Friends, Allies, and Enemies (15)
The ground is cold.
By the time I felt it, it was already too late.
Thud, the sound of flesh hitting the floor echoes.
It was coming from my lower body.
My head is hazy, and my surroundings blur.
Somehow, everything around me feels cold. The blood running down my face is so warm, yet my torso feels as if it’s buried in snow.
I stared at the falling droplets of blood for a while, and when the rising sun finally pierced my eyes, I came to my senses.
“Blood… blood…, right, I need to stop the bleeding…”
Cecilia is an excellent cleric.
Though her faith seems a bit shaken at the moment, she has healed countless people as a cleric. This means she knows the seriousness of bleeding better than anyone.
Bleeding is dangerous.
It’s not a life-threatening nosebleed, but still, bleeding must be taken seriously.
The reason I must have collapsed is probably because it’s been too long since I last bled. If I stop the bleeding, the dizziness should subside quickly.
Thinking this, Cecilia used her holy magic.
But the blood did not stop.
It wasn’t a dangerous situation. The term ‘bleeding’ sounds grand, but in the end, it’s just a nosebleed. A few drops of blood, even if it flows continuously for half a day, won’t kill you.
Physically, it wasn’t a big problem yet.
But mentally, it was a huge shock.
This was the first time an injury hadn’t healed with holy magic. The power of the goddess wasn’t working properly, but there had never been a time when the effect was reduced this much.
The same magic that had easily stopped simple bleeding when used on Flan, why wasn’t it working now?
…I don’t know.
If that’s the case, what I can do is…
I bring my slender fingers under my nose.
Blood steadily pools in the palm of my pure white hand.
I wanted to get up and move, but unfortunately, my legs wouldn’t cooperate.
…This is a very bad situation.
For some reason, I’m unable to move.
My current location is near the World Tree on the side of the road. It’s not a place frequented by many people. Still, if I collapse here, someone should find me.
If I lose consciousness here…
Surely someone will find me.
If the peacekeeping force or a forest ranger discovers me, they’ll send an envoy from the Holy Imperial Court. If a slave trader or a vile person finds me, I could be captured and turned into a slave or a plaything. Since the Great Forest still has an underground slave trade, I must consider that possibility as well.
Whatever happens, it’s the worst-case scenario.
If I’m caught, I won’t be able to do anything.
Given the situation, it’s a gamble.
I head into a secluded alley. The chances of encountering a shady character in the backstreets increase, but there’s also a chance that no one will notice me at all.
As expected, there was no hesitation.
I rubbed the blood in my hand onto my clothes to leave no trace.
It’s a piece of clothing I’m quite fond of, but it’s okay since I have spares.
I crawl on the ground, rubbing the spilled blood with my clothes. Some traces will inevitably remain, but in a situation where I don’t know when someone might come, there’s no time to worry about that.
Dragging my legs that won’t move properly, I somehow head toward a nearby alley.
It took about 10 minutes before I could finally catch my breath.
Fortunately, I didn’t encounter anyone.
The alley I entered was quiet, and it seemed I could stay there for quite some time without running into anyone. I had secured enough time to rest.
But the situation was still not good.
My vision was blurry. My mind was foggy, and the nosebleed showed no signs of stopping.
‘It’s as if…’
Isn’t this similar to Flan’s symptoms?
Could it be that not only the memories but also the body is assimilating?
The time is… probably morning.
If it had been any later, I would have collapsed from weakness outside.
That’s what I thought.
Just a little more rest and my body should recover.
Just a little more.
Just a little… more.
But as I waited, there was no sign of recovery.
Instead, my mind only grew fuzzier.
It’s not because of the nosebleed, but what on earth is happening?
I feel like I’m about to lose consciousness.
For some reason, even hallucinations seem to be creeping in.
Footsteps.
The hallucination took the form of footsteps. The sound seemed to come from the right, from the road into the back alley. It was so realistic that I thought it might not be a hallucination.
But the footsteps that I thought would disappear soon stayed nearby.
A familiar sound of footsteps lingered in my ears. It was similar to that of a comrade I had been with for years.
It might be an auditory hallucination just before passing out. In fact, some of the believers I had treated mentioned experiencing inexplicable hallucinations or auditory hallucinations before losing consciousness.
An unexplained auditory hallucination.
It could be real, but if so, it means someone has found me…
The footsteps grow louder.
Then I realized.
This is not an illusion.
Footsteps.
It’s the worst.
It’s going to be the worst.
‘Ah, I need to get back.’
I harbored the hope that perhaps the footsteps would stop and turn back.
But the footsteps only grew louder.
And then the footsteps stopped.
I feel a presence right in front of me. Is the owner of the footsteps now standing before me?
Well, it’s already over, so I might as well check who it is.
I tried to look up, but unfortunately, I couldn’t.
My body is heavy. I feel like I’m about to lose consciousness.
It’s mysterious.
And bizarre.
‘He must have felt like this too… It must have been hard for him.’
My neck felt as heavy as if it had a weight attached to it. Yet, I barely managed to lift my head and direct my gaze toward the stranger. But my vision was too blurry to see anything.
And then, with a thud.
As her head dropped, so did her consciousness.
* * *
My memory is hazy.
Am I fainting… or perhaps dreaming?
Ah, now I can hear a voice.
It feels familiar.
“If, let’s say, another pursuer came looking for you in my absence… for instance, a subordinate from the Demon King’s army. What would you do then?”
During our journey towards Myluman, Flan had asked me that.
It was incredibly difficult to grasp his intention.
What was he thinking when he spoke… he’s someone whose thoughts are utterly inscrutable.
Even if you ponder deeply and respond with all your might, he often just accepts it with a ‘Is that so.’ It feels a bit unfair, the way he dismisses the answers I wrack my brain for.
