Drowning

tl: diced & deepl

"You're in pain, Gadio-kun."

Thea, embraced by his thick arms, said with a smile.

"...... Thea."

Gadio called her name with all his heart.

"You don't have to sound so lonely, I'm right here."

She, too, replied in a voice full of love for him, and put her arms around his back.

"Thea ......."

"Heh heh, to get such a passionate hug from the shy Gadio-kun, it's a reviving experience, isn't it?"

He was sure he could feel it in his arms.

As if it were a dream.

Ah, then again, it might have been better if it had been a dream.

However, this was reality, this nightmarish, happy reality.

" But I think it's about to ...... get a little, seriously painful. ...... I give up!"

Bofu bofu1, Thea patted Gadio on the back.

She then loosens her arm and grabs him by the shoulders and looks him squarely in the face.

"I didn't know what you meant when you said six years, but when I saw your unpleasant face, I understood."

"Thea, you havent changed."

With these these words, his hand approached her slightly reddened cheeks.

His fingertips were trembling.

It was as if he was touching a sand goddess statue that was about to crumble.

No matter how many times he checked, he could not believe it.

But there she is.

Thea, who was supposed to be dead, is right in front of him.

"And your warmth hasn't changed, has it?"

Thea laid her palm on the large hand that touched her cheek.

Her eyes narrowed, as if she, too, could see that Gadio was right in front of her.

The two silently feel each other's presence.

The atmosphere created a world of their own, inaccessible to others.

Celena watched them from a distance with a complicated expression on her face.

This lasted for a while and then, reluctantly, Thea slowly pulled her hand away.

"I have a lot to tell you, so let's go inside."

She turned around and asked Celena a question.

"How's my room?"

"Well, umm, its exactly how it was, with some cleaning up."

"I see. Thanks, Celena. Well, why don't we talk in my room?"

Gadio walked into the house by Thea's hand.

The only thing Celena could do was to send them off.

Her head's understanding has not caught up with reality.

She doesn't even know about the church experiment, and she can't even guess why.

So, alone and left behind, she just had to stand there.

◇◇◇

In a certain region, there was a cluster of trees that bore very beautiful fruit.

However, the fruit are poisonous, and if you eat them, your body will be poisoned little by little.

Everyone living in the area knew this, and naturally, they did not let anybody eat them without being warned by first.

However, one man living in the area ate a berry the size of his fingertip out of curiosity.

He became obsessed and continued to eat it every day until he vomited up blood and died.

Why was he unable to refrain from consuming them, even though the people around him stopped him along the way?

Simple.

Because the berries had a very luscious taste.

Because he was captivated by them.

That's the only reason.

For that reason alone, the man willingly continued to take the poison into his body and died.

Gadio remembered the story that Lowe had told him.

At the time, he had laughed it off, saying that the man was a fool.

"Muu~ he was a wild man after all, Gadio-kun"

◇◇◇

Thea's room in the mansion.

She was sitting on his lap on the sofa, touching his face.

He had always used this position when he was pampering her.

However, it wasn't long before she died, about a year ago, that they had become so close.

"Though I like the thin and fresh Gadio-kun of the past, the Gadio-kun of today is just as nice as the Gadio-kun of today. He has become a man who is worthy of protecting and has become an adult. That's my husband!"

"...... Is that so?"

"Yeah, exactly. The most important thing to remember is that you can't be too modest about it."

She said this and leaned against his thick breastplate.

Gadio naturally put his arm around her back.

It was a kind of habit.

He was always putting his arms around her back and holding her close.

"For me, it's only been a month, but it's already been six years."

"The house hasn't changed, has it?"

"The rooms and the like were surprisingly unchanged, however, the royal capital's streets and the people who lived there have all been changed. Celena and also Hallom ....... was it? I never thought that Souma's child would grow up to be that big."

Thea said sadly.

The six years of blank space can no longer be filled in any way.

Seeing her like this, Gadio gradually lowered his guard.

She has feelings, she has warmth.

If this is not Thea, then what is there to believe?

The only thing that worried me was that I couldn't feel her heartbeat.

"And I've been ...... changed, too, haven't I?"

