This ch is from Layla Freiheit POV
53. Letter
I lost.
I’ve been defeated by Seal Zetta.
But why I don’t regret it at all?
The room was dim with only a small light from the outside. But fortunately, no, unfortunately, the sun was shining on the desk. It was as if something was telling Layla to read the letter there.
She put the envelope she received from “him” on the desk in the room.
Sit in a chair and tore the tip of the envelope with her fingers.
Picked up two bland papers from the inside.
“……”
Her fingers stopped.
Her chest felt painful.
Her defense instinct was screaming that she shouldn’t read it.
Nevertheless……
――『”Instead, if I win――I’ll have you read this letter…!”』
――『”What is it huh? Layla, are you scared?”』
“His” words grabbed her who tried to escape.
It can’t be helped, because it’s a promise.
Because it’s a promise, I’ll read the letter.
Not because I want to read it…
With that excuse, Layla opened the folded letter.
Nostalgic handwriting jumped into her eyes.
She breathed in…
And started reading the letter.
『Dear, Layla Freiheit,
First of all, I want to apologize to you.』
The letter began with an apology.
『I caused trouble for you and your parents. I’m really sorry
It’s all because of my poor crisis management ability.
But I want you to believe this.
The things that would make me unable to see you right in your eyes, I had and would never do it. 』
“Eh……”
『As your grandfather, I never did anything that would makes you ashamed.
I was trapped into someone’s tactics and was condemned.
I’m innocent』
“――!”
All this time,
The word she had always wanted to hear all this time was simply written in the letter.
『I’m sorry to keep silent about it. I chose silence so as not to involve you.
If I claim innocence, you will surely go crazy in search of the criminal.
I was scared of it.』
It is…
For me?
“Then …”
Then, why now…!
『But I don’t need to worry anymore.
He should be by your side now.』
The line after that was written with stronger pen pressure.
『My beloved disciple, Seal Zetta』
Layla stood up with the letter in her hand and approached the window.
From the window, she saw a black-haired boy walking along the road.
“Seal Zetta…”
While holding her hand on the window, she turned her gaze back to the letter.
『Even if you throw yourself in danger, he will surely protect you.』
From that sentence, she felt the absolute trust of her grandpa in him.
『Well, you’ll be bored if it’s just a stiff story.
Before you continue reading this, first look inside the teddy bear I gave you when you were seven.』
“The bear…..?”
Of course, Layla couldn’t forget it.
An ugly stuffed animal that her grandpa bought when she was seven years old.
『If you have thrown away the stuffed animal, you can don’t need to continue reading this.
You can throw this away.
I sealed a certain thing inside a talisman and put it in inside it.
Perhaps the seal has been broken. 』
Layla picked up the stuffed animal in the corner of the room, unzipped it from the back, and looked inside.
There was a piece of weakened talisman. Right next to it, there was a flower-shaped hair ornament.
――It was a pink hair accessory.
“It’s the same color as the cherry blossoms of <Mother Punk>…”
Layla held the hair accessory in her right hand and went back to the desk to read the letter.
『It’s what I was trying to give for your sixteenth birthday.
However, the hair accessory was originally planned to be given to another girl.
It’s my daughter.
I’m sure you don’t know, that besides your father, I had another child.
A daughter named, Lyla.』
I have an aunt?
I thought that Dad must have been an only child――
『But she fell ill before her sixteenth birthday.』
16…
It’s the same as my age now.
『The hair accessory was the one I wanted to give to her when she turned sixteen.
But, she died the day I bought the present.
I was pouring on you the love that I couldn’t give to her.
You look just like my daughter.
When you feel uneasy, you have a habit of grabbing the hem of my clothes.
When you sleep, you like to kick the blanket.
You like to be pampered, and have a radiant smile like a cherry blossom.
All of that was exactly the same.
Well, I couldn’t help it because you were so cute.
At the same time, I was worried,
What if you die before you turn 16 years old, just like her?
But you grew up energetically. I couldn’t even see the shadow of any illness.
I was really looking forward to the time when you became sixteen. 』
“Stop, stop it…”
I hate it, I don’t want to read it.
