Chapter 7 Salvation

"..." The swordsman didn't reply instantly. The girl's gaze dropped down.

Yup, I thought, why'd they save me? They're just my bullies.

What then came off his mouth had me immensely surprised. "...Save him? I'll try that."

My eyes rounded in utter surprise as my jaw dropped open. "Hah?" I was astonished.

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"Go now."

And she went away. Did I actually misjudge them ever since the beginning? Uh? I feel so stupid now. They were only trying to save me? God, I should have understood that. How clueless do I have to be? Saving me in a weird, elaborate manner, I'll give you that… but still, if they were trying to help, I behaved wrongfully. I thought I'd be saved by them in the first place… but then I spoiled everything by being ungrateful.

Stopping the course of my feet, I watched the girl exit from the backdoor of the main hall of that restaurant. After she left, and after much consideration, I shook my head.

"God, I was wrong." There was just me and the father now. I turned my face to his and bowed my head. "I'm sorry I misjudged you—" Just as I was about to say that, however, reality caught up with me. For the third time, the swordsman dashed through space. This time, he was headed right toward me. I couldn't even finish my apology.

And what followed was my first lesson on life. I felt a tightened grip upon my throat. A stifled cry was squeezed out of my mouth. And without me realizing it, I was now hanging up in the air. What was more, it was all only due to the human's absurd strength. My legs kept moving on their own when I suffocated. "L-Let go…" I tried to speak, but it was in vain. Everything seriously went too quickly. Panic took hold of my heart.

The man was cold. So cold. "Monster. Did you really think I'd just let you go after that? You forcibly take the boy's life, body, and future, and you just walk away?"

I was powerless and my situation was hopeless. As if I wasn't even worth the dust and trash accumulated under the man's boots, I was tossed to the ground. Again, a stifled cry of pain went out of my throat. Then I coughed, coughed, and coughed. Crap. It hurt a lot.

"Now I'm curious, monster," the man said. His hands dangerously crept up the hilt of his sword. "Who sent you to our Reinred Clan? What's your goal here?" What? I didn't have time to answer, yet other questions were shoved in my face. "What's your level? A 'low-level monster', she said. The mana leaking off of you… Clearly, you aren't some petty mindless beast, are you? You're high-level. Stop playing with me, you motherless bastard. Where are your manners? Don't look down on… I digress. Who sent you here? Who're you under?"

"W-What's it you're talking abou—Guh!" He kicked my stomach.

"Monster. Your manners. Don't play those games on me. Who sent you?"

"W-Weren't you guys…" I was heavily panting. Taking a break to catch my breath, my interlocutor didn't seem to question me further. After I caught my breath, here was my opportunity to protect myself. "...Weren't you people talking about… With your daughter, I mean… Saving me, no…?"

"Oh?" the man frowned. "Saving you, senseless beast? I, of the proud Reinred Clan, saving scum like you? Humph. Why, please don't make me laugh." I had no words for that. Only one thought gripped me at the moment. I knew nothing about life, but maybe all this was perfectly normal? Killing me, disposing of me like this. I didn't want to die, but maybe it was normal.

"You don't want to talk? Fair enough," the man unsheathed his sword. I tried to move out of harm's way, but I didn't feel the bottom half of my body very much right now. My arms alone weren't enough to get me moving. "Save you, you said. That's… all right. I'll make it quick. Death shall be the salvation you so much wish you had."

My face twisted in shock, but really, I expected that. That line made it pretty clear at least, though. But wasn't this whole misunderstanding going a little bit too far? Wait, was it even a misunderstanding to begin with? The man called me a motherless bastard with no manners and a "monster," too. Maybe he knew better than me.

The sword lifted up—I stretched a hand towards the man in defense—and it whipped out down to me. Slash. My right hand fell from its place. Blood gushed forth. My face was pale, pain carved deep into my features. For my first day, that was something. I watched my hand fall and heard it echo a light Thud onto the wooden tile of the place.

"Hm? Weak? Why? Do you not fight? Huh. As you wish, mindless beast. Weak it is, then. Weak." I looked up at him, listlessly, yet with distress. "Your face asks me, why is it that you die? You die because you're weak, monster. You decide to be weak."

It couldn't be helped, but I think the man was right. I was weak. Red blood tainted my pants and the ground. And then… wait, what, again? Another slash went off, this time, at my throat.

Hurriedly, I placed both hands on my throat—wait, but I remembered now that I lacked one hand. Whatever, I at least placed one hand on my throat in order to make the blood stop. My blood just poured out. Weak, powerless, helpless… Name it however you want: it was me.

Funnily enough, though, there didn't seem to be any more pain, now. Was I saved? No. That red paint still was going, man. My sense of sight became all blurred out, and I let myself sink to the ground, where I lay motionless.

This was only the beginning of my story, but after experiencing all of that, there were at least two facts I was sure of. First of all, right now, I was weak. Secondly, if I wanted to live, I needed to be powerful. I mean, this whole scene laid it out brilliantly to me. If I wasn't powerful, I was dead.

According to the blue writings from earlier, I had just started to be conscious, I think. I definitely remember someone—that feminine, slightly robotic voice—telling me that. Damn. I just got here… and now, that was it? Was I really just going to fade away like that?

No way. No way in hell. Over my dead body! Ah, but actually, yeah, no, my body was dead already. Not over my dead body then!

My larynx wasn't damaged despite the stroke I received. I could still speak. "I… can't accept… that…" But only the sound of my assailant's footsteps answered me in the sea of silence. He was going away after he cut me. He then came to a stop. So I stretched a hand and muttered some more words. "I… will… kill you…" I squeezed the words out painfully.

But I knew I was just being delusional. Just like that girl had been not too long ago, when she asked me whether I remembered her doing this and that or not.

I was dead. Or dead-to-be, for what it's worth. I just had to accept it anyway. That's the way. The only way. Thinking back on it, I really was lost, all things considered. And now, my life was all over…

—Suddenly though,

Ring!

❮ The current Receptacle's HPs are under 1%. As such, the current Receptacle is deemed defective. ❯

Huh? Did I hear that correctly?