"You said I came back to life. What happened?"

Gadio really did not want to hear it.

If it was just a dream, it would be fine if it ended happily ever after, Gadio began to really think so as he held her in his arms.

However, in reality, that was not the case.

The fact that something impossible was happening, and that it was the handiwork of the church, is undeniable.

There was no way to avoid questioning her, and may even have to kill her with his own hands.

"I don't really understand it either, but I heard that an Origin core was implanted in my dead body."

-- Origin core.

That name had come up, though he had expected it.

Gadio clenched his fists and said in a hushed voice.

"I knew it was so......."

"By the way you talk, Gadio-kun, you do know about origin cores, so I'll skip the explanation. Anyway, I was able to control and weaken that mysterious power and adjust my body so that I didn't turn into a monster, so I finally got permission to go out."

The fact that this was said from Thea's own mouth was quite surprising to Gadio.

If it was a trap set by the church, they would have concealed something inconvenient.

No, on the contrary, is she trying to catch him off guard by openly revealing false information?

Not being able to read her intentions - Gadio's brow wrinkles.

Thea stared at it, then reached out her index finger, touched it, and fiddled with the wrinkle.

"I wish you could smile more now that we've met again"

"Not so fast, the Origin Core is a dangerous thing. The monster that destroyed our team was also a monster enhanced by the core."

"The doctor told me that too. He said that at that time the control was still too weak. I don't agree with him, but now that I'm back, I can't say anything about it."

"Who's the doctor?"

"The man in charge of the Necromancy team. His name is Dafiz Sharmath, I think. He is a tall, skinny man with glasses and always wears a white coat."

Ask one and you will get ten back.

Why didn't she hide it? At this rate, she could have told me where the institute was if I had asked her.

"Your face shows confusion. The doctor said I don't have to hide anything from you.

"I don't understand. What the hell are these ...... church people doing bringing you back from the dead and taking the trouble to see me for what purpose?"

Gadio was distraught.

Even in the face of him, Thea looked calm, smiling broadly as she spun her words.

"I don't know about the other research teams, but at least the purpose of Necromancy is to bring the dead back to life, that's all. If someone is grieving over the death of a loved one, I want to save that person. Really, I think that's all there is to it."

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Thea didn't seem to be lying.

At least, it seemed that way to Gadio, who knew her before she died.

The Origin Core certainly has the power to perform miracles that mankind has given up on until now, if only it could be controlled.

If the result of that is Thea, who is now in front of him--

"............ No, I still can't believe it."

Gadio said and shook his head.

Seeing him like that, Thea looked sad, but quickly returned to smiling.

"The doctor also said it would be difficult to get you to accept it right away. It's true, not only for you, Gadio-kun, but for Celena as well. It's not good to come back after being dead for six years, is it?"

"Sorry ...... I'd be happy too if I could."

But that was not possible.

It's not possible when the church is clearly involved.

"Don't apologize to me. But you'll see me again, right?"

"Again?　Are you going away?"

"My body still needs some fine-tuning. If I'm not careful, the origin might take over my body. So I have to go back to the institute in a couple of hours."

"I see ......"

It's too bad, Gadio thought.

No matter how hard he tried to convince himself that it was a trap set by the church, the woman in front of him was indeed his dead wife, Thea.

He could not hold back his delight.

"I love you because you look so sad here. I hear that one of these days, when I'm done adjusting, I'll be able to live with you properly, so please be patient until then."

If the time would really come - how happy he would be.

"Until that time comes, can we just stick together like this?"

"I won't refuse you that much."

"Fufu, Gadio-kun, you're as sweet as ever."

A peaceful, dreamlike time passed.

The anxiety swirling in Gadio's chest had not yet disappeared.

However, it was certainly fading away each time he felt her warmth.

It was dangerous.

However, everything he gained in return for the risk was too great.

The more immersed he got, the harder it became for Gadio to get out of the luscious swamp.

Yet, there was an atmosphere of steady progress in that direction, and not only Hallom, but even Celena was beginning to have expectations, or rather, a sense of certainty.

