I also excused myself.
My excuse was a little different.
It was more along the lines of, ’I’m worried about her going by herself. I’ll check up on her.’
The children protested, and the old man gave a weird look. I ignored everyone and excused myself. In the end, I didn’t really need permission to do anything. Thankfully, nobody stopped .
Spotting Evelyn was also not hard.
All I needed to do was use [Mana Sense], and I was able to find her location rather quickly.
But when I had drawn near her, the words that I heard coming from her mouth made pause.
"...I-I... was useful."
"I... think I’m the only one who is capable of resolving this entire situation. This... is the very first ti for ."
"I’m usually a-lways the one who gets in trouble. I’ve... tried to keep pace... with the two of you, but even that is difficult. It feels as if... the two of you are growing further and further from . I see the two of you constantly resolving situations yourself while I... watch you do it."
"That’s w-hy it felt weird to see people thanking for... sothing. This is the first ti that it’s... happened to , and I... can’t disappoint them."
"Even if... it hurts ."
That was also the mont when Evelyn exposed her arm, and I saw it.
"H-hoo."
’So I really wasn’t imagining things.’
Evelyn...
She was truly hiding sothing.
But I hadn’t expected this to be what she was hiding as I looked at her, a mix of emotions tangled inside , leaving unsure of what to feel.
Judging from how she spoke, the ’cure’ wasn’t as effective as she made it out to be.
While she was indeed removing so of the frost from the old man and the others, it was also true that she was absorbing the frost. Rather than healing the ’curse,’ she was just redirecting it toward herself.
’But why would she do this...? Why is she insisting on doing this?’
Even after I heard her words, I couldn’t make sense of it.
And as such—
Crunch!
I decided to confront her about it.
"You need to stop."
The wind rustled even more fiercely as I stood face-to-face with Evelyn, her shock starting to subside.
"...If you continue healing them, it won’t be long until you turn into a statue."
The surroundings turned quiet following my words.
Evelyn remained silent, letting the wind sweep her hair across her pale face.
She just stared at .
Feeling her gaze, I frowned.
"It’s best if you stop what you’re doing."
"And then what...?"
Evelyn finally spoke, her voice slightly hoarse.
I tried to reply, but Evelyn cut off before I could even formulate a word.
"Stop and let everyone die?"
"....."
"Is that what you really want? You want to stop and just let the two children, the old man, and everyone else just die?"
"They won’t die."
"But it’s the sa as dying."
"No, it’s not."
"Is it not?"
Evelyn suddenly smirked, turning her attention towards Leon and the others.
"Can’t eat. Can’t sleep. Can’t dreep. Can’t do anything. You’re practically dead. The reason the five of them are even ’surviving’ is because they aren’t normal people, but are you seriously going to tell that the sa is going to happen with the children? Just so you’re aware, Penelope and Ilyen both look up to you a lot. You really okay with just letting them die?"
"....."
The wind blew even more fiercely.
My skin prickled as a result.
"Why are you silent? Are you seriously going to let them die...?"
"...I’ll figure sothing out."
"Ha."
Evelyn suddenly laughed.
"Of course. Right...? Why didn’t I think of this? You’ll figure this out..."
Evelyn threw her hands in the air. Almost as if she was celebrating.
"You always figure things out in the end, right? I an, you practically do everything yourself. You don’t even need or anyone else. Instead of helping , you want to downright stop . For what reason? Because you think there’s a better way? Ha..." Evelyn shook her head, the sarcastic smile lingering across her face, "In the end, things will just turn out well for you because of your past. Because you are a... god!"
Evelyn stopped, her lips trembling slightly as the cold started to get to her.
In that mont, I saw it.
The faint flicker of darkness within her gaze as she looked at .
But I couldn’t pay much attention to such detail as Evelyn continued to speak, "Since you can figure this out, then that’s great. I know that things will always turn out great for you in the end. Wasn’t it the sa for the Rite? I’m sure it was an oh so great decision for you to do it by yourself."
It was hard to ignore the sarcasm in her words.
But I still listened.
"....Or what about when you died? Or all the other tis that you’ve disappeared? How many tis did you die exactly? What about the ti when you let that bastard take over? Ah... ugh."
