doctor's eyes went to the stack of documents on the desk.
With confident tone, he grabbed a handful of texts from the pile.
“With something like this… I guarantee making Elixir will be easier than in Teliver's era. First, we decode relic data.”
He handed the stack to Avery.
Ancient texts, all in archaic script.
As Avery took them with a flustered face, the doctor grinned wickedly at her.
“Today's assignment for you, Miss Avery. Once decoded, we'll move to your specialty: alchemy.”
“…….”
“Even after decoding, the Elixir recipe won't be complete. Experiments will be needed to restore it.”
Snap—.
Flicking his fingers, a chimera loaded with mana stones lumbered over from the corner.
High-grade stones piled high, visibly extraordinary.
“Of course, I've stocked plenty of mana stones for research.”
“High-grade mana stones… this many……?”
Avery's eyes widened in shock at the mana stones.
It screamed immense funding.
Not just brute force, but ample resources for research.
Avery couldn't fathom the organization's power.
“That's why the gel. Transporting those used up a week's ration allocation.”
With high-purity mana stones filling the lab, the doctor's obsession with weird gel made some sense.
Securing such items naturally meant skimping on food costs.
“So, Miss Avery. From today, let's focus on research.”
Offering small consolation, the doctor reached for his nutrient gel again.
Intending to slip back into work seamlessly.
Blink, blink—.
As Avery watched him briefly.
She soon lifted her head and asked softly.
“……So, exactly when will real food arrive?”
“Well… soon…….”
The doctor averted his gaze awkwardly.
Truly, a nefarious researcher.