BXBX NOVEL Chapter 85: From the Horse's mouth
I felt alive from the taste, its flavor dancing on my taste buds. Pleasure swelled in my body as I became grateful that I was born when McDonald\'s existed.
"Here Ami, wash it down with this."
Isolde, who seemed to enjoy my expression with a smile, took out a couple of glasses and poured out what looked like ale. Seeing my surprise, Isolde let out a seductive laugh as she approached. Didn\'t she love her husband? She was sitting much too close for comfort.
"Germans like beer, Ami. I like wheat beer best. Even though I have lived a long time, I still return to Earth every day. Although I have never had a Hamburger Royal. I usually eat bratwurst."
Hearing the Reaper, I remembered an old movie that said the Italians call a Big Mac "Le Big Mac" and a quarter pounder with cheese "Royale with Cheese". I guess those things were true, since Isolde has a different name for a Big Mac.
"Hmm. I\'m sorry I don\'t have anything else. I do have some chocolate bars," I offered in consolation.
"De, that\'s fine. I am the one who wanted your company anyway.
"So... Where to start? It has been a while since I reminisced. After all, I refuse to become a Specter because it would make me forget Tristan."
Not wanting to interrupt her story, I ate my burger in silence, washing it down with weizenbier. The malty drink complemented my meal to a certain extent. I couldn\'t help but widen my eyes as I tasted the wheat beer.
\'Hmm. This thing has a unique flavor, a bit fruity and spicy. It tasted like bananas. Why anyone would make a banana beer is beyond me. But still, it\'s okay.\'
"You see Ami, Tristan and I didn\'t have a traditional marriage. He was a knight and I was a princess, I was supposed to marry his adoptive father but fell in love with him instead. We tried to hide it for a while, but were eventually discovered. Sadly, circumstances forced us to separate soon after."
Despite having had a failed relationship when I was human, I could still sense affection to some degree. And the way Isolde said the name of her beloved told me how much she cared for him. Though their love story sounds terrible because it began with betrayal, I knew this woman would never truly love another man.
"After some time, Tristan was cursed in a fierce battle and became bedridden. Wanting to reunite with me before he died, he sent his men to call for me. But when I arrived, he was already gone. The anguish made me take my own life," Isolde said with a frown.
\'Wow, that was hard. It sounded like a fairy tale. It even ended like Juliet.\'
"Eventually I became a reaper and fought in Hellsgate. It was there that Tristan and I were reunited. My regret at being powerless gave me {Sky Dragon}. Tristan, who died regretting our separation, was blessed with {Reunion}.
"Tristan told me that he died because he thought I had ignored his last request. Only then did we discover that someone had lied to Tristan about my arrival. We spent the next few centuries living only for each other."
Isolde looked like a lovesick teenager at this point in her story. I could almost see heart marks in her irises. Her whole body exuded feminine charm as she reminisced about the man she once loved.
\'How romantic. They found their ever after not in life, but in hell.\'
"Unfortunately, you knew about the life of reapers. We fought as hard as we loved. In his final battle, Tristan gave everything he had to save me. Fulfilling his greatest regret, Tristan died with a smile. With {Dragon\'s Vow}, Tristan made me swear not to kill myself again. In exchange for my promise, my abilities were greatly enhanced."
Isolde then stood up abruptly as she continued to get emotional. Not minding her outbursts, I listened to her story and allowed her to get it off her chest. I started to remember an old anime I used to watch. It was about Mechs, but what piqued my interest was a ship in it that had weapons called Tristan and Isolde.
\'That can\'t be a coincidence, right? That an anime used their names? I wonder if Isolde would mind if I checked my phone? Ah, wait, the GRI is on my ear. Hmm?\'
My soulgem became hot and I felt a sentence appear in my mind. "{Connect} to your the GRI," it said.
What the hell was going on? Ah, fuck it, I have nothing to lose. {Connect},\' it said in my mind.
Isolde continued her story as I felt my consciousness leaving my body and suddenly connecting to the GRI. I then found myself in an empty space with the phone screen floating in front of me.
"Where am I? What is this?"
Suddenly being sent to an unfamiliar place would be enough to unsettle anyone. I tried to call my {fates} and found that none of them worked in this place. Before I could process what had happened, a small light came out of nowhere and transformed into a person.
The one who arrived was a woman with a slim build and long, orange hair. She was wearing a maid\'s outfit that looked expensive. She opened her blue eyes and smiled.