He’s definitely not someone who asks questions without thought.
If it weren’t for the side effects of memory assimilation, I would have read his memories out of sheer frustration.
“I’d bind their feet with holy magic and run away.”
What could be worrying Flan so much to ask such a question?
At least this question is an easy one.
“What if you’re in a situation where you can’t use magic?”
Just when I had managed to answer, another question comes back at me.
…Such an annoying man.
I catch my breath and sling Valkvogel over my back.
“Well, it’s natural you wouldn’t know. You’ve never been in that situation.”
I was about to answer, but he beat me to it.
Was he never planning to give me a chance to speak?
“So I’ll tell you.”
His tone might seem condescending, but it’s actually more comfortable because it’s devoid of pretense.
He’s usually sharp and cold, but sometimes he becomes infinitely tender. Not that he’s overly affectionate, but it’s tender compared to his usual self.
It’s his mental state fluctuating due to the wounds in his heart.
Pitifully so.
“Always run away, when you’re surrounded by an angry mob, you have to run. That’s the only way to survive. As a last resort, your top priority is to take down at least one bastard. If you manage to kill just one, the rest will back off. You must never run. If you run, you’ll just be hunted down.”
Now that I look at him, Flan’s eyes have completely lost focus.
…Is it because of that memory?
He sometimes becomes mentally unstable.
He’s not aware of it, but he often rambles like this. In such cases, I’d have to forcibly trigger memory assimilation to treat him, but his current condition seems fairly mild, so it’s okay to leave him be.
The conversation seems like it’s going to drag on, so I place Valkvogel on a nearby rock and look at Flan.
The scenery is more peaceful than I expected.
I remember it being tough and exhausting when we broke through The Great Forest, but looking at it now offers a new perspective.
…But why is this memory surfacing now?
“Now, this technique starts with throwing a punch……..”
Flan’s words cut off midway.
Probably something he doesn’t want to remember. At that moment, it seems I was lost in thought without realizing it.
“……..”
From the moment his voice fades, the world gradually darkens.
It doesn’t seem like a dying flashback.
So I’m probably not dying.
Probably.
*
As the world flipped, my eyes suddenly opened.
Was it a dream?
Of course. It’s too soon to die.
I turn my head to look around. The place looks… like a decent lodging, similar to the one we were staying at. Still, it seems rather upscale, so at least I don’t seem to have been kidnapped.
Then, could it be the guards who found me because of the bloodstains?
“You’re awake.”
“…Ah.”
“Good to see you, it’s been a while.”
But the person beside me has a familiar voice. A familiar face. A familiar expression.
A former comrade who served as the archer in the Hero Party… Chloe.
It’s been almost a year since we’ve faced each other properly.
It wasn’t the guards, then. I don’t particularly harbor good feelings, but it’s fortunate to be found by someone I know.
“What were you doing lying there? Weren’t you traveling with Flan?”
We got along quite well during our Hero Party days. But after hearing the truth from Flan, I’ve been a bit reluctant to interact comfortably.
“Well, you see…”
“What… It doesn’t really matter if you’re with Flan. Given his condition, any scheme he concocts wouldn’t come to fruition anyway.”
Fortunately, she doesn’t seem interested in hearing my excuses.
I’m not sure how the Guardian of the World Tree ended up in that alley, but since she’s not prying into my relationship with Flan, it should be okay.
“…Yes, well, that’s right.”
Blinded.
Vomiting blood.
Unable to even control my own body.
It’s strange to think of me as a threat.
“I’m very grateful for your help. I know you must be busy, and to go out of your way to save me… Now, I must be going, as there’s a place I need to be.”
There were a few unsettling aspects to her tone.
But right now, escaping is the priority.
I have medicine to deliver to Flan, and Chloe seems somewhat uneasy at the moment.
“That’s fine. But you’ve entered Myluman illegally… I can’t just let that slide. I’ll ask you a few questions about your misdeeds, and if you answer properly, as the forest keeper, I’ll grant you a pardon.”
Questions?
Forest keeper?
Misdeeds?
Cecilia couldn’t hide her confusion at the sudden influx of information.
“Excuse me?”
“Ah, you might not understand if I put it that way. Actually, I’m gathering information about Troka. I was hoping you might cooperate.”
“Information about Troka’s… misdeeds?”
According to Flan, he’s not the type to commit misdeeds.
He didn’t seem like a bad person to me either.
So, is Chloe referring to Troka’s misdeeds?
Not knowing the truth, it wouldn’t be strange to think that way.
So, even now, if you tell the truth, we can reverse the perception. It’s still possible to turn things around. It seems Flan also wants Chloe to know the truth.
How should I explain this to Chloe in a way that she can easily understand? That’s what I was pondering when she spoke.
“Here, take this newspaper. For now, it contains all the information I have. I plan to include additional testimonies in the next issue, so I need your help. Tell me everything that differs from what I know or anything that I might not be aware of.”
Chloe handed me a crisp newspaper. My strength must be waning because it almost gave me a paper cut. It’s made of the thin paper characteristic of Myluman.
And on one side, there’s an exposé about Troka.
If we hadn’t met, this information would have spread far and wide, and Chloe would have committed an irreversible act.
Losing consciousness was scary, but it’s a relief that we could meet like this.
Wait, but…
“…Hold on, the next issue?”
“Yes. The first part is already scheduled for delivery, probably by tomorrow? Thanks to a friend who works in the industry, I was able to publish it easily. Since it’s about the Hero, it’s bound to attract attention, and the next issue will draw even more eyes, so from now on, we need to start working on the content for the next part…”
Ah, I’m too late.
I feel my head going blank, similar to when I read Flan’s memories.
Perhaps, Chloe might…
It might be impossible to turn things back now.
Yikes 😪