Chapter 250

Chapter 250

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Even fairy tales full of dreams and mysteries end up becoming terrible nightmares once they become reality. When witnessed directly with one's own eyes, there was nothing as bizarre as a fairy tale.

The sight of a person pouring out snakes from above and below was deeply embedded in his mind like powerful trauma and wouldn't be easily forgotten.

But the worst part was that the cause of that trauma stuck to Rickart without showing the slightest sign of leaving.

"Like I said, there are places where boundaries become blurry. I mean, once you get swept up in reality drawn by curiosity, you lose your way. Then you get caught by humans."

As if teaching something to an ignorant student, the fairy said. Standing on Rickart's palm as if on a podium.

The time was night and a bonfire was burning somewhere in the field. Naturally the humans warming themselves by the fire couldn't understand the fairy's words.

Even though they couldn't understand, what was clear was that it was unpleasant, uncomfortable, and scary. That was revealed in Gundar and the two Vikings' expressions.

The person maintaining calmness at least was Rickart. No, to be exact he felt exactly the same being unpleasant, uncomfortable, and scary, he just wasn't deliberately showing it on his expression.

"......I understand that the worldview I knew was wrong."

"It's wrong. Way wrong. But you folks don't know that right? You might not know. But the problem is you don't admit it. I don't know why you all mistakenly think you know everything."

Speaking primly, the fairy fluttered flutter flutter and flew to sit on Rickart's shoulder. And then laid down sideways tilting that tiny body. The fur of the tiger pelt softly wrapped the fairy.

Actually it felt like he could easily kill this tiny bug-like thing just by slapping it tap with his hand, but maybe because it knew how to speak human language he felt guilty doing so.

Of course Gundar looked like he could grab the fairy in his hand and crush it right this instant, but Rickart wasn't so.

However since he definitely had to decide how to deal with the fairy, Rickart brought up the topic.

"I bought you at the market. Of course I don't know if the concept of buying and selling exists for you. We have a task we must focus on handling from now on, but my comrades feel uncomfortable with you. So it's fine for you to freely go anywhere, please just leave. I won't bind you."

"Idiot. Wherever I am in the world I am free. Even when trapped inside a birdcage I was free. I was merely dying as my strength weakened. But your memories are delicious you see? Where would I get something this delicious again? I am not afraid of dying. But I don't particularly want to deliberately die when I can eat delicious things either."

"Which of my memories are you saying is delicious?"

"I can pick and eat. There are stimulating tastes, refreshing tastes, the sweetest tastes in the world, and there are bitter tastes too. There's also the taste of eating them properly mixed, Ricky."

The fairy spoke while licking Rickart's neck with her tongue. To the feeling of a damp bug touching him Rickart flinched and trembled.

By the way although she said she ate memories it didn't seem she eliminated the memories by eating them. She merely seemed to be drawn to the emotions contained in those memories. Rickart's memories were definitely not ordinary, but colorful.

"How did you know my name?"

"I eat memories so wouldn't I know your name? And you are not Rickart. You are Ricky. Doesn't the existence you're looking for know you as such too?"

He couldn't know up to where she ate his memories, but she definitely seemed to know everything about his past life too.

This tiny existence was prim yet bold, and on the other hand had a strong liking for Rickart. Of course probably because his memories were delicious though.

"And you folks intend to take revenge right? Edelrich went to the elves' territory. You can't chase him without me. Because you cannot enter the elves' territory without a fairy's help."

The fairy looked back at Gundar's group and said. As the topic of their business came up Gundar's expression that looked like he chewed a bug softened a bit.

By the way elves... You mean those elves that only appear in fairy tales? If he heard it somewhere else it would have been hard to believe, but having already seen a fairy and with that fairy saying it, elves existing in reality was nothing surprising.

"What does that mean?"

"Literally. Edelrich went to the elves' territory. Past Lake Rus into the Taiga Forest."

"......"

Hearing the fairy's words Gundar's expression became somewhat serious. The other two Vikings were similar. Rickart didn't miss the change in their expressions, and questions arose.

"Do you know something?"

"The Prophet said. That elves have a magic that lets you be reborn. It seems Edelrich intends to escape my hand of revenge and be reborn anew."

Of course that was an assumption. Unless you were the person himself his true intention couldn't be known. Of course he didn't want to know either though. Just, if he failed to achieve revenge that was a case where the story became a bit different.

By the way a magic that lets you be reborn... Rickart somehow thought it had some connection to his dying as Ricky and being reborn as Rickart.

Until now he constantly hadn't harbored much doubt about how reincarnation was possible, and why he came to experience such a thing. Because, even if he harbored doubts he had no way of knowing.

However, as Caldebert's whereabouts and his reincarnation overlapped in an unexpected place he felt strong curiosity.

By any chance, did Caldebert have an influence on my dying and being reborn? If so for what reason did he make me be reborn? Because he felt pitiful that I died miserably? Or out of lingering affection for me like I saw in the county's records?

"Just as you had a wrong worldview, the person you thought you knew might be completely different from what you knew."

The fairy said. It was true. Since Rickart always guarded against that part, 'mistakenly thinking you know', if he thought he was wrong he knew how to correct his thoughts immediately.

Of course conversely if he had conviction he didn't change his thoughts no matter who pointed it out or what they said though.

But even so there was nothing he could immediately know about Caldebert's true nature. Just, just as he felt sorry for my end I also felt a sense of responsibility for his end.

Why he came to this faraway place, where his footsteps ended, if he died peacefully......

