In recent weeks, we have all been training.
Renato and Joakim have been regularly informing us of the results of the excavations; it was in Aria that they found the head of the Statue of Liberty, while in Region they found the torso.
In the end...Eiram was right. I didn't transmigrate; perhaps I simply returned to this world when I died.
But there's another detail.
"…Jeon?"
I already know the origin of this world, but without Elmetron's character memories...I really can't know what Elmetron was capable of before he died.
"Leave him alone, Anser, his brain is working so fast it's going to explode!" July 14 said, ending with a laugh.
And on this point...I think he's right.
Since regaining my memories, I've tried to remember, but instead...
I don't remember anything at all.
"…" Anser looked at me, even stopping watching July 14, who was the one he was training with, deflecting his fireballs with his sword. "Did you already go to Gene for help, Jeon?"
I nodded. "She gave me a stimulation spell so my brain could work faster...but I still don't remember anything."
"Liam?"
"She gave me a 300-piece puzzle, and I'm only halfway through, and I haven't remembered anything."
"Frederick?"
"He…" That's right! I haven't asked Frederick! "But...do you think he knows how to help me?"
Anser thought for a moment, kicking July 14 when he tried to approach and punch him. "Maybe."
So, I got up and left the training room, leaving Anser and July 14 to train in peace.
I entered the base and went upstairs towards Frederick's room; most likely, he was making a new device to use in combination with his mana. Something he usually does after training.
I knocked on the door.
"It's me!"
And almost immediately, the door opened; once Frederick came out, he handed me a black bag. "Here's my trash, make sure to put it with the rest...and don't let July 14 burn it. Thanks."
And just as he was about to close the door, I put my foot in.
"…Do you think I'm a garbage collector?" I mean, we each take turns taking out the trash, and this week it was even Frederick's turn to pick up the trash, not me!
"So what do you want? I don't give love advice, okay?" He huffed, leaning back against the door frame. "If your relationship with Anser is going badly, it's not something that concerns any of us here."
"…" This guy thinks he's funny, doesn't he? "It's not that."
"So?"
_
"So, you want me to help you remember your memories?"
I nodded. "Yes."
"That's impossible."
"Eh?"
"How could someone outside your body help you do that? If even Gene couldn't do it with magic, it means you simply can't. Why force that, then?" For the first time, I felt that he wasn't saying it to annoy me, but seriously. "Don't cling to useless memories, idiot. You have Anser to answer all your questions, you have me, who unlike everyone else here, is willing to think."
"That's a direct insult to July 14, isn't it?"
He didn't answer, but his face suggested that he really meant July 14.
_
"Frederick didn't want to help you?" Anser asked me, finishing training with July 14, wiping the sweat off his torso with a towel.
"He said I didn't have to force them, but..." I sighed. "If I can't quickly remember who I really was in this world, how will I be able to help you in the fight?"
I don't want to be useless in the fight.
I least want to feel like I'm using Anser.
I can use Raum in the fight, but how will I be able to maintain that form for a long time?
Elmetron must be doing something else in secret, right? Some trick up his sleeve...something only he can do and I can use...
"Honestly, I don't care if you're using me." Anser's words made me look at him. "…If it's you, that's fine."
"Eh?"
Then he knelt in front of me. "I can protect you." Then he came closer and hugged me. "And this time...I won't let anyone else die."
My heart started beating rapidly.
Perhaps it was the proximity?
"…"
Even so, I don't want to take advantage of him anymore.
I feel I've already done enough damage; Sherly's death, Layla's death, the death of the last survivor of his sect...and among many, many other things that I know hurt him, and yet, he would just isolate himself even when his house was already full of people.
It makes me feel bad that he is so devoted to me.
It makes me feel...
…the antagonist.
***
One of the best sects since the beginning of this world of sects.
The Sect of Eternal Life.
"Huh? Who's this kid, Bornman?" The friendly smile widened when he saw a boy with green hair; he was perhaps only 12 or 13 years old.
