Farewell To Everything Of The Past
“Eleanor, listen!”
Aerial Bird, the Wind Saint Beast, aims at Muslena.
It releases one, two lines of wind that stretched vertically, but Muslena dodges those easily.
It seems she’s increasing her movement speed with her Thief’s occupation’s Sneaking.
“What will you talk to me about, I wonder? Is there something you want to say in regards to what you guys have done to me in the past?”
“Ye, yeah, that’s……not something that’s planned by us!”
“Who were you ordered by then?”
“That’s……”
“Was it Saliera-oneesama1? Or was it Misia-oneesama?
“……”
It seems I hit the bulls-eye.
It is troubling, even if I am told such things at this point in time.
“Well then, who ordered it? And, for what purpose?”
“That’s……”
“Eleanor! If you’re safe then let’s just let bygones be bygoness!? Alrightt!? If we don’t do that, we’d end up inconveniencing Otou-sama and the others”
Mordretーーis blabbing on about something huh.
“Indeed, it’s exactly as Eleanor said, we were ordered by your two elder sisters. But you know, it’s painful for us as well. Don’t you think? It’s obviously going to be heart-breaking for us to do something like selling you, who’s our friend the whole time, to a slave trader, isn’t it. Hey, it goes for the both of you as well, right?
“Ye, yeah. Your elder sisters, they said they’ll dismiss our parents who’re working as the Kingdom’s knights if we don’t do that. It’s something inevitable that did we against our wills, yeah, for the sake of helping our parents”
“That’s right. We were in a dilemma as well. We were racking and racking our brains……but, it’s inevitable. So please, let’s reconcile already”
“……Inevitable”
“Eh?”
Inevitable, that you tried to ruin my life, is it?
Well, whatever. I heard what they have to say.
It seems they want to reconcile huh.
Erase everything, and be like before again.
“They’re genuine garbage huh”
“This is human’s true nature”
I can hear the voices from the two who are beside me, but I go out in front.
“Let us reconcile then, shall we”
I say that with a smiling face, and the three of them, who were making tense smiles, evidently changed to bright smiling faces.
“Well then, let us place our hands at the middle and do the ‘Ei Ei Ohー’ thing as we did in the past, shall we”
“Ah, aah, that’s right! Let’s do it”
“……Then, please throw away your weapons”
The three of them made troubled expressions when I said that.
The large wall that encompasses the Goliath Fortress obstructs the wind; the shoddy brick path underfoot squeaks when I walk.
And then I can see that the three’s foreheads are sweating.
Even though it is not hot, it is weird huh…….
“What is the matter? We did not hold weapons or the likes in the past, did we”
“Ye, yeah but”
“Uh, we……”
“We thought, it’s fine to do it while we’re also holding our weapons. Ahaa, ahahaa”
Mordret holds a black sword.
Kurd holds a staff that is important for a Wizard.
Muslena holds shortswords in both hands.
Nobody is about to let go of their weapons.
“Are we not going to reconcile?”
I ask, and the three of them looked at each others’ faces.
And thenーー.
“UAAAaa!”
Mordret runs over while holding his sword aloft.
Muslena holds her shortswords in backhand grips and ran over.
Kurd begins his sorcery’s incantation.
Aah……I am glad.
Up until the very last momentーーthe three of you stayed ugly for me.
♢
〈Serina〉
“You revealed your true character huh”
“It’s got nothing to do with you, right! Get out of the way!”
Every single attack of the fellow called Mordret is heavy.
However, against attacks that are solely relying on raw strength, there’s no way I’ll be pushed back.
I turn my blade horizontally and block the sword that’s swung down vertically.
If I move my right leg to the back and put my weight to the back, I can endure it even if it’s an attack from this fellow who’s a man.
“You’re also a slave huh……slaves should act like slavess!”
It appears that this fellow is no idiot either.
He immediately turns to the side and attacks continuously with his sword.
It sparks slightly when the sword, that shines black, and the blade, that glistens silver, intersect.
“”In the respective occupations, there are skill-like unique techniques. Be careful of that as well in the case where you’re going up against another person””
It’s something that Egil-san taught me in order for me to protect myself if I was to be assaulted by a slave trader again.
Do you have any reluctance in murder?
If I’m asked that, I can’t answer that I don’t.
But,
“Even slaves have human rights! I, Eleanor, Fi, how are we different from you guys!”
