Chapter 26 I Won'T Give Up
I gently stroked her cheek ,and she was frozen. Well, of course she was. After all, the person she thought she had killed was still alive.
"W-why... are you alive? Did I mess up?"
"No, I think you did a splendid job. I confirmed that I died once."
She pointed the knife at me, but her hand was shaking.
"I don't think it's a good idea, but want to give it a try? Stab me in the neck or chest. I'll show you that I can come back to life as many times as it takes."
I opened my arms in a welcoming gesture, as if to say, "Go ahead." Then she dropped the knife weakly.
"I'm relieved. It hurts, but there's no doubt I'll come back to life."
"Wh-who are you..."
"A lot has happened. I've been doing my best since then."
"..."
"I won't explain because I know you won't understand, but... more importantly, what do you mean by 'there was no other way but to do this'? Is there something you're struggling with?"
"It's no use anymore..."
"Why?"
"I took care of you, but it was too much for me... And besides..."
The situation, ...oh, so that's how it is.
"And besides?"
"I was going to...no, forget it. Just forget about it."
She vigorously rubbed something against my eyes. Maybe it's not because of an injury, but for an instant, my vision became unfocused. Just for a few blinks, in that brief moment. Before I knew it, she had moved away from me and taken a few steps back.
"I'm sorry. For forgiving my foolish self——"
Is it directed at me, or is it an apology to someone who's not here in this place?
Without any hesitation, she used the knife in her hand to slash her own neck.
"That's why I have to do this, there's no other way for me——"
As something gushed out from around her neck, she fell backward. She, who can easily kill me in one blow, even though I should be sturdier than an average person. She's probably already...dead. ...Good grief.
When I got up, I walked towards her. I knelt down beside her and placed my finger on her neck. I still couldn't feel a pulse. The corner of her mouth turned up slightly, and she passed away with a look of relief on her face. I looked at her lifeless body and let out a sigh.
"Sigh... ...It was the same thing last time. Why couldn't you wait for me back then?"
I gently touched her cheek with both palms of my hands. As I wiped her eyes with my thumb, I realized that it wasn't blood that was oozing out.
I was frustrated. If only I had obtained this "secret weapon" earlier. I could have made whoever was trying to corner me give up.
I don't know who it is, but I'm a little angry.
"'Resurrect.'"
Starting from the cheek of the girl I'm touching, a faint light similar to a pale blue flame briefly envelops her entire body. It only lasted a moment, but I could confirm that everything that had gushed out from her neck area was returning to her body as if rewinding time.
Slowly, her eyelids open. Her eyes move from side to side, and finally stop to look at me.
"...Huh? I thought I was dead."
"You've been 'revived'."
"Revived... is that even possible? Well, even if it is, I'm already—"
She takes 'something' out of her pocket, puts it in her mouth, and swallows it immediately.
"*Cough*"
Something like blood flows from the corner of her right lip. At the same time, her face tilts weakly for a moment. There's no pulse when I touch her neck. Whatever she swallowed was probably an instant-acting poison or something. Quite bold, or what should I say.
"Hey... for real... Oh well, can't be helped. I don't want to linger, so 'Detoxify'. For now, 'Resurrect'."
Just like before, her eyelids slowly open heavily, and she wipes her eyes with the back of her hand. At that moment, I happened to see that her fingers and palm were of different colors. Not just the second joint, but up to near the palm, corroded by discoloration. It must have been painful, right? How much can she endure?
"Seriously? In that case, it would be like this, 'Dis Recover (Cure Disease)', and then 'Full Recover'."
I looked at her fingertips again. Yeah, the darkness is gone. For now, I guess this is fine.
"Please, let me die..."
"I don't want to."
"If I fail, everything will be over. Those children, my family won't last much longer. That's why I decided to kill you for my own benefit. ...But it seems impossible for me. I can't ask apologize from you, whom I tried to kill. Still, this is the only way I can apologize to you and those children. So please, let me die..."
"I said I don't want to, right? I won't allow you to die in such a cowardly way. You, no, you helped me. You're so troubled like this. But you know, what will happen to the people left behind if you die? If you know they will suffer and die in pain, do you want to do that to them? I wouldn't want that."
"But for me, there's..."
She's trying to take something out of her pocket again. I guess you could say she's stubborn or something...
"Is it poison or something again? Feel free to die as much as you want. I'll keep bringing you back to life until you run out of material. So, let's talk, shall we? I'll think with you too. "
A few tens of seconds? A few minutes? I think she thought about it a little. When she looked at me, her eyes had a kind of astonishment and a gentle expression.
"...I get it. If you won't let me die, I guess there's no choice."
Yes, she gave a self-deprecating smile as if giving up.
* * *
I brought her back to my mansion. She's taking a bath right now. It was cold outside, so I wanted her to relax. But hey, don't you think this is an exciting situation? I mean, look, a beautiful woman is taking a bath at my place. It's like a legendary "What kind of erotic game is this?" scenario.
The door opened. She wore my spare clothes. Of course, they're brand new and I never worn them before! It's only natural, that's just common courtesy, isn't it?
Her eyes are really beautiful. They're a deep, dark blue, like the sky just before dawn. Is it called lapis lazuli? Her hair is the same black as mine? Oh. And, what's this? Looking at her in the bright light, her skin looks like that of a gal who used to strut around a certain center street, went to a tanning salon, and got a tan, doesn't it? Huh? Her ears are long. Could she be an elf? Seriously? Is it true? Is it just my imagination? Yeah, let's stop having strange delusions.
"I'm grateful for the bath. It's been a while since I could soak in the tub and I'm happy."
"Huh? Like me, who finally made it here after seven days without a bath—"
"Don't be stupid. I'm still a woman, I managed to take a bath..."
"That's right. I'm sorry for asking such a stupid question."
"I-I'm glad you understand."
I urged her to sit down on the chair. I took a warm drink from the inventory and poured it into a cup, then pushed it in front of her. This is actually "Mana tea". It's slightly sweet and has a refreshing aroma, so you can drink it even when you're not feeling well. It's a bit expensive though.
I don't know if it's because Privia-san, a noble from some country, used to live here, but there's a fireplace in this living room. I don't know how to use it, so I haven't used it yet. So I thought it would be nice to have a warm drink, even though I just bathed.
She is holding the tea with both hands, as if warming her palms, and drinking it. I don't think she's being cautious because her throat is making noise.
Fortunately, this mansion has four rooms, a bathroom, a kitchen, and a toilet, all separated. So it won't be like "in a strange man's room," I was hoping she would relax a little.
"My name is Rosalier Norwood. Call me Rosalia. Despite appearances, I am the tribal chief."
Her name is Rosalia-san. It's a beautiful name. With a family name, she must carry a burden similar to Privia-san. Being the chief, it's like being the leader of a village, town, or even a small kingdom, right?
"I am..."
"I know. It was in the wanted poster. Tatsuma-san."
"Oh, right. I remember now. So, about that..."
"Ah, I will provide the information to the best of my knowledge. But first, about the client—"
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