Meanwhile, Randy Bornman, standing across from him, smiled back, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "He's called Elmetron."
Renato looked at him, and then smiled again.
"Elmetron? Aww…how did such a small child end up here?" He stretched out his hand toward him; he would use his clairvoyance on the boy. But Randy's hand grabbed Renato's wrist, stopping him. "Hm?"
And when he met Randy's gaze, Renato's smile trembled a little.
Randy was still smiling, for the first time, opening his eyes to look at Renato, but it was a smile that didn't reach his eyes. It would be terrifying for anyone; it was terrifying for Renato.
"It's not polite to try to touch a child who's just joined our sect...Lord Eternal…" He let Renato go. "He lost his entire family in a demon attack. Let's give him a chance."
"Where does he come from?" Renato asked, maintaining his kind smile, as he looked at the quiet boy.
"Delta."
"Delta?" Delta was a place of harvest. Demon attacks were very rare; instead, it was a place overrun by fairies. "The poor boy must be afraid of fairies then. Wouldn't that be causing him more trauma?"
Randy let out a laugh, then closed his eyes and smiled.
"No, because I will take care of him."
Renato seemed a little surprised.
It wasn't that he distrusted Randy's care; rather, it was because Randy hated taking care of others, even when that was his job.
"…" But he disguised it, and instead, he smiled. "Okay. I trust you to take care of our new member…" Then, he raised his hand in front of him, and with a small white dot, it landed on his forehead. "You have my blessing; from now on, you will live an eternal search, until you find your purpose…"
And for the first time, the boy looked at Renato.
He never hear a blessing; no one ever blessed him.
"…" He wanted to thank him, but he didn't know how to speak.
Randy grabbed Elmetron's arm, pulling him towards him. "I'll take care of him, then...thank you, Lord Eternal."
Renato smiled at them both, and then Randy pulled Elmetron with him, taking him away from Renato's office. Once the door closed, Renato was able to reflect.
"…" For some reason, the sudden arrival of a new member, one who wasn't welcomed by Renato, but by his vice leader...seemed strange to him. "Ha…"
But for some reason, he was still terrified to use his clairvoyance on his own vice leader.
_
An outdoor party.
And he wasn't invited.
"…"
He observed the building from the third floor; with a dagger in one hand, while with the other, he held his chest.
They were firing one of the sect members; Layla J. Everest.
She seemed happy; she would abandon immortality, since she had already found her purpose in life; and everyone was happy, Renato cried tears of joy as he applauded her.
«So, that is the blessing of the Lord Eternal.»
"Elmetron," Randy's voice made him turn around slowly; unlike Elmetron's neutral, almost empty face, Randy's face maintained his smile. "After the Pandemonium War, she found her purpose, isn't that interesting?" He walked towards Elmetron, until he was standing right behind him.
Elmetron said nothing at first, and just looked out the window.
Randy noticed it immediately; Elmetron wanted to get out.
He smiled at him, kindly. "You can't go out, you know that, right?"
Yes. He knew it, but he still didn't understand why. "…We're from the same sect."
"But they like her. Not you." He murmured, in a soft and gentle voice, despite the weight of his words. "Nobody would want to be near a child who can't even smile. You would only scare them - no, rather, you would disgust them."
"…Disgust?" He believed that everyone was already family. "Lord Eternal…he—"
"He only has you here out of pity," Randy confirmed this, making Elmetron turn around. "He has and had millions of members, do you think he would give importance to one so...well...like you?" He gave a little laugh, then stroked Elmetron's head. "Only I value you in this place of hypocrites…so you don't need to be there when you have me, don't you think?"
Each caress felt like a knife to his chest.
"Nobody will love you anyway...they'll just value you, like I do. I'm the one who's good for you, the only one who's good for you. Don't make me angry, and just go back to training." He smiled at him, ceasing to stroke him, and instead, placed his hand on Elmetron's cheek; he trembled, Elmetron thought he would slap him. "Train, and at least then the others here will see you as someone useful, and not as a disgusting and useless brat as they must think now."
