A Chronicle of Life in a Different World

--It was a nostalgic dream.

A warm dream that you immediately realize and sincerely hope you won't wake up.

Memories from a younger age, when Eliza could never return, no matter how desperate she was.

There's a grandmother, and there's a mother and a father. There were peaceful and satisfying days in the mountains away from the people.

How many years have passed since the family fled Kermed, the home of Harrist?

The scenery that Eliza saw in her dreams was colored with nostalgia that was still fading.

A wooden house built in a mountain that lives out of sight. The house, which was built from the trees of the mountains, was modest, but for “then" Eliza, it was a more memorable building than the one that existed in Kermed.

Around the house, fields created by exploring areas with few grass and trees are spreading, and vegetables for four families to live in are fruitful. Regarding vegetable seedlings and seeds, I got them from a neighboring village in exchange for the monster material my grandmother and father had taken, but in the early days it was a series of trials and mistakes.

A short walk from the house, the stream flowed and served as a daily water supply. Occasionally I took a shower and went around, but now it seems like a far away event.

For Eliza at that time, the mountain was everything in the world. Compared to Kermed, who was known to be a bloodsucking species and escaped, he was poor and had no one but his family.

But for Eliza, it was everything in the world.

"Look, it's Eliza. I'm not teaching you Comona today."

Of that narrow world, Eliza was the most nostalgic person - her grandmother Catherine.

"Comona? What are you talking about?

"That's the word we use. I'm going to teach you how to read and write."

"Er... I'd rather play outside!

Similar to Eliza - a soft smile on her peachy blonde hair, to be exact. Katrine's expression as she looked at Eliza was soft and she smiled as she swollen her cheeks and rebelled.

"It's time to play outside again. I'll teach you how to read and write, calculate, and manners... and then I'll teach you what I know."

"Hmm... I hate studying."

How old were you when you actually heard Catherine say that in your dreams? I feel ashamed of myself as Eliza when it comes to "now" when I swell my cheeks against Catherine.

"Hahaha... it's because of the peace of mind. You don't like me, do you? But it's no harm remembering it... no, I don't think we should remember it from now on."

"I hate you... remember?

"Hmm...."

In response to Eliza's question as a child, Katrine nodded somehow with a sad look. Upon seeing that expression, Eliza squeezed her swollen cheeks and nodded reluctantly.

"If that's what my aunt says... I understand."

"Mmm, Eliza's not a good kid... she's really not a good kid."

When I saw Katrine's expression at that time, how did I feel when I was young? I don't remember Eliza either. However, it seemed to convince me that if my favorite grandmother said so.

What Catherine taught me is vast.

Calculated from reading and writing Comona.

I don't know how Catherine found out, but it's polite.

The continent of Caldeva, where they live, and the main nation that exists there.

Knowledge of monsters, magic, and magic tools.

In addition, there are religions such as Spiritualism and Gregorianism, and "Which religion is rooted in which country?"

And about the bloodsucking species.

"That cum, cum cum cum cum? I mean... uh, I mean..."

"Hmm... Eliza is not a bloodsucker."

It was the reason for Kermed's escape from town, but it didn't make any more sense to Eliza back then.

It was also a cause of trouble for grandmother and parents, but as a young Eliza, she couldn't understand being bullied by something she didn't know.

"What about Auntie? What about Kaa-sama and Toma-sama?

"We're not humans..."

"... why am I the only one different?

At this time, Eliza wondered why she was the only one. And when I was young, such questions quickly came out of my mouth.

"Eh...."

Catherine changed her expression slightly in response to Eliza's question. Lips are pulled together and eyebrows are raised as if they were in pain.

It was Eliza who was puzzled by such a change in Katrine's expression, but Katrine hugged Eliza gently.

"I'll tell you that... when Eliza grows up... so why don't you grow up healthy? Eat well, sleep well, exercise well... grow big and strong."

"... yeah"

The “now” promise was not fulfilled.

For Eliza at that time, it was important that Katrine's arm, which she embraced, trembled slightly. I understood at a young age that I had heard things that were difficult to answer.

That's why Eliza swallowed up her doubts. I remember still wanting to cry senselessly and meaninglessly.

"... Eliza's not a nice girl."

And Eliza remembered that Katrine caressed so kindly that she could have mercy on herself.

"There's not much I can teach you right now... but I want you to remember this."

Catherine's continued words were somehow serious, and Eliza listened with a hug in her ear.

"If in the future you can meet a man who wants to accompany you... and if that man accepts you," just sign a contract with that man. "

"Hey... do you want to take it off?" Contract "?

"Hmm... well, what is it? Like your mother and father, if you have someone you like... you want to marry and you want to stay together forever, then you have a contract."

That way, I'm sure - I didn't hear the rest of the story, but Eliza knew it was important.

However, Eliza didn't understand at this time.

"Mh... mmm, it's hard."

"Is it difficult... hmm, I'm in trouble... then," cheating ”is no good?

