Mebius World Online – Mari’s VRMMO Diary, Embarking on a Laid-back Adventure as a Novice - Chapter 95
This is a full dive VR game right? Right?
Intermission_one after another
95. Mari-nee and a certain mother’s past story (part 2)
I originally lived in a small village far away from that city.
In that sparsely populated village, my parents ran a small general store.
While my father mainly went out for purchases, he often ended up doing errands and deliveries for the villagers, making our store more like a traveling merchant’s shop.
I also accompanied my father on purchases several times, and the different scenery outside the village filled me with excitement as a child.
The change in those peaceful days came when I turned twelve.
When my father returned from a purchase, there was a small boy clinging to his leg.
It seemed that there had been a tragedy in the family they were visiting for purchases, leaving this child alone.
Seeing that nobody was extending a helping hand, my father, unable to bear it, volunteered to take care of him.
My mother, although astonished, chuckled and said, “Well, it can’t be helped.”
Yes, my father truly couldn’t help himself.
Although we didn’t have much to spare, he couldn’t ignore people in need, being the soft-hearted person he was.
Troublesome as he was, both my mother and I were undoubtedly influenced by him.
We were indeed a troubled family.
As the child of such a father, I approached the boy with fearful eyes and said,
“I’m Retya. From today, I’m your family and your sister. Nice to meet you!”
Taking the bewildered boy’s hand, that day, I showed him around the entire village.
The exhausted boy collapsed, and although I was scolded severely by my mother later, let’s just leave that as a fond memory.
Several years passed, and the boy had grown much taller than me without me even realizing it.
It felt unnatural to still call him a boy, he seemed more like a young man now.
Both he and I were at an age where we were starting to think about marriage in the village.
In fact, he had been confessed to by a young woman in the village before, but he earnestly told me, “I turned her down because I want to learn about merchant quickly.”
I, too, had similar proposals, but I turned them all down for the same reason as him.
At that time, seeing tangible results from hard work was more enjoyable than anything else for me.
Though busy, with the cooperation of our family of four, our life gradually became richer.
“If we save up a bit more money, maybe moving to the city and opening a shop would be a good idea. It’s all thanks to you for becoming part of the family,” my father said one drunken night, sporting a mix of a troubled and happy expression as he laughed.
My mother would say, “It’s like a fairy tale,” as she patted my father’s head, but her eyes were gentle.
I think that was the happiest moment of my life up until then.
However, happiness crumbled in an instant.
That night, the village was attacked by numerous monsters.
Amidst the screams, my parents nodded to each other, then pulled out all the preserved food from a small hiding space under the floorboards and pushed me and him inside instead.
We understood that they were trying to hide us from the monsters, but there was no room for both of my parents to fit in there.
“What about Mom and Dad!?”
“Your mother and I will help the others. You two stay put quietly. No need to worry. With my merchant’s legs, I’ve never lost in a footrace,” my father said.
“You, don’t brag about that, okay?”
As my mother gave a wry smile and closed the floorboards, she tossed a leather pouch toward us just before it sealed shut.
“Since there might be people with ill intentions, I trust you, my daughter and son, more than anyone else,” she said, showing that gentle gaze one last time before darkness enveloped the surroundings.
The forceful sound of the door opening and the ensuing silence.
After some time passed, the only sound that emerged was the footsteps of someone entering the house.
However, they were clearly not my parents’.
“Grrrrrr…”
Terrifying growls and the creaking of the floorboards made me tremble, and he hugged me tightly.
As the footsteps approached directly above us, we could hear the sound of chewing gradually fading away.
I assumed they were eating the preserved food left outside, but I was too consumed with fear to do anything but desperately wish for them to leave as soon as possible.
Eventually, the chewing sounds ceased, and there was a moment of silence…
I feared it was our turn next to face madness.
But each time, he held me tightly, preventing me from losing control.
Then, after what felt like an eternity, I noticed a faint light seeping through the cracks in the floorboards.
When he pushed the floorboards up with all his strength, the dazzling sunlight that streamed in made me instinctively close my eyes.
“Ugh… Retya, you should keep your eyes shut,” he said, showing concern for me.
I could tell that the situation outside must be terrible.
After all, the smell of blood permeated the air.
“…It’s okay.”
But I couldn’t afford to look away.
I thought I would regret it later if I didn’t witness it.
From then on, I worked together with him and a few others who survived in the village to bury the victims.
Many of the bodies were heavily damaged, making it impossible to identify them as human.
Among them were the bodies of my father and mother, who had come to such a state.
I still can’t articulate the sense of loss I felt at that moment.
I just remember collapsing in tears, overwhelmed by sadness and injustice.
Beside me, he cried too, but without stopping his hands from digging.
“I want to let them rest soon. That… my father and mother,” he said.
Watching him continue to dig while wiping away tears repeatedly, I finally realized that it wasn’t the time for us to be crying.
From then on, we worked together to ensure that my parents could rest peacefully and held a funeral for them.
Swearing to live for our parents’ sake…
After leaving the village, we eventually reached that city and managed to explain our situation, and somehow we were accepted.
The relief of knowing that we would no longer be attacked mixed with the anxiety of entering unfamiliar territory and the sorrow of losing our parents.
But when the gatekeeper asked about our relationship upon entering the city,
“What’s your relationship? Are you siblings?”
He unexpectedly revealed something.
“H-Husband and wife.”
My ears turned beet red, and his palm, holding my hand, was damp with sweat.
He seemed embarrassed or maybe afraid of my reaction, as he didn’t dare to look at me.
If that’s the case, he should just confirm my intentions properly.
But I understood that those were the words he could muster, his way of thinking about me, despite his embarrassment.
Truly, the men in my family are all so hopeless, it’s troublesome.
For a moment, I turned away from him and wiped away my tears.
Perhaps the tears washed away the turmoil in my heart, as I strangely felt calm. So when I turned back, I was able to continue brightly.
“Yes, we just got married this year. He’s a wonderful husband, you know?”
He was the most surprised by my words.
But why should he be surprised?
There will be many challenges ahead.
But if we’re together as a family, I believe we can overcome them.
So, be strong, won’t you?
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