He let go of him, and walked away from Elmetron, hoping that he would keep his word.
"…"
And, Elmetron moved from the window and went to lock himself in the training room. Perhaps, if he continued like this, when he turned 16 like Layla, he too could find his purpose in this life.
He just had to listen to Randy.
_
"I haven't seen Elmetron in a long time…" It was tea time, and Renato was having breakfast with Randy. "How are things going with him?"
Randy seemed offended for a second, a small, quick second, but Renato was able to see it in time. "…" He smiled. "He's going well, why do you ask? I told you to trust me."
Renato smiled back. "Since he arrived, more than two years ago...I haven't seen him, I thought he had even left the sect."
"…"
"…"
"He's fine."
Renato doubted it. "And what if he isn't?"
"Then I'll take care of that personally."
And suddenly, he was terrified of putting any more of those hypothetical situations into it, especially when it came to Randy.
"I was joking~"
But Randy didn't react, only fixed a piercing gaze on Renato. A gaze that made him shudder. "…Lord. I'd like to take you somewhere."
_
A sect of witches.
Or at least, that's what Randy told him.
It didn't matter if they called him Randy's loyal dog. Was he? Absolutely. And now, with Randy at their command as vice leader of the sect, they would attack that sect of evil witches; La Vie en Rose.
They only had to do what they did days before against the nameless foreign people; raze everything, and leave no trace of what happened there being by human hands; if not by demons.
Randy would be on his way soon; they had to hurry.
And with a whistle, the people of the Sect of Eternal Life, wearing white hoods, emerged from the bushes; they first attacked the female warriors, and once they defeated them, they continued with the others: girls, old women, and young women.
"Vulpecula: Oracle of the Moon!" A woman's voice stopped them; it was the leader; Vulpecula.
Elmetron acted quickly, before the catastrophic spell could strike him, he hid in the shadows, and on his own he began to stab and kill the sleeping women.
By this point, he was already covered in blood; the white changing to crimson, and the smell of blood filling his nostrils.
"AAAH!" A woman's scream behind him made him turn around immediately. She had long, curly white hair, but something else; she was pregnant. "Leave her alone! What have you done?!"
The woman grabbed a sword that was in the corner of the cabin and pointed it at Elmetron.
He wasn't afraid; after all, he had already found his main target, her.
"…Your baby…" He rose slightly from the ground, walked in front of her, and then smiled at her. "…Give it to me."
The smile was supposed to be friendly, like Randy's or Renato's; but it came from someone who couldn't think for himself unless Randy told him to; and in his attempt at a friendly request…
"N-No!"
He ended up stabbing her and cutting the baby out of her womb.
The woman's screams filled the devastated village, and once the baby's cries were heard, the woman fell silent, and looked at Elmetron in terror.
"…M-My baby…" She tried to reach out to grab her baby, but Elmetron snatched it away. "…GIVE HIM BACK TO ME!"
Elmetron looked at her, and then pointed the dagger at the baby. "No. I said it was mine…"
"LET HER GO!" A man's scream made him pull the dagger away; it was a man, no, a demon. And from its back, a tentacle emerged, spilling poison all over the ground.
Elmetron was about to flee, but…
A cut on his arm made him let go of the baby for a moment, and then he was snatched away; the woman snatched him from him.
Just as he was about to chase her, the tentacles surrounded him, preventing him from moving.
"Ha…ha…haha…"
He said nothing; instead, he fought against that demon.
He buried his dagger in his tentacle, and then moved it; managing to cut it off. The tentacle fell to the ground and exploded in poison; however, it did nothing to Elmetron, since he still had Renato's blessing.
More and more poison spurted from the severed tentacle, becoming like a smokescreen that prevented the attackers from continuing their killing spree.
