Chapter 42
Leonhardt’s eyes slowly lost their light. His gaze went blank, fixed on a single point.
Then, somewhere in the distance, a faint shhhk sound echoed.
Carly clamped her mouth shut and focused in the direction it came from.
What is that? What kind of sound is that? It feels like something’s coming closer.
Holding her breath, she scanned her surroundings.
Before she realized it, the fog had grown so thick that she couldn’t see a thing.
It clouded her vision entirely. Now there was also a dull, rhythmic thud, thud sound.
“…What is that?”
Standing between Leonhardt’s chest and stomach, Carly clenched her fists tight.
Her hands trembled violently with fear.
“Who’s there!”
Her shout echoed through the forest.
Rustle. Thud—
The strange, unidentifiable noises were driving her to the brink of madness.
And then Leonhardt began to move—his glassy eyes fixed on something unseen.
“Ah, damn it!”
Trying to stop him seemed pointless, so Carly decided to just cling to him with all her strength, refusing to let go.
Rustle, thud!
Still gripping him tightly, she looked around frantically. Then, through the brush, something began to emerge.
“Ahhh!”
What the hell is that!
“Leon! Leon!”
She called desperately, but he didn’t respond.
Through the bushes, a massive tree moved into view.
And on that tree—an enormous, blood-red eye.
Vines sprouted from its crown, writhing and whipping through the air like Medusa’s serpents.
“A—a monster…”
If Leonhardt had been in his right mind, he could have easily slain such a creature.
But now, he was trapped in the illusion that the fog had conjured.
And from behind them, another tree-like monster was closing in, its tendrils lashing forward.
“At this rate… we’re going to die here…!”
Then, beyond the monstrous tree, an apparition appeared—a vision of a young Carly running with a book in her arms.
Carly’s grip loosened in shock, nearly causing her to fall.
Barely managing to steady herself, she scrambled back up Leonhardt’s body.
“D-don’t come any closer!”
So this is what they meant by being surrounded on all sides.
The monster’s vines sliced through the air with a sharp whoosh, inching closer.
Carly froze mid-climb.
『Grrr… grrhhh…』
The creature made a sound—metallic, grating, horrifying.
A chill ran down her spine.
『I… I… I…』
But when she listened closely—it almost sounded like human speech.
Carly felt like crying.
What am I supposed to do here?!
Leonhardt was lost in his hallucination, the monster was making awful noises, and she was utterly helpless.
“J-just go away!”
Maybe she could try using Leonhardt’s sword?
No. With this body, do you really think you could wield a sword?
She gritted her teeth, doing everything she could just to stay clinging to him.
She must have looked absolutely pitiful.
The monster began to weep tears of blood.
Carly’s eyes went wide in horror, her body stiff as stone.
『I… I also…』
“What…?”
She definitely heard it. Those were human words.
『Ta… ta… take…』
“What are you saying…? No—stop talking!”
『Ta… ke… me…』
“Take you… away?”
The monster seemed to react to her words, its body swaying from side to side as if responding.
Carly squeezed her eyes shut.
Please. Someone tell me this is just a dream.
Then—a sharp whoosh brushed her ear. Something was flying toward her.
She barely cracked her eyes open.
“Ahhh!”
The monster’s vine snapped through the air like a whip, the sound cutting through the silence.
In an instant, the end of the vine wrapped around Carly’s body. It was brittle and dry, twisting tightly.
“Leon!”
She called frantically, but he kept walking forward, eyes fixed ahead.
“Leon! Leon!”
Leonhardt’s body gave a faint twitch.
Dangling in the air, Carly shouted again.
“Hey! Leonhardt!”
Flinch. This time, his hand moved.
Carly, half-conscious from fear, didn’t even notice.
“Ugh! Go away! You’re disgusting!”
『Ca… ca… Car… Carly…』
“Don’t call my name!”
When she rejected him, blood poured from the monster’s eye.
“Leon! Please! Leon!”
Another flinch.
Finally, Leonhardt came to his senses.
“Carly!”
The always-gentle expression he wore vanished in an instant.
His face turned terrifyingly cold as he drew his sword.
“How dare you… touch her.”
His gaze was icy enough to freeze a man’s heart.
The fog thickened, swallowing everything in sight.
“My child.”
From within it, Leonhardt heard his mother, Rita.
She wore a white mask and beckoned to him softly with a loving voice.
It was no wonder he fell under the illusion’s spell.
The mother he had missed so dearly—the mother he had caused to die.
“You’ve come again today, my dear. It must be so hard for you.”
Mother… The road to see you was never hard. I was always happy to come. My heart would race with joy every step of the way.
