noveltune Chapter 100
Chapter 100
Back at the guild, Yeoreum and her team sorted through the files they had retrieved from the dungeon. The documents were dense with complex terminology, but Yeoreum did her best to sift through them.
"...It seems Gyeoul underwent some sort of human experimentation."
"Yeah..."
They had managed to uncover only a few details: that Gyeoul had been subjected to experiments related to "mana" by someone and, after the experiments failed, had been discarded and buried underground. Even this limited knowledge was enough to shatter Yeoreum’s spirit.
"Gyeoul... she doesn’t even know why she was buried underground."
At the time, Gyeoul had appeared genuinely confused, her ears and tail betraying her inability to hide her emotions. She truly seemed to have no memory of it.
“Could the trauma have been so severe that it caused amnesia?”
What kind of hellish life had she endured for her mind to erase it completely? Yeoreum couldn’t begin to imagine the pain Gyeoul had suffered, only that even after escaping, her life hadn’t been easy.
To flee from one hell, only to end up in another. Was this truly something a child, who didn’t even understand the world, should have to endure? Unable to bear the bleak reality, Yeoreum closed her eyes.
"Yeoreum, I think you should see this."
Jung Yu-na approached, holding a file. Sighing, Yeoreum opened her eyes.
“What does it say?”
"A few years ago, a Grudge Dungeon opened in the same place."
"Really...?"
"Yes."
Two Grudge Dungeons in the same location. What could that mean? Yeoreum racked her brain, but she couldn’t find an answer.
"Yu-na, do you mind if we take a break?"
"Sure. Let’s rest."
"...Thanks for understanding."
Yeoreum resolved to meet Gyeoul, the child who brought comfort to everyone around her. Yet, she feared that she might unintentionally hurt Gyeoul. After all, she would need to ask her some painful questions to unravel the mystery.
---
Pretending to be Sophia, and in front of Sophia herself no less... It was a delicate situation where one wrong move could result in a scolding.
If she was going to imitate her, it was best to focus on Sophia’s good qualities—like her kindness.
With that in mind, I leaned on the staff and approached Levinas, putting on my best gentle demeanor.
“My, Levinas, aren’t you beautiful.”
“What?! Levinas is beautiful?!”
“Yes, yes, Levinas is very beautiful.”
I reached out and patted her on the head, and she leaned forward, eager for more.
“Levinas is the kindest in the world, listens well, and is the best among children.”
“Oh, stop...”
Levinas squirmed, her cheeks flushing red. I’d never seen her look so shy before.
If I’d known she would enjoy it this much, I would have praised her more often. I decided I’d be more generous with compliments from now on.
“...Is that how you see me, Gyeoul?”
Sophia cleared her throat and addressed me, her gaze uncertain, as if she were studying my reaction.
“Yes. I really admire Sophia’s kindness.”
“...I see.”
“Yes, I can’t even imagine my life without Sophia now.”
“Ah, h-hm...”
Sophia’s cheeks flushed, and she turned her head, avoiding eye contact. Yusanga, who was supporting Sophia, chuckled quietly.
“Gyeoul seems to really like Sophia.”
“Hm...”
Sophia glanced at Yusanga before reaching out to me, palm extended. I knew she was asking for her staff back, so I quickly handed it to her.
“...Let’s head home now.”
“Yes...”
Leaning on her staff, Sophia began to walk away. I stood there, watching her retreating figure.
“Just a game, remember.”
It was just a game, so it should be fine, right? With that thought, I leaned closer to the basin.
Just then, I heard the front door open as several people entered the house.
“Gyeoul, big sis is back.”
“Welcome home.”
I counted five sets of footsteps entering the room, and my tail started wagging as I greeted them in the living room. Yeoreum, Jung Yu-na, Choi Jinhyuk, Encia, and Argo had all come back.
“What were you doing, Gyeoul?”
“Levinas and I were going to play torture training.”
“Torture... Excuse me...?”
Everyone froze in place, with Argo being the only one to react positively.
“As expected of our leader...!”
“Argo, keep quiet.”
“Understood!”
Argo clamped a hand over his mouth, while Encia sighed deeply as she looked at him.
“Gyeoul, what’s this torture training game?”
“It’s just a game.”
“I see.”
Encia’s expression was laced with confusion, as if she still didn’t fully understand.
“Gyeoul, are you... sure about this?”
“About what?”
“Well... you know...”
Yeoreum swallowed hard, and both Jung Yu-na and Choi Jinhyuk looked tense.
“...Gyeoul, I’m sorry to bring this up, but do you remember anything from the past?”
“The past?”
“Yes. Like, why you were buried underground...”
Was this because of the dungeon?
Unfortunately, I had no memories from before that time, as my arrival in this world had coincided with being buried underground. It was probably best to feign amnesia here.
“Yes, actually... I don’t have any memories of my past.”
“Oh... I see...”
“I’m sorry.”
“Oh, no! There’s no reason for you to apologize.”
Yeoreum quickly waved her hands in dismissal, a somewhat awkward smile on her face.
“Did something happen?”
“No, it’s just, um... hypothetically, if you ever recalled those memories, and they were... unpleasant, how would you feel?”
Yeoreum’s question made me pause, as if she had somehow pieced together the story of my original body’s past.
“To be honest...”
“Honestly?”
“As long as I have my family and friends now, it doesn’t matter how horrible the past was.”
“Oh...”
Yeoreum’s eyes widened, looking genuinely shaken.
What could it be that would
cause her to react that way?
Uncertain of what was going on, I could only blink in confusion.
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TL NOTE: Please don't skimp on the stars and likes of the translation - it inspires me and gives me the strength to write more. Thank you~!