LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 8
Suddenly, what caught my eye was a strange ceiling.
I reflexively tried to check my surroundings, but soon realized that I couldn’t even move a finger.
As I regained consciousness, the excruciating pain began to feel as if it were digging into my nerves.
At least moving my eyes was no problem. When I saw the IV needle stuck in my arm and the long drip tube, I thought I might be in a hospital.
“What’s that noise… oh my!”
Perhaps sensing my presence, a nurse came in. Startled, she rushed out of the room, returning with someone else.
The person the nurse brought in was the doctor who had previously declared me a Complete Non-Responder.
“Oh my… no wonder your face looks familiar… it’s you…”
It was only after I received some painkillers from the doctor that I could somewhat gather my thoughts.
The doctor briefly organized the situation for me.
This was a hospital in the upper city of our Village, and I had awakened after a whole week.
The demon army that had attacked our Village was remnants of a group that had crossed the wall recently.
The main body had been crushed by the national army, but due to its massive size, some of the faction had escaped the encirclement.
Because of that, several outskirts villages, including ours, suffered the consequences.
However, what I was curious about wasn’t why the demons had attacked.
“Ah, well…”
I continued to urge the hesitant doctor. He was avoiding the topic with a look of reluctance.
And eventually, I learned the heartbreaking news that all the villagers had perished.
“…I’m sorry. That’s unfortunate.”
There was no need to ask further.
It was all too obvious that my mother, Jin Ho, and Ina were among them.
‘Son~ Are you coming home today? When did you grow up so much…’
‘…Where’s a mom who says that to her son?’
But the fact that this brief exchange was our last conversation… I couldn’t believe it.
Even more unfortunate, I couldn’t properly confirm their bodies.
It was said that the scene was so horrific that recovery efforts had been quite troublesome.
Even the remaining intact bodies had long been cremated due to the potential for ghouls to arise.
“Ah… ugh…”
“I heard a grave has been prepared next to your living area. Once you recover, you can visit…”
The doctor placed a comforting hand on my shoulder.
“Still, it’s a miracle that you have woken up…”
According to the doctor, my bones and organs were all in complete chaos.
I had sustained severe internal injuries from repeated strong impacts, and broken bones had pierced my organs, causing massive bleeding.
On top of that, I had been poisoned by the demons’ claws, so when I first arrived at the hospital, I was hardly recognizable as a living person.
I had regained consciousness, but to heal completely from the broken bones and the poison’s effects, I would need at least two months of hospitalization.
However, despite all this, reality was cold and cruel.
Now that I had suddenly become an orphan, I had no means to cover the hefty hospital bills.
“…I simply don’t have the means to pay that much for my treatment. I’m sorry, but…”
I honestly laid out my circumstances to the doctor.
But he merely shook his head.
He then said not to worry about the hospital bills and to focus on getting treatment before leaving the room.
For the time being, confined to a body that couldn’t even move a finger, I had to repeat the monotonous life of lying down for a while.
However, unlike my body, my fully functional mind became my poison.
I had to drown every day in sorrow from losing my beloved family and friends.
Yet, amidst all this, one question kept surfacing.
The presence of Yeon had completely faded away.
The nurses knew nothing at all, and the doctor repeatedly answered that I was officially the only survivor from that Village.
And now, after several weeks had passed since I was hospitalized.
Just as I began to feel accustomed to the abyss of sorrow, frustration, pain, and helplessness.
In the dead of night, Yeon suddenly visited my hospital room.
*
The softly glowing moonlight flooded the dawn hospital room.
I had just woken up suddenly due to the pain that still tormented me.
“…Hello.”
“Yeon…?”
With no context and no sound, Yeon was standing next to my hospital bed.
I shook my head several times in disbelief, but the scene before my eyes was undeniably real.
“…You look like you’re in a lot of pain.”
“…It’s not a big deal. What about you…?”
“…I look fine, don’t I?”
Yeon’s hair sparkled in the moonlight.
Her partially shadowed figure accentuated her innate beauty.
I felt relieved to see she appeared uninjured, and, as always, I put on a brave front to reassure her.
But soon, I realized something was off about Yeon’s condition compared to usual.
Her tone was emotionless, and her gaze was dark.
Her lips, which would normally chirp like a songbird to tease me, were firmly shut.
Her expression was calm, neither smiling nor crying, just silent.
The usual tender whispers of love from Yeon were nowhere to be found.
I had a mountain of questions I wanted to ask her.
What happened while I was unconscious?
How had she been doing all this time?
