༺ Gaslighting (2) ༻
Reflecting back, Dowd had always been like sunshine to Yuria.
Despite almost having a horrifying experience from the very first time they met, he had never avoided her. Instead, he was the one who had always approached her first.
Excluding her older sister, he was the only one who knew about her condition. Despite that, he still offered his company and assistance.
He was the only one who provided her a bridge to the world, allowing her to interact with others and live as she did now.
He enveloped her dark and damp world with warm sunshine.
However…
That very same person….
“For the first time, I’m a little disappointed in you.”
While emitting an atmosphere as cold as ice, he articulated each word, as if driving it home.
Such a sentence flew like a knife, stabbing deep into her heart.
As if she had actually been physically beaten, Yuria couldn’t help but backpedal a few steps.
Without realizing, she clutched her chest tightly.
“…”
It hurt.
In the beginning, she had definitely come here in anger.
Even until just a while ago, a ‘voice’ kept echoing in her head, whispering how she needed to do something to this man, who continued to meet other women.
But now…
Such things weren’t important.
Her hands were trembling. Tears welled up in the corner of her eyes. She lost strength in her legs. Chills ran down her entire body.
She was scared.
In case…Just in case….
This man…
Would become disappointed in her and never look her way again…
“…”
It was just her anxiety taking over at the moment. But even so….
The mere ‘chance’ that such a thing could happen…
It was unbearable.
“U-Um, so…”
She opened her mouth with great difficulty, as her trembling voice trickled out.
An excuse. She had to at least make some kind of an excuse.
“I-I wasn’t t-trying to do that, I-I w-was…”
She desperately tried to force her voice out, in hopes he would have his fury relieved, even if it was just by a little.
However, before she could even finish her sentence…
“I didn’t say this to hear your excuses.”
A stern voice cut her off.
She flinched so hard, as if she was struck by a lightning bolt.
Her movements stiff, barely managed to raise her head as she met Dowd’s eyes.
The usual warmth lingering in his eyes was nowhere to be found. In its place was a piercing gaze overflowing with ire, as if he was looking at a mortal enemy. Even through the mask he wore, it felt heartbreakingly clear.
At the sight of his cold wrath, she spoke out of reflex.
“…I’m sorry…”
Yuria sniffled as she fell to her knees; Her legs had completely given out.
“I r-really w-wasn’t t-trying t-to do that, I-I, s-so-”
She never had any intention to harm this man.
It was…just…
Her greediness overflowed a little.
Only love me. You said I was precious to you. You said I was the most important to you.
Even while deceiving other women, you said our love, our bond, was the truest one.
So, prove it to me.
Tell me I’m the most dear to you.
All she did was project such a desire to this man,
“I-I promise I w-won’t d-do that f-from now on, from n-now on, I-I’m really s-sorry, I’m s-sorry, so p-please-”
Please don’t look at me with such eyes.
Please treat me warmly like before.
Please.
Please don’t abandon me. I’ll do anything.
I…
I can’t live without you.
“…Then, can you promise me?”
And right as her mind spiraled deep into the abyss, such words shined down on her.
Unlike before, at the very least, she couldn’t feel the coldness in his voice.
“I don’t believe you’ve done it on purpose anyway.”
“…”
“However, I don’t want this to happen again in the future, so for the time being, I want some space.”
“…!”
Yuria’s expression turned into one of desperation.
No wait, but, if he did this…
Her anxiety rose, perhaps because she felt that she and this man could start growing apart from—
“Yuria.”
Before she could even continue her thoughts…
Dowd’s hand grazed the collar she always had fastened on her neck.
To be more precise, he touched what was tied there; A handkerchief engraved with the crest of the Campbell Viscounty.
It was the present he had given her before, as a ‘token of promise’.
She could feel his warmth.
Yuria instinctively reached out with both hands to tightly grasp Dowd’s.
As if this tiny bit of warmth would disappear at any moment if she didn’t do so.
“B-But, But—”
“I’ll make a promise too.”
Her sobs were covered by Dowd’s voice.
“If you keep your promise, I, too, will never disappoint you again.”
“…”
“Yuria.”
“…”
“Yuria.”
“…Yes.”
“Can you trust me?”
“…”
“Look at me.”
Yuria looked up at Dowd’s face with great difficulty.
