Friends, Allies, and Enemies (23)
A woman is on top of a boy.
“…”
“…That makes twenty-one times.”
This is not copulation.
It’s not the sacred act of creating life.
It was a mere assassination attempt.
The boy, covered in dust, is pinned to the ground, but his expression is surprisingly calm. It’s not the look of someone who believes they won’t die simply because of a disparity in strength.
The woman, young enough to be called a girl, has an angry expression on her face.
She could kill the man with the arrow she’s holding. But that’s impossible. Because the man’s sword, the holy sword, is pointed at her throat.
She could kill him, but she would die first.
The boy she’s crushed under her is a hero, after all. He would be able to react that much.
“How about we call it a day?”
The boy sheathed his sword.
Now would be a chance to kill him ordinarily.
“Tch.”
But the arrow in the woman’s hand was thrust into the ground.
That was the minimum promise.
Attempts could be made indefinitely. However, assassination during combat is forbidden; after the fight, it doesn’t matter.
If an assassination attempt fails, no further attempts should be made for the rest of the day.
It was a simple promise.
A way to buy time until the Demon King could be killed.
The woman had that much flexibility.
Leaving the boy behind, the woman stood up alone. Her face was covered with shallow wounds, mostly from branches, leaves, and the abrasions caused by dirt and sand.
In contrast, the boy’s wounds were deep. Two arrows were stuck in his shoulder. His right shin was half torn off, dangling loosely. His left fingers had long been severed by a dagger.
If he had fought with full force, the boy could have taken the woman’s neck without a scratch.
Because the boy is a hero who wields the holy sword.
He is the unique warrior in the world.
It would be normal for such severe injuries to be unacceptable unless inflicted by the Demon King.
But for some reason, the situation was different.
Well, the woman probably didn’t care about that.
The only human who can kill the Demon King?
As long as the Demon King lives, heroes continue to emerge. It might take some time, but the number of heroes are infinite. That’s what she understood.
Moreover, this bastard is everyone’s enemy.
There’s no need for mercy.
The woman quietly took her stance.
Just because the battle was over didn’t mean attacks were forbidden. Only assassination, the intent to kill, was prohibited, not simple acts of violence.
Her shin flew viciously.
Its destination was the face of the boy who had yet to stand up.
The boy, who had been smiling through the pain, was now approached by a shin with an iron plate strapped to it.
Thud,
A dull sound echoed.
The sound of a bone breaking somewhere.
Had the boy not been a hero, it might have been a fatal blow.
“…Hmph.”
After delivering a powerful blow, she turned away.
This was because a woman dressed in pure white had approached.
“Chloe. Stop now and come here.”
The woman in white glanced at the boy briefly before turning her gaze away. She then grabbed Chloe’s cheek and began to heal her wounds. Since they were only minor scratches, it didn’t take long.
She didn’t heal the boy. The woman in white couldn’t get close to the boy for some reason. Therefore, only this woman could heal the wounds.
Leaving the boy behind, they headed towards a nearby tree.
The boy watched them.
His blood soaked the ground.
What could he be thinking now?
In the deepening night of the mountain, the boy looked up at the sky.
The sky was dark.
There was a man approaching him.
A face full of scars.
He had the look of someone who could be believed to be part of the Demon King’s army.
“…Even now.”
“It’s okay. I’m fine.”
The man, who seemed uncomfortable, twitched his mouth at the boy’s words but then closed it. He had made some sort of contract with the boy and couldn’t complain. He simply stayed quietly by his side.
After a while, the man handed the boy a potion and stood up again.
There were no words.
The boy was alone once more.
Watching him, the woman thought.
I don’t pity him.
He’s just paying for his sins.
That was her thought.
* * *
Thud,
“Don’t forget to open the letter────”
Bang.
The door closed.
And so, the man leaves.
With those incomprehensible words as his last, he disappears into the distance, blending into the forest.
Left alone in the cold house is Chloe.
She had heard all the truths in just a few hours.
She doesn’t wish to hold him back. Accepting the current situation is confusing enough. For a while, it was a difficult time where she couldn’t even move properly.
Friend.
Enemy.
And the enemy who was a friend.
With a stiff neck, she scans her surroundings.
Various pieces of evidence brought by Flan are scattered haphazardly on the floor. Some are crumpled due to the strength of her grip. With such a state, surely no one would accept them as evidence.
To scatter such important things carelessly, should that be considered negligent?
Right now, she could make it all disappear.
Without those pieces of evidence, no one would know the real truth about Troka.
Well, that’s unlikely.
The Flan she knew wouldn’t have acted without thought. The evidence shown must all be copies. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have just tossed them aside and left.
Even if she were to destroy the evidence, no. She never had the intention to destroy it in the first place.
If she avoided all of this, it might be comfortable for the moment, but eventually, it would collapse.
So, she had to accept it.
The current situation, which would be nice if it were a dream.
Somehow, she had to accept it.
Could she do it?
That thought crossed her mind.
Troka, who deceived everyone for her own sake.
What could he be thinking now?
