#005
When I think about it, it’s not like there aren’t some uncomfortable aspects. I notified him of divorce not long after marrying him. There wasn’t any particular reason. It was just… because it was a game? It was the same with other NPCs I had married. After all, isn’t romance and marriage in games all about seeing the events?
Once you’ve seen all the predetermined events, dialogue, and behind-the-scenes stories, similar dialogue and situations just repeat afterward. Then it’s natural to move on, isn’t it? Because you have to see other new events and endings.
The decision to divorce Carlisle Lightinger was actually made a bit earlier than with other partners. The circumstances that led to marrying him, a male character, were like that, but there was my own… reason for it. But that’s not important to the current situation.
Anyway, if that sudden and unilateral divorce was reality for Carlisle rather than just a game, and if he still holds those memories intact, he could hate me enough to want to kill me. (Considering the dialogue he gave when I notified him of the divorce, he definitely seemed shocked.)
But usually, even so, you don’t actually wish for the other person to die, do you? Especially in a moment like now when you witness the other person actually facing mortal danger?
“Ha…”
A hollow laugh escaped without my realizing it. It wasn’t the first or second time I’d been dumbfounded since being dragged into this world, and it wouldn’t be strange if some characters had turned into villains as the environment changed. If paradise had turned into hell, wouldn’t it be strange if only people remained the same?
As the briefly flaring expectations and hope died down, sudden fatigue washed over me. I didn’t add any more words and closed my eyes. Along with the rustling sound of dirt being stepped on, a shadow fell over my face.
A cold touch reached my feverish cheek. I must have briefly opened my eyes again. Carlisle Lightinger’s face formed on my blurry retina. The face that had come close at some point was piercingly neat. Cleanly swept-back hair, sharp eyes, a sculpted nose bridge and jawline.
‘Ah…’
For a moment, forgetting both the situation I was in and all the pain, I stared at that face as if entranced. It felt like all my senses were focused solely on the face before my eyes at once.
I was seeing Carlisle Lightinger’s live-action face for the first time. Not the cutely deformed SD character, nor the glamorous and elaborate illustration. The most handsome man in the game world was now vividly alive, standing before my eyes. A thrill ran through me.
But…
“Why…?”
I reached out my hand without realizing it. Or tried to. I wanted to touch his face, but my arm wouldn’t obey. Did he find my fidgeting strange? Carlisle’s eyes slightly furrowed.
“Hmm?”
‘Ah…’
I was going to ask. Why he had gotten piercings. The manly handsome face had piercings that weren’t there before, lined up all over it. Not just his ears, but one eyebrow and even his lips. It was utterly unfamiliar.
Carlisle wasn’t the type to like such things. Had his tastes changed as the environment changed? Come to think of it, the crisply neat suit and hairstyle weren’t his taste either. What kind of change of heart had occurred?
I wanted to ask for the reason, but I soon realized it was a meaningless question. Even if I asked, I wouldn’t be able to hear the answer. I released the strength from the arm I had been trying to move.
Anyway, dying as I was, having Carlisle Lightinger’s face be the last thing I saw wasn’t a bad thing. It might even be the system’s gift in its own way. Though it was a bit sad that the gaze looking at me was so indifferent…
Since it was the last time, I wished he would just smile like before. Come to think of it, I particularly liked this man’s smiling face. That face that seemed like a completely different person from now, smiling at me filling the entire screen. What would it feel like to see this vivid live-action face smile?
I might have smiled without realizing it while imagining that face.
Suddenly, Carlisle’s expression changed subtly. Wrinkles formed between his brows and the red tint in his gray eyes deepened.
But before I could analyze the meaning of that look, my strength gave out. The light disappeared and I plummeted into darkness.
***
When I regained consciousness, I was indoors. I wondered if I had died, but this place didn’t seem like heaven or hell. It was, so to speak, a space similar to my cabin.
“Ugh…”
As I tried to sit up, my entire body ached. Seeing bandages and band-aids stuck here and there, it seemed I had fortunately received treatment. My head felt heavy and the pain was severe, but thanks to that, I could clearly feel that I wasn’t dead.
