My Childhood Friends Are Trying To Kill Me

Lelia hurriedly opened the bottle of Elixir and poured it into her mother’s mouth. At that moment, the cold skin began to gradually regain its warmth. The wounds cut by the sword healed, and the grayish skin regained its color.

Witnessing the marvelous moment, Lelia thought it didn’t matter what curse she was under. She began moving her fingertips, which she thought would have been frozen forever. Her eyelashes trembled and her eyelids lifted slowly.

“Mother…”

Lelia grabbed her mother, who finally opened her eyes, and muttered the words she had never heard before.

“… Ahh…”

Sena’s expression twisted painfully and she looked at the person in front of her.

“Mother… mother…”

Hearing the voice she had been dreaming of for some reason, Sena fell asleep again.

Lelia came to her senses when she realized that Sena fell asleep with a relaxed face.

“Oscar… First of all, it would be better if we move to our dorm.”

Without a word, Oscar hugged Lelia and Senna, who was holding her tight. As he stretched out his finger, a large circle appeared in her air, and then the part split open and cracked.

***

Lelia changed her mother’s clothes that were soaked in blood, and wiped the blood from her cheeks and hands, everywhere. The wounds cut by the sword disappeared cleanly without a trace. However, the psychological wounds from the shock would probably still be there. For that reason, there was no sign of her waking up at all.

“I’ll watch over her, so go and wash off the blood.”

At the Oscar’s words, Lelia looked down at her outfit. She was all covered in blood. When her mother initially woke up, she was rather startled and she didn’t know if she would faint again after seeing Lelia like this. Lelia nodded and headed to the bathroom.

She felt gratitude to Oscar, who stood by her side without saying a word. Seeing her apparently resurrecting the dead right before his eyes, Oscar still didn’t ask anything. Thank you for that. If she hadn’t had Oscar by her side, she wouldn’t have been able to do anything on her own.

She washed up and came out approaching Oscar who was sitting by the bed. Oscar lifted his gaze and looked at her. At that moment, Lelia was enveloped in a strange feeling. Oscar’s eyes… She didn’t know why he was looking at her like someone who had lost everything.

“Oscar.”

“That drug a few days ago. What is it?”

“Úhhh?”

“The medicine I took.”

“Ah…”

Lelia remembered what Oscar had done. He was referring to her memory recovery pill that she made a few days ago to feed her mother.

“It’s just a drug that restores memories. Even very old memories.”

“…”

“It was made to give to my mother.”

Oscar didn’t answer. Lelia asked, just in case.

“Why? Did you remember your forgotten memories?”

“…”

Did he think of work when he was young? Oscar didn’t readily answer. Lelia suddenly became nervous and anxious. Before she met her friends in the neutral zone. Oscar’s memories must be before that. It would only be bad memories for Oscar at that time. Lelia looked anxiously at Oscar.

“Oscar, are you okay?”

Oscar didn’t answer and he stood up. He took one step closer to Lelia, and she took a step back.

[What… ?]

Lelia looked at him with her puzzled eyes. She can’t avoid Oscar herself. He stepped back slowly, as if he were dealing with someone he shouldn’t have touched.

“Oscar. Are you okay?”

“… No, wait a minute.”

The shrill voice caught her. She couldn’t understand Oscar’s words. Oscar stood still for a moment, and then he walked out. Lelia stared blankly at his back, wondering if he needed some time alone and turned her head.

In her bed, she could see her mother sleeping with a relaxed expression on her face.

Yes, she’s the most important thing right now.

[For now, I have to take my mother to the Superion Territory… Who was the culprit that killed my mother?]

Lelia bit her lip as she pondered.

[Does anyone have any personal grudges? Did the pursuers come from the temple?]

To find out the culprit, it was most certain that her mother would need to wake up and testify in person. Lelia sat by the bedside of her bed and grabbed her mom’s hand. Her mother’s hands were rough when she once would have had no calluses. It was the same hand that changed her own clothes when she came down from the mountain and passed out during her childhood at the temple.

[Why didn’t I know then?]

Lelia pulled her mother’s palm up and brought it to her cheek in pity. Her chest seemed to be calmed by the warmth that passed through her cheeks. She wanted to convey the warmth of this hand to her family. Grandmother, grandfather, uncle, aunt… Everyone will be delighted. And…

[I should also inform Emperor Perseus.]

She didn’t like it, but she knew how much he missed his wife.

