Episode 626: The End of Truth (3)
“Take it.”
Line took a deep breath as she looked at the paper Ludger handed her.
“It would be better to see it in person.”
It was a memory storming paper that Ludger always kept with him because he thought this moment might come someday.
Liné knew what she had to do.
I held the paper with trembling hands and created magical power.
Then the vision changed.
* * *
Line’s mother tried to make an extreme choice.
At night, when everyone was asleep, she went to the forest alone, leaving Rine behind, and tried to kill herself by pretending to run away.
You commit suicide.
Her actions certainly deserved to be criticized, but would she have made a different choice just because she was a different person?
She secretly left the cabin at night and headed into the forest.
She walked even though she must have felt the pain of tearing her raw flesh and muscles just by taking each step.
To Line.
I just thought that I didn’t want my lovely daughter to see my suffering.
She arrived in the forest and tried to die quietly alone.
The only thing that was overlooked was that Ludger was secretly following behind him.
As she tried to swallow the poison with trembling hands, Ludger came forward and stopped her.
-What are you doing now?
Ludger glared at her with a truly angry face.
I didn’t know exactly what that medicine was, but I could tell that it was probably not a good idea to go out and drink it secretly in the middle of the night.
In fact, you could see the expression on Line’s mother’s face when her actions were discovered.
-Are you really trying to kill me? why?
-I’m tired now.
She was eventually caught and honestly told Ludger about her physical condition.
The more he heard the story, the colder his expression became.
-So you chose death? And what about Line? What about Line!
-I just feel sorry for my daughter. But I can’t help it.
She trembled her parched lips.
Even as she was talking to Ludger, she was fighting pain.
-I tried to find a way from Mr. Grander, but even that failed. There is no way for me to survive anymore. I didn’t want to do this either.
Tears flowed down her cheeks as she spoke in a trembling voice.
Seeing that, Ludger couldn’t bear to say that he had to live anyway.
Is it really right to live a life that exists only in pain?
Can living with suffering that is difficult to describe in writing can really be called living?
Perhaps death may be the true rest.
That disturbing thought did not leave Ludger’s mind.
Ludger clenched his fists.
-please. Please help me end the pain.
She, who had been smiling and acting confidently towards Ludger, was slowly falling apart in pain.
Ludger’s face was distorted as he cried and prayed earnestly.
Ludger’s lips, which he was about to say, had no choice but to close when he saw her coughing violently.
What flows down with a cough is black, dead blood.
Her expression turned pale as she looked down at the blood.
She put her trembling hand into her bosom and took out a sharp dagger.
Just as he was about to stab himself in the neck with a dagger that glowed softly in the moonlight, Ludger grabbed his wrist.
Ludger trembled.
The moment he caught a glimpse of the young emotions in her eyes as she looked at him while holding his wrist, he couldn’t help but react in that way.
Countless thoughts and words passed through my mind.
However, the words that came out of Ludger’s mouth were not words of persuasion, apology, or reprimand.
It was the name of a child.
-Rine.
-….
-What about Line?
Light returned to her dim eyes.
She let out an empty sigh and her hands lost their strength and the dagger fell to the floor.
-I am…
-….
-At first, I was worried about telling Rine honestly.
-….
-But how do you tell that child that his only mother is vomiting blood and dying painfully? Do you know that feeling? Do you know that feeling of wanting to leave at least good memories for your precious child?
Rather than dying a miserable death after struggling in pain.
It would be better to become a bad mother who abandoned her child and ran away.
-I also wanted to be with you until the end. Because if I leave, that child will be alone. Because I will be left alone in this world. But at some point, after seeing you and Gariel, my thoughts began to change little by little.
Even without herself, Liné had someone to take care of her.
So, I had to make this choice in the end.
-Sorry. Even though I know I shouldn’t do this, I end up passing it on to you.
-you are.
Ludger spoke to her in a trembling voice.
-He’s a really selfish person.
-…I know. I guess I’m really selfish and a bad mother.
She smiled faintly.
When Ludger let go of her wrist, she picked up the dagger that had fallen on the floor with trembling hands.
However, perhaps due to the pain inflicted on my body, I could not even hold the dagger properly.
So she made a final, selfish choice.
He handed his dagger to Ludger.
-You choose.
-….
-You can just throw this away. Otherwise…
Although she didn’t say anything, Ludger could tell what she wanted.
Ludger looked down at the dagger in his hand without saying a word.
All kinds of thoughts pass through my head.
This is a tragedy.
It is a faltering choice that is bound to happen in a wrong world.
Ludger strengthened his grip on the handle of the dagger.
I stared at her with eyes filled with sadness, anger, self-destruction, and regret.
There was no answer.
But just those eyes and attitude were enough to tell her what he was going to do.
-thank you.
She cried brightly at the end.
As if he was finally free.
At the same time, he smiled sadly.
It seems as if an indelible burden has been placed on those left behind.
Phew.
The terrible feeling of the hand holding the dagger.
It was Ludger who did not want to make this choice more than anyone else, but his dagger pierced her heart with precision.
To send it to you as quickly as possible and painlessly.
This is the death of salvation.
It can be given to those who are suffering.
It was the best rest.
───.
A whisper was heard in the darkness.
My head was spinning and everything in the world was blurry, like pouring water on a watercolor painting.
The image of her slowly closing her eyes and falling down in that distorted world was captured as if in slow motion.
The blood flowing down the dagger wetted my palm.
Ludger sighed deeply in his heart at the terrifying warmth.
-mom?
Ludger’s head slowly turned, shaking his shoulder at the voice that suddenly came out.
There was someone who shouldn’t be there.
Line and Freuden.