Why hadn’t she come to find me sooner…?
But Yeon’s cold demeanor froze all my words solid.
“…Yeon. Can you tell me what happened after I fainted…?”
I forced the words out, squeezing my throat.
“Immediately after you fainted, soldiers arrived. The demons were all wiped out, and you were brought straight to this hospital.”
Yeon replied in a flat voice.
“…I see. I’m sorry. You almost got hurt because of me…”
“Yeah. It was your fault. You went against my pleas and acted recklessly. If the soldiers had just been 30 seconds late, I would’ve been cold ash by now. What on earth were you thinking when you did such a reckless thing?”
“…”
Yeon’s harsh words stabbed my heart like needles.
I wasn’t even trying to make excuses.
But I certainly hadn’t asked for this level of condemnation either.
Yeon’s unfamiliar attitude reminded me once again of the past, which I could barely remember.
“More than that, I have something to tell you. I need to wrap this up quickly since I don’t have time.”
Yeon continued in a calm voice.
“I came today to tie up loose ends from the past.”
“The… past?”
“Yes. The past.”
At the moment I heard Yeon’s words, an inexplicable anxiety began to envelop me.
My heart thudded violently, and a cold shiver ran through my body like winter’s chill.
“I have awakened as a wizard. Originally, it was planned for next year, but it seems it was expedited due to various circumstances.”
“R… really? That’s great…”
“And I have been welcomed back into my family. Thanks to the head of the household’s proclamation, I’m no longer at risk of my life like before.”
“…”
“After I returned to the capital, I thought long and hard. And I realized this is my original life and the glory I should have rightfully enjoyed. Those past days in the outskirts were just a nightmare.”
“A nightmare…?”
“Yes, a nightmare. Such unpleasant and disgusting memories that I’d want to erase from my life. It’s revolting to think I lived alongside them for years.”
“What are you… saying…?”
“So, I decided to erase that nightmare. You know, for a family like mine, that’s nothing at all.”
“…”
“I was never in that Village to begin with. I’m the beloved daughter cherished by the head of the household, and because of that, I’ve never stepped outside the capital.”
“What… do you mean…?”
“Everyone who knows my past is dead, and even if you shout, no one would believe you. Of course, who would believe the bragging of a country bumpkin like you?”
Yeon’s continued words kept clouding my mind.
I wanted to plug my ears so I wouldn’t have to hear any more of it.
I finally understood the meaning behind what the doctor had said: ‘You’re officially the only survivor.’
“When everyone sees me, they show utmost respect. But you, on the other hand, have to bow your head to them. Understand? That’s our difference. It was a ridiculous relationship from the start.”
“Yeon… why are you saying this…?”
“…”
Despite my tear-soaked pleas, her gaze remained cold and dry.
“So, what were we…?”
“Obviously, we were nothing, and we will continue to be nothing in the future.”
My burst of protest could no longer be contained, but Yeon affirmed her words in such a trivial and simple manner.
Her voice remained calm as the bottom of a lake.
“Yeon… this is strange… Did something happen? Maybe you were threatened by your father…”
“Ha…”
Even the question I barely managed to squeeze out was utterly swept away by her sigh, as if I were an annoyance.
“An event? Something did happen: everything returned to the way it was originally.”
“…”
“I’ll admit, there was a time when I was young and naive. I had to please others to survive. But not anymore. I’ve realized the reality.”
“Yeon…”
“I like strong men I can rely on. But you are not one. You almost dragged me into the pit of death instead of protecting me.”
“…What are you talking about…?”
“Don’t you still understand? You are neither strong nor reliable. Your face was tolerable, but that’s now rendered useless. You have no right to be by my side.”
“…”
In the storm of Yeon’s condemnation, I could only bow my head in silence.
“I’m sorry for saying this at a bad time. But it couldn’t be helped. I hoped you would wake up to reality, just like I have.”
“…”
“I have to go. I have a busy life now. Goodbye…”
After finishing her words, Yeon turned and walked to the door.
In that clean-cut sequence of events, there was no trace of lingering attachment.
“…Then let me ask you just one last, final thing…”
“…What is it?”
I strained my voice to cling to Yeon.
As she turned her head, a hint of annoyance crossed her face.
“The events from the Village… our past memories… did they truly have no value to you…? Really…”
“That goes without saying. They’re just waste occupying space.”
“…”
“Then.”
She answered as if it were worth nothing, and then promptly left the hospital room.
In the quiet room, only the faint scent of forget-me-nots lingered.
And I had to admit.
My childhood had ended in this worst possible way.