“Something like slaves, they’re existences whose lives are controlled by somebody, aren’t they! That which is being worn on you guys’ necks, it’s the proof of being tied down by somebody, isn’t itt!”
The sword that’s swung down aggressively is heavy.
I can tell that it’s carrying his entire body weight.
The difference in gender.
The difference in experience.
I’m being hit by those fixedly.
However, I can’t lose.
As an Adventurer.
As a human.
Eleanor’s feelings. My resolve as a slave. Andーー.
“We’ll definitely go back to the side of Egil-san, who illuminated the darkness that lasted forever!”
I want to meet him.
I want to be by his side forever.
Eleanor and I, we’re both thinking that.
That’s why I can’t afford to lose.
Mordret swings his sword down.
His defence becomes neglected with his attacks that rely on raw strength.
I dodge the sword that’s heavy without repelling it and aggressively stab my blade into his abdomen.
‘Mukyu’, the sound of penetration on flesh. Moreover, the sensation, it’s so soft that it’s incomparable to a monster’s body, that unpleasant sensation conveys clearly to my entire body from the handle that I grabbed with both hands.
“U……haa”
Mordret who vomited blood from his mouth.
I remove the blade and look down at the man who feebly collapses.
“Y, you……will kill humans……? I, I……don’t want to, die at a place like thiss”
Mordret who crawls on the ground and approaches me.
“Do you hesitate when you’re killing monsters? What’s the difference between humans and monsters? You’re somebody who made Eleanor sad, and besides, I hate men. You may hesitate when it comes to killing humans, but I won’t hesitate”
I, can’t go back anymore.
“It’s also for the sake of taking back my cherished best friend’s smile……”
“Fuckingg, sh…..itt”
He’s crying and bleeding.
The right hand that he raised at me, dropped loudly.
♢
〈Fi〉
Disputes between humans won’t end.
Wherever it is, whoever it is.
It’s just that the thought behind it is different respectively.
I feel painful at times like this……always.
“Beast Tamer huh. I’ve seen several times Adventurers of that occupation, it’s unsuitable for battles huh”
I was sneered at.
Even though it’s our first meeting, rude.
However, he’s misunderstanding huh.
“Besides, even though you’re an Animal Tamer, you’re only controlling that bird?”
He sneered again.
Too rude. I feel irritated.
Besides, he treats Pisha as a bird.
Although Pisha is a bird, it’s a hawk.
It’s a super cool hawk-sama.
“Pisha. Go”
I release the Pisha that I placed my shoulder.
It’s a breeze to go against Wizards and the likes, occupations that chant.
I mean, it’s because they’re unmoving dolls if I don’t let them chant.
I start running.
I recall when I start running.
The things that the past me has done.
The faces of the people that the past me has killed.
The face of my previous ownerーーwho gave me the meaning of life.
“Bye”
“Wha, an Animal Tamer is doing close combat!?”
I clench my fist and strike his abdomen.
At his back are Pisha’s fierce attacks.
I, in my own way, continuously attack the bespectacled man who doesn’t retaliate.
I drive my strength-filled fist into his abdomen.
I swiftly go around to his back and continuously attack his back.
I stab both his arms and kick both his legs down.
I jump, kick the back of the head of the bespectacled man, who crumbled onto the ground on his knees, and send him flying.
The bespectacled man who vigorously collapsed in front loudly.
He’s muttering something, but I guess I’ll ignore it.
“Guhaa……haa, aa……wh, why……akuu”
“……Carelessness, I guess? No, sorry, as I thought, I don’t know. Well, it doesn’t matter huh. Whether you live, or die”
I guess he’ll die since he can’t move even if I leave him as it is.
Besides, I don’t know whether it’s fine for me to deliver the final blow.
“……I’m tired”
♢
“Why, why why why! Why did you come back after all this time!”
When I jump back and dodge, Muslena swings her shortswords down at me.
It is quickーーhoweverーーit is just quick.
I do not think that it is scary and neither do I think that I cannot dodge it.
I can see that she, who was strong in the past, is now trying to kill me, who is before her eyes, like she is not thinking about anything; like she is obsessed with something.
“I did not come back. I came to put an end to things. With the three of you”
“ーーuu! You’re just a princess, don’t you say such arrogant stuff! You’ve been like this since the past, looking down on us……I hated it since the past, the princess you”
Both the shortswords’ fierce attacks, as well as the words’ fierce attacks, continue.
