Ruler Vol 3 Chapter 41
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Author: Anit666
Editor: Weasalopes
【Chloe’s POV】
“Jack, we have some things to discuss.”
I declared to that cold bastard who had abruptly appeared in front of me, but the smile that arose on his face was as malicious as the day when he had robbed everything from me.
“And what would that be, Chloe?”
He jeered, his expression clearly conveying that he perfectly knew what I was talking about.
Ah, how different it seemed now. My memory of the past year with Sam and Jack had mixed with my real memories to create a disgusting mess. I could still clearly remember Jack’s expressions, voice, habits, and even my crush on him. The only difference was that encountering them again provoked nothing but disgust in me.
So in return to his question, I took out my sword and using all the power I could muster in an instant, I attacked him from the front. But before my sword could reach his unguarded nonchalant face, a metallic clang rang out and stopped my sword.
“W-what are you doing, Chloe?!”
Liera had defended Jack.
“Please get out my way, teacher. I’m going to kill this bastard.”
“Hoooohhh….”
Jack sighed in admiration. While.
“K-kill? No no no no no no no! Chloe! No matter what happens, do not oppose this Monster! You must never fight him! Go away from here for now, I’ll talk to him and-”
Liera started rambling with her sword trembling, but before she could finish, she was made to stop.
Jack had patted her head.
And that action alone had caused Liera’s entire body to stiffen. Her sword was trembling ferociously, and her entire body seemed to be wet with sweat.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to do anything to you or to her. So, step aside.”
Jack said with a hint of amusement in his voice.
“R-really?”
“Yeah, really. So you can step aside.”
Liera stiffly nodded and moved her body aside. There was now nothing between me and Jack.
“Ha!”
At that moment, I once again attacked him with my sword, my thrust going straight for his heart. But of course, I knew that this would not be enough. He would parry or dodge that attack, but due to the swordsmanship technique taught by Liera which turned the sword strike as flexible as flowing water, I would easily be able to follow his every move with a strike.
In theory I should be able to hit him.
But the practical result was completely different.
Jack didn’t make any sort of move. He didn’t even blink his eyes. Yet.
“Wha?!”
Yet, my sword never managed to pierce him. Forget his flesh, my sword didn’t even put a scratch on his clothes. The sword was completely stopped in its place, leaving behind a sensation of hitting something really hard ringing in my arm.
“Ha!”
I attacked in some more ways, but the result was always the same. I never managed to pierce even his clothes.
“Y-you monster!”
I swiftly jumped back to form a new strategy. However-
“It’s useless.”
A cold voice entered my ears from behind.
“What?!”
I quickly turned around and slashed. But my sword simply passed through air.
“What a brat.”
The voice said again from my behind. I once again turned around and slashed, and once again the sword passed through air.
Jack was standing at the place he was previously at. He sighed.
“Good grief. It’s true that I was involved in the wiping of your memory, Chloe Evans. But there are two things I would like you to know: first, the reason I isolated your memories was because Sam asked me to. And second, I am the reason your memories were returned to you. So instead of attacking me, you should be thankful to me.”
HAA?
“Don’t lie! Sam asked you to steal my memories, you say? A lie! I’m sure that you manipulated Sam into doing that! And I’m sure that the reason Sam is doing your bidding is because you are holding Susan hostage! That’s why I’ll kill you here and free both of them, so that we can peacefully return to Earth and live a happy life together! And there’s no way you could have returned my memory! It was a-”
“It was a woman possessing transcendent beauty, with blonde hair and Azure eyes and overwhelming power. You met her at a lake after going through a cave made of ice, which you had entered after you had been separated from everyone else. That woman showed you a memory of the day when you almost committed suicide by jumping off a cliff. Am I right?”
“Eh? W-why do you…..”
No, it’s impossible. Yes, I’m sure that he’s bluffing. He might have known it by observing me and-
“Think for yourself, Chloe. Why would that woman who you don’t even know go to such lengths to return your memory? She only did that because I told her to. Anyway, I don’t think we should talk right now. I’ll be coming to your room tonight, and then I’ll explain to you your role.”
“What do you mean by tonight, huh?! What do you plan to do me?!”
Is that it? Is he lusting after my body?
“Of course not. I have better candidates than you.”
He turned around after saying that and started walking away.
“Where are you going?! You can’t run away from me!”
“Getting out of this place. If Sam is doing what I think he is, and if he succeeds, which he definitely will, then staying in this place would be dangerous. Come, Liera. Let’s meet up with the others and get out of here. And take that brat, forcefully if necessary.”
“Y-yes….”
Liera meekly replied and turned to me.
“Shall we go now, Chloe? You already know that you cannot win against me, right?’
“Why, teacher?”
“Hmm?”
“Why are you taking orders from that bastard?! Forget about me, at least you can easily beat him, right?! So why!”
Yes! If it’s Liera, then of course she can beat him. Ah, right, if we work together, then-
“CHLOE!”
Liera’s shout shook the entire place, and even I flinched and involuntarily took a step back. She was breathing heavily, and her forehead was wet due to sweat.
“You can say that because you haven’t seen what that Monster is capable of. I can beat him? Ha! Not even with billions of lives!” She smiled derisively and murmured. “Yes, I couldn’t win even after using up a billion lives………”
“Teacher? Just what did he do to you?”
