Chapter 9: A Sweet Dream I Never Wanted to Wake Up From

This was a dream.

A memory from the past. One that the curse forced me to recall.

A sweet dream I never wanted to wake up from, despite knowing I could never return to that time.

.

.

.

.

.

It was back when less than a year had passed since I possessed this body.

A body that had just turned eight years old. Every time I looked at my thin short limbs and youthful face, I was reminded once again of how young I had become.

Back then, I would lie on a small hill in the middle of an unknown forest and stare blankly at the sunlight filtering through the leaves above.

“Ain~!”

“…….”

“Aaaiin~!!”

“Shut up, will you?”

If I spent enough time idly wasting the day away, my rest would inevitably be disturbed. Just like always.

“Hehe! Ain, what are you doing~?”

“Spacing out.”

“Is that fun?”

“…Not really.”

There weren’t many things I could do with such a young body.

Especially not when I was living in the middle of some unknown forest.

Though it was frustrating, I knew this was a kind of leisure only a child my age could afford. And so, at the time, I allowed myself to enjoy it.

It was nothing like the hospital room of my past life.

“If it’s not fun, come play with us! Ren and the others want to play with you too!”

“Too much hassle.”

Rather than finding it bothersome, it would be more accurate to say I was reluctant.

Back then, I had an aversion to playing with them.

It wasn’t even a matter of our age difference.

The real issue was Ron, the boy chattering away in front of me, and his sister Ren.

I really don’t want to get involved with them…

This new life I had been given was precious.

And those two playable characters whose very existence was tied to death would bring nothing but trouble to my peaceful life.

In the game, I had tried to save them over and over again out of a sense of kinship.

But now that this was reality, they were nothing more than strangers to me.

Besides, hadn’t I failed to save them even in the game?

I knew better than to risk my only life on something with such slim odds.

Reality wasn’t a game, and I was nothing like the protagonists of webtoons or web novels.

So, I chose to turn away. I made an effort not to grow attached and pushed them away whenever they approached with pure intentions.

…Seriously, what kind of bastard made me possess a body near these guys? I was clear that I wanted to avoid them as much as possible.

I resented the one who had put me in this situation, but at the same time, I lamented the inescapable reality before me.

“Ugh…”

“Aaaiin~~ Plaaay~~ with~~ me~~!”

Honestly, did Ron never get tired of this?

How had he managed to come find me every single day for over half a year without fail?

Unlike his more mature sister Ren, Ron was just as mischievous as he had been in the game.

If only he could direct all that energy somewhere else.

“Quit pulling on my arm.”

“Plaaaay with meee~~!!”

“How long are you planning to keep this up?”

“Until Ain plays with us!”

“…Haah.”

Maybe I should just play with them once and get it over with.

If that was the only way to get rid of this persistent little pest.

It didn’t matter how they felt about me. As long as I didn’t let myself grow attached, everything would be fine.

After a brief moment of hesitation, I finally spoke, albeit reluctantly.

“…Just this once.”

“…! W-Wait, really? You’re really gonna play with us?!”

“Yeah.”

“Yay~!!!”

For some reason, Ron was so excited by my response that he started bouncing around and running in circles in excitement.

And before long, he lost control of his momentum, tripped over his own feet, and fell flat on his face.

“Oww…!”

“Hey, be careful. You’re gonna hurt yourself like that.”

“…Hehe, you talk just like Ren! Ain, you really remind me of her!”

Me? Like her?

…Not even close.

“…You two are just like family.”

“Enough of that. Get up already. Weren’t we gonna play?”

“Ah, r-right!!”

I pretended not to hear his last words.

I didn’t want to grow any more attached.

.

.

.

.

.

“Hurry up, Ain! Everyone’s waiting~!”

With that, Ron took off ahead with his footsteps thudding noisily as he ran.

I followed at a leisurely pace, and before long, a familiar sight stretched out before me. Our refuge, our home.

A small village hidden deep in a dense forest. Its exact location was unknown.

A few houses clustered around a large cathedral at the center.

A place where a dozen or so of us orphans were taken in and lived together.

According to what Ron told me when I first arrived in this body, I was also found unconscious in the nearby forest and taken in by the director of this orphanage.

…What a messed-up coincidence. Or should I call it lucky?

If I hadn’t been the same age as these kids, that so-called director wouldn’t have hesitated to kill me.

I already knew from the game. This orphanage was an absolute hellhole.

The younger, more innocent kids didn’t notice. They were lulled by the gentle hands of the adults caring for them.

But I knew. I knew all too well that they had taken us in for a completely different reason.

Their kindness was nothing but a carefully crafted mask.

I had my doubts from the very beginning.

I took in the village from a distance.

There were no fields for farming, nor were there any animals being raised.

There wasn’t even a well, meaning there was no local source of drinking water.

It was a place completely incapable of self-sufficiency, yet no outsiders ever came or went.

And aside from mealtimes, the adults who lived here rarely showed themselves outside their homes.

But I knew.

I knew that once the children were sound asleep, the adults would secretly gather in the cathedral.

