I stared at Aurelia and the others for a long time. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
At that moment, recollections of my time with them flashed before my eyes.
They may have not been alive.
But to me, they were.
“…..You came back.”
It was a familiar voice that broke me out of my memories. Before I knew it, Leon was standing beside me, similarly staring at the scene with his usually stoic face.
“You were taking longer than I expected.”
He handed me something.
It was a small pearl.
“It pulsed not too long ago. That’s why I knew you were finally back.”
I grabbed the pearl.
It was a relic that belonged to the Evenus Households. Its purpose was to detect the general location of those it had locked on. In this case, me. With Leon being my knight and all, it was something that he naturally had.
If something were to happen to me, he’d be able to find me at any time.
“…”
I handed it back to him.
“You waited until now to ‘save’ me?”
“I thought you’d be fine without my help. You also looked like someone who didn’t need help.”
“You thought wrong.”
“…..Did I?”
Leon stared at the same scenery that I was looking at.
The citizens had already surrounded the dead bodies, with many of them embracing the loved ones they once knew.
I could hear their cries from where I stood.
They echoed loudly in my mind. Especially when I noticed the people surrounding the members of the first subjugation squads. There were a couple of elderly people and a few young kids.
“….Is this grandad?”
“Grandma?”
“Why do they look so young?”
“So pretty…”
For some strange reason, staring at the scene, I recalled a certain conversation that I had with Leon. One that I had not so long ago.
“You’re right, I guess.”
“…..?”
I felt Leon’s gaze from the side.
“About what?”
“What you said before to me. When we were sitting by the river.”
‘It doesn’t look like you want to die anymore.’
The words echoed in my mind once more.
“…..I think you’re right.”
“Think?”
“Yeah. Think.”
I didn’t understand what he had meant back then, but now I did. Staring at Aurelia and the others, it became clear to me.
Back then, the only reason I held on was because of my brother.
Even now, I still held on because of him. My goal still hasn’t changed. I still wanted to go back home to him.
But…
“Death…”
Perhaps, there was more to life than just my brother.
“…..Yeah, I don’t really want to die.”
That much became clear to me right now.
For once, I felt like life was worth living.
*
Things progressed quickly from there.
The corpses were all moved away, and the town became quiet again. I felt the cadet’s eyes on me as I walked.
They were clearly curious as to how I had managed to survive, but before any of them could question me, I was dragged away from the scene.
“Tell me more about the situation.”
I was currently sitting in a small room with the unfamiliar man.
He introduced himself as Captain Reijnder. Despite the pressure that was coming out of his body, I didn’t feel intimidated.
Compared to Aurelia and the Rock Dragon, it was hardly anything.
“….Accompanying a Terror Rank Hellhound, there’s a Rock Dragon. I am not entirely sure about its strength, but it’s definitely stronger than the Hellhound.”
While the Rock Dragon was most probably also Terror Rank, it was after all a Dragon.
I wasn’t very familiar with the concept of Dragons in this world, but it was safe to assume that they were a tier above regular monsters.
“It is currently under a strong spell. However, the spell won’t last for long.”
In fact, it was already almost on the verge of breaking.
“There isn’t much time. If reinforcements don’t come, then…”
I didn’t need to finish my sentence.
My meaning was clear.
“…”
The silence that accompanied my statement also served to indicate that the Captain could tell the gravity of the situation.
“Is there anything else that I need to take note of?”
“The area is saturated with the [Curse] element. It’s best if you bring someone competent with [Curse] magic. It’ll be more beneficial when dealing with the Rock Dragon.”
One of the reasons why my spell was able to help Aurelia in sealing the Rock Dragon was because of how dense the surroundings were with the [Curse] element.
If not for that, this would’ve never been possible.
“Right, I am already aware of that.”
Captain Reijnder stood up from his seat.
“…I’ll request the Empire to bring a few more curse specialists. It’ll make things less troublesome.”
Pressing his hand against the table, he deeply looked at me.
“You did well.”
He said I did well…
“If what you said is true, you potentially saved me, and my squad.”
“…”
I sat quietly without saying a word.
“The same is true for everyone within the town. You’ve saved everyone.”
“…”
“Take a rest. You deserve it.”
The Captain smiled before turning around and heading for the door. Before he left, his steps paused and he looked at me.
“…..It’s a pity you aren’t a knight.”
And then he left.
“…..”
I sat there in silence unsure of what to do.
“I saved everyone…?”
Muttering to myself, I laughed.
While true, I hadn’t done what I did with the intent of saving everyone.
The only one that I cared to save was myself.
But it turned out like this.
“It’s funny.”
The misunderstanding.
It was a funny misunderstanding.
“Haa…”
Rubbing my forehead, I stood up and left the room. The cold yet again pierced my skin. It didn’t really bother me.
