Volume 2 chapter 22
"Ugh..."
Charlo felt as though he were falling through an endless void. There was no wind, no sound, just the sensation of plummeting for an eternity until, finally, he felt solid ground beneath his feet.
He opened his eyes.
He stood in a modest town nestled between lush green mountains and sparkling water. It was serene, almost painfully peaceful.
There were no towering, impregnable fortress walls. No mage towers piercing the clouds. No soldiers clad in steel armor patrolling the streets, and no starving slaves huddled in the alleys.
It was just... an ordinary town. Low earthen walls, cobblestone streets smoothed by time.
Every face he saw bore a smile. Their clothes were clean; their bodies looked healthy and well-fed.
"Where is this...?"
Charlo walked down the pristine main street, looking left and right with growing confusion. In his experience, border towns in this era were never this idyllic.
"Hey! Young man! Come take a look! Fresh fabric just came in! You won't find silk like this anywhere else!"
"Lad, are you in the market for a sword? Fresh from the forge! Sharp enough to slice through iron like mud!"
"Uncle, excuse me." Charlo stopped a burly man wearing simple leather armor. "Where is this place?"
"This is Lane Town, young man! Can I help you with something?" The man stopped and answered with a warm, welcoming smile.
"I am looking for someone..." Charlo hesitated. He knew nothing of Clyris's past, but since this was her memory, mentioning her name should trigger a reaction.
Charlo asked directly, "Uncle, do you know anyone named Clyris here? I'm looking for her." He deliberately used the female pronoun.
"Clyris?" The uncle paused, looking confused, then laughed heartily. "Haha! You must have the wrong place, lad! There isn't a single girl named Clyris in this town!"
What? Charlo froze. None? How is that possible?
Then, a thought struck him. Phyllis had revealed that Clyris was originally a man. Was this a memory from before the transformation?
He corrected himself immediately. "Uh... sorry, slip of the tongue. I meant Chris. Is there a man named Chris here?"
"You're asking about Chris?" The uncle countered with a question that stunned Charlo. "Which Chris?"
"Uncle, what do you mean...?"
"Well, there's Chris the woodcutter, Chris the wine merchant, Chris the farmer... we have dozens of Chrises here! Which one are you looking for?"
"Uh..." Charlo was momentarily speechless. "I think... I am looking for Chris the Knight!"
"Lord Knight?!" The uncle looked shocked, then waved his hand dismissively. "Then you definitely have the wrong place! There are no knights named Chris in Lane Town!"
None? Impossible. Phyllis had explicitly stated that Clyris was a human knight.
Charlo thanked the man and walked away, brows furrowed in thought.
Did Phyllis lie to me? No. Based on the knowledge Clyris displayed back in Ironwood Territory—her understanding of knight training and tactics—she was definitely an Ascended Knight in her past life.
So why isn't he here?
As he pondered this, a group of children ran past him, their laughter ringing like silver bells as they skipped into the distance.
Charlo’s train of thought was broken by their innocent joy. He looked up, and his gaze instantly locked onto the leader of the pack.
It was a boy, perhaps six or seven years old. He had sharp, short black hair that danced in the wind, and a pair of crimson eyes—bright, clear, and shining like a rising sun.
"This..."
Looking at the child, who was essentially a miniature, male version of Clyris, Charlo realized instantly: This is him!
"Hey! You there, kid! Wait up!"
Charlo shouted and immediately gave chase.
"Hahaha..."
The children continued their game of tag, laughing as they ran further away. Strange enough, despite Charlo’s physical prowess, he couldn't close the distance. It was like running in a dream; he could only watch helplessly as the children disappeared over the horizon.
"Damn it!" Charlo stopped, panting heavily. "What is going on with the physics here?"
He braced his hands on his knees to catch his breath. As he bent over, he noticed something swinging from his neck.
"What is this?"
He lifted the object to inspect it. It was a pendant—a flawless, golden dodecahedron crystal, clear and luminous.
As Charlo examined it with confusion, the crystal flickered. Inside the gem, a projection of the black-haired, crimson-eyed boy appeared.
"?!" Charlo’s eyes widened.
suddenly, a gentle, mature female voice resonated directly in his mind.
"Well done, young man."
"Huh? Who's there?" Charlo jumped, looking around.
"You may call me Omyr. Do not be afraid. I am here with Phyx to help you save that child!" The woman answered kindly.
"I see... What am I supposed to do?" Charlo hesitated for a moment but chose to trust the voice. He was out of options anyway.
"This world is a construct formed from Chris's memories!" Omyr explained. "However, you must understand: even though it is based on memory, it is heavily diluted with his imagination! Everything here has been processed through the lens of nostalgia and desire."
"Your task is to collect those memories—specifically, the beautiful, happy ones. The crystal in your hand is the vessel for that collection."
"When you have gathered enough memories, this false world supported by them will collapse, allowing us to go deeper into his true heart!"
"So that's how it works!"
Charlo turned around. The idyllic town of Lane was beginning to dissolve into motes of light. Clearly, by identifying the boy, that specific memory fragment had been "collected," and the false town lost its core, collapsing like a castle in the sky.
"I understand! Thank you for the guidance, Lady Omyr!"
Charlo smiled, gripping the crystal tightly.
"No need to thank me. I am only... trying to make amends. Young man, I apologize. This was a mistake made by Phyx and myself, yet you are the one who must fix it. I am truly... sorry." The goddess spoke with genuine guilt.
"Don't mention it! Lady Omyr, helping others is a virtue!" Charlo waved his hand dismissively. "Besides... she is my Chief Consultant! I'm not heartless enough to watch her die without doing anything!"
"Then you have my blessings! There is little else I can do... unlike Phyx, I am not a combatant..." The gentle voice began to fade. "This world contains both beautiful memories and cruel ones. Please, be careful and avoid the dangerous places—my blessing will help you distinguish them! Please... save that poor child! I beg of you..."
"Yeah! I got it!" Charlo nodded firmly. "Rest assured, Lady Omyr. I will bring him back!"
The Outer Mental Layer.
"Damn it! Why have I lost partial control of the Mental Space since just now?"
Phyllis bit her thumb nail, muttering to herself in frustration and confusion.
Ever since that weird brat dissolved into the deeper sea of memory, her grip on the Mental Space had slipped. She could no longer manipulate the environment at will.
"Did he actually succeed?!"
She guessed wildly, her expression growing increasingly agitated.
"No, no, no... The majority of the authority is still in my hands! It's just that his integration introduced 'impurities,' making my control imperfect! That must be it!"
Phyllis comforted herself with this logic. Then, her gaze turned outward, locking onto the lone figure standing defiantly on the fortress wall in the real world. Her eyes flashed with murderous light.
"You are merely a Ninth-Rank ant! And yet you dare to be arrogant in front of Me?! Even if I can't deal with the brat inside for a moment, do you think I can't crush you?!"
Comments (0)
Please login or sign up to post a comment.