What greeted her was the face she was familiar with.
Though he seemed a bit absent-minded at times…
He was always gentle, dependable, and had always shone warmly in her dark world.
He was her sunshine.
“…Yes.”
So…
She had no choice but to agree.
“I trust you.”
The expression she currently saw on this man’s face was…
A treasure she could never lose.
“…Are you gonna be okay?”
As I threw such words to Iliya, she gazed in Yuria’s direction, as if finding this entire situation difficult to swallow.
She was on the boat, looking as if her soul had left her body.
And I had just requested her to take Yuria back to the Forge of Struggle safely.
“…I’m okay, but…”
She alternated her gaze between me and Yuria.
Her expression was…How should I put this…
It was filled with unconcealable doubt.
“…Teach, just now, you seemed like a completely different person.”
“Huh?”
“It‘s weird. Usually, you’re not the type of person to… ’Purposely’ coax others, like you did just now.”
“…”
Her gaze suddenly sharpened.
“It makes me think that perhaps you have some sort of circumstance, so you can’t help but to do so.”
Chills ran down my spine.
Certainly, my attitude just before could induce such thoughts, but…
If she blabbered to someone else and caused some sort of incident, it would be no different from an express train to hell—
“But, there obviously must be a reason for that, right?”
However…
She just winked as she playfully spoke.
While I was at a loss for words, she returned to her original boat with Yuria in tow; her face seemed to say that she already knew everything, so I could just leave it to her.
“…”
Thanks, you punk.
I didn’t expect her to be this much of a help.
“Caliban.”
[What.]
“Why are you not saying anything this time?”
[…]
Surprisingly, throughout this entire fiasco, the only thing I could sense from the amulet was a feeling of pity.
Wasn’t he usually someone who would call me trash and criticize me extensively? So, what was the occasion?
[…It’s only worth making fun of you if you do it in moderation, but…]
Caliban let out a bitter chuckle.
[Now that it has reached this level, I’m kinda looking forward to it instead.]
“…Excuse me?”
[It’s sort of exciting to think about what trashy behavior you will show next time. After all, you’ve never disappointed me before in that regard.]
“…”
[Also, I’m curious if you’ll have your limbs ripped apart when getting caught in the future. What I’m dying to know is how many pieces you’ll be divided into—]
“…Shut up, please.”
Of fucking course. What did I even expect from him?
With a frown, I gazed towards Iliya’s boat, gradually getting farther away in the distance.
To be more precise, my focus was on Yuria, who was sitting inside.
She was hugging her knees on the seat of the boat, sobbing in despair with her head buried between them.
She was in such a miserable state that Iliya, who had been innocently dragged along, had to keep soothing and reassuring her, seemingly at a loss for what to do.
“…”
I’m sorry.
I’m sorry…!
They aren’t empty words! I’m really sorry…!
While lost in such thoughts, I looked towards the window that appeared in front of me.
System Message
[ Corruption Value of target ‘Yuria’ has drastically decreased. ]
[ Conditions for an emergency event to generate have disappeared! ]
System Message
[ Target ‘Yuria’ is assigned to a state of ‘anxiety’! ]
[ For the time being, she will be extremely attentive to your mood and expressions. She will never do anything that you haven’t commanded her to do! ]
For now, the immediate threat to my life had been resolved.
She was probably going to be overwhelmed with guilt in the foreseeable future, but still…I managed to pull it off.
Honestly, throughout my act, I was on pins and needles, constantly worrying that she would say ‘Why are you throwing a fit when you’re the one who did something wrong first?’ and then proceed to cut off my head.
‘…Damn, this works a lot better than I expected.’
And the reason why all that was possible was because this son of a bitch played a glorious role.
Still unsure about whether I should praise or abhor its effects, I looked towards the Title that read ‘Playboy’.
I had a strong feeling that Yuria couldn’t even properly refute my words, largely because of this ‘revision’ effect.
Of course, since it automatically activates, I always had to be wary of strange side effects, just like when I first used it on Eleanor; However, It was still undeniable that it would be helpful in navigating future incidents.
‘…Well, anyway.’
At the very least, during the progression of this chapter, I could stop worrying about Yuria coming after me, sword in hand, as she did just now. But now…
The problem was this.
