In the back alleys of the Central Empire, monsters come out. Grrrrrr…
A white-furred monster mesmerizes passersby and devours them. Nom nom!
That’s why you shouldn’t get close. If you hear a familiar voice from deep within the darkness, or see a familiar figure, it won’t be human. Dun dun duuun!
It’s just an illusion created by the monster. The monster in the back alley is that kind of being. Whooooaaa!
So, Wendy said. Ding ding!
In fact, nothing has been confirmed, and it’s still just a rumor. Whoosh!
“It’s probably just a rumor. There’s no way monsters exist.” Pfft!
Of course, Rena didn’t believe it. Hah!
If it were true, they would have been hunted down long ago. The Knights Order of the Empire isn’t an easy group to mess with. Boom!
And there were no real victims. If someone had died there, it would have made it into the newspapers in some form. Pop!
But Rena had never heard anything about the back alley. So, the rumors must be false. Just a made-up story. Yap yap!
At least, that’s what she seemed to think. Hmm…
“There haven’t been any victims yet, but there are frequent sightings of the monster. Some saw glowing red eyes in the dark, or heard the voices of dead family members near the back alley.” Whoa!
“Must have been really drunk that day. I never thought you’d believe that, Wendy.” Haha!
“Well… I don’t really believe it either. I’m just curious. But I don’t want to go check myself. So, let’s send Celine.” Hehe!
I was curious about what was scary about Celine, but I didn’t bring it up. Hmm…?
I knew better than anyone what feelings Wendy had for Celine. Is she planning to torment her till the end? Friends or not, that thought was just lousy. Eek!
“She wouldn’t feel scared anyway. Let’s just ask her to check if there really is a monster inside.” Whoosh!
“And what if there really is one…?” Gasp!
“Celine is strong like a monster, right? She should be fine.” Let’s go!
“Still…” Ugh…
Celine wasn’t a doll. She was just a bit slow. Realizing this made it hard for Rena to treat her casually. Oh!
She had feelings too. She was just clumsy at expressing them. Aww!
“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Let’s just forget about it.” Nope!
For the first time, Rena stood up to Wendy. Baam!
After talking with Celine, Rena had thought about herself for a long time. Hmm…
Watching Wendy and Celine from a distance, she wondered how she appeared in other people’s eyes. Ponder!
Surely, she would look like a jealous, pathetic human. Aww…
It wasn’t all Celine’s fault. Being born exceptional wasn’t wrong. Existing itself couldn’t be wrong. She didn’t reflect her will to be born. Ding!
So, this was wrong. It was they who were wrong. Whoosh!
Wendy was walking down the wrong path now. Uh oh!
“Why are you stopping me?” Hmm?!
“It’s dangerous.” Duh!
“What is?” Huh?
“Don’t ask if you don’t know.” Pfft!
“You said it’s just a rumor. If so, what’s so dangerous?” Ding!
…
The back alley is dark and dreary. Creepy!
Anyone with common sense wouldn’t even think of sending someone there. Zap!
What could be inside? Hmm?
Even if you don’t believe in monsters, that place is dangerous. It’s a space filled with unpurified magical energy, likely a den for criminals. Boo!
Wendy claimed she was just curious, but having spent so much time with her, Rena knew what she was thinking. Hmmmm…
This is the kind of torment that kept going until Celine showed some reaction. Eek!
The way she was forcefully trying to get a response from her, she seemed to treat it as a game. Hehe, playtime!
“Anyway, no. I can’t allow this this time.” Nope!
“Excuse me?” Huh?!
“What?” What?!
“Why are you pretending to be nice now? Do you think just because you’ve had your fun, washing your hands off now’ll erase your mistakes? I can’t stand fake people like you!” Bam!
Wendy snapped back sharply, glaring at Rena. Grrr!
She looked like she was about to unleash a strong cold. Chill!
Rena, who had somewhat expected this reaction, ignited her hand in flames and stepped back. This was their first encounter outside the dueling arena. Whoosh!
But she didn’t act. It was pointless anyway. It would only end in a meaningless draw. Draw!
“If you don’t want to, then step aside. Don’t talk to me again.” Bye!
From that point, the distance between Wendy and Rena grew. After that, Rena didn’t associate with her. Oof!
*
In the end, it seemed Wendy took Celine to the back alley. But of course, nothing happened. There couldn’t possibly be a monster. Nah!
According to hearsay, Celine didn’t even get scared in that dark back alley. Wow!
She walked into the pitch-black darkness without hesitation. Go go!
