Is That My Alter Ego

Chapter 64 – Farewell

“No… No…!”

Tears streamed endlessly, and her legs felt like they were made of lead, barely able to hold her up.

Yet, with the single resolve to meet Venis, Ariel rose. She stumbled and fell time and again, but she pushed herself to run deeper into the cave.

“Please… Please…”

The path of the cave should have been short, yet it felt interminably long. It was as if she were racing toward a finish line that vanished into the horizon.

Her vision expanded, and the black tent that had been right before her faded into the distance. The once brief corridor stretched infinitely.

It was truly surreal, but Ariel had no room in her mind to acknowledge it. At that moment, only one thought dominated her consciousness.

Her feet grew heavier with each step. It felt as if guilt and remorse bound her body, pulling her back with an iron grip.

“…Ugh. Let go of this…!”

Sizzle… crackle…

Ariel’s violet eyes ignited with a fierce glow, and the hands that held her began to tear away, disintegrating in the brilliance of her burgeoning magic.

As she cast aside the thoughts that clouded her judgment, the seemingly endless cave returned to its true form. Before long, Ariel found herself right in front of the black tent.

*Whoosh—!*

With a forceful shove, she sent the tattered tent flying, its frayed edges fluttering in the air. Following the trail of blood on the ground, she dashed deeper inside.

“………..!”

In the dark workshop of the black sorcerer, Venis leaned against the farthest iron bars, gasping for breath. The path of blood came to a halt at that very point.

“Ve…Venis…!”

A surge of elation began to swell within her. At last, she could see you.

Foolish, dim-witted, and utterly lost, but now she could finally grasp your true feelings.

Just looking at the noble sacrifices made, tears threatened to spill forth.

As tears flowed, Ariel smiled brighter than ever before, envisioning the happy future they would share and the memories they would create together.

She approached Venis, kneeling before him, collapsing at his feet. Her fragile knees scraped against the ground, blood seeping out, but she was oblivious to the pain.

“Cough…..”

“Venis! Stay with me…!”

“Cough, cough….”

She shook his limp body, trying to rouse him, but he merely continued to spit blood, as if he could not hear her.

Around where he had collapsed, a river of crimson flowed, enough to convince anyone that several lives had already been lost.

“….Just wait a moment! I… I’ll heal you right away…!”

Yet, Ariel smiled. In this moment, with the walls shattered, she felt as if she could heal even a person on the brink of death.

The magic resonating around Ariel began to gather in his hands, flowing into Venice’s body like a gentle stream.

Even to the untrained eye, it was a pure and warm magic, unmistakably a force of life.

Ariel’s power surged within Venice, and at once, the wounds and gaping holes that marred his body began to mend.

Venice, in a state so ravaged he could have been mistaken for a half-corpse, was restored to a semblance of health in an instant.

It was magic that could be called miraculous. A spell that perfectly healed a man on the brink of death was a tale whispered only in legends and myths.

“I’m… I’m sorry… Venice…”

“……..”

Ariel, holding Venice tightly, began to weep as he apologized. Just the contact of their bodies filled him with joy, a smile breaking forth unbidden.

The warmth radiating from Venice was so comforting that it melted the frozen shards of Ariel’s heart.

‘…Now I will take full responsibility.’

Whatever you desire, whatever you wish for, I will make it happen, no matter what it takes.

With just a word from you, I would wield all my status and power to ensure it comes to pass.

Tears welled in his eyes, yet a bashful smile graced his lips. The mere thought of all the moments they would share together filled him with a happiness that felt almost like a blessing.

…Let us step forward together. Prove your innocence, and cultivate the simple joys of life as we once did.

“….Cough.”

“……Huh?”

But Ariel’s blissful reverie shattered. Venice, whom he held so tightly, began to cough up a torrent of blood, staining Ariel’s white garments a deep crimson.

“Wh…why is this happening…?”

Ah… it seems he is not fully healed yet. I’m sorry, just a little longer. I’ll heal you right away…

Ariel cast the healing spell again, forcing a smile despite the rising tide of anxiety that trembled at the corners of his mouth.

It was a fear that should never come to pass, yet if it began to rise, it would grow uncontrollably.

Ariel shook his head, muttering to himself as if to hypnotize away the dreadful thought.

Such a thing would never happen. Venice would recover and show me that beautiful, pure smile once more.

“Cough… Kheh…”

Splat—!

“Wh…what?”

But Venice once again expelled a massive amount of blood. Ariel’s hand, which had clung to him, was now drenched in crimson, leaving red streaks on his once-pure skin.

“This… this is strange. It shouldn’t be like this…”

His healing magic was undoubtedly perfect. He was certain it could save anyone who was not already dead.

The wounds he had inflicted upon himself vanished in mere seconds, so he knew it to be true.

“Cough… cough…”

Venis spits blood once more. The fragile smile he wore shatters, and a wave of anxiety begins to swell in Ariel’s expression.

“N-No…! Venis’s condition…!”

