Dark Fantasy’s Extra Chapter 149

I had to open my eyes from the pain that felt like my head was being split into several pieces.

“Ugh….”

What exactly happened yesterday?

Belle was surely… no, Maia…?

Ah, Maia!!

“Gasp!”

I forcibly woke myself up with a deep breath and lifted my head.

For some reason I was in the hospital room, and I could see dawn breaking in the distance through the window.

“I… what exactly….”

“I was about to wake you up, but you saved me the trouble.”

At the sudden voice, I looked over to see a 1st-rank hunter wearing a white mask.

From the voice, is it Viola?

“1st-rank hunter?”

“Yes. I came under the Saintess’s orders to investigate you.”

“Investigate? What did I… Ah!”

“Do you remember? It’s about that sorcerer from last night.”

“Ma-Maia? Where did Maia go? What exactly happened last night….”

“That’s what I’d like to ask. Tell me everything you remember about last night.”

“Uh… that….”

My memories are hazy, like there’s fog in my head.

Maia came to my room and something… something happened….

“I also… not really….”

“You don’t remember?”

“Yes. Something happened but… did she… leave? Ah! She went out the window, that…!”

My memories are completely jumbled.

“Um, I, no, I took Gerda and… uh… escaped through the window…?”

“Indeed, as expected.”

“What?”

“That sorcerer infiltrated your room after going berserk for unknown reasons. And though I’m not sure exactly what, she tried to do something before fleeing outside the Order.”

“That… were there any injuries?”

“As you can see, you were injured?”

“What?”

Only then did I notice the bandages wrapped around my neck.

“Fortunately it’s not a serious injury. But since you hit your head hard, your memories might be confused, so you need to rest…”

“Ah! Gerda! What happened to Gerda?!”

“She’s safe. She’s probably waiting outside now.”

“Thank goodness…. But Maia… she won’t be charged with heresy, will she?”

“About that, there’s something you need to promise.”

“Me?”

“First, we’ve decided not to pursue that sorcerer.”

“Ah, that’s fortunate too…. But why?”

“The Saintess judged that it wasn’t her true intention. Being such a merciful person, she suspected there must be circumstances. However, due to issues of fairness, you mustn’t speak carelessly about this. Understand?”

“I see… I’ll do that.”

If it’s Belle, it wouldn’t be strange for her to know about the magical phenomenon.

What happened to Maia suddenly must undoubtedly be because of that.

…But is that really enough?

The Belle from Blue Paper Moon wouldn’t have found it strange to try killing Maia….

Right, those blue eyes….

“Urgh!”

“…Are you alright?”

“Y-yes? Ah, yes….”

I must have hit my head quite hard.

It’s been a really long time since I lost memories like this.

“Anyway, that’s all I needed to tell you. The doctor said to rest for at least two days, so take it easy.”

“Thank you…. No wait, two days?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Today is the graduation ceremony for the trainees I’m in charge of.”

Right, the graduation ceremony!

There’s a graduation ceremony today.

I can’t possibly not attend.

I tried to get out of bed and remove the bandages around my neck.

“Wait!”

But faster than that, Viola grabbed my wrist.

Wow, what incredible grip strength….

“You are a patient. It’s just a trainee graduation ceremony, no need to worry about it.”

“W-wait, my arm….”

Come on.

Just being held but it feels like my bones are being crushed….

“I-I’m sorry!”

Viola let go in surprise.

There were actually red marks left on my wrist.

This might give me another injury.

“It’s fine. But… what do you mean ‘just’ a trainee graduation ceremony?”

Even if they’re an impossibly high-ranked 1st-rank hunter, there should be a line.

“They all worked hard to become hunters of the Order.”

“They’ll end up as lower-ranked hunters anyway.”

“That may be true… but that’s not a reason not to care. Besides, I’m their instructor.”

I finished removing the bandages.

Even if I go, I shouldn’t send them off looking injured.

“…You resemble them.”

“What?”

“No… just talking to myself. Don’t mind it.”

Though Viola seemed to have something stuck in her throat, I didn’t pry.

“Ah, and… about your body.”

At those words, my moving hands stopped.

“I think you already know, but… your body has changed from before. That sorcerer left a bit of her curse on you.”

Is it Thumbelina’s curse this time….

But I woke up surprisingly quickly.

“And here’s the main point….”

Viola’s voice became grave.

“The Saintess herself used holy magical power to erase and remove that curse.”

“…?”

She did what?

“It means the Saintess directly laid hands on your body and healed the curse.”

“Uh… did she leave a sacred mark or something…?”

Belle’s Mark?

She erased Maia’s curse?

Was that possible?

“Not to that extent, but it’s true that the Saintess’s protection has been bestowed on your body. But don’t misunderstand. That doesn’t put you on the same level as 1st-rank hunters like us.”

In the Order, Belle’s Mark is called a sacred mark.

The very last step to becoming a 1st-rank hunter is receiving the Saintess’s Mark.

It’s the same type of Mark the protagonist can receive, but naturally since it’s a game, there was description that the protagonist’s was far more exceptional.

Anyway, should I consider that Belle left traces close to a Mark while neutralizing Thumbelina’s curse….

If Maia were here, she could have checked in detail and told me exactly what happened.

