Chapter 40 – Confrontation

Confrontation

The room reeked of mustiness.

The girl opened her eyes.
In truth, her eyes had been open all along. She wasn’t one to faint easily. A body needs to be somewhat resilient, after all.
Yet, she had fainted during the second teleportation.
It was due to her sensitivity to magic.

The dried blood on her lips was irritating. With every movement, crusts of blood crackled and fell off. But her arms and legs wouldn’t move properly. They were gone.
Phelion had taken them all off.
Just as he had overlaid her face with skin, he could do the same with the rest of her body parts, as if they were detachable. This was before she was known as the monstrous dragon, when her entire body had been disassembled once.

Of course, one had to know the exact cross-sections to disassemble her.
Only she and Phelion knew that.

So, why had he removed her limbs? She couldn’t run away because of the collar anyway.

Her wings were too damaged to fly, but they could still support her body. Especially now that her torso was lighter without the limbs.

She turned her head with difficulty and saw Phelion sitting in a chair. He hadn’t gone out. No, that would have been impossible. Weren’t they being pursued by the imperial army? It was impossible to shake off the pursuit while carrying an unconscious companion. He must have been waiting for her to wake up.

Beyond Phelion, on the adjacent bed, lay her arms and legs.
They were neatly arranged, wrapped in navy bandages. It must have been too cumbersome to carry her whole body while she was unconscious.

They hadn’t spoken for a while, so it was awkward to start a conversation. In the Tower of Magic, there had been no choice but to communicate unilaterally, a different situation from now. Initiating a conversation itself felt strange.

“Ah, that…, um. That is… I’m awake now.”

Ah, she had blundered.
She should have thought about how to speak first. Her words had jumbled together.

Fortunately, there was no response. He was asleep.
He must have been exhausted to fall asleep with his eyes half-open. He seems to be either drooling or bleeding.

It was a relief. Had he been awake, she would have been teased for a week, no doubt.

Seeing him so defenseless in sleep, a sudden urge to kill surged within her.
Could she kill him now, perhaps?

Of course, she couldn’t. The collar was intact, and she had no limbs.
And she couldn’t kill him right away. She owed him her life. She couldn’t just take her revenge immediately.

Above all, he had performed vile acts to save her. Though she hadn’t wanted it, she had been helped. She had to wait until he was conscious to take her revenge.

She didn’t particularly want to be helped in that way, and if she could have spoken, she would have refused. It was her first, after all.

Well, let’s chalk it up to an act of saving a life and consider it as if it never happened. Yes, it’s as if it never happened. As if it hasn’t been taken away yet.

….

No matter the reason, betrayal is unforgivable.
Even though she almost crossed the threshold of death because of Phelion. Honestly, she’s still seething with the intent to kill. But he saved her life. Of course, he must have had his own personal reasons… But that doesn’t erase the fact that he saved her.
A little adjustment here and there should be no problem.

Let’s forgive him by not killing him painfully, but mercifully with a swift decapitation.
Valkvogel rationalized it that way.

“Kuh… kuhgugh… kuhhhhh…”

She was in the midst of serious contemplation when Phelion’s snoring assaulted her eardrums.
How can that bastard sleep so soundly when he’s being pursued by the empire?

She still didn’t like it.
She will carry out her revenge.
She’ll make sure he can’t sleep. She’ll need to wake him up right now.

Her target is Phelion, her goal is to wake him up.
She raises her tail high into the air. Her wings gather around her body as if to envelop it. She tilts her upper body slightly so her face is facing Phelion, then slams her tail and wings down onto the floor.

-Whack!

Valkvogel’s diminutive torso crashed into his face. A loud noise ensued. However, Valkvogel was free from the impact. Even if damaged, wings are wings, and she could glide onto the adjacent bed.

But Phelion’s face smashed into the floor.

Bang!
A refreshing sound echoed.

And yet, 10 minutes later, when Valkvogel’s shock therapy was ready once more, Phelion regained consciousness.

Upon awakening, he wore a blissful smile. The corners of his mouth stretched as if they would tear to his ears. His eyes were grotesquely narrowed by his smile. The laughter that hung on his battered face did not suit him at all. It was a smile that seemed to forcibly squeeze out happiness, or rather, it looked more miserable.

After a moment, he turned his head towards Valkvogel.
His eyes were moist. His expression had settled down. As if the smile he had shown just moments before was a lie.

That look was slightly, just slightly pitiable.

* * *

I sometimes dream.

It’s not a dream about Troka dying. That’s become cliché.

What often appears lately is just a story from a slightly more distant past.
Its content is like a very ordinary third-rate tragedy novel.

I’m not going to talk about the past because it’s boring and not fun. I don’t want to, either. I have no interest in spewing misery porn, endlessly droning on about past woes.
It’s even funny that a nice guy like me would say such things.

Well, anyway. After flipping through such lengthy memories, I woke up from the dream.

