Episode 59. Illusion of the Eyes
“...”
“Why?”
Bercheria gulped, swallowing hard before answering.
“I took the wrong medicine.”
“Medicine?”
If the strange being before her had been just a man, or even a lizard, Bercheria probably wouldn’t have even considered it.
But when the two came together, she strangely couldn’t ignore it.
“There was medicine in the cookie.”
Beloveye rolled his eyes, lost in thought.
“Did you eat the whole cookie? How did it taste?”
“...”
“Tell me. It’s important.”
“About half. It tasted just like a regular cookie.”
“What happened after you ate it?”
Bercheria took a deep breath.
Everyone else in the castle had seen this part, so it seemed safe to talk about it.
“I felt like I was going to explode from the heat, and the weather changed to match my mood. It rained, thundered, and hailed.”
Just thinking about that day was the worst.
It was painful, too.
“Ah.”
Beloveye nodded meaningfully.
“That’s it.”
“That?”
“Come here. I’ll tell you how to regain your strength.”
“Who are you? Is that possible?”
“...”
“Why?”
Bercheria gulped, swallowing hard before answering.
“I took the wrong medicine.”
“Medicine?”
If the strange being before her had been just a man, or even a lizard, Bercheria probably wouldn’t have even considered it.
But when the two came together, she strangely couldn’t ignore it.
“There was medicine in the cookie.”
Beloveye rolled his eyes, lost in thought.
“Did you eat the whole cookie? How did it taste?”
“...”
“Tell me. It’s important.”
“About half. It tasted just like a regular cookie.”
“What happened after you ate it?”
Bercheria took a deep breath.
Everyone else in the castle had seen this part, so it seemed safe to talk about it.
“I felt like I was going to explode from the heat, and the weather changed to match my mood. It rained, thundered, and hailed.”
Just thinking about that day was the worst.
It was painful, too.
“Ah.”
Beloveye nodded meaningfully.
“That’s it.”
“That?”
“Come here. I’ll tell you how to regain your strength.”
“Who are you? Is that possible?”
“It’s possible.”
"Beloveye."
"Yes. But this is a forced relationship, so don't take it to heart. There will be another opportunity to formally greet them."
Bercheria needed time to digest the sudden outpouring of words.
"Beloveye."
Reading her confused gaze, Bercheria looked at the sleeping Dipper once more, then jerked his head back, growing taller in an instant.
He had transformed into a fully grown man, two heads taller than Bercheria.
He smiled at Bercheria with blue hair and even bluer eyes.
"Originally, Bercheria was called the greatest of the gods who ruled the continent. So, consider this my respect for you from the past."
Beloveye extended his hand toward Bercheria.
"Come closer."
As the lizard suddenly transformed into a human, Bercheria approached him as if entranced.
“I hope you overcome this ordeal.”
Beloveye kissed the back of Bercheria’s hand and then flung her body out of the nest.
“Now, what...!”
Bercheria, who had been suspended in midair for a moment, could not even scream and began a rapid plummet towards the precipice below the cliff.
“Hmm...”
Beloveye stuck his head out and watched Bercheria plummet down the cliff.
“Ah!”
Then he realized he had forgotten something important.
“Oh! This.”
Side effects.
He had not told her about the side effects that would occur if her powers were awakened this way.
The potion created by a fire-attribute wizard could only be treated by someone with the ice attribute if any side effects occurred.
“Well. Even if it takes a detour, as long as you get to your destination, right?”
Beloveye turned his head as if annoyed.
And in an instant, his figure disappeared.
“Lies.”
“Ha. What do you think I am?”
Bercheria’s round eyes were fixed on the man-lizard.
“I can really regain my strength?”
“Yes.”
He thought for a moment and added,
“I’m not giving you your strength back. I’m just giving you a hint. A very crucial hint.”
Bercheria was deeply troubled.
If there was a way to regain her strength, she would do anything she could.
But what did she trust in that lizard?
“I said I don’t have time? Hurry!”
As they drew closer, Beloveye spoke quietly, so only she could hear.
“It’s psychological.”
“...What?”
“That’s the way the drug works. It makes you go berserk, destroying you, and then making you cower in fear of its power, so you can never use it again.”
“No.”
Bercheria shook her head with conviction.
“That’s not it. I’ve definitely confirmed that I have no strength inside me. It’s not like I’m just saying it’s gone.”
“Yes. That’s probably true. But do as I say. Then we’ll know who’s right.”
“...How?”
Beloveye drew Bercheria closer.
He whispered in her ear.
Lacrahan followed Laurent to a cliff near the sea.
