CHAPTER 629: CHAPTER 140: STRANGE MEMORIES

Bologue shifted to the side, making space for Aimou. The two sat at the back of the train, swinging their legs like children, watching as the train tossed sand and dust behind, disappearing from view.

Since meeting the astronaut, Bologue could be sure that his "past life" was nothing like he thought it was. His journey through time had intricate links with the Devil.

From Bologue’s perspective, he saw his "past life" as another world. He suspected that he had crossed the world’s barriers with the Devil’s power, arriving in this world and being reborn here.

"At first, my life was very ordinary, as ordinary as the multitude of people."

Bologue omitted parts about his "past life" that even he couldn’t understand, choosing instead to recount the life of Bologue Lazarus to Aimou from the beginning.

"According to the current geographical divisions, I was born in a small, obscure town within the Rhine Alliance Territory.

The town was truly unremarkable, so much so that many maps didn’t mark its location. Children who left home could only find their way back through memory."

As Bologue talked about these things, his voice softened. He leaned back, supporting himself with his hands on the ground and half-tilted his head up.

"Next to the town, there was a forest full of redwood trees, densely clustered together, their thick foliage blocking all light. Even during the day, the depths of the forest were as dark as night.

The town originally had no name, but because of the redwood forest, over time, people started calling it Redwood Town. Redwood Town was small; you could usually walk around it in no time.

Living next to the forest, most people in the town worked as lumberjacks, laboriously chopping down trees and waiting for traders to come and transport them out of the town in exchange for money."

Aimou pulled back her legs, sat hugging her knees beside Bologue, and listened intently.

"Just like everyone else in the town, my father was also a lumberjack. He left home early in the morning and wouldn’t return until evening, exhausted every day."

When mentioning these things, Bologue found the memories slightly blurry, followed by an inescapable sense of unfamiliarity.

"Even though he was a lumberjack, he wasn’t brawny, he actually looked a bit frail. Yet, this frail body could wield a heavy ax to fell huge redwoods. People said he was like a forged iron bar.

My mother was never in good health, so she didn’t go out to work. Instead, she handled affairs at home, and liked to knit when resting, functioning somewhat as a tailor, as all the clothes at home were made by her."

Bologue recalled without any expression.

"I was born into such a family.

I matured a bit early. As a child, I was quite different from peers. While they were running around playing, I was learning to read. When they couldn’t even write basic words, I already had the ability to read most books."

Bologue couldn’t help but mature early, for he was born with the memories of his "past life." The heavy burden made him incompatible with everything in Redwood Town.

To figure out everything, young Bologue diligently studied knowledge about this world, attempting to find some clues.

"Perhaps because I matured early, my family didn’t really know how to interact with me. In their words... I wasn’t like a child.

Similarly, kids in town were afraid of me, calling me a freak."

Bologue was silent for a moment, self-mockingly saying, "Maybe I really am a freak."

"Some of them would bully me, relying on their stronger physiques. Sometimes I could escape, but other times I’d be cornered and beaten."

Aimou was surprised. She never expected Bologue to have such a past and was about to comfort him when Bologue said something that shocked her even more.

"I didn’t have much thought about it, just treating it as childish mischief. I had no interest in squabbling with a bunch of kids, as that seemed quite undignified.

But patience is limited. After they bullied me many times, I realized it was time to teach them a lesson.

One day, just like usual, they came after me. I intentionally led them into the depths of the forest, and when it turned completely dark, that’s when they started to feel fear."

Bologue had a nuanced expression, seeming to enjoy his recollection, "No matter how strong the flesh, it’s not as hard as a rock. I picked up a rock and bashed their heads until they bled."

"Of course, it brought a lot of trouble afterward, but luckily they never dared to bother me again, and the people in town feared me even more."

Bologue laughed helplessly, "But my parents still loved me. Knowing I liked reading, my father often asked visiting traders to bring all sorts of books, even though he and my mother couldn’t read."

Recalling these things, Bologue remembered something funny, "My father got cheated by traders a few times. They claimed those books were about history, but they were actually collages of newspapers."

"My life before the military was roughly like that, reading, studying, helping around the house when needed, with monotonous days repeating one after another."