System Message
[ Due to the actions taken against ‘Yuria’, a subsequent event will be triggered! ]
[ Related event for ‘Faenol’ will be generated! ]
< Gift-Related Character Alert >
▼ Faenol Lipek
[ No Favorability Level ]
[ Related Event Occurs in D-2 ]
Hm.
Fortunately, it didn’t seem like one of those events that were an express train to death. You know, like how it was for Yuria and Eleanor, when the favorability levels skyrocketed nonstop, as if it was an 8-ton truck that lost its fucking brakes.
In the end, it was my fate to meet her as well. Though, I had tried my best to avoid her so far.
Faenol ‘Deathwish’ Lipek.
The main character of Chapter 4, ‘Crimson Night’.
Ranked first as the character most commonly chosen by Sera users as a ‘character that could blow up the entire fucking game in your face if encountered recklessly’.
She had quite a few similarities with Yuria.
Moreover, among all the characters that made an appearance, like Yuria, she held the position of a ‘Chapter Final Boss’.
There was also a high probability that she was one of the ‘Devil’s Vessels’ as well.
However…
When simply considering the danger she possessed, hers far surpassed Yuria.
Merely encountering her would be enough to make me scared for my life.
‘…If it’s in two days, then…’
It was when the second phase of the Hunter’s Night, ‘Volcano Zone’, began.
Similar to how I bitchslapped the Fear Imprint onto the Sea Serpent, at that location, there was another Demonic Creature that I had to ram an ‘Imprint’ into.
‘So, I’m going to meet her there, huh?’
‘…I should thoroughly prepare myself.’
To be honest, Faenol’s behavior patterns were a lot more predictable than you would expect.
Despite the variety of chaotic reactions that Devil’s Vessels displayed due to my constitution, I could still roughly estimate how she would conduct herself when encountering me.
“…”
The problem was that I couldn’t prevent it even though I fucking knew.
I didn’t go out of my way to avoid her for no reason, you know?
While I was lost in such thoughts, another window appeared before me.
System Message
[ Due to the actions taken against ‘Yuria’, a subsequent event will be triggered! ]
[ Related event for ‘Riru’ will be generated! ]
< Gift-Related Character Alert >
▼ Riru Garda
[ Interest Level 3 ]
[ Related Event Occurs in 3H ]
“…”
The fuck was this?
There wasn’t even a few days’ delay for this. It would happen in three hours.
“…Riru?”
“What.”
When I spoke to her, Riru replied with a slight edge to her voice; She was staring at the Sea Serpent’s severed foreleg, loaded onto the stern of the boat.
She had continuously been in this state since earlier.
Perhaps she was frustrated at herself for not being able to fight against the Sea Serpent and instead, had only cowered in fear.
“…What are you thinking right now?”
“…”
For a moment, only silence returned.
“…No, it’s just that…”
RIru continued with a deep sigh.
“…From the very beginning, you came here with the intention to catch this thing, right?”
“…? I guess so?”
I guess that’s true. After all, I expected Yuria to come looking for me.
Though, there was a decent amount of luck involved when it came to sorting out the aftermath.
“So that’s what I should have emulated.”
“What?”
“You asked me what I was thinking, right?”
Riru let out a sigh before responding.
“Why wasn’t I able to do it like you? I shouldn’t have hesitated to use any means or methods in pursuit of my goal.”
“…”
“I now understand that Granny didn’t choose you without a reason. That’s what I was thinking. If I wanted to get stronger too, I shouldn’t have lived in moderation.”
That was the lesson she learned after seeing my garbage, piece of shit actions?
Was this right?
As I blankly gazed at her, Riru scratched her head.
“You know. That Eleanor girl. Where is she right now?”
“…Excuse me?”
Why were you curious about that, dude?
For real, why?
“…No, just.”
Riru continued to sheepishly scratch the back of her head.
“Whatever. It’s nothing. I don’t think it’s something I need to tell you.”
“…”
The vague response made me whip my head back to the system window, as I scoured it once more.
< Gift-Related Character Alert >
▼ Riru Garda
[ Interest Level 3 ]
[ Related Event Occurs in 3H ]
So, you’re telling me she’s trying to look for Eleanor right now and some event will materialize in 3 hours?
Hm.
“…”
I hope nothing much happens.
Seriously. Please.
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