There were abandoned birdhouses made by various birds scattered here and there.
“The nest Bercheria is in is right up there.”
Laurent put a hand to his mouth and explained earnestly, but Lacrahan couldn’t see anything.
It might have been because it was unusually dark. After all, the sun was just before sunrise, but the problem was that condors weren’t the only animals that built nests on steep cliffs.
The very idea of observing dozens of nests from below and then finding the location of the bercheria was absurd.
“How on earth are we supposed to find Bercheria?”
Laurent and Lacrahan stood on the beach, staring up at the cliff.
“What do you see? What do you see?”
Lacrahan tried to focus more, but all he could see was pitch black.
“Hmm. There are a lot of large nests over there, so let’s get a little closer.”
Lacrahan rode his horse near the steepest wall.
His view was clearer, but even so, all the nests still looked similar.
“Ha.”
He pressed his still-throbbing temples.
If there were Bercheria up there, how on earth would he bring her down?
Does he need wings or something?
Lacrahan dismounted.
He fixed his gaze on Laurent, who was watching from the shore, and raised his head to look at the nest once more.
“Isn’t that Bercheria over there?”
Despite Laurent's cries, Lacrahan shook his head.
"It's dark, so I can't see anything."
Lacrahan took off his cloak and placed it on his horse.
He paid no attention to the white vapor escaping from his breath. He felt he needed to climb up, perhaps to rescue Bercheria or at least confirm her presence.
Then, just as he glanced up again, a small object suddenly burst out of the nest and plummeted to the ground.
“...!”
This time, it was clear.
Anyone could tell that a blonde woman had jumped from the nest.
The sight startled Lacrahan, as did Laurent, who was standing a short distance away.
“Ha. What do you think I am?”
Bercheria’s round eyes were fixed on the man-lizard.
“I can really regain my strength?”
“Yes.”
He thought for a moment and added,
“I’m not giving you your strength back. I’m just giving you a hint. A very crucial hint.”
Bercheria was deeply troubled.
If there was a way to regain her strength, she would do anything she could.
But what did she trust in that lizard?
“I said I don’t have time? Hurry!”
As they drew closer, Beloveye spoke quietly, so only she could hear.
“It’s psychological.”
“...What?”
“That’s the way the drug works. It makes you go berserk, destroying you, and then making you cower in fear of its power, so you can never use it again.”
“No.”
Bercheria shook her head with conviction.
“That’s not it. I’ve definitely confirmed that I have no strength inside me. It’s not like I’m just saying it’s gone.”
“Yes. That’s probably true. But do as I say. Then we’ll know who’s right.”
“...How?”
Beloveye drew Bercheria closer.
He whispered in her ear.
***
Lacrahan followed Laurent to a cliff near the sea.
There were abandoned birdhouses made by various birds scattered here and there.
“The nest Bercheria is in is right up there.”
Laurent put a hand to his mouth and explained earnestly, but Lacrahan couldn’t see anything.
It might have been because it was unusually dark. After all, the sun was just before sunrise, but the problem was that condors weren’t the only animals that built nests on steep cliffs.
The very idea of observing dozens of nests from below and then finding the location of the bercheria was absurd.
“How on earth are we supposed to find Bercheria?”
Laurent and Lacrahan stood on the beach, staring up at the cliff.
“What do you see? What do you see?”
Lacrahan tried to focus more, but all he could see was pitch black.
“Hmm. There are a lot of large nests over there, so let’s get a little closer.”
Lacrahan rode his horse near the steepest wall.
His view was clearer, but even so, all the nests still looked similar.
“Ha.”
He pressed his still-throbbing temples.
If there were Bercheria up there, how on earth would he bring her down?
Does he need wings or something?
Lacrahan dismounted.
He fixed his gaze on Laurent, who was watching from the shore, and raised his head to look at the nest once more.
“Isn’t that Bercheria over there?”
Despite Laurent's cries, Lacrahan shook his head.
"It's dark, so I can't see anything."
Lacrahan took off his cloak and placed it on his horse.
He paid no attention to the white vapor escaping from his breath. He felt he needed to climb up, perhaps to rescue Bercheria or at least confirm her presence.
Then, just as he glanced up again, a small object suddenly burst out of the nest and plummeted to the ground.
“...!”
This time, it was clear.
Anyone could tell that a blonde woman had jumped from the nest.
The sight startled Lacrahan, as did Laurent, who was standing a short distance away.
“Lacrahan! Bercheria over there!”
As Laurent had said, if it rained or snowed while she was falling, he wouldn’t have to do anything. But if Bercheria plummeted into the sea without any warning... It was something he couldn’t even imagine.