Ariel could not finish her words. The insides of Venis, which she had confirmed with her magic, were already a wreck.

Most of his organs were soaked in dark magic, turning black and rotting away, and no matter how much she concentrated her magic to cast healing spells, there was no sign of improvement.

“This… this can’t be…”

“Cough… Who… are you…?”

“…….!”

Ariel, who had been shaking her head in denial, leaned closer to Venis, who had spoken in a voice so faint it was almost inaudible.

“Ve… Venis! Pull yourself together…!”

“I don’t know who you are… cough. But… it’s already too late for me…”

“W-What…?!”

Ariel’s eyes widened in shock, her mind going blank. Venis seemed not to hear or see her at all, as he could not even recognize the figure of Ariel before him.

He coughed repeatedly, then managed a bitter smile as he continued to speak.

“My body… has been irreparably damaged by the magic. I suppose… I will die soon.”

“No… don’t say that…! I… I will find a way…!”

“….Ha ha. I don’t know what you’re saying… I can’t hear you.”

Ariel’s cries did not reach Venis. No matter how loudly she called or how she shook him, he only smiled faintly, continuing his own words.

“Um… if possible… cough. Could you listen to my last words…?”

“………!”

No… please don’t say that. I will definitely save you.

Ariel struck the ground in regret, crying out in despair. She began to strike her own head, searching for a way to save Venis.

At the same time, she continued to cast healing magic on him, using all the mana around her, even the mana she had accumulated over the years.

However, perhaps interpreting her actions as acceptance, Venis expressed his gratitude softly before he began to speak again.

“I… really tried. To save everyone… truly…”

“I know…! I understand everything now…! Please stop talking…! I will save you…!”

“But… I’m not sure if what I did was truly right… ha ha…”

Please, stop talking. Every word you say makes the blood flow out more.

Your actions were heroic and noble, no matter how anyone looked at them. So please…

“…In truth, I knew it would come to this. It was the path I chose…”

“Stop… please, stop…! You really will die like this…!!”

“But… I feel a bit sad. I will… be remembered as nothing more than a criminal by those I loved and cherished…”

Ha ha—

A hollow laugh escapes his lips, and once more, Ariel crumbles. His laughter seems to herald the end. It feels as if she will never see his face again.

“No…! I… I’m here…! I know everything now…!”

“….I had resolved to endure. Just thinking about it… it hurts my heart. Ha ha… I must seem a bit foolish, huh?”

“No…! You don’t seem foolish at all. Please, please just talk…!”

Venice’s once-bright eyes begin to cloud over. The strength that had been holding him up starts to wane.

“Ah… no…! Please, just wait a little longer, Venice…! Just a little… just a little more…!”

“….I… I think it’s time for me to go. I’m so… tired….”

“No, no, no, no, no!!!! Please, just a little longer…!”

His eyes, always so full of life, now seem to fade, gazing off into some distant place.

Ariel prayed and prayed. Anyone would do, just grant me a moment more.

To save him, to have a chance to apologize.

“….Hey, everyone…”

“Ah… no! Just a moment, just a moment is enough! It feels like it’s really over now…!”

“….Sister… Kale… Priya…”

His dimming eyes twist as if gazing at a vision. Trembling hands reach out toward the void.

“….Ariel…. Miss.”

“…………!”

When he called her name with a trembling voice, Ariel froze.

Her spinning thoughts came to a sudden halt, and it felt as if all her nerves were drawn to his voice. Her heart sank heavily.

A smile began to form on Venice’s lips. And it was warmer and purer than any moment she had ever witnessed.

“….You must take care… an…. n…”

Before the words could finish, the light faded from Venice’s eyes. That warm smile returned to silence.

“…..Ve…nice?”

“………”

Ariel called out to Venice without even realizing it. But there was no answer from him.

With hands trembling like mad, she shook Venice’s cold body. He swayed limply with her movements.

Her mind was shrouded in fog, devoid of thought, and her heart felt as if it had already burst with pain.

“Ah… no…”

“………..”

“Ah… aaah…!”

Eriel’s eyes become hollow, like those of the dead. A scream erupts, so horrific it seems impossible for a human to produce.

“Ugh… aah… aaah…!!”

No. Don’t joke, Venice. It’s not funny… please.

Venice’s body shakes mercilessly. Beyond Eriel’s warm hand, a bone-chilling cold seeps through.

No matter how much magic she poured in, the cold corpse would not return.

“aaaH-!”

Clutching the frozen body of the butler, Eriel simply howled.

She felt the taste of blood in her throat, a heart that seemed to have been pierced with pain, and tears flowing endlessly, all of it lost to her awareness.

Tatata-dak-!

“What is this memory…!”

“Venice, where is Venice…!”

“Where are you, Venice!!”

The Frost family members entered the cave with grim expressions, their teeth clenched in despair.

And with faces awash in guilt, tears streaming down, Kale and Priya stepped in.

As soon as they entered the cave, all that could be seen was the already lifeless Venice and Eriel, wailing as she clutched his corpse.