Yeah, I can't.

That's how Eliza laughs at Katrine. The smile relieved Eliza.

Eliza loved her more knowledgeable, stronger and warmer grandmother than her parents.

It's a distant, nostalgic memory now.

――――

Running noise in your thoughts.

Dream landscapes change.

"Eliza... I'll imitate your tone no matter how careful you are."

"Isn't it cute?"

She talks about her mother laughing bitterly with her hands on her cheeks and her father laughing gently.

They left their homes and seemed so happy that they didn't think they'd been living in the mountains for years.

Eliza's mother gently stroked her belly as she began to grow up, deepening her bitterness.

"You're almost going to be a sister. I want you to calm down a little bit for me."

"I'm sure she'll be fine. I don't know if I'm going to have a brother or a sister, but if I have something to protect, it'll calm me down naturally."

Parents who use such words. At that time, Eliza had a slight anxiety and great expectations.

When I had a new family, I was told I was going to be a sister, and I asked everyday when it would be. I understood that knowledge was still ahead of me, but I had to ask.

I always asked people in the village who traded monster materials, and they also talked about how they could use the help of their mother-in-law during childbirth.

Almost “didn't teach me how to fight," but Eliza knows that Katrine is an amazing wizard. Still, I couldn't use healing magic, and I didn't have the knowledge to take the baby, so I borrowed the help of others.

--Without knowing that it is the trigger that will bring about the collapse of today's life.

――――

The noise runs through your thoughts.

Dream landscapes change again.

"Ha... hah... hah, hah..."

A rough breath echoing in the darkness. It was caused by disturbed breathing, and Eliza in her dreams kept running with only a slight moonlight.

Desperately, diligently, even a little farther away. I kept running through the woods trying to step on the grass and trees by fully moving the feet of children who could not even use "strengthening".

I don't see anyone chasing me. Still, even one step forward, running far away.

The only thing that stood behind Eliza's head as she ran out of breath was the word "why."

Eliza doesn't understand. I don't want to understand that my whole family was murdered.

Still, Eliza's body was moving away from her murdered family. She was moving to follow Catherine's words, which were left to let Eliza escape.

“It” is a nightmare night that I still remember from time to time.

Memories of running around desperately and travelling alone based on the knowledge taught by Catherine.

Killed by monsters, attacked by bandits, starved to death. Daily memories of more than a month of misery, driven by such fear and anxiety.

But was it really just fear and anxiety that was inside my chest at that time?

――――

Surprisingly, I felt like I heard something in the distance.

It was like ink dropped on pure white paper and a voice that eroded Eliza's consciousness.

"Come on."

The voice is contoured. Ambiguous, distant voices can be heard nearby.

"Come here."

It was whispering and a powerful voice. The voice was strangely pleasant and slipped into Eliza's chest.

The dream landscape you've been seeing is getting farther away. Eliza's consciousness vanished as she was pushed away by the voices she heard.

My grandmother and my parents were killed, and I kept fleeing in fear of my thinning body every day, and even "where I came from”.

"Hmm!?

This awakens Eliza. Wake up with a feeling of escape when you're about to slip off the cliff by catching your fingertips.

(What the hell am I... doing?!?

It was Eliza who woke up from a dream, but she realized her current situation before she remembered her doubts about the dream she was seeing and raised her voice with her own heart.

The place is the room of my home in the town of Speranza. However, I was supposed to have been asleep until now, and somehow my body stood up.

When she realized it, Eliza tried to move her body, but she didn't move against her will. In that case, I tried to make a voice, but I didn't even make a spoiled voice.

(Gu... this is, first of all, a "thought call"...)

While awake and feeling the danger of her situation, Eliza tried to use "a call of thought" if she couldn't even speak up. But concentrating on magic won't work.

(Eh... why...)

Your body moves on its own, as if it were no longer yours. Along with that, your consciousness begins to wander away.

(Earlier... in my dream, my voice... that was...)

While realizing that her body was heading towards the window on its own, Eliza thought desperately about the status quo.

The voice I heard in my dreams. Thinking of the owner behind her head, Eliza tries to move her body to resist.

But even if you put your strength into it, you can easily move your fingertips. You can't use magic as well as feeling crazy, and you can't use not only "ideological calls", but also "reinforcement" and lightning magic.

While doing so, your consciousness fades away and your body opens the window of the room on its own. The wooden window is large enough to let one person through, and Eliza's body opens the wooden window on its own.

Eliza can't stop it.

I can't move my body the way I want - but my fingertips still move.

"............!

Eliza rushed her right thumb nail into her index finger. And even though the pain ran, I cut off the skin with my nails.

The fingertips are then slipped and the bleeding runs to the edge of the window. As you do so, your consciousness fades away while you're making a “slight resistance”.

(Leu... rus...!

The last thing Eliza called in her heart was the name of Reus - and at the end of her voice, Eliza's consciousness was cut off.