One's Eden: Hanayuki Travel

Chapter 70: Undefined memories

“Finally! I’m here! Arsland Kingdom’s capital city!”

I cheerfully yelled with both my hands spread up high in the sky.

“Hey! Little miss-step forward. There are lots of people waiting behind your back.”

“Yeah! Everyone has a place to go.”

“Please get out of the way...”

“I want to see my darling.”

The people behind my back said to me with sour expressions on their faces. I’m just having a moment in my life to say hello to the city. Next time, I should better pick a good place to say my greetings.

I ran down toward the ship dock. The ship I was on was a giant cruiser. The fare was supposed to be very expensive, considering that this is a luxury ship.

I was lucky in my case. Instead of paying the shipping fee.

I got it for free after winning the ticket in the lottery. The ticket is a one-way ride going to the capital city. This is my first time visiting this city. I had been thinking about visiting this place for a very long time. Since I got the ticket, I also think this is the perfect opportunity to visit.

From my position on the pier. I could see the giant castle from a far distance. The giant white castle was the castle of Archangel, the royal family.

In that beautiful castle… Eula had risen together with her siblings.

The city is cut into three layers. The outer layer, the middle layer, and the inner layer. The outer layer is where the peasants live together with low-ranked nobles. Nobles of high rank lived in the middle layer, and lastly, nobles with ties with the royal family lived in the inner layer.

Beyond the outer layer, a camp could be seen. Camps of slaves. People who have nothing to call home. Kids are thin as skin and bones. Elderly who have lost hope. Drunkards in straight daylight.

Contrast how beautiful the city is and the ugliness of its core.

I always knew that this city is corrupted in its heart.

There are more reasons why I have come here. In this city, there is a library of knowledge founded by the goddess who appeared in this city hundreds of years ago. In the library, there was different magic. Many people come here just to visit the library to study.

For myself, I would like to study memory magic.

In magic, nothing is impossible. I might be able to remember everything when I study memory magic. A magic item that shows memories is also a choice.

Finally, I'll be able to ease my worries. I will prove that I’m not the evil incarnate of myself. This is for me,

When I’m done remembering my memories. I’m going to have a journey to find my true dream.

Optimistic about my future, I had my stomach rumbling with hunger. The food on the luxury ship is expensive and I’m unable to eat anything during the ride. It's no surprise that I’m very hungry.

Luckily, upon turning my head sideways I saw a restaurant. I went inside and saw a man with long white had his knees on the ground. Groveling toward the knight in front of him.

“Sorry… I can’t pay all of that money in a single month. Even if I give all my earnings. It won’t be enough.”

“That’s not how the world works, mister… You borrow money from me and I give you the money with an agreement.”

“Yeah, I know but… My house was robbed. It will take a long time before I recover. Please, I beg. This restaurant is the only source of income I have. My family relies on me.”

The man in white crawled to the feet of the knight. The knight kicked the man in white and said:

“But we need the money... Also, I have a family too. That’s not my problem. If you have to sell, you’re a silly restaurant. Sell it… Huh? Who is this little girl? She must be your last customer… Please take care of her. I’m not that heartless… I’ll give you some money before moving out.”

The knight said and turned his back. Looking pissed off, he kicked the door open and exited.

The man in white surely looks destroyed. I wonder if he can still cook.

I rotated my body and was about to leave.

The man in white-handed my shoulder and muttered.

“Please stay… Let me cook something for you. It's on the house, please stay.”

“Why would you do that? I’ll play if it's needed.”

“He is right, you’re my last customer… He's kind enough to help me out and I can’t return his kindness… Maybe opening a restaurant here in the capital city is not a good decision for me. The rent is high and the ingredients are high. The cost of living here is very expensive. There is too much competition… My cooking could not compete. I will close the door after this and repay my old friend.”

“If it's free, then I’m into it.”

I replied.

The chef looked happy and cooked me a meal. I demanded him to make me the most delicious fried chicken he could ever make. Placed on my table was a golden fried chicken. The sweet aroma it releases dances through the air going to my nose.

I could not wait to have a bite and took the leg part. Splurging it down on the gravy and making a big bite.

“Super delicious! This is good… I think chefs should not give up on cooking.”

“I’m happy hearing that wonderful compliment, but I’m too old for that. I’m 42 years old already and my dream is to have a big restaurant. You might think that chicken is super good. But in reality, it's still at an amateur level compared to other chefs around the city. My cooking is below them, that’s why I’m failing.”

