GDTEA Chapter 27

Wasn’t Sharti being threatened, unable to even cry out to stop?

At Ren’s growling sound of anger, Dodindt felt his heart shrink.

The thought that he had messed with someone more ferocious than a mother bear was etched into his mind.

Dodindt struggled to survive.

“S-sorry! I didn’t know the woman had a man, aaagh!!”

“Why apologize to me? Ah, is it because there’s nothing in your head, so you’re just spitting out whatever comes to mind?”

“Owk!! T-that’s not… ugh!! Gaaah!!”

Ren’s voice was calm, without variation in pitch.

The emotionless voice, devoid of coldness or heat, was even more chilling.

With his face swollen and eyes half-closed, Dodindt met the teal-colored eyes and wished he could just pass out.

“I-I don’t want to die!! P-please!! Aaah!! S-spare me, please!!”

Giving up on blocking Ren’s fists, Dodindt put his hands together and begged desperately.

Ren tilted his head slightly.

“I won’t kill you.”

He couldn’t kill even someone like this.

Killing a person would truly make him a murderer.

An amnesiac murderer. That would be a burden to Sharti.

“I’ll stop just before you die, so shut your mouth. I don’t want to hear it.”

As Ren raised his fist again, Dodindt thought it might be better to bite his tongue and die.

In that instant, Dodindt mulled over what Ren had said.

With his eyes tightly shut before Ren’s fist that was about to shatter his nose, Dodindt sensed his end and shouted as loudly as he could, his voice strained.

“That woman spoke too!!”

“…….”

His gamble worked. Ren’s fist, more destructive than a bear’s paw, stopped right in front of him.

Looking at the teal eyes that had darkened as if absorbing the darkness, Dodindt trembled.

Yet in his mind, he was only scheming how to distract Ren and escape.

“Y-you didn’t know, did you? Keh, you’ve been completely deceived by that woman. Cough… Kugh, she deceived the villagers saying she was born unable to speak or something!”

“…….”

The muscles that had been tense with Ren’s anger gradually relaxed.

It looked as if Ren was stunned by the betrayal.

Dodindt clutched his crushed jaw and cautiously looked around.

“…Deceived?”

Ren’s voice, muttering to himself, was trembling with confusion.

‘…Sha can speak?’

Of course, it was absurd to believe the words of someone as worthless as Dodindt. Above all, there was no way to verify immediately whether Dodindt’s words were true or not.

But the more Ren pondered Dodindt’s words, the more confused he became.

‘Not that she can’t, but that she chooses not to…’

Ren recalled Sharti communicating through writing.

It was difficult to hear even a sleep-talk or a small moan from Sharti.

Ren’s brow furrowed.

‘Why?’

He could understand her living with her face hidden. It was a secret, her personal matter.

But her voice was something he couldn’t comprehend.

Ren’s eyes began to distort.

‘Even in dangerous situations… she didn’t call for me.’

While being able to speak.

Recalling the trembling Sharti, Ren’s face contorted.

“…….”

Dodindt glanced at the motionless Ren. He needed to escape now.

Sneering at how betrayed Ren must feel, being bewitched by a pretty woman, Dodindt was about to slip away when—

Whump!! Without even a glance, Ren delivered a short, powerful blow to Dodindt’s solar plexus.

Dodindt collapsed with foam at his mouth.

“I should have aimed for the throat, but I missed.”

Ren sat in front of the unconscious Dodindt and raised his eyebrows in bewilderment.

Distracted by thoughts of Sharti, his concentration had wavered, and he had struck the solar plexus instead of the throat.

First, Ren hastily stripped Dodindt of his clothes.

‘Since he heard Sha’s voice, I should take him with me.’

Dodindt had completely misunderstood.

Ren didn’t feel betrayed by Sharti.

Rather, his murderous intent toward Dodindt, who had heard a voice that even he had never heard, only grew stronger.

“Phew…….”

After stuffing Dodindt’s mouth with his stripped clothes, Ren also tied his wrists and ankles.

Stretching his stiff muscles and cracking his neck, Ren gazed up at the sky.

As if foretelling the intrusion of an unwelcome visitor, the gloomy sky showed neither rain nor thunder.

Only the cold wind reflected his chilled heart.

“…Sha.”

He needed to hurry back.

Hoisting Dodindt over his shoulder, Ren grew anxious.

Before he knew it, he was running back to the log cabin even faster than when he had been chasing Dodindt.

Haa. Arriving at the old log cabin, Ren threw Dodindt to the ground carefully so as not to startle Sharti.

“…….”

Creeak. Opening the door and entering the house, Ren was struck speechless.

The house was in disarray, as if a thief had broken in.

‘Could it be…!’

Could Dodindt’s gang be hiding?

As Ren hurriedly headed toward the bedroom, he heard movement through the slightly open door of the herb room.

Seeing Sharti in her familiar robe, Ren released the breath he had been holding.

However, as he opened the door to the herb room, Ren instinctively frowned.

“…What are you doing?”

Sharti was frantically sweeping herbs, mixture records, books, ointments, and whatever she could reach into a bag.

She didn’t seem to notice that Ren had returned.

“What on earth are you…”

It looked as if she was about to go somewhere, as if she was running away.

As Ren strode toward Sharti, she flinched.

Clang—. One of the medicine bottles she had been gathering fell to the floor and shattered.

Sharti hid her trembling hands inside her robe and lowered her head.

“…Sha—.”

As Ren approached, Sharti backed away in terror.

Seeing her pull her hood tightly, Ren lowered his outstretched hand.

Her fearful, guarded appearance now overlapped with what he had seen in the cave.

“…….”

He should have comforted her. He should have reassured her not to be afraid, told her that he had captured Dodindt who had threatened her.