"By the way what is your name? A fairy must have a name too."

Rickart asked the fairy.

"My name? But before that, let's get this straight first. From my perspective you folks are fairies."

"What?"

"Isn't that so? Reality is precisely a world of fantasy to me. And there's no way an existence living in a fantasy world isn't a fairy."

"......You could think of it that way. So the name is?"

The existence that called humans fairies stated her name somehow, but it was hard to catch. The pronunciation was weird.

"What was it? Heureureukkyakkyak?"

"Nooo. Not that. Hursikhef. If it's hard to pronounce call me Hushike."

"Okay, Hushike. What was that thing that made him pour out snakes? Magic, or a curse?"

"Neither. He paid the price. Everything has two sides and a price. Merely because the boundary called reality puts up a solid wall it just takes a long time for cause and effect to occur. I merely slightly pull forward and twist the occurrence of that cause and effect. Of course only when I have the power to do so. Ricky, your memories give me a lot of power. Honestly, enough to be scary to eat a lot of at once."

Hushike crawled into Rickart's inner pocket on her own and said. Entering the pocket she didn't show her figure. Apparently she intended to sleep after blabbering what she wanted to blabber.

Unexpectedly the fairy, no, Hushike knew many things, and presented a path. However for some reason that path was hard to walk forward willingly. Why was that.

The essence of fear comes from the fact that you don't know, but after actually knowing a choice remains. And making a choice required courage.

So sometimes it's better not to know, and times when knowing doesn't help but you must find out anyway.

The bonfire burned, blazing away the night.

Morning broke, and the firewood harbored embers but was extinguished trampled by an indifferent foot.

The four warriors draped in fur cloaks headed east, not shrinking even on a freezing summer day.

Unless Hushike was sleeping she flew around Rickart chattering chatter chatter, and most of it was without much content.

Saying she actually eats meat too and ant antennae were a delicacy, spiders were actually very shy, ginseng was like a grumpy old grandpa, flames were consistently capricious, and sometimes cry because they're sad etc., she babbled such absolute dogshit nonsense.

Gundar's group evidently didn't consider Hushike as uncomfortably as the previous day, but they let the words she said go in one ear and out the other.

By the way passing Veliyev, there wasn't even a single small village but merely an endlessly spread sky and wilderness entirely filling the world.

The group walked towards Lake Rus for now, but from this region on Gundar's group was also unfamiliar. So they couldn't know how wide this region was, or how long it took to Lake Rus.

There weren't even paths naturally formed by human footsteps so they just walked the vast plain, and as three days passed merely walking like that it began to get a bit embarrassing from this point.

"We aren't lost by any chance right?"

"Do not worry. At worst we can look at the stars and return to Veliyev."

"Should we have at least hired a guide?"

"You have to go further East. Over in that direction."

Hushike said. Fortunately it seemed there was no need to separately hire a guide.

No, walking for another three days in the direction she pointed out without even a sliver of a lake to be seen, doubt arose.

Once again Gundar's expression looking at Hushike deteriorated, and this time Rickart was the same.

By the way while almost a week passed eating Rickart's dreams and memories, Hushike's body grew rapidly and was now almost the size of a person's head.

"Hey you yokai bitch. You're lying on purpose to screw with us right?"

It was fortunate they got a bit comfortable living together all this time, but whether because they walked so long Gundar revealed hostility.

"Tsk! Watch your mouth! You think I'm like you folks? To lie? If I'm going to play a prank I'll do it openly, I don't lie! Assorted demons don't lie either! The only ones in the world lying are you folks!"

"Got it, so how much is left?"

Rickart asked calmly at least. Merely walking for a whole week was an ordeal for Rickart too. Not physically hard but mentally.

"Mm...... Well, half a month?"

"It's that far!?"

"About half a month isn't far no? If you walk at the current speed without resting for about a year you can reach the end of the world. And beyond the end of the world is the beginning of another world."

"......"

Rickart stared at Hushike with a serious expression, then looked back at Gundar.

"How much food is left?"

"Three days' worth."

It was an insufficient amount even to return to Veliyev. But to have to go half a month more.

"If we eat sparingly and Hunt on the way we might barely reach it. Edelrich also went there so there's no reason we can't go right?"

Gundar said valiantly. That part Rickart also agreed with so he nodded his head.

In the end they ate the remaining food as sparingly as possible and moved forward hunting field mice or rabbits to eat.

As half a month passed in that manner everyone was exhausted unable to eat properly, their cheeks sunken and their gazes turning fierce. Like starving beasts.

In the midst of that Hushike grew to the size of a 10-year-old child, and had to wear extra clothes Rickart wore. Because she was almost naked. Of course because of the wings on her back he had to tear the clothes a bit. Though they were expensive.

Fortunately just wearing the top garment came down to around her ankles covering all that needed covering.

And the group finally reached Lake Rus. When they first saw it, they thought it was the sea not a lake. Fortunately there was a city there.

Able to see Lake Rus their sharpened nerves soon softened. Because they felt that much rewarded.

It was a tremendous spectacle and scenery that even the expression 'like a painting' was far lacking. It was like a place where gods lived. The lake and the surroundings of the lake were majestic, beautiful, and wondrous.

So momentarily forgetting the thirst for revenge, lingering attachments or curiosity about the past days also felt vain.

Nevertheless without forgetting what must be done, they walked forward. Whatever happens, since they came this far they had to see the end.

Volume 50 - Beyond the end of the world. End.