Part Two, Volume 7 — And the Path She Walks
Chapter 225
Melt spoke. She recounted everything that had happened up to this very moment.
How the person she believed to be “me” had deceived her with lies and stolen her freedom…
The story goes back to just after Shizuma transformed into Shizuka in the dungeon.
At that moment, Shizuka’s consciousness had completely pushed Shizuma aside and gained full control of the body.
But that wasn’t all. For a brief period, she completely concealed her actions and words from everyone else sharing the space in Shizuma’s mind, creating a private moment just for herself.
This was possible because her connections were extremely thin, and because Shizuka herself was exceptionally skilled at “killing her emotions and keeping her feelings hidden.”
Yes… Shizuka bore a past that was far too tragic, even as a character setting.
Thus, it wasn’t surprising that she had mastered the art of guarding her heart.
Violated, tormented, treated as a plaything, oppressed—but still dancing, singing, and spreading love.
Even in stories where salvation should await, she was never given that.
Left behind, the path to rescue blocked, abandoned in endless despair.
She was denied joyful memories, a future where she could be saved, and any path to happiness.
“Melt, could you come here for a moment?”
Shizuka called only Melt, exercising extreme caution.
Her words, gestures, and expressions revealed no hint of urgency; she maintained complete composure.
She subtly stopped Sheele, calling only the “manageable” Melt over.
It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. A chance to gain freedom and escape into the world.
And… a chance for revenge.
“Melt, I have a little secret favor to ask—okay?”
“What is it? Even a secret from Sheele?”
“Yes, I wanted to surprise Sheele. That’s why it’s a secret.”
“Will Sheele be happy?”
Shizuka instinctively understood how to manipulate the still-immature Melt to act as she wanted.
Her history was engraved in her body: using charm, words, and movement to control humans and make them act.
“She’ll be happy. Sheele’s actually a bit lonely. So if we secretly let this new companion, Shizuka, have freedom for a while, I know she’ll love it. After my experiment ends, I want you, Melt, to suggest it naturally: ‘I want to spend just tonight with Shizuka.’ Then, you secretly give her the medicine. Don’t let Sheele notice. And don’t let me notice either. Surprise her in the morning.”
She fabricated a convincing reason, manipulated Melt, and arranged for the medicine to be given.
By her own will alone, she couldn’t summon herself and take the medicine—so she needed an unwitting accomplice, someone who would cooperate without realizing it.
As a result, Melt fell perfectly into her plan: she unknowingly wished to summon Shizuka, arranged to sleep in the same room, and late at night… secretly gave her the medicine.
That was the truth behind the incident—the entirety of the deceived and the deceiver.
“Something like that… I’m sorry. Melt thought it was me… I didn’t realize I lost consciousness for that brief moment… I just drifted a bit away from you two and didn’t notice anything strange.”
Judging from Melt’s story, I had been completely unconscious for only a few minutes after transforming.
Honestly, I never thought a low-level character could take control like that.
I let my guard down. And most importantly—I never considered that I was hated.
Without a doubt, I was the cause this time. Melt did nothing wrong.
“Shizuma… I’m sorry… I… because of me, the dungeon’s core was wasted, and Shizuka disappeared…”
“Melt, it’s not your fault. Even I… standing so close, didn’t notice anything abnormal, that’s my fault.”
“No, no one’s at fault. Neither Melt, Sheele, nor Shizuka is to blame. Shizuka has likely hated me all along. I never realized I could be at fault, but now I understand. The responsibility lies with me. If anyone is to blame, it’s me. Don’t blame Shizuka.”
If Shizuka can finally gain freedom and live her life… then I…
“Sheele. Melt. This matter is over. We will not look for Shizuka, nor pursue her. If she’s alive somewhere… that’s enough. I just want her to live freely, her own life. That’s my only wish.”
“Shizuma… I understand. We’ll stop discussing who’s at fault or what we could have done differently. Melt, don’t blame yourself either. There are many dungeons, right?”
“…Yeah. From now on, I won’t handle matters alone. I’ll consult with everyone, no matter whose issue it is.”
“Good. Then, let’s talk about what comes next.”
What is lost is gone. What has left cannot be changed. So we must look ahead.
There’s no reason for us to remain in this village anymore.
“First, by clearing this dungeon, Sheele’s Explorer Rank should rise to Silver. We need to confirm the procedures. Once that’s done, she can enter dungeons directly. Then we head inland. That region seems dense with dungeons.”
“Right… Since I was the only one Red-Copper rank, I had to take outside assignments each time to challenge dungeons. So we finished one dungeon first. The frontier was low difficulty… and indeed, it didn’t take much time to clear it.”
“So next, we head toward the center of the continent?”
“No, we’ll continue along the coast, check the port town… then probably head inland.”
I haven’t told Melt yet that I came to this continent after escaping the Death Sea that Devours the Land.
Seele knows, but I need a plausible explanation for Melt.
“Melt, remember you summoned me with the bell? I was already on this continent before that. My magic device started malfunctioning.”
“Eh! You’ve been here before!? The device broke… Shizuma, you need to check your magic tools properly!”
“Sorry, I’ll be more careful. At that time, some people helped me here. I want to check if they’re safe at the port town, then move inland.”
