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Chapter 47 - Anne’s Diary (3)
Chapter 47 - Anne’s Diary (3)
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
Chapter 47 - Anne’s Diary (3)
Another hellish day had passed.
It was hard to be certain since there was no way to track time, but it felt that way, at least to Irene.
She sat in complete stillness, holding her breath.
She didn’t move.
Even as the cold from the floor seeped into her, draining her body heat, and the thick darkness gnawed at her heart like mold.
She just lay there, like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
—Aaaagh!!!
—Stop it, stop it!!!
—I don’t want to die!! Please, don’t kill me, stop!!!
—No, no, no, don’t tear it off!!!
Maybe her will had finally broken.
The screams from the far end of the corridor never ceased, and the fox had no choice but to listen, powerless to stop it.
Despair washed over her.
It was a sickening feeling.
This place was designed to wear people down.
Even in such a nightmarish setting, the one thing that allowed Irene to cling to her sanity was the voice that spoke to her through the bars.
The girl chirped brightly.
“Fox Sis!”
“...Yeah.”
“We’re still alive today! I was worried we might be dragged to the lab while we slept.”
“Do they sometimes take people while they’re asleep...?”
“Occasionally, yeah. That’s why I have to mentally prepare myself every morning. It’d be terrifying to wake up on an operating table.”
“...”
“...Did I say something I shouldn’t have?”
Irene’s face stiffened.
Anne hesitated, sensing the tension, her eyes darting nervously for a moment.
Seeing the girl’s careful expression, Irene quickly relaxed and shook her head.
“It’s fine... I was just lost in thought for a moment.”
“That’s a relief.”
The girl beamed.
It was a pure, unblemished smile.
At fifteen, she was just on the verge of adulthood, yet she was still very much a child.
Irene quietly mulled over her own thoughts.
‘Are they doing okay…?’
She was thinking of her younger siblings.
The little foxes she cherished so much. By now, they were probably happily playing in their secret hideout.
Unconsciously, Irene muttered to herself.
‘...Would they grow up to be like this?’
Watching Anne, she couldn’t help but wonder.
A bitter taste spread in her mouth.
A moment of misplaced regret.
A sadness for her siblings welled up inside.
She’d never see them again.
All that awaited her now was a cold, final end.
A dull ache bloomed in her chest.
At the very least, she had wanted to be there for them until they were grown, but even that was a dream fate had refused to grant her.
Irene sank deeper into her thoughts.
And then.
“Hey, Sis.”
“...”
“I want to write a book when I get out of here.”
“A book? All of a sudden…?”
“Yep! A book!”
Anne smiled brightly as their eyes met.
Crouching in the corner, the girl hopped up and answered cheerfully.
“It’s been my dream ever since I was little.”
“You’re still little.”
“Hey! I mean when I was even littler! Besides, fifteen is old enough to know a lot of things, you know?”
“Is that so…?”
“Of course!”
Anne flapped her arms indignantly, as if trying to refute the idea that she was still a child, but to Irene, it only made her seem more childish.
After all, only children hate being called young.
“Anyway! I want to write an amazing story.”
“What kind of story?”
“One about everything that’s happened to me so far. Like weaving together a journal from each day!”
“...That just sounds like a diary, though.”
“Oh, come on! There’s no rule that says a diary can’t be a book!”
A straightforward answer.
The girl proudly shared her dream.
Even though she must have known it was an impossible wish, there was still a light in her eyes that hadn’t dimmed.
Maybe it was hope.
“I know. It’s not very realistic.”
“...”
“I’m probably just wishing for some ridiculous miracle. If the demon outside heard my story, he’d laugh it off as a silly fantasy.”
Yeah, it was nothing more than a dream.
Like a girl hanging off the edge of a cliff, praying for a convenient miracle.
But…
“Still, sometimes... isn’t it okay to hope for a miracle?”
Anne smiled again.
It was the innocent smile unique to childhood.
“When times are tough, you need courage. The more you think about it, the more beautiful life becomes.”
Irene was a little surprised.
Despite being a test subject, having endured all manner of horrible things, this girl could still speak of hope.
To be able to talk about courage, instead of despair, hatred, resentment, or anger.
“Do you think I’m being too naive?”
“...I’m not sure.”
Irene just stared at her.
Should she admire her?
Or pity her?
