Chapter 57 – Friends, Allies, and Enemies (3)

Friends, Allies, and Enemies (3)

There was no mirror, but it seemed like all the blood on my face had been wiped off.

I realized this when rubbing my face didn’t leave any blood on my hands.
The blood that had been on my nose, chin, neck, and around my mouth were all cleaned off. The blood that had been soaking my hands was washed away as well. My face had gotten quite dirty from the vigorous roaming, but…
Well, I can clean up later.

I shook off the remaining water with a towel hanging nearby.
What was the purpose of this place? Judging by the state of the facilities, it felt like a pretty upscale inn. If that’s the case, is it really just an ordinary inn?

“…I just want to rest.”

Exiting the bathroom, the dining area still looked cozy.

It didn’t seem like there was anything else to do. I pulled out a chair that was sitting alone in a corner and sat down.
The damn mirror had completely chased away any sleepiness.

It must be around 3 a.m. by now, and outside, where the lights of the inn had been extinguished, it was so dark that one couldn’t see an inch in front of them.

With such a bright space, you’d think that demons would come. But no particular sounds were heard. Maybe they can’t approach because it’s too bright.

I leaned back, clutching the dagger and holy sword in my pocket.
My head was still a mess.

The hidden information in the letter.
The goddess’s purpose.
The secrets left by Troka.

What’s left are… Chloe and Bella.

I wonder what the women who received the letters are doing now.

Aliana is in seclusion, and Lumen is probably continuing with her knightly duties.
Let’s skip Master…

Aeon and Cecilia are accompanying me.

Chloe and Bella are probably doing well.
For now, at least.

I leaned back in the chair.

The ceiling lights were glaringly bright. The space was wide, and the light was so bright, yet here I was, sitting all alone.

Somehow, I felt like drinking.
Given my current physical state, it’s not like I’m going to live long anyway. Maybe it wouldn’t hurt to drink a little.

Come to think of it, when was the last time I drank? Was it after Ellie died… It’s vague.

Well, since safety isn’t guaranteed yet, let’s put aside the thought of drinking for now.
I’ll be here until the rainy season ends. I can drink when I have time. It’s not like before, I’m not in a position to be hunted down.

One month until the end of the rainy season.
Technically, the rainy season ends in two months, but after one month, the lowlands will start to dry up, so there shouldn’t be any problems heading to Myluman.
If it doesn’t rain in the Myluman area, the entry and exit should be smooth.

Tap tap, I drummed my fingers on the table.

One month here.
If luck is bad, I might have to wait up to two months.

I wonder if there will be enough food.

In fact, the issue of food wasn’t that important.
I can manage without eating. It’s as if the sensation of hunger has disappeared; for some reason, I no longer feel hungry. Cecilia is a saint to begin with. She has some kind of power that allows her to live without food.

But we have Valkvogel with us.
As soon as she wakes up, she’ll likely consume more than twice the amount of food an adult man would eat.
If we run out of food, we could just let her graze outside, but it’s more comforting to have enough food on hand. Who knows when my own hunger might return.

Well, it’s a problem that will have to be solved when the innkeeper shows up. Let’s not think about it now.
I’m not even sure if the innkeeper exists.

More importantly, I wonder what Chloe is doing.

If we’re following the latest news, she would have become the guardian of the World Tree.
The bitch who, while I was leading the way and scouting, would always shoot arrows at the back of my head as if it wasn’t on purpose, has become something of the World Tree?

The ungrateful wretch who tried to kill Troka with the life Troka saved. She’s climbed up to quite a high position.

But there’s no need to think too deeply about it. We’ll meet soon enough. And since the recipients of the letters are characters who would have carved out their own significant places, it wouldn’t be strange if Chloe isn’t punished in Myluman.

…However, if the truth of that incident comes to light, Chloe won’t be able to avoid punishment either.

I’m already looking forward to the reunion with Chloe. Unlike Cecilia, who only sent looks of disgust, Chloe was one who inflicted more direct torment. Thinking of her ruined face brings a smile to mine.
But it wasn’t just a smile that was trying to emerge.
Worried that my freshly cleaned face would be stained with blood again, I hurried to the bathroom.

Fortunately, there was no blood.

Maybe it’s because of the blood loss, but I’m starting to feel sleepy.
Since Cecilia and Valkvogel are sharing a bed, I can sleep in the same room.

“…It’s about time to go in and sleep.”

Judging by how much I’m talking to myself, it seems I don’t have much time left until I die.

I pass the dining area and climb the stairs.
My steps are heavy.

* * *

I had a nightmare after a long time.
Although all the dreams I’ve been having lately are nightmares, this one was particularly vicious.

It was a dream where I was crushed to death by the people I had killed.
It really feels like I don’t have much time left.

According to Cecilia, assuming I receive treatment from her every morning, I have two years left to live. That’s only enough time to enlist and be discharged from the military.

If I return to my original world before then, maybe I could live. Modern medicine is advancing at an incredible pace, after all.

When I open my eyes, Valkvogel is on top of me.
She was the source of the nightmare.