Evelyn shuddered all of a sudden.
"Right, there’s that bastard too..."
By ’that bastard’, she was talking about Julien.
"Now that I think about it, I’m finally starting to get why there were tis that bastard changed. It was you, wasn’t it? You sohow managed to go back in ti to do the shit that you did?"
As if suddenly understanding sothing, Evelyn covered her mouth and laughed.
It was more of a sarcastic laugh than a true laugh.
"Of course. Yeah, that makes so much sense..."
She smacked her head.
"I’ve been so naive."
But eventually, her smile faded as she t my gaze. Without hesitation, she lifted her arm and revealed it to . The ice that was creeping over most of her hand. It was thick, and I could see it move.
"As you can see, there’s no point in trying to stop . The ice has already taken root inside my body. And I’m sure you’re going to say that if I stopped, I could slow it down so you—" she paused, stressing the ’you’ before continuing, "—could figure things out and save the day."
She shook her head.
"No, fuck that."
Evelyn’s face scrunched up.
"This is the first ti in a long while that soone’s relied on . Made feel like what I’m doing actually matters. Even if it kills , even if it ends up being for nothing, I’ll still do it, whether you like it or not. So be my guest..."
Brushing her hair behind her ear, Evelyn began to walk, the snow crunching softly beneath her feet.
"...Stop , you hypocrite."
Crunch! Crunch!
Evelyn brushed past , her clothes and hair fluttering in the cold wind.
The fog thickened around us, and when I turned toward her, all I could see was her purple hair drifting in the wind. In that mont, I rembered the look on her face, that resolute expression, and whatever words I’d been about to say died on my tongue.
’Who am I to say anything...?’
I thought back to everything that she’d said, and found myself unable to retort at all. Of course, certain circumstances were inevitable.
I didn’t ’die’ because I wanted to.
The circumstances made it so that I died.
But at the end of the day, her words... There was certainly so truth to them.
She wasn’t wrong about so of what she said. It was true. I often relied only on myself. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to trust the others, but the circumstances had never allowed to.
In this circumstance, especially.
What was I supposed to do when everyone was frozen?
I couldn’t just ask them to help .
’No, that’s not the case. And like, Evelyn... she...’
I paused, closing my eyes as the cold wind swept across my skin, leaving a sharp, prickling chill in its wake.
When I opened my eyes again, I felt a complicated emotion.
A certain truth dawned on .
’It’s not that the circumstances don’t allow to ask them for help, but rather... I’m subconsciously looking down on them.’
I wanted to reject this notion with all my heart.
Looking down on them?
That’s...
But sotis, the truth hurts.
The more I wanted to deny the notion, the more certain I beca that it was correct.
’I look down on them.’
Through everything that had happened, they’d rarely been of real help. I was always the one doing everything. Over ti, I’d begun to form a subconscious belief that all I ever needed was myself, and everyone else was just... there. Helpers at best, temporary aids along the way.
It was this subconscious thought that pushed to make decisions that, looking back, were most likely not the best.
Like in the Rite...
At first, the plan was for them to join in the Rite. But over ti, that changed. Sowhere along the way, I subconsciously decided they wouldn’t be of much help, and so, I ca up with a far more extre plan on my own.
I planned on replicating what had happened to Owl-Mighty with Pebble.
I planned on pushing the dragon to a point where it would evolve.
And it worked.
I was right.
But at the sa ti, what if it didn’t work?
What would’ve happened then?
"Haa."
Exhaling, I started to feel bitter.
"I guess I can be the problem at tis."
I wasn’t perfect. I was aware of this.
I am paradoxical.
I like to ask for help, but never want to receive it.
I don’t truly like myself, but I love the person that I’ve beco.
I...
"I guess I’m a hypocrite."
I smiled, looking towards the fog around .
Crunch!
And with that thought, I headed back to where the others were.
But the mont I arrived, my expression froze.
"W-what’s going on!? What’s happening!!"
"Reginald! Reginald!"
Chaos erupted around as voices overlapped in panic. Evelyn’s face went pale, her eyes wide and trembling as she stared ahead, hands shaking uncontrollably.
"T-that... T-that.."
And then, I saw it.
The statue in the middle of the room.
Reginald...
He had turned into a statue.
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