kscans

Chapter 143 - Someone Who Cares

Three nights after the defeat of the Tyrant Dragon, Agres Berion, Hayato, Esha, and Ash were drinking coffee in the headquarters' dining hall.

Preparations to head for the Dragon's Grave were complete. The next morning, Hayato, Ash, and Ren would face off against Veru.

To build up their strength for the confrontation, the four of them, Ren included, had just finished an extravagant meal. Ren had been with them, and they had all been talking about various things, but she couldn't fight off her drowsiness and had just returned to her room.

Once the three of them were alone, Ash suddenly bowed his head.

"Thank you, both of you. It's thanks to Hayato and Esha that I was able to get the artifact fragments back and restore it."

"Don't be so formal. Please raise your head."

"If you wish to thank him, please give Master a firm handshake. Putting an arm around his shoulders is also acceptable."

"Esha, it might be pointless to say this, but could you please read the room?"

"...I read it quite well. Being thanked with a bowed head just makes my skin crawl, so I was indirectly telling him not to bow."

"You could have just said that."

Ash laughed as he watched Hayato and Esha's exchange.

"You two have always been like that. According to Ren, you're flirting."

"I'm going to go use Destroy on Ren-sama for a moment."

"She's already asleep, so please spare her. And you can't do it even if she's awake."

After Hayato somehow managed to calm Esha down, the laughing Ash bowed his head again.

"Esha, this might make your skin crawl, but at least let me thank you. We've come this far because of the items Hayato made and your strength. I wouldn't have another chance to thank you."

"In that case, I have accepted your thanks, so please raise your head. Besides, you should be thanking Master more than me. He's the one who made it possible to defeat a dragon that no one could for nearly half a year. It's thanks to him, no matter how you look at it."

Hayato thought, She's praising me because she doesn't want to be thanked herself, and shook his head at Ash.

"I just made the items, I'm not a combatant. I think that part was everyone's strength. We managed somehow by borrowing the power of Lunaria-san, Ivan, and many others. If even one of us had been missing, it probably would have failed. That includes you, of course, Ash."

Ash looked a little taken aback by Hayato's words, but he soon broke into a smile and nodded.

"You're right, it's thanks to everyone. I'll have to thank them all again after tomorrow's battle is over."

Hayato's chest ached slightly at those words.

It was possible that Ash and Ren would regain their memories during the fight tomorrow. He didn't know what the result of that would be. Would nothing happen, like with Esha, or would something else occur?

There was also the problem of whether they could even defeat Veru. If they lost to Veru, Ash and Ren probably wouldn't get their memories back. But that would mean Veru wins, and Diite would be in danger.

He also didn't know what kind of trap Diite's backup, Hypnos, might have set. Honestly, it seemed like doing nothing might be the best option. But until Ash and Veru's fight was over, the Stampede event likely wouldn't end either.

And Ash wanted to defeat Veru.

The reason was the Dragon Soul Artifact.

Ash had collected four fragments of the artifact and used his Crafting Skill to restore it. But according to Ash, the soul of his mother, Kilika, was not inside.

The conceivable answer was that Veru had her soul. Ash believed that the reason the four fragments had been left scattered for nearly a thousand years was because Veru held the soul.

That wasn't actually the case, but for the sake of the game's progression, that was the story.

Hayato considered many things, but he was still unsure what the best course of action was.

"Hayato, what's wrong? You seem a million miles away."

"Oh, sorry. I was just wondering what would happen in the battle tomorrow."

"What are you talking about. I'll defeat my old man and that'll be the end of it. I haven't decided what to do after I get my mother's soul back, but... right. I'll entrust the artifact with her soul to Ren. Ren doesn't say anything, but she must miss our mother. I think being with her will at least ease some of her loneliness."

"...Yeah, you're right."

Ash watched Hayato's halfhearted agreement with a suspicious look.

"Hey, Hayato, what's really going on—"

"Master is trembling with anticipation. Even though he's not the one fighting. More importantly, about Ashley-sama's father. What kind of person, what kind of dragon, is he?"

Hayato took Esha's interjection as a lifeline and went along with it.

"Yeah, I'd like to know too. I'm not fighting, but I'll be going to the Dragon's Grave with you, so I want to hear about it just in case."

