Brainwashed Then Woke Up To Find My Childhood Friend a Hero

26. Celt has appeared, huh?

I couldn’t comprehend this situation.

Was it due to anxiety or fear? I couldn’t voice a sound.

“Why are you here…?”

I spoke in awkward honorifics.

The Great Sage laughed and said,

“Stop it, we don’t need such formalities between us, do we?”

At those words, my heart began to race.

The night was deep, and it should have been silent, yet my heartbeat was loud.

“W-what do you mean?”

Kelt speaks a little sadly, almost pleadingly:

“Please, I can’t stand this being an illusion anymore.”

At those words, I am tormented by the guilt of what I have done.

Tears seem ready to spill from his deep green eyes, and he looks as if he could shatter with just the slightest touch.

“I finally got to see you…”

My heart aches at those words; is it because I wanted to see my comrades but couldn’t, or is it because of that dream?

I stand there, unable to find my voice.

Yet, contrary to my heart, I can no longer bear the silence.

“I’m sorry…!”

Before I can even finish my apology, Kelt embraces me. His body has grown sturdier since that time, and upon closer inspection, I see scars all over him.

I hold him tight in return.

The path they have walked is one of thorns, the most dangerous kind.

Kelt murmurs like a mantra:

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I’m sorry.”

I want to understand the meaning behind his apologies, but he answers first.

“I abandoned you… I’m sorry.”

From his words, I realize I regret not being able to endure until the flight magic ended.

“I’m the one who should apologize. If I could have just held on a little longer, we could have all come back together…”

We embrace once more in reunion.

How many seconds have passed? I try to pull away, but Kelt’s grip is strong… so strong, isn’t it?

“K-Kelt?”

I look at Kelt, who, despite being a magician, holds me with the strength of an ogre.

“Ah, finally, finally I can have you.”

I can’t comprehend the meaning of those words.

H-have you?

“What kind of joke is that…?!”

He waves his finger. Just that alone…

Suddenly, my mouth goes dry, and even more so, my body…

Not a single finger can move.

“Ah, Elg, Elg, finally…”

His eyes, a sticky black

His green hair appears deep green, perhaps because the moon is hidden

Just like his eyes

His eyes are those of a hunter

With no intention of letting his prey escape

“I’ll make sure I never lose something precious for a lifetime”

Kelt chants a spell, and with it, my consciousness begins to fade; the last thing I see is his expression, twisted by obsession.