Rather, I was starting to grow used to it.
“…..Are you done?”
Coming out of the building, a certain someone greeted me at the entrance.
“Professor Hollowe?”
Leon was also next to him.
“What are you doing here?”
“Nothing, I just wanted to check up on you.”
“You did?”
How kind of him.
I opened my arms and showed him my body.
“As you can see, while I’m a bit battered up, I’m doing fine.”
“I see, that’s good.”
He looked relieved.
It was strange, but I could more or less understand why he was acting this way.
“You made the right decision.”
“…Yes?”
He tilted his head in confusion.
“To not save me. It was the right decision.”
“….!”
I’d have done the same if I had been in his position.
At the same time, it was also my fault. Back then, I had gambled with my own life. The citizens may not have noticed given that they wanted to stop the zombies from entering the town, but looking through the memories of each citizen, I realized something.
The zombies.
They never attacked anyone.
They just mindlessly tried to force their way into the town. Even if the citizens noticed, what else could they have done besides stop them?
That was why I didn’t react back then and allowed myself to be swallowed up by them.
It was a gamble that ultimately paid off.
Still, it was ultimately my decision and if I were to have died, it would’ve all been on me.
“You had to prioritize the lives of the other cadets. I get it.”
“No, it’s—”
“There’s something I’m curious about, though.”
I cut him off before he could continue.
He stopped to look at me.
“…If I were to have died, would you have taken my body back?”
“…..”
He stood in silence before nodding his head.
“Yes. That much, I would’ve done for you.”
“I see.”
It was nice to know.
Thinking about the last scene of the journey, I sort of realized why Aurelia stubbornly kept bringing the zombies back to this town.
While it was true that everyone was dead, closure only came after the bodies returned.
It was a meaningless act, and yet…
It carried such importance to those that were affected.
Although I wasn’t sure about who’d feel that way about me, perhaps, the parents of the previous Julien would’ve felt better seeing his body return to them.
It was just some random thoughts that I had.
Meaningless thoughts.
“Although it doesn’t happen often, cadets die on occasion. It is inevitable given the world we live in.”
“…..”
“Had your body not been in good condition, we would’ve cremated it before sending it back to your parents.”
Cremated?
My finger twitched all of a sudden.
As if sensing my reaction, Professor Hollowe cocked his head.
“What is it?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
I turned my head to look away.
It was fucking stupid.
“I see. I won’t push you to—”
“Urn it.”
I muttered quietly.
“….Um?”
Pursing my lips, I shook my head and looked away. But just as the Professor was about to speak again, I found myself cutting him off.
“The cremation. Did I Urn it?”
“…..!”
As if realizing what had happened, the Professor’s eyes widened.
Taking a step back, he pointed at me.
His expression seemed to say, ‘No you did not.’
Looking back at him, I held onto my mouth. My shoulders were shaking, but I couldn’t help it. It was just… there.
The chances were too good for me to pass.
Or so I thought as I stopped smiling the moment the Professor’s expression turned extremely serious.
“Oh.”
Briefly, I started to regret my actions.
“You…”
The look of disapproval from Professor Hollowe was clear to see.
“….You should be ash-amed of yourself.”
“….!”
It was my turn to step back.
He similarly stepped back.
He did not…
“You’re good.”
“…..You’re still too young to deal with the likes of me.”
“So it seems…”
Despite my appearance, I was technically twenty-four years old. I was proud of my jokes. But it became clear to me that there were mountains behind hills.
I hated to admit it, but he got me.
“Damn it.”
It pissed me off.
I was just about to say something else when I paused.
I felt my expression change.
The hell…
“….Hm?”
As if noticing my strange reaction, Professor Hollowe turned his head. His eyes eventually fell on the same thing I was looking at, and his expression changed.
“…..!”
He couldn’t help it.
Leaning against the outside wall of a building, Leon looked at the sky with a hollow expression. He looked no different than the zombies from before.
His face was pale, and for a moment, I thought I saw his soul leave his body.
“Hey! Hey! Are you okay…!?”
Professor Hollowe shook his body, but it was no use.
Leon was completely unresponsive.
“What’s going on—”
“He’s fine.”
“Fine? What do you mean fine? Can’t you see his eyes!? They’re so—”
“Hollowe?”
“…..!”
Professor Hollowe’s eyes widened as he let go of Leon.
This time, it was his turn to look defeated.
I was about to continue when a dripping sound caught my attention.
Drip. Drip…!
When I turned to look at the source, my eyes widened. So did the Professor’s as he hastily grabbed onto Leon’s shoulders and wiped the corner of his mouth with his handkerchief, staining it red.
“Crap…! Hold on!”
Hmm, okay.
Maybe it was serious.