Chapter 58 – Friends, Allies, and Enemies (4)

Friends, Allies, and Enemies (4)

Upon entering the inn, there was a girl.
She was wiping blood off the inn’s floor. Since there was no one else around, it seemed she hadn’t encountered Cecilia.
Then the reason for her scream must be… the blood.

Her face was scrunched up as she efficiently wiped away the blood, which seemed almost mystical. Come to think of it, I’ve never wiped blood off the floor before.
I thought I had stopped all the bleeding, but it seems some had seeped through my fingers.

I felt sorry for no reason.

“Did a monster come in or something…? That can’t be right…”

The girl muttered to herself repeatedly as she wrung out the bloody rag.
I felt pity for her and thought about offering help, but then,

“Um…”

I wanted to say that I think I’m the one who bled, so let me take care of it.
But I held back. It’s certainly the truth, but… for some reason, I felt like I would seem insane.

I pulled out a chair nearby and sat down. My gaze drifted to the girl cleaning the floor. I didn’t know why, but looking at her made me feel at ease.

I should explain about Cecilia and Valkvogel upstairs… but I didn’t feel like it.

As I watched her for a while, sleepiness suddenly overcame me.
It seemed my tension had relaxed.
I hadn’t felt like this since riding in the carriage.
My safety wasn’t yet fully secured. The girl wasn’t Nerati for sure, but she could be an agent from the Empire or the Tower of Magic.

It’s a bit late, but it doesn’t hurt to be cautious.

It seemed she had finished cleaning as the girl straightened up and stretched. I followed suit, kicking the chair back as I stood up.

“I’m sorry about that. I just can’t stand messes… Anyway, the rooms are upstairs, so you can stay in any room you like. If you need anything, please let me know. Oh right, and the room─”

“Oh, money is no issue. I plan to stay for quite a while, is that alright? I think I’ll be staying here for about a month.”

I actually had plenty of money.
I had used up all the money I brought from the Empire when crossing the western continent, but Cecilia had brought some. There’s enough left to live several years in the capital of the Empire.

“Uh… then let me introduce myself properly once again, my name is El. I look forward to your patronage!”

I didn’t look like someone without money, did I?
That’s good.
And more than that.

“…That’s a nice name.”

A nice name.
Really, it’s a nice name.

Truly.

“Excuse me… may I ask for your name?”

…Ah.
Right, we were in the middle of a conversation.

Name… my name, huh. It would probably be plastered on the first page of the wanted list in the newspapers. It would be a bit much to tell the truth and say it’s Flan.
But I didn’t really have any other name to go by. The best I could come up with was Nicola? Or maybe… Ah.

“…Call me Troka.”

I’ve rarely been called by the name Troka. Unless it was by someone close, most just called me ‘Hero’.
So, there shouldn’t be a problem calling myself that.
For some reason, being called Troka didn’t feel strange to me. Should I say it felt familiar? Anyway.

“Alright! Then, Mr. Troka, have a great month!”

El extended her hand with a smile.
She had an innocent-looking face. Many elves who don’t leave The Great Forest are naive about the ways of the world, I suppose.

But even looking like that, she’s probably older than me.

Well, it doesn’t matter.
What’s good is good.

“Yes… well, a month is fine.”

Her hand was softer than I expected. Softer than Valkvogel’s touch.
But had I ever cared about such things before?

That’s when I started to wonder. A warm sensation began to spread across my face.

“Uh, what? Blood?”

El exclaimed in a surprised voice.

I looked down and saw blood flowing from my face. It wasn’t due to an unexpected blow. It was because of the usual coughing up and vomiting of blood that had overlapped.

I wonder if El is afraid of blood, her face seemed to stiffen a bit.
It’s routine for me, but I guess it could be scary for someone seeing it for the first time.

“Ah, it’s nothing. I’m fine. It’s been happening quite often these days.”

I waved my hand to reassure her, repeatedly saying it was okay.

And with that, I collapsed.

*

When I came to, darkness surrounded me. Had someone turned off the lights, or was the moon cloaked by clouds?

It didn’t matter. I dislike the dark.
It was night when I first transported to this continent. The trauma of being bitten by a demon in the pitch-black, unable to see even an inch in front of me, had taken root.

“Ugh… Is anyone there…?”

No answer came.
Opening my mouth, my body ached, quite severely at that.

Could it be a kidnapping?

El, could it be someone from the Holy Imperial Court?
Then Cecilia too…

No, let’s get a grip. If I’ve really been kidnapped, there’s no time to think about that. Being deprived of my sight made me a bit anxious.
My body was free, though.
Judging by the feeling on my back, it seemed I was lying in a bed.

For some reason, I couldn’t see, but since I wasn’t tied up, I could escape.

“Hey, Fl… Troka, are you awake?”

Just as I was about to push myself off the bed and touch the floor, a voice reached me.

There was the presence of someone. Maybe two.
Cecilia, and El?

The calmness of the voice suggested this wasn’t a kidnapping.

“Turn on the light. I can’t see in the dark.”

