memory ; an invitation

[toxicate]

from here and here. my own translation.

Leaving the stable and walking along the drenched path toward the outer gate, Obscudeid began to think.
So, what could he do now?
He was already fifteen years old, and understood the world better than since his mother had died.
He wasn't suited to intellectual work, so perhaps becoming a carpenter was an option. However, it was the idea of a bureaucratic organisation itself that he didn't seem suited for. Working alone would be best, so maybe he could return to hunting...-
Thinking about his options as he headed for the outer gate, until he noticed a shadowed figure moving in the flower bed beside the training ground.
It was the middle of the night, and in this kind of weather. It was clearly someone suspicious...
He should have simply moved along as he was leaving the military academy, but he couldn't ignore what he had noticed.

"...What are you doing?"

The flower beds were full of flowers that bloomed vividly, visible even in the dark.
Crouching there was an elf man wearing black armour. Combined with his dark skin, his presence blended seamlessly into the darkness of the night.

"——..."

The man slowly turned his rain-soaked, gardenia gaze towards Obscudeid.

His face was unexpectedly beautiful.

The elfen man remained silent, staring at Obscudeid with an expression like the surface of a frozen winter lake.
After a strangely long silence, the elf man finally spoke up.

"You noticed me?"

"...? Yes."

He'd noticed, and called out. He couldn't understand the meaning behind this question.

"My presence should be hidden."

"...no, you're here."

The rain clouds were so thick that not even moonlight could reach through. The rain was heavy, sounding like being directly under a waterfall.
The apprentice knights here would not be able to spot him lurking in the flower beds, but in Obscudeid's case, his presence was so obvious that it was difficult to ignore.
The elf man sighed dramatically.

"That's a hit to my confidence. I'm highly valued for the ability to hide that."

"What are you doing here? You're not a student."

Due to their differing species, it was difficult to discern this man's age, but if he were human he would appear to be in his mid-twenties. His actual age was likely much older than that.
Elves were not uncommon students at the military academy, but this man's strangely relaxed demeanour didn't resemble that of a student.
Furthermore, his black armour was different from the platinum armour worn by the knights of Royal Paladin.


"Gardening." The elf raised a shovel in his right hand. "These wouldn't take root in the greenhouse, but I tried it here in the military academy and it worked. The plants and trees grow better when they are exposed to the magic of young knights rather than me, it seems. Look, they're blooming well."


The man continued, pointing to the flowers blooming so toxically vivid.

Ah, so it was thanks to this man that the campus flower beds were so colourful.
That was convincing, but still raised further questions.

"Should you be... planting these without permission?"

"Nope."

"Nope, huh."

"Ah, because I'm an outsider."

"...right."

It was said with such confidence that Obscudeid was at a loss as to how to reply.
As he thought it over, his stomach growled. This was probably thanks to all this movement when he was supposed to be sleeping. Hunger slowly spread from the pit of his stomach.
The elf blinked.

"Hungry at a time like this, you sure are young. Here, have some of these."

The man picked three purple berries from the lush vegetation growing beside him and offered them out. The fruits were fairly small, about four centimetres in diameter.
Obscudeid accepted the fruits and without hesitation popped them into his mouth. The skin was thin, with no seeds, and the sweet juice filled his mouth.
The elven man's eyes were fixed on the fruit as he watched the whole process.

“Delicious, aren't they?”

"Yeah."

"But there's a slight drawback. Anyone who eats them will fall into a coma, their memories will become hazy, and they'll suffer from amnesia."

"..."

Ignoring him, Obscudeid popped anther in his mouth. Sweet and delicious.
The elven man propped his elbows on his knees and looked Obscudeid up and down.
His lip jutted out in a slight pout.

"So I'd appreciate it if you'd fall comatose as soon as possible."

Swallowing, Obscudeid held the last one up in front of him. Oh, there was no mistaking them now.

"...I used to eat these berries back home."

"Hm?"

"Yeah, demonic beasts would often fall near clusters of these. It made hunting easier while picking berries, too."

They'd had a slight numbing effect on his tongue back then, though he'd assumed it to be because of the strong wild bitterness. He'd never given them to his mother because of that.
Haah, the elf man sighed.

"So you're some kind of wild child."

His eyes lowered, and he scratched at the dirt petulantly with the shovel.

"This sucks. I don't want to get scolded, but you're gonna go snitch to the school, right?"

"No, I was planning on leaving the academy today. I've got no obligation to do that."

The elf man brightened, clapping his hands with an "ah" of understanding.

"Of course, with a face that gloomy there's no way you'd be an actual Royal Paladin. Are you a first year? I'm surprised you didn't quit sooner."

He was aware of his own gloomy face. Of course, he was also aware of the friction his expression caused when interacting with others.
Even so, it would be stranger to not get angry when something so blatantly rude was said by some suspicious guy you'd just met.
So the gloomy expression got gloomier, not that the elf man seemed to particularly care.
He stood up, gave Obscudeid another once-over, nodded and declared, "Yeah, you've got dead eyes.

Why don't you come to the Shadow Paladins? We'll suit that gloomy face of yours more than here with the Royals."

"...so you're a Shadow Paladin."

The black armour and the aura that seemed to merge with the darkness made more sense when he heard that.
Setting aside the question of why a knight of the Shadow Paladins was here at the military academy, Obscudeid considered. 　
It was unclear what kind of missions the Shadow Paladins undertook. That order of knights remained shrouded in mystery. 　
However, it was still definitely an official army run by the nation, just like the Royal Paladin. And due to that, they'd be paid a reasonable salary. It didn't take long for him to come to the conclusion that living as one would be easier than returning to hunting.

"...I'll be in your care."

"Alright, it's decided. Now I won't get in trouble."

The elf man strode in front of Obscudeid and began walking towards the outer gate.
His movements were casual, but there was one strange thing. 　
Even though the ground was muddy, there was an eerie lack of the sound of footsteps. 　
The sounds of the pouring rain and the howling wind seemed to soften and go silent around this man.
If he wasn't watching him with his own eyes, he would have found it hard to believe that there was anyone there.
...so this is a Shadow Paladin.
Obscudeid mentally groaned, and followed.
Even though they walked directly in front, the guards at the gate failed to notice their presence.