As Laurent had said, if it rained or snowed while she was falling, he wouldn’t have to do anything. But if Bercheria plummeted into the sea without any warning... It was something he couldn’t even imagine.
The sight of Bercheria appearing from the air and plummeting to the ground... The moment he witnessed the blonde hair fluttering in the air, Lacrahan felt his heart drop. The emotions she'd felt back then, when she'd left him in the room and jumped out the window, came crashing back.
But then, a massive wave suddenly surged in. It was so fast he couldn't even think. The waves below, Bercheria above. Their shadows, furiously approaching each other at astonishing speed, met precisely in the middle, and her body was swallowed up in the waves.
"Damn it."
This time, if Bercheria were to be taken out of the sea, Lacrahan would make sure she never jumped from the air again. Lately, Bercheria seemed to think she was some kind of eagle. Did she even realize that she was the one driving Lacrahan crazy? Jumping from the air repeatedly was problematic. There were many.
Lacrahan plunged into the sea. Angry at himself for failing to protect her, he leaped into the sea without hesitation. This time, he wanted to protect her. No matter how outrageous Bercheria's actions were, he couldn't bear to see her get hurt.
***
“Trust yourself. You’re rejecting your power, believing you can’t properly handle it. So, if you want to trick yourself, the only way is to drive yourself to a near-death situation.”
Beloveye nodded with conviction. In fact, this wasn’t the first time he’d experienced this situation. Beloveye, who had lived for so many years, had memories so overwhelming they were almost overwhelming. The potion she’d taken couldn’t escape his vast knowledge.
“A long time ago, a wizard with the element of fire settled in this land. Yes, he was one of the first wizards to create a portal.”
“Fire?”
“Yes. But after creating the portal, the Emperor banned magic in the empire, and he lost his job. He gambled away all the compensation, didn’t he?”
I’d heard this story from Lacrahan before.
“That man, for money, created a horrific number of illegal potions. But you see, most of them had side effects or were ineffective. In any case, they were a mess.”
“Are you saying what I took was one of them?”
"Yes. Because the common characteristic of the potions created by those humans was a surge of power accompanied by a high fever. The symptoms that appeared afterward were the true effects of the potion."
In Bercheria's case, it was the evaporation of power. But even that was an illusion. Beloveye kindly explained that the method of removing someone's abilities was extremely advanced magic, not something anyone could wield.
"So, here's what you do. Drive yourself into extreme fear. Ah, I'm about to die. My life is over. This is how it ends completely."
"You think that's all it takes?"
"No. You think humans are that simple? They have to be truly gripped by the fear of death. At an unexpected moment."
"What is that?"
Beloveye looked at Dipper behind him, and Bercheria turned her head to look at him as well. He was still asleep, his face buried in his curled body, perhaps from the cold.
"Leave him alone. Gods don't die."
"How would you know? That guy..."
"Because I'm a god too."
“...What?”
“I am Beloveye, the sea god who protects Der'Ansis.”
Bercheria’s eyes widened.
Suddenly, in the Condor's Nest, she had met all three gods who ruled this continent.
"Beloveye."
"Yes. But this is a forced relationship, so don't take it to heart. There will be another opportunity to formally greet them."
Bercheria needed time to digest the sudden outpouring of words.
"Beloveye."
Reading her confused gaze, Bercheria looked at the sleeping Dipper once more, then jerked his head back, growing taller in an instant.
He had transformed into a fully grown man, two heads taller than Bercheria.
He smiled at Bercheria with blue hair and even bluer eyes.
"Originally, Bercheria was called the greatest of the gods who ruled the continent. So, consider this my respect for you from the past."
Beloveye extended his hand toward Bercheria.
"Come closer."
As the lizard suddenly transformed into a human, Bercheria approached him as if entranced.
“I hope you overcome this ordeal.”
Beloveye kissed the back of Bercheria’s hand and then flung her body out of the nest.
“Now, what...!”
Bercheria, who had been suspended in midair for a moment, could not even scream and began a rapid plummet towards the precipice below the cliff.
“Hmm...”
Beloveye stuck his head out and watched Bercheria plummet down the cliff.
“Ah!”
Then he realized he had forgotten something important.
“Oh! This.”
Side effects.
He had not told her about the side effects that would occur if her powers were awakened this way.
The potion created by a fire-attribute wizard could only be treated by someone with the ice attribute if any side effects occurred.
“Well. Even if it takes a detour, as long as you get to your destination, right?”
Beloveye turned his head as if annoyed.
And in an instant, his figure disappeared.
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