How the Reincarnation Seat Destroys the Original - Chapter 67



Only Noblemtl

Episode 67. Those who call death (3).

Tariq opened his eyes in the darkness.

Tariq opened his eyes, but still felt like his eyes were closed. As he looked around the dark space, he soon realized that Kael, who had been walking with him until just now, and the light he had created had disappeared.

“…Where is this?”

Then, Tariq muttered, realizing that this was not the Black Forest where he and Kael had been.

“Okay. Where is this place?”

Another voice answered his muttering. Tariq’s eyes widened as he heard the voice.

A voice I miss. A voice I was afraid I would forget, but thought I would never hear again.

“…S, Tella?”

In his memory, his voice trembled as he called out the name of the person he could never ask.

As the darkness slowly cleared, a girl in a pure white dress with short, silver-colored hair that was almost white and blue eyes just like Tariq approached him.

The girl looked up at Tariq, who was looking at her in disbelief, and a bright, flower-like smile bloomed.

“Hello, brother.”

– Thud.

Tears fell from Tariq’s eyes at the sight of his brother, who had begged for his life to be spared and to see him just once more.

“Stella.”

“huh.”

“Stella… Stella.”

“That’s right. I’m Stella, your younger sister.”

Tariq raised his arm and placed a hand on her small shoulder. His hand trembled slightly as it rested on her skinny, bony shoulder.

That feeling. The texture is vivid.

It was so real that Tariq realized it wasn’t real.

“But… I died because of you.”

As if he had realized that it wasn’t real, Stella’s appearance slowly began to change along with the words he spoke.

Maggots began crawling one by one on the once white skin, and the shoulder I was touching became eerily cold.

“Why didn’t you save me?”

The blue eyes that had been looking up at Tariq disappeared, and a black hole took their place.

“Huh? Answer me, oppa.”

“… … .”

A bony hand grabbed Tariq’s arm, which was resting on his shoulder. A bony hand. Cracked, twisted nails scratched at his arm.

The skin was scratched by the sharp, uneven nails, causing a raw cut, and when the nails scratched over it again, blood formed and flowed out.

As expected, Tariq just watched his brother’s appearance change into something more and more miserable without saying a word or reacting.

He didn’t let go even though maggots crawled on his hand that was holding his shoulder and dug into his skin.

“I… I asked you for the first time, saying, “Do you have to go?” Why… Why didn’t you grant my request? If you… If you… If you had just granted that request, I wouldn’t have had to die so miserably!!!”

The evil voice echoed through the space, almost tearing Tariq’s ears apart.

Dark red blood flowed like tears from the black holes that had replaced his eyes.

“I didn’t want to die like that. I… I… wanted to live…”

At that moment, Tariq moved his hand.

He gently and affectionately wiped away the dark red blood flowing down her sunken cheek, exposing her bones. As he watched and felt the hand touching her face gradually turn black and rot, he did not take his hand away.

“… Answer me. Why did you abandon me like that?”

This time, Tariq didn’t answer. He just hugged Stella’s body.

“be small….”

No, maybe I’m bigger than that.

Tariq muttered softly.

The body that was held in my arms without resistance was thinner, more delicate, and smaller than I remembered.

“Would it have been better if you had scolded me like this in real life too?”

Tariq asked for the first time.

“It’s my fault…?”

When Stella asked again, Tariq smiled bitterly.

“No way. But….”

His hands were now dry and dirty, and he carefully stroked his once-white silver hair.

“My little brother is so… so kind. I know full well that he would never say something like that to me.”

so.

So I realized even more that this place was not real. The younger sibling I saw in front of me right now was a being created by my own guilt and longing.

“You left like that, and I, who stayed behind in Terdam, was able to hear your story.”

As if telling a story to my younger brother.

Or, as if speaking to someone else, Tariq closed his eyes and continued speaking.

?Stella? Oh, I think I heard that the child had an older brother. She was proud of him, saying that he was a kind and dependable older brother. I remember the way she smiled and said that she was a burden to him.?

?Stella laughed, saying that it would be better if she died so that her brother could be free. How foolish…?

“I never once thought of her as a burden. I never thought I was not free because of her. Didn’t I?”

Tariq opened his eyes as if asking himself a question. Stella, who had been in his arms, had disappeared without a trace, and in her place stood Tariq from back when he had sent his younger sister away.

He smiled faintly as he faced his younger self.

“It’s just… I regret not being able to grant Stella’s first request because I thought it might be her last, and I blamed myself for not being able to protect her.”

Yes. I regretted it so much and blamed myself.

Maybe it still continues now.

I wondered if taking my life would free me from these painful feelings. Would it atone for my brother? I thought about it… .

Because we relied on each other more than anyone else.

Tariq knew that wasn’t what his brother wanted.

“But that child would have wanted me to live. So I tried to live. I tried to live.”

“If you knew each other so well, why did Stella… make that choice? If you had known that it would hurt me so much, you wouldn’t have made that choice.”

