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Vol 2 Chapter 24: The Captain's Secret
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Knock, knock.
“...It’s about time; you should get up.”
Outside the door, Farkonia was rapping at the entratempting to rouse the octs within.
“...No respohen.”
Ordinarily, this would be a cause for , as it typically indicated that the person inside was indulging in a lie-in. However, in this instance…
“Looks like Aris is having a proper sleep.”
heless, lying in wasn’t ideal. Farkonia swiftly employed a spare key to unlock the door.
“Right, time to wake up.”
“...Mmm…”
Veridith rubbed her eyes and gradually sat up.
“...Why is it you, Lady Farkonia, callio rise today...?”
“Because your sister Aris has yet to stir, I’m afraid.”
Farkonia gestured toward Aris, who y beside Veridith, her eyes finally fluttering open.
“...What are you lot staring at?”
“!?”
“Ah?”
Aris’s sudden words startled Veridith into full wakefulness, and even Farkonia, standing nearby, jumped slightly.
In trast to how they had previously perceived her, Aris now spoke with an unmistakable depth of emotion.
“You... are Aris?”
“Not at all. I am Arymm.”
“...”
‘Could this be a case of dual personalities? They say that undergoing immense pain sometimes lead to such a split…’
The differing name and demeanor prompted Farkonia to eain such specution.
“...Allow me to crify this matter,” a voiterjected suddenly.
Misako stepped into the room from outside.
“You... are Miss Arymm, aren’t you? Or rather, Aris’s inner demon?”
“Quite right.”
“Didn’t expect you to recile with your inal self, though.”
“...Not at all! It’s just…”
“Just what?”
“Um…”
Arymm found herself momentarily at a loss for words, her expression piquing the curiosity of both Farkonia and Veridith.
This was a look they had never witnessed when Aris resent.
“...Ah, I recall Aris mentioning the existence of an inner demon before.”
That had been after her battle with Aris, where Aris had cimed that her inner demon had been instrumental in her tinued fight.
“This…”
Upon hearing Farkonia mention that Aris had fided in others about her, attributing her perseverao Arymm, a flutter of warmth spread through Arymm’s chest.
“Right, Arymm... sister? Let’s freshen up first, shall we?”
With m well upon them, it was crucial to rise promptly. Veridith tugged at Arymm, leadio swiftly wash up and ge clothes before they stepped out of the room.
Just then, Elyssa and Diana emerged, also having woken.
“Diana, how are you feeling?”
“Hmm... Though my head aches a tad, it’s less severe than I’d imagined. Did you lot do something?”
“Hmm? You’re not aware?”
Under normal circumstances, Diana ought to have taken the hangover remedy upon waking, snoraruck Farkonia as odd.
She g Elyssa, only to find her blushing profusely, her eyes darting away, avoiding tact with anyone else.
“?”
‘Oh dear…’
While Farkonia remained oblivious to the situation, Misako was far more astute.
After years of delving into knowledge and culture from other worlds, she could piece together the sario simply from Elyssa’s rea and Diana’s apparent fusion.
Most likely, Elyssa had taken advantage of Diana’s slumber to admihe medie; as for how Diana had ied it while unscious…
Though Misako loo tease the pair, doing so would only prompt Farkonia to inquire about what transpired. Misako was hesitant to share but khat withholding information could lead to further plications.
She instinctively squeezed her lower half, refusing to relive that experience.
“...By the by, where are Marlyno and the others?”
As if to ge the subject, Elyssa inquired about Marlyno and Sisi.
“Ah... Now that you mention it, I haven’t seen them yet; perhaps they’re still sleeping off the drink. I’ll check their room.”
Farkonia approached the door to Marlyno’s room. Given that there were three of them, the aodations were retively spacious.
“Are you awake?”
“...”
She knocked a few more times but received no answer.
Just as she was about to fetch the nddy for a spare key, the door swung open.
“...Oh, it’s you lot. What’s the matter?”
“Sisi? Have you just woken? Didn’t Marlyno rouse you?”
“Hmm? Captain? She didn’t….”
Sisi turned her gaze towards the room, her voice trailing off into silence.
“Captain… she isn’t here…”
Casting a quice around the room, Sisi noticed a box of medie oable, alongside a letter.
[ To Sisi, Mira, and all those who have spent this time with me.
When you see this letter, you may feel fused. I must now share something, something ing a being that should .
Decades ago, there owerful entity who treated life as worthless, using tless beings as mere experimental fodder, ultimately resulting in the creation of a forbiddeehose abominable beings were entirely eradicated during a great war, alongside their creator.
Yet, some mao slip through the cracks. One such being bears an appearand emotions strikingly simir to humans, gradually blending into humanity. heless, this ot alter the fact that she is a monster birthed from a taboo experiment. Should this truth surface, it wouldn’t just jeopardize her; even those close to her would be affected.
I apologize for deceiving you all this time. I am not human, but a mohat should -- a mere chimera.
By the time you read this letter, I have likely departed from this town.
These past days have been the most beautiful of my undeserved life. Thank you all.
Farewell, and may you find happiness. ]
“...What in the world...”
Sisi clutched the letter tightly, her grip so firm that her fiurned white.
Mira, having just awakened, dispyed a sorrowful expression upon hearing the tents of the letter.
‘...I never imagined she was...’
After notig Marlyno’s unusual powers, Farkonia had harbored suspis, but she had never fathomed that Marlyno was genuinely not human, and worse yet, a chimera born from experiments.
“...Tsk!”
Sisi clicked her tongue angrily, not b to ge her clothes before seizing her wand and bolting out of the room.
“Wait!”
Farkonia moved swiftly, catg Sisi’s hand.
“Let go of me!”
“No.”
“Don’t hold me back! Do you think Captain...?”
“You should know that blindly searg like this will yield s, right?”
“...”
At this remark, Sisi, who had been struggling, ceased her movements.
“...Sisi, calm down and think rationally for a moment.”
“How you expect me to remain calm!”
Sisi shouted, tears streaming down her fatrolbly.
“Who does she think she is? Who does she think we are!? Even if this world denies her existence, I...”
“Me as well!!”
Suddenly, Mira, who had been quietly , raised her voice, startling Sisi momentarily.
“We promised to bee the stro adveogether; we vowed to walk this path side by side, a she vanished without a word!”
The tirade left Mira panting after her outburst.
“...At this point, it’s time for me to speak up.”
Elyssa approached from a short distance away.
“Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Elyssa Rosenthal, one of the bloodline nobles.”