Irene couldn’t decide.
She simply reached out and gently took the girl’s hand through the bars.
“Hehe!”
“What’s so nice about callused hands?”
“My mom said calluses are proof of hard work. That means your hands are beautiful, Sis.”
“...Think what you like.”
The fox turned her head away, pretending to be indifferent.
The warmth of a hand gently squeezing hers.
Irene deliberately looked away from that hope.
She simply closed her heavy eyelids.
***
Two more days passed.
It had now been six days since the fox had been brought to the lab.
She was getting used to it.
The screams from the end of the corridor, the smell of blood filling the air, the damp atmosphere.
The things that had once disgusted her were gradually becoming familiar.
That didn’t mean the daily deaths became any less tragic, though.
‘Just two days left… until I’m dragged down that corridor.’
The demon had granted her a week’s reprieve.
Now, her life had been reduced to just two more days.
Whether the experiment succeeded or failed... she wouldn’t remain human either way.
The difference was only in the method.
But the outcome—death—would be the same.
Irene waited for her execution.
But there was someone who would step up to the threshold of death even before the fox.
That person was none other than Anne.
—You’re up next, kid.
—Seems you’ve been lucky enough to survive until now... but tomorrow, that luck runs out.
—The boss himself gave the order.
It was news delivered by a passing guard.
He told her to prepare for tomorrow’s experiment, mockingly adding that she’d soon be seeing her mother.
It was an unexpected death sentence.
Anne simply nodded in response.
“Got it.”
Her reaction was calm.
She didn’t shrink back, beg for her life, or faint on the spot.
She just smiled, as she always did.
The girl waited for the guards to leave, then continued their conversation from before, as if nothing had happened.
“As I was saying… oh right, the place I’ve always wanted to visit!”
Anne chattered on.
She had just been told that she would die tomorrow. Or worse, face something even more horrifying than death.
And yet, even in this moment, she was so carefree.
Irene watched her quietly from behind the bars.
“I’ve always wanted to visit the Academy! It must be such an amazing place, don’t you think?”
“Anne.”
“My mom said only great people go to the Academy. When I get out of here, I’m definitely going to—”
“Aren’t you afraid of tomorrow?”
“...”
The question slipped out before Irene realized it.
The noisy girl fell silent. For the first time, there was quiet between them.
An empty silence lingered between the thick iron bars.
Neither spoke for a long time.
Not Irene, nor the girl.
It was a while later when Anne’s voice broke the stillness.
“Sis.”
“Yeah.”
“Sis.”
“Go ahead.”
“The truth is…”
Anne crouched beside the bars.
She sighed softly, as if lost in thought, then a complicated smile appeared on her lips.
Hugging her knees, she spoke quietly.
“The truth is, I’m scared.”
“...”
It was a simple statement, dropped casually.
But though the sentence was short, the depth of emotion behind it was profound.
Her voice continued, calm but weighted.
“I’m scared. I’m sad, I’m anxious, I’m resentful, and angry too.”
“...”
“Every night, I can’t sleep because I’m afraid I’ll wake up on an operating table. And whenever the guards walk by, I hold my breath as much as I can. Not for a single moment have I ever stopped being scared.”
In the end, she was just like anyone else.
Still not yet an adult, a young lamb in need of someone’s protection.
“But the reason I smile is... it’s all I can do.”
Anne was powerless.
Faced with a cruel and senseless fate, all she could do was hold onto hope.
Maybe that was the tragedy of life.
Her voice, delicate as it was, grew shakier, tears slowly filling her words.
“The truth is, I’m scared.”
It was an especially pitiful plea.
“I miss my mom, my dad, and my sister so much.”
Tears began to fall.
Though she tried to hold them back, the muffled sobs slipped through.
Irene quietly listened.
“If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve told them I loved them more….”
A common regret.
A common sadness.
A common wish.
“I don’t want to die.”
“...”
“I want to live.”
“...”
Irene bit her lip.
It was a miserable pain.
Her hands clenched into fists on their own.
She sat in silence for a while, and eventually, Anne’s trembling voice returned.
“Sniff, I’m sorry. I’m not usually like this... it’s just, right now, you’re the only one here, Sis. I wanted to lean on you for a little while.”
“It’s okay.”
“Thank you.”
“I haven’t done anything.”
