The Strange Adventures of Hearn the Believer

Page 96

Of course, she also inquired about his relationship with the girl beside him.

He gazed into her pale blue eyes, feeling her eager yet gossipy gaze. After a moment's thought, he buried the longing born of pain that he had suppressed for many years deep in a less noticeable corner, instead pushing his overt emotions into the sunlight.

"family."

In the end, he used a word that was neither strong nor romantic, but incredibly firm, to gently lift the last veil of mystery between him and his girl.

For seven years, the two were inseparable, weathering storms together. The girl was always awake, but Shi Hai's powers were not yet mature, so she could not become one with her soul for a long time.

In the seventeenth year of facing the storm, the two went through life and death together, vowing never to betray each other, and finally joined hands to eradicate the ancient evils on that land, leaving them in this desperate situation of waiting to die in prison.

Both of them, in terms of emotion, reason, life, and death, had regarded each other as an inseparable part of their lives. Moreover, they had made a promise that was half-joking and half-vow: "If I survive, please take care of me for the rest of my life."

He was thick-skinned in front of outsiders and enemies, but thin-skinned in front of family and lovers. This seemingly joking vow was the greatest effort he could make at that time to express his feelings.

Even so, why did he feel a sea breeze when he uttered the word "family"?

As if by magic, the obscure and confused feelings that had lingered in his heart for many years gently dissipated with that gust of wind...

……

Soon, he lost to human nature for the third time.

This betrayal came from someone he never expected—the crybaby who gained immortality through him, was freed from the tragic fate of the priestesses of the past, and was reborn.

He couldn't understand why the child would treat him this way, why she would betray him like this, why he had given her so much kindness, only to be repaid with ingratitude...

Just as he never truly understood human nature.

But it doesn't matter.

Just like all the suffering he has endured in the past twelve years, just like the countless choices he has made in the past twelve years.

Because of his "heart-painting" ability, he failed to become a truly heartless demon, and he was also not strong enough.

But thanks to the [Painting Heart], he could always understand the meaning behind everything that made him unhappy, just like the original owner of his heart who was right in front of him.

Face suffering, understand suffering, accept suffering, and then...

...Using reason to suppress emotion, making choices in front of others, and leaving the bitter consequences for others to bear later.

Just like the countless choices he has made over the past twelve years, countless times he has chosen to "let go"...

At that moment, he put down the most precious thing he had cherished in the first eighteen years of his life, simply because he dared not gamble his and her future with a moment of luck.

At that moment, his pain, weighed so heavily on the weight of letting go, rose to an unprecedented extreme.

At that moment, the two emotions born of his pain could no longer be concealed. They broke free from their cocoons and emerged in his heart in their most authentic form, leaving him with no way to avoid them or escape them.

At that moment, he entrusted the girl he had sworn to spend his life with to another woman he had secretly loved for twelve years, asking her to take her home...

……

Since the clown has made a comeback and refuses to be "dignified," then he will go back and help him be "dignified"!

After that, the actor, who was obsessed with his craft, returned alone to that cursed land with his fox...

Slay demons and vanquish ghosts!

Later, that land was covered in wildflowers...

Soon, that land was once again covered in fallen flowers...

Just like that actor's old joke...

Flowers blooming don't kill people, but when they wither, many die.

……

Chapter 149 Flowers Bloom Along the Road

"The story of 【Demon Painting Heart】 comes to an end here."

The believer glanced up at the pale moon and calmly pressed the last note, marking the end of a past that was both long and short for him.

"...What happened next?"

"Although there were some confused things later, I judged them to be harmless, so I didn't mention them. Besides, they were no longer anything demonic, and the answer you were looking for was naturally not in them."

"I see."

The believer calmly turned around and saw that the person she was with was doing something similar.

Afterwards, the two sat facing each other amidst the sea of ​​flowers.

Looking at the figure that had slipped through her fingers twice before and was now so close again, Xin Nu recalled her unrestrained speech and loss of composure in front of the "matchmaker" senior a moment earlier, and couldn't help but chuckle.

"What are you laughing at all of a sudden?"

"No, I was just thinking about how to overcome my weakness of being shy in front of my family and lover."

"You are not allowed to overcome this. If you can't even overcome this, then who will trust you from now on?"

Aoko pinched his face again.

"Okay, I'll do as you say."

"Besides, you don't need to act anymore. You should have left the play and returned to real life long ago."

“I’ve thought about this for a long time—six months ago I held a retirement ceremony in Gomorrah called ‘Funeral’… As you can see, now I’m just wholeheartedly facing life.”

"That's good."

"So, Aoko, have you found the answer you're looking for?"

"..."

"It's okay, there's plenty of time. I can sit here and keep waiting."

Seeing Aoko's silence, Shinju understood and immediately indicated that it was alright.

He has been very patient since he was a child.

"Don't use your power on this kind of thing... I'm just trying to process this surprising yet heavy answer. Just give me a few more minutes to adjust my emotions. Honestly, I told you not to underestimate me..."

"But it is precisely because I understand your weakness that I have fallen hopelessly in love with you."

"I've fully grasped that... Anyway, shut up, the amount of adjustment needed has increased again!"

"Okay, let's calm down... Hmm, speaking of which, there is indeed such a story from the past."

Upon hearing this, the believer pondered for a moment, then her eyes lit up, and she lightly touched the night sky with one hand.

Following his gesture, Aoko subconsciously turned her head and looked up at the night sky.

Above the starry sky, the melodious sound of a ship's horn drifted over.

Above the stardust and beneath the pale moon, two rifts opened up, facing each other.