Her gentle hand reached out to him.
Leonhardt followed, entranced.
“Such a lovely flower. Thank you, my dear.”
He had never seen her full smile, not once—her mask always hid it.
Yet still, he thought her the most beautiful person in the world.
“My dear, try not to come too often. You always get scolded, and I feel so sorry for you.”
Mother… It’s all right. I’ll come forever. Father doesn’t matter. You’re the only one who does.
“But, my dear…”
She sniffed the flowers he had brought, then lifted her head, her eyes—usually gentle—now firm.
“It’s time you protect someone else instead of me.”
What do you mean?
Leonhardt blinked. He couldn’t make sense of her words.
He was seven years old again, remembering nothing.
All he could see was his mother before him.
He had forgotten the little squirrel he was supposed to protect.
“My dear, never forget the ones who are precious to you. There’s someone else now, isn’t there?”
Mother…
He opened his mouth to speak—
—Leon!
A loud voice called out from somewhere.
—Leon! Leon!
Someone was calling his name so desperately.
Who is that… who’s calling me like that?
He turned to look, but his mother caught his gaze again, her expression suddenly sad.
“Don’t forget, my dear.”
That pleading voice reached him once more.
“My brave boy… This mother will always love you.”
She stepped forward and embraced him. Her arms were still warm, still comforting.
And yet—his heart ached. Mother… you’re gone now, aren’t you?
—Leon, please, Leon!
Flinch.
He looked up. The thick fog finally began to lift.
And there—Carly, bound by vines, suspended in the air.
“Carly!”
If it comes to that…
“How dare you… touch her.”
If she’s going to be hurt—then let me take the pain instead.
My precious Carly. I won’t let you be in danger anymore.
She had grown so large in his heart—so precious, so irreplaceable.
He wanted to cherish her, protect her, hold her close forever.
As a squirrel?
No… not anymore.
Now, Carly was the one and only person for him—someone he could never exchange for anything else.
That was—
“You touched my life itself. You must have a death wish.”
I must be in love with you.
And in that instant—an immense light burst forth from Carly.
Leonhardt had barely regained consciousness when the blinding light enveloped him.
Carly shut her eyes tight, unable to bear it.
“What… what is this?!”
She could feel her bones shifting, snapping back into place.
Her whole body screamed in pain.
Her limbs grew heavy—foreign.
No way. No way…!
Her body twisted and turned uncontrollably. Breathing was almost impossible.
『Gaaaaahhh!』
The monster behind them let out a grotesque shriek—then vanished.
And with it, the light faded too.
“Haa… haa…”
Panting, Carly collapsed to the ground.
Then she felt something odd under her palms. Slowly, she opened her eyes.
“Wha…?”
A pale, delicate hand.
A woman’s hand—with five slender fingers.
Carly swallowed hard. She moved her fingers—and they moved exactly as she willed.
Her eyes went wide.
This… this can’t be…
It was unmistakably a human body. Not the small, furry hands of a squirrel.
She brushed the dirt off and touched her own face. No soft white fur met her fingers.
Next, she reached up and grabbed a handful of hair.
The squirrel ears—gone.
“Ha… oh my god…”
A person.
She was human again.
“My god…”
Carly looked up at Leonhardt, who stood frozen in shock.
She leapt to her feet and rushed to him.
“Hey, Leon! Did you see that? Did you see? I’m human again! What did you do?!”
“…Carly?”
Leonhardt’s lips parted in disbelief.
Carly grabbed his arm tightly with both hands.
Her eyes—once at ground level—now reached his chest.
Oh my god. This is real.
“What did you do? Oh wow… I’m finally human again!”
But something felt strange.
She felt… too free.
Carly slowly lowered her gaze, dreading what she might see.
“…Wait.”
She wasn’t wearing anything.
Not a single stitch of clothing—bare as the day she was born.
Flustered, her hands dropped from Leonhardt’s arm.
“Ha…”
Leonhardt let out a heavy sigh and quickly stripped off his own shirt, wrapping it around her.
“This is insane.”
Her waist-length, fiery red curls fluttered softly, her black eyes darting about in panic.
Her beauty was mesmerizing—radiant, sensual.
“Ugh…”
Her face turned bright red, nearly matching the color of her hair.
Thankfully, the shirt was large—it covered her down to her thighs.
Leonhardt scooped her up effortlessly into his arms.
“For now…”
Smiling faintly, as if he couldn’t help himself, he pressed a kiss to her forehead.
“Welcome back—to being human.”
And Carly’s face turned so red it looked like it might explode.