“I thought I’d die all alone, feeling miserable. But because I’ve been able to talk to you, I don’t think I’ll feel so lonely.”
“Don’t worry too much. I’ll be following right behind you.”
“...Is that supposed to be comforting?”
“Who knows.”
Irene answered indifferently.
The fox gently held Anne’s hand through the bars.
The girl sniffled and smiled.
“Sniff, hehe... Your hands are warm, Sis.”
“Are they?”
“Yeah!”
And so they sat together.
Separated by cold iron bars, waiting for a tomorrow neither of them wanted to come.
***
The next day arrived.
As soon as Anne woke up, she was led out of her cell.
Being dragged along by the guards, the girl turned back and flashed a bright smile.
She left behind a single parting sentense.
“I’ll be back.”
Of course.
Anne didn’t come back.
***
Last night, the corridor had been filled with Anne’s screams.
Her voice had wailed in agony until the early hours of the morning.
Irene wanted to cover her ears but couldn’t bring herself to do it.
She wanted to share in at least a part of the girl’s pain.
The terrible cries grew fainter as time passed, until eventually, they faded into a final, eerie silence.
It could only mean one thing.
Anne was dead.
“...”
There wasn’t even time to mourn.
It was now Irene’s turn. The guards came for her soon after.
Clink, the key turned in the lock, and the door opened.
“The boss is waiting.”
“Make sure she doesn’t resist. She’s valuable, so transport her carefully.”
“Move and you’ll die. Don’t try anything stupid.”
Five guards surrounded her.
They were all skilled black magicians. Though not as powerful as the demon, they were more than capable of subduing someone like Irene.
There was still no sign of hope.
The fox shuffled forward without life in her steps.
Thud, thud—
The sound of many footsteps echoed through the cold air.
As she thought of last night’s screams still echoing in her ears, dread began to settle in her heart.
A bitter laugh escaped her lips.
“Haha…”
In the end, was she just a child after all?
She wanted to collapse right there on the floor.
She wanted to cry out for her master and sob.
No, anyone would do.
She just wanted someone to save her from this place.
—You never know! Maybe someone will show up like a prince on a white horse to rescue us.
She had dismissed those words as nonsense back then, but now she needed them.
If her life were to end like this, she would have far too many regrets.
A prince on a white horse.
A dream she had never even wished for as a child, now desperately longed for with death just around the corner.
Her stomach churned, making it hard to stay on her feet.
“...Save me.”
A whisper that would never be heard.
She was nearing the end of the corridor.
Once they opened the door and descended the stairs, there would be no turning back.
Irene’s shoulders trembled.
Thud—
Her long walk came to a halt.
One of the guards reached for the door leading to the lab.
And in that moment of despair.
“Not another step.”
Shhk—!
The guards’ heads suddenly flew into the air.
A clean slicing sound followed, and the severed heads of the black magicians tumbled to the floor.
Thud, thud—!
“...?!”
Irene gasped in shock at the sudden scene.
As her knees buckled, and she began to fall, a hand reached out and caught her from behind.
The arms that held her were gentle, cradling her softly.
“I finally found you.”
A familiar voice whispered in her ear.
Though it seemed impossible, Irene turned her head to look.
There, standing before her, was a boy with golden hair.
His white eyes curved into a soft smile.
“Miss Irene.”
“...”
Was she dreaming?
The one person she had never expected to see was standing right in front of her.
“I’m here to rescue you.”
The boy whispered sweetly.
Irene stared at him in a daze.
And at the same time, a wave of inexplicable relief washed over her.
The despair that had darkened her world moments ago melted away, replaced by a new light that painted everything in color.
It was a beautiful sight.
“You…”
Still dazed, Irene let herself fall fully into the serpent’s arms.
Her voice trembled, soaked with emotion.
“...Why did you take so long?”
“I’m sorry.”
Hot tears fell from her eyes.
The boy gently wiped them away. His hands were warm as they touched her cheeks.
He was endlessly kind.
“Everything is okay now.”
“...”
“You did so well. Leave the rest to me.”
In the dark corridor.
Irene clung tightly to the boy’s body, as if refusing to let him go.
She buried her face in his warm chest.
And the serpent quietly embraced the fox in return.
“I’m so glad you’re safe.”
“...”
The two of them stood there like that for a long time.
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]