The Letter
There’s an old saying that goes like this:
Health is the greatest wealth.
There’s also a saying that money is the greatest, but for someone like me, born into a world where there are more diseases that money can’t cure, I can’t help but agree that health is indeed the greatest wealth. Even in this world where magic is used, there are diseases that can’t be cured, so isn’t health better than money after all?
If only I had realized that fact a little earlier.
Regrettably, by the time I understood that health was more precious, my body was already broken.
Indeed, it’s only after losing something that one truly understands its value.
That’s not to say that regaining lost health is impossible… but getting healthy again is quite difficult. So while my body still moves a little, I must finish everything now.
I plan to only roughly treat the parts of my body that are damaged. If I delay any longer, I might die before I can deliver all the letters. Even if I can’t make it back home, I have to open all the letters before I die.
Despite such a grave resolution, as you know, my current location is the northern part of the Dragon Kingdom.
I don’t need to bother moving around; I just have to find Bella… but.
To do that, I have to search the entire vast mountain range, and there’s a chance I won’t even find her… It’s not the best situation, no matter how you look at it.
As soon as I enter that mountain range, wyverns will swarm in the air, and earth dragons on the ground. It’s unreasonable to enter without proper preparation, so the goal is to search for Bella quickly and efficiently. Well, if I open Mind’s Eye, I can deal with the earth dragons, but reopening Mind’s Eye in my current condition is out of the question.
Yes, it’s definitely unreasonable.
If I were to describe my current physical state… it’s not a good situation.
Even though it’s not as bad as being completely blind, it’s clear that my health has deteriorated. It’s nonsensical to think that I could overwork my body and still be fine.
However, my eyes were surprisingly intact.
For some reason I don’t understand, my vision hasn’t suffered any major changes. I expected my eyes to be the first to go… but they’re holding up better than I thought.
Of course, the rest of my body is a different story.
Why, you ask?
Mostly because of the holy sword.
Just drawing the holy sword puts a definite strain on the body. The intensity may be a bit weaker, but the side effects are undeniable. And since I fired the holy sword at maximum output… it would be strange if there were no repercussions.
Still, the silver lining is that the situation isn’t as serious as I thought.
If it were as bad as I expected, I wouldn’t have been able to get up for weeks, but I recovered after being unconscious for just two days.
Such miraculous recovery power can’t be explained by the strength of medicine alone.
Valkvogel seemed to sense something, but it didn’t look like she was going to give me a straight answer, so I didn’t bother asking. Besides, there were other things I needed to do first.
Right now, the most important thing is to read the letter left by Troka.
If I keep putting it off, I might never get the chance, and since I decided to read Troka’s letter first when I get to the north, that’s what I’ll do.
It seems like there are no pursuers at the moment. Valkvogel has left her post for a bit of scouting, so I can read it in peace.
Since I haven’t entered the mountain range yet, there’s no threat from magical beasts. The only thing around me are trees, so there’s no chance of a dragon or person appearing.
In other words, there couldn’t be better conditions for reading the letter.
What could be written inside?
What did that bastard write? Maybe he left some proper last words.
But then again, maybe that damned goddess has already tampered with it. If that’s the case, maybe it’s better not to open it at all. It might be better not to know anything than to read falsified information…
Sigh…
I’ll worry about that later.
Since when did I start agonizing over things like this?
I reach deep inside my coat. My fingertips touch something cold and sharp… I’ll put aside the dagger for now.
“…Found it.”
What I pull out from my bosom is a single sheet of paper.
A letter addressed to me, the last one before the grand finale.
It feels well-made to the touch. Judging by the various marks on the letter, it seems it doesn’t have the same protective powers as the goddess’s might.
*Huuuuh…*
It’s just ordinary paper, no different from the previous letters, so why am I trembling? It’s strange, I’ve opened letters countless times before, but it seems I’m still not used to it.
Well, I probably won’t have the chance to get used to it.
There aren’t many left, after all.
So, let’s not think about personal matters and…
“Let’s go.”
I gaze at the letter.
Then I look around.
I take a couple of deep breaths, moisten my index finger with saliva, and lean against a tree, letting the breeze relax me. The only things here are an eerily quiet field and this damned letter. I’d like to vent my troubled feelings more, but time is not a luxury I have.
It’s time to open it.
If I delay any longer and Valkvogel returns, I might never get to read it.
…So, that’s it. Yeah, let’s go.
Calm down and go.
I pick up the letter with the sunlight filtering through the parting clouds.
And then, I turn the paper over.
Troka’s familiar handwriting greets my eyes along with the words he left behind.
