[V12C11] He Was There

One day had passed since Gluttonous Zoe devoured Monica’s memories and the black rain fell on Sazandol. Isaac woke up from his nap a little before sunrise, then began practicing magic in the backyard.

Ordinary weapons would not suffice against the shadows controlled by Gluttonous Zoe. This required offensive magic, so Isaac wanted to increase his repertoire of techniques.

Isaac had a certain talent: once he saw a technique, he could reproduce it with a bit of practice.

Reproducing a spell was not too difficult either, but familiarity was required to maintain it for an extended period of time.

(Just reproducing it isn’t enough. It won’t be practical for combat unless I can master it.)

It would be great if he could learn flight magic too, but Isaac’s elemental affinity was water. He was not nearly skilled enough to attempt the wind-aspected flight magic.

Monica possessed mastery over all elements and Glenn had mastered flight magic despite it not being his preferred element, but those two were outliers.

(The black rain happened yesterday afternoon. Assuming they requested support from the capital immediately afterwards… The reinforcements may arrive today at the earliest.)

While maintaining the spell, Isaac was also pondering a different subject.

The real battle will begin once reinforcements arrive from the capital. In which case, what should he do?

That would depend on who is sent.

(Will they send the Sages or the Magic Corps…? The Starseer Witch and Barrier Mage have been immobilized by the shadows, and they likely want to retain the Fifth Thorn Witch and his Rose Fortress for defending the capital. In which case, the most likely outcome will be either the Artillery Mage or the Magic Corps…)

“Um, sorry to bother you.”

Startled by the sudden voice, Isaac dispelled the magic he was maintaining and turned to the side.

He saw a short elderly lady looking at him from beyond the fence separating their yard from the neighboring house. It was their neighbor, Mrs. Knolles.

Isaac was about to greet her with his usual greeting of “Good morning”, before he realized his mistake.

(…Oh no.)

Isaac no longer had the face of the man Mrs. Knolles knew as “Walker-san.”

To her, perhaps Isaac looked like a suspicious intruder breaking into the neighbor’s house.

However, Mrs. Knolles seemed to be looking over the fence with the same calm and amiable smile as always.

“Could it be that you’re a relative of Walker-san?”

“Huh…?”

“You resemble him a lot.”

Isaac knew he had little resemblance to Felix, so perhaps Mrs. Knolles saw it that way due to their similar height and hairstyle.

After swallowing a bundle of complex emotions, Isaac’s response ended up being a bit awkward.

“…He’s my… brother.”

“Oh, I knew it.”

Isaac understood that his face looked intimidating and unfriendly.

Despite that, Mrs. Knolles gave him the same smile that she gave to “Walker-san.”

But why? Why was she treating him so kindly? As Isaac absentmindedly pondered that question, Mrs. Knolles continued.

“Regarding the young lady and your brother…”

Only then did Isaac finally realize.

Mrs. Knolles’s hands were clasped in front of her chest and trembling. In addition, her face looked unusually pale.

Given the area covered by the black rain yesterday, it was not hard to imagine that someone she knew might be among the victims.

Even so, she bravely maintained her usual smile, showing concern for Monica and Isaac’s well-being.

Isaac quietly clenched his fists.

“Both of them are safe. My brother is currently away from Sazandol and… Monica is unharmed, but she needs some rest after the shock of what happened yesterday.”

“I see… So they’re both healthy? …That’s a relief.”

Mrs. Knolles lowered her eyes, which contained a faint glimmer of tears.

She genuinely cared about the well-being of Monica and Isaac.

“Madam, we do not know when the black rain might come again. It is best to remain indoors.”

“…Yes, yes, you’re absolutely right. I’m sorry.”

Mrs. Knolles turned away and headed towards her house. Her steps seemed unsteady.

On impulse, Isaac called out to Mrs. Knolles’ back.

“Um…!”

“…? Yes, what is it?”

“About your maid…”

Mrs. Knolles lived alone, but she had a part-time maid helping her out. The elderly maid had often informed Isaac about Monica’s activities during his absence.

With her back still turned to Isaac, Mrs. Knolles responded in a frail voice.

“My part-time maid… didn’t come back after going shopping…”

Isaac swallowed hard.

The black rain had covered an extensive area of Sazandol, so it would take time to identify all of the victims.

Mrs. Knolles would want to check on the safety of her maid. However, she did not know when the black rain would come again, and the city was in great chaos with the gates and harbor closed. This was no situation for an elderly woman to be walking around alone.

Isaac stood frozen, unable to find the right words.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Knolles turned back and smiled. It wasn’t enough to hide her anxiety, but it was a brave and beautiful smile.

“Everything will be fine,” Mrs. Knolles said. “I’m sure the capital is sending people to save us. We just need to remain calm and wait for help to arrive.”