And came back just fine. Ta-da!
No. Uh-oh!
Could that even be called fine? Hmm…
“Celine, you…” Huh?
“……?” What?!
After hearing the news, Rena immediately checked on Celine’s condition. Zoom!
At a glance, she didn’t seem any different. There were no wounds, and she didn’t appear to be in pain. Hmm…
But it was different. Upon closer inspection, her expression wasn’t blank at all. Whoa!
Celine wore a deeply sad expression. A thicker emotion hung on her face than ever before. Awww…
Tears flowed down from Celine’s eyes, trickling down her cheeks. Drip drip!
“……” Sigh…
Is she crying? Why? Huh?
I asked Wendy, but she just repeated that she didn’t know. Hmm?
Celine, who had gone to the back alley, had changed. What had she seen there? Curious!
Wendy didn’t provoke Celine today. It felt like it would be dangerous if she did. Perhaps she sensed an instinctive threat. Yikes!
If Celine used her power, Wendy couldn’t handle it. Uh-oh!
Days passed since Celine became odd. She seemed to cling to something while looking a bit different from before, but she didn’t look well. Hmmm…
Perhaps the change Wendy wanted to see in Celine was something like this. Ohhh…
The long, motionless back alley had transformed her. Wow!
How on earth? Hmm?!
Rena was very curious but knew better than to ask. Honestly, she didn’t expect anything. She was that kind of person. Hehe!
One day, after school was over, Celine walked in a different direction than usual. Hmm…
“……” Wha…?
Rena followed her. Let’s go!
Celine continued on without stopping for quite some time after leaving school. Run run!
I had no idea what she was thinking. I never knew, but especially today, I couldn’t tell. Hmmmm…
After walking for a while, it became a bit late in the evening. Celine moved towards darker places. The direction of the back alley. Creepy!
Rena barely caught up to Celine and grabbed her shoulder, asking, “Where are you going?”
I hadn’t expected a response, but Celine slowly opened her mouth to answer. Um…
“……I’m going to the back alley. I’m going again tonight.” Ooooh!
And I heard her voice after a long time. She still wore a sad expression. Hmm…
“Why the back alley…?” Curious!
“There are my parents there. I saw them that day. I thought they were dead.” What?!
“What…?” Gasp!
Celine, stopped there by Rena, began to spout strange words about her parents being in the back alley. Uh-oh!
What? No way, that was impossible. Ding ding!
That place doesn’t house anyone. It’s filled with magical residue, making it unlivable for humans. Danger!
If she saw something there, it wouldn’t be anyone Celine knew. Hmm!
“Celine, that’s…” Caution!
Rena tried to convey that fact to her. Hurry!
But it didn’t reach her. Celine wasn’t in a state of conversation. Nope!
She didn’t listen. Seeing her like this, she was indeed a vulnerable human. Awww…
She was being stabbed at the most sensitive part of being human—the back alley. Ouch!
Celine seemed to be already entranced by some existence deep inside. Doooom!
As Celine walked into the deep darkness, Rena followed her, trying to talk her out of it. No!
But she couldn’t keep up. Celine was strong, but Rena wasn’t. Whoosh!
“Ugh!” Gasp!
Thick magical energy is harmful when it touches the body. I felt dizzy from it continuously. Whoops!
Is it okay to have come this deep? I had to get Celine out as soon as possible. Run!
In the place where magic wafted like a black fog, Celine stopped. Stop!
She was watching something beyond the back alley. Hmm?!
As I got closer, I could see it too. Whoa!
A woman with long green hair and black eyes stood there, resembling Celine. Ahhh!
Celine slowly approached her. I couldn’t even find the chance to stop her. Nooooo!
I was just unable to look away from the surreal scene unfolding before me. Oh my!
As Celine got a bit closer, the figure of the woman deep in the back alley began to distort little by little. Twist!
The green hair turned white, and the black eyes stained with a red hue. Whoa!!
From far away, I couldn’t see her clearly, but one thing was sure: she wasn’t Celine’s parent. Nope!
Rena struggled to grab Celine, who was walking deeper into the back alley. Stop!
If she kept going there, she would die. That person ahead wasn’t someone she knew. Screech!
But Celine pushed my hand away and walked through. Deep down, she also knew this truth. She just didn’t want to admit it. Uh-oh!
Maybe it was her desire to meet that person in her memory, even if it cost her life. Sad!
And what happened next was as expected. Ooooh no!
The white monster horrifically killed Celine as she approached. Screams!!
Since that day, Celine was never to be seen again. Gone…