He had thought about it for a long time too.

Stella must have known that I would be in so much pain. Why on earth? Why did she do that?

“… It must have been because he knew there wasn’t much time left. He asked me to stay because he wanted to spend more time with me.”

Of course, I couldn’t ask my younger brother directly.

This was also just his own thoughts.

The questions continued.

“Did you just save Lily so that you could atone for her?”

“At first. Yes, at first. I was drawn to the child because she resembled Stella, and I tried to cure her to atone for my sins.”

“now…?”

“Lily is also my younger sister now. I think Stella will be happy to have a younger sister too.”

“Then… Then, what about Stella?”

As if asking an obvious question, the current Tariq answered.

“Stella is still my beloved sister.”

“People’s memories tend to fade. I’m sure I’ll forget Stella someday.”

The present does not deny what was said in the past.

As the saying goes, humans are creatures of forgetfulness, as time passes, the old memories and emotions that a person has experienced and felt tend to fade.

“But I will never forget Stella. She is my sister. Always. I will always remember her. And if we ever meet again….”

What happened with my new little sister, Lily.

I wish I could talk about my master and the lady I serve now. I’m sure Stella would be happy to hear my story and laugh out loud.

“I see.”

The appearance of the person who faced him once again changed.

The first time I met Stella, she looked like this.

In the healthiest way he could remember being in his life.

“That’s fine with me, brother.”

“…Stella?”

It was strange.

The Stella he was facing was a remnant of his own memories. It was probably an illusion. Until just now, he had clearly thought so.

The Stella he is facing now is….

“I knew there wasn’t much time left. That’s why I held onto you. If I had told you why and held you back, you would have stayed with me longer.”

“… … .”

“But I knew that my brother would be more distressed by the fact that he couldn’t do anything by my side. That’s why I didn’t hold on to him.”

With a playful smile and her hands behind her back, Stella took a step back, bending her waist slightly.

The hem of the white one-piece dress swayed as the girl moved.

“Lily, she’s just as cute as I am. I wish I could have a new little sister to talk to.”

It was really… really weird.

“Stella.”

Tariq took a step closer to Stella, but as he approached, Stella took another step back.

“Ah! Kael seemed scary at first, but he seemed like a very affectionate person when I saw him taking such good care of my brother and Lily. I wish he would be a little more honest.”

Stella was speaking as if she had seen it herself.

“And Miss! Miss Mabel was also very lovely. She seemed to know many fairy tales that I didn’t know, so I think it would be fun to make a fairy tale book together!”

Tariq felt his eyes burning hot and he struggled to straighten his increasingly blurry vision.

“You met some good people, oppa.”

“Really… Stella?”

“Really. Really, I’m so glad.”

“Wait, just a moment. Just a moment, Stella.”

Tariq instinctively sensed that a breakup was coming and urgently called his brother.

“I can really leave now.”

Stella. My sister smiled beautifully.

Before he knew it, his younger brother was holding a large teddy bear in his arms. It was a gift he had never been able to give him.

“Until my brother comes, I will be making fairy tales with this child to show my brother. My brother, come and find me with lots of stories to tell.”

“Just a little bit. Just a little bit more together… .”

“No. There’s someone waiting for you!”

Stella, who had been distant, came closer and hugged Tariq with a firm voice.

The soft teddy bear and its warm embrace felt so real and vivid.

“Live long enough to claim my share. Promise me we’ll meet again when you become a grandfather.”

“I promise… I will.”

“Yeah. Of course!”

When I was by Stella’s side, the smell of sunlight tickled my nose.

“I still think my brother is my favorite and I’m proud of him.”

The warmth that was in my arms.

The smell of sunlight tickling his nose faded away and the surroundings gradually became brighter. Knowing that if he closed his eyes, he would never see his brother again, Tariq tried not to close his eyes. He unconsciously tried to delay the separation a little longer.

With a small laugh that seemed to say that he couldn’t stop himself, Tariq felt a warm hand covering his eyes.

I love you, oppa.

With that voice as the last, Tariq opened his eyes once again.

“Are you awake?”

Hearing the voice, he realized that he was lying down and raised his upper body. Tariq blinked as he met the deep purple eyes that were looking at him absentmindedly.

“Lord… sir?”

“You’re awake late. It’s already been two days since we arrived at the center of the Black Forest.”

The blunt voice brought back to Tariq what Stella had said.

?No. There’s someone waiting for you!?

“Were you… always by my side?”

“Then, should I just leave it and go?”

Tariq lowered his head in response to the curt reply. Circular marks spread out on the blanket beneath his lowered head.

“…you….”

Huh?

When Kael trailed off, unable to bring himself to say anything else, Tariq spoke urgently.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry. So… I, I don’t know why. It’ll stop soon, soon.”

I couldn’t figure out why.

Just hearing his voice made me relax and tears flowed out continuously as if a dam had burst.

A soft sigh was heard, and soon a palm was patted on the back, causing Tariq to burst into tears like a child.