Chapter 225
Chapter 225
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Truth
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Grace came.
This time, she was alone.
Looking at her face, it didn't seem like a particularly good sign... She looked deeply troubled.
After a long silence, she finally spoke.
"Un-ho...... Is Damon really not involved in the disappearance?"
"......"
It was a question with a completely different vibe from yesterday.
Grace's clear blue eyes were demanding the truth from me.
I realized from that look that she was already at the suspicion stage. At the same time, it was her own signal that she wanted to believe me.
Depending on my attitude, that could turn into distrust in an instant.
I pondered.
This was a moment of choice.
Should I keep hiding it from her?
Or should I tell her the truth?
Unlike with Philip, I had to approach her carefully.
The fact that she'd come back to me meant she had some suspicions.
Denying it further would only fuel more doubt...
And make me look pathetic.
If distrust crept into our relationship, it was unlikely we'd make any further progress.
As I was mulling it over, Suni offered a solution.
Suni might seem like a free entity, but she faces significant restrictions when it comes to me.
Even my subconscious aversion triggers limitations for her.
For example, if I subconsciously don't want her to see me having sex with a woman, she can't view that scene.
Who would like the idea of someone peering into their memories?
Naturally, I have those defenses too.
Suni needs my permission to access them.
'Is it the right call to show Grace what happened back then?'
Showing her would mean admitting that Rachel and I dealt with Damon.
She's a former sheriff.
She might not be able to stay here anymore.
'Taking Rachel and leaving wouldn't be hard, but...'
Having to give up Carrie and Grace would hurt deeply.
Did I really need to go head-to-head with Grace over this, unlike with Philip?
Given my personality, it felt like it'd be easier to just tell her the truth upfront.
'Suni, I permit access to the memories from that night.'
As Suni instructed, I gently took Grace's hand.
She flinched but didn't pull away.
"Do you want the truth?"
"Yeah..."
Grace nodded heavily.
I began the mana interference on her.
Her vision went black, and the first thing Grace perceived was the deafening roar of rain pouring outside.
"Rachel!!"
A savage man's bellow echoed.
-Flicker.
Her vision brightened in an instant, revealing a familiar face before her.
"D-Damon?"
Damon was huffing in anger over something.
Soon, Rachel appeared before him.
Her face was etched with anxiety and fear.
Then came Damon's assault on Rachel.
"S-Stop it!"
Grace rushed toward him to intervene, but her body passed right through him. She realized this wasn't reality.
'Is Un-ho using his superpower?'
Grace understood that Un-ho was using his ability to show her the events of that night.
But the realism was so vivid she couldn't keep her composure.
The horrific scene continued.
Dorothy charged at Damon and got grabbed by the hair, beaten mercilessly.
Grace, stunned at the sight, momentarily forgot it wasn't real and instinctively reached for the gun at her waist.
Inside the house, Damon was the devil incarnate.
She wanted to stop him, but being a vision, she was powerless.
She hadn't realized it was this bad...
If she'd known, she would have banished Damon from the island.
Dorothy, flung by Damon, hit her head on the table corner and collapsed.
Grace knew this was the past, but the anger and helplessness filled her with immense guilt.
Rachel clutched the fallen Dorothy and wailed.
'D-Dorothy... D-Died?'
What she thought was the worst was only the beginning of something far worse.
Grace was dazed by the hellish scenes unfolding one after another. Rachel's guilt, regret, helplessness, despair—all negative emotions flooded in.
Empathizing, tears streamed down her face unbidden.
Damon, ignoring his dead daughter, beat Rachel with a chair.
Even a demon would yield at this point.
At that moment, Rachel awakened her power and tore Damon apart—literally.
But her daughter, already lost, wouldn't return.
Grace realized Rachel had lost all hope in life.
That's when Un-ho appeared.
He sliced his palm and fed the blood to Dorothy.
Grace was shocked by what followed.
Dorothy's wounds healed rapidly, her breathing returning—it was nothing short of a miracle.
As my mana interfered with Grace via Suni, she stared blankly into space with a dazed expression.
"Hah! Hah!"
Then she gasped for breath and began crying.
"Why is she like that?"
Wondering if something went wrong, I asked Suni.
My cognitive abilities had long surpassed human limits.
If Grace was seeing a vision based on my memories... even the intense emotions between Damon and Rachel, which hadn't affected me much, would hit her full force.
"Will she believe it?"
I doubted a mere vision would make her believe me outright.
Suni's voice was full of certainty.
"How do you know?"
"Does that make a difference?"
"My intent has that much power?"
"So I could make her believe lies too?"
"But?"
......She wasn't wrong.
"Ah..."
Grace's eyes refocused, as if she'd finished the vision Suni showed her.
Still, she stared blankly for a while.
Then she realized she was crying and touched her face.
"I-I..."
I handed her my handkerchief.
She quietly wiped her tears with it.
"Haa..."
Somewhat composed, Grace let out a deep sigh.
"Whatever you decide, I'll accept it... If you tell me to leave, I will."
Hearing that, Grace stood silently with a downcast face and headed toward the door.
Her back looked utterly dejected.
She seemed about to leave just like that.
Then she paused, turned to me, and said,
"Un-ho... Thank you."
".........Yeah."
I didn't know what she was thankful for, but I replied anyway.
'Sh-Should be fine, right?'
Grace's mind was numb from the shocking scenes, especially Rachel's raw anguish that shook her to the core.
She was convinced.
The vision Un-ho showed her was the truth... and she felt immense guilt toward Rachel and Dorothy.
Without him, it would have been an irreversible tragedy.
The confusion that had plagued her even when seeking Un-ho now settled into calm.
She felt she understood why Un-ho traveled alone without companions.
His abilities were too extraordinary.
Especially... that miracle-like power that revived Dorothy.
If humans knew, no one would leave him alone.
And she could guess Rachel's feelings toward Un-ho.
He was the savior who appeared at her most desperate moment.
Without Un-ho, Rachel—having lost her daughter—might have committed suicide.
No, she definitely would have.
Leaving Un-ho's house, Grace went straight to find Philip.
"How'd it go?"
Philip's face was full of anticipation.
His relationship with Un-ho wasn't good.
He wouldn't believe her even if she told him what happened.
She knew it would disappoint Philip, but she had no choice.
"Philip, do we really need to dig into this incident like this? Damon wasn't exactly controllable..."
"Wh-what...? G-Grace?"
As expected, Philip was flustered.
"Philip, Un-ho isn't a bad guy. He's far more helpful to this place than Damon ever was."
The more Grace spoke, the more twisted Philip's expression became.
"Even if those two turn out to be the culprits, we don't have many options. At worst, banish them from here. If Rachel leaves, Dorothy goes too. You gonna kick that mother and daughter out into the world? For that Damon?"
"......Th-that's..."
Grace thought it couldn't be helped if Philip didn't accept it.
Back then, without awakening, Rachel might have died at Damon's hands.
In a world not in this state...
Even if Rachel were caught and tried for killing her husband—who murdered her daughter and abused her—she'd likely be found not guilty.
The problem was she couldn't explain that to Philip.
Still, Grace believed convincing him to drop the case was the best course.