[V8C25] Stomach Full of Sadness
Translated by Jodas 8: The Witch of the BoundaryForcing his aching body up and repeating wheezing breaths, Frederik Lange trembled in anger.
The Arachne, Romy, had been eating Oliver’s fear this whole time.
For whatever reason, this Monster had decided to grant Oliver’s wish to ‘be more brave’ by continually eating his fear.
—How foolish.
Fear was an important part of what made a human who they were. If even one of those important pieces was missing, the whole structure would begin to collapse, putting you in a very precarious situation.
With his fear eaten, Oliver must not have been worrying about Frederik’s safety. If you’re not afraid of losing another person, then it was only self-indulgence in the vague form of ‘worry.’ Oliver was simply trying to execute his youthful promise to ‘be Brother’s strength,’ nothing more.
Such a shallow thought as thinking you can become strong just by being brave enough was a way that only a weakling would think.
Blind courage, unaware of fear, would only lead to your own downfall.
(Humans can only be cautious thanks to our fears. We stay on alert for danger in order to raise our chances of survival.)
Both Oliver and Romy were weaklings, and they were massive fools. That was the only reason Oliver could convince himself that his strength relied on losing his fear, and why Romy would be willing to eat Oliver’s fear for him.
(You damn Monster, you think you’re doing something good!? You damn Monster, you damn Monster, you damn Monster!!)
To Frederik, Monsters were concentrations of pure evil and things to be hated.
The obsession Monsters held towards humans were as offensive as they were hideous. That was why Monsters had to be killed. There was no need to hold any emotions towards them other than hatred.
—So he had always believed.
To Romy, Oliver was nothing more than her prey. No matter how nicely she may try to dress the situation, in the end of the day, she was a man-eating Monster.
He tried to convince himself of that fact, yet the scene in front of his eyes contradicted that statement.
Romy had protected Oliver, becoming impaled in the process. She was now on death’s door.
If Oliver was nothing more than prey to her, then would she really risk her life to protect him? Frederik understood that, but he didn’t want to accept it.
(How dare a Monster pretend to be human.)
Monsters should just be hideous. Monstrous.
(How dare a Monster try to understand a human heart.)
Monsters should be entities that trample all over human emotions.
If they’re not, then Frederik Lange wouldn’t be able to fight any more. If he didn’t have his hatred to fuel him; if he couldn’t continue to keep the flame of rage lit, then he wouldn’t be able to keep up the fight at all.
(I have to kill them. I have to kill the Monsters. No matter how well they act like humans, no matter how closely they’ve wormed themselves into human hearts, they are all Monsters in the end. And if this is the result that comes from them getting close to humans, then nobody is happy in the end.)
“Brother.”
As Frederik stained his heart with hatred, he searched for his spear with killing intent.
Yet his brother’s voice stopped him.
His voice was quiet. Even at a time like this he was, infuriatingly, the same Oliver as always.
“Give me a little time.”
Frederik hissed deep within his heart.
—’Finish off that damn Arachne right now.’
Oliver was a Lange, a Monster Hunter, and Romy was a Monster. There should have been nothing for Oliver to do here other than finish her off.
And yet, believe it or not, Oliver clutched Romy’s body in his arms.
Oliver turned his back on Frederik. That was his little brother’s way of rebelling.
With his back towards Frederik, Oliver spoke to Romy.
“Thank you, Romy.”
In response to those soft-spoken words, Romy blinked slowly.
She had been prepared for Oliver’s rejection or anger. Yet his voice was the same as always: quiet, gentle, and sincere.
“You had been giving me courage all this time, and yet I never thanked you. I’m sorry it has taking me so long to show my appreciation, Romy.”
Romy had never given him any courage. All she had done was take away the fear.
If Oliver had such a thing as ‘courage,’ then it must have been something that had been inside Oliver right from the start.
Nevertheless, Oliver’s words made her happy. After all, Romy had always been a good-for-nothing Monster.
“…Was I… Helpful to you, Oliver?”
“Yeah. Thanks to you, Romy, I’ve grown into such a brave warrior. I have nothing to fear.”
‘I’m glad. So glad. I could be helpful to my beloved Oliver.’
With that thought, tears welled up in her eyes. Even when she wasn’t sad, tears would come out. After all, Romy was a weak Monster.
Their time to part was nearing.
Her pain and hunger were growing unbearable. Yet still, she felt she had never been happier.
“Romy, could you eat one more time?”
“…Can… I?”
“Yes.”
‘You’re so nice. I’m so happy. Oliver, I love you.’
All of the emotions that welled up inside her came down her face as teardrops.
“Could you bring… your face… a little closer?”
Normally, she would look into the other person’s eyes and steal away their consciousness for a moment.
But she didn’t do that this time. Instead, his eyes looked directly into Romy’s own.
Romy reached out a trembling hand and caressed Oliver’s cheek. Then, she placed her lips on his.
She ate all of the fear inside him, and —
“Oliver…”
She pulled her lips away. By now, her stomach and heart were filled.
Feeling wrapped in the euphoria, Romy smiled.
“I love you.”
Those emotions smoothly melted on her tongue, tasting somewhat bitter and a little salty.
It was a ‘sadness’ so delicious she wanted to cry — That would be the Arachne Romy’s final meal.
Oliver gradually laid the now unmoving corpse of the Arachne down on the ground.
Then, he removed the spear that had been impaled in the corpse.
“Brother, I’m going to go support Tia.”
Frederik coughed out a mix of blood and saliva.
His body still refused to move. It hurt to breathe. Regardless, Frederik forced out a shaky voice.
“…Don’t you go glorifying her death.”
His gaze rested on the Arachne’s corpse.
What was left of the careless Monster who fell in love with Oliver.
“…She thought nothing of our father’s death… She just became attached to you because you just so happened to protect her once…”
“Brother.”
Cutting off Frederik’s words, Oliver’s face was completely unmoved.
“How is that any different from us? I don’t think anything of the deaths of Romy’s family either.”
‘Stop it!’ He wanted to scream.
There was nothing more foolish than to bring up comparisons between humans and Monsters. To insist that they were similar creatures; that they could come to understand each other.
Humans and Monsters were entirely different kinds of creatures. The line between them should be as clear as day. Trying to understand each other — trying to communicate — such glorification of any similarities would only cloud your vision.
He wanted to scream all of that, but his voice couldn’t come out.
“How could I possibly glorify anything?”
Oliver muttered, as if speaking to himself.
“I’m just about to go kill Romy’s mother, after all.”
Saying nothing more, Oliver took the spear in hand and ran off.
Just as he said, he was going to go kill that silver-haired Arachne.
Frederik flopped down onto the ground. His body was reaching its limit.
Before his eyes lay the mangled corpse of Romy, leaking bodily fluids over the ground.
(A Monster’s corpse should be crushed to a pulp. Otherwise, I won’t be able to sleep, you know?)
And yet now, Frederik just couldn’t bring himself to trample on Romy’s corpse.