Chapter 81 – A Fading Flame in Your Arms (2)

As Saya said, we couldn’t move at night, so we lay down on the water’s edge to rest. But even so, I couldn’t fall asleep. No, to be precise, I couldn’t sleep at all. My head is dizzy and my chest is stuffy, so even if I close my eyes, my mind won’t rest.

So instead of forcibly closing my eyes, I checked their condition. Wasn’t Saya too tired after focusing all her senses all day? Did the condition of the day improve? He carefully stroked his forehead.

Unfortunately, the heat of the day did not seem to fade. Rather, it felt hotter than before. I kept thinking about what the cause might be, so I held onto the hand that had only one left.

Why do people keep leaving me? Now, the time has passed for thinking that this must be the natural destiny of the world. No matter how ruthless the sky, it would be cruel to force such a fate only on me.

So, is the cause still in me?

Did I miss them all because I didn’t hold their hands tight?

…

If so, how much do you have to hold onto it to shake off the disaster of loss?

I want to shout and ask the sky that has no mouth to answer.

“Haha…”

But that would only hurt my mouth, so I shook my head with a blank smile instead. The reality I am facing right now is that death is everywhere, so I can’t even properly say what I want to say.

Instead, I held Haru’s hand tightly with earnestness. And I slowly let go of my last hope. It contained my last hope and a simple calling that I would not lose a single person from now on.

“Ummm…”

“…”

Haru groaned and turned over as he felt the back of his hand getting warm. Then, Saya, who was holding him tight, also twitched his eyes and let out a thin breath. I lowered my head a little, wanting to smell the forget-me-not scent that wafted through them.

As Saya said, we are too weak. My body, made of blood and flesh, is weaker than a stump on the side of the road, to the point where I wonder how I managed to get this far. Maybe it’s just my destiny to fall like fallen leaves.

But even if that was the case, I had no intention of accepting it lightly. You will survive as long as you have come this far. Even if my whole body was broken and twisted, I couldn’t end it here.

Even that poor elf girl. It would have been time for a happy ending once in a while.

I looked at Saya’s face for the last time and then slowly closed my eyes. I wouldn’t be able to sleep, but it was to take a minimum rest. Slowly, the thick darkness wet his vision and a sharp pain dug into his chest.

“…”

…Bassrock.

Suddenly, I heard the sound of something shaking my body from under the ground. But somewhere, it was a little different from the movements of the Hetzlings. I faced the rising sun again without grasping its identity to the end.

The next day continued the same day as yesterday. A land that never knows when it will collapse. Hatchlings sleeping everywhere. And the mysterious tremor that I keep feeling. Amidst all those threats, we inevitably moved forward with the hope that exists somewhere as the driving force.

But the speed was not the same as yesterday. Sayaka, me too. And the day was noticeably exhausting.

The good news is that the number of hatchlings is declining. Of course, there were still threats everywhere, but I thought it would be okay to have a small conversation.

Besides, now I could feel the salty taste of the sea in my nose. Although it was blurry, the end was beginning to show very little.

“I think I can smell the sea. Is it my imagination?”

“No, Lope. The smell has definitely intensified. You may be able to see it soon.”

“How is it in your eyes? Can you see it?”

“No. But it also looks like artificial structures are visible.”

It was an uncertain voice. However, just the fact that there was hope in a hopeless situation seemed to give me a little bit of strength.

“And there are fewer and fewer hatchlings. Besides, there are a lot of relatively small ones.”

“It looks like they’ve been pushed out of the competition for seats. It must be true that they don’t like prices.”

“…It’s funny. The fact that those who used to destroy things like that ended up rejecting each other as well.

“Buy it…”

“Now that dragon itself is disgusting. It’s really terrifying.”

“…”

“All. I want you to die.”

Although she couldn’t see her expression, Saya’s voice trembled with anger. Even when she attacked Rogeria, she was saddened.

Maybe the elf swordsman who ran to kill the dragon had the same thoughts. The pain of loss must have spread to a destructive instinct. The fear of losing Saya too may be causing her to develop a similar hatred.

One more reason to live seems to have increased. If I or Haru died, Saya would also choose to commit suicide. And that opponent will probably be a dragon.

The idle jokes did not inject any vitality. That’s why I instinctively turned my head toward Haru.

“How are you Haru? Does it smell like the sea?”

“…Yes? What?”

“Do you feel the smell of the sea?”

“The smell of the floor…Yes. It’s really amazing. The earthy smell is really fragrant.”

What kind of joke are you talking about now? Or did I say too little? Not knowing which one, I looked at Haru’s face. A trickle of sweat trickled down through his long hair.

“Haru. Are you okay?”

“Damn…It’s too hot. Maybe it’s because I’m small. Maybe it’s because I’m crawling buried in the ground.”

“Shall I pick you up?”

“It’s okay. Seniors are also having a hard time.”

It could have been seen as a kind of bluff, but at the same time it was a painful point. As Haru said, in fact, I wasn’t fine either. In addition, the ground was not in proper condition, so I was short of breath even after walking for a short time.

I even felt like I was getting motion sickness. As I cast my gaze to the side to change my mood, I saw the small town I saw from the top of the hill.

Still came this far I felt sorry for the people inside, but the collapsed city became a milestone of hope for me. As I walked, I forcibly squeezed my strength as I watched the city recede further away.

“Whoa…”

“Lope. Are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine.”

“Haru. How are you?”

“Haru…Yes. It couldn’t be better than this.”

“I think we need to go as far as we did yesterday and today. If it’s too hard, I’ll carry you.”

“Okay…What kind of power.”