"Hello Limitless. I never thought I would meet you in person."
"No way. Aira? Is that you? Wow! Your appearance is so beautiful!"
"This figure was something I pulled from your memory. She was a side character from a game. You adored her."
"Yes, I do remember her. I was very fond of her. Anyway, where am I, Aira?"
"This is your cyberspace. An area that exists online whenever you use {Code}. I was the one who sent you that message in the first place. If you want to research on the Internet, you can do so through the Graveweb via your GRI."
"Interesting, so I can always see you when I come here?"
"Yes. As your personalized AI, I will remain on standby. Although having a body here seems rather comfortable."
This was like those spirit realms in cultivation novels. There was nothing here, but perhaps I would find some use for it as {Code} evolved.
"In this room, you are the computer Limitless, you can think about what you want to do, and {Code} will translate it for you. I can serve as your assistant if you wish."
"Yes, please do, Aira. For now, can you look up Tristan and Isolde? Something about it seems odd."
"Roger, looking up Tristan and Isolde... Here are the top results."
Floating screens the size of billboards appeared like web pages. I didn\'t even have to move my hands, the screens moved and shifted as if I were using a mouse and keyboard.
"How convenient. Let\'s see. Tristan and Isolde is a three-act opera by Richard Wagner, based largely on the 12th-century romance Tristan and Iseult by Gottfried von Strassburg. Wait! Seriously?"
I then checked what happened in the opera and the old version, and it matched Isolde\'s story to a frightening degree. I knew there were movies and stories based on real people and events, but legends based on Reapers was something I found hard to accept.
Especially because it confirmed what Lilly said.If Tristan and Isolde were reapers, what about Romeo and Juliet? King Arthur? Zeus? Odin? Where did it end?
What I thought was fiction was actually Reaper history hidden in plain sight. I needed to confirm this for real. I memorized some details about Tristan and Isolde and jotted down some names.
"Let\'s hear it from the horse\'s mouth. Aira I am leaving, talk to you later."
The beautiful maid said nothing and just bowed her head. My consciousness returned to my body as I disconnected. It felt strange, but the ability was extremely useful.
I listened to Isolde again as she continued with her story. With a goal in mind, I waited for a good moment before interrupting.
"But wasn\'t he too cruel, Ami? He died and forbade me to follow him! What am I to do? How can I fill the void in my heart?! I raged on the frontlines for a while, eventually surpassing Tristan. But I soon learned the cost, so I semi-retired and ended up here."
"You seem to have been through a lot, Isolde. Have you ever seen Brangane or Kurwenal in Hellsgate?" I asked inconspicuously.
Brangane was supposed to be Isolde\'s maid and Kurwenal was Tristan\'s servant. Both played a role in the fictional story. If this story was hers, the names should be familiar.
"Hmm. I remember Tristan telling me about him. But I seem to have forgotten who Kurwenal was. Memories are sacrificed in order of importance, the least being taken first. So I probably thought little of him. I did look for Brangane, but even though I missed her a lot, I don\'t know what happened to her after I died."
\'Holy shit! Apart from Kurwenal, the fact that she knows Brangane means that the opera and the play are based on her life!\'
Isolde then turned to me and declared firmly.
"It is true that Tristan is no longer with me, but I continue to relive our days together. This becomes not only my strength, but also my last remaining joy in life. We were unable to have children, but as long as I remember, Tristan will never truly die. I am not fighting for humanity, but for my own selfishness."
Then she hugged me tightly, and her next words were completely unexpected.
"I became a Reaper to love Tristan. Hellsgate gave me centuries of happiness. So I will pay my debt and protect it from the undead. However, I was told that Specters only have memories of a few decades. Having lived so long, there is a chance that I will forget Tristan forever. My only wish is to be reunited with him at the end of my life.
So I refuse to become a Specter.
"{Dragon\'s Vow}. As payment for today, I grant you one battle. I will fight any enemy you choose, even if it means my death. Thank you for saving Ami. And thank you for listening to my story."
"I am grateful, Isolde, I will make good use of this favor."
Although it was exaggerated, I understood her gratitude. Isolde must have felt very lonely fighting without Tristan. Her memories were the only things that kept her sane. She was not fighting for some great cause, but for her husband.
With the defense complete, we chatted some more before I prepared to leave. After exchanging contacts, I finished the paperwork and responded to my next siren. I had already made a lot of money, but I had yet to reach my limit, so my night continued.