Even if it was not possible right away, she was sure that she would be able to marry Gadio in a year ...... or even two years.

"I'm not going to be able to do that now that the real wife has come back."

"Real?　Were you a fake, Mom?"

"......!"

Hallom's words, which were not malicious, pierced Celena.

That was a poor choice of words, it can't be expressed in terms of real or fake.

Even Celena's thoughts should have been true.

But this was the second time, the 2nd time.

It was just a compromise between two people who healed each other's wounds.

"If she's there, won't she become my mother?　If so, I don't want her!"

"Hey, Hallom, don't say that."

"You know, she scares me!　I'm sure you're much nicer than she is!"

"Ah, I can't get mad at you if you say that!"

Celena said as she squatted down and patted Hallom's head.

"Thea is a good girl, I'm sure she would be happy to talk to you."

"I don't think she will."

"Don't assume before you do it, that people are ......"

"It's different Mom, it's not that I'm afraid of her because I hate her."

Hallom looked more frightened than disgusted.

Celena, sensing something disturbing, listened to her words without dismissing them.

"She looks empty."

Celena tilted her head at the abstract word.

"Empty?"

"She's smiling but not smiling, She looks happy but not happy at all."

"Huh?　I'm sorry Hallom, could you please tell me so your mom can understand?"

"I can't ...... tell you, I don't know. But that's how I feel." 2

A child's feeling is something that adults cannot understand.

It could simply be that she is not compatible with Thea - but if you actually talk to her, you'll miss her properly.

Because no matter where she went, it was always Thea who was missed by children, and Celena, who used to be much gruffer than she is now, was the one who frightened children.

She didn't think much of Hallom's words, but patted her head again.

"For now, do you want to eat the cake Gadio bought for us?"

She smiled at her.

She was still looking anxious, but she couldn't resist her appetite, and she shook her head.

◇◇◇

Two hours later, a carriage arrived in front of Gadio's mansion.

Thea said goodbye to Gadio and Celena, told them, "I'll be back soon", and returned to the institute.

After seeing the carriage off until it is out of sight, the two walk toward the entrance.

There was no conversation of any kind between them.

The night goes on, leaving an awkward feeling in the air.

◇◇◇

Flamm returned home from the guild and sat around the dinner table with Mirkit and Eterna.

"Is there something you, perhaps, don't like in there?"

Milkit asked fearfully.

She took a pinch of the food and popped it into her mouth as if to make up for it.

"No, not particularly"

She answered vaguely.

Eterna was like this throughout the dinner, even after the meal was over.

While Flamm and Mirkit were cleaning up, Eterna looked blankly up into the air and thought about something, then stood up and went upstairs.

The two remaining in the living room looked at each other and tilted their heads at the same time.

This mystery was solved while Eterna was taking a bath.

Flamm had just gone upstairs and was about to enter her room.

Perhaps noticing her footsteps, Ink spoke to him from inside the room.

"Hey, Flamm, who was that person?"

"That person?"

"Around mid-afternoon, I think, someone who sounded like a grandpa and a grandma should have been here. ...... Oh, by the way, Milkit was taking a nap after finishing her chores."

No wonder she didn't say anything.

Surely she would have hung out the futon today, and the warmth of it would have put her to sleep.

When she imagined that scene, Flamm's cheeks relaxed.

However, it doesn't matter now.

But aside from that, she curious about the visitor.

"Hey, Ink, was that person Eterna-san who was answering the door?"

"That's supposed to be her. Oh, I wonder why she doesn't talk to Flamm."

"I guess she thought it was nothing serious and she didn't need to tell us."

"But they were talking for a long time."

The two of them knew to the fact that Eterna was acting strangely.

Flamm asked her straightforwardly as she came out of the bath.

But all he got in return were vague words that didn't make sense.

She also blatantly averted her eyes.

However, even if she found out that she was deceiving she, he would never know the truth unless she told him.

Flamm had no choice but to give up.

If she went to bed and woke up, she might be back to normal.

Perhaps it was this naive hope that made Flamm give up so easily.

However, the situation did not improve with the passage of time.

Speaking of changes, since that day, Eterna has been going out more and more often.

That is all.

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