But as always, the beginning of clumsy expression started with raw emotions pouring out.

“What are you trying to do in that state? Are you trying to run away?”

“…….”

“Why, do you dislike talking to me that much? You dislike shouting to call me, you dislike answering my questions, you just dislike conversing with me?”

Looking at Sharti, who remained silent, Ren gritted his teeth.

Her indifference seemed to deny his usefulness.

The fact that he was ultimately nothing to her made him feel powerless.

His chest boiled with hurt and anger toward Sharti, who wouldn’t rely on him even at times like this.

“Ah, right. In your eyes, I still look like trash who would threaten you if I found a weakness. That’s why you never let me hear your voice.”

“…!”

Sharti’s back hit the wall as she retreated.

Ren looked down at her and rubbed his face.

He felt pathetic for clinging to Sharti as if he were something to her, and for only being able to speak to her in such a manner.

“I’m just a patient, after all. Since I’m in a position to unilaterally receive protection and help from you, I have no right to ask or question. But at least, couldn’t you consider communicating with me, even in writing? Without any explanation about why you didn’t ask for my help, why you couldn’t call me, are you preparing to run away instead of…”

Breathing heavily and venting his excitement, Ren let out a deflated self-mockery.

In truth, right now, he wanted to examine Sharti to make sure she wasn’t hurt.

He wanted to gently ask why she hadn’t called him while comforting her anxiety.

He wanted to tell her trembling figure that it was okay. That even without her calling, he had come, so she shouldn’t worry.

Despite knowing that he should wait for her and comfort her first, he found himself selfishly and clumsily pushing Sharti, contrary to his heart’s wishes.

‘I’m acting as if I’m somebody. Spouting presumptuous words.’

Gathering his jumbled emotions, Ren roughly swept back his sweaty bangs.

“…All the way back here, I was thinking of saying I’m sorry for finding you in danger too late, that I was worried about you. …But, ha, I’m sorry. I was acting no different from that guy, deserving the same treatment.”

Ren turned his back on her.

The thought that Sharti wouldn’t change even if faced with the same danger in the future made his strength drain away.

Having crossed the line, he had nothing to say even if Sharti were to drive him out now.

“For now, outside…”

“Th-this…”

Ren’s footsteps halted at the unfamiliar timbre.

Sharti murmured, covering her mouth with both hands.

Trying to stifle, even a little, her terrible frog-like voice.

“I didn’t want to let you hear this, this voice…”

“…….”

Large teal eyes turned to look at Sharti.

Her shoulders trembled as if sobbing.

“That’s right. I didn’t want to call Ren. Unlike Ren who lost his memories, I know my identity. I remember why I have to live in hiding, why I have to conceal my identity. I live anticipating days like today. Every day when I open my eyes, I live imagining that I might face someone threatening me.”

Her terribly suppressed crying sounded like a monster’s voice.

To make such a long, such a verbose terrible sound was so shameful and resentful.

But she couldn’t stop.

The ancient pain she had been desperately suppressing was overflowing.

With reddened eyes, Sharti lifted her head abruptly and glared at Ren.

“You ask if I liked being threatened? I… I was confident I could handle it alone. Because everyone avoids me when they hear my voice! They cover their ears saying it’s horrifying! I was confident I could subdue him at that moment!”

“…….”

As Ren hesitated, this time Sharti took a step toward him.

Ren had done nothing wrong. He had made no mistakes. So this was purely Sharti venting her anger.

It was just a pitiful struggle, desperately flailing to hide her weak and unsightly wounds.

“I am not righteous, nor weak, nor stupid! If you hadn’t appeared, I would have, with my own hands, not left the enemy threatening me alone!”

Anger and grief welled up in her chest, mixing chaotically into resentment.

Ren couldn’t say anything.

Her moist eyes shining crimson looked like the sun blazing.

The vivid anger she displayed sent a shiver through him.

“Such a terrible voice is only useful for that purpose. I hid it because I didn’t want to reveal, or be newly reminded, that I have such a terrible voice…”

“Why?”

“…….”

“It’s not terrible at all.”

Sharti stared blankly at Ren.

Ren was looking at her, blinking his eyes vacantly.

“I like it. Sha, your voice.”

Sharti frowned.

She couldn’t understand what he was saying now.

“Wh-what are you talking about…”

Belatedly turning her head, Sharti lowered her voice again.

“Since I have no memories, I don’t remember other people’s voices either, so I have no voices to compare it to.”

“…There’s no need to compare. Even a child would know my voice is terrible just by hearing it.”

“Well. Maybe because my head is broken, it just sounds a bit unique to me.”

“…….”

Ren’s face crinkled as he gave a faint smile.

“Rather, I wanted to hear a voice calling my name.”

“…!”

It was nonsense.

It was clearly meant as a consolation.

Of course, Sharti didn’t believe it. She wasn’t naive enough to want to believe his words.

“It’s true. We promised, no lying.”

Ren was calmly saying that when he injured his head, his hearing must have been damaged too.

Sharti was speechless and couldn’t immediately refute.

For a moment, she was a little persuaded.

‘…It’s because of those eyes!’

Since the moment he heard her terrible voice, his teal eyes had grown round and continued to sparkle with a clear light.

They seemed genuinely happy, causing Sharti’s expression to lose its determination.

The sharp emotions that had extended toward Ren gradually settled.

She didn’t feel the need to react sensitively to his unbelievable words.

‘It’s just lip service and empty words anyway.’

Neither Vireta nor Virena had said similar things after hearing Sharti’s voice.

Ren wouldn’t be any different.

‘It sounded so horrible even to my ears, how disgusting must it be to others.’

She had abandoned hope and expectations long ago.

Sharti swallowed her bitterness.