When I opened my eyes, it was a familiar place, heaven. Had I finally died?
A world above the white, transparent clouds. A place where the warm sunlight and gentle breeze enveloped my body. It was so beautiful that I wanted to stay just a little longer, and yet,

it was a space that brought up an indescribable sense of disgust.

It was the domain of the goddess.

…I’m not dead yet.

It’s been five years since I was kidnapped to this other world, and this was the first time I was invited.
The space where I had fostered my dreams while being explained about this world after being kidnapped. And the place I was kicked out of right before receiving the hero’s power, because they found a better sacrifice.

Fortunately, I could move my body.
Or more precisely, I was free from the neck up.

As I lifted my head, of course, there was the goddess. As always, sitting on her throne, flaunting her entire pale body.

“What was your intention in bestowing your protection with that letter?”

It’s incredibly rare to face the goddess directly. So I have to make sure to get information when I can.

“….”

No answer came back.
Of course, she wouldn’t tell me.

“Why did you summon me to this world?”

“……”

“Do you know anything about Troka’s death?”

“……..”

Still no response.
If only words could get through, we could have a conversation.

After all, if the goddess herself sealed Troka’s letter, she must be the one scheming. I expected no answer.

The goddess just glared at me without a word. It almost seemed like she was throwing a child’s tantrum.

“Were you able to summon me because I used the holy sword too much? Say something, you bitch.”

“……”

Instead of an answer, a strange sound came back.

Click.
Click.
Click.

The sound of something being scraped.
It sounded like she was preparing something to torture me, but that wasn’t it.
She was biting her own fingernails. For some reason, her expression was also very haggard.

Naturally, I was dumbfounded. What could possibly scare a goddess? She’s biting her own nails and freaking out. If she wants self-harm, I’m confident I can beat her up thoroughly.

Could it be that you’re feeling anxious?
But what are you anxious about?

“Perhaps because of the letter I…”

“Die.”

She cut me off. The first word she uttered after opening her heavy mouth was a curse.
Your Achilles’ heel was that letter, wasn’t it?
I had my suspicions, but this is perfect.

“Look, about that letter…”

“Die.”

She cut me off again. That’s something only those with nothing to say would do.
The goddess’s expression crumpled. In contrast, mine started to brighten.

Seeing the goddess so anxious made the arduous task of delivering that letter feel meaningful.
I must continue as long as I don’t die. I can’t let her have the satisfaction of happiness.

“No matter what you say…”

“Die.”

“I will keep going.”

“Please die.”

She’s saying the words I want to say.
How truly grateful I am.

The goddess continued to bite her nails.

I deeply, fervently hoped that she would keep making that face. Please let the goddess fall into a pit of agony. Let her taste the same pain as me, or even greater.

I don’t believe in any god, but I prayed.

After repeating ‘die’ several more times, the goddess pointed to the ground with her finger.

Then my body began to sink.

Below the clouds,
my body falls. My vision darkens.
Down, down.

Falling endlessly.

Endlessly.

…So what was the goddess afraid of?

Well, it’s not particularly meaningful.

The fact that she’s afraid of something is what’s most important.

Bang!

A refreshing sound rang out.

At the same time, my vision returned. A cockroach the size of my index finger scurried past my eyes.

Ah, my head.
An inexplicable headache came over me.

The floor was hard, stained like rotting wood.
I raised my head and looked around; it was the inn I had barely managed to find after carrying Valkvogel.

The fee was outrageously expensive for such a shabby facility.

It was an inn on the outskirts of the city, just right for runaways like us.

My mind was foggy. It was because I hadn’t stopped running for even a day. It could also be due to the poor facilities.
When would I be able to get proper rest?

But I had gained a lot.
The goddess’s Achilles’ heel.
We didn’t have a proper conversation, so I don’t know exactly, but I learned that it had something to do with the letter. That fact alone is valuable information.

I must attempt every possible form of revenge, however weak it may be. The goddess has only brought harm to us.
Troka is just a bonus.

I will continue to deliver the letter. And I will move forward, deciphering the information tied to the letter. My purpose is clear.

I turned my head to look at Valkvogel.

“What, you’re awake.”

Valkvogel was looking at me with glazed eyes. It was the kind of look one gives to a dying cat. Even if I looked like a beggar, I didn’t think I deserved that kind of pitying gaze.

But why was she over there?

I had washed her body once from the vomit, and laid her down roughly on the bed. Her limbs were wrapped in bandages and I had applied Aeon before placing her on another bed.
I was sure I had left her separately, but somehow she ended up on the same bed as me.

It was a strange occurrence. Perhaps my memory was already failing me.

I brushed the dust off my face and approached Valkvogel. Her condition seemed to have improved considerably.
She fumbled with her mouth as if she had something to say, and only when I moved my hand away did she finally speak.

“…You too, got up… you’re awake.”

For the first time since we started traveling together, she uttered something other than ‘die.’
I was surprised; I thought she could only say ‘die’ in long sentences.

I’ll let the slip of the tongue pass… It’s no fun to nitpick right after she’s started talking.

First, I need to reattach the limbs.

There’s no time to rest.