“…Right.”

“Just let me know if you need anything, we have plenty of canned food. Send my regards to the young lady too.”

Mrs. Knolles was the one cheering up Isaac, even though it should have been the other way around.

Isaac bowed his head to Mrs. Knolles.

“Thank you for your concern, Madam.”

“Don’t worry about it. We’re neighbors. We help each other when in need.”

While watching Mrs. Knolles walk away, Isaac grit his teeth. He didn’t want anything more to be stolen from this town or the people living here.

His kind neighbor, the employees of the Flux Company, the familiar shops he visited, the sailors he drank with… the precious master who welcomed him home, and her constantly-hungry familiar.

Every facet of this daily life was a treasure to Isaac Walker.

(If there was only one thing precious to me, I could easily give up everything else.)

But now, there were so many things he couldn’t give up on. Not a single one. He refused to let go.

…Was this change for good or for bad?

As Isaac contemplated the complex mix of feelings, Lana peeked out from the front door, gesturing for him to come over.

“Walker-san, may I have a moment?”

Lana was dressed in her usual attire, with a fashionable hairstyle and makeup applied.

She had clearly been depressed after seeing Monica without her memories, but she was making an effort to dress herself up and stay herself. That was incredibly reassuring.

Isaac knew that dressing up required a great deal of effort, and Lana had not lost that energy.

“Good morning, Miss Colette. Did something happen to Monica?”

“This is regarding what you consulted me about yesterday…”

There was a locked drawer on Monica’s desk. Thinking that it might contain information on Gluttonous Zoe, Isaac had asked Lana to find the key to that drawer.

Lana showed Isaac a small key she had taken from her pocket.

“I found it when I was looking for Monica’s change of clothes earlier, at the back of her closet. Could this be the key you were looking for?”

“…Where is Monica right now?”

“In Karina’s room. Right now, Karina is showing Monica her wood carving skills.”

Isaac and Lana quietly nodded at each other, then ascended the stairs to Monica’s room.

＊　＊　＊

After reanalyzing Monica’s documents and the information from Melissa Roseberg, Isaac became convinced that his hypothesis was on the right track.

And if so, he needed additional firepower to challenge Gluttonous Zoe and Theodore.

The Star Arrow spell invented by Monica was far too advanced, making it difficult for anyone else to use.

Praying to find some sort of clue leading to a solution, Isaac approached the locked drawer.

He asked Lana to stand watch and ensure that he did not mishandle any of Monica’s personal belongings.

Isaac inserted the key into the lock and turned it. The drawer unlocked with a small clicking sound.

“I’m opening it,” Isaac said, pulling open the drawing.

The first thing to catch his eye was two small glass bottles. Both contained dried white roses, with blue ribbons tied around the stems.

Next to them was the book written by Monica’s father. The one Isaac had bought for two gold coins.

The blood drained from Isaac’s face the instant he realized it.

This drawer was a secret treasure chest where Monica had gathered everything precious to her.

While it was not Isaac’s intention, he had just exposed them.

(Why am I always like this?)

He had inadvertently trampled on something precious to Monica… Just like how he caused the death of her father.

Feeling the guilt eating away at him, Isaac attempted to close the drawer.

But before he could, Lana had reached into the drawer, picking up a bundle of folded pieces of paper.

“This is… from me…”

The papers looked like small memos, containing messages written in the cutesy handwriting of a girl. For example, listing the necessary items for class, informing a classroom change, and casual inquiries like “How are you feeling today?”

Most likely, Lana had written these notes to Monica during their time at Serendia Academy.

“…Why…? Why would you treasure something like this…?”

For Lana, they were just casual messages that couldn’t even be called a letter. A trivial note that most would throw into the trashcan after reading.

But to Monica, these small pieces of paper were worth storing in the same treasure chest as the white roses and the keepsake of her father.

Averting his eyes from the trembling Lana, Isaac noticed something yellow at the edge of his vision.

There was another small bottle behind the white roses.

This one contained a yellow rose tied with a blue ribbon. Next to it was a peridot necklace placed on an accessory tray.

(This is…)

Isaac recognized this yellow rose and the ribbon adorning it.

It was from the party after the graduation ceremony. Isaac had made a makeshift flower accessory with whatever was available, and gifted it to Monica to counter the one from Cyril.

Both this flower accessory and the peridot necklace had been gifts imposed on Monica by Isaac’s selfish desires.

——Gifts you can see… especially things a person wears on their body, are particularly good for securing someone’s heart, don’t you think?

And yet, Monica kept those gifts inside her treasure chest.

An indescribable emotion filled Isaac’s chest.

He unconsciously raised his right hand and gripped his bangs.

His throat trembled, as if having forgotten how to breathe, suppressing a sob.

“Ike” had been inside Monica’s treasure chest all along.

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