In front of his cold, lifeless body, does he know all the thoughts she had? As that thought came to her, the brightness and cheerfulness in her eyes gradually faded.
No, she still had to do it.
Accepting everything is something only she can do.
She must do it.
But… not yet.
Not yet.
It’s too much to accept right now.
How many people can instantly come to terms with the fact that the enemy of their family was actually someone who dedicated themselves for their sake? This is hatred that has built up over years. If it could disappear so easily, she wouldn’t have hated from the start.
Even as a long-lived species, they only live a few times the lifespan of an ordinary human.
Moreover, the perception of time is the same for everyone. Regardless of race, everyone lives through the same time. It’s just that, as time passes, things wear down and gradually fade away. The flow of emotions is felt the same by everyone. It takes a multitude of time for emotions to transform.
Her mind was filled with thoughts of Troka.
The clues to his actions were slowly unraveling.
Why he looked at her with that expression. The meaning behind that small smile she initially thought was disgusting.
She’s a little scared.
Somehow, her stomach hurts.
Even her head feels dizzy.
But she decided not to think too deeply about it.
If she has friends, she can endure it.
No matter how much time it takes, once the current crisis is over, that’s it. After that, she can shake it off with my friends.
Chloe’s face was gradually regaining its vitality.
What she has to do right now is simple. Somehow, she needs to alter the content of the newspaper. That will solve all the problems.
She’ll just have to honestly tell her friends that there was a misunderstanding of the facts, and everything will surely be fine.
That should be enough to repay the debt she owes to Troka…
…No, let’s focus on what needs to be done now.
For now, she just needs to change the content of the newspaper.
It’s a simple task.
Since her friend is the editor.
She’ll take responsibility for any content about Troka, so she’ll have it modified or deleted. If that’s not possible, then she’ll just have to cleverly manipulate it.
Then, as always, she’ll spend time with her friends.
They’ll gather together, eat, talk, and sleep.
And they’ll live a life of praying for the colleagues who left them first. She can return to that life. Even if things go awry and she has to leave Myluman, or even the world itself, it doesn’t matter as long as her friends are by her side.
Lauren will wake her up, Melly will cook, and Ekros will gather everyone else.
Together with the friends who have gathered, let’s send off those who have departed before them.
Mother, father, and her two younger siblings, and the nameless comrades.
And,
Rapi.
“…”
Rapi.
Her closest friend.
He was the first to come running after her family died.
His reality…
“……”
The sense of reality returns.
Chloe has to accept all of this.
Alone.
Somehow.
Time is already moving towards the afternoon.
In such an urgent moment, there’s no time to waste here.
The newspapers are spreading everywhere even now. If she doesn’t rush out immediately, it will be nearly impossible to stop it.
Trembling legs, arms that hover in the air, lost without direction.
Leaning on her unsteady body and tranquil eyes, she barely managed to stand up.
“…Ugh.”
That was all she could do.
She couldn’t move.
Because of the ominous premonition she felt.
If she stayed here, somehow, everything would be alright, but if she stepped out, it felt like everything would go awry. Unable to move her feet due to a sensation she’s never felt before.
And it was a long while after Flan had left that Chloe finally stepped out of the room.
Her steps were gloomy.
*
In a certain tea house in Myluman.
It’s not a tavern.
It’s a tea house.
Elves generally like alcohol, but when it comes to public conversations, they prefer the dignity of tea.
A place that boasts a luxurious and elegant atmosphere. And there, seated were two ladies, Chloe and Rusel. The red-haired Rusel elegantly picked up her teacup.
“So, what’s the matter? Why are you panting like that?”
She was puzzled.
A friend with whom she had shared drinks had sought her out.
The reason was unknown. Because Chloe had urgently requested to meet, there wasn’t even time to ask why. It was a busy period, with no time to sit. If it hadn’t been Chloe, she wouldn’t have agreed to the meeting.
Certainly, if she hadn’t been the one to bring scoops, she would have refused.
Hoping she had come with some fresh information.
With that thought, Rusel maintained her expression.
Chloe, without giving a single glance to the contents of her teacup, looked straight at Rusel.
“Could you, perhaps, the, Troka… no, I mean, the content about the hero, could it be modified a bit?”
Chloe spoke with overflowing confidence.
Ah, that content.
Looks like there’s some additional information to be added.
Rusel’s lips curled up.
The hero, his misdeeds.
There was still fuel left for this popular topic of conversation!
However, the smile did not last long.
Because it was impossible to publish tremendous information right away.
“Ah, about that. It’s going to be difficult to add information. It’s already been published in international newspapers, so modifying it right now is impossible…, it would be better to mention it in the next issue, right?”
“…What?”
“Ah… you didn’t know. I’ve already sent that content to the imperial publishing department. Hehe, you should have seen how those people groveled to get the article.”
Chloe’s lips trembled quietly.
“So, the modification is.”
“Not possible. The whole world already knows about it. It’s too late for changes.”
With that, she took a sip of her tea.
The tea was sweet.
“Now, what’s this additional content you’re talking about?”
She had already taken out a pen and paper.
Unaware of Chloe’s expression.
You dumb b!tch