‘Where is this place…’
Having no clue, I looked around. Even trying to find some hint, there was nothing. The narrow room had no furniture and the windows were covered with shutters so I couldn’t see outside. I wasn’t even on a bed, but lying on the floor with an old blanket spread out.
It was a cabin as old and shabby as my house. At least seeing that there was a separate room, it might be bigger than my house.
Memories from before I lost consciousness came back. I had collapsed from seaweed poisoning and then… I met Carlisle Lightinger. Or did I really meet him? Surely it wasn’t a hallucination caused by poisoning or something. The style and atmosphere were too different, and most importantly, it wasn’t yet time for him to appear, so I couldn’t be certain.
Moreover, Carlisle sneering at me as I was dying and leaving me behind. I briefly shuddered. I’d rather it had been a hallucination.
‘More importantly, where exactly is this place?’
I got up from my spot, feeling a slight headache. The moment I opened the small door, a bitter herbal scent wafted faintly.
‘Ah…’
Various dried medicinal herbs were hanging here and there throughout the house, and glass bottles containing unidentifiable contents were lined up on the shelves. Only then did I realize where this place was. It was the house of the potionist Eira Wintern, who lived alone in the forest.
‘Did Carlisle bring me here?’
My heart skipped slightly. Since there was no way I could have crawled here while dying and unconscious, he must have brought me. As I thought, he hadn’t turned into a psychopath. He was just acting cold on the surface because he hated me. The fact that he wasn’t a villain somehow made me a bit happy.
“You’re awake.”
A dry voice sounded from behind. When I turned around, Eira was standing there, holding what appeared to be dried herb scraps in her hand.
‘Wait, is that really Eira?’
It was strange. The fact that she was holding medicinal herbs, and that green knit dress and red hair were definitely Eira’s. But.
‘Why does she look so disheveled?’
Though I wasn’t in a position to talk about others, I couldn’t help but think that. Unless Eira Wintern had originally been a homeless person or had a naturalist concept, she was one of the characters who was very interested in fashion.
Eira used to set her abundant, long red hair in curls and always wore cute, charming accessories all over herself. She was also famous for using her potionist skills to create her own beauty potions and unique fragrances.
But now, it was hard to find that lively brightness in Eira’s appearance. Her hair was matted to the point where you couldn’t tell when she had last washed it, and her face, half-hidden by that hair, looked quite gloomy. Her previously plump cheeks were sunken, her skin was rough and chapped, and her wrinkled dress was also in a state where you couldn’t tell when it had last been washed.
Even though I had encountered her two or three times during the tutorial, while her expression and atmosphere had become darker, she hadn’t looked this disheveled back then.
“Just so you don’t misunderstand.”
While I was momentarily speechless and staring at her blankly, Eira crossed her arms and spoke stiffly.
“Don’t think I picked you up and treated you because I had some lingering attachment to you. It’s a huge mistake if you think that. I only saved you because your life seemed in danger and I had no choice. According to my conscience as a potionist.”
I was puzzled. Even if her prickly attitude was due to life becoming harsh, it was strange for her to be so hostile toward me. Plus, incomprehensible words were added.
‘Lingering attachment? Picked up? What does that mean?’
Eira didn’t care about my reaction and continued glaring at me while continuing her words.
“Of course it’s not free, so don’t think about leaning on old connections. Whoever it is, I intend to properly collect treatment fees.”
‘What’s this about old connections?’
As I fell deeper into confusion with another puzzling word that popped up, I suddenly remembered the setting that the ‘me’ in the game had frequently visited his great-uncle’s farm here as a child and had been close friends with Eira, who was around the same age at the time. Eira was probably talking about that time.
Having grasped the situation, I hurriedly nodded to Eira, who was glaring at me threateningly.
“Ah, of course. I’m grateful and will naturally pay the treatment fee. But, um, since you said you picked me up.”
Before Eira could continue the conversation further, I decided to ask about what I was curious about first.
“Wasn’t it that someone brought me here?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