Why is she acting like this? Liera was hailed as the most fearless among all of them, so why is she trembling with fear? Just what did Jack do to her?
“You don’t need to know that. Just take my advice. He’s still willing to negotiate with you, so do whatever you can to keep him in that state. No matter what, do not fight him, do not oppose him. I don’t know what you went through while I was not here, but believe me, it’s absolutely nothing compared to what he can make you go through. That’s all. Let’s go now.”
She turned around after saying that and went after Jack, who was waiting at the exit of the room. From here, I could see that she was meekly following everything Jack told her to do.
How is that possible? Just what did Liera go through that broke her so thoroughly like this?
Just what is Jack?
With no other choice, I followed them. When I got closer, Jack spoke up.
“Oh, and by the way, if you want to keep your memories for even a bit longer, then make sure that Sam doesn’t find out, not until I tell you it’s okay.”
“Haa? Why should I take orders from you?!”
“Because that’s your only choice.”
He turned around and started walking after that, with Liera following after him.
It was the time after dinner. Sam had returned from the dungeon. I had been so worried for him that the moment I saw him I leapt on him and hugged him. I was too scared that he would leave me again.
But I sensed it. I sensed the incongruity I felt from his expressions the moment I looked into his eyes after hugging him. There was something, something which was stopping him from being happy after reuniting with me.
It scared me and reminded me of Jack’s words: do not let Sam know that I have remembered everything. I now slightly understood what he really meant.
And so, I held back and forced a smile when he teased Simone.
Come to think of it, isn’t he being too close to her?
“Lost in thinking about Sam, are you?”
Just then, a mocking voice resounded inside the room, abruptly bringing me back from my reverie. And there he was, standing in front of the door with a cold apathetic look on his face, Jack Hargreave.
“Don’t you know that you should knock before entering a lady’s door?”
“Aren’t you just a brat? In fact, I did knock, but you never answered.”
Hmph.
“No, you didn’t. Seems like you are a natural born liar.”
“Good grief. Anyway, what’s with that sword on your lap?”
“Ah, this?”
Yes, I was sitting in a chair with my entire battle gear on. My sword had already been drawn out and was ready to slash at a moment’s notice.
“Uwaaaa, how scary.”
He muttered without changing his expression and then plopped on the bed.
“So, will you give me back Sam now?”
“Give him back? I never had him to begin with. We are simply accomplices.”
“Accomplices?”
What does he mean by that?
“Of course. There’s so much you don’t know about Sam. What he has gone through. What he has lost. What he fights for.”
“And? I don’t suppose you are here to tell me all of that, are you?”
“It would be boorish of me to ruin your experience. If you want to know all that, then consult Sam. I’m simply here to aid you in that process.”
“Heeeeh…. I see. So how about you stop with this bullshit and return Sam to me?! Is it a fight that you want?! Or do you want me?! Just state your demands: I’ll fulfil them and take back Sam from you!”
He furrowed his brows for a moment, but the next moment, his lips curled into a grin. And then.
“Kukukukukuku, hahahahahahahaha BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
He burst out laughing.
“………….What’s so funny?”
“Ah, sorry sorry, hahahahahahaha, I, couldn’t, hahahaha, help myself. You are just so funny. Aaaah, I feel so refreshed. How many years has it been since I laughed like this? Well……” He suddenly turned his cold eyes to me. “At least it has been less than Sam.”
Eh?
“Anyway. Doesn’t seem like you are willing to negotiate, so I’ll just go and tell Sam that your memories have returned. He’ll handle the rest. Alright then, bye-bye. We’ll probably never see each other again.”
He got up from the bed and headed towards the door.
Heh. Let him go. Once Sam comes to know that I’ve remembered everything, he’ll come running to me and then we’ll live happily ever after.
Or that’s what I wish I could think. No matter how desperately I wanted to cling to that notion, I still remembered what had happened when Sam came back to me. Not only had he denied my love, he had also tried to eliminate it. I don’t want to go through that again. I don’t want to lose these feelings again. That’s why-
“W-wait!”
The moment I yelled that, Jack stopped, and then disappeared.
“Eh? Eh?!”
“Yo I’m here.”
There he was, plopped on the bed again.
“So, what do you want? I believe that our negotiations have broken down, right?”
“………I hate to say this, but I’m willing to listen to you, as long as I can get Sam back.”
“Hmm, that request is a bit difficult. After all, the Sam that you knew is no longer capable of returning to you. No….” With a smile so malicious, he declared. “The Sam that you knew never existed to begin with.”
“What do you mean? What do you mean?!”
The Sam I knew never existed?! No! That’s impossible! Sam was-
“Sam was the kindest person you have ever met in your life. Not only did he save your life, that of a complete stranger, he also gave you something to live for. He broke the chains that had been binding you, he recoloured your colourless life. He taught you how to live. In your mind, there was no one who shone brighter than Sam, right?”
“Wha?! If you know all that, then why?! Why do you say that Sam never existed?! Let me tell you, that Sam always existed! It was because he existed that I was saved! It was because he existed that I fell in love with him! So stop lying to me already!”
“Fufufu. I see. Then Chloe, let me tell you an excerpt of the story of his life. It happened when he was young, around 8 years old. Would you like to listen to it?”
Huh? A story from Sam’s past?
But without listening to my answer, he began the story.
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