Bologue asked, "Pretty boring, right? Not the kind of life I was supposed to have at all."

"But life is like that. Monotony and boredom are the main themes," Aimou said, "We, going through perilous adventures, are the true freaks."

Bologue laughed.

Aimou took a deep breath and said nervously, "Bologue, actually... was your childhood really terrible?"

"Why would you say that?"

"When you mentioned your parents, you emphasized that they loved you, but your expression was stiff, like you were recounting the story of a stranger."

Aimou said, "I know you wouldn’t lie to me, so this isn’t a lie, but your true emotion is just like that."

Bologue fell into silence, blankly gazing at the tracks beneath, which extended continuously until they disappeared in the distant horizon of vision.

The silence lasted for a long time, until Aimou felt she had misspoken and was preparing to apologize.

"In my childhood, for a long period, I felt a strong sense of unfamiliarity and resistance toward my parents and even this world."

Bologue tried to confess his inner feelings, "I don’t belong to this world."

"Interestingly, I could sense the same emotions from my parents. They loved me, but there was a sense of unfamiliarity towards me as well. We rarely confided in each other, and deep exchanges were scarce. Even with blood ties, there remained a sense of distance.

Rather than family, we were more like close friends, but no matter how close, always keeping a safe distance."

Bologue understood that his "past life" was influencing him at that time, continuously reminding him that this wasn’t his world, making him a complete stranger to it.

As for his parents...

Bologue was reluctant to delve into those matters... No matter how he regarded them, they were his parents.

That’s undeniably true.

"To be honest, I’ve somewhat forgotten their appearances, maybe it really has been too long."

Bologue tried hard to remember, but his mind was left with blurred images, along with memories from those years.

"My life feels too fractured; I even get the sense that my pre-military self wasn’t really me, but rather a pleasant dream, a jumbled illusion."

Aimou said, "I had a similar feeling."

"I always dream of another me, dream of her life... Later, I realized that was Alice, echoes left by her soul."

"Sounds quite similar," Bologue continued, "After staying in the Black Prison for so long, my brain isn’t as sharp. What I’ve told you is, in fact, all I can recall from my pre-military life."

Bologue suspected the light may have scorched his brain.

"I can’t recall the details, like a dream fading quickly from memory upon waking, leaving only traces for recollection."

Aimou joked, "Perhaps it really was a dream?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Because you’re a Debtor, strange things happening to Debtors aren’t surprising, given the Devil’s malicious humor," Aimou imagined, "You also mentioned you can’t recall the content of the transaction."

Bologue said nothing, his sluggish thoughts racing, following Aimou’s joke. But before going too far, Aimou interrupted.

Aimou asked, "After being released, did you go back home to visit?"

"No, as I said, I was born in a remote town, hardly marked on maps, and according to the Rhine Alliance’s official records, there’s no such place as Redwood Town."

Bologue spoke as if narrating a fairy tale, "A child away from home can only find the way back through memories... I’ve already forgotten them, not to mention sixty-seven years have passed. Everything has changed, maybe the boundless Redwood Forest has long turned into cultivated fields."

"As for my parents..."

Bologue paused slightly, then said, "I try not to think about these things."

Aimou observed Bologue’s expression; he remained indifferent and cold, but this time there was sadness in his eyes.

She understood, sixty-seven years might be a brief moment for the Undead, but for humans, it might be their entire lifetime.

Some things don’t need to be overthought.

Aimou comforted, "I think the Lazarus couple would bless you."

Bologue murmured, "Lazarus couple?"

"What’s wrong?"

"Nothing, my parents’ surname isn’t Lazarus, they don’t have a surname."

Aimou was somewhat puzzled. She had learned from books that because of different cultural regions, some people don’t have surnames. But obviously, Bologue does have a surname, this odd Lazarus.

Bologue slapped his cheeks forcefully, trying to clear his mind.

"Both my parents were war orphans, without family, illiterate, and nameless."

"I was surprised when I found out, curious about how they could give me such a name."

Bologue recalled that unfamiliar time.

"My parents said, my name wasn’t given by them, but chosen by a friend of theirs."

Bologue muttered his name softly.

"Bologue Lazarus."