“I see. So you have benefactors here. Then we need to see how they’re doing. I guess they were surprised when I summoned you with the bell and you suddenly disappeared, huh?”
“Exactly. Sheele, is this plan okay with you?”
“Yes, that’s fine. According to the map, from the port town, we can follow the empire’s outer edge to a large dungeon near the border. From there, a main road leads inland. That’s our target.”
She knows the situation, so she has no objections. She studies the route ahead using the map.
Still… I think Stil should someday properly meet Melt and clear up any misunderstandings. Well… it’s not really a misunderstanding. What I did to Melt was, in a sense, deliberate.
“All right. It’s still early morning, but let’s prepare for departure. After breakfast, we’ll complete the guild procedures and leave the village.”
A small village surrounded by deep forests, destined to change slowly.
I want to see how it transforms, but for now, the journey takes priority.
Gather cores, get everyone out, and build… a true brigade.
If we can create a place where everyone feels at home, maybe then it’s okay to search for her.
If she allows it, I want to tell her: “If you’ll forgive me, can we walk together again?”
If she refuses… then that’s fine. Still… that’s what I thought.
“Then, thank you for everything.”
“Thank you for everything—Branch Chief, staff members, and the innkeeper as well.”
“The meals were delicious! I’ll definitely come back to eat again!”
Just before noon. With Sheele’s promotion at the Explorer’s Guild confirmed, we left the village.
Amazingly, the Branch Chief, the receptionist, and even the innkeeper had come all the way to the village entrance to see us off.
It had been a short stay, but apparently, we were more well-liked by the villagers than we had realized.
In fact, if it had been a more leisurely journey, I could have imagined staying in this village a little longer—it was that comfortable.
A small village within a forest, with clean air, slightly dim light, but soft sunlight filtering through the trees.
Melt seemed especially happy—probably because it reminded her of her hometown.
And, of course, there was an inn with a large communal bath and delicious food.
We said our goodbyes, and the villagers saw us off as the carriage began moving.
The latest carriage gifted to us by Same glided along the forest road smoothly, without any shaking.
“That was a really nice village.”
“Yeah! And if the forest doesn’t overgrow anymore, maybe it’ll develop even more!”
She laughed happily. It seemed she had stopped blaming herself over the Shizuka incident, which was a relief.
Then, from the window near the driver’s seat—
“Next time, let’s come around the end of autumn. I’d love to try the wine made from the village’s berries.”
“Haha, right! They did say they were making it. Then let’s come back in autumn.”
Sheele spoke cheerfully.
Yes, that’s fine. We should talk about the future, even a little way ahead.
After all, we are on such a joyful journey—such an adventure.
“Phew… Well then, Sheele? I’m going to go ‘inside’ for a bit to rest, so handle anything if it comes up.”
“I see—you want to discuss this matter with everyone? Understood.”
“What? Shizuma’s going to sleep? Here, use my tail as a pillow.”
Melt, understanding I would dive into my mind, extended her tail across the seat and encouraged me to rest on it.
It was extremely comfortable and gave off a pleasant scent—a truly enchanting tail pillow that could make anyone fall asleep instantly.
I asked Melt for permission and, as before, buried my head in her fluffy, soft tail.
“Then… wake me up immediately if anything happens, Melt.”
“All right. Good night, then.”
The comfort enveloped my consciousness.
I sank into it as my awareness was surrounded by sheer comfort…
When I woke up, I was once again seated at the head of the round table—the same slightly more ornate chair I always used.
Everyone else was already seated, their faces solemn and silent.
“Yeah, this is on me. I’m the one at fault. I’m sorry, everyone. I’m sure some of you may have lingering feelings toward me. I was careless. I was wrong—truly.”
I opened with an apology.
The round table, usually shrouded in darkness, felt even darker today; the air made the illuminated table seem dim and somber.
“…You don’t need to apologize. Shizuma, you don’t have to. Originally… we weren’t meant to have emotions or wills. You gave us that… no, you created it for us, and we are grateful.”
Silent spoke gravely, looking me directly in the eyes, as if teaching me a lesson.
Even I could tell there was no deceit in his words.
“…Shizuma, I can understand Shizuka’s feelings a bit. I’ve been in a similar situation. Both Shizuka and I were never allowed to progress in our own stories. But unlike me, Shizuka… probably carried a far greater burden of despair. That’s likely the difference between her and me.”
“Maybe… Everyone, from now on, I want to try speaking to all the characters I’ve left unattended. Characters I stopped raising midway, characters stuck in storage. I want to talk to all of them, spend some time in their forms, and let them appear at this round table.”
“Shizuma, isn’t that dangerous? Couldn’t it end up like with Shizuka?”
“Yes, Master. I understand your sense of responsibility. But…”
“This time it will be fine. I’ll fully explain to Sheele and Melt first. I’ll take precautions.”
I need to speak with everyone once again.
I am responsible for having created them.
They aren’t just game characters. As long as they exist in my mind as human beings… I cannot escape that responsibility.
I conveyed my resolve to everyone, then returned to the real world.
I explained everything to Sheele and Melt… and I need to declare that I will take on the forms of the characters I had neglected or stored.