CH 6

He couldn’t kill the monsters completely, but they also suffered serious injuries and ran away. It won’t come near the town for some time. Haron thought so.

‘… I wonder if they got to the town safely.’

He recalled the women who had left him behind. He had been a warrior for years, where he learned to save others. Especially that little blonde girl. The moment he saw the child’s kind and clear eyes, he was struck with the idea that he had to save her for some reason.

‘However… what bothers me more now…’

He managed to wipe the blood from his mouth, and then his head sank. The familiarness of pain and loneliness were mixed along the night as cold wind brushed his cheeks. The accumulated fatigue and pain were overlapping and made his eyelids heavy. For a moment, Haron leaned against a tree and tried to close his eyes for a while.

“… Are you alright?”

A warm light shined in the dark with a seductive voice that flowed like beads. A silver-haired woman who had abandoned him earlier, stood there.

“You… Why are you here?”

“I don’t know why I’m here.”

She approached him with a hair that seemed to be made of melted silver. Then, she slowly took out a handkerchief and pressed it onto his mouth to wipe off the blood. Haron worried for a moment what his dirty blood would stain her fine hands.

It may sound childish, but she was like an angel he had seen in a fairytale book when he was very young. She had shining red eyes like a jewel and her lips looked as sweet as cherry.

“Well, I guess I was worried about you.”

***

(Lucia’s pov)

I shouldn’t have pretended not to know. The first thing I thought about was the appearance of the warrior abandoned in the woods like a puppy in the rain. When I heard that Deran and Derakal were unable to kill him, I came to see how he was. I didn’t have any intention to kill him myself since it has been a while.

However, the warrior I encountered was so regretful that it made me think some time.

“It’s dangerous here, so stop… ugh.”

“Stay still. The wound is big.”

Whenever the warrior started speaking, blood flowed from the wound. The hem of his clothes were torn and stained with blood. An average person would’ve died from shock, or at least fainted by now.

‘Deran and Derakal didn’t hurt him that bad.’

At first glance, there are many small scratches, but most of them were light. What’s making his condition bad now were the wounds he had beforehand. It’s obvious that he hasn’t been properly treated, and he’s constantly getting hurt.

I hurriedly took out the healing foam from the basket I brought and poured it onto his wound. The amount was small because it was purchased in case Tina’s ankle wound was exposed. What I’m doing is only first aid. Whenever the foam flowed through his wounds, he frowned slightly.

“Are you sick?”

At my innocent question, he glanced at his side with a blank face for a moment, as if he was thinking about it. This can’t hurt that bad, so is he sick? I mercilessly poured the rest of the remaining foam. His face, which had been frowning, gradually loosened. Only then did he start talking.

“Why did you come back? What if there were other creatures…”

“I told you, I was worried about you.”

“…”

He was once again speechless by my answer, and there’s no other answer for me to give. I have spent a lot of time and affection while playing as the warrior in the game, and wondering what would happen if the main character was killed recklessly. It was a complicated emotion.

I searched the basket inside and found a small bottle of water. As I held it out to him, he stared at me blankly, not accepting it.

“What are you doing? Don’t you have the strength to drink it yourself? Or do I need to feed it to you?”

“Oh, it’s… it’s not that.”

The warrior blushed and took the water bottle. As soon as he opened it, it was like seeing a sea of hungry vultures as he devoured the water.

“Can you move now?”

“It’s impossible right now… but thanks to your help, I think I can get up soon. Thank you very much.”

The warrior’s polite thank-you speech made me laugh. Of course, it wasn’t intended to ridicule him. It was just… funny, to thank someone who you also might kill one day. When he looked curiously at me, I shook my hands.

“Ah. I’m just thankful to hear that from the warrior who will save the world.”

“… You already knew who I was.”

“Ah.”

I’m an idiot. I rubbed my cheek as a result. The warrior hasn’t introduced himself yet, and since I already knew his appearance, he then popped out of nowhere on his own. I then added roughly as if I were in a hurry to say something.

“You’re famous. I glanced at you while working at the castle a while back.”

“Oh, I see. I’m sorry I didn’t know.”

“No it’s fine. You meet so many people unlike me.”

Fortunately, the warrior looked convinced at my story and nodded. It was a good thing I overheard those stories at the bar. He dropped his head for a moment as if lost in thought, and opened his mouth carefully.

“… If you knew I was the warrior, did you come all the way here to save me?”

“Yes.”

“… How come?”

“… What?”

I blinked my eyes blankly on the spot. The warrior’s expression looked really strange, and I started to feel embarrassed. What. Is there a law that says you can’t save a warrior? At my confused expression, the warrior’s face slightly reddened and he quickly shook his head.

“No, I’m saying what you did was wrong… but no one else has ever come back to save me. I only asked because I was amazed.”

“Hmm, really?”

…Come think of it, it never happened. In the past, I used to complete countless quests as him everywhere in the game, but when I asked for help, no one ever came. I glanced at him again.

“You must be upset.”

“I’m not upset… I was just doing what I had to do, and there was no sympathy or compassion…”

“You’re just throwing yourself away fighting like this.”

I reached out and lightly touched his injured abdomen and he flinched.

…Ah, I only did it to see how much it has healed. I only used a small amount of foam, but the recovery speed was quite fast.

“The warrior goes everywhere to save others, but no one helps…”

I murmured without thinking and suddenly I felt more emotional.

“… Well, life is so pathetic. Right?”

“… What?”

The warrior asked back in a dazed voice. Whether he answered or not, I kept mumbling to myself.

“That’s how it is. When you want something, you lie flat on your stomach and if you don’t get it, you’ll go crazy.”

Treating people with goodwill was a truth that transcends reality and fantasy. At first, the warrior seemed to be embarrassed by my blunt words, but soon became surprised at the content of my words.

Most people would think of the warrior as an image that is treated very well and lives in respect. But I knew from when I played the game, he almost died in all of the quests. Except it’s not a game, but reality. He wasn’t a warrior, he was more like a slave. I then spoke in a quieter and lower voice.

“Do only what you want to do. It’s okay, because no one deserves to say something against that.”

I said this in a more casual remark to comfort him, who had suffered a lot.

“You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. It’s okay if you just quit.”

If you don’t come to the Devil’s Castle, I would be very peaceful. A smile formed at the corners of my mouth without me realizing it. But, what I didn’t know at that time was the words I had lightly said will have an impact later on.