No matter how you looked at it, this village was shady as hell.

And this damned village would finally reveal its true colors on the day we turned ten.

“…….”

Every child would be sacrificed.

The only ones who would survive were Ron and Ren. It was an unchanging rule, an absolute law of the game.

They were the only ones I could save. Even that was a long shot.

…What a shitty world.

A bitter feeling crept in, but I forced myself to ignore it.

At this point, even my own life was on the chopping block, just like the children’s.

I had no room to worry about anyone else.

For all I knew, I might have to survive by using their sacrifices as a stepping stone.

“Ain! What took you so long? We’ve all been waiting!”

“Sorry.”

As I passed the village cathedral and headed toward the clearing behind it, Ron and the other children were already there waiting.

And she was there too.

“…Hi, Ain.”

“…Hey, Ren.”

“I didn’t think you’d come with Ron. You usually don’t like playing with us.”

“It’s not that I don’t like it. It’s just a hassle.”

“That’s the same thing.”

She, with hair as gray as Ron’s, turned her head away with a pout.

…Wait, was she sulking? Were we even that close?

“When we first met, you played with us all the time. Then, all of a sudden, you just stopped…”

“……..”

“Oh, come on, Ren~ We can just start having fun again from today! Right, Ain?”

…Wait, I said I’d do this only once.

– Whoa, Ain! Feels like we haven’t seen you in forever!

– You’re not mad at us or anything… right?

– Now that Ain’s here, what should we play today?

– Let’s play tag!

The reactions of the other children varied, but despite that, they all welcomed me warmly.

Even though it had been quite a while since I last played with them, the kids still treated me like I was one of their own.

…They’re way more social than I am.

Watching their pure, unguarded expressions, the discomfort I had felt earlier melted away like snow.

I let out a small chuckle and joined in their game.

…Though, to be honest, the game itself wasn’t fun at all.

***

And just like that, a year passed.

“Leader! There’s a really weird-looking tree over here!”

“…Be careful climbing it. You’ll get hurt if you fall.”

“Okay, leader!”

How did things even end up like this?

At first, I had only planned to play with them once and be done with it. But before I knew it, I had somehow become their leader.

I watched Ron and the other kids climb up the tree and let out a deep sigh as it finally hit me.

“…Ain, are you tired? Do you want a snack?”

“I’m fine, Ren. You eat it.”

Ren sat down on the pile of rocks beside me.

Among the kids, she was the second most mature after me, and more often than not, she would sit with me and watch the others play instead of joining in herself.

…Now that I thought about it, she didn’t seem like the type to find playing annoying. So why did she always just sit beside me?

“Ain, I feel a little dizzy. Can I lean on your shoulder?”

“……..”

…She didn’t look dizzy at all.

Even though she was more mature than the others, she was still just a kid.

Her intentions were so obvious that it actually made me uncomfortable.

Was I really the popular type?

“…Go ahead.”

“Thanks, Ain.”

Thump.

Along with the weight pressing down on my shoulder, her hair tickled my ear.

…This is seriously driving me crazy.

I had sworn to stay out of anything involving the siblings, so how did things end up like this?

If my past self could see me now, he’d probably slap me across the face.

“…Ain.”

Just as I was caught up in regret, Ren spoke to me.

“I memorized the sword movements you showed me last time.”

“…Already?”

“I’m not the only one. Ron has been working really hard on the magic you taught him, too.”

“That kid puts effort into everything.”

Thankfully, the siblings were showing results beyond what I had hoped for.

Even though, for now, I could only teach them theory.

Once they turned ten and their bodies were fully filled with mana, they would be able to use both aura and magic with ease and apply the theories they had learned today.

And with the talent they had, they’d go far beyond that.

“But Ain, I’ve been wondering… Where did you learn all this?”

“What do you mean?”

“The sword techniques and magic. What you taught us isn’t normal. The adults would have never told us anything this dangerous.”

It’s not because they’re worried about you. It’s because their goal is to keep you under control.

…Where did I learn it, huh?

The magic theory I had taught Ron.

The swordsmanship I had taught Ren.

Brushing it off as mere knowledge from a game would have been ridiculous. Anyone could see that.

So I decided to answer with the truth half-jokingly.

“I didn’t learn it from anyone. I’ve just always known.”

“How? You’re the same age as us. You’re nine.”

“Who knows? Maybe this is my second life or something.”

“…? I don’t get it.”

“You don’t need to right now.”

I ruffled her hair as she leaned against my shoulder and dodged the question.

As expected, she didn’t press further. Instead, she let go of whatever she was about to say and simply focused on the comforting touch.

Technically, it’s my third life.

But there was no need for them to know that.

Right now, all that mattered was learning how to survive.

I bit my lip, struggling to suppress the fear creeping up inside me.

…I’m such an idiot.

I had sworn not to get attached. And yet, before I even realized it, I had given them too much of myself.

Now that I had already come this far, I had no choice but to see it through.

To make sure the peaceful days these kids had now could continue into the future.

.

.

.

One more year.

The year the children would turn ten.

There were far too many things we needed to prepare if we all wanted to survive.