Like a silver star, the interstellar train sped out from one rift along the pale silver star track, trailing a melodious whistle, heading towards the other side of the moon, and finally disappearing into the other rift, repeating the cycle endlessly.

Amidst the melodious sound of the steam whistle, Qingzi's restless mind gradually calmed down.

"Believer, this is..."

"This is a skill I learned from the Demon King when I was nine years old. She only taught me how to use it to kill, but I have never used it to kill anyone. When I first learned it, I was just thinking that if we met again in the future and you happened to be in a bad mood, this move could come in handy. I never thought that I would use it at this time... Didn't I say that I remember everything you said?"

The believer withdrew her hand, lowered her head slightly, letting her bangs cover her eyes, but two faint blushes appeared on her cheeks, indicating that she was also uneasy.

He once appeared as a heartless, ruthless, bloodless, and tearless monster, letting out a long howl and laughing at all the hardships and suffering in the world.

But who would have thought, who would have dared to imagine—as time goes by, when the peerless actor takes off the costumes he has worn for so many years, washes away the glamour, and returns to his true self, what remains is still a shy young man.

The young girl among the flowers, gazing at this scene, felt the last trace of hesitation in her heart vanish.

She leaned closer, gently lifted their bangs, and then lightly pressed their foreheads together.

"Qingzi?"

“My believer, since you remember everything I said back then, then I will ask you one more question. If you answer it correctly, I can say goodbye to this job and be a hands-off manager.”

"What? So you still want to be a hands-off boss after all this time?"

"Because I was forced to take on a bunch of responsibilities, anyway, shut up and listen to the question."

"OK, I understand."

"After catching you, in order to make you fully realize the difference between us and give up running away, what did I do, and how did I introduce myself?"

"Hmm... In order to make me completely give up the idea of ​​running away, you threw a very scary radial magic bullet into the sea, then casually flicked your hand, approached me, and even tossed your hair with your left hand, and then said... Let's get straight to the point, I am actually a magician."

"...Let's get straight to the point, I'm actually a magician."

How should I put it? They're like those people in fairy tales who can conjure miracles with a flick of their finger, living in seclusion in remote forests.

Although the impression is slightly different, it is surprisingly apt, so I used this expression.

However, I must make it clear that I cannot fly in the sky on a broomstick.

I can't turn into an animal, and I can't talk to birds.

Seemingly full of dreams, yet quite practical, this is the modern magician.

Although it deviates from common sense, it is still realistic.

It seems to be all-powerful, but it is actually quite limited.

Although it's something that's neither particularly good nor bad in every aspect, and there's nothing to be proud of, my real profession isn't being a student, but rather this kind of profession that's full of romance.

However, this matter was, of course, a secret.

"As a magician, one should conceal one's brilliance."

That's what the first of the association's ten articles says, and I would never tell anyone about such a ridiculous thing.

To outsiders, I still pretend to be a good student.

Ultimately, I'm not happy that others would find out about this.

On the contrary, it will keep giving me headaches.

Therefore, I try my best to control myself from such boring things.

However, that's because I'm not a good magician yet.

In my opinion, once I am truly mature and capable of standing on my own, I would be incredibly happy to be able to confide this lifelong secret to just one person.

Well, the most solemn confession is indeed, "Actually, I'm a magician," which is sure to be very interesting.

I feel inexplicably happy when I imagine this scene.

Therefore, although I don't place much importance on the association's rules, I'd rather keep this secret for my later years..."

"..."

The soft whispers so close, the familiar confessions of love, left him speechless for a moment.

This is exactly what he wanted before...

"...Was it because I suppressed myself too much for those two years, and finally got to go on a long trip? Was it because I was too complacent and careless after defeating my sister? Or was it because I successfully used magic and felt I could stand on my own, so... Of course, absolutely, absolutely because of you! I even suspected you might have some kind of bewitching magic eye, but I checked carefully afterward, and you didn't... Anyway, you disrupted my rhythm, just like when I woke up from a dream, I acted on a whim and became unlike myself... By the time I came to my senses, I had already said it... Things that should have been said in my later years as a human... I just casually told you, you biting hedgehog..."

Aoko's voice grew softer and softer, until it was barely audible as she spoke near the end.

The believer stared blankly at the face so close to hers. Her forehead was completely flushed, yet she stubbornly pressed it against his. Tears welled in the corners of her eyes, yet she stubbornly refused to look at him.

That was also a do-or-die mentality, allowing neither side to back down, just like how he held her hand tightly at the beginning.

That was the final showdown between the two self-centered individuals.

It turned out to be the case.

It turns out that the reason she panicked so much when he initially abandoned the story of "The Demon Paints a Heart" and instead confessed his feelings was because he had stolen her words first...

It turns out that she had been keeping a secret for some romantic moment in the future, and that secret had already been inadvertently revealed to him.

It turns out that "I am actually a magician" is the only romantic feeling she has for magic when she is an ordinary girl who was drawn into a mysterious world halfway through her life, a girl who sees magic as suffering and thorns, and who walks alone through the thorns.

It is full of secrecy, yet it is willing to be kept for only one person.

That's exactly the girlish heart a high school girl should have, and that's exactly the kind of romance a high school girl should have.

It turns out that he had witnessed the softest spot in her heart from the very beginning, and he had witnessed her feelings that were both realistic and awkward, yet very romantic.

It was somewhat unexpected, yet also quite reasonable.

The demon that painted the heart and the original owner of the heart, even their heartfelt confessions were exactly the same...

"...Don't just stand there like an idiot, say something, you moron..."