"You think so? Well, my old man is a dragon called the Shadow Dragon, and his attacks using shadows are strong—"

Just as Ash said that, Esha shook her head.

"Ash-sama, that's not what I mean. I don't want to hear about what kind of strength he has, but what kind of father he was to you. You see, Master and I don't have parents. I'm sure they're out there somewhere, but we don't know them. I wanted to ask what a father is like."

"Is that so? That said, there's not much I can say about my old man..."

"Then let's take a little time. And if it's going to be a long story, I'll prepare something other than coffee. I'll bring some simple snacks from the storage. Esha, give me a hand."

With that, Hayato led Esha out of the room.

Leaving Ash in the dining hall with his arms crossed and his head tilted in thought, Hayato and Esha walked to the second-floor storage room.

"Hey, Esha. Isn't that a bad idea? It might turn into a real-world conversation, you know?"

Hayato whispered to Esha. Ren's room was on the second floor. She was already asleep and the AI Protection should be active, so it was probably fine, but he was being cautious just in case.

"If his memory might come back tomorrow, then it doesn't matter, does it?"

"Huh...?"

"Besides, based on my own experience, Ash-sama and Ren-sama will be fine even if they get their memories back."

"...And why is that?"

"Because Master is here. I don't know why Ash-sama and Ren-sama chose to stay in this world, but whatever their reasons, I think they can handle it even if they remember, as long as Master is with them."

"...I don't understand what you mean at all."

To Hayato, that was no explanation. What did she mean, things would work out just because he was there? It was enough to make him seriously ponder it.

Esha frowned and closed her eyes. She seemed to be having a significant internal conflict, but after one deep breath, she looked directly at Hayato.

"This is about me, but before my memory was erased, I was scared of it coming back. And when it did, I was terrified remembering my empty, void-like life. I had forgotten what I wanted to forget, yet I remembered it. I thought my life of nothingness would begin again. But—"

"But?"

"There was someone right next to me who was worried about me, so I felt relieved. I thought that even if this is virtual reality, if there's someone by my side who cares about me, then maybe my life wasn't a complete nothing after all."

Hayato and Esha stood looking at each other in the hallway of their headquarters.

"Are you possibly talking about me?"

Esha let out an enormous sigh.

"In this context, it would be strange if it were anyone other than Master. Goodness, you're still as hopeless as ever. After a maiden worked up her courage to say that."

"Uh, oh, right. Well, thank you?"

"Why is that a question? Besides, I'm the one who should be thanking you. Anyway, that's why Ash-sama and Ren-sama will be fine. Even if they remember, it's not like they'll forget everything that has happened up until now. Their memories with Master, Ash-sama, and Ren-sama will remain. In that state, no problems will arise."

"...I see. In that case, I guess I'll cheer for Ash and the others with all my might tomorrow."

"Please do. Even if something happens, I'll support you fully. It's not just me. Diite and the others will help too, so it'll be fine. It's not something Master has to bear alone."

"You're right. Oh, but what was that about Veru-san you asked Ash about earlier? What was your intention?"

"Before that, if we take too long, Ash-sama will get suspicious, so let's just grab something from the storage for now."

Hayato and Esha grabbed some simple food from the storage and started back. Then Esha spoke.

"To put it simply, it's about organizing his current memories so he's prepared for when his real ones return."

"Organizing memories?"

"Memories are fundamentally altered. It's technically difficult to completely erase a specific memory, so it's highly likely they're changed into some other form. Ash-sama seems to hate his father, but that's a false memory. So, the idea is to have him slowly remember how he truly felt from now. In that state, the backlash won't be as severe when his memories return."

Hayato had almost no knowledge about memory manipulation. That technology was now considered taboo, and using it was a crime. Information about it didn't exist in the information management bureau on Earth, the 'Library.'

"I don't really get it, but should we have done that for Ren-chan too?"

"No, I don't think that's necessary. Ren-sama is young, so she should have fewer memories to begin with. So the memory alteration was probably minimal."

"Is that how it works? There's a lot to it."

"There are no guarantees, but I think we should do what we can. Well, if something happens, Master can just handle it on the spot."

"Could you not put so much pressure on me? Well, if my being there can make a difference, I'll do my best."

The two of them returned to the dining hall.

Ash had apparently been thinking the whole time, because as soon as they returned, he began to talk about Veru.