After pushing Valkvogel off and sitting up, I see Cecilia getting ready.
When I was traveling with that damned lizard sprawled on the floor, it felt like I was traveling alone. But this is a somewhat new feeling. Perhaps it’s nostalgia for the days of the hero party.

“Flan, you’re awake.”

Cecilia’s gaze is hard to bear. It’s the look of someone watching a dying person, anyway, it’s the kind of look I dislike.

But why is she following me?
If she’s seen my memories, she has no reason to help me.

I straighten my stiff back and check my gear. I had to revisit the places I couldn’t explore yesterday when daylight breaks.

“You stay here, I’ll finish the patrol and come back.”

“…It’s still morning. Don’t do that and rest a bit. There’s no need to move right now.”

Haha.
Such insincere words.

“Just keep an eye on Valkvogel.”

I don’t really know why Cecilia is accompanying me. It’s probably to stab me in the back when time arises. If she’s seen my past, she would think that it’s impossible to reform or convert me.
So, I thought Cecilia’s concern as false.

Trusting people now would be foolish.
I can’t trust Cecilia, who sneaks peeks at me every chance she gets. Who knows what kind of knife she’s hiding behind that innocent face.

It’s inevitable, given all that I’ve been through.

Cecilia looks at me with a sorrowful expression and then approaches Valkvogel.

“…If you overdo it, the little life you have left will disappear.”

“I’m keeping you around to prevent that. I’d kill you right now if I felt like it, so just be quiet and do what you’re supposed to.”

I don’t want to get my hands bloody unless it’s absolutely necessary.

The owners of the letters are annoying, but I didn’t particularly want to fight them.

Ignoring Cecilia’s gaze, I grab the doorknob.

As I open the door, the cold morning air comes in.
Somehow, it feels good.

*

Despite having roamed a considerable distance, there was nothing.
There were no demonic beasts in the vicinity. That was the conclusion I had come to.

Unless there were forest keepers nearby, which was unlikely, there was no other explanation.

Logically, would the forest keepers of Myluman roam this far out to the fringes? Moreover, during the rainy season? That’s inconceivable.

Unless there was some demoted fool of a forest keeper, there’s no way they’d be moving around in these outskirts.

That leaves only one possibility… could there be a subordinate around?
The thought was a bit frightening.

With Cecilia’s support, I could somehow manage to kill Nerati. But if it’s another guy, it would be risky.

Nerati has been on my trail, and since I haven’t seen her since the Tower of Magic, it’s about time she showed up.

If anyone even slightly suspicious appears, I’ll have to swing my sword immediately.
Even an officer wouldn’t come out unscathed if hit by the holy sword.

After surveying the surroundings for a while longer, nothing appeared.

Was there really no danger? That’s what I thought as I headed back to the inn.

There was a suspicious figure standing in front of the inn’s main entrance.

It wasn’t Cecilia. It certainly wasn’t Valkvogel either.
And it was different from an ordinary person.
The figure was small. The gender… a woman, perhaps?

The distinctive features were the ears.
They were clearly longer than a human’s. As long as those of the high nobility, in other words, elves.
And… black hair.
It’s an uncommon hair color. Apart from Troka, myself, and Ellie, I had only seen two other people with black hair in this world. And that girl was one of them.
Her height was similar to Valkvogel’s, or perhaps a little taller. Roughly 1.5 meters, maybe.

Thinking of who might come to find me, Nerati was the only one that made sense.

But the black hair.
The black hair…

It wasn’t Nerati.

I wanted to believe that.

I deliberately stepped on the scattered branches on the ground as I approached.
It was to signal that I was coming.

Even if it wasn’t Nerati, there were many who could be here. For example, a passing traveler, or perhaps the innkeeper.

“…Who are you?”

Perhaps she heard my footsteps, the girl turned around.

Instinctively, I knew. It wasn’t Nerati.

Nerati is a master of disguise.
But even so, one cannot change their height.
It’s a world of swords and magic, but what can be changed is only the face, voice, and the overall atmosphere of the body. That’s impressive enough, but I’ve never seen her change her height.
So that’s not Nerati.

Certainly.
It must be.

“Are you perhaps a guest?”

The girl smiled in a way that seemed professional.

“…Yes, well, something like that.”

Her voice was elegant. As one would expect of elves, but since all the elves I’ve met were nothing but screw-loose types, the dissonance was quite strong.

“Then please come in! My name is El, and I run this inn. It’s been a while since we’ve had tourists, so I thought I might as well do some cleaning, but it looks like my luck has turned up!”

The girl opened the main door and entered the inn ahead of me.
It’s been a while since I’ve met someone with such high spirits. Because of that, I couldn’t understand anything she said except for the invitation to come inside.
Somehow, it felt nostalgic.

I was about to enter the room as if enchanted when I paused for a moment. …Just in case, I felt I should be prepared.

I moved the holy sword from the inner pocket to my trouser pocket.

Just in case.
Yeah, I won’t need to use it.

That’s right.

Ah, but inside there are Cecilia and Valkvogel………

-Aaaahhh!

A scream came from inside.
It seemed the girl had encountered an unexpected guest.

I had to go in quickly to clear up any misunderstandings that might arise.

Ignoring the holy sword in my trouser pocket, I headed into the inn.