Our conversation went off and on. The voice that gets smaller and smaller the further you go, probably isn’t just about being wary of hetzling. It’s not showing off, but everyone was losing energy.

Nevertheless, I persevered as if I wanted to go one step further. Everyone wanted to get out of this situation as soon as possible.

“Still, I can’t hear the hetzling. Maybe it’s just me…”

“No, that’s right. Haru. I can barely see it now.”

“What are you doing when you say senior… You have to answer me.”

“…I didn’t answer Haru.”

“Ah, yes… They say that when you love someone, you resemble them. Your voice also resembles them.”

“Somehow. You’re starting to resemble my voice.”

“Ah…Haha. I just felt fine…”

However, contrary to our will, the sun quickly set. It seems that no matter how much the hatchlings heated the ground, they couldn’t fool the season. I let out a sigh involuntarily as the darkness grew thicker in an instant.

“It’s getting dark already. The days are too short.”

“Then, shall we go a little further? I think I won’t have to worry about the pit anymore.”

“No. You’re tired. Buy it.”

“I’m fine. How are you, Lope?”

“I’m fine too… Haru?”

“Yes…”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes…?”

At my words, Haru raised his head. Sweat was still running down his face. But the boy nodded helplessly.

“Are you okay…”

“…It’s okay. There’s no need to overdo it, so let’s just stop here. Saya, the place behind the rock over there seems to be fine. Can you take a look?”

“Yeah. That’s what I think. I don’t see any hatchlings around, so I think it’ll be okay to rest there.”

“I heard you. Haru. I’m going to rest now, so put it on my back for a while. I’ll take you there.”

“…”

“Haru. I’ll carry you.”

“…”

“Day…?”

I put my back on Haru, but no matter how many times I called, there was no answer. Sensing an ominous feeling, Haru slowly lifted her sweaty face as she turned her head.

And then, without warning, he collapsed and fell.

“…!”

“This…!”

Surprised, Saya tried to scream but covered her mouth, and I hurriedly picked up Haru’s body and ran toward the rock. At that moment, I didn’t even feel the pain in my chest.

Arriving at the rock, I took off my clothes, made a simple futon, and lay on it for the day. Then, he gently stroked the boy’s face.

“Haru. Come to your senses.”

“…”

“Day…?”

“I… I’m fine.”

It was a voice that no one could see. When I raised my hand, wet sweat flowed out. But I don’t think it’s my sweat. I put his hand on Haru’s forehead.

Then, hotter than ever before, the heat was transmitted to the palm of my hand. Something that corroded Haru’s body was seething with the heat.

I hurriedly searched the inside of my bag even though I knew there was nothing there. Of course, the only thing that still came out of it was dried and twisted food. A piece of food that protruded in vain rolled down the slope covered in mold.

“Haa… Oh…!”

“What’s wrong, Lope? Is it that bad?”

“The fever is too high. Something’s wrong.”

“It’s just a cold…”

“Even if that’s the case, if it’s this much…!”

“Uh…”

Then, suddenly, the ground shook slightly, and a pile of crumbled soil kicked under my feet. Saya sensed the vibration and turned his head away, but I was still rummaging through my bag. Antibiotic. Disinfectant. Or at least a bandage…!

“Rope…”

“Saya. Are you familiar with medicinal herbs? Around here…”

“Lope. Look over there.”

“Huh?”

At her words, I turned my head. Saya was already standing up, wary of something. No matter how dark I was at night, I slowly came into my field of vision that something was pouring out of it.

It was only then that I was able to understand the true nature of the small ground tremor I had been feeling. The echo was light to be called hetzling, and too clear to be blamed on mood. It was the final clamor of certain small creatures that once ruled the land.

It was a bunch of rats

“Damn it!”

I hurriedly got up and drew my sword. But even when they saw me getting up, they ran furiously. Those who had been robbed of even the smallest prey by a new ruler named Hetzling would have waited for the new us to become weak.

And that was right now. They didn’t miss the moment we saw and ran furiously.

“Queek! Queek! Queek!”

“Ugh…!”

I kicked and swung my sword at the guys running in front of me, but they jumped on us, not paying attention to our comrades falling. Then, as he drove in those little teeth, he savored my flesh and blood.

“Aww…! Aww…!”

“Lope!”

“I…I’m fine. One more day than that…!”

“Eww…”

When I hurriedly turned my gaze, the guys running toward Haru came into view. Saya and I ran towards it, not caring about our own bodies being eaten. Then, he swung whatever he could get his hands on and drove them away.

“Get out of the way! Get out of the way!”

“Ugh… Go away!”

“Queek! Queek!”

As we fiercely resisted, the guys backed away, probably bewildered. No matter how hungry the rats were, they were few in number, and above all, Saya’s kicks were fierce, so it was not difficult to defeat them.

But the important thing was the noise that rang in the process. The excessively noisy commotion eventually woke up one of the sleeping predators.

“Kwaeeeee…”

“Shit…!”

“Queaeaeaek…!”

A little hetzling came running from afar. He was a man who couldn’t speak loudly for fear of being devoured by his people, but he was a threat to us.

The moment I saw him, I threw down my sword without hesitation and raised the gauntlet. And when I put it in my hand, a thrilling pain pierced my spine.

“Ugh…!”

…

Don’t write

It’ll gnaw through your guts.

Suddenly, Rebecca’s voice passed my ears. But I was already charging towards him with the gauntlet in my hand.

“Keeeee!”

“Bastard…!”

At that moment, pure white tears covered my vision. Before I knew it, snow was falling from the sky just like that time.