Layla’s chest was about to tear.
I hate you, Grandpa, I hate you…!
『I was really, really, looking forward to the day you put on that hair accessory.
But I’m sure, I would have lived out my allotted span of life before you’re sixteen.
From the bottom of my heart,
I wish I could have lived a little longer,
Just a little longer.
Maybe you don’t need such a thing and will throw it away.
Still, that’s fine.
As long as you are alive, I don’t wish for anything more than this.』
Layla avoided it all the time.
Deep inside, she knew her grandpa had been cursed and had lost his life by this time.
Perhaps, it was because she couldn’t accept the fact that, her grandpa had died.
That was why, she chose to hate her grandpa.
“Sorry ――”
The truth was, she really believed, that her grandpa hadn’t done any human experimentation.
But, she resented, detested, and hated him.
She was in denial.
Not accepting the fact that her grandpa had died, she tried to not think about it.
She should have known, that she was just putting it off away from her mind.
“I’m sorry……!”
When she noticed, tears were spilling from her eyes.
The first letter was over, so she moved to the second one
『This is bad, I’m not good at putting it into words.
Please, put a blanket on when you sleep. I’m worried because you often pull off your clothes showing your stomach when you sleep.
Use your money properly. You always buy what you want right away.
I don’t want to say anything about your love life, but I hope that you fell in love with people who value their promises…I wish I could’ve seen you wearing a wedding dress.』
The letters gradually became thinner,
Weak and winding.
She could tell by looking at the letters that her grandpa could barely hold the brush.
She could tell it…
『Finally.
Live, Layla.
Live, no matter how painful it may be.
There will be many farewells in the future. There will be a lot of sadness.
You can stop or look away.
But don’t stop living.
I know a lot of people who lost their lives before accomplishing anything.
Never do anything that would kill you.
I am watching over you from heaven.
Well, if I could have a wish fulfilled,
it would be to see the cherry blossoms at Mother Punk with you again. 』
Suddenly, Layla remembered the day when she first saw the cherry blossoms in here while grabbing her grandpa’s little finger.
Only when her grandpa was looking at that cherry blossom, he wasn’t anyone’s grandpa, he was just her grandpa.
『Layla Freiheit.
I love you from the bottom of my heart.
Your smile was my salvation.』
It was about the time for the last sentence.
She didn’t want to read it.
She knew what would be written there.
But still, she had to read it.
『Thank you and goodbye”』
Layla was sure she couldn’t get out of this city if she didn’t read that sentence and overcome herself.
『From Ain Freiheit ――』
At the end, the name that was written there, wasn’t the name of the sealer, Barha Zetta, but, Ain Freiheit, Layla’s, her grandpa.
――『”Unforgivable. Grandpa, I will never forgive you…!”』
Layla remembered what she said to her grandpa.
The last words she exchanged with him.
His face at that time, she still couldn’t forget it.
His crying face, she couldn’t forget it.
“Grandpa… I, I was wrong.”
Liquids were dripping from her eyes and nose.
She tightly held the letter, suppressing her desire to scream.
“Grandpa, please..”
“Let me say “Thank you”. “
“Let me say “I’m sorry”. “
“Let me say “I love you” and “Goodbye” to you…!”
The sobbing echoed silently.
Gradually the sobbing grew, and eventually, Layla cried like a child.
The emotions that she had been holding until now finally burst.
No matter how much she wished, time wouldn’t turn back.
Now, her beloved grandpa was only left in her memories.
But, the last memory wouldn’t change no matter how much she struggle.
She couldn’t forgive herself who acting like a spoiled girl, like a child forever.
―― Hey, Grandpa.
If you could hear me, let me tell you this…
The cherry blossoms at <Mother Punk> are still as beautiful as ever.
TN: Join my discord channel if you want.
Thanks for the chap~~~
No matter how I look at it, the old man can write…
Thanka for the chapter.
That was one hell of a letter! It was worth the build-up. Glad this chapter was out when I started. Thanks!
A hell of a chapter, does it have more or was this the ending? I still wanna see them find the cure for the curse and wanna see Mc defeat the majin.