But that didn't mean it was the end.
Elmetron kicked the demon away, and then blew a whistle. A noise that sounded like a human scream came out, and suddenly, fairies flew over the village.
"D-Damn it…" The demon stood up; he knew what it meant: the demons would come. "Who the hell sent you? Who's your boss?!"
But Elmetron said nothing.
He would never betray his leader.
Once the footsteps and screams of demons came, Elmetron jumped up and disappeared into the bushes along with his companions.
He knew the demon from before was following him; so he simply lit a bomb he had hidden in his body, and just as it was about to explode, he threw it at the demon.
"…!" The man saw it, and when he covered himself with his tentacles—the bomb exploded.
BOOM.
Elmetron lost the baby, but he knew that his mother wouldn't get very far with the wounds he inflicted on her.
"…" And it was that, among some stones, he found her; she was lying there, bleeding out, and completely weak. He wasn't gentle; he grabbed her by the neck and lifted her off the ground. "Where is?"
And yet, she never answered him.
Even when he kept her like that for ten minutes, until she bled to death.
"…"
He threw her to the ground.
He turned around and left.
The baby would die alone, so for now, he had to return before Randy arrived.
_
After that day, Randy left the sect to form his own.
He left his companions behind, he left behind the search for his sect leader; Renato...he abandoned Elmetron.
"…"
What would they do without anyone to lead them?
They no longer had any power, in the absence of sect leaders and vice-leaders...Elmetron knew that the only thing he could do was go and look for Renato.
"We will seek Lord Eternal."
And that's when his search began.
_
They only had one place left.
Anarxie.
Randy promised them that he would keep searching too, but did he really? No. He didn't do a damn thing to fix what happened with his sect leader.
The last of his people who remained, along with Elmetron, headed towards the safe path of Anarxie.
Or at least, that's what they thought.
"DEMON!"
The scream of one of his men alerted him; it was a cannibal demon, as soon as they turned around, it began to eat some of them.
"Defend yourselves! Use your weapons against them, aiming for their heads!" Elmetron ordered.
After all, after twenty-eight years, he had become the provisional leader of the sect, and everyone seemed to love him, something quite contrary to what Randy had told him all those thirty-one years ago.
Only three of them remained standing, and Elmetron began to worry; he had come this way before! He had cleared the way!
"What the…"
"LEADER!" One of them screamed before being devoured; and as he turned around, Elmetron was stabbed in the back by a demon hunter.
"…?!"
He didn't see it coming, he didn't hear it...it's as if someone had been waiting for him already.
But who could...?
"…"
All his people fell to the ground, as did the reality he was now in.
"RANDY BORNMAN!" He screamed with all his might, until the demon swallowed his heart. "…"
In the end.
The life of this antagonist did not end well; since Randy could not control him as well as he said in the end; and Elmetron ended up being just an old war machine.
And remembering all that, Ji Noo felt like vomiting.
He pushed Anser aside, then ran towards a window.
"Jeon!"
He had remembered it.
He should feel happy.
So why won't he stop crying? Maybe it's the pain from vomiting so hard?
No.
If it weren't for the realization that in the end, he was raised to do harm, he did harm, he killed, and in the end, he died in a cruel way.
How can such a monster even exist?
But worse still, how could those battle experiences help him now that he remembered them?
"I don't want to do this..." Anser's mother. Her face, her voice... "I don't want to do this anymore."
Ji Noo thought; «She must have thought, 'What's a baby like me doing trying to kill her baby?'»
"Jeon…"
And in the end, it was always Randy's fault.
Randy was responsible for those genocides; Randy was the one who disguised all those accidents as demon attacks, when it was they who did the dirty work...
"What happened, Jeon?"
«Go away, Anser.» He begged. «I am the one who caused you the most suffering, even when I am a character.»
But Anser was still there, hugging him from behind, because despite everything, his love remained unconditional.
And that killed Ji Noo even more.