NOMAMWTM Chapter 35

Not an answer to her question.

[Are you an existence of this world?]

An existence of this world? An incomprehensible question.

Was it asking if she was human, as Michael had asked, as Nero had asked, as everyone in this estate suspected?

"I'm human."

Charlotte pressed her lips tight.

By now it felt like she really shouldn't be human.

But she had no secret birth story like a novel's protagonist.

Her mother, Baron Ethel her biological father—both were human.

Her mother had told her every memory of giving birth to her.

Golden eyes stared at her again.

Charlotte bit her lip hard.

She'd thought to punch whoever showed her these dreams, but she had no strength for it.

"…Stop showing me."

She spoke in a voice dripping with exhaustion.

The rabbit didn't move.

"It's hard. It's already hard, and watching people die every night when I fall asleep—I'm going crazy."

More than a week had passed with these continuing dreams.

Charlotte said with difficulty:

"If you absolutely must show me, at least space them out like before. Seeing them every day—I really feel like I'm dying. I can't sleep."

That much she could endure.

[Hey, if you show them every day, even someone who wouldn't go crazy will go crazy.]

Nero added support. The white rabbit flinched visibly. For the first time.

[…I am showing you memories.]

Memories of death that lingered in this estate?

"Why?"

For what purpose?

[……]

The rabbit said nothing again.

When it seemed she wouldn't get an answer, Charlotte swept back her sweat-dampened hair.

She sighed.

[I will space them out.]

After some time, the rabbit said bluntly:

[Until now, I merely wished to know you.]

The rabbit's transparent golden eyes reflected her in the pouring moonlight.

[You are a Cardium.]

Just as Charlotte felt some small relief, the rabbit muttered.

'A Cardium?'

Though their relationship was terrible, she was technically a Cardium by form. Why did that matter?

[Then you are within my domain. Do you have a wish?]

A non-sequitur.

But if it asked what she wanted now, she had an answer.

"The nightmares—"

[No.]

She'd only said one word, yet it caught on quickly. The rabbit was firm.

[Speak. Do you have a wish?]

She didn't particularly want to answer, but Charlotte soon recalled that this rabbit had nevertheless saved Adeline, had led her to Adeline.

It wasn't a harmful rabbit.

Nero had said it was on humanity's side, too.

"…I want people to stop misunderstanding me. I want Michael to stop misunderstanding, to stop suspecting me. I want the creatures to disappear, for everyone including me not to die, for everyone to escape this estate safely."

Charlotte hesitated briefly, then spoke as if humoring it.

Though it had asked, the rabbit said nothing even after hearing her answer.

The small thing approached her and tapped Charlotte's leg lightly with a forepaw.

As faint gold light bloomed, the rabbit faded and vanished.

Had it moved somewhere?

Charlotte blinked.

She hadn't expected her wish to be granted like magic just because it asked, but its immediate disappearance left her feeling deflated.

[…Why'd it leave?]

"How should I know?"

Shouldn't Nero know better than her?

She should return to her room.

Charlotte sat dazed for some time before rising with her strengthless body.

She was so tired, and she didn't want to be outside her room in this estate's dark night any longer.

But when she stood, the golden light she'd expected to scatter and vanish after the rabbit's departure didn't disappear—it flew before her eyes and circled.

It slashed through the air once or twice as if asking to be noticed, then began flying down the corridor.

"…What?"

[Is that its power? What is it?]

Nero didn't know either.

Now that the rabbit was gone, was this light telling her to follow?

The rabbit had led her to Adeline's room both previous times they'd met at night, so she thought perhaps Adeline's room again, but the direction was different.

She desperately wanted to return to her room and sleep.

But Charlotte ultimately sighed deeply at the light slashing through the air down the corridor, beckoning her, and turned her feet.

Intuition told her to follow.

The light flew through the darkness without a moment's hesitation.

Charlotte coaxed herself—just see where it leads, then go back—and forced down the crashing exhaustion.

Before she'd walked far, Nero sensed something first.

[Master.]

At Nero's strangely subdued voice, Charlotte glanced down at the rabbit, then looked ahead and snapped fully alert.

Lumps clustered thickly around a door.

Every disgusting eyeball stared at the door—as if something they wanted lay inside.

And as if guiding her to them had been its goal, the light that had flown unhesitatingly now floated in midair, scattering glittering particles.

The light must hold power opposite to the lumps—those at the edges lunged at it, but the light dodged nimbly and slipped into Charlotte's embrace.

Then—tap, roll roll roll.

Charlotte looked down.

The gentle light that had worked hard to illuminate the darkness faded. A small bead fell to the floor.

—…no.

She started to pick it up and tuck it away, then paused.

—…No.

From inside the room—some sound.

—…You can't go, you can't leave, you can't leave.

Someone with a thoroughly hoarse voice was muttering inside.

[Master.]

"Yeah."

Charlotte's face darkened.

—You can't leave. You can't leave. Youcan'tleaveleaveleaveleaveleave, hic, huk!

—I said no, Hannah. No. No. No. Should I? Open it?

Whoever was inside, their voice sounded very wrong.

And Charlotte had heard a voice like that once before.

—No, thank, not, grateful, no.

Jeina and Tom.

Adeline had told her the lumps could control people, possess them.

Suppressing the terrible memory trying to surface, Charlotte approached the door.

"Move."

The lumps didn't obey immediately today.

As if their attention fixed entirely on whoever was inside, the eyeballs didn't shift even with Charlotte right before them.

"I said move."

She shoved the lumps aside roughly.

But the number covering the door exceeded imagination.

—Hic, I have to leave have to leave have to leave.

"No, don't come out!"

The sounds from inside grew increasingly wrong. Charlotte bit her lip and raised her voice.

—I, I'm leav—

"Don't come out! You things! Won't you move?!"

She shouted when the person inside still couldn't regain their senses.

The lumps finally seemed to notice her, rolling their eyeballs.

—Go, go…? Eek, huk! Cough! Cough! No, no.

"Right, no."

As if consciousness returned in that moment, violent coughing came from inside.

Charlotte shoved the lumps aside again.

"Get away!"

She snapped sharply.

Only then did the lumps roll their eyes and glance around warily before scattering.

Still some clung stubbornly at the last, refusing to move.

Only after Charlotte shoved them aside with near-tearing force did the door finally clear.

She pressed her hand to her chest, trying to calm her pounding heart, breathing shakily.

—Cough! Hic, hu, huuuuh. Sister, sisterrrr…

The person inside seemed to have fully regained consciousness. A young crying voice reached her.

[It's okay. They're gone.]

Charlotte confirmed not a single lump remained nearby, verified again with Nero, then slowly opened the door.

"Hi, hiiik!"

Through the door's gap—a young-faced girl in an ill-fitting maid's uniform.

Eleven, twelve perhaps? The child sat collapsed, face pale, gasping for breath.

The child's and Charlotte's eyes met.

Did even a child this young work at the estate?

Charlotte watched the child's tear-filled eyes gradually widen, thinking this child would probably fear her too.

Child or not, a servant was a servant.

"…Are you all right?"

She tried her best to sound gentle.

It stung, but even if the child was frightened, it was dangerous before sunrise—she'd somehow get the child back to her room. Just as she thought this, predictably—

"Hu, huuuuuuuh!"

The child began sobbing hysterically.

"Sister, sisterrrr!"

She crawled forward and clung desperately to Charlotte's legs, bursting into tears.