“But one must not give up on your dreams.”

“Hahahaha… That only applies to youngsters without responsibility. When you have a child and a partner, You’re given a responsibility to make them achieve your dream. I must give up on my own and make their dream my dream. As a father, it's something I should be doing right now. Sometimes giving up is a good thing.”

Learning to give up on dreams… He was the first to say those words. It was something I wouldn’t expect to be said by anyone.

It was truly late for him to continue pursuing his dream. Growing old, a human will lose its prime energy to do work. The energy of youth will be gone. Bones will start crumbling and the mind starts to dry. Losing the ability to run.

“Giving up on something I worked about for decades truly hurts… I’m not going to completely give up. Maybe I’ll set my bars lower and have a small restaurant in my hometown.”

He said.

After eating, I thanked the chef for treating me to a wonderful meal. I decided to immediately go to my goal. I visited the Library of Knowledge.

The library is big but there are hardly any people around.

I walked to the bookkeeper asking about books about memory magic.

“That’s unusual? Do you have someone you love who lost their memories of yours?”

“No, I’m currently suffering from amnesia… I would like to retrieve back all my memories. It's been many years since I lost it… I just recently found out that there is memory manipulating magic. I wonder if it can be used to cure my illness.”

I said.

“I understand you… Are you planning on studying the magic or are you searching for someone to cast memory magic to retrieve back all your memory?”

“Some can do it for me!”

“Yeah, luckily, I’m that person.”

The bookkeeper said.

I can’t believe how lucky I am. Last night I had a ticket for a luxury cruise. Second, I had a wonderful lunch and now I have got some I am specifically looking for.

I’m so lucky! I’m a lucky girl!

“There is a fee for my service… About 200 gold.”

“Sure, I’ll pay you in cash.”

It was expensive… But if it will end my sufferings. It's worth it.

The bookkeeper and I walked toward one of the tables and had a seat. She sat across and I behaved myself. She told me to sit straight and have a calm mind.

She took her wand in her hand and had its tips placed on my forehead. Light particles were collected on my forehead, releasing a bright glow. There is no one beside us in the library, meaning we’re not going to disturb anyone.

“...”

“...”

Is everything done? She had her wand placed on my forehead for 10 minutes now.

After ten more minutes, she placed her wand. Her face was devastated and cold sweat came sliding down her cheeks.

“I don’t understand… I don’t understand why? I can’t see what’s inside your mind? But I felt it was something sad… I felt a feeling of longing… I heard it was a promise…”

“Promise…”

Promise a promise … me that you will love me forever and ever… Even if I die and am reborn in another world. You will still be in that world going to love me… Even I don’t know who you are anymore. You will keep loving me… Even if I don’t know who you are and get creeped out, you will still love me…. Even if I have got a lover, I want you to love me…. Even if I’m not cute or anything, you will still love me. Even if we’re born far away from each other, you will come to love me… As long as you love me. That would be enough to fill your heart…

No matter where you go… No matter what world we’re reborn into… I’ll come to find you and tell you how much I love you.

“That is exactly what I heard from your head. It was you who took… You seemed to be in pain during that time.”

I made a promise… A promise of love to someone. And that someone would come and find me.

The promise I made sounds very self-centered.

“What else?”

“That is the only thing I got… I’m afraid to say this, but Memory magic might not have memory on your mind. Memory magic opens the mind like a book. But in your case, there is a massive library of it… Thousands and thousands of books are there… As if you live thousands of different lives… My memory magic detected one constant thing in all the book and that is the promise you wanted to make with this specific person…”

The bookkeeper said and took a deep breath.

That saddens me, but at the same time, I’m happy that I’m one step closer to finding out about myself.

I made a wonderful promise to someone. I wonder who he was and where he was. He promised he would come to find me. It feels like a romantic movie or something. The one fated to be with me until death does us part.

Knowing that promise made me happy somehow.

“Thank you very much for helping me out.”

They decided to give her the money, but she refused, saying that she didn’t do anything significant. I don’t want to be pushy and just go out of the library with a big smile on my face.

The city is very big. I wonder what I’ll find next.

Before I go visit many places… I have to secure the bed I’m sleeping in tonight. I had better go and look for an inn to stay in.