* * *
Hello.
How have you been?
If you’re reading this, it means you’ve found my letter.
This is probably the only thing I can properly leave behind. I hid it in a place that’s not easy to find, but… I thought you’d surely be able to find it.
Hahaha.
Shall we get to the point now?
Well, as you probably know, I don’t have much time left. It’s taking quite a lot of effort just to hold on. One wrong move and I could lose control in an instant.
It seems that everyone affected by the goddess’s power ends up like this. Eroded by that power, little by little losing oneself and becoming a puppet of the goddess. That’s the price for using the goddess’s power without physical side effects.
Ah, you probably didn’t know. I only realized it recently myself.
It’s not easy to find when a goddamn deity is going all out to hide it. All I had was information obtained through a contract with a notoriously well-informed source.
Anyway. If you don’t want to be controlled by the goddess, you must not touch the Holy Sword, the goddess’s power. The Holy Sword is the medium through which the goddess controls the hero. Even if I die, make sure you don’t touch the Holy Sword.
At this rate, I’m, no. I never had a chance. I’ve already hit my limit. I hope at least you’ll be safe.
There’s talk that those who are strongly influenced by the demon’s aura can’t be controlled… but too much time has passed to test it out. Since you were once part of the Demon King’s army, you might be okay, but who knows, right?
There are still so many people I want to see. It’s pathetic that I have to say this. Right?
Oh. And I plan to take my own life. By the time you’re reading this letter, you’ll obviously know, but I’ve chosen to face my own death. I’m sorry I couldn’t keep our contract… Just know that I had no other choice.
The hero was always destined to be thrown away after being used. The moment I kill the Demon King, I would lose myself and start eliminating anyone who interferes with the maintenance of this world. People like you, Flan, for example? Once all the nuisances are dead, well, I’d be dead too.
So I made a choice.
I struck a pact with the emperor about returning home, and before I lost myself, I aimed for the very last moment to drive a sword through my own neck. All to send you back, if possible.
But if you’re reading this, it’s clear the goddess must have interfered, and while she’s been stalling, you’ve probably been through hell….
But it’s better if at least you survive, right?
Better than both of us dying.
I thought it would be good if I died and at least you lived on.
Sure, you might have wanted to die, but since you’re alive, do your best.
Don’t feel any strange sense of guilt. It’s not your fault at all. All the massacres you committed were because of the goddess, so don’t suffer unnecessarily and just live.
Yeah,
live freely.
I’m not one to talk, having broken every promise I made… but still, I’m asking you.
Please, return to your original world.
You might find happiness there.
Time is running out.
Soon, I’ll be writing another one of those strange letters. I wonder what the goddess is thinking, creating such things.
Well, maybe she’s preparing for a contingency. So I’ll try to leave as much evidence as possible there too. But don’t get your hopes up.
Well then.
Take care.
P.S.,
There should be a small room at the end of the corridor where the audience chamber is.
Please deliver the letter you find there to my family.
I’m counting on you.
Goodbye.
* * *
The end of the letter was erased.
But that wasn’t important.
Goddess.
Hero.
Too much information had come in.
The content of the letter was too sweet. It said that all the sins I committed were the goddess’s work, so don’t blame yourself, shake off any sense of guilt and live doing what you want.
Freely.
Such sweet words.
For what purpose is the goddess stalling time? For what am I delivering this letter? And why am I not being controlled, and despite having used the holy sword so much, why am I still in one piece…?
Indeed.
Too much information.
After opening all the letters, can I truly become free?
Or will I be devoured by these strange things instead?
“Sigh…”
Well, I don’t know.
It’s good that I read it now.
If I had read it later… it would have only made my head more complicated.
Well, it’s up to me to decide anyway.
I can think about this letter after I’ve opened all the others. Troka and Nicola both said that once all the letters are opened, I can go home.
I can’t come up with a proper answer with a cluttered mind. So let’s clear my head for a while. I look out at the distant mountain range, meet the setting sun and the snow head-on. And far away is Valkvogel….
Ah, Valkvogel.
Looks like the mountain reconnaissance is done.
Then what’s left for me is to go find Bella.
Chloe’s letter… I’ll think about that later.
“Ugh.”
A stabbing pain shoots up my back.
It wasn’t particularly painful.
Suddenly looking behind, I see the shadow flickering where I had just been sitting. I watched it for a while, then turned my gaze as I heard Valkvogel approaching.
What I need to do now is find Bella.
And,
“No, I decided not to look back anymore….”
…to deliver the letter.
As I always have.