“Yes. I’m a lower-ranked hunter, and I don’t wish or think for anything beyond that.”

“…”

Again Viola looked at me intently.

Of course I couldn’t see her specific expression because of the white mask, but still, there’s an atmosphere.

“…Hmm, anyway I have nothing more to tell you so I’ll be going now.”

Viola went outside.

And shortly after, the door opened again and Gerda came in.

“Brother!!”

Gerda ran towards me with a face about to burst into tears.

I reflexively lowered my body and spread my arms to receive Gerda, but memories of last night flashed through my mind and I couldn’t.

I had knocked Gerda unconscious to quietly resolve Maia’s situation.

How could I embrace Gerda with what face….

…Huh? I took Gerda and ran away, but did I also knock her out?

“Are you okay?! Are you hurt anywhere?!”

But my rising questions disappeared again as Gerda approached first and hugged me in my awkward posture.

She must have been quite urgent, even her speech had lost its formality.

No, was it like that since last night?

“Um… I’m fine.”

“Why! Why did you do that?!”

Is she talking about me knocking her unconscious?

Though my memories are vague, I might have done that to handle things quietly if it was me.

No, someone like me would definitely do that and more.

“I was….”

“If I lose Brother too, I… I…!!”

Gerda buried her face in my chest and cried.

A sensation of my chest being crushed.

The guilt was too heavy.

What have I done to a child like this….

“…I’m sorry.”

All I can do is apologize, and continue holding Gerda until she calms down.

I really am hopeless….

After some more time passed, Gerda seemed to calm down and wiped her eyes with one hand.

But her other hand was still clutching my clothes.

“Don’t ever do that again…. Understand?”

“I… understand.”

Seeing her like that, I couldn’t say anything besides understanding.

It would probably be better for Gerda if I drew a cold line, but because of yesterday’s events I found it impossible to be harsh.

I’m pathetic for making another promise I won’t be able to keep.

I’m sorry to Gerda, but if something like last night happens again, what I have to do is already decided then too.

After all, I’m just a weak lower-ranked hunter, so there’s not much I can do without risking my life.

“Gerda. About yesterday….”

“…Who was that monster?”

Gerda lowered her head.

“She’s not a monster. She’s my friend.”

“No. She tried to eat you.”

Gerda’s voice was surprisingly chilling.

I was a bit taken aback by the change, wondering if this was really the same child who was inconsolable with sadness just moments ago.

No, it’s natural.

Family matters are a very sensitive topic for Gerda after all.

“That was a monster.”

“Yesterday was… an accident. It wasn’t Maia’s true intention either.”

“I don’t care about that. What I saw was that monster hurting Brother.”

“No, that’s….”

“If she appears again, I’ll kill her with my own hands….”

I unconsciously swallowed hard.

The memory of Gerda stabbing Maia’s neck with a dagger last night came back.

Until then she had clearly been close to human in appearance, but there was not a hint of hesitation.

Though my memories after that are a bit vague.

“Beasts that imitate humans are dangerous. I can’t lose Brother too.”

Ah….

Come to think of it, the first one Gerda saw was Margarete….

Plus Kai was taken away by the same kind too.

Has it been imprinted on Gerda that Beasts more similar to humans are more dangerous?

Normally that wouldn’t be bad, no, rather it would be an excellent mindset.

The true orthodox view.

It’s obvious that ones using deception are trickier than those that charge straight in after all.

Plus even the witches who are the most dangerous enemies appear human on the outside too.

But right now the target of Gerda’s words is Maia.

I can’t let them fight.

“It’ll be fine.”

I could only make a feeble excuse.

“…”

Gerda’s grip on my clothes tightened.

Like an alligator latched onto its prey….

* * *

By the time I had lunch and tidied up my appearance, I mapped out in my head what needed to be done.

Though things were hectic in various ways until this morning, from now on I need to focus and avoid mistakes.

Because soon is the graduation ceremony for the trainees I’m in charge of.

I looked at my face carefully in the mirror for the first time in a while.

Hmm… I really have been through a lot lately.

There’s an indescribable fatigue visible on my face.

I slapped both cheeks hard enough to make a smacking sound and blinked while composing my expression.

Alright, this looks like my usual face…. Hm?

“Huh?”

I lightly stroked my neck.

There’s something… unpleasant looking, like handprints….?

“Gerda.”

I turned my back toward Gerda who was sitting on the bed watching what I was doing.

“What?”

“Isn’t there something here?”

I lifted my chin to expose my neck.

“Huh?”

“Aren’t there some kind of marks?”

“…?”

Gerda got down from the bed and came closer.

She even stood on her tiptoes to look closely at my neck.

“…There’s nothing there.”

“Nothing?”

I looked in the mirror again.

No matter how I look there seem to be some marks….?

And unpleasantly shaped handprints at that.

As if my neck had been strangled….

“Urgh….”

My head stung again.

“…Are you okay?”

“Yeah…. Anyway, you’re saying there’s nothing?”

“I couldn’t see anything.”

“Then that’s fine.”

Am I seeing things?

Or is it like traces of where Belle’s sacred mark almost got imprinted?

So only I can see it?

Well… then it should be fine.

At least if I don’t show any strange appearance in front of the trainees, that’s enough.

“Shall we go then.”