Line, who had a dazed look on her face as if she hadn’t woken up yet, looked at Ludger and her mother with a somewhat blank look.
Freuden, who seemed to have brought Liné with him, was unable to say anything with his eyes wide open at the horror unfolding before his eyes.
-I….
The moment when Ludger was about to say something.
Gariel appeared out of thin air and rushed towards Ludger like an animal.
-Ah ah ah ah ah!
Ludger fell, and Gariel, who climbed on top of him, grabbed Ludger’s collar with both hands.
What came out of his distorted expression were sobs that could not even be spoken.
-Why why! why!
I know. Why?
Ludger asked himself, but could not come up with an answer.
But one thing he was sure of was that he had made a choice.
-Because I had to.
I decided to ease her pain.
I was willing to carry her burden.
It didn’t matter even if the scars of sadness were engraved deep in my soul.
Ludger immediately struck Gariel, who was holding his collar, in the side with his hand, causing him to lose his balance, and then knocked him to the floor.
Ludger got up from his seat and slowly walked towards Line, who was looking at him blankly.
-Don’t come too close!
Freuden blocked the path ahead, glaring at Ludger with a burning gaze.
His eyes were hot, as if lava was boiling.
Ludger extended his hand towards Freuden.
Blue magic engulfed Freuden’s head, and Freuden, who tried to resist, fainted.
Ludger left Freuden, who had collapsed, and walked up to Rine and crouched down in front of her.
-brother? I came to look for my mom.
Line’s eyes turned to her mother’s dead body, which looked like she was sound asleep.
-I did, but my mom…
-Rine.
Ludger slowly extended his hand towards Linne.
The extended index finger touched her forehead.
-This is just a nightmare.
The magic was activated.
Line’s eyes slowly closed and the lock was locked deep in her memories.
-It’s definitely the kind of nightmare that you’ll forget once you wake up.
Ludger got up from his slump and looked around.
Gariel was sobbing as she held onto her dead body, while Line and Freuden were asleep.
-This is what happened in the end.
It was then that Grander emerged from the darkness of the forest.
-Master.
-You fool. There was no need for you to do such a thing. Do you know?
-….
-You can’t leave someone who is suffering alone. Who the hell is worrying about whom? Why don’t you start by worrying about your own situation?
Grander strongly reprimanded Ludger, unlike her usual self.
Ludger just listened silently to Grander’s words.
-…ha. What kind of meaningless thing am I saying right now? I swore at you.
-I will find you.
-…What did you say just now?
-We will find out so that there are no more innocent victims.
That day, Ludger made a promise.
Let’s uncover the secret of non-attribute magical power.
Let’s make sure that no more people suffer because of this.
-certainly.
* * *
“You know the story that follows. I sealed your memories and sent you to your teacher. “I wandered the world with my teacher.”
“Such…”
Liné felt dizzy as she witnessed the whole truth of that day.
I vaguely thought that Ludger was not the kind of person who would do such a thing.
But the truth I actually faced was so painful.
Line still had a hard time accepting reality.
“I still don’t know. “Even if there was a reason, you killed my mother and sealed my memories.”
“Because I didn’t want you to know the truth. “I was afraid of you being sad and broken.”
“You didn’t think about it when you found out the truth?”
“Even though people know this, they become anxious to put out the immediate fire. Know. This happened purely because of my selfishness. “No matter how cruel the truth is, you had the right to know, but I didn’t even give you the chance.”
Ludger presented a false world to Line.
Although he tried to pretend that it was for Line’s mental health.
No matter how well-intentioned it was, in the end it was nothing more than a deception.
“Rine. Since that day, I have looked around the world and seen many things. I saw a wide world and met many different people. People who despair of the reality of not being able to reach their lofty ideals. People who have talent but are blocked by harsh reality. “Even those who collapsed in the face of a harsh fate and eventually gave up.”
I have seen so many people.
And I went through a lot.
His life was a journey marked by countless points and is still ongoing.
“I saw people collapse with my own eyes. Someone could help and sometimes I didn’t even have a chance to reach out. “When I think back, there are more things I regret.”
Ludger repeatedly wavered, either in harmony with people or in conflict with their lives.
It was not as easy as it sounds to pursue what one wanted so much in that chaotic whirlpool.
“I didn’t have any desire to quit and sit down. Line. It will be the same for you too. “Because you, too, will suffer when you learn the unbearable truth.”
So, they may have been hiding the truth and lying about their identity under the pretext of being considerate.
Knowing is a terrible curse.
Because it was better not to know.
“But now I know.”
Ludger realized.
Most people want a comfortable lie, but not everyone does.
“You chose the path of finding out the truth, even if it was cruel. “You made a choice by facing your life, not avoiding it.”
Although it is a difficult reality, I chose to live.
It’s a cruel truth, but I chose to face it.
so.
“I am so sorry.”
Ludger apologized sincerely.
Liné felt something stirring deep in her heart.
Line felt sadness and gratitude at that sincere apology.
I can’t go back to how it was before, but I hated Ludger for ruining it, but at the same time, I knew that the life Ludger had to live with was so harsh.
Because I read his memories, I could feel it more clearly than anyone else.
The sadness of that day. Suffering. Despair.
Nevertheless, Ludger did not give in.
Continue.
I kept coming.
“Maybe we can never go back to the way things were again.”
Even back when we were close like brother and sister.
Even back when we were exchanging teachings as teacher and student.
I can never go back.
Because too much had happened for that to happen.
Because we’ve come too far.
“But I promise you this one thing.”
“What promise?”
“One day, when I achieve all my goals, the day when this chaos will finally be put to rest.”
Ludger gazed directly into Linne’s eyes and conveyed his will.
“I will give you the choice of my life.”
that is.
This is the last atonement I can make for you.