Lelia held her mother’s hand for such a long time, imagining her future. But her mother did not open her eyes even as the night passed and dawn came the next day. It was dawn when Lelia, who had been sleeping by her mother’s side, squatting next to her, woke up.

Lelia swallowed her anxiety as she watched her mother who was still asleep. It’s not like she is not waking up forever, is it? Rather, there were only the two of them in her room.

[Where did Oscar go?]

Maybe he didn’t come by this time?

Lelia opened her window just in case he was outside. It was dawn when she woke, so it was quiet outside. She looked around for a while before she closed the window again and walked back to the bed.

Her worries about her Oscars flooded in. It was clear that he had taken the drug and recalled some bad memories. A corner of her chest felt cold as she recalled his pale expression and gloomy eyes.

[Oh.]

Lelia quickly opened the game screen as she thought of something. She then went into her inventory and checked the item she crafted earlier. She was so busy she couldn’t check it properly before…

The name of the medicine made with Oscar’s special recipe was offensive.

Looking at the process so far, all the drugs were for the subject. Kalix’s was a medicine to heal the eyes, Romeo’s was unknown, but… Anyway, he said that it was the medicine he needed. Griffith was also hacked, but it was the medicine he needed… So will Oscar.

[But why?]

Lelia stared at the item named ‘Poison that finally leads to death’ for a long time. The picture of the item was in the shape of a plain potion like the others, but the inside was black. She was sullen.

[Should I give this to Oscar with even the color and name being poison? Does he need something like this? Is it possible that Oscar is thinking about something bad…]

Oscar was using the power of the ancient demons with his demon sword. He said that ability made him immortal by devouring it. In a way, she thought that this medicine he needed might be right. He couldn’t be happy if he lived forever as an immortal being. If you let go of all your loved ones and remain alone, you will be full of suffering.

[However… I can’t give it to you right now.]

Oscar was still a bit unstable. She never knew when he might impulsively make bad decisions.

[Alchemy.]

With an anxious mind, she called for Alchemy. She felt like she should have a conversation with someone to calm her mind. Oscar wasn’t with her, and her mom couldn’t open her eyes, so she felt alone. Lonely and afraid.

*(At dawn… uhhhh.)*

Seeing the grumbling message, Lelia suddenly felt her mind calming down.

[I can’t see where Oscar went.]

*(What am I supposed to say? Now I’m almost at the level of chasing people….)*

Lelia mumbled as she stared at the screen blankly.

“I was just alone and feeling nervous and afraid, so I called you…”

*(凸)*

Lelia remained silent for a moment, then she asked cautiously.

“By the way, the second memory recovery drug. Is it possible that it can restore memories of when you were very young, that is, when you were really young?”

Apparently, Oscar’s issue was really bothering her. He had such a shocked expression because he must have recalled such a bad memory… It was clear that he didn’t look good for days.

*(Not to be confused with Alzheimer’s disease treatment. o_o)*

Lelia’s forehead wrinkled as the same message she had seen last came to mind.

So reckless…

“So how long ago?”

“So… how long ago? A newborn baby? 1 year old?”

*(sick)*

Lelia frowned in frustration. She was trying to ask how long ago it was and if it was beyond a newborn life to a previous life.

Rumble!

A rattling sound was heard from the window, which had been closed and locked. She was startled for a moment, and her body stiffened.

Rumble! Thud!

It wasn’t the wind. How could the sound of the wind be so artificial and strong…

Bang!!!

In an instant, the entire window was torn and blown away.

With the sound of cracking windows and glass shattering, someone came in lightly. It was a large human wearing a black robe. Lelia was so amazed that she covered her mouth with her hand and only blinked her eyes. At first she thought it might be Oscar, but… There was no reason for him to break in through the window like that.

“……!!”

A large shadow approached from the darkness.

She couldn’t move from the fear that suppressed her whole body, but in an instant, her thoughts moved her body. It was to protect her mother. She thought the man who suddenly broke in might be the culprit who killed her mother.

But then, the approaching person in a black robe took off the hood lightly, revealing his face. At the same time, he grabbed her arm. As she turned her head as he grasped her arm, a familiar face grinned at her. Like a prankster. Like a little boy who was playing tag. A heavy voice broke the silence.

“I finally found you.”

“… Ka-Kalix?”

“Your prince came to save the princess who was kidnapped by the villain. What do you think? You’re happy to see me, right?”