“We were introduced by your parents because you said you feel like becoming an Adventurer! We’d been thinking about how we’ll kill you one day at that time! And then, your elder sisters said there’s a way that’s more enjoyable than killing you, a way for you to show us a comical sight, and commissioned the job to us”
“……”
“We’re able to get both money and satisfaction. It’s the best, it’s really the best! ……And yet, don’t appear before us after all this time! I won’t lose……to somebody like you who tried to become an Adventurer for fun, there’s no way we, who became Adventurers for the sake of living, will lose!”
Those words felt heavy.
I’d known the circumstances of the three’s families.
I also knew that, for the sake of living, for the sake of their parents, they could only choose the path of an Adventurer.
However,
“Me, at that time, had really thought of you guys as my true friends”
“That’s just you! Right from the beginning, weーー”
“Eeh, so these are the memories of the past. Both for you guys, as well as for me”
While I retaliate with Aerial Bird, I stop her movements with Aqua Dragon.
When the Aqua Dragon, that changed its form, entangled around her wrists and ankles like it’s binding her, it sealed Muslena’s body’s every movement.
“I actually planned, to sell you guys off to a slave trader”
Egil-sama, he had Gossendolf-san introduce a slave trader to him.
However, I stopped that thinking since who knows when.
“I do not dislike my social status as a slave that much”
“Let go……let go of me! I’m saying let go, aren’t I!”
“Of course, I suppose I would have died if it was the worst owner. But, I felt really glad that I was bought by Egil-sama and was able to encounter him. I thought that by any chance, you three might also encounter a good owner, so I stopped”
“I don’t care! Just let goo, let go of me!”
Muslena who is afloat.
Although her limbs will not move, I suppose she is moving about and trying to escape. But because that is impossible, she is wiggling her torso and it is slightly comical.
But, it does not appear that she will listen to my story.
Hence, I pick up her shortswords that have dropped,
“Will you not listen to my story?” Heyy, Muslena”
I stabbed straight in as it is.
“Guhaa……ah, it, it hurts……my stomach……in my stomachh, it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts! My stomach hurtss!”
Blood that came out from her stomach is soaking her shirt and her pink skin is turning pale.
Her screaming voice, it steadily becomes silent.
“This is, farewell”
“N, no……I don’t, want to diee……sorry, I’m sorry, Eleanor……help mee, please help mee”
“I……. I…….”
I clenched my fist tightly.
“I begged for help the whole time! ‘Help’, ‘Why are you guys doing such a thing’! And yet, you guys watched the sight of me being taken away by the slave trader, covered your faces and laughed! You guys were watching as I am quivering, and were laughing!”
Crying.
Drooling.
I punch her, who is in pain, with all my strength.
Right cheek. Left cheek.
Alternatingly, the whole time.
“Do you know how much terrifying experiences I went through!? Do you know how much I had considered dying!?”
“Uu……aaah……sor, sorry, I’m sorryy, aah”
“However, I thought to myself that I do not want to die, that until I take revenge on the three of you, on my elder sisters, I do not want to die, that was my sole raison d’etre!”
“Uu……uu……”
“It can finally, finally end. I just have to kill my elder sisters after this and I can finally be blissful!”
“……u……a”
“I, who lost everything on that day, will be blissful with my beloved Egil-sama, with my dearest best friendーーI, will put an end to the past!”
“……”
“Let it, end! End end end end! Endーー”
“Eleanor”
My hands that were punching stopped.
Serina who grabbed my hands.
Beside her, Fi is also there.
“She’s, already dead”
She, whom I was engrossed in punching, was not breathing.
My fists’ skin is peeling off and I am bleeding.
There is, no pain. Moreover, tears are flowing from my eyes for some reason.
Mordret who has collapsed at a distant.
Kurd whose joints are bending in weird directions.
And Muslena whom I stabbed in the stomach with the shortsword and whose face I punched collapsed in front unmovingly.
“Goodbye, all three of you”
It is surely because the memories with the three of them were brought back that my tears are flowing from my eyes.
I was betrayed, abandoned, and almost killed.
Hence, the memories, they drive me slightly insane.
“Now, let us go, shall we. To Egil-sama’s side”
I probably would have died here if the two of them were not around.
I think even if I had won with my capabilities, I, who still kept my human-like kindness, would have let that kindness out, and I would have been killed at that opportunity.
I, will no longer go back.
All those enjoyable memories of the pastーーI leave them together with the three who stopped breathing.
It is because, I no longer have the need for the memories, that I will not look back upon.