Despite usually not liking her, having her nearby was reassuring. It must be because I couldn’t see.
But at the same time, a wave of anxiety hit me.

If the two of them were here and I hadn’t been kidnapped, then why couldn’t I see?

“The… the light’s been on the whole time.”

Was that El who just spoke?
Her voice was still comforting.

Wait, the light’s on?

That means…

“The truth is, your condition worsened upon our arrival at The Great Forest. And when you collapsed, we examined your body, and… now your vision, it’s, gone…”

Her voice was tinged with moisture.
Damn it, Cecilia, I can’t even get angry when you talk like that.
It’s not her fault to begin with, so it would be strange to be angry.

I wasn’t particularly shocked by the news that my sight was gone.

I figured as much. When one eye went blind and the other started failing, I had a rough idea.
It was something I had already anticipated in the back of my mind, so I wasn’t deeply saddened. Just the realization that I could no longer see. That was the end of it. No profound emotional response.

Of course, that was a lie.

No, this is just too much.

“Ha, haha. Shit…”

But I still have the Mind’s Eye.
I can only make out shapes, but it’s enough to see in front of me.

So, no problem.

Yeah, it’s not that big of a deal.

Probably.

It should be fine.

“Um…”

“Don’t speak.”

I cut off Cecilia.

I didn’t want to hear a word of consolation.

The letter,
I wonder if I can deliver it properly.

…Hahaha.

Shit.

* * *

I stepped out of the room when screams echoed from beyond the door.

The unexpected shriek of a girl, followed by multiple footsteps. Not just one person’s steps, but at least two or more, indicating the presence of others. The thought of an attacker was the only thing that came to mind. The Empire, Tower of Magic, Holy Imperial Court… I wondered where they could have come from.

If it was the Empire, perhaps we could resolve things through dialogue. The Holy Imperial Court would be even easier to deal with. But if it was the Tower of Magic, a peaceful resolution would be nearly impossible.
It was because Flan had kidnapped Aeon.
The Aeon I saw in his memories did not appeal to me, even though I thought we were close friends. It seemed my perception was influenced by Flan’s memories.

Regardless, I didn’t assume the intruders had to be human.
They could be demonic beasts or monsters. And if luck was not on our side, a high-ranking subordinate from the Demon King’s army might appear.

In one hand, I held a vase, and in the other, a holy relic.

I found myself hoping it would be a demonic beast.
I’m weak in combat against people, but I could manage against beasts or monsters. With the Demon King absent, even if a subordinate came, it wouldn’t be a problem. But if it were pursuers from the Tower of Magic…

One step, then another.

I walked down the long corridor.
My fingers felt as if they were freezing.

At the end of the corridor, just one step away from where the stairs began.

“I’m sorry about that. I just can’t stand messes… Anyway, the rooms are upstairs, so you can stay in any room you like. If you need anything, please let me know. Oh right, and the room─”

A woman’s voice. It didn’t seem hostile.

“Oh, money is no issue. I plan to stay for quite a while, is that alright? I think I’ll be staying here for about a month.”

And then Flan’s voice.
Maybe they weren’t enemies, considering the conversation, the woman seemed to be the innkeeper.
My tension eased.

“Phew… That was close.”

It was because my mind had settled.

In the past, just seeing Flan’s face would enrage me. But now, his presence was reassuring.
It was a refreshing change.

I glanced toward the stairs. Strands of pure white hair brushed my face. Perhaps it was the distance, but Flan’s face appeared blurry. Yet, I could clearly make out his expression.
A smile, a face subtly radiating happiness.
It was a face I had never seen before, but it felt so familiar.

“Uh… then, let me introduce myself properly once more, my name is El. Please take good care of me!”

Somehow, I felt envious. But envy changed nothing. No, I wasn’t envious to begin with. Even if I received such a smile from him… I just didn’t want Flan’s smile.

“…That’s a nice name.”

Now that I think about it, it’s a face he doesn’t show unless he’s with his lover, Ellie. That’s why it felt strangely familiar.

I wonder if that’s the face Flan shows when he’s happiest.
This is the first time I’ve actually seen it.

Thinking this, I felt a slight, very slight twinge of envy.

“Excuse me… may I ask your name?”

“…Call me Troka.”

He’s using an alias.
As expected, he’s one sharp individual.

“Alright! Then, Mr. Troka, have a great month!”

“Yes… well, a month is fine.”

The conversation seemed to be winding down.

It was time to leave.

I had missed the daily treatment this morning. Because of that, Flan was in a condition where it wouldn’t be surprising if he collapsed at any moment. I needed to treat him now that the conversation was over.

With that thought, I stepped onto the staircase.

“Uh, what? Blood?”

As if by a cruel twist of fate, Flan began to bleed profusely.
It was a heavy bleed.
The untreated wound had festered and burst because he hadn’t received today’s treatment.

“Ah, it’s nothing. I’m fine. It’s been happening quite often these days.”

Flan tried to reassure the girl, pretending it was nothing serious.

And then he collapsed.